This is a suitcase known as a Gladstone bag. It is named after William Gladstone (1809-1898), a four-time Prime Minister of England. Gladstone bags were first produced by Edward Cole in London in 1854. This item has no particular local provenance but bags such as this one were commonly used, mainly by men, for business and sporting purposes. As it was compact and stored quite a lot of material in its deep interior, it was a popular choice for men travelling by public transport to the workplace or to sporting events. This Gladstone bag is retained for display purposes as an example of a mid 20th century suitcase.This is a small suitcase, called a Gladstone bag, made of stiffened brown leather built over a rigid metal frame. It has a leather handle on top of the metal frame and a metal lock on the side of the frame. There are metal clips to enclose the ends of the frame. There are metal straps attached to the sides of the case. Inside, the bag is lined with light brown cloth and there are two pockets on one side. The metal parts are somewhat rusted. warrnambool, vintage suitcases, gladstone bag, history of warrnambool

These items were donated by George Shirling, a long-term stakeholder in Falls Creek, first building and owning Koki Lodge and later owning and operating the Red Onion Lodge. The metal sledge was at Red Onion when George bought the lodge from Lauriston GIrls' School in 1974. Lauriston had owned the Red Onion for about three years. The sledge was most likely made or acquired by the Australian Alpine Club who had built there in 1963 and owned the Lodge until 1970. The suitcases belonged to George Shirling's parents who arrived in Australia from Austria in 1938. George then used this suitcase when he travelled to Falls Creek in the early 1960s.These items are significant because they were donated to the Falls Creek Historical Society by a long-standing and highly regarded member of the Falls Creek community.A sledge made from a metal frame and base plate with a rope lead attached. A leather suitcase with a silk lining and leather handles. A variety of travel stickers have been attached.george shirling, koki lodge, red onion

Sarah Coventry Pty. Ltd. was a North American jewellery company that was established in 1949 by the Stuart family as part of Emmons Jewelry, Inc. It began operations in England and Australia in 1968, and in Australia it moved from Carlton in Melbourne to Wodonga in 1969. The premises were originally on High St. in Wodonga, but a new warehouse was built in Melbourne Rd. later in 1969. It was a direct selling jewellery business using a party-plan model similar to Tupperware and Avon. The sales reps or 'Hostesses' were provided with jewellery samples in demonstration kits, which they displayed at jewellery parties in their homes. The designs for jewellery such as brooches, necklaces, earrings, chokers and bracelets were purchased from freelance designers and jewellery manufacturers rather than in-house designers. In 1979 Sarah Coventry Pty. Ltd. in Wodonga was bought by three Australian businessmen, including Wodonga local Jim Sawyer, and continued to sell jewellery under the name "Sargem Pty. Ltd”, for several more years in the 1980s. As part of the Sarah Coventry collection, the suitcase has local significance with the decentralised commercial development of regional centres such as Wodonga in NE Victoria, as well as national and international significance from the perspective of social and economic developments for women after World War II. The direct selling party-plan business model Sarah Coventry was based on is also considered the first of its kind for jewellery.Green vinyl suitcase with the name 'Sarah Coventry' in lower case gold letters on one corner of the top surface and the number '1348' printed in gold on the back surface. Plated iron alloy hardware securing the handle on the front and the locking mechanism."Sarah Coventry" printed in gold letters on one corner of the top surface of the suitcase. "1348" printed in gold on the back surface, which could be the number of the demonstration kit.sarah coventry, jewellery, wodonga, costume jewellery, vintage fashion jewellery, demonstration kit suitcase, suitcase, suitcases

The donor, whose parents owned an antique shop believed that the evening coat was owned by the family of Cr Morris Nathan and his wife Margaret Frances, nee MacKay. Maurice Nathan was born in Kew in 1914 and died in East Melbourne in 1982. He was a student of Trinity Grammar School, Kew. He was Lord Mayor, and his wife Lady Mayoress, of the City of Melbourne for two terms between 1961 and 1963. The age of the coat, created in a design typical of the 1920s would suggest that it is of an earlier vintage, almost certainly dating from the 1920s, but perhaps earlier. The opulence of the sequinned and beaded embroidery have led to the supposition that it may be an opera coat inherited from an earlier generation.Three quarter length, red and cream silk, padded evening coat highlighted on the cuffs and hem with iridescent sequins, beading and pearls of different shapes and sizes. These decorative features are arranged in a formal design, particularly at centre back. Above the beaded sections are sunbursts outlined in gold beads.Trimmed rabbit fur at collar and cuffs. The sleeves are shaped above the embroidered sections while the hem features a zig-zag profile. MEASUREMENTS - Neck to hem front 93cm; Neck to hem back 100cm; Circumference 126cm; Shoulder to cuff 72cm; Shoulder width 36cm.Traditionally, pre acquisition, stored in brown suitcase embossed in gilt with the name R. NATHANevening jackets, opera coats, fashion -- 1920s