This is a licence issued to Leslie Palmer in 1918. It gives him authority to operate a motor boat across the banks of the Hopkins River near the mouth and to carry passengers. As there is a bridge at the mouth of the river it is assumed that this motor boat was used to go across the river from a private house, making it more convenient than going by road to cross the bridge. It was, and still is, a common practice to use boats to cross the river from private homes built along the banks of the Hopkins River.This is a significant item as it is an original certificate and is interesting because the licence was a restricted one, for use only in crossing the Hopkins River. This is a paper licence issued by the Marine Board of Victoria in 1918. The certificate has printed material and entries written in black ink. It has the seal of the Marine Board and the signature of the SecretaryWritten material: ‘Leslie Alfred Palmer of Warrnambool, oil, on the Hopkins River within a line bearing east from Point Ritchie on the western side of the mouth of such river to the opposite shore, 6th December 1918’ motor boat licence 1918, warrnambool, leslie palmer, hopkins river