We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the place now called Victoria, and all First Peoples living and working on this land. We celebrate the history and contemporary creativity of the world’s oldest living culture and pay respect to Elders — past, present and future.
Please be aware that this website may contain culturally sensitive material — images, voices and information provided by now deceased persons. Content also may include images and film of places that may cause sorrow.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are advised that this website may contain culturally sensitive material — images, voices and information provided by now deceased persons. Content also may include images and film of places that may cause sorrow.
Some material may contain terms that reflect authors’ views, or those of the period in which the item was written or recorded but may not be considered appropriate today. These views are not necessarily the views of Victorian Collections.
Users of this site should be aware that in many areas of Australia, reproduction of the names and photographs of deceased people is restricted during a period of mourning. The length of this time varies and is determined by the community.
Reuse of any Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander material on this site may require cultural clearances. Users are advised to contact the source organisation to discuss appropriate reuse.
The plain pen with the removable steel nib was used by primary school children from the inception of compulsory school education in 1872 to the 1960s. In the upper levels of the school, pupils were allowed to use fountain pens before biros came into common use.
A plain unpainted wooden handled writing pen with a removable steel nib
This is a photograph of Mrs. De Tolna, a longtime Sunbury resident who lived in O'Shanassy Street, Sunbury. It is one of a series of photographs of older Sunbury residents that were displayed at the Sunbury Community Health Centre.
A non-digital sepia photograph of a lady standing in front of a bookcase.
sunbury community health centre, mrs. detolna, shire of bulla
This is a photograph of Eileen Lancaster formerly Eileen McWilliams, who was a longtime resident of Sunbury and lived with her family in Barkly Street, Sunbury. The photo is one of a series of older residents that was displayed at the Sunbury Community Health Centre.
A non-digital sepia photograph of a lady sitting on a mobile scooter in a doorway.
eileen lancaster, sunbury community health centre, shire of bulla, childminding
This tin held a Lodge sparking plug.
Orange coloured rectangular small tin with black writing on the hinged lid. it has two small round holes and two long narrow cut outs on one side.
LODGE/FORD/PLUG/REUSE IF UNSEALED...
george evans collection, commercial packaging
These tins held the golden syrup which was made from sugar cane. The golden syrup was manufactured by the Colonial Sugar Refining Co. Ltd later known a CSR who had refineries in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide. A tin of golden syrup was found in many households and used to spread on bread or crumpets to be eaten and was also used in cooking. This particular tin once empty looks as if may have been used to store possibly nuts and screws. Many of these tins once empty were put to other uses.
A round red and gold colour with gold and red print around the side of the tin. It has a lid on the top with black writing.
THE COLONIAL SUGAR REFINING CO.LTD/GOLDEN SYRUP/MADE FROM CANE SUGAR ONLY
food technology, golden syrup, households, george evans collection, commercial packaging
These leaflets were distributed free of charge to residents in the former Shire of Bulla. They listed thirty-one Australian native trees that were suitable to plant in gardens in the area as well as planting hints
The purpose of giving out free trees was to make residents aware of the importance of planting native flora in the area to encourage wild life.
A four page printed leaflet containing a list of suitable trees available to ratepayers living in the former Shire of Bulla.
bulla shire council, native trees, garden hints
This can with the printed wrapper was produced for the launching of the book 'Sunbury Australia's Greatest Rock Festival' in 2017.
A aluminium can with a green background paper wrapper with red and white writing and a drawing of a singer on the front. On the back there is writing, a picture and a bar code.. The can has not been opened and still retains liquid in it.
front: KEEP/SUNBURY'75/BEAUTIFUL/... back SUNBURY/AUSTRALIA'S GREATEST ROCK FESTIVAL/BOOK LAUNCH 2017/...
books, sunbury pop festival, festivals and celebrations, 1970s, 2010s, george evans collection
This unopened small bottle filled with port was produced to acknowledge the Sunbury Sub Branch of the Returned Services League of Australia's 70th Anniversary in 1993. The bottle has a short story of the Sunbury sub branch having been given official recognition on the 10th December 1923 by the RSL. Major William Alexander Morton D.S.O was the patron and also the first president of the Sunbury Sub Branch.
