This offering plate is from St Andrew's Presbyterian Church Ballarat.Round varnished wood offering plate with a raised edge. The inside is covered with red twill fabric. Text is scratched into the underside."St A's"st andrew's presbyterian church ballarat, offering plate

Offering Plate circa 1890s. The decorated plate features a carved Scottish thistle and turned handle. These were used in the 19th century and hung on pegs at the back of the church when not in use. Velvet lined wooden offering plate with turned handle. Features a carved thistle. offering plate

Varnish wood offering plate with a long turned wood handle.offering plate

Round varnished turned wood offering plate with dark red felt lining.

Round varnished wood offering plate with a yellow felt lining which has an edging of gold glitter glue. The rim of the plate is carved with text and a Maltese cross."God loveth the cheerful giver"

The medal was issued by Cole's Book Arcade, with the proverb “Federation of the World, Be Good and Do Good”, circa 1885. This nickel-plated medal is one of a series of medals offering maxims and proverbs issued by E.W. Cole (Edward William Cole), owner of his Book Arcade. He called the medals 'little missionaries for the spread of educative knowledge' According to Sydney Endicott, an employee of Cole, customers were charged three pence for these medals (which he prefers to call tokens) which, when the Arcade was particularly busy, gave them admission to the second-hand books' gallery where the orchestra played. Each medal could be exchanged for thee pence worth of goods, but most were kept. The pierced ones were sometimes worn as pendants or on pocket watch chains. The medals served as perpetual advertisements of the Arcade (Victorian Historical Magazine, February 1962). George Dean suggests that the medals were also given in change at Christmas time, and could be used to operate amusement machines (presumably including the symphonion (clockwork instrument) and hens, although these only required one penny to operate). Cole had his first medal stuck in 1879 and his last one in 1903. The medals were variously gilded, silvered or bronzed, replicating the coinage and then circulating, or plated with nickel or white metal. The metal blanks were usually made of copper or brass, but some might have been bronze; aluminium was also sometimes used. In all, perhaps 300,000 medals were struck, in 97 different types or designs. Only 50 types are known to have circulated according to George Dean's 1988 book "A Handbook on E.W. Cole: His Book Arcade, Tokens and Medals'.The medal is significant for its association with Cole's Book Arcade in Melbourne, established in the 1870s. The unique shop not only had new books, but secondhand books, and many curious and interesting objects and musical treats. Cole's Book Arcade, at the time, was known as one of the wonders of 'marvellous Melbourne. it closed in 1929.Nickle plated bronze medal or token, round, featuring a tree fern and a thought provoking maxim. The medal was issued by E W Cole, Book Arcade, in Melbourne. Obverse: "BE GOOD AND" "DO GOOD" "HINDOO MAXIM" "PURE THOUGHTS" "PURE WORDS" "PURE DEEDS" "PARSES MAXIM" Reverse: "PURE / THOUGHTS / PURE WORDS / PURE DEEDS / PARSEE MAXIM" and below rainbow in tiny letters; "FEDERATION OF THE / WORLD MEDALS / ISSUED / BY E.W. COLE / BOOK ARCADE MELBOURNE"flagstaff hill, warrnambool, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, medal, maxims, coles arcade melbourne, federation of the world, advertising token, edward william cole, book arcade, e w cole, cole's book arcade

