Historical information

This small book, a prize given to George Powell in 1891, is believed to have come from the Warrnambool South State School. The signature in the book is that of John Sloss and he was the first Head Teacher of Warrnambool South State School which opened in 1877 and closed in 1995. The Powell families were in business in Warrnambool in the 1890s and the recipient of the prize may have been George Powell who was born in Warrnambool to George and Kate Powell in 1878.

Significance

This book is of considerable interest because it appears to have been a prize awarded by Warrnambool South State School in 1891. The book is one of the few items we have connected to the early years of the Warrnambool South School. The book is a mixture of fact and fiction and the stories are meant to be instructive as well as entertaining.

Physical description

This is a hard cover book of 62 pages. The cover, dark green with a coloured floral pattern on the front and back, has been partly detached from its cloth binding. The book has several black and white sketches, with some pages missing at the beginning of the book. There are advertisements for other books on the inside of the covers. The pages and the cover are much stained. The inscription on the first page is handwritten in black and blue ink.

Inscriptions & markings

‘3rd Prize, Upper 1st Class, Won by George Powell, Marks obtainable 200, Marks obtained 120. John Sloss, H.Teacher, 17/12/91.’