Showing 15 items matching "romantic age"
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Federation University Historical Collection
Magazine - Booklet, Ballarat Teachers' College Student Magazine, 'Extra Muros', 1931
... romantic age... team maclean ballarat east town hall theatre romantic age ...A printed magazine of the Ballarat Teachers' College, including a number of black and white photographs. ballarat teachers' college, extra muros, sport, tennis team, hocket team, maclean, ballarat east town hall, theatre, romantic age, athletics, swimming, colin inglis, alex coto, m. fogarty, gladys dunstan, thomas ryan, m.e. bainbridge, nancy larkan, alex a. brown, a.m. kerr, r.w. johnston, r. southwell, m. graham, m.m. o'callaghan, w.j. braden, m. quin, anne vickers, gregor c. mcleod, hazel j. henderon, claire davey, jess higgins, dot watson, c. mccullough, ronnie mcmahon, g. ingpen, m. connolly, w. sudholz, g. turner, norman povey, c. kirk, a. curtis, doris roscoli, kitty kelly, alfred dixon, d.r. anderson, keith m. johnson, arthur h. bryant, m.j. drummond, norna nevett, l.j. miles, dougles mcdowell, m.g. boucher, e.b. tregonning, h.p. doyle, edward russell, lorna mitchell, mac kerrmann, mildred coad, lurline f. desailly, rosa m. fraser, ann saligari, jean baily, meg arnott, r. mcinerny, a.b. stearn -
Mission to Seafarers Victoria
Book, My Name is Frank, A Sea Merchant Talks, 1st March 2021
From the 1942 cover: We are proud to announce this book by Frank Laskier, "a sailor, an Englishman," the merchant seaman who gave the ever-memorable postscript after the BBC news on the first Sunday in October. The millions of listeners who heard that deeply moving voice will welcome an opportunity to read many more stories of the war at sea, which Laskier tells with the incomparable vividness of simple truth, and which made him a great broadcast speaker overnight. Laskier sounds, too, the note of victory that will bring a universal response-"Remember what we have been through; remember what we're going through; and fight and fight, and never, never, never, give in!" The publisher of this new edition has included an introduction and explanatory footnotes, as well as an appendix listing the ships mentioned in the book along with their descriptions. First published in 1942 by George Allen & Unwin, LondonPaperback blue cover with red English merchant Navy flag. 74 pagesfictionFrom the 1942 cover: We are proud to announce this book by Frank Laskier, "a sailor, an Englishman," the merchant seaman who gave the ever-memorable postscript after the BBC news on the first Sunday in October. The millions of listeners who heard that deeply moving voice will welcome an opportunity to read many more stories of the war at sea, which Laskier tells with the incomparable vividness of simple truth, and which made him a great broadcast speaker overnight. Laskier sounds, too, the note of victory that will bring a universal response-"Remember what we have been through; remember what we're going through; and fight and fight, and never, never, never, give in!" The publisher of this new edition has included an introduction and explanatory footnotes, as well as an appendix listing the ships mentioned in the book along with their descriptions. First published in 1942 by George Allen & Unwin, Londonfrank laskier, seafarers, sailors, seafaring life, ww2, world war 2, merchant navy, bbc, radio, liverpool, second world war, australia, padre oliver, battle of the atlantic, frank laskier (1912-1949), gunner, log book -
Glenelg Shire Council Cultural Collection
Book, Alone, c. 1889
Blue cloth-covered binding. Title and author on spine in blue lettering against a gold design. 320pp.fictionromance, female author, woman, 1854, american -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Functional object - Music stand, Early 19th Century before 1860
Thomas Sheraton (1751-1806) appears to have been the first to record the written term “Canterbury” music or magazine stand. In his Cabinet Dictionary of 1803 he refers to “a small music stand” with divisions for holding loose sheet or bound volumes of music. The music stand designed to hold sheet music came into fashion in the late 18th Century in England and was often crafted from mahogany, rosewood or walnut. They were seen as status symbols since music was practiced exclusively by the upper classes of society. In a period when printed music was more widely available and disseminated due to more affordable printing techniques, modern sheet music was very popular and therefore storage for such favoured tunes became a luxury and an opportunity for innovative design by cabinet makers. The Classical period of