Hard cover book. The Box of Delights Author: John Masefield Illustrator: Judith Masefield Publisher: William Heinemann Ltd Date: 1935 Further Information: Navy blue cloth with pictorial end papers hardcover with lettering and patterning to spine in black. The spine has a Library label with an inscription. fictionThe Box of Delights is a children's fantasy novel by John Masefield, a sequel to The Midnight Folk, first published in 1935. Kay Harker is returning from boarding school when he finds himself mixed up in a battle to possess a magical box which allows the owner to shrink in size, to fly swiftly, to go into the past and to experience the magical wonders contained within. He's opposed by a wizard named Abner Brown and his gang of disguised bandits and witches masquerading as clergymen, and aided by talking animals, most memorably the cat Nibbins. It's a Christmas story at heart, steeped in English folklore, magic, and the atmosphere of a snowy Midlands winter.warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, shipwrecked-artefact, book, the box of delights, john masefield, warrnambool mechanics’ institute, pattison collection, warrnambool library, ralph eric pattison, corangamite regional library service, warrnambool city librarian, mechanics’ institute library, victorian library board, warrnambool books and records, warrnambool children’s library

Hard cover book. Martin Hyde “The Dukes Messenger” Author: John Masefield Publisher: Wells Gardner Darton & Co Date: 1928 to 1949 Further Information: Blue Cloth hardcover with lettering and patterning to spine in black. Publisher Logo to front cover with title & authors name. The spine has a Library label with an inscription.fictionMartin Hyde, the Duke's Messenger is a historical novel set in the late 17th century, following a young boy named Martin Hyde as he moves from a carefree childhood in rural Suffolk into a web of intrigue in London. Orphaned young, Martin goes to live with his uncle in London, where he becomes tangled up in royal conspiracies and secret missions. After his father's death in 1685, the 12-year-old goes to live with his uncle and eventually becomes messenger for James Scott, Duke of Monmouth, as Monmouth tries to build support for his claim to the English throne after the death of Charles II. It's often compared to Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island or Kidnapped a boy's-own adventure that takes Martin overseas and eventually back to England to take part in the Monmouth Rebellion of 1685, with a rival working for the Crown whom he has to outwit. A reviewer also notes a small, restrained love-story thread Martin's messenger rival turns out to be a girl in disguise which nudges the book slightly outside the standard boys'-adventure genre of its era.warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, shipwrecked-artefact, martin hyde the dukes messenger, john masefield, book, warrnambool mechanics’ institute, pattison collection, warrnambool library, ralph eric pattison, corangamite regional library service, warrnambool city librarian, mechanics’ institute library, victorian library board, warrnambool books and records, warrnambool children’s library

Hard cover book. Jim Davis Author: John Masefield Publisher: Wells Gardner Darton & Co Date: 1912-1920s Further Information: Green Cloth hardcover with lettering and patterning to spine in black. The spine has a Library label with an inscription.fictionJim Davis is a classic British sea-adventure novel written for young adults. Set along the Devon coast of England in 1812, the story follows a twelve-year-old orphan named Jim Davis. While exploring local caves and coastlines, Jim inadvertently stumbles upon a ring of night-riders and smugglers led by a fierce, charismatic captain named Marah. To protect their operational secrets, the smugglers kidnap Jim and take him to sea. The novel details his reluctant adventures aboard smuggling luggers, evasions of the coastguard, skirmishes, and his eventual effort to escape and return to civilian life.warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, shipwrecked-artefact, book, jim davis, john masefield, warrnambool mechanics’ institute, pattison collection, warrnambool library, ralph eric pattison, corangamite regional library service, warrnambool city librarian, mechanics’ institute library, victorian library board, warrnambool books and records, warrnambool children’s library

