non-fictionpadre frank leslie oliver, port of melbourne, beverley kent nee oliver, music, photographs, jacki fowler

Wooden stamp with metal plate featuring circular design of Melbourne Harbour Trust insiginia "The Melbourne Harbour Trust Commissioners" "PWO 2993.11"

embossing block with Melbourne Harbor Trust Commissioners "The Melbourne Harbour Trust Commissioners" PWO 2993.5

Stamp with dark wooden handle and metal plate "PWO 2992.11" " Deliver/ The Melbourne Harbour Trust Commissioners"

Stamp with blue handle and Melbourne Harbour Trust logo"The Melbourne Harbour Trust Commissioners/ Permit Transhipment" "PWO 2992.8"

Belonged to the Melbourne Harbour Trust Commissionersarge, wooden, rectangular "Roll of Honour" board for the Melbourne Harbour Trust Commissioners. It was their honourary board for employees who went to the 1st World War. comprised of seven panels with names of people carved into them. The centre panel has "in Memorium' in brass lettering and is raised out from the three panels which flank it on either side. The main lettering across the top of the board is made from brass, and is attached to the wood. A circular brass crest is featured in the centre top of the board, which is flanked by carved gum leaves and nuts. The date "1918" is also cast in brass and attached to the lower front right hand side of the board.1918 circa."ROLL OF HONOUR/ THE MELBOURNE HARBOR TRUST COMMISSIONERS/ MHT/ IN MEMORIAM/ R. DEWAR, W. KEARNEY, A.H. TREBLE, R. CURWEN, G.R. PALMER, J. STUBBS, A. ALLISON, T. MCCARRON, W. MCLAUGHLIN, J.D. MCMILLAN, F.S. CLISSOLD, A. STEEGE, W. JORY, C.H. WOOD, H.H. BARKER, J. HEMINGWAY, R.H. CROCKETT, T.W. PARROTT, E.G. STONE, W.H. FRAME, S.H. PARROTT, V.W. PIPER, A.R MCBRIDE/ D. FINLAYSON, S.EVERETT, G.O. LAWRENCE, A. PHILLIPS, A. CAHILL, G.C. HUGHES, G.S BELL, A.D. BROAD, C.W. MILLS, A.C. COOK, A. JONES, A. COCCIARDI, A.N. ROYCE, M. THOMAS, A.WARE, J. RISBRIDGER, A. STEPHENS, G.S. MCCOLL, W.S. TAYLOR, H.A. MILLER, P.J. BURNS, D.B. MACKIE, F. HEARN/ E. SAMBELL, J. STOTT, W. POOLEY, R. JOHNSTON, A.W. FERGUSSON, W.H. SPURR, P.R. STEVENS, D.J. STUART, T. CHAPPLE, W. REED, W.J ALLINGHAM, J. PAGE, J.J. MAIR, C.A PHIPPS, J. WILSON, A.J WILLIAMS, W.L. FOSTER, W.S PENHALLURIACK, R.N. BARBER, E. DOLAN, T. MCGRATH, P. PATERSON, J.W. GRAY/ C.J.H.BARRY, F.L. WATERS, F.E. BUXTON, A.C. NUTTING, E.J BATTEN, C.E. ELLIOTT, C.T. RUFFLE, W.H. STEVENS, J. JOHNSTON, D. BATHIE, J. MCPHERSON, T.W. GIBBON, J.W. BURN, C.H. CHEEK, P.J. EVANS, J. MUCHEMORE, G.N. SADLEIR, W.D. SMITH, C HINCHCLIFFE, A. CARD, F.A. ROBERTS, C.E. TROWBRIDGE, W. ALLAN/ V.T. NICKELS, J.G MEYERS, T.G. MCKEDDIE, W.H EVANS, S. KEWLEY, F. MUIR, F.W. TREGANOWAN, M. GRANT, T.R. HAWWORTH, N. NORRISON, J. MCDONALD, J. SHERIDAN, H.R. GOLDIE, A.A. METHVEN, H.P.H VINVENT, P. RIDDELL, R.W. BARCLAY, P. NASH, A.E. WHYTE, W. DAWSON, J.F LEISTER, J. MCNEILL, H. STAFFORD/ J. PHILLIPS, W.J. PETTETT, W. PRIEST, C. OLSON, G.D. CARRE, L.C.R GAME, I.M COWLISHAW, R.R. SMITH, P. DUSTING, T.H. JONES, W. DOWIE, G.T. BEASELY, J.G BAILEY, F. JORDAN, J. FARRELL, A. DAWE, W.H. STUBBINGS, C.W. STEFFENSON, H. BLACKEBY, H. TATE, J. BASSETT, J. MCLEAN/ IN MEMORIAM, P. FOLEY, A.C. JOHNSON, S. TURNER, C.W FORD, E.F RENNICK, T.G. HOBERG, T. WEIR, W.S HICKS, J. BARRY, H. DANIEL, W. ROADKNIGHT, L.N CLARK, R. DYSON, H.G JOHANSON/ 1914/1918

Large paper document including colour illustrations of Melbourne Harbor Trust shield and other shields. Includes three wax seals attached to document with blue ribbon."To All and Singular to whom these presents shall come, Sire Anthony Richard Wagner/ Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order Garter Principal King of Arms. Sir John Lunamace Heaton Arm/ Strong Knight, Member of the Royal Victorian Order. Clarenceux King of Arms an Aubrey John Toppin Esquire/ Commander of the Royal Victorian Order. Norroy and Ulster King of Arms Send Greeting! Whereas Victor/ George Swanson. Esquire upon whom has been conferred the Australian Efficiency Decoration Chairman of the Melbourne Harbor/ Trust Commissioners hath represented unto The Most Noble Bernard Marmaduke, Duke of Norfolk, Knight of the Most/ Noble