music, from about 1750 to 1820 and the Romantic Period from around 1815-1910 was the golden age of classical music. And it was at this time that The Canterbury often accompanied the piano in the parlour with styles ranging from Georgian simplicity to Victorian exuberance. Social activities of colonial Victoria would have included evening gatherings of family and friends around the piano to enjoy performances or sing along together with from old and up-to-date music sheets. The Canterbury would also be an elegant and practical place to also store newspapers, magazines, posters and drawings from overseas. The news from ‘home’ would be enjoyed by all. THE INSCRIPTION “Jack Morse” Morse. In 2010 Mr Jack Morse was recognised as one of the “people who have contributed to the long term development of Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village”. He was a member of the Flagstaff hill Planning board and a Current Life Member and had been awarded a Certificate of Service and the provision of an Annual Family Membership for life by Flagstaff Hill. The Morse’s family business, Morse’s Engineering, closed in 2010. It was considered “One of Warrnambool’s longest operating businesses with roots dating to 1883 with the design and manufacture of coaches and buggies, progressing to automotive repairs and later specialising in under-vehicle work” The Canterbury appears to have been handmade prior to 1860 as the dovetails are handmade and there are no saw marks on the drawer sides or back as well the sides. Also the back has small nicks indicating a hand plane or drawer knife was used rather than a saw blade to size the material. Additional indications are that the spindles are slightly different in size meaning they were handmade individually not mass produced. From these indicators the writer believes that the item was made before 1860 as machinery was only used after this date to produce furniture. As yet no individual maker can be attributed to this item, however it is a significant piece historically and is quite valuable if a known maker can be associated with the Canterbury. The item highlights a time in our social history when music played an everyday part in people’s lives as the only entertainment families could enjoy together in their own homes. A Canterbury music stand, having three compartments consisting of twenty turned spindles supporting the slat dividers. A drawer, with two turned wooden handles, is fitted below. The music stand has turnip style turned feet. The drawer front and carcass of the stand are veneered rosewood over a mahogany carcass. The underlined words "Jack Morse" are handwritten underneath the drawer bottom.Hand written inscription on underneath the drawer bottom "Jack Morse".flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, canterbury, music rack, magazine rack, music stand, magazine stand, 19th century furniture, occasional furniture, frederick cornwallis, jack morse, morse’s undercar, music, thomas sheraton, regency furniture, music canterbury -
National Wool Museum
Functional object - Typewriter, Remington Typewriter Company, c.1925
This Remington No.12 typewriter is of the typebar, front-strike class. It was made by the Remington Typewriter Company of Ilion, New York, U.S.A. in about 1925. The Model No. 12 was introduced in 1922 and was one of the first 'visible writer' machines, in which the typed characters were visible to the operator. Previous models were of the upstrike class in which the characters were typed on the underside of the platen. To see what had been typed the operator had to raise the platen, meaning the typist was typing blind much of the time. This machine was used by Margaret Ganly née Burn in the 1930s. It was purchased for her by one of the sons of William Pride, a famous saddle maker in Geelong, William was Margaret’s grandfather. The typewriter was donated with original sales receipt and servicing tools. Margaret worked at Dennys for 7 years during the 1930s. The typewriter is accompanied with a story written by Margaret about her time working at the company. Margret married Jack Ganly, a fellow employee of Dennys. The Ganly name was well known within Dennys, with three generations of the Ganly family working at the company. WORKING CONDITIONS & OFFICE WORK DUTIES. Written by Margaret Burn in 2021. Worked at Dennys Lascelles in the 1930s. In the 1930s coming out of the Depression, jobs were hard to come by and had to be clung to by efficiency and subserviency. There was no union to protect workers – bosses could be tough and rough. Dennys Lascelles revolved around fortnightly wool sales in the “season” – September to May. Sale day was always