Hard cover book. Sard Harker Author: John Masefield Publisher: William Heinemann Ltd Date: 1924 Further Information: Red Cloth hardcover with lettering and patterning to spine in black. The spine has a Library label with an inscription.fictionThe novel centres on Chanticleer "Sard" Harker, a serious, stoic first mate aboard the trading ship Pathfinder. While anchored off the coast of the fictionalised South American nation of Santa Barbara a recurring setting in Masefield's fiction Harker experiences a vivid, recurring dream predicting that a woman named Doña Margherita Luisa Rosa is in grave danger. Driven by a strict sense of duty and premonition, Harker goes ashore to track down the estate where she is staying to deliver a warning. This decision plunges him into an extraordinary physical ordeal: separated from his ship and framed for murder, Harker must trek through hostile jungles, arid deserts, treacherous swamps, and rugged mountain passes while battling corrupt local officials, bandits, and a sinister occultist/cult leader named Don Hirsch Gomez.warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, shipwrecked-artefact, book, sard harker, john masefield, warrnambool mechanics’ institute, pattison collection, warrnambool library, ralph eric pattison, corangamite regional library service, warrnambool city librarian, mechanics’ institute library, victorian library board, warrnambool books and records, warrnambool children’s library

Hard cover book. Eggs & Baker or The Days of Trial Author: John Masefield Publisher: William Heinemann Ltd Date: 1936 Further Information: Navy blue cloth with pictorial end papers hardcover with lettering and patterning to spine in black. The spine has a Library label with an inscription.fictionEggs and Baker, or The Days of Trial (1936) is a novel by the English poet and Poet Laureate John Masefield, best known for verse ('Sea-Fever', The Everlasting Mercy) and children's classics like The Box of Delights and The Midnight Folk, published the previous year. The story is set inland in Masefield's imagined English county of Tatchester/Condicote his recurring fictional geography, also used in The Box of Delights. The plot centres on a long-running trial of two men one a 'half-wit' accused of shooting and killing a gamekeeper while poaching. The real protagonist, though, is a baker who is losing business and standing in the community because of his socialist sympathies, and who takes up the accused men's cause at real cost to himself. A contemporary Kirkus review called it 'a totally unexpected book from Masefield, and a disappointing one', and wondered whether it was intended as 'a spoof on the law, or a serious commentary on problems of justice'.warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, shipwrecked-artefact, masefield, john, eggs and baker, john masefield, warrnambool mechanics’ institute, pattison collection, warrnambool library, ralph eric pattison, corangamite regional library service, warrnambool city librarian, mechanics’ institute library, victorian library board, warrnambool books and records, warrnambool children’s library

Hard cover book. Dead Ned Author: John Masefield Publisher: William Heinemann Ltd Date: 1938 Further Information: Green Cloth hardcover with lettering and patterning to spine in black. The spine has a Library label with an inscription.fictionThe full title for Dead Ned is The Autobiography of a Corpse Who Recovered Life Within the Coast of Dead Ned and Came to What Fortune You Shall Hear. The novel follows a young doctor who is hanged for a murder he did not commit, is rescued just in time, and rushed out of the country on a slave ship. The novel is an 18th-century-set adventure about a wrongly accused medical student, Ned Mansell. While he's aboard the slave ship, the story follows his journey as he is saved from the gallows at the last minute by friends who send him off to hide as a doctor on the vessel. It has a sequel, Live and Kicking Ned (1939), a seafaring novel about the African slave trade that continues the 1938 story.warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, shipwrecked-artefact, book, dead ned, john masefield, warrnambool mechanics’ institute, pattison collection, warrnambool library, ralph eric pattison, corangamite regional library service, warrnambool city librarian, mechanics’ institute library, victorian library board, warrnambool books and records, warrnambool children’s library

