Showing 102 items
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Sunbury Family History and Heritage Society Inc.
Photograph, Sports Day
The children were at a district sport's day which took place at the MIckleham sports ground. Bulla School competed with other local small rural schools which included MIckleham, Yuroke, KalKallo, Greenvale and Craigieburn. Most of those towns are now part of suburbia.A coloured photograph of a sport's day with five little boys in a running race and spectators watching.bulla primary school, school sports meetings, mickleham -
Bendigo Historical Society Inc.
Photograph - BENDIGO ADVERTISER COLLECTION: BIKES, 1994
Photograph - Man on racing bike On Rear: Ashley Harding trains for the Bendigo to Rochester cycle race on Sat. Bikepromo in sport.recreations, sports, cycling, bendigo advertiser -
Bendigo Historical Society Inc.
Photograph - BENDIGO ADVERTISER COLLECTION: BIKES, 1990s
Photograph: Bike race with motor bike in front On rear of photo: PH 10,000 meet 'A' Grade Motor Races. Keirincap Sportrecreations, sports, cycling, bendigo advertiser -
Port Fairy Historical Society Museum and Archives
Photograph, Cr W Riddell Shire of Belfast president 1914-15
Councillor Riddell’s property on Riddells Lane, Kirkstall was mainly used for grazing. He was actively associated with all types of sport and was a judge at Kirkstall and Koroit race meetings.Black and white portraitportrait, belfast, president, shire, government, municipal, local-government, kirkstall, riddells lane -
Bendigo Historical Society Inc.
Document - BOOKLET: ACCENT ON AXEDALE
Booklet: ''Accent on Axedale'', published by the Centenary and Back to Axedale Committee 1970. 36 pages with photographs. Chapters on: Early Settlement; Churches; Education; Police; Municipal Affairs; Commerce; Cemeteries; Race Course Reserve; The Railway (O'Keefe); Eppalock Weir; The Hall; The Wars; C.W.A; Camp Sites; C.F.A; Axedale Progress Association; Sport;Alfred Ruskin Publications. Freelance Press, 61-63 City South Melbourne. 3205axedale, history, early settlement, axedale sporting club, indoor bowls, axedale progress association, c.w.a., country fire association.eppalock weir, the railway, race course reserve, cemeteries, axedale farmers club, the pitcher dressers poem by w. g. o'neill, bluestone quarries, threshing teams, hotels, general store and post office. education, churches, early settlement. -
Kiewa Valley Historical Society
Leaflet - Kiewa Valley Schools' Sports Association, 28th Annual Combined Sports 1970
Sport competition between schools large and small in the Kiewa Valley were held in 1970 and included 'potato race' and 'bounce ball' along with more traditional events including high jump and running.Pink cardboard larger than A4 size folded in half listing Officials, Schools, Events with names of competing students. Dated Friday October 2nd 1970. Held at Mt Beauty High School Oval.In blue biro numbers 1,2,3 after some names in some events.kiewa valley school sports, mt beauty, athletics, games -
Geelong Cycling Club
Cycling Track and Race Records
The 1973-1979 Newspaper articles and race results provide information on well known cycling identities in the Geelong area, some of whom achieved Australian and World championships in this sport. The newspaper article shown is of Ken Evans - a Herald Sun Tour winner in 1972 and is shown in the photograph winning a sprint at the Melbourne to Warrnambool Road Race in 1973.Newspaper articles provide a great insight into the numerous competitions and esteem in which cycling events we held in the Geelong region.Newspaper Articles, GWCC Cycling Race Records and Results 1973-1979ken evans; herald sun tour; melbourne to warrnambool road race; -
Geelong Cycling Club
GWCC Club Records, 1977-85
The 1977-1982 Newspaper articles and race results provide information on well known cycling identities in the Geelong area, some of whom achieved Australian and World championships in this sport. Also included are minutes of meetings and correspondence 1978-1985.Well known racing identities of the time and Geelong Cycling Club members - Don Wilson - who won the Australian national road race title in 1975 and 1977. He also competed in the individual road race and the team time trial events at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico, and the Sun Tour during this period.Wilson won and set the fastest time in the amateur Goulburn to Sydney Classic in 1967 run in reverse direction from Milperra to Goulburn. and John Trevorrow - won the Australian national road race title in 1978, 1979 and 1980. He was also 3 time Sun Tour winner in 1975, 1977 and 1979.Newspaper articles and hard backed books with handwritten minutes and correspondence and race results for the period 1977-1982. -
Warrnambool and District Historical Society Inc.
Book, Griffin Press, The 'Bool
This book, written by Melbourne barrister, Mark McNamara, gives details on the history of horse racing in Warrnambool. The first race meeting was held in Warrnambool in 1848, only eight months after the establishment of the new settlement. The Warrnambool Racing Club was formed in 1873 and the first race meeting at the present-day Warrnambool Racecourse was held in 1858. Horse racing has always been a prominent and popular sport in Warrnambool. The best-known race held annually in Warrnambool is the Grand Annual Steeplechase, run as part of the three- day May Racing Carnival, a major event in Warrnambool. This book is of major interest as it documents the history of the Warrnambool Racing Club, an organization that has operated in Warrnambool since 1873. The annual Warrnambool May Racing Carnival is one of the premier jumps racing events in Australia. The book will be very useful to researchers. This is a soft-cover book of 409 pages. It has a multi-coloured photograph on the front cover showing Galleywood leading the field in the 1986 Grand Annual Steeplechase. The printing on the cover is black. It has a foreword, 23 chapters of text and several appendices. It contains many black and white photographs and has the signature of the author on the first page. ‘Mark McNamara 4/5/18’warrnambool racing club, history of warrnambool -
Ruyton Girls' School
Programme, Ruyton Girls' School, Ruyton Athletic Sports, 26 April 1950
The pamphlet documents the agenda for the Ruyton Girls' School athletics sports carnival hosted at Glenferrie Oval on Wednesday, 26 April 1950. The program outlines a series of activities to be undertaken by junior and senior school students (including day girls and boarders), including crossball, potato sack race, hockey dribbling, egg and spoon race, relays, baseball throwing, and obstacle courses. Each sport is divided into age brackets including under 14, under 16, and 16 and over. The pamphlet also acts as a scorecard, featuring columns for recording results, points scored, progress points and times. Ruyton Girls' School has an exceptional reputation in school sport. The School is a member school of Girls' Sport Victoria (GSV), a large sporting association involving 24 independent girls’ schools in Melbourne. Girls in the Senior School have the opportunity to compete in a range of sports over the four terms and at three major carnivals; Swimming and Diving, Cross Country and Track and Field. Ruyton also has a very successful Rowing program and participates in the Victorian Interschools Snowsports Championships.The record has strong historic significance as it gives insight into the House system at Ruyton Girls' School; in particular, how the House system is used in a sports context. In the early 1920s, Ruyton was settling into its new home at Selbourne Road, Kew. At the time, students were arranged by their form (or year level) for lessons and other school activities. A collection of eight emblems and mottoes for each form group was published in the Ruytonian December 1922, although the genesis of each were left unexplained. With enrolments continually growing, Principal Miss Hilda Daniell felt a new basis of organisation would benefit students, giving them a broader outlook and something bigger to work for. She took inspiration from tradition and implemented a House system. The House system was adopted at Ruyton in September 1924 to "provide a new kind of co-operation and competition among the girls, especially in Sport." There were four houses, three of which were named after early Principals: Anderson, Bromby and Lascelles. There was also the School House, initially for boarders only. Some time after the publication of the Ruytonian in April 1928, the School House was renamed Daniell House, and had opened up to day girls. The account published by the newly formed Daniell House in the Ruytonian December 1928 reads, "we are rather bashful in presenting this account of our doings, for we are conscious of our newness. Our house has now the honour of being known as Daniell House." Four of the original eight form emblems were adopted by the new Houses, while the others were discarded. According to former teacher and author of the centenary history of Ruyton, Ms Majorie Theobald, the House system "gave a new focus for all competitive sport, which had previously been organised on a rather inequitable basis." The colours chosen for the Houses were cherry red for Anderson, royal blue for Bromby, gold for Lascelles, and pale blue for School (later Daniell). New students starting at Ruyton from Prep onwards are allocated to one of the following Houses with consideration to family connections and balance of numbers. The record's significance is further enhanced by its strong provenance, having been produced by Ruyton Girls' School and donated to the Archives by a familial connection of a former notable student.Pamphlet printed on cream coloured paper with navy blue ink. Two pages, folded in half.Obverse: tenns allowed 2 flat 3 teas 1 relay / 1 noveltie / 3 every thing entered in. / move for heats / Lanes 5 - 2 / First Page: under 15 50 yds. / 2. / 3 under 15 75 yds. / 4 / 5 / 6. Junior Crossball. / 7 / 8 / Second Page: 9 / 10 under 15. / 11 / 12 / 13 / 14 under 15 / 15 / 16. / Reverse: 21 Diamond Throwing open / 22 / 23 under 15 / 24 / 25 / 26 / 27 / Diamond / 28 / 29 / 30 / 31 / 32 / Junior under 15 1st July 1 Junior relay (?) / under 15 / Two sprints and potato go for championships /ruyton girls' school, students, school, ruyton, victoria, high school, senior school, day school, letter, old ruytonians association, kew, sport, school sport, girls' sport victoria, house, anderson, lascelles, bromby, daniell, athletics, glenferrie -
Yarra City Council
Painting - Public Art, Rule 30, 2011
Clinton Naina’s earliest memory is attending Collingwood football matches at Victoria Park with his father and uncles. His dad was an avid Collingwood supporter and Naina proudly wore his football colours. Lining up to enter the grounds at the big old black-and-white painted wooden doors gave Naina the feeling of entering into another world. 'Rule 30' is a comment on race relations in sport. The artwork is made from the original doors located at the front entrance of the Collingwood Football Club’s grounds at Victoria Park. When the club was refurbished the door was gifted to Naina by a friend—an ex-Collingwood football player—for use in his art practice. The work depicts a big red target painted on the existing Black and white stripes—Collingwood colours—of the door. Naina placed a fabric number ‘30’ on top of the target—created from material used for numbers on the back of players’ football vests. This represents the individuals who have been racially vilified while playing football over many years. The red represents the colour of human blood, while the Blak and white Collingwood colours already painted on the wood are a very fitting comment on race relations. The door itself becomes a potent metaphor for “overcoming barriers, making change, breaking down doors and moving forth into a new era of respect for people”. Rule 30 in the AFL was the first racial vilification code in Australian sport. It prohibited conduct between players, clubs and other AFL officials, which threatened, disparaged, vilified or insulted another person on the basis of that person’s race, religion, colour, descent or ethnic origin. In 2013, ‘Rule 30’ was amended to ‘Rule 35’ to combat other forms of discrimination including disability, appearance and sexuality.The number '30' cut out of fabric placed on top of a painted red target at the centre of an existing black and white wooden door.Accompanying labelracism, sport, football, afl -
Scotch College Archives
Trophy, Georgian, c. 1937
The trophy was won by Alan Cuthebertson in 1937 for the 50 yard sprintSilver plated trophy with two handles. 'Scotch College/ 1937/ Under 8 Championship/wond by/ A. M. Cutherberson'. trophy, sport, sprint, cuthbertson, race, under8championship, 1937, silverplate, running -
Victorian Aboriginal Corporation for Languages
Periodical, Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies, Australian Aboriginal studies : journal of the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies, 2009
Darkness and a little light: ?Race? and sport in Australia Colin Tatz (AIATSIS & Australian National University) and Daryl Adair (University of Technology Sydney) Despite ?the wonderful and chaotic universe of clashing colors, temperaments and emotions, of brave deeds against odds seemingly insuperable?, sport is mixed with ?mean and shameful acts of pure skullduggery?, villainy, cowardice, depravity, rapaciousness and malice. Thus wrote celebrated American novelist Paul Gallico on the eve of the Second World War (Gallico 1938 [1988]:9-10). An acute enough observation about society in general, his farewell to sports writing also captures the ?clashing colors? in Australian sport. In this ?land of the fair go?, we look at the malice of racism in the arenas where, as custom might have it, one would least want or expect to find it. The history of the connection between sport, race and society - the long past, the recent past and the social present - is commonly dark and ugly but some light and decency are just becoming visible. Coming to terms: ?Race?, ethnicity, identity and Aboriginality in sport Colin Tatz (AIATSIS & Australian National University) Notions of genetic superiority have led to some of the world?s greatest human calamities. Just as social scientists thought that racial anthropology and biology had ended with the cataclysm of the Second World War, so some influential researchers and sports commentators have rekindled the pre-war debate about the muscular merits of ?races? in a new discipline that Nyborg (1994) calls the ?science of physicology?. The more recent realm of racial ?athletic genes?, especially within socially constructed black athletic communities, may intend no malice but this search for the keys to their success may well revive the old, discredited discourses. This critical commentary shows what can happen when some population geneticists and sports writers ignore history and when medical, biological and sporting doctrines deriving from ?race? are dislocated from any historical, geographic, cultural and social contexts. Understanding discourses about race, racism, ethnicity, otherness, identity and Aboriginality are essential if sense, or nonsense, is to be made of genetic/racial ?explanations? of sporting excellence. Between the two major wars boxing was, disproportionately, a Jewish sport; Kenyans and Ethiopians now ?own? middle- and long-distance running and Jamaicans the shorter events; South Koreans dominate women?s professional golf. This essay explores the various explanations put forward for such ?statistical domination?: genes, biochemistry, biomechanics, history, culture, social dynamics, the search for identity, alienation, need, chance, circumstances, and personal bent or aptitude. Traditional games of a timeless land: Play cultures in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities Ken Edwards (University of Southern Queensland) Sports history in Australia has focused almost entirely on modern, Eurocentric sports and has therefore largely ignored the multitude of unique pre- European games that are, or once were, played. The area of traditional games, especially those of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, is an important aspect of the cultural, social and historical