Small cream with brown spots ceramic half size bottle with a black seal covering top of bottle the seal has a very small chip out of seal. The contents are still in the bottle.
front: SUNBURY SUB BRANCH/70th ANNIVERSARY/1923-1993 back: The....; LEST WE FORGET
returned services league, sunbury r.s.l, anniversaries, celebrations, william alexander morton, 1920s, 1990s, george evans collection
R. A. Nelson ran a General store in O'Shannassy Street, Sunbury from 1908 until 1918 when the store was burnt down on 14 February 1918. A Robert Nelson with partner Richard Annear also ran a General Store in the same street from 1907 to 1910. Their store sold groceries, drapery, ironmongery, crockery, books, medicines, ammunition and produce. The bottle could have contained any number of fluids either produced or patented by R. A. Nelson.
A green half size possibly champagne bottle with a torn blue and white printed label. Label is edged with a blue leaf design border. The base is slightly indented with F & S LTD embossed on base.
on label: R.A. ../.. ANASSY ST
bottles, o'shanassy street, food technology, 1910s, r. a. nelson, general stores, george evans collection
This wine bottle was donated by Frank and Judy Hogan for use in the exhibition 'A History of Vineyards in Sunbury' held at the George Evans Museum in 1996. The Digger's Rest Vineyard was planted in 1987. With the help of winemaker Peter Dredge in 1994 the Digger's Rest vineyard was awarded two medals at the Victorian Wine Show.
Conventional green glass wine bottle with indented base. A gold, purple, white and black printed label on the front with a drawing of a gold digger on a log. a printed label. A printed label is on the back. There is a small foil label around top of neck of bottle. a gold and black stick on label with 1994 on the lower RH corner.
front label: Digger's Rest/VINEYARD/PINOT NOIR/Old Vineyard Road, Sunbury 3429...
digger's rest vineyard, wines, bottles, frank and judy hogan, 1980s, 1990s, george evans collection
A broadsheet copy of The Herald newspaper printed and distributed in 1945. There are 16 pages containing recent news, photographs and advertisements.
non-fiction
A victory edition of The Herald newspaper distributed across Victoria on 15th August 1945 proclaiming news of the end of WW2.
newspaper, world war 2, japanese surrender
An A3 size newspaper comprising 14 pages covering news of local and overseas interest as well as advertisements.
non-fiction
A copy of the Sun News Pictorial issued across Victoria on 8th May 1945 containing local and overseas news.
newspapers, world war 2, germany's unconditional surrender
A commercial publication issued by the local Sunbury community, featuring stories of people and events in Sunbury as well as advertising local businesses. It has been printed on glossy paper with a colourful cover with 8 small photos and the title written in different colours on the front and the rest of the cover contains advertisements. The inside pagesw are in black and white.
non-fiction
A local community magazine.
community magazines, sunbury times
A paperback book of 58 pages with text and black and white photographs stapled together with a cardboard cover and a coloured reproduction of a painting by George Rowe of an early race meeting in Sunbury.
non-fiction
A short local history covering 140 years of European Settlement in Sunbury from 1836 to 1972. The booklet was produced by Dr. John Patterson with help from local Sunbury people.
local history, sunbury, dr. john patterson
A 27 page booklet outlining policies adopted by the Shire of Gisbourne for rebuilding the local community after the 1983 bush fires. The cream pages have sepia photographs throughout the booklet of a variety of buildings and sites throughout the area that were affected by the fires.
non-fiction
A booklet outlining the policy guidelines adopted by Shire of Gisborne Council to rebuild the community after the 1983 bushfires.
mt. macedon, macedon ranges, ash wednesday fires, bush fires
A 26 page booklet printed on cream paper with black and white drawings of places of interest throughout and a reproduction of a coloured mural on p 2. There are 4 drives recommended to places of interest in the district.
non-fiction
The booklet features 4 self drives to points of historic interest throughout the Sunbury region.
sunbury & district heritage association inc., self drive booklet, heritage, sunbury
A 26 page booklet with cream cover and pages featuring 4 self drives that are recommended in the Sunbury district. There are illustrations and text throughout the booklet
non-fiction
A paperback booklet featuring 4 drives explaining historic and natural sites in the Sunbury area.
