Australian Historical Medals

Lot 767    SESSION 3 - 2.30PM Tuesday 29 July    Australian Historical Medals

Estimate $500
Bid at live.noble.com.au
SOLD $850

FLOOD RESCUE AWARD, 1875, from residents of Paterson District, in the lower Hunter Region near Maitland in NSW, a plain silver disc (43mm), inscribed on obverse, 'The Residents/of the/Paterson District,/To/Sergeant James Wells', on the reverse, 'In/grateful remembrance/of his exertions during/the/Great Flood/of/March, 1875', by Hardy Brothers. Very fine and rare.

The suspension system and the twisted silver border, as described in the newspaper report below, are missing from the medal.

A report in The Maitland Mercury and Hunter River General Advertiser on Tuesday 14 December 1875, page 3 on the events at an entertainment function staged at Paterson stated as follows. PRESENTATION OF MEDALS TO THE BOAT'S CREW OF THE MARCH FLOOD -During an interval of the above entertainment, Dr. Park, the Warden of the Paterson District, rose from his seat, and ascended to the platform, and said be had a pleasing duty to perform - that of presenting medals to those gallant young men who formed the boat's crew, and who so strenuously exerted themselves in saving life and property during the disastrous flood of last March. It gave him (Dr. Park) great pleasure to make the presentation. If it had not been for these young men exerting themselves to the utmost, during the rising of these mighty waters, no doubt lives would have been lost, and a great deal more valuable property destroyed and swept away than there was. These men risked their lives amidst the roaring and rising waters in saving life and property and it is due to them as residents to in some way recognise these valuable services so generously rendered.

The residents of this town and its vicinity agreed with him, Dr. Park, that some memento of their appreciation of their great services on this memorable occasion should be presented to the gallant crew. At a public meeting of the inhabitants, held sometime after the flood, a committee was appointed to collect subscriptions, and in some way to publicly record their deep sense of thankfulness to the boat's crew for their strenuous exertions, and laudable endeavours in saving life and property during the most disastrous flood that ever swept through the valley of Paterson. The presentation of these medals is the result of the committee's labours. He hoped the recipients of these medals would not look upon them merely in reference to their intrinsic value, but as conveying to each of them publicly, the deep sense of the obligation under which the inhabitants of this town considered themselves to lay to this gallant band of men on that ever memorable occasion. Dr. Park then called upon Sergeant James Wells, Constable William Mayo, Thomas Lindsey, and Joseph Maginness, and presented each with one of the medals.

On each individual presentation, those present in the room manifested their approval of the act by loud applause. There was also a medal provided for Mr. James Burns, and Mr. Boyle White, who, with the above, formed the principal members of the boat crew on the occasion of the great flood. The two after parties were absent on this occasion, but the medals will be sent to them. Mr. Lindsey expressed, his thanks for the kind appreciation of the services on the occasion referred to, they considered they had only done their duty as men, in saving the life and property of their neighbours around, and the kind present of the Medals would be to them far more grateful token of acknowledgment of their Services on the occasion, than any other gift, which could be tendered to them, as they could hand this down to their children and future generations, as the general token of acknowledgment of the inhabitants of this town for their services on the occasion. Again I thank you for the kind present which you have now presented to us. Sargeant Wells also briefly acknowledged the presentation in similar terms. This closed the presentation.

The medals which presented were very chaste, and very neat, and highly appropriate to the occasion which they commemorate. They are of solid silver, a little larger than a five shilling piece, the edge or outer line is of twisted silver, the centres are plain, and are of polished silver, and each contains the inscription which is most beautifully executed. On the one side is the following :- "The residents of the Paterson district, to Sergeant James Wells," on the other side : -"in grateful remembrance of his exertions during "The great Flood of March, 1875." On the upper edge of the medal, forming the receptacle for suspending the medal when worn, is some very artistic ornamentation. At the back, is a beautiful vine shewn, which adheres to the rim, in front of which are a couple of anchors crossing each other - with three separate coils of rope - all of which are of frosted silver. And when I say that the medals were from the workshop of the Messrs. Hardy Brothers, the famed Jewellers, of Hunter Street, Sydney, it will convey some guarantee of the excellency of the workmanship, the beauty of the design, and the appropriateness of that which it is to commemorate.