a day of suppressed excitement. Preparation from a clerical point of view was complete and we now awaited the aftermath of the actual wool auction. The building teemed with people. There were country people down to see their wool sold, buyers of many nationalities, or from the big cities, who were coming in and out of the building all day. Their role was to inspect the acres of wool bales displayed on the show floors; however, caterers were present to feed clients, and there was plenty of social interactions on top of business. The office staff did not go home but waited until the first figures came back from the wool sales and the machines went in to action, both human and mechanical, preparing the invoices for the buyers’ firms. This comprised of lists of lot numbers, weights, prices per lb., and the total prices paid. A lot of this was done by old-school typewriters, making this work a big, heavy, tiring job. Before the finished lists could be dispatched, they were collated on an “abstract”. The lists had to balance with the catalogue from which the invoices had been prepared. This never happened automatically. All the paperwork had to be split up amongst pairs of workers and checked until discrepancies were found. This would happen until midnight but occasionally went until 2 or 3 am. Once complete, the invoices could then be rushed off to the buyers’ firms usually in Melbourne, and hire cars took the staff home. It was back on the job the next morning, usually around 8.30. The office hours varied according to the size of the sale and work involved. Some days started as early as 8 and could finish around 5.30. The second phase of work began with the account sales to be prepared for the sellers of the wool. These detailed all the weights, descriptions of wool, brands, and prices. One Sales account could have multitudes of lot numbers, all needing to be individually described. Various charges needed to be deducted such as finance for woolpacks, extra stock, or farmers who were given a loan to live on during the season. Details of how payment was to be made was also noted, whether the seller was to be paid by cheque, to a bank, or credited to their account with the company (which often left the seller still in debt). For a couple of months in the winter, things were quieter when staff took holidays and were sometimes given afternoons off. But there were still weekly skin sales and stock sales around the state. The annual end of June figures to be prepared for a big company like Dennys with branches all around the state also kept the staff busy. In good years there was sometimes a bonus. On sale days there was a bar open for the clients and wool buyers. This added to the excitement for the young girls, who were strictly barred from using it, but somehow managed to sneak a gin and tonic. This is how I had my first ever, before the evening meal. There was also the romantic notion in some minds, with all the influx of males, that some of us might end up on a wealthy station, or be noticed by an exotic buyer. To my knowledge, this never happened at Dennys Lascelles Limited. Group staff photo at Dennys Lascelles Limited. Margaret Burn. Age 18 or 19. Jack Ganly (Margaret’s future husband). 22.The typewriter has a black painted metal frame. The top section of the typewriter consists of a cylindrical platen on a carriage featuring plated metal fittings. A curved folding paper guide sits behind the platen and moves on the horizontal axis when the user types on the keyboard. A horizontal semicircular type basket with typebar links the top section to the lower keyboard. The ink ribbon is carried between two spools on a horizontal axis, one on each side of the type-basket. At the rear, a paper tray features gold lettering which reads ‘Remington’. At the front, a four-row QWERTY keyboard is found with 42-character keys total. 'SHIFT LOCK' and 'SHIFT KEY' are to the left of the keyboard, 'BACK SPACER' and 'SHIFT KEY' to the right. All keys are circular, white with black lettering. At the top of the keyboard are five circular red keys with the numbers 1-5 displayed behind their respective keys. A Spacebar is found along the front of the keyboard. The typewriter is accompanied by a cardboard box. This box contains the original sales receipt, on blue paper with grey lead handwriting. It also contains spare parts, a spare ribbon stretched between two spools, and cleaning tools such as brushes of differing sizes. Serial Number. Engraved. "LX45395" Gold lettering. Paper tray. “Remington” Gold Lettering. Behind keyboard. “Made in Ilion, New York, U.S.A. Gold Lettering. Mirrored both sides of type-basket. “12”remington, dennys lascelles ltd, worker conditions 1930s -