sunbury, self drive booklet, heritage, +
A bound school reader with a soft dark green cloth cover with lettering and diagrams in black and white. Both front and back covers are decorated with lines and circles of children holding readers. Inside there are 248 pages containing stories, poems and illustrations.
fiction
A school reader for Grade 4 children.
school readers, gather round, grade 4, education department of victoria, a.c. brooks, government printer
An orange clothbound book with blue lettering on then front cover and spine. The book has are 197 pages of text.
non-fiction
A reference book outlining the different methods used to teach arithmetic to primary school students.
arithmetic method, primary schools, teachers
A small bound photo album with 12 double sided cardboard pages for displaying photographs.
non-fiction
photo album
A108 paged grammar text book with the blue cardboard cover and pages stapled together with the details printed in navy blue on the cover. Details of other books produced by the same company are listed on the back cover.
non-fiction
An English grammar and composition textbook for Grade V students.
english grammar, composition, text books
A 480 paged bound text book with a grey cloth cover and navy blue printing on the cover and spine.
non-fiction
A physical education course of study for primary and secondary school teachers
physical education, reference books, schools, teachers
A soft cover school textbook covering the Grade 3 Arithmetic course for primary schools. The orange cardboard cover is bound on the spine with two staples and the printing on the inside and outside cover is black.
non-fiction
The book has been written to cover all aspects of the teaching of arithmetic in the course of study for Victorian Schools.
arithmetic, grade 3, victorian schools
A slim cloth bound grammar textbook with an orange cover with the title printed in black on the front and along the spine..
non-fiction
A series of number games designed for teaching arithmetic to young children.
mathematics, number games, jane spencer
A paperback book with 96 pages stapled together along the spine .It has a blue cardboard cover with text and illustration in navy blue. The illustration features three children on the ground looking at an open book in the countryside.with a patterned bprder surrounding it. The back cover features a list of other graded publications from Whitcombe & Tombs Publishers.
A revised grammar text book for grade 4 students covering exercises in basic English grammar.
grammar, whitcombe ant tombs, text books
A bound book with a cloth cover decorated on the front, spine and back covers with a drawing in purple and grey of two girls and a boy carrying cases or satchels and walking to school. The title 'Third Book Among Friends' is in grey on a purple background and the publisher's name is written across the bottom of the front cover in the same colour combination. There are 247 pages of print and illustrations.
non-fiction
A school reader used in Grade 3 throughout Victorian schools from 1954 until the late 1970s
victorian education department, school readers, among friends, grade 3
A book with 104 pages and a cardboard cover, bound with two staples along the spine. The back and front covers feature a blue and white silhouette drawing of three children at the beach with seagulls flying overhead and the title ' Holidays' in red.
non-fiction
victorian education department, school readers, pllaymates.
A school reader with a cardboard cover bound on the spine with two staples. The front cover has a silhouette picture in purple, green and cream of a boy with a dog and a little girl pushing a pram. There are 72 pages with illustrations and text throughout.
non-fiction
The reader was the second in the series commenced in 1951 and was the official reading text for Grade 1 in all Victorian schools. This series of texts replaced an earlier set of Victorian Readers that were used in schools from 1924. The were all produced and published by the Victorian Education Department and were gradually phased out in the 1980s when different methods of teaching reading were introduced.
victorian education department, school readers, playmates
A twenty four paged book with an orange cardboard cover and stapled together with the title 'John and Betty' printed in dark green lettering and a silhouette picture of a boy and girl with a dog in dark green and red.
non-fiction
The school reader was published by the Victorian Education Department and was the official reader for the Preparatory grades throughout Victorian school.
school readers, victorian education department, john and betty
A large size printed magazine consisting of 78 pages with red border top and bottom of front and back cover with white writing in red border. A picture of a burnt out house and car is on the front and back cover.
non-fiction
ash wednesday fires, victoria, the herald, the sun, newspapers, geelong, bendigo, south australia, 1980s, bushfires, macedon ranges
A cream and green cardboard covered mathematics textbook - metric edition compiled by E.G. Heffernan. It has been designed for primary school students from grades 3 to 6.
non-fiction
The text was written as a supplement to 'Primary Mathematics' and is designed to give students a greater understanding of mathematics from the basic to the complex.
Victorian Collections acknowledges the Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the first inhabitants of the nation and the traditional custodians of the lands where we live, learn and work.
