Historical information

College House, the home for the Australian Regional Council of RCOG, was opened at 8 La Trobe Street, Melbourne in 1954. It is likely that this gavel was part of a gift to commemorate the occasion.

Sir Arthur Gemmell was President of RCOG from 1952 to 1955. He was knighted in 1955.

Physical description

Wooden gavel with case. Gavel and case are both made of oak. Handle of gavel is carved to be 8-sided (octagonal), with a small knob at the proximal end of the gavel handle that is also octagonal. Head of gavel resembles an elongated barrel, with two bands carved into the gavel head on either side of the handle.
Case is in the shape of a three-dimensional trapezoid and consists of a lid and base fastened together with two metal hinges. The case has dovetail joins at each corner, and the top of the case is a rectangular relief with a simple borer. Inside of case contains a recess and a stand for resting the gavel into, as well as a circular, concave strike pad for the gavel. A metal plaque is attached to the inside lid of the case which reads 'Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists/Australian Regional Council/Presented by/Arthur A. Gemmell P.R.C.O.G 1954/Made of Oak from the City of London Guildhall'. The word 'BARNSLEY' is engraved in the bottom right hand corner of the inside of the case.

Inscriptions & markings

'BARNSLEY'