National Wool Museum
Letter - Letter of reference for Margaret Burn, 03/11/1939
Letter of Reference for Miss Margaret Burn detailing her work as a bookkeeper, machine operator, typist, and stenographer over seven years at Dennys Lascelles Limited. The letter details her leaving the company as she married in 1939. In the same year, Ms Burn returned to the office owing to the shortage of staff caused by various employees being called away for Military Training. Included in the staff called away for military training was her newlywed husband, Mr Jack Ganly. A fellow employee of Dennys, the Ganly name was well known within the company, with three generations of the Ganly family working at Dennys. Margaret worked at Dennys for 7 years during the 1930s. The Letter of Reference is accompanied with a story written by Margaret about her time working at the company. WORKING CONDITIONS & OFFICE WORK DUTIES. Written by Margaret Burn in 2021. Worked at Dennys Lascelles in the 1930s. In the 1930s coming out of the Depression, jobs were hard to come by and had to be clung to by efficiency and subserviency. There was no union to protect workers – bosses could be tough and rough. Dennys Lascelles revolved around fortnightly wool sales in the “season” – September to May. Sale day was always a day of suppressed excitement. Preparation from a clerical point of view was complete and we now awaited the aftermath of the actual wool auction. The building teemed with people. There were country people down to see their wool sold, buyers of many nationalities, or from the big cities, who were coming in and out of the building all day. Their role was to inspect the acres of wool bales displayed on the show floors; however, caterers were present to feed clients, and there was plenty of social interactions on top of business. The office staff did not go home but waited until the first figures came back from the wool sales and the machines went in to action, both human and mechanical, preparing the invoices for the buyers’ firms. This comprised of lists of lot numbers, weights, prices per lb., and the total prices paid. A lot of this was done by old-school typewriters, making this work a big, heavy, tiring job. Before the finished lists could be dispatched, they were collated on an “abstract”. The lists had to balance with the catalogue from which the invoices had been prepared. This never happened automatically. All the paperwork had to be split up amongst pairs of workers and checked until discrepancies were found. This would happen until midnight but occasionally went until 2 or 3 am. Once complete, the invoices could then be rushed off to the buyers’ firms usually in Melbourne, and hire cars took the staff home. It was back on the job the next morning, usually around 8.30. The office hours varied according to the size of the sale and work involved. Some days started as early as 8 and could finish around 5.30. The second phase of work began with the account sales to be prepared for the sellers of the wool. These detailed all the weights, descriptions of wool, brands, and prices. One Sales account could have multitudes of lot numbers, all needing to be individually described. Various charges needed to be deducted such as finance for woolpacks, extra stock, or farmers who were given a loan to live on during the season. Details of how payment was to be made was also noted, whether the seller was to be paid by cheque, to a bank, or credited to their account with the company (which often left the seller still in debt). For a couple of months in the winter, things were quieter when staff took holidays and were sometimes given afternoons off. But there were still weekly skin sales and stock sales around the state. The annual end of June figures to be prepared for a big company like Dennys with branches all around the state also kept the staff busy. In good years there was sometimes a bonus. On sale days there was a bar open for the clients and wool buyers. This added to the excitement for the young girls, who were strictly barred from using it, but somehow managed to sneak a gin and tonic. This is how I had my first ever, before the evening meal. There was also the romantic notion in some minds, with all the influx of males, that some of us might end up on a wealthy station, or be noticed by an exotic buyer. To my knowledge, this never happened at Dennys Lascelles Limited. Group staff photo at Dennys Lascelles Limited. Margaret Burn. Age 18 or 19. Jack Ganly (Margaret’s future husband). 22. Sheet of paper shorter in length than A4 size, creamed with age. Paper has a header for Dennys, Lascelles Limited’s Head Office at 32 Moorabool Street, Geelong. Body of paper is made up of 3 paragraphs in a typewritten message of black ink with subheadings highlighted with a red underline. The text is finished with a signature at the bottom of the paper. Paper is accompanied by its original envelope. Envelope has typewritten text in black ink with a red underline located at the centre. It also has return to sender instructions to Dennys, Lascelles Limited in the lower left-hand corner.Typewritten text, black and red ink. Multiple. See multimediadennys lascelles ltd, worker conditions 1930s, letter of reference -