Order of the Garter Knight Grand Cress of the Royal Victorian Order, Earl Marshal and Hereditary Marshal of/ England and one of Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council that the Melbourne Harbor Trust Commissioners is a body/ corporate with perpetual succession and a Common Seal duly constituted by Act of Legislature of the Colony of Victoria number/ DLII bearing date Twenty second day of December 1876 the said Act having been amended from time to time and various Acts passed consolidating such amendments that under the said/ Act the exclusive management and control of the port and the preservation and improvement of the port generally as vested in the said Commissioners. That the Melbourne Harbour Trust/ Commissioners being desirous of having Armorial Bearings, Supporters and a Device or Badge duly assigned under lawful authority and he hath therefore requested the favour of His Grace's/ Warrant for Ouigranting and assigning such Armorial Ensigns and in the same Patent such Supporters and such Device or Badge as may be proper to be borne and used by the Melbourne/ Harbor Trust Commissioners on Seals otherwise accoding to the Laws of Arms. And forasmuch as the said Earl Marshal did by warrant under his hand and Seal bearing date the Sev-/ enth day of March 1962 authorize and direct Us to grant and assign such Armorial Ensigns and such Supporters and such Device or Badge Accordingly. Know ye therefore that we/ the said Garter Clarenceux and Norroy and Ulster in pursuance of His Grace's warrant and by virtue of the Letters of Patent of Our several offices to each of us respectively granted do/ by these Presents grant and assign unto the Melbourne Harbor Trust Commissioners the Arms following that is to say: Azure a representation of the constellation of the Southern Cross/ Argent on a Chief enarched on five Pallets of the first. And for the Crest Out of a Coronet composed of eight Masts each with sail set and upon Rim Or in front of a Bollard proper/ two Anchors in saltire Azure Mantled figure doubled Argent as the same are in the margin here of more plainly depicted. And by the Authority aforesaid We do/ further grant and assign the following Device or Badge that is to say: Two Anchors in saltire Argent as here depicted And by the Authority aforesaid the said Garter/ do by these Presents further grant and assign unto the Melbourne Harbor Trust Commissioners the Supporters following that is to say : On either side a Sea Horse/ (Hippocampus) or collared and lined Gules in front of a representation of the Melbourne Harbour front proper as the same are also in the margins here of more/ arms plainly depicted the whole to be borne and used forever hereafter by the Melbourne Harbour Trust Commissioners on seals otherwise according to the laws of/ Arms. In witness whereof we the said Garter Clarenceux and a Norroy and Ulster Kings of Arms have to these presents subscribed Our names and affixed the seals/ Of our Several offices this fith day of March in the Twelfth Year of the reign of our Soveriegn Lady Elizabeth the Second by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great/ Britain and Northern Ireland and of Her other Realms and Territories Queen head of the Commonwealth Defender of the Faith and in the years of Our Lord One Thousand nine/ hundred and sixty three" "Prosperity Through Service"

Photographer notations on slide: "Unloading Timber at Wharves 1933 Age B5" Published: Age (Melbourne, Vic.: 1854- ), Tuesday 15 August 1933 MAHOGANY FROM MANILA. (1933, August 15). The Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954), p. 11. Retrieved January 16, 2026, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article204377024 Published title: MAHOGANY FROM MANILA Published Caption: Age Tue 15 Aug 1933 Caption: Unloading Mahogany Logs brought from Manila, Philippine Islands, by the steamer Taiping, which berthed yesterday at Victoria Dock. The vessel discharged twenty logs, each weighing three tons, the first shipment of this type of timber landed in Melbourne. Research by Project Volunteer, Louise McKenzie: This photograph in many ways epitomises Melbourne