Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(Aus. und.) a till thief; thus galley-shoving, robbing a till.

1895		Clipper (Hobart) 5 Oct. 7/1: They call a till-thief in Melbourne a ‘peter sneaker’ or a ‘galley-shover’.
1897		Clipper (Hobart) 7 Aug. 7/1: ‘Peter sneaking’ is what they call robbing a till in the slang of the gutter, also ‘galley shoving’.
1900		Aus. Star (Sydney) 6 June 5/4: Let us look at the company. Ask a detective what It Is made up of and, he will tell you, ‘Oh, spielers, wasters, bludgers, thieves, burglars, dippers, Peter sneakers, snatchers, wiffle coppers, galley shovers, and so forth’.