Unions Ballarat
A super history : how Australia's $1 trillion+ superannuation industry was made, St Anne, Christine, 2012
An historical account of the creation of the superannuation system in Australia. The author has interviewed some of the pioneers of the system. Table of contents: A few good men Chicago racket or dream of the romantics? Getting the show on the road Holdens and Rolls Royces A woman's job The business of super Lear jets and cuff-links The greatest victory of all The Howard years The politics of super Other people's money A time to imagine and innovatePertinent to financial and social history.Paper; book. Red and brown cover, with drawings of various persons.Front cover: title and author name.btlc, ballarat trades hall, ballarat trades and labour council, finance, superannuation, money, retirement, history, actu, australian council of trade unions, pensions, superannuation funds, old age pensions, trade unions, alp, australian labor party, howard, john -
Merri-bek City Council
Hand printed vintage black and white silver print, Stephen Wickham, Untitled 2, c. 1980
Stephen Wickham is an Australian photographer and painter who has been actively exhibiting his works since the 1980s. A long standing preoccupation with Mt Buffalo since the 1980's has seen the artist produce a number of photographic suites and exhibitions that have been likened to German Romantic iconography and associated heavily with the European migrant experience (Robert Nelson, The Age 16 June 2001). Born to Viennese parents, hiking in the mountains for Wickham represents a traditional European family pastime. This series of work is comprised of expeditionary photographs taken between 1980 and 1985. Charles Green describes Wickham's landscape photographs as sublime, transcendental, spiritual and symbolic (Art in Australia Spring 1988). Set in Victoria’s Mount Buffalo National Park, the Mount Buffalo series captures the mountain plateau during winter. Rather than focusing on a lush green landscape, Wickham presents the viewer with close-ups of the snow-covered flaura and fauna of the alpine region.Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program by Miriam Kenter in memory of Master George Willibrord Kenter -
Merri-bek City Council
Hand printed vintage black and white silver print, Stephen Wickham, Untitled 5, c. 1980
Stephen Wickham is an Australian photographer and painter who has been actively exhibiting his works since the 1980s. A long standing preoccupation with Mt Buffalo since the 1980's has seen the artist produce a number of photographic suites and exhibitions that have been likened to German Romantic iconography and associated heavily with the European migrant experience (Robert Nelson, The Age 16 June 2001). Born to Viennese parents, hiking in the mountains for Wickham represents a traditional European family pastime. This series of work is comprised of expeditionary photographs taken between 1980 and 1985. Charles Green describes Wickham's landscape photographs as sublime, transcendental, spiritual and symbolic (Art in Australia Spring 1988). Set in Victoria’s Mount Buffalo National Park, the Mount Buffalo series captures the mountain plateau during winter. Rather than focusing on a lush green landscape, Wickham presents the viewer with close-ups of the snow-covered flaura and fauna of the alpine region.Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program by Miriam Kenter in memory of Master George Willibrord Kenter -
Merri-bek City Council
Hand printed vintage black and white silver print, Stephen Wickham, Untitled 6, c. 1980