experiences of Indigenous communities. These activities include customs of play that are normally not associated with European notions of competitive sport. Overall, this paper surveys research undertaken into traditional games among Indigenous Australians, as well as proposals for much needed further study in this area. Culture, ?race? and discrimination in the 1868 Aboriginal cricket tour of England David Sampson As a consequence of John Mulvaney?s important historical research, the Aboriginal cricket and performance tour of Britain in 1868 has in recent decades become established as perhaps the most famous of all public events in contact history involving Aborigines, white settlers and the British metropolis. Although recognition of its importance is welcome and significant, public commemorations of the tour have enveloped the tour in mythologies of cricket and nation. Such mythologies have obscured fundamental aspects of the tour that were inescapable racial and colonial realities of the Victorian era. This reappraisal of the tour explores the centrality of racial ideology, racial science and racial power imbalances that enabled, created and shaped the tour. By exploring beyond cricketing mythology, it restores the central importance of the spectacular performances of Aboriginal skills without which the tour would have been impossible. Such a reappraisal seeks to fully recognise the often trivialised non-cricketing expertise of all of the Aboriginal performers in 1868 for their achievement of pioneering their unique culture, skills and technologies to a mass international audience. Football, ?race? and resistance: The Darwin Football League, 1926?29 Matthew Stephen (Northern Territory Archive Service) Darwin was a diverse but deeply divided society in the early twentieth century. The Commonwealth Government introduced the Aboriginals Ordinance 1911 in the Northern Territory, instituting state surveillance, control and a racially segregated hierarchy of whites foremost, then Asians, ?Coloureds? (Aborigines and others of mixed descent) and, lastly, the so-called ?full-blood? Aborigines. Sport was important in scaffolding this stratification. Whites believed that sport was their private domain and strictly controlled non-white participation. Australian Rules football, established in Darwin from 1916, was the first sport in which ?Coloured? sportsmen challenged this domination. Football became a battleground for recognition, rights and identity for all groups. The ?Coloured? community embraced its team, Vesteys, which dominated the Northern Territory Football League (NTFL) in the 1920s. In 1926, amidst growing racial tension, the white-administered NTFL changed its constitution to exclude non-white players. In reaction, ?Coloured? and Chinese footballers formed their own competition - the Darwin Football League (DFL). The saga of that colour bar is an important chapter in Australia?s football history, yet it has faded from Darwin?s social memory and is almost unknown among historians. That picture - Nicky Winmar and the history of an image Matthew Klugman (Victoria University) and Gary Osmond (The University of Queensland) In April 1993 Australian Rules footballer Nicky Winmar responded to on-field racist abuse by lifting his jersey and pointing to his chest. The photographic image of that event is now famous as a response to racial abuse and has come to be seen as starting a movement against racism in football. The racial connotations in the image might seem a foregone conclusion: the power, appeal and dominant meaning of the photograph might appear to be self-evident. But neither the fame of the image nor its racial connotation was automatic. Through interviews with the photographers and analysis of the use of the image in the media, we explore how that picture came to be of such symbolic importance, and how it has remained something to be re-shown and emulated. Rather than analyse the image as a photograph or work of art, we uncover some of its early history and explore the debates that continue to swirl around its purpose and meaning. We also draw attention to the way the careful study of photographs might enhance the study of sport, race and racism. ?She?s not one of us?: Cathy Freeman and the place of Aboriginal people in Australian national culture Toni Bruce (University of Waikato) and Emma Wensing (Independent scholar) The Sydney 2000 Olympic Games generated a national media celebration of Aboriginal 400 metre runner Cathy Freeman. The construction of Freeman as the symbol of national reconciliation was evident in print and on television, the Internet and radio. In contrast to this celebration of Freeman, the letters to the editor sections of 11 major newspapers became sites for competing claims over what constitutes Australian identity and the place of Aboriginal people in national culture. We analyse this under-explored medium of opinion and discuss how the deep feelings evident in these letters, and the often vitriolic responses to them, illustrate some of the enduring racial tensions in Australian society. Sport, physical activity and urban Indigenous young people Alison Nelson (The University of Queensland) This paper challenges some of the commonly held assumptions and ?knowledges? about Indigenous young people and their engagement in physical activity. These include their ?natural? ability, and the use of sport as a panacea for health, education and behavioural issues. Data is presented from qualitative research undertaken with a group of 14 urban Indigenous young people with a view to ?speaking back? to these commentaries. This research draws on Critical Race Theory in order to make visible the taken-for-granted assumptions about Indigenous Australians made by the dominant white, Western culture. Multiple, shifting and complex identities were expressed in the young people?s articulation of the place and meaning of sport and physical activity in their lives. They both engaged in, and resisted, dominant Western discourses regarding representations of Indigenous people in sport. The paper gives voice to these young people in an attempt to disrupt and subvert hegemonic discourses. An unwanted corroboree: The politics of the New South Wales Aboriginal Rugby League Knockout Heidi Norman (University of Technology Sydney) The annual New South Wales Aboriginal Rugby League Knockout is so much more than a sporting event. Involving a high level of organisation, it is both a social and cultural coming together of diverse communities for a social and cultural experience considered ?bigger than Christmas?. As if the planning and logistics were not difficult enough, the rotating-venue Knockout has been beset, especially since the late 1980s and 1990s, by layers of opposition and open hostility based on ?race?: from country town newspapers, local town and shire councils, local business houses and, inevitably, the local police. A few towns have welcomed the event, seeing economic advantage and community good will for all. Commonly, the Aboriginal ?influx? of visitors and players - people perceived as ?strangers?, ?outsiders?, ?non-taxpayers? - provoked public fear about crime waves, violence and physical safety, requiring heavy policing. Without exception, these racist expectations were shown to be totally unfounded. Research report: Recent advances in digital audio recorder technology provide considerable advantages in terms of cost and portability for language workers.b&w photographs, colour photographs, tablessport and race, racism, cathy freeman, nicky winmar, rugby league, afl, athletics, cricket, digital audio recorders -
Falls Creek Historical Society
Clothing - Falls Creek Race Club Jacket, 2011
The Falls Creek Race Club was started in the late 60's by Rodney Moss assisted by Bob Howe from Albury Ski Club and Geoff Henke from Moloney's. The club ran races on the summit every weekend and later started the training squad. Its aim is to promote all the skills of skiing and snowboarding and to improve the safety and enjoyment of the sport for all age groups. As an athlete's skills Improve so they can begin to train and race at Children's level races and move on to Junior and Senior levels, possibly aspiring to the Masters Circuit or State and National Teams. Hundreds of children have been involved over the past four decades and the program has produced a number of skiers who have been successful at national and international levels. Falls Creek has produced Olympians Ross and Malcolm Mine, Joanne Henke, Jenny Altermatt, Steven Lee in Alpine skiing. Dick Walpole and Chris Heberle in Cross Country, Britteny Cox, Paul and Adrian Costa in Freestyle Moguls. Many others have represented in National Teams at World Championship events.This item is significant because it represents the Falls Creek Race Club which has nurtured many skiers, some of whom progressed to become representatives in international sporting events.A waterproof jacket with padded sections in the arms. The Falls Creek Race Club logo is embroidered in white on the left top chest area.Falls Creek Race Club logofalls creek race club, race club clothing -
Falls Creek Historical Society
Equipment - Race Club Timing equipment - TimeTech
The Falls Creek Race Club was started in the late 60's by Rodney Moss assisted by Bob Howe from Albury Ski Club and Geoff Henke from Moloney's. The club ran races on the summit every weekend and later started the training squad. Its aim is to promote all the skills of skiing and snowboarding and to improve the safety and enjoyment of the sport for all age groups. As an athlete's skills Improve so they can begin to train and race at Children's level races and move on to Junior and Senior levels, possibly aspiring to the Masters Circuit or State and National Teams. Hundreds of children have been involved over the past four decades and the program has produced a number of skiers who have been successful at national and international levels. Falls Creek has produced Olympians Ross and Malcolm Mine, Joanne Henke, Jenny Altermatt, Steven Lee in Alpine skiing. Dick Walpole and Chris Heberle in Cross Country, Britteny Cox, Paul and Adrian Costa in Freestyle Moguls. Many others have represented in National Teams at World Championship events.This timing system is significant because it was used by the Falls Creek Race Club to time skiers in events and training, some of whom progressed to become representatives in international sporting events.A timing console stored inside a black metal box. A connecting electrical cord to attach the console to the TAGHEUER equipment is included.falls creek race club, falls creek olympians, timing equipment falls creek, timetech -
Falls Creek Historical Society
Badge - Falls Creek Ski School Race Club
The Falls Creek Race Club was started in the late 60's by Rodney Moss assisted by Bob Howe from Albury Ski Club and Geoff Henke from Moloney's. The club ran races on the summit every weekend and later started the training squad. Its aim is to promote all the skills of skiing and snowboarding and to improve the safety and enjoyment of the sport for all age groups. As an athlete's skills Improve so they can begin to train and race at Children's level races and move on to Junior and Senior levels, possibly aspiring to the Masters Circuit or State and National Teams. Hundreds of children have been involved over the past four decades and the program has produced a number of skiers who have been successful at national and international levels. Falls Creek has produced Olympians Ross and Malcolm Mine, Joanne Henke, Jenny Altermatt, Steven Lee in Alpine skiing. Dick Walpole and Chris Heberle in Cross Country, Britteny Cox, Paul and Adrian Costa in Freestyle Moguls. Many others have represented in National Teams at World Championship events.These badges are significant because they represent the Falls Creek Ski School and the Falls Creek Race Club which have nurtured many skiers, some of whom progressed to become representatives in international sporting events.Four red, white and blue badges. Three has an image of a skier in the centre, the other has an image of sun over a mountain Falls Creek Ski School Racefalls creek race club, falls creek olympians -
Falls Creek Historical Society
Photograph - Falls Creek Ski School Race Club, Mid 1970s
The Falls Creek Race Club was started in the late 60's by Rodney Moss assisted by Bob Howe from Albury Ski Club and Geoff Henke from Moloney's. The club ran races on the summit every weekend and later started the training squad. Its aim is to promote all the skills of skiing and snowboarding and to improve the safety and enjoyment of the sport for all age groups. As an athlete's skills Improve so they can begin to train and race at Children's level races and move on to Junior and Senior levels, possibly aspiring to the Masters Circuit or State and National Teams. Hundreds of children have been involved over the past four decades and the program has produced a number of skiers who have been successful at national and international levels. Falls Creek has produced Olympians Ross and Malcolm Mine, Joanne Henke, Jenny Altermatt, Steven Lee in Alpine skiing. Dick Walpole and Chris Heberle in Cross Country, Britteny Cox, Paul and Adrian Costa in Freestyle Moguls. Many others have represented in National Teams at World Championship events.This photograph is significant because it includes early members Falls Creek Race Club, some of whom progressed to become representatives in international sporting events including World Championships and Winter Olympics.A framed colour photograph of members of the Falls Creek Race Club standing outside the Club buiding.Beneath Image Race Club Photo, mid 1970's outside of the original race hut. Noelene Lee on the balcony with Jill Helberle. L-R Simone Belza, ?, Bob ?, Chris Losch, Guy Maguire, Steven Lee, Susie Losch, ?, Karl Brandmeier.falls creek race club, falls creek olympians -
Federation University Historical Collection
Photograph - Photograph - Black and White, Ballarat Technical School - Sports winners
Organised sport and clubs began in 1919 with the formation of the Junior Technical School Students' Association. Clubs included the Rifle Club, Wireless Club, Senior Cadet team, Photography Club and Bugle Band. Sport was the Associations main concern. The House system was developed and boys competed within this structure. In 1926 the North Central Junior Technical School Sports Association was formed. Students from the district competed against each other in football, cricket and tennis. The number of schools increased and more sports were introduced. Ballarat Junior Technical School was a strong competitor. Many ex-students made a mark in sport out of the Ballarat area. The photograph shows Ray Bilney - second from the left. Born 2 November 1945, Ray began cycling aged 10. In 1963 he was Australian Junior Road Champion. From 1964 to 1966 he was Australian Senior Road Champion. He was in the Australian team at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics and came 4th in the race, aged 18 years. In 1966 he went to the Commonwealth Games in Jamaica and won a Silver Medal at the Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh in 1970. Ray was Ballarat Sportsman's Club Sportsman-of-the-Year 1965/66 and inducted into their Hall of Fame. In 1965 Ray was Cyclist-of-the-Year and won the coveted Sir Hubert Opperman Trophy. In May 2013, Ray was inducted into the Victorian Cycling Hall-of-Fame. During his time at the Junior Technical School, he sporting abilities were evident and in 1961 he was Top Sportsman of the school. The same year he was one of eight boys chosen to be Prefects of the school. He is an Alumni of Federation University. Black and white photograph of two students and two teachers looking at a sash and medal won by the students. Second from the left is Ray Bilney.sport, clubs, rifle club, photography club, cadet team, bugle band, athletics carnival, victorian technical schools sports union, house system, wireless club, alumni, ray bilney, australian junior road champion, australian senior road champion, silver medal, olympic games, commonwealth games, cyclist-of-the-year, sir hubert opperman, trophy, sportsman-of-the-year, victorian cycling hall-of-fame, ballarat junior technical school student's association -
Bendigo Historical Society Inc.
