Graham Masters is a potter based at Sweenies Creek, just outside Bendigo, Victoria who specialises in a patented technique of low relief stoneware depicting Australian animals and landscapes. He obtained a Diploma of Art and Design in Ceramics from the Bendigo Institute of Technology in 1973, then operated a pottery for a year in Bendigo, before becoming an employee, then a partner at Maldon Pottery, Victoria with Neville Wilson and Thomas Metcalf. He left Maldon to set up his own pottery at Sweenies Creek in 1984. (1.) (Judith Pearce). Built in 1869, the (former) Strathfieldsaye Shire Hall is one of The City of Bendigo's earliest surviving public buildings. Designed by George Steane and built by George Pallett in 1869 the Strathfieldsaye Shire Hall has aesthetic significance as a purpose built Shire Hall designed in the Free Classical manner. It is also of importance as an early example of the novel system of cavity wall construction. The building is largely intact and unaltered. Other important elements include the arched portico of the main entrance with brick arched features on either side; the brick quoining and dressings to the round arch windows; the three gabled roof; and the matching chimneys that reinforce the symmetrical design. The Hall has social significance as a temporary schooling facility in the 1870s and as a flood refuge in 1889. The Strathfieldsaye Shire Hall is a brick building designed in the Free Classical manner. This style was favoured by the Public Works Department for a number of public buildings including Shire Halls and courthouses. The form includes a central taller volume flanked by matching smaller gables. In the case of the Shire Hall these would be occupied by the Shire Secretary and Shire Engineer whilst the larger volume was the council chamber. The portico at the front is designed with a flat arch in the centre and matching smaller arches each side. The face red brick is unadorned apart from a plain string course at the roof springing point, brick quoining and dressings to the round arch windows. There are matching chimneys that are located to reinforce the symmetrical design and the original roof is believed to have been slate but is now corrugated iron. Large wheel thrown ceramic platter with a shallow well, broad flaring ledge and raised on a high foot rim. Rim decorated with slab rolled gum trees protruding on centre left and right sides of plater. which reflect the low relief image of trees and the Strathfieldsaye Shire Hall on the surface of the plate. Glazed with golden brown and cream. Front centre top; 'Shire of Strathfieldsaye'. Front lower centre '1866 - 1991 - 125 Years'. Signed 'G Master / 1991' on rim centre right. Reverse; signed 'G Master' / 1991. Bendigo Pottery stamp.shire of strathfieldsaye, bendigo pottery

Main Street. On Right is London Chartered Bank. W Muir Produce Dealer. Bank of Victoria. Part of a collection of Photographs by Mr. O.G. Armstrong as commissioned by the Shire of Stawell for the Inter-colonial and Paris Exhibition in Melbourne in 1866. Another view of the top or eastern end of Main Street 1866. It is almost the same area as in photo No 14 but looking westward towards the Grampians. Streetscape with bend of road in foreground. Bank of Victoria prominent on right side of image.stawell businesses streetscape

Pleasant Creek Stawell from Church Hill. Shire Hall at left under construction. Pleasant Creek Court House visible at centre. Part of a collection of Photographs by Mr. O.G. Armstrong as commissioned by the Shire of Stawell for the Inter-colonial and Paris Exhibition in Melbourne in 1866 This is a photo of what was known as Pleasant Creek but was officially Stawell 1866. It is taken from Church Hill in front of the then Church of England. This would have been at what is now about 27 Seaby Street. Note: the Pleasant Creek Courthouse about centre of the picture. Buildings at centre distance with bare ground and a few trees in foreground. Pleasant Creek Courthouse at centre of image.stawell

Stawell Shire Hall built 1866, photo taken around c 1890s. The Shire Hall has a decorative gate and fence in front of the building. This photo is an enlargement of the post card in album 14, p26. Black & white enlarge photograph of the Stawell Shire Hall c 1890's. This photo is taken from the original post card in Album 14 page 26. The post card has an EMPIRE symbol on the back with a lion and kangaroo between them is a camera on a stand. The photo shows the Stawell Shire Hall with a decorative fence in front of the building and hedge behind the fence.Post Card with EMPIRE symbol on the back.stawell

Upper Main Street looking East. Poppet Heads in Background. Oriental Bank second on left then Quartz Reef Timber Yards. Intersection is Layzell St Main Street. Advertiser Office on right in front of Earlier Mechanics Institute. Part of a collection of Photographs by Mr. O.G. Armstrong as commissioned by the Shire of Stawell for the Inter-colonial and Paris Exhibition in Melbourne in 1866. View of the top end of Main Street 1866 with the Commercial Hotel in the left foreground. On the right is the Advertiser Newspaper office an Ararat newspaper before one was started in Stawell. The building on the right with the ladder in front was the Mechanics Institute later burned down twice. Upper Main street with Poppet Heads in the background, the Oriental Bank second on left & then Quartz Reef Timber Yard 1867. Lots of people and wagons in street. Advertiser Office on right and earlier Mechanics Institute with ladder at front.Upper Main Street Reefs 1867stawell mining streetscape

Stawell Shire Hall built 1866, this photo may have been taken in 1876. A copy of each was made and donated to the society by Melbourne Museum. Three people standing outside the front door may be one adult and 2 children. Early view of the Stawell Shire Hall c 1876 before the building was extended. In more recent photos the building has 3 side windows. Three people are standing outside the building entrancestawell

