By Helen Velissaris
Tucked away in a filing cabinet in a Dandenong op shop lay a valuable piece of Ballarat history.
A family Bible printed in 1860 somehow turned up at the Dandenong Benevolent Society without any clues as to how or why it got there.
“I just found it in a filing cabinet, just stuffed away,” society volunteer co-ordinator Nooroa Andrew said.
Members of the Springvale Learning and Activities Centre moved into the benevolent society premises in late 2016 and were cleaning up the place for renovations before reopening.
“No one took much interest of it because the paper was ripped and it was just shoved underneath piles and piles of things,” Ms Andrew said.
As her eyes scanned over the handwritten notes inside, her interest was piqued.
“I realised this book has something to say but I don’t know where, who or what that was,” she said.
Having worked for the Dandenong Historical Society before, Ms Andrew knew how to spot items of significance.
While an old Bible might not be so interesting, the hand written notes in the front of the book gave it a special edge.
They detailed major moments in the lives of its Ballarat owners, George and Mary Ellen Rand.
They got married in 1858, had their first child, Ellen Jane Rand, a year later then three more children followed.
The last child, Annie Mary Rand, sadly only lived for a year but her name was included in the Bible, keeping her memory alive.
Dandenong Historical Society’s Jenny Ferguson was shocked at the detail and condition of the Bible and helped the ladies from the Benevolent society make some inquires.
They soon found out that members of the Rand family were notable drapers and outfitters and had a number of shops in the mid-1800s.
Their warehouse on Main Street actually physically collapsed because of mining underneath the building, as noted in the Ballarat Star of 25 March 1865.
“Even while the workmen were engaged in removing the goods the building could be seen yielding by the crack of some portions of the window frames,” the article read.
Normally not interested in family Bibles, the Ballarat Gold Museum agreed to take it in for the Rand connection.
“This is how people used to record their family history,” Ms Ferguson said.
“The Bible would have been a very important part of their everyday life.”
The next challenge is getting the Bible up to Ballarat, she said.
Some might not be so happy to see it returned home. Laura said the Bible has had its ‘admirers’.
“It caused a lot of interest. One particular guy hasn’t stopped. Every week he comes in to see if the Bible has returned,” Laura said.
Manager of the Springvale Learning and Activity Centre Elena Sheldon was tempted to put the Bible up on eBay to help the op-shop get some extra funding.
“It is worth a bit of money,” she joked. But knowing the history of the item, she knew it needed to be properly looked after and returned to its owners.
What still remains unknown is how the Bible got to the op shop in the first place.
Ms Sheldon and the team are hoping someone might know more about its Dandenong story to complete the puzzle.