Document - COSTERFIELD: A HISTORY FROM 1853 TO 1978
''COSTERFIELD: A HISTORY FROM 1853 TO 1978'' - PAPER BY JOHN BRADLEY A Paper for History Dip II (where?). 22 handwritten pages with additional pages of photographs. Includes mining history of North Costerfield and South Costerfield Mines; information on Coster family and Field family; coach services to Costerfield; Post Office services; schools in Costerfield; churches at Costerfield; (Indian) hawkers; shops and hotels; boarding houses; blacksmiths; Police in Costerfield; Scheelite mine; Sport; Costerfield Band; Public halls; Cemetery; farmers of the area. Page of acknowledgements; Bibliography; Reproduction (poor) of photographs of early photograph of Costerfield (1890); miners at 'Big Antimony Mine , 1912'; Bombay Mine; various buildings; football club membership 'tickets'; auction advertisement - mining plant, 1902; sale of mining equipment 1941; engine room at the Costerfield Mine 1939; race between motorbike and horse and jinker; school photo - various years 1910-1914; football teams; sketches of public hall and Brown's Mine Tavern (and Billiard Rooms).John Bradleygold, goldfields, costerfield, costerfield mines, coster family, field family, post office, cemetery, football, boarding houses, blacksmith, hotels and shops. brown's mine tavern, big antimony mine. -
Falls Creek Historical Society
Equipment - Race Club Timing equipment - TAG HEUER
The Falls Creek Race Club was started in the late 60's by Rodney Moss assisted by Bob Howe from Albury Ski Club and Geoff Henke from Moloney's. The club ran races on the summit every weekend and later started the training squad. Its aim is to promote all the skills of skiing and snowboarding and to improve the safety and enjoyment of the sport for all age groups. As an athlete's skills Improve so they can begin to train and race at Children's level races and move on to Junior and Senior levels, possibly aspiring to the Masters Circuit or State and National Teams. Hundreds of children have been involved over the past four decades and the program has produced a number of skiers who have been successful at national and international levels. Falls Creek has produced Olympians Ross and Malcolm Mine, Joanne Henke, Jenny Altermatt, Steven Lee in Alpine skiing. Dick Walpole and Chris Heberle in Cross Country, Britteny Cox, Paul and Adrian Costa in Freestyle Moguls. Many others have represented in National Teams at World Championship events. The TAGHEUER company was established by Edouard Heuer in 1860 n St-Imier, Switzerland. He patented his first chronograph or timepiece in 1882. The company has operated continuously from that time. In the early 1970s, Heuer’s Electronics Division developed the Centigraph, a timing system initially used by the Ferrari racing team. This system allowed times to be recorded to 1/1000 second. It was also capable of timing multiple cars or competitors, with the number of laps, the time of the last lap and total time, being printed out on the spot. This system has been adapted and used in a range of sports including numerous World Ski Championships and the Winter Olympic Games. The TAGHAEUR system has been certified by the FIS (Fédération Internationale de Ski). TAGHEUER ceased production of their sports timing systems at the end of 2020. This timing system is significant because it was used by the Falls Creek Race Club to time skiers in events and training, some of whom progressed to become representatives in international sporting events.A steel box containing a variety components which make up the timing system used by the Falls Creek Race Club,On each component - TAG HEUERfalls creek race club, falls creek activities, falls creek olympians, timing equipment falls creek, tag heuer timing -
Kiewa Valley Historical Society
Photographs – Skippy St Elmo and other skiers – Set of 8 black and white photographs
Skippy and Toni St Elmo were responsible for early developments at the Falls Creek resort and for promoting a love of skiing. They left Melbourne in 1945 and settled at Falls Creek and moved into the first building constructed of corrugated iron and timber at Falls Creek in 1946. They were Falls Creek’s first workers with Toni employed by the State Electricity Commission to record weather-related data up to the construction of the Kiewa Hydro-Electric Scheme. In 1957, Toni was involved in building the first rope tow called Nissen on the same route as the Summit Quad. He also established the Nissen Ski School with ski instructor Milan Kovacic and was involved in the building of the resort’s first ski club Bogong in 1949. Toni taught Skippy to ski and she practised on the High Plains where she and her husband lived. Skippy St Elmo won many ski races during the 1950’s and represented Australia in New Zealand.Skippy and Toni St Elmo were pioneers of the Falls Creek area, promoting local ski sports and tourism. The played an important role in opening up the Falls Creek area and developing its sporting potential by establishing the first ski school, ski lifts and early lodge facilities. Skippy and Toni St Elmo were honoured at the Alpine Village at Falls Creek on November 17 2006, with the spreading of their ashes at the place which played such an important part in both their lives.Set of 8 black and white photographs of Skippy St Elmo and other skiers 1. Skippy and 3 others in New Zealand 1951 2. Skippy and 5 others Falls Creek 1955 3. Cake celebrating 20 years of sport at Nissen Lodge 4. Skippy and friend outside Nissen Lodge 5. Skippy on the ski slopes 6. Skippy on the ski slopes 7. Albury Ski Club team New Zwealand 1957 8. The Bogong Ski Club 1950 Written on back of photos 1. Bob Howe Albury, Skippy New Zealand 1951 – 942H 2. Falls Creek 1955. Skippy St Elmo: H Devonassore; Margaret ?; ?; Tony St Elmo; Olive? 3. Written on cake Nissen Alpine Club. 20 years of sport. FRED 4. Skippy St Elmo 5. Skippy 6. Skippy 7. Bob Howe (Albury) Skippy New Zealand 1957. Albury Ski Club Team raced in NZ 8. The Bogong Ski club, Coronet Park, 1950. M Denham (Capt); B Wiltshire; R Roberts; Skippy St Elmo; Gwen Morris; J Frazer; J Smith; L Piera; Manager & Coach Toni St Elmo. J D Knowles Photographer Box 188, Queenstown. 744B falls creek, skiing, bogong high plains -
Port Fairy Historical Society Museum and Archives
Photograph
The small building on the left is the Farmers Inn, and was built about 1849, when James Brown became the first licensee. In 1854 John Walwyn Taylor moved from the Sally Ann to take over, and remained there until 1857, when he moved to his new hotel The Star of the West built on the old Sally Ann site. John Wall then became the new licensee of the Farmers Inn. In 1876 his wife Bridget made an application for the license to be transferred to her as “her husband suffered from rheumatism, and there were certain other reasons why the license should be transferred to her hands”. The Bench wondered about creating a precedence of granting a license to a married woman, who was living with her husband, (licenses were only granted to the widows of licensees at that time), so the application was postponed for 14 days, but eventually Mrs Wall won her case. In 1882 Patrick Tennyson took over the lease of the Farmer’s Inn and applied to change the name to Tennyson’s Hotel. In 1885 he bought the freehold in the Great Land Sale for £780. 12s. 8d., and in December, carried out extensive renovations. The local press reported that “the rooms were quite tasteful, the Billiard room commodious and well ventilated, and that the old hotel had not looked so good for years”. The double storied part of the hotel was added in 1893. Patrick Tennyson had a colourful career. He was born in Charlemont, County Armagh in 1846. When he was 21, he served as a papal guard at the Vatican for 2 years and then entered the Marist Brothers novitiate in Beauchamps. In 1872 he was one of three brothers to accompany Brother Ludovic to Sydney; he was then aged 23. After 5 years he withdrew from the Congregation and moved to Victoria, where he took up teaching, first at Rosedale near Sale, then at Crossley, by which time he was married to Anne White. They had eight children, three dying in infancy. Eight months after he took over the Farmers’ Inn, he was elected to the Borough Council, and served as Mayor in 1897. His great interest was sport, was Secretary of the Race Club for 20 years and supported the local Football Club by donating a silver cup for local competitions. Patrick Tennyson died in 1904. The hotel continued under various licensees until it burned down in 1977 under the name of “The Fishermen’s Arms”. Well known main street hotel no longer exists Sepia photograph of 2 story building with tiled wainscoting male and 2 females in doorway and 2 females in window upstairshotel, building, sackville street, patrick tennyson, w.j.wright -
Eltham District Historical Society Inc
Newspaper - Newsclipping, Roger Sanders, A WINDOW ON THE PAST, 11 Aug 1976
Published in "The Sun", Wednesday, August 11, 1976, pp 38-39 [Text of article:] A WINDOW ON THE PAST by Roger Sanders. A fascinating window has been opened on the early life of the Eltham district. It is a rare collection of 3,000 perfectly preserved glass plate photograph negatives. The collection is the work of the late Albert Jones, a Diamond Creek orchardist and amateur photographer. About 500 of the negatives have been printed and 100 are on display at Gallery 4, Eltham, as part of the Eltham Festival, which started on Friday. They capture in fine detail rural and village life around Eltham, Hurstbridge, Kangaroo Ground, Yarra Glen and Diamond Valley from 1900 to 1930. While the natural beauty of the district was painted in this period by Arthur Streeton (later Sir Arthur), Tom Roberts and Charles Conder, among others, photography was relatively new. Yet Albert Jones used the new medium to compile a weighty album of pioneers at work, at home, at sport and on holidays. He was at the first Yarra Glen race meeting, early Diamond Valley football matches and photographed soldiers from the district leaving for war. He photographed early gold mines, men with horses laying the Diamond Creek-Hurstbridge rail track and the arrival of the first steam train at Hurstbridge. He took his cameras on holiday around Victoria and the collection includes scenes from St. Kilda and Portsea and many country towns. The Jones collection of negatives was found by Mr A. J. "Ned" Spark, of Balwyn, under a house he bought from Mr Jones' widow. The plates almost went to the tip with a pile of rubbish before Mr Spark realised their potential value. Mr Spark, who is retired, will continue the identification and recording of the photographs when he returns from holidays. The exhibition of the Jones' photographs is open each afternoon until August 21 at Gallery 4, 1016 Main Rd., Eltham. [Captions of photographs included in article:] • The priceless collection of glass plate negatives were found under this house in Eltham [actually Wattle Glen], home of Albert Jones and his wife. • A quiet country pub - Panton Hills Hotel. • Teams of draught horses were used in the building of the Diamond Creek-Hurstbridge railway in 1910. • Chinaman Jimmy using a gold cradle in Wattle Glen Gully. • The photographer and orchardist Albert Jones. His work is on show as part of the Eltham Festival • St Kilda Pier – several of the houses are still standing, but the waterfront has changed dramatically since this was taken before 1920. • A picnic was a dressy affair at the start of the century – the women in this family group are decked in lace and pearls.Newspaper articlealbert jones, golden glen, wattle glen -
Eltham District Historical Society Inc
Photograph - Digital Photograph, Alan King, Memorial to Peter Brock, Ferguson's Paddock, Hurstbridge, 23 January 2008
Ferguson’s Paddock, Hurstbridge. A plaque on a boulder commemorates Peter Brock. Published: Nillumbik Now and Then / Marguerite Marshall 2008; photographs Alan King with Marguerite Marshall.; p167 On a rock in Ferguson’s Paddock, Hurstbridge, a plaque commemorates Peter Brock. It includes the words: ‘Boy from Hurstbridge without special privileges, grew to become champion of racetracks around the world but he never forgot his beginnings’. Brock came from a well-established local family. Born in Hurstbridge in 1945, he lived in Anzac Avenue as a child, attended the Hurstbridge Primary and Eltham High Schools and lived in the district most of his life. His father Geoff owned the Diamond Valley Speed Shop in Greensborough. Brock’s forbears were amongst the area’s earliest settlers. From Scotland, the Brocks arrived in Tasmania in 1830, to graze sheep. Family members moved to Sunbury, then Preston, grazing sheep in the Bundoora area. John Brock owned Janefield, possibly named after his wife. In 1855 he granted around two acres (0.8ha) of his estate for a school.1 In 1866 Lewis Brock bought 264 acres (107ha) in Nutfield, the first non-Aboriginal person to own that land. They planted an orchard, then from around 1935, Brock’s uncle Sandy and his grandfather Lewis, ran a dairy on the property. In the 1980s Brock and his then partner Bev, bought most of the property, which they sold after their separation in 2006.2 Brock’s father was a Hurstbridge Football Club President, but Brock’s uncle Sandy, of Brocks Road, Doreen, has been particularly active in local affairs. He was President of the Mernda Football Club (then Plenty Rovers), President of the Panton Hill Football League and he founded the Arthurs Creek and District Landcare Group. He also gave more than 50 years of service to the Whittlesea Agricultural Society, the Volunteers for Australian Football and the Doreen Rural Fire Brigade. Community service was important to Brock too. Brock, with his then partner Bev, established the Peter Brock Foundation in 1997, the year he retired from full-time V8 Supercar racing. The Foundation’s grants have included $100,000 towards the upgrade of a walking track in the Hurstbridge Parklands and other projects include a holiday house for the families of child cancer victims.3 Brother Lewis saw Brock as a spiritual person, who had a great affinity with people. He saw Brock as a role model of someone who could achieve their dreams. ‘The family didn’t have much money, yet that didn’t stop Peter realising his dreams. He was strong and didn’t let difficult times crush him.’4 Despite his later successes, Brock’s most treasured trophy was for running 100 yards (91.4m)at his primary school in 1955, and he appreciated his head master Ted Griffiths’ encouragement of his sporting endeavours. At high school Brock became captain of Everard House. In his first year he bought a 1928 Austin 7 for £5. He cut the car into a box shape with an axe and enjoyed driving it – despite it having no brakes - at his grandparents’ farm at Nutfield. The turning point in Brock’s life came at age 23, when he built an Austin A30 in an old henhouse in Wattle Glen, using a Holden engine. He was laughed at until it won the Australian Sports Sedan Championship in 1968. Brock’s career then took off and he became a professional driver. Brock won Australian motor sport’s best-known event, the Bathurst 1000, nine times. Brock endured a bitter split from Holden in 1986 over control of his Holden-backed vehicle modification business and a car performance-enhancing device he called the ‘energy polariser’– despite it having no scientific evidence to support its claims. But Brock returned to Holden in 1994.5 Then in 1997, aged 52, Brock retired from fulltime V8 Supercar racing. However he continued to race at motor sport events. Brock won several awards, including an Order of Australia Medal in 1980, the Australian Sports Medal in 2000, and the Centenary Medal.6 On September 8, 2006, Brock died; after his car hit a tree during the Targa West Rally in Western Australia.This collection of almost 130 photos about places and people within the Shire of Nillumbik, an urban and rural municipality in Melbourne's north, contributes to an understanding of the history of the Shire. Published in 2008 immediately prior to the Black Saturday bushfires of February 7, 2009, it documents sites that were impacted, and in some cases destroyed by the fires. It includes photographs taken especially for the publication, creating a unique time capsule representing the Shire in the early 21st century. It remains the most recent comprehenesive publication devoted to the Shire's history connecting local residents to the past. nillumbik now and then (marshall-king) collection, ferguson's paddock, hurstbridge, peter brock memorial, peter brock -
