Historical information

Appearances to the contrary, the item is not a weathervane but a finial.
It was the gift of Mr John Sanderson (Jottings Easter 1920), from John Sanderson & Co., wool merchants, stock and station agents, commission and shipping agents before he leaves for England to become senior partner in Sanderson Murray & Elder, London, import and export agents.

It was designed by Walter & Richard Butler Architects. (sketch published in Building : the magazine for the architect, builder, property owner and merchant vol.33, no 193, 12 Sept. 1923). The finial was already drawn on the sketch of the Central Institute made by Walter Butler.

The maker of the finial, was Henry Alfred George Arnold Saw (born June 1881 in Hotham, Victoria was the son of Edward Saw (1854-1926) a tinsmith and Catherine Barton (1863-1907).
He worked as a metal artificer for a metal-working business located opposite the Trades Hall in Lygon Street and was given the job of making the copper ship finial.
Henry married Florence Charlotte Reeder and they had four children.
Also known as Harry Saw according to his grandson Brian, he died on 9th February 1960. Henry and Florence both died within two months of each other in 1960.

It is not clear when the ship was actually installed on the roof, the earliest photograph dating from 1927.

The windvane fell or moved several times because of gale forces:
- In 1995 : After the funds were raised to repair it, it was treated by sculptor David Hope, and reinstalled in the 1998 (Ship to Shore #3 Sept 1998).
- In 2017: Carmela Lonetti from the Grimwade Centre for Cultural Materials Conservation (Ship to Shore Autumn 2017)
- In 2019: a generous passerby donated the necessary funds for the conservation. It was sent to Grimwade Centre for Cultural Materials Conservation (Ship to Shore 2019), treated by Evan Tindal (City of Melbourne Magainze Oct. 2020). It was reinstalled over the Summer of 2019-2020 (Ship to Shore Summer 2020).

The weathervane was stolen during the night of the 6-7 March 2022. Copper price surge sparks rise in theft in Victoria in 2021-22 so it's likely the vane was stolen to be melted

Significance

This sculpture is closely associated with the 1917 building and described in clippings and annual reports when the building was first newly opened. It can be seen in some of the earliest photographs of the new building and in the artist/architect Butler's impressions.

The galleon is often a decorative design of Mission to Seafarers wind vane (London, Adelaide).

Physical description

Bronze and copper sculpture fashioned as a Wind Vane in the form of a Galleon style sailing ship with 2 pennants flying and two sails rigged atop with lower cross piece with wind directions N S E W . There is a decorative ornamental pierced scrollwork ferrule / finial with reinforcing chrome steel piping armature at base of main support which attaches to the roof or a base support. See also comments below