One of the finest known examples of the rare Admella Medal was on show this weekend at the inaugural Warrnambool Coin, Banknote, Stamp, Trading Card & Toy Fair. The Warrnambool Standard covered the event on Sunday, which attracted an enthusiastic crowd to both buy and sell items.
The Admella was was a steam ship the name of which represented the first letters of its route (Adelaide, Melbourne and Launceston), which was wrecked just off the coast of the coast of Mount Gambier in the early hours of 6th August 1859. The Corio out of Adelaide and the Ladybird out of Portland were immediately dispatched, and through their crew’s valiant efforts they were able to rescue 24 survivors, despite the treacherous conditions. A number of gold and 39 silver medals were issued to the rescuers by a grateful public.
Also on display were a number of Warrnambool related numismatic items including the Tradesmen’s Tokens of William Bateman Jnr and William Wilson Jamieson.