Victorian Harness Racing Heritage Collection at Lord's Raceway Bendigo
Clothing - Race colours, Jack Hargreaves, 13/8/21
Jack Hargreaves drove Adaptor to win the 1969 Bendigo Cup. Jack Hargreaves, who died on December 6 at the Bendigo Hospital aged 77, trained and drove countless winners during a 34-year harness racing career in which he became one of the true icons of the sport. Born John Henry Hargreaves in Wedderburn on December 3, 1926, harness racing was always in his blood. His father, Hughie, was a successful driver and trainer who raced horses all over Victoria. Jack drove his first winner at the age of 16 at Woodend. He lived on the family farm at Kuracca, near Wedderburn, until the age of 22, when he then married Elvie Stephenson from Fentons Creek. He and Elvie went on to have four children - Helen (now 53), Judi (51), Roslyn (49) and John (45). They are grandparents of 15 and great-grandparents of two. After spending two years at Tallarook where he worked on a sheep property, Jack and Elvie then moved to Korong Vale, where Jack set up his own training stable. He kept about 20 horses at a time at his Korong Vale stable, training and racing all of them for 26 years at his property. His greatest moment was the 1969 Miracle Mile, when he drove Adaptor to victory. Adaptor would later be sold to America for the then highest figure paid for an export horse - about $250,000. He also notched up many wins in country pacing cups, including Bendigo, Geelong, Maryborough, Kilmore and St Arnaud. During his career, Jack built a reputation of being a fine judge of pace and he consistently brought out the best in some difficult horses. His natural ability led to him being crowned Bendigo's leading driver for the season on two occasions. But an accident at Mildura on November 26, 1976 - just days before his 50th birthday - led to his driving career being cut short prematurely. Jack sustained head injuries after he was trampled by another horse after being tipped out of his sulky while driving Go Ned. He was regaining his senses and sitting up in the middle of the track when the horse went straight over him. The hoof of the horse came down between his left ear and skullcap, shattering that part of his skull. In the weeks following the accident, Jack underwent lengthy operations in Melbourne, to firstly clear splinters of bone from his brain. He then had a piece of bone removed from one of his ribs to cover a hole in his skull. He was left with injuries that were described as being similar to those of a person who had suffered a stroke. Months of physiotherapy and speech therapy followed in Melbourne and later Bendigo, before he was finally allowed to go hone in August, 1977 - almost one year after the accident. After losing part of his speech in the accident, Jack learned to communicate using his hands. "It became second-nature to us that we could read his hand signals and most of the people in the harness racing world could, too," Jack's daughter, Judi Bond, said."He learned his own way to communicate with people."While Jack was no longer able to continue his passion of driving competitively, he would still take the reins at the training track when given a chance to by his fellow drivers.He also continued to breed horses. "He was a skilled horseman, a good farrier and horses were the love of his life," Judi said. Two years after the accident, Jack and Elvie built a house in Wedderburn, directly above the trotting track. "That was so in the early days after his accident he could still see what was going on at the track," Judi said. "Everyday, he would watch the trainers . . . he'd watch what they were up to on the track."Jack was able to sit in his loungeroom and look out through large glass doors with a "grandstand" view of Leg 5 races, trials and training at the trotting track. Jack's love of harness racing filtered through to his children, with both Judi and John having careers as drivers. Judi drove for 10 years, finishing in 1978, but she continues to breed horses. Judi won the first women's race where bets were allowed to be made when she drove Youdini to victory at the Melbourne Showgrounds track in 1974.Blue with yellow vertical panelbendigo cup, adaptor, horse, jack hargreaves, bhrc, bendigo harness racing club, lords raceway, j hargreaves -
Eltham District Historical Society Inc
Negative - Photograph, Albert Jones, 'Golden Glen' at Wattle Glen and the Wattle Glen General Store, c.1910
Top photo: The property 'Golden Glen', home of photographer, Albert Jones. At the right of the photo is an apple orchard over the other side of Watery Gully creek. The middle building in the photo is still standing, located on Wattle Glen - Kangaroo Ground Road between Pretty Hill Lane and Millers Road (Melway 271 A6) but on the opposite side of the road. Bottom photo: The Wattle Glen General Store in this photo was located at the same intersection as the present Wattle Glen General Store (cnr of Reynolds Road and Kangaroo Ground Road) but on the diagonally opposite corner. [Comment from Valda via Victorian Collections June 11, 2018] "The addition to the store on the left, and the building at the back, were not part of the store/post office owned by the Keenan's. They were added by Mr and Mrs Alan (Janet) Frencham's in the ?mid-1950s." See also EDHS_03112: See Ref: EDHS_03112 A WINDOW ON THE PAST by Roger Sanders, The Sun, Wednesday, Auguist 11, 1976, pp 38-39 A fascinating window has been opened on the early life of the Eltham district. It is a rare collection of 3,000 perfectly preserved glass plate photograph negatives. The collection is the work of the late Albert Jones, a Diamond Creek orchardist and amateur photographer. About 500 of the negatives have been printed and 100 are on display at Gallery 4, Eltham, as part of the Eltham Festival," which started on Friday. They capture in fine detail rural and village life around Eltham, Hurstbridge, Kangaroo Ground, Yarra Glen and Diamond Valley from 1900 to 1930. While the natural beauty of the district was painted in this period by Arthur Streeton (later Sir Arthur), Tom Roberts and Charles Conder, among others, photography was relatively new. Yet Albert Jones used the new medium to compile a weighty album of pioneers at work, at home, at sport and on holidays. He was at the first Yarra Glen race meeting, early Diamond Valley football matches and photographed soldiers from the district leaving for war. He photographed early gold mines, men with horses laying the Diamond Creek-Hurstbridge rail track and the arrival of the first steam train at Hurstbridge. He took his cameras on holiday around Victoria and the collection includes scenes from St. Kilda and Portsea and many country towns. The Jones collection of negatives was found by Mr A. J. "Ned" Spark, of Balwyn, under a house he bought from Mr Jones' widow. The plates almost went to the tip with a pile of rubbish before Mr Spark realised their potential value. Mr Spark, who is retired, will continue the identification and recording of the photographs when he returns from holidays. The exhibition of the Jones' photographs is open each afternoon until August 21 at Gallery 4, 1016 Main Rd., Eltham. Photographs included in article: • The priceless collection of glass plate negatives were found under this house in Eltham [actually Wattle Glen], home of Albert Jones and his wife. • A quiet country pub - Panton Hills Hotel. • Teams of draught horses were used in the building of the Diamond Creek-Hursbridge railway in 1910. • Chinaman Jimmy using a gold cradle in Wattle Glen Gully. • The photographer and orchardist Albert Jones. His work is on show as part of the Eltham Festival • St Kilda Pier – several of the houses are still standing, but the waterfront has changed dramatically since this was taken before 1920. • A picnic was a dressy affair at the start of the century – the women in this family group are decked in lace and pearls.Roll of 35mm colour negative film, 4 stripsKodak Safety 5035albert jones, golden glen, shops, wattle glen -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Book - Reference, The Birds of Australia Vol 1
The Birds of Australia is a 12 volume work, in a total of 14 books. The books were used as an ornithological handbook. They contain scientific text as well as over 600 hand-coloured lithographed plates by J.G. Keulemans, H. Grönvold, Roland Green, H. Goodchild and G.E. Lodge. The work was written, sponsored and organised by Gregory M. Matthews, F.R.S.C. Erc. who were a wealthy Australian and an amateur ornithologist? His titles included – -Fellow of the Linnean and Zoological Societies of London -Member of the British Ornithologists’ Union -Corresponding Fellow of the American Ornithologists’ Union The volumes in our collection were originally donated to the Warrnambool Mechanics’ Institute and Free Library by William Lindsay. THE LINDSAYS (quoted from the book Of Many Things – A History of Warrnambool Shire by C.E. Sayers) The Lindsays were amongst the most prominent families in the Shire of Warrnambool, as pastoralists, sportsmen, municipal councillors, community leaders. The first of the family William arrived in Melbourne in 1841 and started a business as a livestock agent. The gold rushes sent him to the central Victoria diggings dealing in cattle. This was a business that boomed in the early 1850s, and he prospered. In 1859 he took over the Quamby run near Woolsthrope from Paul de Castella, the Yarra Valley Swiss vigneron who had brought the leasehold and improvements in 1853 from George You, who had pioneered the run. Quamby was originally 25,000 acres. It was heavily timbered, rough country, much of it swampy, a characteristic of the district. Lindsay used it to fatten cattle which gave large returns with the booming gold diggings towns paying high prices for beef. In 1862 purchases at auction made Quamby a freehold. In the next six years, a further 20,000 acres of Crown land were brought at auction to make the run one of the largest in the south-west district. The great profits from his cattle trading enabled Lindsay to make improvements to the holding, and to Union which was added in 1864. Much of the thick timber was cleared and the worst of the swamps drained. Union was 15,000 acres of freehold land when Kennedy sold it to Lindsay. It was heavily timbered, mostly blackwood, with large belts of wattle and honeysuckle. Much of the heavy native was ringbarked and cleared; much more was swept away by bushfire. It was expensive work, but Lindsay’s bank passbook was heavy with credit, and he did not spare money to make both Quamby and Union heavily developed stock runs. He was as lavish in social living; the bluestone Quamby homestead was one of the most hospitable in the district when William Lindsay was host there; its paddocks carried high-quality thoroughbreds: its stables housed steeplechasers and flat racers which won many races on Warrnambool and other courses; its coach houses were filled with carriages which took his guests to the great racing carnivals of the district. After William Lindsay died in 1897, in his eighty-fifth year, his two sons, William and James, managed Union and Quamby as a joint venture. This partnership ended in 1906 when William took over Union and James kept Quamby. The following year 10,000 acres of Union was subdivided and sold in lots of 100 acres to 700 acres for dairying and general farming. It was well-improved country, much of it alluvial flats. By then many of the paddocks were sheltered with blue gum belts, and they carried good pastures. The three Lindsays, father and two sons, gave many years of service to the Shire, and to many charitable, sporting, social and community organisations in the Warrnambool district. William Lindsay senior, was a Shire councillor for 15 years, and President several times. James Lindsay followed his father as a north riding councillor. He served nineteen years, from 1887 until his death in March 1908. He was President four times. Jimmy Lindsay was one of the most popular men in the south-west of Victoria. He was a fine sportsman: horse breeder, owner and a dashing amateur rider. He lived lavishly and played hard. For many years he guarded a herd of kangaroos, as many as 100 head, at Quamby. Descendants of the Lindsay kangaroos are still in the district. James Lindsay’s wife, Margaret Esther was a daughter of Samuel Shaw Parker, the first engineer of the Shire. Nell Lindsay, a daughter, lives in the Bluestone Quamby homestead. Only a little more than 60 acres of the original run still belongs to the property. William Lindsay junior succeeded his brother as a Shire councillor. He served for 25 years from 1908 until his death in 1934. So, the Lindsays, father and two sons, served as Shite councillors for an unbroken period of sixth-five years. William Lindsay junior had a life-long interest in horse racing, as breeder, owner and enthusiastic amateur steeplechase rider. He was elected a member of the Warrnambool racing club in 1901 and was president of the club for thirty-two years. He raced and rode horses for the love of the sport. He won the Villiers and Heytesbury Hunt Cup in the 1870s on his own horse, Ventura. In the year he died his horse Flavedo won the Warrnambool Grand Annual steeplechase. It was a sensational race. All of the contestants fell or lost their riders. When Flavedo baulked at a jump, its jockey R. Sweetman, remounted and completed the course to win the race. All of the Lindsays were passionately fond of the thoroughbred horse. Nell Lindsay talking to the author in the drawing-room of Quamby homestead - with many memories for her of its lavish years – said of a brother that he was put on a horse when he was two years old and never got off. William Lindsay junior made Union into a fine, high-producing property, breeding cattle and horses. He added to the bluestone house that David Kennedy started, established plantations of pines and gums, and made an attractive garden. WARRNAMBOOL MECHANICS’ INSTITUTE Warrnambool's Mechanics' Institute (or Institution as it was sometimes called) was one of the earliest in Victoria. On 17th October 1853, a meeting was held where it was resolved to request the Lieutenant Governor of the Colony to grant land for the erection of a Mechanics' Institutes building. A committee was formed at the meeting and Richard Osburne chaired the first meeting of this committee. The land on the North West corner of Banyan and Merri Streets was granted but there were no funds to erect the building. The Formal Rights of the Warrnambool Mechanics' Institute's encompassed its aims and these were officially adopted in1859; "This