in the 1930s. It is a time of enormous growth, development and change. But before delving into that, the photo itself is very powerful. The huge mahogany logs being unloaded appear to be so heavy that the ship itself seems to list to port as they are craned over the side. They are being levered into a cart to which two large and sturdy Clydesdale horses are hitched. In contrast to the traditional horses, the wharf is crisscrossed with modern railway tracks. Unloading is both mechanical and manual, and the scene is one of intense interest to a young boy bystander. The ship appears to be squat and solid, but the whole image also gives a feeling of movement and intensity. The mahogany being delivered to Melbourne would be intended for high quality furniture. In the 1930s Australia actually had a growing timber industry, but much of the eucalyptus wood was being utilised for mass produced furniture, and much of this furniture would then have had a veneer applied to it. The fact that it was economic to import this timber from the “Philippine Islands” – not a traditional trading market for Australia – reflects a Victorian economy that was strong enough to support a growing demand for good quality furniture Mahogany was described as a classic, strong hardwood, often used for dark opulent furniture. In the 1930s the importation of timber from Manila (Philippines) to Australia was a notable trade, particularly in Philippine Lauan (often referred to as Philippine Mahogany), which was used as a cheaper alternative to other hardwoods. 1930s furniture, dominated by the art deco style, used a mix of luxurious exotic woods like mahogany, macassar and ebony for high-end pieces, often veneered over less expensive woods such as walnut, birch and poplar, and with plywood, chrome and lacquer also popular for more practical, streamlined designs during the Depression era. By the mid 1930s timber mills were being relocated away from the immediate dock area, but the fact that these logs were being transported by horse-drawn cart implies that the load would not have had to be taken too far for milling. 1885 the Melbourne Harbour Trust Commissioners had decided that land in or near the city was far too valuable to be used as timber yards. Furthermore, large stacks of timber posed a fire risk. The Trust asked the Victorian Government to reserve a site on the east side of the Yarra River opposite Yarraville and Spotswood. Here, in 1889, the Trust began building six jetties and a wharf specifically for the landing of timber. Clydesdale horses were initially brought to Victoria from Tasmania in the 1830s, and with the 1850s gold rush they were imported direct from Scotland. Melbourne was from its earliest years an important centre of horse-breeding from both imported and colonial-bred stock, providing the well-built draught horse for pulling heavily loaded wagons, the harness horse for delivery work and drawing coaches, and the saddle-horse used for riding. Stud breeding facilities were advertised from the early 1840s. By the 1870s the horse export trade was thriving, and the Port of Melbourne was the country's busiest exporter of horses to Indian, Asian and New Zealand markets. Kirk's Melbourne Horse and Carriage Bazaar in Bourke Street first advertised for business in 1840, and by the 1850s Bourke Street West was famed for its horse bazaars and saleyards. The Victorian Clydesdale Horse Society reports that Clydesdale working horses were a vital part of Melbourne's infrastructure and agricultural industry in the 1930s, when they reached the peak of their popularity despite the increasing competition from mechanization. Their main roles and usage at this time were: • City Delivery: Clydesdales were a common sight for metropolitan deliveries, particularly for breweries (such as Carlton & United Breweries), milk runs, and bread deliveries. • Industrial Work: They were heavily used for hauling cargo at the docks, in construction, and at specialized sites like the Truganina Explosives Reserve, where they pulled wagons. • Agriculture: In surrounding rural areas, they were the primary power source for ploughing and