Margaret Brown OAM said the artefacts belonged to her late husband and were passed to him by his grandfather, Major General Sir John Gellibrand. They included, among other things, his fob watch, desk clock, photos, negatives from 1915 and a large black metal box inscribed with his name.

Sir John Gellibrand played an important part of Tasmania's military history. He was appointed to the First Imperial Force as captain on staff of 1^st Division and landed at Anzac Cove on April 25, 1915 where he served in the Gallipoli Campaign.

The following year he was promoted to Brigadier General and led the 6^th Infantry Brigade in the Battle of Pozieres and the second battle of Bullecourt before he was promoted to Major General on June 1, 1918, commanding the 3^rd Division in the Battle of Amiens and the Battle of the Hindenburg Line.

It was after he returned home from war that Sir Gellibrand identified the need for more to be done to help returned soldiers and in 1923 he organised the first meeting of the Remembrance Club in Hobart which went on the inspire the formation of Legacy Australia.

The collection of Sir John's artefacts is extensive and it was important to Mr Gellibrand that they were kept together.

"John was going to do something with them before he passed away, unfortunately that didn't happen, but I knew what he wanted," John's widow Margaret Brown said.

"I sought the help of Greg Keir, secretary/treasurer of Wollongong and South Coast Legacy and he was able to help me.

"First he contacted the Australian War Memorial but they were only interested in a few items in the collection. We wanted to keep the collection together so he got in touch with Hobart Legacy," Mrs Brown said.

Since then Mrs Brown, along with Wollongong and South Coast Legacy president Deirdre Landells and Greg Keir have travelled to Hobart where a morning tea was held at Government House to acknowledge the donation of Sir Gellibrand's historical collection of artefacts.

"I was delighted at being hosted by the Governor and on the collection finding a home with Hobart Legacy where it will form part of Hobart Legacy's Centenary commemorations in 2023," Mrs Brown said.

She also said that she had a surprise encounter with another Gellibrand while she was in Tasmania.

"For years I had looked at a photo over the sideboard at home of John and his sister Muriel, they were standing either side of a brass plaque and while I was in Tasmania I tried to find out where it was.

"We found it at St. John the Baptist Church at Ouse about 80km from Hobart and the next day we drove there. A sign at the church said it was open to the public so I went to open the door and just as I did, the door opened from the other side.

"The lady who was holding a brush and pan asked if she could help me, but I had already seen the brass plaque on the wall and told her I see what I have come here to see, I'm the widow of Sir John Gellibrand's grandson, to which she said, "I'm a Gellibrand".

"It was mind boggling, such a coincidence," Mrs Brown said.