Institution has for its object the diffusion of literary, scientific, and other useful knowledge amongst its members, excluding all controversial subjects, religious or political. These objects are sought to be obtained by means of a circulating library, a reading room, the establishment of classes, debates, and the occasional delivery of lectures on natural and experimental philosophy, mechanics, astronomy, chemistry, natural history, literature, and the useful and ornamental arts, particularly those which have a more immediate reference to the colony." The Warrnambool Mechanics' Institute opened its first meeting room in November 1854 in the National School building at the corner of Banyan and Timor Streets. The Institute was funded by member subscription, payable on a quarterly, half-yearly or yearly basis. Samuel Hannaford, the Manager of the Warrnambool Bank of Australasia, was the first Honorary Secretary of the Mechanics' Institutes, and an early President and Vice-President. He also gave several of the early lectures in the Reading Room. Another early Secretary, Librarian and lecturer was Marmaduke Fisher, the teacher at the National School. Lecture topics included The Poets and Poetry of Ireland', 'The Birth and Development of the Earth', 'The Vertebrae - with Remarks on the pleasures resulting from the study of Natural History' and 'Architecture'. In 1856 the Reading Room was moved to James Hider's shop in Timor Street, and by 1864 it was located in the bookshop of Davies and Read. In the 1860's the Mechanics' Institute struggled as membership waned but in 1866, after a series of fund raising efforts, the committee was able to purchase land in Liebig Street, on a site then called Market Square, between the weighbridge and the fire station. A Mechanics' Institute building was opened at this site in August 1871. The following year four more rooms were added to the main Reading Room and in 1873 the Artisan School of Design was incorporated into the Institute. The same year Joseph Archibald established a Museum; however, it deteriorated when he was transferred to Bendigo in 1877. In 1880, with Archibald's return to Warrnambool, the Museum was re-established, and in 1885 a new building was built at the back of the Institute to accommodate the re-created School of Design, the Art Gallery and the Museum. In 1887 the Museum section was moved to the former court house in Timor Street (for some time the walls of the building formed part of the TAFE cafeteria but all is now demolished)). In 1911 the Museum was transferred back to the original building and the management of the Mechanics' Institute was handed over to the Warrnambool City Council. The Museum and Art Gallery became one and housed many fine works of art, and the Library continued to grow. The building was well patronised, with records showing that at the beginning of the 20th century there were between 500 and 800 visitors. During World War One the monthly figures were in the thousands, with 3,400 people visiting in January 1915. The Museum was a much-loved Institution in Warrnambool until the contents of the Museum and Art Gallery were removed to make room for the Warrnambool City Council Engineers' Department. The contents were stored but many of the items were scattered or lost. When the original building was demolished the site became occupied by the Civic Centre, which included the new City Library. (The library was temporarily located in the old Palais building in Koroit Street.) In the process of reorganisation the Collection was distributed amongst the community groups: -The new City Library took some of the historic books and some important documents, historic photographs and newspapers. -The Art Gallery kept the 19th Century art collection and some of the artefacts from the museum. -The Historic Society has some items -The State Museum has some items -Some items were destroyed -Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village has old newspapers, Government Gazettes, most of the Mechanics' Institute Library, ledgers and documents connected to the Mechanics' Institute Library, some framed and unframed artworks and some photographs. The Warrnambool Mechanics' Institute Library book collection is deemed to be of great importance because it is one of the few collections in an almost intact state, and many of the books are now very rare and of great value. THE PATTISON COLLECTION This book is also part of the ‘Pattison Collection’, a collection of books and records that was originally owned by the Warrnambool Mechanics’ Institute, which was founded in Warrnambool in 1853. In 1935 Ralph Pattison was appointed as City Librarian to establish and organise the Warrnambool Library, as the Warrnambool Mechanics’ Institute was then called. When the Warrnambool Mechanics’ Institute building was pulled down in 1963 a new civic building was erected on the site and the new Warrnambool Library, on behalf of the City Council, took over all the holdings of the Warrnambool Mechanics’ Institute. At this time some of the items were separated and identified as the ‘Pattison Collection’, named after Ralph Pattison. Eventually, the components of the Warrnambool Mechanics’ Institute were distributed from the Warrnambool Library to various places, including the Art Gallery, Historical Society and Flagstaff Hill. Later some were even distributed to other regional branches of Corangamite Regional Library and passed to and fro. It is difficult now to trace just where all of the items have ended up. The books at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village generally display stamps and markings from Pattison as well as a variety of other institutions including the Mechanics’ Institute itself. RALPH ERIC PATTISON Ralph Eric Pattison was born in Rockhampton, Queensland, in 1891. He married Maude Swan from Warrnambool in 1920 and they set up home in Warrnambool. In 1935 Pattison accepted a position as City Librarian for the Warrnambool City Council. His huge challenge was to make a functional library within two rooms of the Mechanics’ Institute. He tirelessly cleaned, cleared and sorted a disarrayed collection of old books, jars of preserved specimens and other items reserved for exhibition in the city’s museum. He developed and updated the library with a wide variety of books for all tastes, including reference books for students; a difficult task to fulfil during the years following the Depression. He converted all of the lower areas of the building into a library, reference room and reading room for members and the public. The books were sorted and stored using a cataloguing and card index system that he had developed himself. He also prepared the upper floor of the building and established the Art Gallery and later the Museum, a place to exhibit the many old relics that had been stored for years for this purpose. One of the treasures he found was a beautiful ancient clock, which he repaired, restored and enjoyed using in his office during the years of his service there. Ralph Pattison was described as “a meticulous gentleman whose punctuality, floorless courtesy and distinctive neat dress were hallmarks of his character, and ‘his’ clock controlled his daily routine and his opening and closing of the library’s large heavy doors to the minute.” Pattison took leave from 1942 to 1945 to serve in the Royal Australian Navy, Volunteer Reserve as Lieutenant. A few years later he converted one of the Museum’s rooms into a Children’s Library, stocking it with suitable books for the younger generation. This was an instant success. In the 1950’s he had the honour of being appointed to the Victorian Library Board and received more inspiration from the monthly conferences in Melbourne. He was sadly retired in 1959 after over 23 years of service, due to the fact that he had gone over the working age of council officers. However, he continued to take a very keen interest in the continual development of the Library until his death in 1969. The Birds of Australia by Gregory M. Matthews is now considered a rare and valuable scientific and historic work on its own. These 12 volumes were donated in 1934 to The Warrnambool Mechanics’ Institute and were included as part of the Pattison Collection. The Warrnambool Mechanics’ Institute Collection is primarily significant in its totality, rather than for the individual objects it contains. Its contents are highly representative of the development of Mechanics' Institute libraries across Australia, particularly Victoria. A diversity of publications and themes has been amassed, and these provide clues to our understanding of the nature of and changes in the reading habits of Victorians from the 1850s to the middle of the 20th century. The collection also highlights the Warrnambool community’s commitment to the Mechanics’ Institute, reading, literacy and learning in the regions, and proves that access to knowledge was not impeded by distance. These items help to provide a more complete picture of our community’s ideals and aspirations. The Warrnambool Mechanics Institute book collection has historical and social significance for its strong association with the Mechanics Institute movement and the important role it played in the intellectual, cultural and social development of people throughout the latter part of the nineteenth century and the early twentieth century. The collection of books is a rare example of an early lending library and its significance is enhanced by the survival of an original collection of many volumes. The Warrnambool Mechanics' Institute’s publication collection is of both local and state significance. The Birds of Australia Vol 1 Author: Gregory M Mathews Publisher: Witherby & Co, 326 HIGH HOLBORN LONDON Date: 1910-1911 Tan, leather bound illustrated workLabel on spine cover with typed text RA 598.2994 MAT Pastedown front endpaper has sticker from Warrnambool Mechanics Institute that reads Presented by W Lindsay Esq, “Union”, Woolsthorpe. Accession Number 15232 Date Received: 3-34 “W. Lindsay” embossed in gold on front cover, bottom right of bookflagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked coast, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, the birds of australia, gregory m. matthews, witherby & co., h.f. & g. witherby, w lindsay, william lindsay, pattison collection, the birds of australia vol 1, union station, woolsthrope, quamby station, warrnambool mechanics’ institute and free library -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Book - Reference, The Birds of Australia Vol 2
The Birds of Australia is a 12 volume work, in a total of 14 books. The books were used as an ornithological handbook. They contain scientific text as well as over 600 hand-coloured lithographed plates by J.G. Keulemans, H. Grönvold, Roland Green, H. Goodchild and G.E. Lodge. The work was written, sponsored and organised by Gregory M. Matthews, F.R.S.C. Erc. who was a wealthy Australian and an amateur ornithologist. His titles included – -Fellow of the Linnean and Zoological Societies of London -Member of the British Ornithologists’ Union -Corresponding Fellow of the American Ornithologists’ Union The volumes in our collection were originally donated to the Warrnambool Mechanics’ Institute and Free Library by William Lindsay. THE LINDSAYS (quoted from the book Of Many Things – A History of Warrnambool Shire by C.E. Sayers) The Lindsays were amongst the most prominent families in the Shire of Warrnambool, as pastoralists, sportsmen, municipal councillors, community leaders. The first of the family William arrived in Melbourne in 1841 and started business as a livestock agent. The gold rushes sent him to the central Victoria diggings dealing in cattle. This was a business that boomed in the early 1850s, and he prospered. In 1859 he took over the Quamby run near Woolsthrope from Paul de Castella, the Yarra Valley Swiss vigneron who had brought the leasehold and improvements in 1853 from George Youl, who had pioneered the run. Quamby was originally 25,000 acres. It was heavily timbered, rough country, much of it swampy, a characteristic of the district. Lindsay used it to fatten cattle which gave large returns with the booming gold diggings towns paying high prices for beef. In 1862 purchases at auction made Quamby a freehold. In the next six years a further 20,000 acres of Crown land were brought at auction to make the run one of the largest in the south-west district. The great profits from his cattle trading enabled Lindsay to make improvements to the holding, and to Union which was added in 1864. Much of the thick timber was cleared and the worst of the swamps drained. Union was 15,000 acres of freehold when Kennedy sold it to Lindsay. It was heavily timbered, mostly blackwood, with large belts of wattle and honeysuckle. Much of the heavy native was ringbarked and cleared; much more was swept away by bushfire. It was expensive work, but Lindsay’s bank passbook was heavy with credit, and he did not spare money to make both Quamby and Union heavily developed stock runs. He was as lavish in social living; the bluestone Quamby homestead was one of the most hospitable in the district when William Lindsay was host there; its paddocks carried high quality thoroughbreds: its stables housed steeplechasers and flat racers which won many races on Warrnambool and other courses; its coach houses were filled with carriages which took his guests to the great racing carnivals of the district. After William Lindsay died in 1897, in his eighty-fifth year, his two sons, William and James, managed Union and Quamby as a joint venture. This partnership ended in 1906 when William took over Union and James kept Quamby. The following year 10,000 acres of Union were subdivided and sold in lots of 100 acres to 700 acres for dairying and general farming. It was well improved country, much of it alluvial flats. By then many of the paddocks were sheltered with blue gum belts, and they carried good pastures. The three Lindsays, father and two sons, gave many years of service to the Shire, and to many charitable, sporting, social and community organisations in the Warrnambool district. William Lindsay senior, was a Shire councillor for 15 years, and President several times. James Lindsay followed his father as a north riding councillor. He served nineteen years, from 1887 until his death in March 1908. He was President four times. Jimmy Lindsay was one of the most popular men in the south-west of Victoria. He was a fine sportsman: horse breeder, owner and a dashing amateur rider. He lived lavishly and played hard. For many years he guarded a herd of kangaroos, as many as 100 head, at Quamby. Descendants of the Lindsay kangaroos are still in the district. James Lindsay’s wife, Margaret Esther was a daughter of Samuel Shaw Parker, the first engineer of the Shire. Nell Lindsay, a daughter, lives in the Bluestone Quamby homestead. Only a little more than 60 acres of the original run still belongs to the property. William Lindsay junior succeeded his brother as a Shire councillor. He served for 25 years from 1908 until his death in 1934. So, the Lindsays, father and two sons, served as Shite councillors for an unbroken period of sixth-five years. William Lindsay junior had a life-long interest in horse racing, as breeder, owner and enthusiastic amateur steeplechase rider. He was elected a member of the Warrnambool racing club in 1901 and was president of the club for thirty-two years. He raced and rode horses for the love of the sport. He won the Villiers and Heytesbury Hunt Cup in the 1870s on his own horse, Ventura. In the year he died