City of Armadale - History House > Records

SNOWDROP THE BOOK

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1924

Overview

Brown, stiff card covered book of twelve pages with text on both faces. The front cover has a drawing of a female in medieval garb in front of a full length floor mirror.
Text on the front is as shown below but the reverse has too much to transcribe.

Historical information

Given to 'Ula' Ursual Skeet by E Atkinson as a Christmas present in 1924. Given to Ursula 'Ula' Skeet by Auntie Agnes as a birthday present in 1927. Lillian Ursula Skeet was born in 1919 to Alfred Tunbridge and Lillian Ursula Skeet. She grew up in Forrestdale on the family farm with her parents and five other siblings. Lilian, or Ursual as she was known as, was musical, playing the piano and worked at the Forrestdale Post Office which was located in the front room of their family home. She attended the Forrestdale State School.
The firm of Whitcombe & Tombs who produced the book began in 1882 in Cashel Street Christchurch, New Zealand by a French teacher George Hawkes Whitcombe and printer George Tombs and printed many educational readers over the years. The firm was merged with Dunedin based Coulls Somerville Wilkie to become Witcoulls and since has been sold several times.
In the 1950s Ursula had two short stories published in the Western Mail. She also married and moved away from the district

Details

Registration number

cwa-org-33-COA2011.84

Item type

Books

Material

Card

Paper

Width

123 mm

Height or length

182 mm

Depth

2 mm

Inscriptions and markings

Text front cover [Southern Cross Story Readers / SNOWDROP / (RE-TOLD BY EDITH HOWES)]

Keywords

New Zealand

Christchurch

Cashel Street

Whitcombe & Tombs Ltd

TOMBS George Mr

WHITCOMBE George Hawkes Mr

SKEET Lillian Ursula Miss

Year

1924

Statement of significance

This object is part of a collection of items associated with a person or family who have played a significant role in the economic, community or social development of the City of Armadale. This can include holding key political or social positions within the community, being a key contributor or member of a community organisation, a strong contributor to improving the well-being of the local community, a prominent figure in a local business or industry, developer of new industries or activities or someone who grew up in the area and moved away and had a noteworthy career or life.

Comparative significance criteria

Interpretive capacity

Rare or representative

Well provenanced

City of Armadale - History House

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