H.M.A.S. Sydney Appeal celluloid pin - 1

HMAS Sydney (II) was a modified Leander-class light cruiser that became a symbol of Australian naval pride. She achieved great fame early in the war after sinking the Italian fast cruiser Bartolomeo Colleoni at the Battle of Cape Spada in July 1940.
Tragically, in November 1941, the ship was lost with all 645 crew members following a fierce battle with the disguised German auxiliary cruiser Kormoran off the coast of Western Australia.

Following Prime Minister John Curtin’s official announcement of the disaster in late November 1941, the public experienced a profound wave of grief and patriotism. In response, the Lord Mayors of Australia's capital cities established a fund with the explicit purpose of raising enough money to finance and build a brand-new replacement cruiser for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN).
By January 1942, local governments, community organisations, and citizens across Australia rallied behind the effort.
The collective fundraising effort eventually closed in early 1942, raising a staggering £426,000.Because wartime manufacturing constraints prevented the immediate local construction of a sister light cruiser, the Commonwealth Government held onto the accumulated funds.
In the late 1940s, the money was officially contributed toward purchasing Australia's first aircraft carrier from the Royal Navy. To honour the public's immense generosity and keep the legacy alive, the Majestic-class carrier was officially commissioned as HMAS Sydney (III) in December 1948.

Pins like this served both as active fund-raisers and as memorial keepsakes worn by the public to honour the memory of both the ship and the sailors lost.
There are two different H.M.A.S. Sydney appeal pins in the collection, both of which were sold in January 1942 in New South Wales.