his horse Flavedo won the Warrnambool Grand Annual steeplechase. It was a sensational race. All of the contestants fell, or lost their riders. When Flavedo baulked at a jump, its jockey R. Sweetman, remounted and completed the course to win the race. All of the Lindsays were passionately fond of the thoroughbred horse. Nell Lindsay talking to the author in the drawing room of Quamby homestead - with many memories for her of its lavish years – said of a brother that he was put on a horse when he was two years old and never got off. William Lindsay junior made Union into a fine, high-producing property, breeding cattle and horses. He added to the bluestone house that David Kennedy started, established plantations of pines and gums, and made an attractive garden. WARRNAMBOOL MECHANICS’ INSTITUTE Warrnambool's Mechanics' Institute (or Institution as it was sometimes called) was one of the earliest in Victoria. On 17th October 1853 a meeting was held where it was resolved to request the Lieutenant Governor of the Colony to grant land for the erection of a Mechanics' Institutes building. A committee was formed at the meeting and Richard Osburne chaired the first meeting of this committee. The land on the North West corner of Banyan and Merri Streets was granted but there were no funds to erect the building. The Formal Rights of the Warrnambool Mechanics' Institute's encompassed its aims and these were officially adopted in1859; "This Institution has for its object the diffusion of literary, scientific, and other useful knowledge amongst its members, excluding all controversial subjects, religious or political. These objects are sought to be obtained by means of a circulating library, a reading room, the establishment of classes, debates, and the occasional delivery of lectures on natural and experimental philosophy, mechanics, astronomy, chemistry, natural history, literature, and the useful and ornamental arts, particularly those which have a more immediate reference to the colony." The Warrnambool Mechanics' Institute opened its first meeting room in November1854 in the National School building at the corner of Banyan and Timor Streets. The Institute was funded by member subscription, payable on a quarterly, half yearly or yearly basis. Samuel Hannaford, the Manager of the Warrnambool Bank of Australasia, was the first Honorary Secretary of the Mechanics' Institutes, and an early President and Vice-President. He also gave several of the early lectures in the Reading Room. Another early Secretary, Librarian and lecturer was Marmaduke Fisher, the teacher at the National School. Lecture topics included The Poets and Poetry of Ireland', 'The Birth and Development of the Earth', 'The Vertebrae - with Remarks on the pleasures resulting from the study of Natural History' and 'Architecture'. In 1856 the Reading Room was moved to James Hider's shop in Timor Street, and by 1864 it was located in the bookshop of Davies and Read. In the 1860's the Mechanics' Institute struggled as membership waned but in 1866, after a series of fund raising efforts, the committee was able to purchase land in Liebig Street, on a site then called Market Square, between the weighbridge and the fire station. A Mechanics' Institute building was opened at this site in August 1871. The following year four more rooms were added to the main Reading Room and in 1873 the Artisan School of Design was incorporated into the Institute. The same year Joseph Archibald established a Museum; however it deteriorated when he was transferred to Bendigo in 1877. In 1880, with Archibald's return to Warrnambool, the Museum was re-established, and in 1885 a new building was built at the back of the Institute to accommodate the re-created School of Design, the Art Gallery and the Museum. In 1887 the Museum section was moved to the former court house in Timor Street (for some time the walls of the building formed part of the TAFE cafeteria but all is now demolished)). In 1911 the Museum was transferred back to the original building and the management of the Mechanics' Institute was handed over to the Warrnambool City Council. The Museum and Art Gallery became one and housed many fine works of art, and the Library continued to grow. The building was well patronised, with records showing that at the beginning of the 20th century there were between 500 and 800 visitors. During World War One the monthly figures were in the thousands, with 3,400 people visiting in January 1915. The Museum was a much loved Institution in Warrnambool until the contents of the Museum and Art Gallery were removed to make room for the Warrnambool City Council Engineers' Department. The contents were stored but many of the items were scattered or lost. When the original building was demolished the site became occupied by the Civic Centre, which included the new City Library. (The library was temporarily located in the old Palais building in Koroit Street.) In the process of reorganisation the Collection was distributed amongst the community groups: -The new City Library took some of the historic books and some important documents, historic photographs and newspapers. -The Art Gallery kept the 19th Century art collection and some of the artefacts from the museum. -The Historic Society has some items -The State Museum has some items -Some items were destroyed -Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village has old newspapers, Government Gazettes, most of the Mechanics' Institute Library, ledgers and documents connected to the Mechanics' Institute Library, some framed and unframed art works and some photographs. The Warrnambool Mechanics' Institute Library book collection is deemed to be of great importance because it is one of the few collections in an almost intact state, and many of the books are now very rare and of great value. THE PATTISON COLLECTION This book is also part of the ‘Pattison Collection’, a collection of books and records that was originally owned by the Warrnambool Mechanics’ Institute, which was founded in Warrnambool in 1853. In 1935 Ralph Pattison was appointed as City Librarian to establish and organise the Warrnambool Library, as the Warrnambool Mechanics’ Institute was then called. When the Warrnambool Mechanics’ Institute building was pulled down in 1963 a new civic building was erected on the site and the new Warrnambool Library, on behalf of the City Council, took over all the holdings of the Warrnambool Mechanics’ Institute. At this time some of the items were separated and identified as the ‘Pattison Collection’, named after Ralph Pattison. Eventually the components of the Warrnambool Mechanics’ Institute were distributed from the Warrnambool Library to various places, including the Art Gallery, Historical Society and Flagstaff Hill. Later some were even distributed to other regional branches of Corangamite Regional Library and passed to and fro. It is difficult now to trace just where all of the items have ended up. The books at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village generally display stamps and markings from Pattison as well as a variety of other institutions including the Mechanics’ Institute itself. RALPH ERIC PATTISON Ralph Eric Pattison was born in Rockhampton, Queensland, in 1891. He married Maude Swan from Warrnambool in 1920 and they set up home in Warrnambool. In 1935 Pattison accepted a position as City Librarian for the Warrnambool City Council. His huge challenge was to make a functional library within two rooms of the Mechanics’ Institute. He tirelessly cleaned, cleared and sorted a disarrayed collection of old books, jars of preserved specimens and other items reserved for exhibition in the city’s museum. He developed and updated the library with a wide variety of books for all tastes, including reference books for students; a difficult task to fulfil during the years following the Depression. He converted all of the lower area of the building into a library, reference room and reading room for members and the public. The books were sorted and stored using a cataloguing and card index system that he had developed himself. He also prepared the upper floor of the building and established the Art Gallery and later the Museum, a place to exhibit the many old relics that had been stored for years for this purpose. One of the treasures he found was a beautiful ancient clock, which he repaired, restored and enjoyed using in his office during the years of his service there. Ralph Pattison was described as “a meticulous gentleman whose punctuality, floorless courtesy and distinctive neat dress were hallmarks of his character, and ‘his’ clock controlled his daily routine, and his opening and closing of the library’s large heavy doors to the minute.” Pattison took leave during 1942 to 1945 to serve in the Royal Australian Navy, Volunteer Reserve as Lieutenant. A few years later he converted one of the Museum’s rooms into a Children’s Library, stocking it with suitable books for the younger generation. This was an instant success. In the 1950’s he had the honour of being appointed to the Victorian Library Board and received more inspiration from the monthly conferences in Melbourne. He was sadly retired in 1959 after over 23 years of service, due to the fact that he had gone over the working age of council officers. However he continued to take a very keen interest in the continual development of the Library until his death in 1969.The Birds of Australia by Gregory M. Matthews is now considered a rare and valuable scientific and historic work on its own. These 12 volumes were donated in 1934 to The Warrnambool Mechanics’ Institute and were included as part of the Pattison Collection. The Warrnambool Mechanics’ Institute Collection is primarily significant in its totality, rather than for the individual objects it contains. Its contents are highly representative of the development of Mechanics' Institute libraries across Australia, particularly Victoria. A diversity of publications and themes has been amassed, and these provide clues to our understanding of the nature of and changes in the reading habits of Victorians from the 1850s to the middle of the 20th century. The collection also highlights the Warrnambool community’s commitment to the Mechanics’ Institute, reading, literacy and learning in the regions, and proves that access to knowledge was not impeded by distance. These items help to provide a more complete picture of our community’s ideals and aspirations. The Warrnambool Mechanics Institute book collection has historical and social significance for its strong association with the Mechanics Institute movement and the important role it played in the intellectual, cultural and social development of people throughout the latter part of the nineteenth century and the early twentieth century. The collection of books is a rare example of an early lending library and its significance is enhanced by the survival of an original collection of many volumes. The Warrnambool Mechanics' Institute’s publication collection is of both local and state significance. The Birds of Australia Vol 2 Author: Gregory M Mathews Publisher: Witherby & Co 326 HIGH HOLBORN LONDON Date: 1912-1913 Tan leather bound illustrated work. Label on spine cover with typed text RA 598.2994 MAT Pastedown front endpaper has sticker from Warrnambool Mechanics Institute and Free Library that reads “Presented by W. Lindsay Esq. ‘Union’ Woolsthrope” Accession Number: 15233 Date Received: 3-34 “W. Lindsay” embossed in gold on front cover, bottom right of book flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked coast, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, the birds of australia, gregory m. matthews, witherby & co., h.f. & g. witherby, w lindsay, william lindsay, quamby woolsthorpe, union woolsthorpe, pattison collection, warrnambool library, warrnambool art gallery, joseph archibald, warrnambool mechanics’ institute and free library, ralph eric pattison, warrnambool city librarian, mechanics’ institute library, victorian library board, warrnambool books and records, warrnambool children’s library, the birds of australia vol 2, quamby station, union station, woolsthrope -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Book - Reference, The Birds of Australia Vol 3
The Birds of Australia is a 12 volume work, in a total of 14 books. The books were used as an ornithological handbook. They contain scientific text as well as over 600 hand-coloured lithographed plates by J.G. Keulemans, H. Grönvold, Roland Green, H. Goodchild and G.E. Lodge. The work was written, sponsored and organised by Gregory M. Matthews, F.R.S.C. Erc. who was a wealthy Australian and an amateur ornithologist. His titles included – -Fellow of the Linnean and Zoological Societies of London -Member of the British Ornithologists’ Union -Corresponding Fellow of the American Ornithologists’ Union The volumes in our collection were originally donated to the Warrnambool Mechanics’ Institute and Free Library by William Lindsay. THE LINDSAYS (quoted from the book Of Many Things – A History of Warrnambool Shire by C.E. Sayers) The Lindsays were amongst the most prominent families in the Shire of Warrnambool, as pastoralists, sportsmen, municipal councillors, community leaders. The first of the family William arrived in Melbourne in 1841 and started business as a livestock agent. The gold rushes sent him to the central Victoria diggings dealing in cattle. This was a business that boomed in the early 1850s, and he prospered. In 1859 he took over the Quamby run near Woolsthrope from Paul de Castella, the Yarra Valley Swiss vigneron who had brought the leasehold and improvements in 1853 from George Youl, who had pioneered the run. Quamby was originally 25,000 acres. It was heavily timbered, rough country, much of it swampy, a characteristic of the district. Lindsay used it to fatten cattle which gave large returns with the booming gold diggings towns paying high prices for beef. In 1862 purchases at auction made Quamby a freehold. In the next six years a further 20,000 acres of Crown land were brought at auction to make the run one of the largest in the south-west district. The great profits from his cattle trading enabled Lindsay to make improvements to the holding, and to Union which was added in 1864. Much of the thick timber was cleared and the worst of the swamps drained. Union was 15,000 acres of freehold when Kennedy sold it to Lindsay. It was heavily timbered, mostly blackwood, with large belts of wattle and honeysuckle. Much of the heavy native was ringbarked and cleared; much more was swept away by bushfire. It was expensive work, but Lindsay’s bank passbook was heavy with credit, and he did not spare money to make both Quamby and Union heavily developed stock runs. He was as lavish in social living; the bluestone Quamby homestead was one of the most hospitable in the district when William Lindsay was host there; its paddocks carried high quality thoroughbreds: its stables housed steeplechasers and flat racers which won many races on Warrnambool and other courses; its coach houses were filled with carriages which took his guests to the great racing carnivals of the district. After William Lindsay died in 1897, in his eighty-fifth year, his two sons, William and James, managed Union and Quamby as a joint venture. This partnership ended in 1906 when William took over Union and James kept Quamby. The following year 10,000 acres of Union were subdivided and sold in lots of 100 acres to 700 acres for dairying and general farming. It was well improved country, much of it alluvial flats. By then