Description:

A Victorian cased sterling silver and ivory presentation trowel and gavel by H&T, Birmingham 1885/6, engraved "Presented to Thomas Stoddard Esq on the occasion of his laying the foundation stone at the Ballarat Mining Exchange Lydiard Street Ballarat, 21st June 1887"

the trowel 27cm

Thomas Stoddart (1828-1905) was born in Scotland and in his 20's emigrated to Australia. Arriving in Melbourne, he initially worked as a carpenter before he tried his luck on the Ballarat gold fields. In 1861 he abandoned the fields and set himself up in the share broking business, where he was known to have floated more gold mining companies than anybody else in Ballarat. It was Stoddart who suggested that the Ballarat Stock Exchange move from Sturt Street to Lydiard Street, and immediately moved his business, Stoddart & Binnie to premises upstairs. In 1884, after a visit to Italy, Stoddart gifted 12 Carrara marble classical statues to the Ballarat Botanical Gardens which were unveiled by the Governor of Victoria on Empire Day