[Editor: This postcard, which incorporates a photograph of a school in rural Victoria, with some girls doing some gardening tasks, is postmarked 18 May 1909.]
[Front of postcard]
A typical Victorian country school.
The education system of Victoria is free, secular, and compulsory from the ages of 6 to 14 years.
[Description: A photograph of a school in rural Victoria, with some girls doing some gardening tasks.]
[Reverse of postcard]
National Series of Post Cards.
E. R.
Victoria
The Garden State of Australia.
Education in Victoria illustrated.
Issued by direction of
The Hon. J. E. Mackey.
Commissioner of Crown Lands,
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
State school sites are provided on all Closer Settlement Estates.
For Plans and Full Particulars of Closer Settlement Allotments Available apply to
The Agent-General for Victoria, Queen Victoria-street, London, E.C., or
The Secretary Lands Purchase Board, Public Offices, Melbourne.
[Handwritten text, in italics]
Dear Leigh, I am coming out on Thursday afternoon to stop for Empire Day.
Your loving Cousin
Claude
[Addressed to:]
Master Leigh Barlett
Byron Street
Canterbury
Source:
Original document
Editor’s notes:
Dimensions (approximate): 140 mm. (width), 88 mm. (height).
This postcard was postmarked “My 18 09” (18 May 1909).
A previous owner of the postcard has pencilled the notation “School no. 3181” on the top of the card.
E.C. = (abbreviation) Eastern Central (a postcode for the Eastern Central area of London, England)
See: 1) “Postcodes”, The Postal Museum
2) “EC postcode area”, Wikipedia
Empire Day = an annual celebration of the British Empire, which was held on the 24th of May (Queen Victoria’s birthday)
See: 1) “Empire Day”, Britannica Kids (Encyclopædia Britannica)
2) “Empire Day”, Dictionary of Sydney
3) “Commonwealth Day”, Wikipedia
E. R. = Elizabeth Regina, meaning Queen Elizabeth (“regina” means “queen” in Latin); regarding the reign of Queen Elizabeth II (1926-2022; Queen 1952-2022), the royal cypher was EIIR (Elizabeth II Regina), commonly surmounted by a crown; however, Queen Elizabeth signed official documents simply as “ER”
See: 1) Carly Bass, “Royal rules: What does ER stand for and what will it change to now Charles is King?”, The Sun, 19 September 2022 [“The Queen signed all official documents with ER”]
2) Will Lennox, “Queen Elizabeth II: What does ER stand for in the Monarchy?”, Vogue Australia, 19 September 2022
3) Jack Slater, “What does ER stand for with The Queen?”, Metro, 27 September 2022
4) “Elizabeth II”, Wikipedia
5) “Royal cypher”, Wikipedia
Hon. = an abbreviation of “honourable”, especially used as a style to refer to government ministers, or as a courtesy to members of parliament (as a style, it is commonly capitalised, e.g. “the Hon. Member”)
J. E. Mackey = John Emanuel Mackey (1863-1924), compositor, academic, and Victorian politician; he was born in Sandhurst (Vic.) in 1863, and died in Nayook (Vic.) in 1924
See: 1) “Sir John Emanuel Mackey”, Parliament of Victoria
2) “John Mackey (politician)”, Wikipedia
stop = stay
[Editor: For ease of reading, punctuation has been inserted as deemed appropriate.]
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