Hard cover book. The Bird of Dawning Author: John Masefield Publisher: William Heinemann Ltd Date: 1933 to 1939 Further Information: Blue Cloth hardcover with lettering and patterning to spine in gilt. Front cover with title & authors name in gilt. The spine has a Library label with an inscription.fictionThe Bird of Dawning (1933) is a sea-adventure novel about the clipper ship Black gauntlet, which is racing home from China to London when she's struck at night by a passing steamer. Only about half the crew sixteen men escape into a lifeboat before she goes down. The 22-year-old second mate, Cruiser Trewsbury, takes command of the survivors and leads them on a roughly 700-mile open-boat voyage to the island of Fayal in the Azores, fighting sharks, dwindling water and food, a leaking boat, and the threat of mutiny along the way. Partway through, the survivors come across an abandoned, dismasted clipper still afloat and Cruiser gets the chance to jury-rig her and sail her home himself, turning survival into a race against time.warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, shipwrecked-artefact, martin hyde the dukes messenger, john masefield, book, warrnambool mechanics’ institute, pattison collection, warrnambool library, ralph eric pattison, corangamite regional library service, warrnambool city librarian, mechanics’ institute library, victorian library board, warrnambool books and records, warrnambool children’s library

Hard cover book. The Midnight Folk Author: John Masefield Publisher: William Heinemann Ltd Date: 1930-1940 Further Information: Two-tone quarter binding dark green/black spine and quarter shelf-back with red cloth sides, with hand-lettered ink text on the spine "The Midnight Folk / Masefield"). The spine has a Library label with an inscription.fictionThe Midnight Folk (first published in 1927) is a celebrated fantasy novel for young readers written by John Masefield. The story centres on a young, lonely orphan named Kay Harker, who lives in a country house guarded by his stern governess. Kay learns that his great-grandfather, Captain Harker, lost a valuable treasure—the plunder of the Santa Barbara—that was entrusted to him. Kay sets out on a quest to locate the lost treasure. Guided by his cat, Nibbins, and an assortment of talking animals, witches, goblins, and nocturnal creatures (the titular 'Midnight Folk'), Kay journeys through magical, dream-like realms. The story seamlessly weaves together British folklore, nautical high adventure, piracy, and childhood wonder.warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, shipwrecked-artefact, book, the midnight folk, john masefield, warrnambool mechanics’ institute, pattison collection, warrnambool library, ralph eric pattison, corangamite regional library service, warrnambool city librarian, mechanics’ institute library, victorian library board, warrnambool books and records, warrnambool children’s library

Hard cover book. Victorious Troy or The Hurrying Angel Author: John Masefield Publisher: William Heinemann Ltd Date: 1935 Further Information: First edition with original publisher's blue cloth binding with gold foil/gilt lettering on both the front board ("VICTORIOUS TROY / JOHN MASEFIELD") and the spine. The spine has a Library label with an inscription.fictionVictorious Troy or The Hurrying Angel (first published in 1935) is a dramatic maritime novel by John Masefield. Set in 1922, the story takes place aboard a full-rigged grain ship—the Hurrying Angel—sailing from Melbourne, Australia, back to the UK across the South Pacific. Deep in the ocean, the ship is hit by a catastrophic cyclone. The storm dismasts the vessel, kills or incapacitates the captain and senior officers, and leaves the ship in perilous condition. The hero of this novel is eighteen-year-old senior apprentice Dick Pomfret, who is forced to take command. Through sheer grit, seamanship, and leadership, Dick clears the wreckage, constructs a jury-rig mast, and navigates the battered ship towards safety. Grounded in Masefield's real-life young adult experiences aboard merchant sailing ships, the novel is celebrated for its technical accuracy, vivid descriptions of rough seas, and authentic nautical terminology.warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, shipwrecked-artefact, book, victorious troy, the hurrying angel, john masefield, warrnambool mechanics’ institute, pattison collection, warrnambool library, ralph eric pattison, corangamite regional library service, warrnambool city librarian, mechanics’ institute library, victorian library board, warrnambool books and records, warrnambool children’s library

