Collection – Port Melbourne Historical and Preservation Society

Tru-Go in the Collection

Collection, Port Melbourne HistoryJanuary 20, 2023

A search of the Society's collection for Trugo (sport - trugo) today, 20 January, 2023, produces a list of eleven items. This story looks at three of those items to see what they say about the sport, in general, and Trugo in Port Melbourne in particular. This is not intended to be an in-depth story about Trugo other than…

A Plan for a Fence

Collection, Port Melbourne HistorySeptember 23, 2022

by David Thompson The PMHPS Collection includes a number of plans and some of the older ones - the ones from the Sandridge days - are works of art. Take, for example, Cat No. 88 - Elevation of Proposed Fence to Station Place Reserve. Elevation of Proposed Fence to Station Place Reserve. PMHPS Collection, Cat No. 88. The first thing you…

Rev Frederick Charles Platts

Collection, People, Port Melbourne HistoryJuly 22, 2022

by Lex Johnson Brass plaque for Rev F Platts on the pulpit from Holy Trinity Church, Port Melbourne (now located at Port Melbourne Town Hall). In 1861 the Reverend F C Platts was appointed to Holy Trinity Church in Sandridge. The congregation was to have some interesting years! Frederick Charles Platts was born in India in 1823 where his father was…

Dulcie Smith – Queen of the Sunday School

Collection, People, Port Melbourne HistoryJune 10, 2022

by David Thompson Dulcie Smith, Queen of the Sunday School and her Court, Holy Trinity Carnival, November 1931. PMHPS Collection. For many years this photograph remained an uncatalogued item in the Society's archives but thanks to a plea for information on Facebook in May 2022 we now know that it is Dulcie Smith, Queen of the Sunday School and her court…

Swallow & Ariell Matchbox

Collection, Port Melbourne HistoryApril 8, 2022

One of the loveliest items in the PMHPS Collection is Cat No 581, a small metal matchbox promoting Swallow and Ariell Ltd. Swallow & Ariell Ltd promotional matchbox. PMHPS Collection (Cat No 581). It is only 6cm by 4.3cm with a full coloured paper insert fitted into the lid with a swallow swooping over the words With Compliments From Swallow &…

Christmas Cards

Collection, Port Melbourne HistoryDecember 10, 2021

As the ubiquitous adoption of electronic mail and text messages on smart devices has become the norm for our daily communications the practice of exchanging Christmas cards has declined enormously. It doesn't seem that long ago that mantlepieces, sideboards, desks and even office windows were crowded with festive cards. People sent cards to their friends and family, businesses to their important…

Mount Mulligan Appeal

Collection, Port Melbourne HistorySeptember 24, 2021

The Cairns Post newspaper of Tuesday 20 September 1921 carried the first reports of a terrible disaster in the remote mining township of Mount Mulligan, 1,797 km north west of Brisbane. Reports at that early stage were vague and at times contradictory but it was clear that around 9am the previous day an explosion had occurred at the Mount Mulligan…

WWII Hospital Ship – MS Oranje

Collection, Port Melbourne HistoryJuly 9, 2021

Hospital ship, MS Oranje, at Port Melbourne, 1940s. Photograph by Roy Liebig. PMHPS Collection. This story was sparked by a couple of images in the PMHPS Collection taken by Roy Liebig in the 1940s. Both images appear later in this story so more on those later. MS Oranje, 1940s. Photo by Roy Liebig. PMHPS Collection. The MS Oranje started life in the…

A Young Girl’s Interests

Collection, People, Port Melbourne HistoryJune 18, 2021

In 1927 the Duke and Duchess of York (future King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, later the Queen Mother) visited Australia for the official opening of Parliament House in Canberra. After the ceremonies, the royal couple returned to Victoria by train alighting at Montague so they could say goodbye from an open car at brief civic receptions outside South…

Gems from the Collection

Collection, Port Melbourne History, PresentationsFebruary 23, 2021

PMHPS Monthly Meeting, 23 February 2021 at the auditorium, Port Melbourne Town Hall featuring members' presentations of Gems from the Collection. Suzy Milburn - Tennis and School Visits David Radcliffe - Port Melbourne Free Library John May and Janet Bolitho - Jim Sinclair and a Japanese map of wartime Port Melbourne The presentation starts approximately 12 minutes into the meeting.

Acknowledgement of Traditional Custodians