Knowing people’s passion for trains, especially steam trains, we were especially keen to uncover the story behind the locomotive portrayed on this medallion in The Perth Mint’s historic collection.

The quest for information led us to the State Library of Western Australia where we retrieved a typed document written in 1974 by Dr Bernard Rumens entitled History of the Leschenault Lady.

It revealed the story of a hardworking steam locomotive that at the end of its long career was saved from scrap and lovingly restored by enthusiasts for the enjoyment of thousands of tourists in the State’s south-west.

Originally known as G233 “G” Class 2 – 6 – 0, the engine was one of six built by James Martin & Co of Gawler, South Australia in 1898 on behalf of West Australian Government Railways. Initially used as mainline locos on passenger, mixed and goods trains, the “G” class also served as shunting and wharf engines.

G233 Leschenault Lady (Credit: Weston Langford)

With WAGR’s acquisition of larger locomotives, many of these adaptable engines found employment on private lines hauling logs in Western Australia’s southern forests. It is recorded that G233 worked on the isolated railway from Hopetoun to Ravensthorpe, a mining district, for a lengthy period commencing in 1909.

With extraordinary durability, G233 was still working as a shunter at Bunbury in the run up to dieselisation in the early 1970s.

Impending modernisation prompted enthusiasts to launch a determined effort to save “The Vintage Train”. With support from local politicians, they acquired the engine and three dilapidated carriages, commencing a restoration project that caught the imagination of the people of Bunbury.

A competition to determine a name for the overhauled loco attracted 487 entries. The winning suggestion came from Bunbury Senior High School student Mark Hutchinson, 15, whose prize included £20. Leschenault Lady, a tribute to the French botanist whose name has been associated with the area since 1803, was formally conferred upon the engine on 9 October 1969 by Railways Minister Ray O’Connor at a ceremony attended by around 100 people.

So began a second life for the engine running highly successful tours through the picturesque Darling Ranges to Collie and further afield throughout the 1970s.

Sadly, regulatory and insurance complexities associated with running a steam train on the mainline made operations increasingly difficult as the decades ensued. She was seen in Geraldton in 1994 during celebrations marking the centenary of the Midland Railway and spent time on the Boulder Loopline at Kalgoorlie. Subsequently confined to the Boyanup Museum as a static exhibit, the proud Lady’s days as a working heritage icon appeared over.

Fantastic news for railway buffs

However, Geoffrey Higham, Vice President of Rail Heritage WA, informed us only today that volunteers will shortly commence a boiler repair project that aims to see Leschenault Lady steam up once again. The long long-term hope, he revealed, is to have her steaming regularly between Boyanup and Donnybrook – very exciting news and a magnificent prospect for all those interested in railways.

G233 Leschenault Lady (Credit: Phil Melling)

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This is a really exciting inclusion in our historic collection – a medal designed by eminent Melbourne sculptor and medal-maker Michael Meszaros.

These medals were presented to staff at the Footscray Ammunition Factory during its centenary celebrations in 1988. Now closed, the factory played a significant role in the protection of Australia from pre-federation times.

The 1988 Footscray Ammunition Factory medal by Michael Meszaros was struck in bronze (63.5mm) and also in cupro-nickel (40mm).

Calls for ammunition

When Britain withdrew troops in 1870, the self-governing Australian colonies assumed responsibility for their own defence. Under the new arrangement, pressure grew for the local manufacture of ammunition and other ordnance.

Victoria took the lead by encouraging private enterprise to establish Australia’s first ammunition plant, with the additional promise that all Government supplies would be procured from the factory.

In 1888, Captain John Whitney opened the ‘Colonial Ammunition Factory’ on land close to the Saltwater River at Footscray, four miles from Melbourne. Initially, “eight separate buildings were constructed to cover the various stages of the ammunition production,” The Illustrated Australian News reported in November 1890.

Subsequently, other facilities were added across Melbourne’s inner west, including an explosives plant at Maribyrnong for the home-grown supply of propellant. Ownership was transferred to the Defence Department in 1927 and the factory’s importance peaked during the 1940s when it employed many thousands of workers in the production of ammunition and related explosives for World War II.

Symbolism of the medal design

Michael told us his intention for the centenary medal was to put a positive slant on the manufacture of lethal products, a difficult position both philosophically and artistically.

“Since Australian defence was designed to keep Australia safe from external dangers, my design consists of a map of Australia filled with blooming flowers surrounded by seas consisting entirely of the products made by the factory – shells, bullets, fuses, grenades, etc, of different sizes and types. The symbolism is that the products surround and protect Australia and allow the flowers to grow within it.”

It was designed prior to the Government’s decision to export Australian-made arms and ammunition, a policy he says he regrets.

The medallist – Michael Meszaros

Needless to say, we’re pleased to have a design from such a renowned artist in our collection. Michael studied medal-making in Italy at La Scuola Dell ‘Art Della Medaglia, attached to Rome’s main mint. On his return to Australia, he became a full-time sculptor and medallist, working with his father Andor (1900–1972) in their Kew studio.

According to Museum Victoria, “Michael Meszaros medals are held by the British Museum, the Royal Dutch Coin Collection, and many private collections in Europe, America, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. In August 2011 he was awarded the American Numismatic Association’s ‘Numismatic Art Award for Excellence in Medallic Sculpture’. In 2012 he received an OAM in the Queen’s Birthday Honours.”

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