This Farrand & Votey pump organ was manufactured in Detroit USA c1885. It was lovingly restored by the late Peter Frost of Tallangatta. The organ was gifted to Peter in 2000 in a state of disrepair and was not working. Peter was born in Devon, England in 1930 and completed an apprenticeship in joinery and cabinetry, specialising in ornate church and cathedral furniture. He migrated to Australia in 1957 and became a highly regarded woodwork and building science teacher as well as a Building Inspector. He was also a passionate musician. On completion of the refurbishment Peter gave the organ to his daughter at Georges Creek. Farrand & Votey started out as the Detroit Organ Co. in 1881. They started building pipe organs in 1888. Votey did pioneering work on piano players, developing the famous Pianola. However, in 1897 the company split up, Farrand remaining with the reed organs as the Farrand Organ Co., and Votey taking the pipe organ and player piano business. The Farrand Organ Co. later brought out its own piano player, the Cecilian, but went bankrupt in 1915.This organ is an example of a craftsmanship from the late 19th century and has been fully refurbished by a skilled craftsmen from the Tallangatta district near Wodonga.An upright Farrand & Votey Pump Organ which was originally manufactured in Detroit, USA. It has been fully refurbished and is in working condition. Ron Fudge, a pump organ restorer in USA has dated it at c.1885 based on its serial number 14404 83.Above keyboard: "Farrand & Votey"farrand & votey, pump organ, organ restoration

This organ was gifted by the Bethel Community in 1890 to the then Victorian Seamen's Mission, originally founded by the Bethel Union in 1857. The gift was intended to assist with worship. Despite all appearance, this organ is not a pipe organ but a reed organ that works in a similar manner to an accordion. In May 1890, the sum of seventy pounds was put towards the purchase of the organ. The sum being raised via subscriptions. The organ was inaugurated in September 1890. Jabez Carnegie (1832-1892), importer of piano and organs in Melbourne, had made a trip to Europe and Canada in 1887 and had secured the agency of Bell organs. W. Bell & Co were a Canadian organ and piano manufacturer, considered the premier organ manufacturer of the time. W Bell & Co changed its name to Bell Organ and Piano Co in 1888 meaning this organ had to be manufactured prior to the name change. The organ was first used in the mission main room from 1890 to 1915 when the St Nicholas chapel was built at the back (see item 0548. It was transfered to the new Port Melbourne mission in 1937 (link on postcard from State Library Victoria). In 1972, it was transferred to the Holy Trinity Church in Bay Street after the closure of the Mission In the late 1980s during a National Trust campaign to save the building, the organ was sold by the Anglican Men's Society to the Trust's organ committee, who carried out some restoration work and returned it to the former Missions to Seamen chapel. In 1991 the Office of Major Projects had control of the whole 'Bayside' development site. With the Mission to Seamen Building emptied and proposed for demolition, the Office of Major Projects removed the organ and placed it in storage in various locations - finally, in the Museum of Victoria store in Abbotsford. In 1995-6, enquiries by Jim Hillis resulted in the return of the organ to the control of the Port Melbourne HIstorical & Preservation Society. As the Society had no suitable location for the organ, several churches and schools in Port Melbourne were approached to take the organ with no results. The nearby suburbs were suggested next. Finally the Melbourne Maritime Museum (Polly Woodside) was approached and agreed to place it in their Museum on a long term loan. In 1997 it was on display in no 5 shed South Wharf (23/3/1997). In 2006, the Polly Woodside South Wharf site was to be re-developed, and they could no longer retain the organ. Accordingly, on 4 May 2006, the organ was transferred to the Mission To Seafarers building in Flinders Street Extension as an indefinite loan (refer OL 022) The PMHPS deaccessioned it to finally transfered it in 2018 to MTSV.(See also acquisition details re 21st C finalisation of acquisition) This organ is a tangible reminder of the longevity of the Mission to Seafarers, a link with the original Bethel Union which was instrumental in 1856 calling a public meeting and inviting subscriptions by various non-conformist churches to found a mission to Seamen. Rev Kerr-Johnson delivered the first service in 1857 aboard the Emily. The Mission to Seafarers has been in operation ever since and continues to operate to the same purpose today.Large reed organ that looks like a pipe organ with fifteen elaborately painted pipes bearing a floral motif. The body of the organ is elaborately decorated in carved wood. It has 17 knobs above the keyboard both which can be concealed when the keyboard cover is lowered. There are two foot pedals at the bottom of the organ with "Mouse Proof Pedals" cast into the framing iron. list of stop names: Viola 4Ft Diapason 8Ft Dolce 4Ft Violetta 2Ft Sub Bass 16 Ft Octave Coupler Vox Humana Forte Picciolo 2Ft Hautboy 8Ft Aeoline 8Ft Cremona 16Ft E---bone 16Ft Echo 8Ft Celeste 8Ft Melodia 8Ft Flute 4FtMaker's mark in gold lettering above keyboard: W. Bell & Co Brass plaque on front board: Presented to/The Victorian Seamen's Mission/by/Congregation worshipping in Bethel/& friends./1st September 1890 Behind the stops a wooden plaque: J. CARNEGIE & SONS, SOLE AGENTS FOR VICTORIA MELBOURNE organ, worship, bethel, pipes, reed, bethel union, pipe top, jabez carnegie, w. bell & co, port melbourne, mission to seafarers, seamens' mission, mission to seamen, guelph, ontario, canada, pmhps, polly woodside, harmonium, reed organ