October Meeting (Newsletter No. 248, Oct. 2019) It was intended that Dr. Andrew Lemon AM would be our guest speaker at our last meeting on Wednesday 14th August 2019, to talk about Heritage Advocacy - the role of historical research and historical societies. Unfortunately, due to a clash of commitments Andrew apologised for not being able to attend and we are delighted he will now be our speaker at our next meeting on Wednesday 9th October. As mentioned in our last newsletter, this presentation was very well received when Andrew was the keynote speaker at the recent Regional Conference of the Association of Eastern Historical Societies. Andrew is an independent professional historian who has published many commissioned local and institutional histories since his first book, Box Hill, forty years ago. He has now written sixteen books, four of which have won prizes, on subjects ranging from local history, sport, education and biography. Andrew received his doctorate of letters from the University of Melbourne in 2004 because of the excellence of a body of work, not one single piece, as in a thesis. He has been a consistent supporter of our Society and a long term member, who has spoken at a number of our meetings, over many years.1:20:57 duration Digital MP3 File 27.7 MB andrew lemon, audio recording, eltham, eltham district historical society, heritage advocacy, meeting, society meeting

Pap boats date from approximately 1710 and were in extensive use until the end of the nineteenth century. They were used to feed pap to infants or invalids. Pap was a mixture of breadcrumbs, flour, rice or barley mixed with fluids such as broth, milk (if the infant was lucky), water, wine and even beer, to aid the digestion of pap it was often pre-chewed by the nurse or nanny. Pap was a popular form of infant nutrition for almost 300 years and used in many well to do homes. For unwanted or illegitimate infants in foundling homes it was often the only form of sustenance, however, and as a result the mortality rate was appallingly high. Despite a growing number of experts advising against the use of pap, it nevertheless persisted as a major source of infant nutrition in many nurseries until the late 1800’s, largely due to the ignorance of nannies and nurses who took great delight in disregarding the advice of physicians, who they believed were usurping their position in the household. ‘Nanny knows best’.(Amgueddfa Cymru - National Museum Wales, 'Pap Boat')Mary Howlett (1840-1922) began practising as a country midwife in 1866 in the western district of Victoria. She qualified as a 'ladies monthly nurse' in 1887 and continued to practise as a nurse and midwife until 1920. She began her six months training at the Melbourne Lying-In Hospital. She was known by many as 'Auntie', and her career spanned more than 50 years. Mrs Howlett's midwifery box and contents were given to Dr Frank Forster, and he donated them to the museum collection in 1993. Small round white china container with an extended slim lip. Fluid capacity approximately 30-90ml. The boat has been made from two moulded sections. infant care, infant feeding, midwifery

Kids of all ages enjoy the Miniature Railway. Published: Nillumbik Now and Then /​ Marguerite Marshall 2008; photographs Alan King with Marguerite Marshall.; p163 On Sundays in Eltham thousands of children, mums, dads and grandparents can be seen travelling around Lower Eltham Park in tiny trains. They are among the two and half million passengers who have travelled on the Diamond Valley Railway since it officially began in 1961. The miniature railway originally operated from the 1940s at Chelsworth Park, Ivanhoe, until flooding caused it to be moved to the Eltham Lower Park in 1959. The railway is modelled on the 1920s era – the heyday of passenger rail travel – and the trains are built on a scale of two inches to the foot (1/6). Although not exact replicas, trains include models of the Spirit of Progress, Puffing Billy, The Overland, Dog Boxes, Vic Rail S class, G class and a NSW 81 Class. The three and a half kilometres of track is set amongst native plants and picnic areas. A friendly hoot or the clang of a bell occasionally punctuates the tranquillity as a train emerges from a treed bend with passengers excitedly waving to onlookers. For $3 the train takes you on a 13-minute two-kilometre ride. Passengers sit in single file in the narrow train, which clatters along tracks built to the scale of the Australian narrow gauge of three feet six inches (1.1m). These are used in Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania and Western Australia. Safety standards are stringently kept. Even before you buy a ticket notices tell you that you must wear closed shoes. You can even borrow these, and you are given a pair of socks for the ride! Blue-overalled volunteers check tickets, see you aboard, and drive the train. They are mainly retired men who can at last devote their time to what little boys dream of – playing with trains. Passengers are instructed in safe behaviour, then the station master waves a white flag and off we go. The guard sits at the back with his whistle and green flag at the ready. The winding track, fringed by native trees and bushes planted by volunteers, stands on crown land managed by Nillumbik Council. The train clatters along the track and crosses a bridge over a drain elevated by name to The Blow Fly Creek. We pass by Meadmore Junction at a speed of three kilometres an hour. Then on through a tunnel, accompanied by squeals of delight, and after a few moments of blackness, light glimmers at the end. On we go, past the original platform, along another route past busy Main Road through Pine Creek Station, over a bridge and through another tunnel with more screams of delight.Then a signal stops us before the ‘all clear’ to return to our original point of departure. The railway services its passengers – the largest number of any miniature railway in Australia – with a fleet including: six diesel locomotives, three steam locomotives, eight sets of passenger cars and one battery electric Dog Box set. Members also privately own 20 locomotives and powered carriage sets as well as four carriage sets.1 All the trains are stored on-site in workshops, sheds and a tunnel. The railway is entirely run by volunteers, so that all ticket money is used for maintenance and extensions, and some goes to local charities. Since 1991, the entire railway has been rebuilt, including an upgraded signalling system. About half of the 120 volunteer members are active with about 35 working each Sunday, and a dozen or so working every Wednesday. Members are trained to positions of station assistant, booking officer, train guard, train driver or signalman. Members construct new carriages and locomotives as well as maintaining track, signalling and rolling stock.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, diamond valley railway, eltham lower park