agricultural machinery. • Specialization: By the 1930s, the Clydesdale was smaller and more compact than the Shire or Percheron breeds, making them ideal for navigation in urban environments. After the 1930s their numbers decreased due to the onset of WWI and mechanisation. Wartime petrol rationing led to a brief revival for the working horse, as suburban tradesmen, now used to motor delivery, took their old jinkers out of mothballs. By 1947, however, only 1.5% of city traffic was horse-drawn. In 1952 the large horse cartage company A. Kellet Pty Ltd sold its 250 horses and converted its Richmond stables to storage. In the 1950s at Station and Princes piers, wharf labourers refused to work with the six draught horses still being used to haul trolleys and which were soon superseded by the fork lift, semi-trailer and mobile crane. Where carefully trained horses had once shunted trains in city goods yards, a few hundred a week were now being killed at the abattoirs for pet and human consumption. The last MCC dray horse was withdrawn from service in 1958, but some of the few remaining working animals are used by the mounted police for crowd control at demonstrations and football games. The death knell had also sounded for the associated trades of farrier, saddler and blacksmith. Our photo, therefore, showing the wharf with both the haulage Clydesdales and the rail lines, is a strong visual summary of the social and economic changes experienced in Victoria in the 1930s and on towards the 1950s. Our photo is located at Victoria Dock (also known as Victoria Harbour) which is still an active component of Melbourne’s port system. In 1892 the West Melbourne Dock (later Victoria Dock) was opened, downstream and immediately west of the Spencer Street railway shunting yards. It contained a swing basin for ships, replacing the one which had been provided on the south side of the river, later to be the Duke and Orr dry dock, west of the Charles Grimes Bridge. Further west was the South Wharf along the river bank. The history of Victoria Dock is extremely well described by Ashley Smith in his 2 March 2022 article in Docklands News, and its accompanying aerial photo of the Dock taken in 1934. He writes: "In the early 1930s Victoria Dock was one of the biggest sites for trade and export in Melbourne. A constant queue of ships sailed in, unloaded their cargo, recharged and reloaded, then left for the next port. Around the time this photo was taken (found in a 1934 photo book), the trapezium-shaped basin had been through some changes since its construction in the 1890s. The 497-metre-long Central Pier, finished in 1919, now featured six sheds to house the ever-increasing volume of cargo. The entrance had also been widened in the 1920s to allow better access. Some of the berths featured three-ton jib electric cranes to help with loading cargo and a rail network connected to the State Railway service. By the time construction was completed, the dock was 39 hectares and hailed as the second-largest dock in the world (behind Cavendish Dock, Barrow-in-Furness). To further save costs, excavations were dug to a more reasonable seven metres below low water, instead of British engineer Sir John Coode’s recommended 8.3 metres. Even then, the costs were still around £900,000. It was envisaged, with the extra wharfage, that around thirty 90-metre ships could berth inside. On March 22, 1892, Victoria Dock was opened by Victoria’s Governor, the Earl of Hopetoun (later Australia’s first Governor-General) who opened the sluice to let the Yarra in. It took six days to fill the basin with The Leader newspaper estimating that it would take another six months to completely fill (March 26, 1892). In the end, it took nearly a year before the first ship was allowed to enter on February 20, 1893, when the steamer Hubbuck sailed in to unload 1200 tonnes of cargo in 15 hours. The Argus (February 23, 1893) reported that the ship’s captain, J. R. Brodie, called the Yarra “better than the Thames”, and compared Victoria Dock favourably to the Albert Dock (Liverpool)." This would be a good time to move our focus on to the Taiping, which