Lot 760

Description

Handcrafted medal, in silver (49mm), Maltese Cross shape with overlaid circular piece, loop mount and suspension bar, inscribed on obverse within circular overlay 'John Vans Agnew Bruce/For/Charity/1862', engraved on reverse 'J.V.A.Bruce/to/J.S.Butters/for assisting to raise the Sum of/£3000/for the Public Charities of/Victoria/1862', suspension bar engraved 'Pay Old Debts'. Very fine and rare.

John Van Agnew Bruce was born in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1822 and arrived in Victoria in April 1854. Having gained early railroading experience in Scotland he tendered for road construction contracts in Victoria, including the main road from Melbourne to Mount Alexander and the railway from Melbourne to Bendigo. He died in Essendon in April 1863 aged 41.

James Stewart Butters was born in Blair Gowrie, Perthshire, Scotland in 1832. His early employment was in a drygoods store. He arrived in Victoria in 1853, working in stores in Melbourne and Warrnambool. In 1856 Butters became a stock and share broker and gold buyer in partnership with W.G.Baillie and was among the first to introduce joint stock mining in Victoria. Butters had an involvment in the establishment of a stock exchange in 1860. He was a Melbourne City Councillor for the Lonsdale Ward becoming Mayor in 1867. The Alfred Hospital, Princes Bridge and Albert Park Lake all owe a debt to Butters, the foundation stone at Melbourne Town Hall bears his name. In 1868 Butters entered the Legislative Assembly as member for Portland but he left parliament to sail to Fiji in July 1870 where he was trustee of the Polynesia Co. On his return to Melbourne he opened the Victoria Club in 1876 and engaged in developing pastoral and mineral resources in Northern Australia. Butters was a leading Mason, a Vice President of the Caledonian Society and laid the foundation stone of the Welsh Church in Lonsdale Street. He died in Sandringham in September 1912.