By MICHELLE HERBISON
A FAMILY’S historical artefacts and documents have helped Queenscliff Historical Museum commemorate wrecked ship the SS Time.
Ballarat’s Gavin Jamieson said his father was a maritime history enthusiast who retained for more than 60 years a captain’s chair, a sign and a lamp from the ship.
The Time was wrecked in The Rip, off Queenscliff, in August 1949 but remained aground on a reef for 11 years until it sank in April 1960.
“Our family were holidaying from Melbourne at Queenscliff and my father had nothing to do with marine shipping or fishing but he teamed up with some fishermen who became the crew that won the salvage rights,” Mr Jamieson said.
“This started for him a serious habit of at least 35 years of collecting marine museum-type pieces. My sister and I want them where they’ll be of greater benefit to the wider community.”
Mr Jamieson said he donated to the museum a box with paper cuttings relating to the Time, including newspaper articles and an auction receipt for the captain’s chair.
Museum president Les Irving-Dusting called the cuttings “the most complete collection about the SS Time” he had seen.
Mr Irving-Dusting said museum staff would elevate the chair to prevent patrons using it as a seat.
The paperwork would be archived, he said.
“It’s great to get some more Time artefacts. People always remember the Time and now we’re seeing more and more pieces of it.
“We’ve got a few here and a few more really adds to our collection.”