is the transporter of these giant mahogany logs. The Taiping was a steel-hulled, single-screw passenger-cargo Chinese steamer, which today has the dubious legacy of being involved in a collision headlined as “The Chinese Titanic”. It was constructed by the Hong Kong and Shampoa Dock Company at its facility in Hong Kong, with completion in 1926 for service under the Australia Oriental Line. Her gross register tonnage measured 4,324 tons, reflecting her design for inter-island and coastal trade routes, accommodating both passengers and freight. She operated routes connecting Australian ports with East Asian destinations. As World War II approached, Taiping continued predominantly working the trade routes between China and Australia, until December 1941, when she evacuated women and children from Hong Kong to Manila just before Japanese forces overran the region. She then safely reached Australia despite enemy air raids. Taiping was then requisitioned by the Royal Navy and repurposed as a victualling stores issuing ship for the Eastern Fleet, supporting logistical needs in the Pacific and Indian oceans. Returned to the Australian Oriental Line in 1947, she underwent refitting and by mid-1948 was chartered to the Shanghai Shipping Company, and modified for greater passenger accommodation – approximately 500 passengers. In 1948/49 the Chinese Civil War took place. The Taiping departed Shanghai on 26 January 1949 as one of the final vessels evacuating civilians from to Keelung Harbour in Taiwan. Reports indicate that the Taiping carried double the rated capacity of passengers i.e. 1000. The ship carried families, military personnel, civilians, carrying personal belongings, gold and valuables in hope of resettlement in Nationalist Taiwan. It also held heavy cargo in the form of silver and gold bullion loaded by the Central Bank of China. Because of the risk of patrols, and to conserve fuel, the Captain took the ship away from the usual open-sea passage, and instead navigated along the coast. He also extinguished navigation lights to avoid detection. Shortly after midnight on 27 January 1949 the Taiping collided with the smaller cargo steamer Chien Yuan in the East China Sea near the Zhoushan Archipelago. The Chien Yuan was also operating in darkness. The subsequent collision was catastrophic. The Chien Yuan sank with in 5 minutes, with the loss of 72 of its 74 crew. The Taiping sustained severe structural compromise from the broadside strike and initially remained afloat, then made a swift descent into the freezing water, with no attempt at an organised evacuation. No formal recovery process was instigated, however a distress signal went out. 32 survivors were picked up by the Australian destroyer HMAS Warramunga (on patrol nearby), a passing US vessel found 2 more, and local Zhoushan fishermen retrieved others. In the end, only 37 people survived. The event is remembered as a poignant moment in the mass migration to Taiwan, with families tragically separated. A memorial to the disaster exists at the Keelung Harbour naval base on Taiwan. With its total of over 1,500 deaths, it constituted one of the worst peacetime maritime losses. It is sometimes referred to as the “Oriental Titanic” because of the similarly large loss of life and speed of demise with the RMS Titanic in 1912. A fictional depiction of this event appears in the John Woo movies “The Crossing (Part 1) (2014), and The Crossing II (2015), known in Chinese as “Taiping Wheel”. The narrative weaves a story around pre-disaster romances and wartime turmoil among passengers, culminating in the ship’s rapid sinking. “The production, a high-budget Sino-Taiwanese-Hong Kong co-effort, portrays the event as a microcosm of the 1940s Sino-Japanese and civil war legacies, though critics noted the melodramatic style prioritizing spectacle over historical precision.” In conclusion, it is nice to return to our photo, and observe the people involved in this moment. The dockworkers are, so typical of the 1930s, dressed in what looks to us like formal clothing – dark suits or coats, white shirts, and black hats. I am particularly drawn to the young