Summary

Slate board, believed to have been used in Melbourne in the late 19th to early 20th century.

The slate originally belonged to James Farr Saunders in Albert Park. He was born in 1888. It was later used by the donor, Elizabeth Euphemia Saunders (born 1926) and her siblings (born 1916 to 1927). Elizabeth particularly remembers her younger brother Jimmy carrying it his bag. A 'slate stick' was used to write on the slate, and 'they had a wet rag to rub off what was on [there] and do the next thing', she says. She went to Graham Street Primary School.

Part of a collection of objects, documents and photographs from the Saunders family home in Williamstown Road, Port Melbourne. Elizabeth Jane Taylor Saunders (nee Elliott) (1894-1971) and James (Jimmy) Farr Saunders (1888-1974) bought the house in 1928, financed by the State Savings Bank of Victoria.

James was a stevedore, working on the Melbourne docks, notably Station Pier, and was actively involved in the Port Phillip Stevedores Association and later the Waterside Workers' Federation. Elizabeth Jane was a skilled seamstress, making clothing for her family, mending, creating soft furnishings such as cushions and blankets, and doing decorative needlework. They had five children, of whom four survived to adulthood.

After Elizabeth and James passed away their daughter Elizabeth Euphemia, a dental nurse and later language teacher, became the sole occupant of the house, carefully preserving its contents as decades passed. Her niece proposed the donation of the household contents to Museum Victoria, a rare and significant record of 20th century family life in Melbourne.

Physical Description

Slate writing board. Central panel is a single piece of slate (or similar), mounted in a wood frame with rounded corners. A hole is bored in the cente of both short ends of the frame. The frame has been repeatedly repaired with nails and a metal plate in one corner, now rusted. The surface of the slate has accretions including what appears to be white plaster.

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