Curiosities from the Archive

The Archive holds three small display boxes which hold snake fangs, possibly used as a teaching aid in days long past.

When the fangs were found, they had been stored poorly, and the fangs were dislodged from their correct labelled positions. The College Archivist worked with Conservation and Herpetology staff from the Australian Museum to identify the specimens and replace them in their original positions.

The Archivist carefully glued the fangs with archival quality adhesive to their correct positions. A new acrylic window, cut by our Technology and Applied Science staff, was fitted in place of the broken panel. They are now on display in the Heritage Centre Museum.

The Archive holds a number of teaching aids from the past including wooden puzzles, a large cardboard slide rule, a cosmographic atlas, hanging wall charts of NSW and charts for dental care.  The fangs however, are in a class of their own, a curiosity of the Archive.

Written by Enid O’Carroll, College Archivist