Historical information

This item is from a collection donated by descendants of John Francis Turner of Wodonga. Mr. Turner was born on 6 June 1885. He completed all of his schooling at Scotts Boarding School in Albury, New South Wales. On leaving school, he was employed at Dalgety’s, Albury as an auctioneer. In 1924 John was promoted to Manager of the Wodonga Branch of Dalgety’s.
On 15/03/1900 he married Beatrice Neal (born 7/12/1887 and died 7/2/1953) from Collingwood, Victoria. They had 4 daughters – Francis (Nancy), Heather, Jessie and Mary.
In 1920, the family moved from Albury to Wodonga, purchasing their family home “Locherbie” at 169 High Street, Wodonga. "Locherbie" still stands in Wodonga in 2022. The collection contains items used by the Turner family during their life in Wodonga.

Crystal is a high-quality glass crafted with lead and the more intricate a piece's cuts and stems, the more value it holds for collectors. It became a popular serving option in Australia during the late 19th century and throughout the first half of the 20th century.

Significance

This item comes from a collection used by a prominent citizen of Wodonga. It is representative of a style of crystal ware items of the early 20th century.

Physical description

Collection of crystal ware including a basket, salt and pepper shakers, vase, crean jug and a butter dish and knife.