Stephen Wickham is an Australian photographer and painter who has been actively exhibiting his works since the 1980s. A long standing preoccupation with Mt Buffalo since the 1980's has seen the artist produce a number of photographic suites and exhibitions that have been likened to German Romantic iconography and associated heavily with the European migrant experience (Robert Nelson, The Age 16 June 2001). Born to Viennese parents, hiking in the mountains for Wickham represents a traditional European family pastime. This series of work is comprised of expeditionary photographs taken between 1980 and 1985. Charles Green describes Wickham's landscape photographs as sublime, transcendental, spiritual and symbolic (Art in Australia Spring 1988). Set in Victoria’s Mount Buffalo National Park, the Mount Buffalo series captures the mountain plateau during winter. Rather than focusing on a lush green landscape, Wickham presents the viewer with close-ups of the snow-covered flaura and fauna of the alpine region.Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program by Miriam Kenter in memory of Master George Willibrord Kenter -
Merri-bek City Council
Hand printed vintage black and white silver print, Stephen Wickham, Untitled 7, c. 1980
Stephen Wickham is an Australian photographer and painter who has been actively exhibiting his works since the 1980s. A long standing preoccupation with Mt Buffalo since the 1980's has seen the artist produce a number of photographic suites and exhibitions that have been likened to German Romantic iconography and associated heavily with the European migrant experience (Robert Nelson, The Age 16 June 2001). Born to Viennese parents, hiking in the mountains for Wickham represents a traditional European family pastime. This series of work is comprised of expeditionary photographs taken between 1980 and 1985. Charles Green describes Wickham's landscape photographs as sublime, transcendental, spiritual and symbolic (Art in Australia Spring 1988). Set in Victoria’s Mount Buffalo National Park, the Mount Buffalo series captures the mountain plateau during winter. Rather than focusing on a lush green landscape, Wickham presents the viewer with close-ups of the snow-covered flaura and fauna of the alpine region.Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program by Miriam Kenter in memory of Master George Willibrord Kenter -
Merri-bek City Council
Hand printed vintage black and white silver print, Stephen Wickham, Untitled 8, c. 1980
Stephen Wickham is an Australian photographer and painter who has been actively exhibiting his works since the 1980s. A long standing preoccupation with Mt Buffalo since the 1980's has seen the artist produce a number of photographic suites and exhibitions that have been likened to German Romantic iconography and associated heavily with the European migrant experience (Robert Nelson, The Age 16 June 2001). Born to Viennese parents, hiking in the mountains for Wickham represents a traditional European family pastime. This series of work is comprised of expeditionary photographs taken between 1980 and 1985. Charles Green describes Wickham's landscape photographs as sublime, transcendental, spiritual and symbolic (Art in Australia Spring 1988). Set in Victoria’s Mount Buffalo National Park, the Mount Buffalo series captures the mountain plateau during winter. Rather than focusing on a lush green landscape, Wickham presents the viewer with close-ups of the snow-covered flaura and fauna of the alpine region.Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program by Miriam Kenter in memory of Master George Willibrord Kenter -
Merri-bek City Council
Hand printed vintage black and white silver print, Stephen Wickham, Untitled 9, c. 1980
Stephen Wickham is an Australian photographer and painter who has been actively exhibiting his works since the 1980s. A long standing preoccupation with Mt Buffalo since the 1980's has seen the artist produce a number of photographic suites and exhibitions that have been likened to German Romantic iconography and associated heavily with the European migrant experience (Robert Nelson, The Age 16 June 2001). Born to Viennese parents, hiking in the mountains for Wickham represents a traditional European family pastime. This series of work is comprised of expeditionary photographs taken between 1980 and 1985. Charles Green describes Wickham's landscape photographs as sublime, transcendental, spiritual and symbolic (Art in Australia Spring 1988). Set in Victoria’s Mount Buffalo National Park, the Mount Buffalo series captures the mountain plateau during winter. Rather than focusing on a lush green landscape, Wickham presents the viewer with close-ups of the snow-covered flaura and fauna of the alpine region.Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program by Miriam Kenter in memory of Master George Willibrord Kenter -
Merri-bek City Council
Hand printed vintage black and white silver print, Stephen Wickham, Untitled 10, c. 1980