"MACARONI MANUFACTORY. On the pretty road to the Hepburn Mineral Springs, and not far from where the health-laden waters gush plentifully from the earth, is a two-storied brick it is that Messrs Lucini and Co, carry building, dedicated to the manufacture of macaroni, vermicelli, and the Italians' own especial delight— spaghetti. Here on operations, and Mr Lucini himself was good enough to show the writer around and explain the various proces ses of a manufacture which is little known to Australians. The finest wheat and the mineral waters fresh from the springs are utilised, and by means of a most ingenious machine, the hollow rods of macaroni are turned out in large numbers. Finally, they are packed in boxes and cases, and sent off to the prin cipal agent in Daylesford, Mr J. W. King, who in turn forwards them to all parts of the country. Mr Blackett, thv Govrnment Analyst, writes in most lau datory manner of the productions of the factory, and says that on testing them he found the various sam ples were of excellent quality, and quite equal to any of Italian manufacture. Visitors to the springs should not fail to call in at Messrs Lucini's, which is one of the show places of the district, and will well repay an inspection.A number of women, members of the Lucini family, make macroni and the macaroni factory in Hepburn Springs. lucini, macaroni factory, hepburn springs, spaghetti, macaroni, swiss italian

A small pink covered Cherry Delights recipe book with the title printed in black surrounded by a box and a few cherries drawn below. This is a collection of recipes in celebration of one of summer's favourite fruits, from Wandin's pioneers and country cooks. There is a Contents section at the back listing different types of recipes from main meals, puddings, deserts, cakes and more. There is an Acknowledgement on p.29 for the production of this publication. The back cover has Mont De Lancey Historical Home and Museum with the address. Pp. 31. non-fictionThe 29 pages of recipes were contributed by the volunteers and friends of Mont De Lancey in Wandin. cooking, cooking dishes, mont de lancey historical homestead, cookery books, fruit cooking

