This photograph depicts a picnic for Cup Day (Tuesday 2 November 1909) organised by the Mission and the LHLG members at Orchard House. The property belongs to Mr George Higgins, engineer and his wife, Beatrice who was the LHLG Malvern branch secretary. Beatrice nee Shuter was the daughter of Charles Shuter. In the Punch published on 11 November 1909, we could read: "The pretty garden of "Orchard House," and the paddock adjoining (kindly lent by Mr. and Mrs. Singleton), was the scene on Cup Day of a most successful sailors' picnic, when Mr. and Mrs. George Higgins and the Malvern members of the Ladies' Harbour Lights Guild entertained some 110 sailors from the Royal Navy and Merchant Service. A football match, sports, and "costume" races were indulged in by the more active members of the party, while others enjoyed the unusual pleasure of sitting on the green grass under the trees. Mrs. MacLeod, Mrs. Knight, Mrs. Simon Fraser, Mrs. H. B. Higgins, Mrs. Albert Keep, Miss Ethel Godfrey, the Misses Wollaston, and a number of other ladies assisted to wait on the "tars." One "Jack," from H.M.S. Cambrian, voted it the "nicest day he had had since leaving the Old Country." Hearty cheers for the kind hostesses closed the proceedings. The evening was spent at the Institutes of the Missions to Seamen on the Australian Wharf and at Port Melbourne respectively, where prizes were distributed to the successful competitors. "Small monochrome photograph1909, malvern, cup day, mr george higgins, mce, beatrice elizabeth higgins (nee shuter), h.m.s. cambrian, ethel augusta godfrey, orchard house, ina higgins, rica godfrey, rita godfrey, reverend alfred gurney goldsmith, picnics, social events, frederica godfrey, entertainments, sailors, seafarers, seamen, goldsmith album

The photograph depicts a large group (around 100) of merchant seamen, apprentices and officers at Malvern property, Orchard House, belonging to Mr George Higgins, in November 1019. Mr Higgins was a civil engineer, MCE, engineer in chief for the Victorian Railway, he also managed the contractors for the Princes Bridge.His sister Ina Higgins was first woman to graduate in Horticulture at Burnley and may have known another graduate there, Frederica Godfrey who established the Mission garden circa 1917-18. This image adds to the record of significant supporters and hosts across Melbourne that the Mission could call on to entertain seafarers in the early 20th C.Small monchrome photograph, fading to upper righthand quarter1909, cup day, malvern, george higgins, orchard house, beatrice elizabeth higgins (nee shuter), mrs shuter, charles shuter, ina higgins, picnics, social events, entertainments, sailors, goldsmith album