Wife of the Rev T D Cairns, Minister of St Andrews Kirk, Mrs Mary Cairns served on the Council of Clarendon Presbyterian Ladies College 1919 - 1949. Her generous guarantee of loans from the Ballarat Banking Company, together with other donations, enabled the Presbytery of Ballarat to purchase Clarendon Ladies College from Mr Kennedy in 1919 for 1500 pounds. Mrs Cairns was an inaugural member of the new Clarendon Presbyterian Ladies College Council, established 1919 and remained on the Council for 30 years. This chair was a personal gift to Mrs Cairns by the PWMU to honour of her long and devoted service to that organisation. Mrs Cairns donated the chair back to St Andrews Kirk where it remained in use until the sale of the property in 2019. Congregation member, Max Harris, kindly arranged the donation of the chair to the school because of Mrs Cairn's long association with Clarendon PLC. Solid wood chancel chair with discreet carving; plaque on front side of back supportPlaque: This chair was presented by the / Members of the St Andrews P W M U / on the occasion of the retirement of / Mrs T R Cairns / from the Presidency of the Branch / after holding that office for more than fifty years / as an acknowledgement of her devoted service / as President / & of their deep personal regard. mrs mary cairns, 1919, st andrews kirk, clarendon presbyterian ladies college

Bendigo Advertiser ''The way we were'' from Wednesday, July 6, 2005. All dressed up: the debutante set at the Marist Brothers Band Ball in 1941. Back row: Franck Richards, Laurie Butler, Maurice Hobson, Tom Cairns, Max Dyet, Kevin Holland, Tony Byrne, Eric Polglaise, H. Fitzgerald, Leo Fitzgerald, Bill Gearon and Len Rainbow. Middle row: Len Conolan, Peg Hoff, Mary Kelly, Esrna Muir, Pat O'Shea, Eileen O'Halloran, Clare Tully, Nancy Flynn, Mary Gallagher and Dick Southby. Front row: Jim Lamers, Gwen Southcombe, DoreenReilly, Peg McLeish, Mrs J. Rowan, Mary Dunn, Julia Hunt, Irene Royal and K. Lalor. Front Cath Callaghan and Bernice Cavagnanewspaper, bendigo advertiser, the way we were

The rug was made at Albion Mills in Geelong. It was owned by Norman Downie, the uncle of Mary Virr (the donor) who inherited the rug after Mr Downie's death in the early 1990s. Mr Downie and his family had several connections to the wool industry in Geelong. He would send pieces of fabric out to Mrs Virr and her mother in Cobden every year. See attached history.W7215 Statement from Mary Virr on offer of donation Written family history by Mary Virr, page 1 Written family history by Mary Virr, page 2 Partial family tree of Mary Virr, including connections to the wool industry. Photocopy of marriage certificate dated 13th April 1881, marriage between James Downie and Mary Cairns, the grandparents of Mary Virr. A photocopy of a reference dated 15/09/1919 from Mr E. Plumridge from the Corio Wool Scouring Company for Miss M. DownieAlbion Mills Geelong Albion Rug All Wooltextile industry textile mills, albion woollen mills co. pty ltd, albion woollen mills, weaving, geelong, victoria, textile industry, textile mills

Framed Black and white photo of Debutante Mayoral Ball, City of Nunawading 1951, Mayor & Mayoress: Cr. & Mrs C. Willis.revell, john, jarvis, eric, martin, harvey, gibb, barry, bird, laurel, johnson, ken, keast, valerie, thomas, robert, martin, thelma, mock, walter, charlesworth, albert roy, osmond, ken, kelly, mrs h.p., nichols, joan, leeworthy, robin, purser, marlene, fulton, brenda, holdsworth, margaret, cooksey, joyce, sanders, mary, fraser, heather, gorsuch, judith, church, ken, keast, ian, barnes, frank, cairns, keith, debutante ball, city of nunawading, debutantes, fry judith