Museum Musings

One beautiful object in the Museum is connected both with an important family in Queanbeyan and a highly significant movement, which helped to bring about important social changes both in Australia and in Britain.

The object is a silver nickel ceremonial trowel, highly decorated with engraved flowers and leaves and a carved ivory handle, inscribed on the front:

With this Trowel Nina Fane de Salis laid the chief corner stone of the Temperance Hall Queanbeyan 23 August 1877.

Nina Fane de Salis was to become the wife of William Farrer and we have already written about her piano.

Queanbeyan's first Temperance Society was founded in 1862 - initiated by leading citizens and became known as the Total Abstinence Society. The Sons and Daughters of Temperance founded by Robert Sindel replaced this Society in 1871. These societies were some of the first formal organizations to include women in their ranks - leading to the formation of the Women's Christian Temperance Union that was highly influential in movements for gaining women the vote.

The Temperance Society of New South Wales was founded in September 1832, and other societies sprang up Hobart in 1842, and by 1849 existed in both WA and SA. The Temperance Movement in Australia in the 19th Century actively promoted abstinence from supposedly harmful activities, particularly the consumption of alcohol.

The temperance movement also prominently campaigned in the lead-up to Federation, as well as indirectly promoting the enfranchisement of female voters".

You can see the trowel during Museum visiting hours, 1-4pm every Saturday and Sunday.

- John McGlynn