Collection of newspaper clippings pasted into the scrapbook by the donor. Covers the period 1979 to 1990 when the Melbourne tram system underwent large changes. All from The Herald Sun or The Sun, unless noted otherwise. Contains the following cuttings: 1 - New tram link proves popular - Progress Print 12/12/1979 2 - Extension for tram? Standard 28/11/1979 3 - Ban trams from mall call - Herald - 14/12/1979 4 - Its war on tram yobbos - Sun 25/4/1980 5 - A bus drivers' dream sale 6 - Art lovers in transport of delight - The Bulletin 3/4/1979 7 - Your turn: Our Red cars are gone and all but forgotten - Los Angeles Herald Examiner 21/6/1978 8 - Push for tram line - Eastern Standard - 3/12/1980 9 - Photo of the opening of Bundoora line - 19/5/1983 10 - From cable cars to electric trams - Reg Baird - City Extra 13/11/1985 11 - Louie fears he'll soon be history - Sun 12/11/1985 12 - The first tram rolls unofficially of course - Box Hill Gazette - 18/7/1978 13 - Then and now - Board looks back to 1916 - Box Hill Gazette - 18/7/1978 14 - Blockade - trams buses choke city - 20/7/1987 15 - What a clangers - Tranquil city of trammies, and a City of the Rails - 21/7/1984 16 - Trammies on the buses - 24/7/1984 17 - A tram voted a winner - Progress Press 17/10/1984 18 - A class trams - Eastern Standard 23/10/1984 19 - Danton Carson - ex cable trammie - 12/11/1985 20 - Tram line upgrade - 10/9/1985 21 - Launch of B1 2001 - 16/11/1984 22 - Home built from trams - Progress Press - 9/11/1983 23 - A shortcut on the Brunswick line - Malcolm tram on Miller St bridge - 22/8/1985 24 - Stone and brick and cable tram - The Age 2/11/1985 25 - Danton Carson article by Lahey at Large - The Age 9/11/1985 26 - Why not a City tram loop? - 21/11/1986 27 - tram route ruling angers commuters - (route 82) - 4/1/1986 28 - History back on the tracks - photo o W1 612 - 3/8/1987 29 - The last number 77 - The Age 8/1/1986 30 - Art on wheels (tram 336) - Progress Press 10/12/1986 31 - Ban on Trams - Kew Depot - Progress Press 10/12/1986 32 - The Ghosts of Brisbane Past - Brisbane Courier Mail - 9/10/1987 33 - Trammies had to be tough in the days of cable cars - The Herald - 11/11/1985 34 - Catch a vintage tram at Bylands - 11/11/1985 35 - Aboard the trams home - 26/8/1987 36 - The end of the line for a private tram fleet - 28/3/1989 37 - Jim's tram plan clangs to a halt 38 - Red nose trams in a class of their own 39 - PTC Statewide Open Day - 17/10/1991 40 - Trams a vital part of city's transport - 18/5/1988 41 - Fun tram just the ticket -15/3/1988 42 - Desire is a streetcar for Jim, a collector obsessed 0 8/3/1988 43 - Tram crash 31 hurt - 7/2/1989 44 - Tramway exhibition to roll - Progrss Report - 18/10/1989 45 - Business on the right line - Restaurant tram - 30/10/1989 46 - Experience the 'real' tram museum on a shaky ride - 17/6/1989 47 - The start of electric trams - progress press 18/10/1989 48 - Trams Back - fights erupt as trammies vote - 2/2/1990 49 - Tram row legacy to linger on - 2/2/1990 50 - Trams back, but travelers aren't - Progress Press - 14/2/1990 51 - advert by The Met - Trams operating today - 8/2/1990 52 - Trams roll - rebe;'s rage still a threat - Z33 3/2/1990 53 - An early tram catches a few passengers - Month before all trams back - 5/2/1990 Yields information about the Melbourne tram network in the 1990sScrap book - Olympic - 32 plain sheets + printed card covers, centre stapled.tramways, melbourne, newspapers, box hill, tram museums, unions, tram blockade, a class, east burwood, bundoora, cable trams, b class, route 82, route 77, danton carson, brisbane, restaurant tram, adelaide