boy, bare-headed, arms crossed, and so intent on the unloading process. He too is wearing a white shirt, black trousers and jacket, and black shoes. This is 1933 Melbourne – but the haircut he is sporting is now very “hipster” and modern in 2026 Melbourne. References: MAHOGANY FROM MANILA. (1933, August 15). The Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954), p. 11. Retrieved January 30, 2026, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article204377024 Wikipedia, Taiping steamer, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiping_(steamer) Wikipedia, Victoria Dock, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_Dock_(Melbourne) Docklands News, Ashley Smith, 2 Mar 2022, https://www.docklandsnews.com.au/victoria-dock/ Living Histories: Heritage Council of Victoria, Jill Barnard, 2008, Jetties and Piers, https://livinghistories.net.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Jetties-ONL-intro_Part-1.pdf eMelbourne, Wharves and Docks, https://www.emelbourne.net.au/biogs/EM01612b.htm Australian Academy of Technological Sciences – Harvesting Wood, https://www.austehc.unimelb.edu.au/tia/225.html Old Treasury Building, On the Water – The Docks, https://tinyurl.com/3wkbk66m Old Treasury Building, On The Road, https://tinyurl.com/dw44yr3t Port of Melbourne, Victorian Places, https://www.victorianplaces.com.au/port-of-melbourne Docklands Heritage Study - Environmental History, https://mvga-prod-files.s3.ap-southeast-4.amazonaws.com/public/2024-05/docklands-heritage-review-thematic-environmental-history-1991.pdf eMelbourne, Horses, https://www.emelbourne.net.au/biogs/EM00723b.htm Victorian Clydesdale Horse Society, https://www.clydesdalesvic.org.au/history The Crossing, https://letterboxd.com/film/the-crossing-i/Photographer notations on slide: "Unloading Timber at Wharves 1933 Age B5"ships, shipping, timber industry, shipwrecks, horses, docks, wharves, 1930-1939, wars, docklands

remove cobwebs and dustLarge, heavy, metal Melbourne Harbour Trust SignTHE MELBOURNE HARBOR TRUST COMMISSIONERS/No. 3 STATION/OPEN 7-30 A.M. TO 5-30 P.M. EXCEPT/SATURDAYS OPEN 7-30 A.M. TO 12-30 P.M./ CLOSED SUNDAYS & HOLIDAYSmelbourne harbour trust (mba)

Large Melbourne Harbour Trust Sign, BrassTHE/MELBOURNE/HARBOR TRUST/COMMISSIONERS/1877melbourne harbour trust (mba)

Has recently been framed and laminatedFramed list of pennants signifying ships and signals hand drawn with coloured pencil in 1915 on paper. Later corrections made in 1933 in black penM. H. T./SIGNALS/FOR THE USE OF FLOATING PLANT OCT 1915 1915/Corrected Feb 1933/ HUME/ J. A. BOYD/WILLIAM PITT/WILLIAM STRONG/CHAS DUCKETT/EDWARD NORTHCOTE/ H C PIGGOTT/BATMAN/FAWKNER/FRANCIS DUNCAN/WILLIAM ANDREWS/COMMISSIONER/PENGUIN (at Geelong)/ RED BIRD/GELLIBRAND/MOTOR BOAT NO 2 TATEGAMI/MOTOR BOAT NO 3/MOTOR BOAT NO 4/ENGINEER/HARBOR MASTER/LADY STANLEY/HOVELL/ W. S. MOUNTAIN/W.M. COWPER/G.F.H./D. YORK SYME/ SUPER of DREDGING/ASSISTANT/HARBOR MASTER/SUPER of MACHINERY/ELECTRICIAN/INSP of DREDGING/INSP of MACHINERY/INSPECTOR WHARVES/(F WILLIAMS)/INSPECTOR DOCKING/& SHIPWRIGHTS/DIVERS WANTED/ACCIDENT SEND/MEDICAL ASSISTANCE/WAITING FOR/EMPTY BARGES/DREDGING STOPPED/WEATHER UNFAVOURABLE/TAKE AWAY/EMPTY BARGES/TUG WANTED/DERRICK PUNT/WANTED/TAKE DERRICK/PUNT AWAY/TAKE AWAY/COAL BARGE/BUCKETS FOULED/OBSTRUCTION SEND/DERRICK PUNT &/DIVERS/ DREDGING STOPPED/REPAIRING/DREDGING RESUMED/ B. Harris 16.8.15/ Drawing No 3415melbourne harbour trust (mba)

Heavy metal stamp plate with Melbourne Harbour trust logoV/6 "Melbourne Harbor Trust commissioners/ 29 Market Street Melbourne 3000/ Telephone 620731"

Large silver cup with lid sitting on base surrounded by small silver shields."Commissioners Cup/ Presented by the Commissioners/ of the/ Maritime services board of NSW/ G.D Williams President/ W. O Connor Vice President/ G H Faulks Commissioner/ Melbourne Harbour Trust/ G Kermode Chairman/ J.A Boyd Commissioner/ F. Duncan/ D. York Syme/ C. A Phayer/ For the competition between the/ Maritime Services Board Cricket Club/ and Melbourne Harbor Trust Cricket club/ December 1938"