Stephen Wickham is an Australian photographer and painter who has been actively exhibiting his works since the 1980s. A long standing preoccupation with Mt Buffalo since the 1980's has seen the artist produce a number of photographic suites and exhibitions that have been likened to German Romantic iconography and associated heavily with the European migrant experience (Robert Nelson, The Age 16 June 2001). Born to Viennese parents, hiking in the mountains for Wickham represents a traditional European family pastime. This series of work is comprised of expeditionary photographs taken between 1980 and 1985. Charles Green describes Wickham's landscape photographs as sublime, transcendental, spiritual and symbolic (Art in Australia Spring 1988). Set in Victoria’s Mount Buffalo National Park, the Mount Buffalo series captures the mountain plateau during winter. Rather than focusing on a lush green landscape, Wickham presents the viewer with close-ups of the snow-covered flaura and fauna of the alpine region.Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program by Miriam Kenter in memory of Master George Willibrord Kenter -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Textile - Wall Hanging, curtain, 1854-1855
The striking fabric of this wall hanging was recovered from the sinking Schomberg. It was originally one of the many curtains adorning the captain’s cabin and ladies’ saloons that attracted first-class passengers to this luxury vessel, built for comfort and speed. The clipper ship was on its maiden voyage, full of passengers emigrating to Australia in 1855. Its commander was Captain James Nicol Forbes, who had been selected by James Baine & Co for his navigation skills, experience, and reputation for breaking sailing records. However, on December 26th, 1855, the vessel became stranded and sank west of Cape Otway, not quite reaching its destination of Melbourne. A reporter explored the Schomberg before its journey; the following detailed description is an excerpt of his article published in a newspaper after the disastrous voyage was announced. “ … descending by a flight of stairs, covered with carpet of a very rich pattern, we came to the saloon passengers’ cabin. This is a noble place, and all that refined taste would suggest has been done to make each berth a miniature palace. The bedding is of the very best material, and the fittings are replete with every convenience. The carpets are of various coloured velvet pile, and the curtains are of satin damask, lined with white satin … The fronts of the berths are highly decorated, and festoons of flowers are painted on the panels … No two berths are furnished with the same-coloured material … the visitor is, therefore, much pleased with the variety which he has to inspect….” (Trove: Shipping Gazette and Sydney General Trade, 31 Dec 1955, p. 283) The curtain material, ‘folded into a single piece and parcelled for protection’, has been passed down through generations of Captain Forbes’ relatives, starting with his half-sister Isabella Jeffrey Nicol. The curtain has remained with the family, although some transition details are incomplete. About a century later, Isabella and Blakiston Robinson’s great-grandson and his wife had the fabric professionally mounted as a wall hanging to showcase the beauty of the woven brocade. Eventually, the custodianship of the curtain was transferred to the donor, who is also a great-grandson of Isabella and Blakiston. He and his wife hung the curtain on the wall of a high-ceilinged room in their home, away from direct light, making it visible for all to appreciate its beauty and significance. In 2024, they donated the curtain for inclusion among the collection of artefacts that help tell the story of the Schomberg and those who sailed on its first and last voyage. The donor’s aunt was highly involved in the family’s history. She had collected and recorded information that dates back to pre-1341. A footnote included in a handwritten letter dated April 20, 1959, from the late Arthur William Rudd, OBE, MA, LLB, husband of another of the donor’s aunts, states, “The curtains you mentioned came from the Schomberg. AWR.” CAPTAIN JAMES NICOL FORBES (1821-1874) and the donor’s family: - Captain Forbes was born in Aberdeen. In his late teens, he moved to Liverpool, a hub for international trade and an emigration port. By the age of 25, he was master of the Prince of Waterloo and later, the Wakefield. He then commanded the Cleopatra for the James Baines Co., which, two years later, transferred him to command the Maria, providing fast and lucrative passage to the gold fields in Ballarat, Australia. James Baines Co. and shipbuilder Thomas Mackay formed the Black Ball Line of clipper ships in 1852. Forbes was appointed master of the largest ship in the fleet, the marvellous