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Newsletter No 28 May 2004
PAGE 2
Was the image also used by some pre-Federation Australian military
units in their hat badges? Is the present famous Australian Army
general service Rising Sun hat badge derived from the colonial crest?
These have been pressing questions for some, and it is a pity this article
is ending before they can be discussed. Suffice that our Heritage
Centre letterhead -represents -the pride our early pioneers had in their
achievements. Hopefully you, too, find it suitable.
As mentioned in the last Newsletter, the administration of the Centre is
covered in the Minutes of the monthly meetings, placed on our notice board.
Perhaps all that can be added is that our difficulties with the change
over of Office-bearers were not resolved by Mediation, and that therefore
the matter still rests before the Shepparton Magistrates Court. Watch
this space!
Apart from this, however, the Centre, and it's Museum, are still carrying
out their role as a community resource with good effect. The school
year has only just commenced, but already Bouchier Street Primary School
has had a class of students, for whom English is a second language, tour
the Museum. Our thanks to Eileen Torney for her assistance as Tour
Guide.
We have a new friend in Fiona Davis, who has just taken over the 'Looking
Back' feature page in our local "Shepparton News". Fiona took History
as a subject while at University, and has been kind enough to take an interest
in our Association. We look toward to working with Fiona, and currently
are preparing two articles to submit to her: a look at the Longstaff Family,
a pioneer family of Shepparton from 1873, written with the assistance of
Eileen Torney, and, a study of the origins of the Australian Army "Rising
Sun" hat badge, which, being approved in April 1904, turns 100 this year.
We hope this last article will be ready for inclusion in the Anzac Day
edition.
Genevieve Scott, the originator of the 'Looking Back' page, is on twelve
months maternity leave from the Shepparton News - prior to her leaving.
Committee member Peter Ford was able to thank her for the great job done
in bringing local history to the people, and also pass on the best wishes
of our members to her.
We are also assisting the " Shepparton Adviser" by supplying a selection
of photos from our Archives for their "pic from the past" segment.
Both these newspapers are kind enough to acknowledge our assistance, and
it is an excellent way of keeping our name before the public.
Other assistance is being given. Only recently the Museum received
a visit from descendants of the Clydesdale family, who used to have a coach
building business in Shepparton around the turn of last century.
It was a pleasure to show not only the large mural we have of the premises,
but also a restored example of one of the firm's products. Currently,
we assisted former pupils of the (North) Shepparton Technical School, Form
Two of 1954, as they prepared for a 50 years re-union on Saturday 6th.
March, at the Terminus Hotel. (Form Two of 1954 being, of course, the original
Form One of 1953 when the Technical School first started.)
And we continue to receive donations from members of the public.
The most impressive of these has been a "Crescent" brand domestic gas producer,
made in Ballarat, and with a patent date of 1911. The exact workings of
this device are a mystery at present (help!) but it is like a small oven,
having a water tank underneath, and a reaction chamber on top, where a
stone is immersed in water to produce gas as a by-product. This is
vented off for cooking/heating. There is a gearing arrangement to
one side, and this may well be a way of placing the gas under pressure.
We thank Bill Owens of Shepparton for this item, which was part of the
Leo Colledetti collection.
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