Wooden stamp featuring circular design of Melbourne Harbour Trust insignia with red ink residue"The Melbourne Harbor Trust Commissioners" "PWO 2993.8"

This document, also referred to as a word picture or Tablet, is framed in glass and timber with gilt trim, is handwritten with colour highlights. The penned letters rest on ruled guide lines, decorated where the lines intersect. The writing gives a description of the state of Borough of Warrnambool around 1875; its location, the area it covers, its population, Harbour and facilities, public buildings and institutions, imports and exports, financial worth, number of houses, connection with other areas of the Colony. A possible reason and origin for the document is found in an article ‘Link with US Exhibition’ from the Warrnambool Standard of December 19, 1981, written by local historian Bruce Morris. The writer mentions that the Warrnambool Borough Council met on 15th June 1875 and recorded a letter from G.C. Levey , secretary to the Melbourne group of commissioners representing the Colony, and Victoria in particular, for the Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition of 1876. The letter asks Council to provide “statistics as to the population, social condition and commercial and industrial state of the district in and around Warrnambool.” A sub committee was formed for the project. The Mayor, Cr. Thomas King, wrote and signed a Report, presented to the council on July 14, 1875, in which “The Committee … begs to recommend that a Tablet be prepared setting for the particulars respecting the following matters relating to the Borough”. The matters included area, population, annual income, churches, schools, other public buildings, societies and companies, general description of houses erected, and returns of exports and imports for 1874. The minutes note that the Report was adopted. The article above also notes the opinion of Warrnambool printers who have examined the document; it is almost certainly to be an old lithograph, which means there could be several copies. It is possible that there may be a copy in Melbourne and another in Philadelphia. It is interesting to note that (1) the quoted location co-ordinates are for an “Unnamed Road, Packsaddle NSW 2880, Australia”, and that the DMS co-ordinates for Warrnambool’s Council Offices differ, being 38.23.9.12 South, 142.28.52.887. (2) the date for “Exports and Imports for the Year Ending 30th June 1875” is different to the period mentioned by Cr. King in the sub committee’s Report of recommendation “returns of exports and imports for 1874”. The information required to have the figures for the end of June 1875 would need to have been compiled very quickly for the Tablet to be ready for the opening of the Philadelphia Exhibition on 10 May 1876. The document/certificate shows the following – - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - “Victoria Australia, Borough of Warrnambool. Latitude, 30.24.50 South, Longitude 142.32 East The Principal Port in the Western District of the Colony and the Centre of its Choicest Agricultural Lands. Established a Municipality in 1855, and Created a Borough 1863. Population in 1875 4,500. Warrnambool is the nearest Port to Melbourne on the Western Seaboard, being about 160 miles distant. Coaches run to and from the Metropolis daily, in connexion [connection] with the Railway of Geelong and Steamers belonging to Local Companies sail between Melbourne, Warrnambool, Belfast [renamed Port Fairy], and Portland several times weekly. The Harbour is known as Lady Bay, and is partially protected by a reef of rocks stretching from the mouth of the Hopkins River. The formation of a Breakwater has been decided upon by the Government, to extend 600 yards, at an estimated cost of £100,000. There are two substantial Jetties, one of 800 and the other of 600 feet in length. The former is connected with the Town by means of a Tramroad, along which Goods, inwards & outwards, are conveyed, & the latter has been constructed solely for the purpose of facilitating the transit of material for the formation of the Breakwater. In addition to the trade of the Borough and District, the principal Townships up country receive their