Media Release
Treasures on Tour
7 May 2004
The diary of a Victorian farmer who settled in Gippsland during 1839 and the exquisite photo album of a 19th century lady. These are some of the State Library of Victoria’s Travelling Treasures which will be touring around country Victoria during May 2004.
It’s all part of a year-long program of events, exhibitions and activities celebrating the 150th anniversary of the laying of the Library’s foundation stone on 3 July 1854.
Travelling Treasures will visit a number of regional centres during 2004. The program includes: Ballarat, Maryborough, Sale and Morwell during May; and Geelong, Ocean Grove, Portland, Warrnambool, Hamilton and Bendigo during August/September.
The Library’s collection experts will take to the road with selected treasures, visiting regional public libraries and schools, providing first-hand access to rare manuscripts, books and artefacts.
In each town, Travelling Treasures will visit a host school during the day and the public library in the evening. Free talks by heritage collection specialists will offer audience members the opportunity to ask questions and view the treasures.
In May, State Library of Victoria Director of Collection and Services, Shane Carmody, and his team will be taking the following treasures to Sale and Morwell:
The Lady Loch Photo Album
Lady Loch was the wife of Sir Henry Brougham Loch, Governor of Victoria during the years 1884-95. This exquisite photo album, containing a collection of historic images, was created between 1882 and 1920 and is entitled ‘Morning Light’ or ‘Waking thoughts for every day in the year.’
Albums such as this were often presented to dignitaries as they travelled the state, to celebrate and commemorate their visits. The Lady Loch album is among the finest examples within the State Library collection.
The album was presented to Lady Loch at Sale, Gippsland, in December 1885. Its images detail life in Gippsland in the 19th century and contain exquisite representations of the natural and built environments around Sale, Morwell and Traralgon. The album also includes a photographic portrait of Sir Henry Brougham Loch by Foster & Martin of Collins Street, Melbourne.
P.C. Buckley’s Diary
Patrick Coady Buckley arrived in Victoria in 1839, only four years after the European settlement of the colony. He made the long, arduous journey to what is now known as the Gippsland region, and settled in the same year.
His diary was kept between 1 January 1844 and 31 December 1861 and records the life and times of a pastoralist during the mid-19th century. His everyday observations are both prosaic and controversial. On occasion, he records momentous events in the history of the colony – for example, the terrifying spectacle of the Black Thursday bushfires of February 1851.
Travelling Treasures will visit:
Sale on Tuesday 18 May
Sale Secondary College during the day
Sale Library, 75 Macalister Street, Sale
Library session times: 6pm-7pm & 7.30pm–8.30pm
Bookings: 03 5144 2258
Morwell on Wednesday 19 May
Tralagon Secondary College during the day
Morwell Library, 63-65 Elgin Street, Morwell
Library session times: 6pm–7pm & 7.30pm–8.30pm
Bookings: 03 5128 5436
Evening sessions are free of charge but bookings are essential.
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