NAVY RELICS

Hokitika Guardian, 26 June 1933, Page 7

NAVY RELICS

FIGHT WITH iEMDENNOVEL AUSTRALIAN SCHEME. . SYDNEY, June 8. Thousands of wooden draughts pieces, which are to be made in Canberra from the planking of H.M.A.S. Sydney, will keep alive in the memory of Australians their first naval victory. When the Sydney was scrapped several years ago the committee of the Australian War Museum secured 5000 feet of teak and oak from the deck s of the vessel, besides many other pieces of timber. These are to be made into all kinds of souvenirs, such as inkstands and paper-knives. The committee also secured thousands of small wooden plugs that were used to hide the screw holes on the deck, and these are to be made into draughts pieces. Each piece will bear an inscription to give it an historic and sentiment:! value The genuine historic value of these souvenirs is emphasised by the fact that when one of the planks was being sawn into convenient lengths the other day, the circular saw was shattered when it crashed into pn .unsuspected piece of a shell which came from th e guns of the Emden before the vessel wag sunk by the Sydney. PUBLIC INTEREST.

It is expected that there will he a ready demand for the articles, as the public has constantly shown great interest in the exploits of the Sydney, and there was general regret when the vessel was passed over to the ship.breakens. The demand for souvenirs then was considerable.

The work of making the souvenirs wifi be entrusted to returned men who are out of employment, and the proceeds from the sale will go towards the erection of the great war memorial and museum at Canberra. The Government has decided to proceed .at once with the construction of the first portion of this noble structure, but it is feared that it will be many year,, before it i s completed on the grand scale provided in the plans, which were approved many years. ago. The exhibits at the museum are growing, and even now the committee is unable to show all of them in the big building which has been placed at its disposal in. Sydney. The number of visitors to the museum each week runs into thousands.