Originally a parish church, St Paul's became a cathedral in 1981 when Bendigo was declared a separate diocese. The church, designed by Robert A Love, was dedicated in 1868, with the bells being added in 1873 and the organ in 1883. It was closed in 2009 due to safety concerns and after extensive restoration and renovation was reopened in 2016.Green folder: centenary of St. Paul's Bendigo 1868-1968. On the front a black and white photograph ot the cathedral under the title "sentinel of faith". inside the folder newspaper articles relating to the celebration of the centenary.bendigo churches, st. paul's, centenary

The Wesleyan Methodist Church at Clunes is a distinctive bluestone building in the Gothic style and was designed by the Ballarat architect J.A. Doane. Construction began in 1864 and the church was further extended in 1871. The building consists of a broad nave and transepts with galleries, these having cast iron balustrades. The facade incorporates a slate-roofed octagonal turret and spire and a four-light perpendicular Gothic window. The interior includes windows with quarry glass panes and coloured borders; those on either side of the organ incorporate scrolled texts and may be by the Melbourne makers Ferguson & Urie. With declining congregations, the property was purchased by Wesley College in 1999 and now forms part of its Clunes campus. The church building has received a very extensive restoration, including structural strengthening, the opening out of the interior to its original dimensions and the installation of a new floor. Ref: https://www.ohta.org.au/organs/organs/ClunesUC.html Colour postcard showing a street view of the Clunes Methodist Church,clunes wesleyan methodist church, wesley college

The Wesleyan Methodist Church at Clunes is a distinctive bluestone building in the Gothic style and was designed by the Ballarat architect J.A. Doane. Construction began in 1864 and the church was further extended in 1871. The building consists of a broad nave and transepts with galleries, these having cast iron balustrades. The facade incorporates a slate-roofed octagonal turret and spire and a four-light perpendicular Gothic window. The interior includes windows with quarry glass panes and coloured borders; those on either side of the organ incorporate scrolled texts and may be by the Melbourne makers Ferguson & Urie. With declining congregations, the property was purchased by Wesley College in 1999 and now forms part of its Clunes campus. The church building has received a very extensive restoration, including structural strengthening, the opening out of the interior to its original dimensions and the installation of a new floor. Ref: https://www.ohta.org.au/organs/organs/ClunesUC.html Sepia postcard showing a street view of the Clunes Methodist Church,clunes wesleyan methodist church, wesley college

The Wesleyan Methodist Church at Clunes is a distinctive bluestone building in the Gothic style and was designed by the Ballarat architect J.A. Doane. Construction began in 1864 and the church was further extended in 1871. The building consists of a broad nave and transepts with galleries, these having cast iron balustrades. The facade incorporates a slate-roofed octagonal turret and spire and a four-light perpendicular Gothic window. The interior includes windows with quarry glass panes and coloured borders; those on either side of the organ incorporate scrolled texts and may be by the Melbourne makers Ferguson & Urie. With declining congregations, the property was purchased by Wesley College in 1999 and now forms part of its Clunes campus. The church building has received a very extensive restoration, including structural strengthening, the opening out of the interior to its original dimensions and the installation of a new floor. Ref: https://www.ohta.org.au/organs/organs/ClunesUC.html B & W exterior view of the Clunes Methodist Church, from the side.clunes wesleyan methodist church, wesley college

The Wesleyan Methodist Church at Clunes is a distinctive bluestone building in the Gothic style and was designed by the Ballarat architect J.A. Doane. Construction began in 1864 and the church was further extended in 1871. The building consists of a broad nave and transepts with galleries, these having cast iron balustrades. The facade incorporates a slate-roofed octagonal turret and spire and a four-light perpendicular Gothic window. The interior includes windows with quarry glass panes and coloured borders; those on either side of the organ incorporate scrolled texts and may be by the Melbourne makers Ferguson & Urie. With declining congregations, the property was purchased by Wesley College in 1999 and now forms part of its Clunes campus. The church building has received a very extensive restoration, including structural strengthening, the opening out of the interior to its original dimensions and the installation of a new floor. Ref: https://www.ohta.org.au/organs/organs/ClunesUC.html B & W exterior view of the Clunes Methodist Church.clunes wesleyan methodist church, wesley college

The Wesleyan Methodist Church at Clunes is a distinctive bluestone building in the Gothic style and was designed by the Ballarat architect J.A. Doane. Construction began in 1864 and the church was further extended in 1871. The building consists of a broad nave and transepts with galleries, these having cast iron balustrades. The facade incorporates a slate-roofed octagonal turret and spire and a four-light perpendicular Gothic window. The interior includes windows with quarry glass panes and coloured borders; those on either side of the organ incorporate scrolled texts and may be by the Melbourne makers Ferguson & Urie. With declining congregations, the property was purchased by Wesley College in 1999 and now forms part of its Clunes campus. The church building has received a very extensive restoration, including structural strengthening, the opening out of the interior to its original dimensions and the installation of a new floor. Ref: https://www.ohta.org.au/organs/organs/ClunesUC.html B & W exterior view of the Clunes Wesley College development. The image shows school buildings on a block next to the former Clunes Methodist Church.clunes wesleyan methodist church, wesley college