Painter, printmaker and installation artist John Wolseley was born in Somerset, England. He lived and worked throughout Europe before relocating to Australia in 1976. His work explores how people dwell and move within landscape. Wolseley see's himself as a hybrid mix of artist and scientist; one who tries to relate the minutiae of the natural world - leaf, feather and beetle wing - to the abstract dimensions of the earth's dynamic systems. Using techniques of watercolour, collage, frottage, nature printing and other methods of direct physical or kinetic contact Wolseley finds ways of collaborating with the actual plants, birds, trees, rocks and earth of a particular place. George Baldessin was one of the first artists John Wolseley met when he arrived in Australia in 1976. Both immigrated to Australia and connected through this shared experience. They were both at 'Realities Gallery' with Marianne Baillieu in the 1970s and 80s. George Baldessin (1939-1978) was born in San Biagio di Callalta, in the Veneto in Northern Italy and arrived in Australia ten years later. A printmaker and sculptor he built his bluestone studio at St Andrews (Nillumbik) in 1971 with his partner Tess and the three Hails brothers, Rob, Doug and Don. Made of recycled materials the studio today contains all of George’s equipment including the large press, which he modelled himself with the help of Neil Jeffrey (Enjay Presses). George won many prizes throughout his career and is represented in many of Australia's public art collections including his famous 'Pears' sculpture in front of the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra. In 1975 he represented Australia in the Sao Paulo Biennale, before living and working in Paris until his return to St Andrews in 1977. In 1978 George was killed in a car accident aged 39 years. In 2001 Tess returned to St Andrews to reclaim the run-down studio and reconstitute it as The Baldessin Press & Studio - a printmaking retreat. It operates in George’s memory, so that artists may continue to create, perpetuating the generous spirit of George. 'Life world of the Longicorn beetle' is one of eight prints in the 'Baldessin & Friends commemorative folio. The folio was conceived by Tess Edwards as a fundraising initiative in celebration of the The Baldessin Press & Studio's fifteen year anniversary, and as a way to honour George Baldessin's memory. The Baldessin Press & Studio is a not-for-profit organisation created in memory of the late George Baldessin (1939-1978), whose original studio is now open to the public for creative use and as a practical legacy to living artists. The Studio is located in St Andrews, Nillumbik. The folio is a unique coming together of seven very different and acclaimed artists who are connected by their friendship to the missing eighth member, George Baldessin. Communion and collaboration with nature are central to Wolseley's practice. He assembles different drawing methods to represent a kind of inventory or document about the state of the earth. His interest is to paint the processes and energy field of the living systems of this land. 'Life world of the Longicorn beetle' is his continued exploration of Australia's natural eco-systems. The beetle attacks the eucalypt and in the process of tunnelling into the wood of the tree leaves scribbly patterns. The work celebrates the cycle of life, and the wisdom and delicacy of these creatures. This three dimensional work consisting of three layers of paper is a varied edition, offering just the slightest difference between each print, reflective of variation in nature. The found log used as a woodcut acknowledges the interconnectedness of nature and living beings; the log is not apart from the art and the beetle has become an active artistic collaborator. An intimate and layered print of a tree log with line trails from the Longicorn beetle. Patches of pink, yellow and orange watercolour placed randomly. Woodcut from found log and etching on chine-colle with water colour on Gampi (top layer), Mulberry (middle layer) and Arches (bottom layer) paper. In pencil (handwritten): low plate: left '14/25' (edition); centre 'Life world of the Longicorn beetle' (title); right 'John Wolseley' (signature); low paper: right emboss 'GB' (Baldessin Press & Studio monogram)woodcut, etching, chine-colle, landscape, environment, longicorn beetle, print, baldessin, ekphrasis2018, eco, mixed media

Possibly ex Victorian Railways Newport workshops Supplied by Bevan & Edwards Machinery Merchants, Melbourne Sebastian Lathes Described by its makers as the Utility School, Garage and Repair-shop Lathe, the machine immediately below, a Sebastian 15" (circa 1910 - 1926) was the Company's cheapest offering and, in its basic form, lacked a compound slide rest, the tailstock did not set over for taper turning and the bed lacked a gap. However, a friction-type countershaft unit was included in the price as well as a tool post, faceplate, drive plate, changewheels for screwcutting and a small tool kit. As with modern cars (especially BMW) everything worthwhile was on the options' list and by spending more it was possible to specify all those small but important extras. Although in its lowest-cost form this model was reduced to the fundamentals required for a useable, screwcutting centre (engine) lathe it was still reasonably specified and would certainly have fulfilled many requirements when installed in a school or training workshop. The true swing was 15.25", it was properly backgeared and screwcutting was through a conventional tumble-reverse mechanism that allowed both left and right-hand powered movement to the carriage by altering the position of just one lever. As standard it accepted 40" between centres, but any capacity could be ordered, in foot intervals, up to a maximum of 88" - when it is hoped that a central bed support might have been included …… The spindle, which ran in white-metal bearings, had a useful 15/8" hole and a No. 3 Morse taper centre. Some models appear to have had the leadscrew clasp-nut lever on the right-hand side of the apron, while on others it was positioned to the left.. Early Sebastian 13-inch lathe Typical of the Centre or "Engine" lathe made by many manufacturers from the late 1800s until the late 1930s, the basic flat-belt drive Sebastian, with separate countershaft, was eventually relegated to the economy end of the Company's range by the introduction of geared headstocks and self-contained motor-drive systems.Historic - Industrial Machinery - Gap Bed Lathe - Possibly ex Victorian Railways Newport workshops - Purchased and supplied from Bevan & Edwards Gap Bed Lathe - Grey with raw steel parts and a timber cupboard with gears and tools. Bevan & Edwards PTY,LTD Machinery Merchants Melbourne (possible government tag) 365bevan & edwards pty,ltd machinery merchants melbourne, puffing billy

Handwritten on back: "Communion "attendance" token, deposited in collection plate at Communion service (delivered by Elder to household in week prior to Quarterly communion service)"Small oblong buff envelope with black text."No. 89"presbyterian church of australia, ebenezer - st john's presbyterian church

Pill rollers are fascinating historical tools used by pharmacists in the 18th and 19th centuries to handcraft pills. These devices typically consisted of wooden or metal plates with grooves and a matching roller. Pharmacists would mix powdered medications with binding agents, roll the mixture into uniform strands, and cut them into precise pill sizes. Pill rollers showcase the craftsmanship and ingenuity of early pharmaceutical practices, offering insight into the evolution of modern drug manufacturing techniques.- 6 - 12 - 18 - 24