many of the paddocks were sheltered with blue gum belts, and they carried good pastures. The three Lindsays, father and two sons, gave many years of service to the Shire, and to many charitable, sporting, social and community organisations in the Warrnambool district. William Lindsay senior, was a Shire councillor for 15 years, and President several times. James Lindsay followed his father as a north riding councillor. He served nineteen years, from 1887 until his death in March 1908. He was President four times. Jimmy Lindsay was one of the most popular men in the south-west of Victoria. He was a fine sportsman: horse breeder, owner and a dashing amateur rider. He lived lavishly and played hard. For many years he guarded a herd of kangaroos, as many as 100 head, at Quamby. Descendants of the Lindsay kangaroos are still in the district. James Lindsay’s wife, Margaret Esther was a daughter of Samuel Shaw Parker, the first engineer of the Shire. Nell Lindsay, a daughter, lives in the Bluestone Quamby homestead. Only a little more than 60 acres of the original run still belongs to the property. William Lindsay junior succeeded his brother as a Shire councillor. He served for 25 years from 1908 until his death in 1934. So, the Lindsays, father and two sons, served as Shite councillors for an unbroken period of sixth-five years. William Lindsay junior had a life-long interest in horse racing, as breeder, owner and enthusiastic amateur steeplechase rider. He was elected a member of the Warrnambool racing club in 1901 and was president of the club for thirty-two years. He raced and rode horses for the love of the sport. He won the Villiers and Heytesbury Hunt Cup in the 1870s on his own horse, Ventura. In the year he died his horse Flavedo won the Warrnambool Grand Annual steeplechase. It was a sensational race. All of the contestants fell, or lost their riders. When Flavedo baulked at a jump, its jockey R. Sweetman, remounted and completed the course to win the race. All of the Lindsays were passionately fond of the thoroughbred horse. Nell Lindsay talking to the author in the drawing room of Quamby homestead - with many memories for her of its lavish years – said of a brother that he was put on a horse when he was two years old and never got off. William Lindsay junior made Union into a fine, high-producing property, breeding cattle and horses. He added to the bluestone house that David Kennedy started, established plantations of pines and gums, and made an attractive garden. WARRNAMBOOL MECHANICS’ INSTITUTE Warrnambool's Mechanics' Institute (or Institution as it was sometimes called) was one of the earliest in Victoria. On 17th October 1853 a meeting was held where it was resolved to request the Lieutenant Governor of the Colony to grant land for the erection of a Mechanics' Institutes building. A committee was formed at the meeting and Richard Osburne chaired the first meeting of this committee. The land on the North West corner of Banyan and Merri Streets was granted but there were no funds to erect the building. The Formal Rights of the Warrnambool Mechanics' Institute's encompassed its aims and these were officially adopted in1859; "This Institution has for its object the diffusion of literary, scientific, and other useful knowledge amongst its members, excluding all controversial subjects, religious or political. These objects are sought to be obtained by means of a circulating library, a reading room, the establishment of classes, debates, and the occasional delivery of lectures on natural and experimental philosophy, mechanics, astronomy, chemistry, natural history, literature, and the useful and ornamental arts, particularly those which have a more immediate reference to the colony." The Warrnambool Mechanics' Institute opened its first meeting room in November1854 in the National School building at the corner of Banyan and Timor Streets. The Institute was funded by member subscription, payable on a quarterly, half yearly or yearly basis. Samuel Hannaford, the Manager of the Warrnambool Bank of Australasia, was the first Honorary Secretary of the Mechanics' Institutes, and an early President and Vice-President. He also gave several of the early lectures in the Reading Room. Another early Secretary, Librarian and lecturer was Marmaduke Fisher, the teacher at the National School. Lecture topics included The Poets and Poetry of Ireland', 'The Birth and Development of the Earth', 'The Vertebrae - with Remarks on the pleasures resulting from the study of Natural History' and 'Architecture'. In 1856 the Reading Room was moved to James Hider's shop in Timor Street, and by 1864 it was located in the bookshop of Davies and Read. In the 1860's the Mechanics' Institute struggled as membership waned but in 1866, after a series of fund raising efforts, the committee was able to purchase land in Liebig Street, on a site then called Market Square, between the weighbridge and the fire station. A Mechanics' Institute building was opened at this site in August 1871. The following year four more rooms were added to the main Reading Room and in 1873 the Artisan School of Design was incorporated into the Institute. The same year Joseph Archibald established a Museum; however it deteriorated when he was transferred to Bendigo in 1877. In 1880, with Archibald's return to Warrnambool, the Museum was re-established, and in 1885 a new building was built at the back of the Institute to accommodate the re-created School of Design, the Art Gallery and the Museum. In 1887 the Museum section was moved to the former court house in Timor Street (for some time the walls of the building formed part of the TAFE cafeteria but all is now demolished)). In 1911 the Museum was transferred back to the original building and the management of the Mechanics' Institute was handed over to the Warrnambool City Council. The Museum and Art Gallery became one and housed many fine works of art, and the Library continued to grow. The building was well patronised, with records showing that at the beginning of the 20th century there were between 500 and 800 visitors. During World War One the monthly figures were in the thousands, with 3,400 people visiting in January 1915. The Museum was a much loved Institution in Warrnambool until the contents of the Museum and Art Gallery were removed to make room for the Warrnambool City Council Engineers' Department. The contents were stored but many of the items were scattered or lost. When the original building was demolished the site became occupied by the Civic Centre, which included the new City Library. (The library was temporarily located in the old Palais building in Koroit Street.) In the process of reorganisation the Collection was distributed amongst the community groups: -The new City Library took some of the historic books and some important documents, historic photographs and newspapers. -The Art Gallery kept the 19th Century art collection and some of the artefacts from the museum. -The Historic Society has some items -The State Museum has some items -Some items were destroyed -Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village has old newspapers, Government Gazettes, most of the Mechanics' Institute Library, ledgers and documents connected to the Mechanics' Institute Library, some framed and unframed art works and some photographs. The Warrnambool Mechanics' Institute Library book collection is deemed to be of great importance because it is one of the few collections in an almost intact state, and many of the books are now very rare and of great value. THE PATTISON COLLECTION This book is also part of the ‘Pattison Collection’, a collection of books and records that was originally owned by the Warrnambool Mechanics’ Institute, which was founded in Warrnambool in 1853. In 1935 Ralph Pattison was appointed as City Librarian to establish and organise the Warrnambool Library, as the Warrnambool Mechanics’ Institute was then called. When the Warrnambool Mechanics’ Institute building was pulled down in 1963 a new civic building was erected on the site and the new Warrnambool Library, on behalf of the City Council, took over all the holdings of the Warrnambool Mechanics’ Institute. At this time some of the items were separated and identified as the ‘Pattison Collection’, named after Ralph Pattison. Eventually the components of the Warrnambool Mechanics’ Institute were distributed from the Warrnambool Library to various places, including the Art Gallery, Historical Society and Flagstaff Hill. Later some were even distributed to other regional branches of Corangamite Regional Library and passed to and fro. It is difficult now to trace just where all of the items have ended up. The books at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village generally display stamps and markings from Pattison as well as a variety of other institutions including the Mechanics’ Institute itself. RALPH ERIC PATTISON Ralph Eric Pattison was born in Rockhampton, Queensland, in 1891. He married Maude Swan from Warrnambool in 1920 and they set up home in Warrnambool. In 1935 Pattison accepted a position as City Librarian for the Warrnambool City Council. His huge challenge was to make a functional library within two rooms of the Mechanics’ Institute. He tirelessly cleaned, cleared and sorted a disarrayed collection of old books, jars of preserved specimens and other items reserved for exhibition in the city’s museum. He developed and updated the library with a wide variety of books for all tastes, including reference books for students; a difficult task to fulfil during the years following the Depression. He converted all of the lower area of the building into a library, reference room and reading room for members and the public. The books were sorted and stored using a cataloguing and card index system that he had developed himself. He also prepared the upper floor of the building and established the Art Gallery and later the Museum, a place to exhibit the many old relics that had been stored for years for this purpose. One of the treasures he found was a beautiful ancient clock, which he repaired, restored and enjoyed using in his office during the years of his service there. Ralph Pattison was described as “a meticulous gentleman whose punctuality, floorless courtesy and distinctive neat dress were hallmarks of his character, and ‘his’ clock controlled his daily routine, and his opening and closing of the library’s large heavy doors to the minute.” Pattison took leave during 1942 to 1945 to serve in the Royal Australian Navy, Volunteer Reserve as Lieutenant. A few years later he converted one of the Museum’s rooms into a Children’s Library, stocking it with suitable books for the younger generation. This was an instant success. In the 1950’s he had the honour of being appointed to the Victorian Library Board and received more inspiration from the monthly conferences in Melbourne. He was sadly retired in 1959 after over 23 years of service, due to the fact that he had gone over the working age of council officers. However he continued to take a very keen interest in the continual development of the Library until his death in 1969. The Birds of Australia by Gregory M. Matthews is now considered a rare and valuable scientific and historic work on its own. These 12 volumes were donated in 1934 to The Warrnambool Mechanics’ Institute and were included as part of the Pattison Collection. The Warrnambool Mechanics’ Institute Collection is primarily significant in its totality, rather than for the individual objects it contains. Its contents are highly representative of the development of Mechanics' Institute libraries across Australia, particularly Victoria. A diversity of publications and themes has been amassed, and these provide clues to our understanding of the nature of and changes in the reading habits of Victorians from the 1850s to the middle of the 20th century. The collection also highlights the Warrnambool community’s commitment to the Mechanics’ Institute, reading, literacy and learning in the regions, and proves that access to knowledge was not impeded by distance. These items help to provide a more complete picture of our community’s ideals and aspirations. The Warrnambool Mechanics Institute book collection has historical and social significance for its strong association with the Mechanics Institute movement and the important role it played in the intellectual, cultural and social development of people throughout the latter part of the nineteenth century and the early twentieth century. The collection of books is a rare example of an early lending library and its significance is enhanced by the survival of an original collection of many volumes. The Warrnambool Mechanics' Institute’s publication collection is of both local and state significance. The Birds of Australia Vol 3 Author: Gregory M Mathews Publisher: Witherby & Co 326 HIGH HOLBORN LONDON Date: 1913-1914 Label on spine cover with typed text RA 598.2994 MAT Pastedown front endpaper has sticker from Warrnambool Mechanics Institute and Free Library that reads “Presented by W. Lindsay Esq. ‘Union’ Woolsthrope” Accession Number: 15234 Date Received: 3-34 “W. Lindsay” embossed in gold on front cover, bottom right of book flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked coast, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, the birds of australia, gregory m. matthews, witherby & co., h.f. & g. witherby, w lindsay, william lindsay, quamby woolsthorpe, union woolsthorpe, pattison collection, warrnambool library, warrnambool art gallery, joseph archibald, warrnambool mechanics’ institute and free library, ralph eric pattison, warrnambool city librarian, mechanics’ institute library, victorian library board, warrnambool books and records, warrnambool children’s library, the birds of australia vol 3, quamby station, union station, woolsthrope -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Book - Reference, The Birds of Australia Vol 4