Marco Polo. He broke the record time for the passage to Australia, taking only 68 days at sea, and the return journey in only 76 days, a total of 5 months and 21 days. On his second voyage to Melbourne in the Marco Polo the following year, he took 75 days, and 95 days on the return trip. His accomplishment made him famous. James Baines reported that the Marco Polo was the only ship, sail or steam, to do the round trip within 6 months, and it had done it twice. Captain Forbes then took command of the American-built clipper Lightning, one of four built for the Black Ball line. His 19-year-old half-sister, Isabella Jaffray Nicol, was also onboard when he sailed for Melbourne in 1854. During the 77-day voyage, Isabella met Blakiston Robinson, and not long after the ship arrived in Melbourne on July 31, the couple married, with James Nicol Forbes as a witness, on August 16. When Forbes returned to Liverpool, he took a record-breaking 63 days, which has never been bettered. James Baines Co. ordered a new luxury emigrant ship from Alexander Hall of Aberdeen; the Schomberg was the largest sailing ship ever built in Britain. On October 6, 1855, the vessel departed Liverpool commanded by Captain Forbes, with 430 passengers on board, 54 of whom were First Class. It had almost completed its voyage to Melbourne when, on the night of December 26, it ran aground west of Cape Otway. Captain Doran, master of the steamer Queen, responded to the distress signal while on its way to Portland and, with the agreement of his passengers, rescued as many as possible from the Schomberg and returned to Melbourne with them. Captain Helpman, master of the steamer Champion, rescued most of the remaining Schomberg passengers on December 27. On Friday, 28th, Captain James Lawrence was on his way to Adelaide in the steamer Burra Burra, and called past the Schomberg. He reported that the remaining crew were all doing their duties, but the Schomberg was deteriorating on a sand spit and had about 16 feet of water in its hold. That same day, the schooner Jane Elizabeth collected 220 packages of passengers’ luggage to deliver to Melbourne on the 29th. Two steamers also arrived on the 29th with 20 men to collect passengers’ luggage and valuable ship’s cargo items. They were accompanied by water police, customs agents, company representatives and a Lloyds agent. The decision was made to abandon ship on the 30th due to rough and unsafe conditions. The officials and Captain Forbes voyaged to Melbourne, while the seamen remained behind awaiting rescue. Evacuation by sea became too risky, so on January 2, 1856, while the first Mate and Steward remained at the wreck site, the rest of the crew began the 70-mile march to Warrnambool, led by the band. They arrived on January 5th and left for Melbourne on the steamer Champion on January 10th. Parts of the Schomberg wreck ended up in New Zealand. The curtain is important for its connection to the Schomberg, which was unique for being designed and built in Aberdeen, and commanded by an Aberdonian who was the most celebrated clipper captain of the age. The ship was the largest sailing ship ever built in Britain, and reported as the largest vessel that sailed to Australia. The curtain is an example of the rich decorative furnishings available in 1855. The preservation and respect the donor and his family have shown towards the curtain over many decades reflect its important role in telling the family’s history; the journey, the romantic attachment, the family connection to the sea, and travel in gold rush times. The curtain is significant for its connection to James Nocol Forbes, a famous sailing ship commander who broke several sailing records, one of which has never been bettered. This wall hanging, also known as the Schomberg Curtain, was created from a curtain recovered from the stranded luxury ship Schomberg in December 1855. The woven satin damask fabric in blue and cream has been meticulously joined to blend the intricate pattern. The reverse features a soft cream lining. The hems at the top and bottom of the fabric hold wooden rods. The side edges feature decorative braid that has been hand-stitched in place. On the reverse, the bottom hem includes the same braid, which remains unseen from the front, and the centre of the top hem has a hand-worked, unused buttonhole. Each of the hems varies in depth. The curtain was tastefully mounted later to highlight the beauty of the original saloon curtain. A decorative twisted cord of cream silk threads, accented with gold highlights and decorative tassels, was coiled and attached to the ends of the top rod. 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