supplies from Melbourne and ship their exports through Warrnambool. Potatoes form the staple produce of the district, and the richness of the soil can be estimated by the fact that the Government Statistics for 1875 give as the average yield a return of Seven Tons to the acre. Several thousand acres between Warrnambool and Tower Hill are now being laid down in Potatoes by Tenants who have leased the lands at rates up to £5 per acre for the season 1875-6. Wool, Tallow, hides &c are also largely exported, while the shipments of all descriptions of Farm Produce are annually increasing. Area of Borough, 3362 Acres. Net Annual Value £27,000. Annual Revenue £5,500. Number of Houses in Borough 800. Public Buildings and Institutions Churches. Church of England, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Wesleyan, Congregational and Baptist. Schools. Three State Schools, average attendance nearly 1000. New Building in course of erection. Several private establishments. Banks. Bank of Australasia, Bank of Victoria, National Bank, Colonial Bank and Savings Bank. Public Buildings. Court house, Custom house, Post & Telegraph Offices, Survey & Land Offices, Shire £, Town Hall, Mechanics Institute, Volunteer Orderly Room, Odd Fellows Hall, Hospital & Benevolent Asylum, Temperance Hall &c. Companies & Societies. Steam Navigation Co, Woolen Mill Co, Gas Co, Racing Club, Amateur Turf Club, Agricultural Society, Farmers’ Club, Cricket Club, Anglers’ Society, Building Society, Freemasons Odd Fellows, Foresters, Druids, Hibernians. Protestant Alliance, Rechabites, Sons of Temperance, &c, Fire Brigade &c. --- Exports and Imports for the Year Ending 30th June 1875 –-- --Exports Total Tonnage 27,800 (Calculated at the Current Warrnambool Market Prices) Potatoes Wool Wheat Barley Hides Skins Fowls Butter Cheese Eggs Tallow Leather Ale Pigs Sheep Sundries --Imports 13,000 Tons Of the Estimated Value of £520,000 Total Tonnage of Exports and Imports 40m900 Tons, Value £806,627 Passenger Travels, to ad from Warrnambool during year, 10,000 persons Revenue from all sources paid through Warrnambool Sub Treasury From 1860 to June 1875 £1, 292, 300 Thomas King [signed] Mayor Henry T Read [signed] Town Clerk” - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The document is of historical, social, economic and local significance in that it summarises activities, business, community, trade, travel and government at a point in time in Warrnambool’s history – 30th June 1875.Document, also referred to as a ‘word picture’ or ‘tablet’. Document is framed in glass and timber with gilt trim, handwritten with colour highlights. The penned letters rest on ruled guide lines, decorated where the lines intersect. Document outlines the establishment of Warrnambool as a Municipality in 1855 and Borough in 1863, with a population of 4,500 in 1875. It states geographic location, public buildings and institutions, harbor facilities and imports and exports for the year ending 30th June 1875. Two signatures "Thomas King" Mayor and "Henry T Read" Town Clerk. It shows the Coat of Arms of the Borough of Warrnambool.Signatures - "Thomas King" Mayor and "Henry T Read" Town Clerk. Warrnambool Coat of Arms; “British Coat of Arms, above sailing vessel and sheaf of wheat in sun, motto “By these we flourish” and around circumference “Borough of Warrnambool 1855”flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked coast, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, borough of warrnambool, municipality of warrnambool, document borough of warrnambool 1875, word picture of warrnambool 1875, tablet of borough of warrnambool 1875, statistics borough of warrnambool 1875, lithograph borough of warrnambool 1875, coat of arms warrnambool, warrnambool city motto – in these we flourish, establishment of warrnambool, warrnambool history, thomas king mayor of warrnambool, henry t read town clerk of warrnambool, warrnambool breakwater, warrnambool jetty, warrnambool imports and exports 1875, warrnambool agriculture 1875, warrnambool business 1875, warrnambool population 1875, centennial exhibition philadelphia 1876, framed certificate