It'll probably turn out to be either a mis-read date on a Lithgowicon rifle or a Britishicon rifle that's been through Lithgow........

I tried enlarging the photo to look at the markings on the butt socket, but it gets really grainy very quickly. Even so, I got the impression that what little I could make out looked more like a British Royal cypher than typical early Aussie markings. No doubt the mystery will be revealed fairly soon.