Teenager’s Meccano model in The Age window Whilst Barry’s model is interesting, and he himself is more than interesting – renowned for his lifelong harmonica playing, vaudeville and stand-up comedy as “Mr Versatility” – it is the location of the photo which intrigued us. Was this the photographer’s office, and would it give us a clue to his identity? We thought he might be “Mr Duke” as some boxes of Kodak slides were so named! But we later deduced they were most likely related to the Duke’s Centenary visit to Melbourne. However, they did lead us to The Age archivist Michelle Stillman, who held the key to unlock the photographer’s identity. Louise McKenzie. Photographer notations on slide: "Model warship YiPi 14-12-34 B61" Published: 14 September 1934 The Age p15 Published title: MECCANO CRUISER Published caption: Barry Sandford (17) of Richmond, recently completed this splendid Meccano model of a modern cruiser. It is fitted with four swivelling turret guns, six quick-firers, searchlight, movable anchor rudder and propeller. This model is on view in "The Age" office window, Collins-street. Trove article identifier: http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article205072014 Description: Meccano model of cruiser. Wood panelled office walls and boxes of glass slides can be seen in the background. Research by project volunteer, Louise McKenzie: The second slide we scanned, this photo of Barry Sandford’s Meccano model of a cruiser was of particular interest because it appeared to have been taken in the photographer's studio/office. For the bulk of our project, the identity of the photographer was not known, and we delighted in imagining who they were, whether they were amateur or professional, and what else might be stored in those neatly labelled boxes in the background. But the photo had its own story regardless. A photo of Barry Sandford’s meccano model appeared in the Melbourne AGE on Friday 14 December 1934; it was probably the same photo as the one in our collection – now cropped to remove the background office environment. This background shows shelves of Kodak Panochromatic, and archived boxes labelled “DUKE” with various references: D1 – D23, and one labelled ‘DUKE Not Used’. On a shelf there is a stack of wooden glass plate holders. It wasn't until early 2023 that the photographer's identity was revealed with the help of archivist/librarian at The Age, Michelle Stillman. As for young Barry – what a talent! Meccano was hugely popular at this time. The Melbourne Meccano Club met on a Tuesday at the YMCA building. On 18 August 1933 The Age reported that at their upcoming meeting the model builders “will gain an insight into the oil industry from a lecturer and moving pictures supplied by the Vacuum Oil Co.” Models reflected an interest in rapid technological developments of the time, and also key activities. On 2 November 1934 The Age showed Barry with a model of Sir Charles Kingsford Smith’s Lockheed Altair, “Lady Southern Cross”, which Kingsford Smith purchased with the intent to compete in the MacRobertson Air Race as part of the Melbourne Centenary celebrations. He did not participate, but in late 1935 he and co-pilot John Thompson “Tommy” Pethybridge flew Lady Southern Cross from India to Singapore in an attempt to break the England-Australia speed record. Sadly, on the night of 8 November, they disappeared over the Andaman Sea and were never found. The Harmonica Riff Raff blog provides an amazing and comprehensive commentary on Barry Sandford's life. He is described as a Richmond boy of many talents – model making, archery, comedy, kite making, magic and juggling, as well as a harmonica virtuoso. He was particularly renowned for his harmonica playing and the creation of a two-foot long harmonica, and a tiny, hands-free organ which he played fully enclosed in his mouth. He promoted himself as Mr. Versatility and often featured in Melbourne news articles in the 1930s and 1940s. He remained very active in the entertainment business throughout his life, including as a member of the Four Octaves harmonica group, on the Tivoli circuit, and in vaudeville and stand up comedy. He successfully made the move from stage and radio into television. He died in 1992, still saluted by his peers as the gentleman, Mr Versatility. References: MECCANO CRUISER. (1934, December 14). The Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954), p. 3. Retrieved January 22, 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article205072014 MIMIC MECCANO WARFARE. (1933, July 21). The Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954), p. 2 (This Supplement is Published Every Friday). Retrieved September 19, 2023, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article204368610 MELBOURNE MECCANO CLUB. (1933, August 18). The Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954), p. 1 (This Supplement is Published Every Friday). Retrieved September 19, 2023, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article204367564 MECCANO MODEL OF LADY SOUTHERN CROSS. (1934, November 2). The Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954), p. 3. Retrieved September 19, 2023, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article205083196 Charles Kingsford Smith, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Kingsford_Smith 'Mr. Versatility', Harmonica Riff Raff, https://harmonicariffraff.blog/2022/09/05/mr-versatility/ Photographer notations on slide: "Model warship YiPi 14-12-34 B61".ships, models, the age, harmonicas, meccano