The Birds of Australia is a 12 volume work, in a total of 14 books. The books were used as an ornithological handbook. They contain scientific text as well as over 600 hand-coloured lithographed plates by J.G. Keulemans, H. Grönvold, Roland Green, H. Goodchild and G.E. Lodge. The work was written, sponsored and organised by Gregory M. Matthews, F.R.S.C. Erc. who was a wealthy Australian and an amateur ornithologist. His titles included – -Fellow of the Linnean and Zoological Societies of London -Member of the British Ornithologists’ Union -Corresponding Fellow of the American Ornithologists’ Union The volumes in our collection were originally donated to the Warrnambool Mechanics’ Institute and Free Library by William Lindsay. THE LINDSAYS (quoted from the book Of Many Things – A History of Warrnambool Shire by C.E. Sayers) The Lindsays were amongst the most prominent families in the Shire of Warrnambool, as pastoralists, sportsmen, municipal councillors, community leaders. The first of the family William arrived in Melbourne in 1841 and started business as a livestock agent. The gold rushes sent him to the central Victoria diggings dealing in cattle. This was a business that boomed in the early 1850s, and he prospered. In 1859 he took over the Quamby run near Woolsthrope from Paul de Castella, the Yarra Valley Swiss vigneron who had brought the leasehold and improvements in 1853 from George Youl, who had pioneered the run. Quamby was originally 25,000 acres. It was heavily timbered, rough country, much of it swampy, a characteristic of the district. Lindsay used it to fatten cattle which gave large returns with the booming gold diggings towns paying high prices for beef. In 1862 purchases at auction made Quamby a freehold. In the next six years a further 20,000 acres of Crown land were brought at auction to make the run one of the largest in the south-west district. The great profits from his cattle trading enabled Lindsay to make improvements to the holding, and to Union which was added in 1864. Much of the thick timber was cleared and the worst of the swamps drained. Union was 15,000 acres of freehold when Kennedy sold it to Lindsay. It was heavily timbered, mostly blackwood, with large belts of wattle and honeysuckle. Much of the heavy native was ringbarked and cleared; much more was swept away by bushfire. It was expensive work, but Lindsay’s bank passbook was heavy with credit, and he did not spare money to make both Quamby and Union heavily developed stock runs. He was as lavish in social living; the bluestone Quamby homestead was one of the most hospitable in the district when William Lindsay was host there; its paddocks carried high quality thoroughbreds: its stables housed steeplechasers and flat racers which won many races on Warrnambool and other courses; its coach houses were filled with carriages which took his guests to the great racing carnivals of the district. After William Lindsay died in 1897, in his eighty-fifth year, his two sons, William and James, managed Union and Quamby as a joint venture. This partnership ended in 1906 when William took over Union and James kept Quamby. The following year 10,000 acres of Union were subdivided and sold in lots of 100 acres to 700 acres for dairying and general farming. It was well improved country, much of it alluvial flats. By then many of the paddocks were sheltered with blue gum belts, and they carried good pastures. The three Lindsays, father and two sons, gave many years of service to the Shire, and to many charitable, sporting, social and community organisations in the Warrnambool district. William Lindsay senior, was a Shire councillor for 15 years, and President several times. James Lindsay followed his father as a north riding councillor. He served nineteen years, from 1887 until his death in March 1908. He was President four times. Jimmy Lindsay was one of the most popular men in the south-west of Victoria. He was a fine sportsman: horse breeder, owner and a dashing amateur rider. He lived lavishly and played hard. For many years he guarded a herd of kangaroos, as many as 100 head, at Quamby. Descendants of the Lindsay kangaroos are still in the district. James Lindsay’s wife, Margaret Esther was a daughter of Samuel Shaw Parker, the first engineer of the Shire. Nell Lindsay, a daughter, lives in the Bluestone Quamby homestead. Only a little more than 60 acres of the original run still belongs to the property. William Lindsay junior succeeded his brother as a Shire councillor. He served for 25 years from 1908 until his death in 1934. So, the Lindsays, father and two sons, served as Shite councillors for an unbroken period of sixth-five years. William Lindsay junior had a life-long interest in horse racing, as breeder, owner and enthusiastic amateur steeplechase rider. He was elected a member of the Warrnambool racing club in 1901 and was president of the club for thirty-two years. He raced and rode horses for the love of the sport. He won the Villiers and Heytesbury Hunt Cup in the 1870s on his own horse, Ventura. In the year he died his horse Flavedo won the Warrnambool Grand Annual steeplechase. It was a sensational race. All of the contestants fell, or lost their riders. When Flavedo baulked at a jump, its jockey R. Sweetman, remounted and completed the course to win the race. All of the Lindsays were passionately fond of the thoroughbred horse. Nell Lindsay talking to the author in the drawing room of Quamby homestead - with many memories for her of its lavish years – said of a brother that he was put on a horse when he was two years old and never got off. William Lindsay junior made Union into a fine, high-producing property, breeding cattle and horses. He added to the bluestone house that David Kennedy started, established plantations of pines and gums, and made an attractive garden. WARRNAMBOOL MECHANICS’ INSTITUTE Warrnambool's Mechanics' Institute (or Institution as it was sometimes called) was one of the earliest in Victoria. On 17th October 1853 a meeting was held where it was resolved to request the Lieutenant Governor of the Colony to grant land for the erection of a Mechanics' Institutes building. A committee was formed at the meeting and Richard Osburne chaired the first meeting of this committee. The land on the North West corner of Banyan and Merri Streets was granted but there were no funds to erect the building. The Formal Rights of the Warrnambool Mechanics' Institute's encompassed its aims and these were officially adopted in1859; "This Institution has for its object the diffusion of literary, scientific, and other useful knowledge amongst its members, excluding all controversial subjects, religious or political. These objects are sought to be obtained by means of a circulating library, a reading room, the establishment of classes, debates, and the occasional delivery of lectures on natural and experimental philosophy, mechanics, astronomy, chemistry, natural history, literature, and the useful and ornamental arts, particularly those which have a more immediate reference to the colony." The Warrnambool Mechanics' Institute opened its first meeting room in November1854 in the National School building at the corner of Banyan and Timor Streets. The Institute was funded by member subscription, payable on a quarterly, half yearly or yearly basis. Samuel Hannaford, the Manager of the Warrnambool Bank of Australasia, was the first Honorary Secretary of the Mechanics' Institutes, and an early President and Vice-President. He also gave several of the early lectures in the Reading Room. Another early Secretary, Librarian and lecturer was Marmaduke Fisher, the teacher at the National School. Lecture topics included The Poets and Poetry of Ireland', 'The Birth and Development of the Earth', 'The Vertebrae - with Remarks on the pleasures resulting from the study of Natural History' and 'Architecture'. In 1856 the Reading Room was moved to James Hider's shop in Timor Street, and by 1864 it was located in the bookshop of Davies and Read. In the 1860's the Mechanics' Institute struggled as membership waned but in 1866, after a series of fund raising efforts, the committee was able to purchase land in Liebig Street, on a site then called Market Square, between the weighbridge and the fire station. A Mechanics' Institute building was opened at this site in August 1871. The following year four more rooms were added to the main Reading Room and in 1873 the Artisan School of Design was incorporated into the Institute. The same year Joseph Archibald established a Museum; however it deteriorated when he was transferred to Bendigo in 1877. In 1880, with Archibald's return to Warrnambool, the Museum was re-established, and in 1885 a new building was built at the back of the Institute to accommodate the re-created School of Design, the Art Gallery and the Museum. In 1887 the Museum section was moved to the former court house in Timor Street (for some time the walls of the building formed part of the TAFE cafeteria but all is now demolished)). In 1911 the Museum was transferred back to the original building and the management of the Mechanics' Institute was handed over to the Warrnambool City Council. The Museum and Art Gallery became one and housed many fine works of art, and the Library continued to grow. The building was well patronised, with records showing that at the beginning of the 20th century there were between 500 and 800 visitors. During World War One the monthly figures were in the thousands, with 3,400 people visiting in January 1915. The Museum was a much loved Institution in Warrnambool until the contents of the Museum and Art Gallery were removed to make room for the Warrnambool City Council Engineers' Department. The contents were stored but many of the items were scattered or lost. When the original building was demolished the site became occupied by the Civic Centre, which included the new City Library. (The library was temporarily located in the old Palais building in Koroit Street.) In the process of reorganisation the Collection was distributed amongst the community groups: -The new City Library took some of the historic books and some important documents, historic photographs and newspapers. -The Art Gallery kept the 19th Century art collection and some of the artefacts from the museum. -The Historic Society has some items -The State Museum has some items -Some items were destroyed -Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village has old newspapers, Government Gazettes, most of the Mechanics' Institute Library, ledgers and documents connected to the Mechanics' Institute Library, some framed and unframed art works and some photographs. The Warrnambool Mechanics' Institute Library book collection is deemed to be of great importance because it is one of the few collections in an almost intact state, and many of the books are now very rare and of great value. THE PATTISON COLLECTION This book is also part of the ‘Pattison Collection’, a collection of books and records that was originally owned by the Warrnambool Mechanics’ Institute, which was founded in Warrnambool in 1853. In 1935 Ralph Pattison was appointed as City Librarian to establish and organise the Warrnambool Library, as the Warrnambool Mechanics’ Institute was then called. When the Warrnambool Mechanics’ Institute building was pulled down in 1963 a new civic building was erected on the site and the new Warrnambool Library, on behalf of the City Council, took over all the holdings of the Warrnambool Mechanics’ Institute. At this time some of the items were separated and identified as the ‘Pattison Collection’, named after Ralph Pattison. Eventually the components of the Warrnambool Mechanics’ Institute were distributed from the Warrnambool Library to various places, including the Art Gallery, Historical Society and Flagstaff Hill. Later some were even distributed to other regional branches of Corangamite Regional Library and passed to and fro. It is difficult now to trace just where all of the items have ended up. The books at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village generally display stamps and markings from Pattison as well as a variety of other institutions including the Mechanics’ Institute itself. RALPH ERIC PATTISON Ralph Eric Pattison was born in Rockhampton, Queensland, in 1891. He married Maude Swan from Warrnambool in 1920 and they set up home in Warrnambool. In 1935 Pattison accepted a position as City Librarian for the Warrnambool City Council. His huge challenge was to make a functional library within two rooms of the Mechanics’ Institute. He tirelessly cleaned, cleared and sorted a disarrayed collection of old books, jars of preserved specimens and other items reserved for exhibition in the city’s museum. He developed and updated the library with a wide variety of books for all tastes, including reference books for students; a difficult task to fulfil during the years following the Depression. He converted all of the lower area of the building into a library, reference room and reading room for members and the public. The books were sorted and stored using a cataloguing and card index system that he had developed himself. He also prepared the upper floor of the building and established the Art Gallery and later the Museum, a place to exhibit the many old relics that had been stored for years for this purpose. One of the treasures he found was a beautiful ancient clock, which he repaired, restored and enjoyed using in his office during the years of his service there. Ralph Pattison was described as “a meticulous gentleman whose punctuality, floorless courtesy and distinctive neat dress were hallmarks of his character, and ‘his’ clock controlled his daily routine, and his opening and closing of the library’s large heavy doors to the minute.” Pattison took leave during 1942 to 1945 to serve in the Royal Australian Navy, Volunteer Reserve as Lieutenant. A few years later he converted one of the Museum’s rooms into a Children’s Library, stocking it with suitable books for the younger generation. This was an instant success. In the 1950’s he had the honour of being appointed to the Victorian Library Board and received more inspiration from the monthly conferences in Melbourne. He was sadly retired in 1959 after over 23 years of service, due to the fact that he had gone over the working age of council officers. However he continued to take a very keen interest in the continual development of the Library until his death in 1969. The Birds of Australia by Gregory M. Matthews is now considered a rare and valuable scientific and historic work on its own. These 12 volumes were donated in 1934 to The Warrnambool Mechanics’ Institute and were included as part of the Pattison Collection. The Warrnambool Mechanics’ Institute Collection is primarily significant in its totality, rather than for the individual objects it contains. Its contents are highly representative of the development of Mechanics' Institute libraries across Australia, particularly Victoria. A diversity of publications and themes has been amassed, and these provide clues to our understanding of the nature of and changes in the reading habits of Victorians from the 1850s to the middle of the 20th century. The collection also highlights the Warrnambool community’s commitment to the Mechanics’ Institute, reading, literacy and learning in the regions, and proves that access to knowledge was not impeded by distance. These items help to provide a more complete picture of our community’s ideals and aspirations. The Warrnambool Mechanics Institute book collection has historical and social significance for its strong association with the Mechanics Institute movement and the important role it played in the intellectual, cultural and social development of people throughout the latter part of the nineteenth century and the early twentieth century. The collection of books is a rare example of an early lending library and its significance is enhanced by the survival of an original collection of many volumes. The Warrnambool Mechanics' Institute’s publication collection is of both local and state significance. The Birds of Australia Vol 4 Author: Gregory M Mathews Publisher: Witherby & Co 326 HIGH HOLBORN LONDON Date: 1914-1915 Tan leather bound illustrated work.Label on spine cover with typed text RA 598.2994 MAT Pastedown front endpaper has sticker from Warrnambool Mechanics Institute and Free Library that reads “Presented by W. Lindsay Esq. ‘Union’ Woolsthrope” Accession Number: 15235 Date Received: 3-34 “W. Lindsay” embossed in gold on front cover, bottom right of book flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked coast, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, the birds of australia, gregory m. matthews, witherby & co., h.f. & g. witherby, w lindsay, william lindsay, quamby woolsthorpe, union woolsthorpe, pattison collection, warrnambool library, warrnambool art gallery, joseph archibald, warrnambool mechanics’ institute and free library, ralph eric pattison, warrnambool city librarian, mechanics’ institute library, victorian library board, warrnambool books and records, warrnambool children’s library, the birds of australia vol 4, quamby station, union station, woolsthrope