Historical information
The Wodonga Police register dated to 1855-1857 provides a record of the names of police officers and details of their day-to-day duties, including crimes committed and steps taken to trace and apprehend perpetrators. It has several references to Robert O'Hara Burke, who was a soldier, police officer in Victoria, and well-known explorer in the ill-fated Burke and Wills expedition.
Significance
The Wodonga police register has local significance due to the detailed information and date in the 1850s, which was before Wodonga became a separate Shire from Yackandandah Shire. It is also significant on a state and national level as an example of early police records. The detailed information provides significant research and interpretive potential.
Physical description
Green leather and faded green and brown marbled paper bound register or diary, recording the day-to-day duties of the Wodonga Police in 1855-1857. Pale blue watermarked paper with faint lines in the interior. Every second page has been removed and there is staining on some of the pages.The entries are written in iron gall ink and are deteriorated/faded in places. Red-brown and green marbled paper on the interior front and back covers, with linen binding. There are three small red wax seals on the inside front cover used to secure an introductory page of writing. The paper around the seals is torn and the page has become detached.
Inscriptions & markings
Fragmentary inscription written on paper on the green leather spine.
Subjects
References
- Wodonga Historical Society Transcript of the Police Register 1855-1857. The Police Register has been fully transcribed by Doreen Bassett in 2017. This has assisted with the preservation of the original register so that it doesn't need to be handled as much.
- Australian Dictionary of Biography: Burke, Robert O'Hara (1821–1861) Article by Kathleen Fitzpatrick, Australian Dictionary of Biography Volume 3, (MUP), 1969. Accessed 23 February 2021.