Historical information

This knitted toy rabbit was given to the donor as a child, made by a prisoner at the Geelong Gaol.

The donor spent Christmas holidays at the gaol, below are some of her memories of these times:

Eric Stafford was the Governor of Geelong Gaol and he and Elsie Stafford lived in the Governor’s residence at the front of the gaol where I stayed during Christmas holidays from about 1959 to 1962.

‘Aunty’ Elsie had the help of prisoners with the housework. One and sometimes two prisoners did the heavy cleaning of floors, windows and furniture polishing.

I remember one prisoner down on his hands and knees polishing the lino in the long hallway to a bright gleam, and when a prisoner was helping in the residence, ‘Aunty’ Elsie, the prisoner and I would always have morning tea together in the kitchen.

The backyard of the Governor’s residence was divided in two. The kitchen window overlooked the front part of the yard and I was allowed to play there with the dogs as ‘Aunty’ Elsie could keep an eye on me. The back part of the yard was behind a gated wall and I was not allowed in there as prisoners worked on the back garden, the chook pen and doing general maintenance – although I sometimes sneaked in with the dogs to see the chooks and have a chat but was called back.

In the back there was a large padlocked iron bound door in the large bluestone wall which ‘Uncle’ Eric could open. A couple of times he took me through this door which opened into the gaol’s large vegetable garden. I only went twice as a didn’t like going there because all the prisoners working there would stop doing what they were doing, stand and silently stare at me.

Of course holidaying in Geelong there was always the great beach and carnival rides. ‘Aunty’ Elsie and I would walk to and from the beach and on the way home would stop and buy an ice cream at the nearby shop. Sometimes we would buy an ice cream for ‘Uncle’ Eric and if there weren’t any vans, prisoners or visitors in the gaol entrance courtyard I was allowed to take the ice cream to ‘Uncle’ Eric in his office after ‘Aunty’ Elsie phoned him from the residence.

‘Uncle’ Eric had a sheep farm in Meredith and sometimes he took a prisoner with him to do some work on the farm. I can remember on the way to the farm sitting in the front seat of the vehicle squeezed in between ‘Uncle’ Eric and a prisoner with the dogs and equipment in the back tray.

- Donor, 2025

Physical description

Woollen cream knitted toy rabbit in a knitted pink dress with a knitted green petticoat, knitted green panties and a little knitted cream rabbit tail. Holding a bouquet of felt flowers and a coronet of felt jewels on the forehead. Wool embroidered eyes, nose and mouth, and whiskers of silk cord.