Upper Main Street Reefs looking East towards Big Hill taken from front of Joyce's Hibernian Hotel . Part of a collection of Photographs by Mr. O.G. Armstrong as commissioned by the Shire of Stawell for the Inter-colonial and Paris Exhibition in Melbourne in 1866. This scene was taken in 1866 in Main Street from in front of Joyce’s Iberian Hotel on the left, the site of the present townhall. It is looking uphill and eastward with Big Hill in the far background. The Hibernian Hotel was built on Commercial Street Pleasant Creek Goldfields in 1858 and was moved to Main Street Reefs, the present site of the Town Hall by Mr. & Mrs. Joyce. It was later destroyed by fire and the Town Hall built on its location. Street scene with buildings in distance and Big Hill in far distance.stawell streetscape

Early photo of Stawell Shire Hall with decorative cast iron fence and 2 pillars either side of the gate entrance. The photos show the detail of the original building built in 1866 especially the doors and windows. The photo may have been taken in 1917-1918.Black & white early photo of Stawell Shire Hall. There is a total of 3 black & white photo's, two the same size and one enlarged. The photo has been taken directly out the front of the building showing the cast iron decorative fence with manicured shrubs out the front of the building. The photo is very similar to 84.6 but does not have the flag post on top of the building. Almost identical to 84.6 angle slightly different, no flag pole. stawell

Common School Pleasant Creek 502. Part of a collection of Photographs by Mr. O.G. Armstrong as commissioned by the Shire of Stawell for the Inter-colonial and Paris Exhibition in Melbourne in 1866. The site for the school pictured was reserved in October 1864 and the building was opened in 1865. The brick building is still in use and is at the rear of the current 502 Primary School buildings, Barnes Street. Large brick and stone school building with students and teachers at front.stawell education

'The Years Between' is an oral history of RVIB 1866 - 1991. It was put together by Allan Nuske and Jamie Kelly and consists of narration and excerpts of oral histories from past staff/students. Through historical data and personal recollections, former students tell the story of how the institution developed under the changing approaches of teachers and other staff, the need to keep fundraising, being shipped to Olinda during the war, 153 MP3 audio recordings comprising a file for each section of the bookMany thanks to Alan Nuske, Betty Vinters, Jon Lock, Ross Johnstone, Simon von Saldern, Leo Hartman, Elaine Leahy, Mary Adams, Ben Quin, Kasia Graphics, Art Attack, June Treadwell, Jamie Kelly, Neville Kerr, Dorothy Hamilton, family and friends of Alan Nuske, Pam McAleese and Julie Brain.royal victorian institute for the blind, allan nuske, jamie kelly, alice mcclelland, john murphy, harry worland, dorothy hamilton, hugh jeffrey, violet arnett, ian cooper, harry finlayson, elaine leahy, joan neich, reuban ryan, neville kerr, e.e. (ted) petersen, neil westh, norman rees, charlie bradley, ethel sutcliffe, esme dunnell, margaret fialides, carol baxter, ben quin, graeme mcgowan, margaret bull, jim smith, dick sutcliffe, ray smart, george findlay, edward (ted) hanlon, david blyth, martin stewart, len stevens, oral history

Pleasant Creek Cemetery. Part of a collection of Photographs by Mr. O.G. Armstrong as commissioned by the Shire of Stawell for the Inter-colonial and Paris Exhibition in Melbourne in 1866. The site of the Pleasant Creek Cemetery was proclaimed on October the 14th, 1861. Prior to that, a cemetery existed on ‘One Tree Hill’ where burials were made as early as 1854. A memorial is located on the site of the One Tree Hill Cemetery, corner of Griffith and Leslie streets, Stawell West. stawell

Part of a collection of Photographs by Mr. O.G. Armstrong as commissioned by the Shire of Stawell for the Inter-colonial and Paris Exhibition in Melbourne in 1866. Longfield Street Stawell (now the Western Highway) looking towards Sister Rocks and Ararat. Pleasant Creek Court House and Shire Hall are on the right, as is a shop on the corner of Seaby Street and Longfield streets. On the left is the Camp Hotel, the Constitution Hotel and the Shamrock Hotel on the far Side of Seaby Street. stawell streetscape

From its beginning in 1866, the Victorian Asylum for the Blind (later called the Royal Victorian Institute for the Blind) has been a prominent resident in St Kilda Road. Intended to provide work and education, the RVIB has adapted and changed according to the staff and people who passed through, lived, laughed, learned and languished in it, as well as societal expectations. In this history of the building, its services and personalities, up until the closure of St Kilda Road.284 pages without illustrations in etext filenon-fictionroyal victorian institute for the blind, rvib burwood school

Staff and Pleasant Creek 502 Common School. Part of a collection of Photographs by Mr. O.G. Armstrong as commissioned by the Shire of Stawell for the Inter-colonial and Paris Exhibition in Melbourne in 1866. The education of children in the early years was at the hands of various denominations and attendance was not compulsory. So it was at Pleasant Creek, where prior to 1858, no real effort had been made by any of the nominations to establish schools. In 1864 the denominational system was abolished and school became known as the ‘common school’, such as pictured. stawell education

Grampians Hall’s Gap (Chautauqua Peak). Part of a collection of Photographs by Mr. O.G. Armstrong as commissioned by the Shire of Stawell for the Inter-colonial and Paris Exhibition in Melbourne in 1866. It is recorded in the history of the Presbyterian Church of Stawell, that one fine piece of organisation by Rev. E.C. Tennant in the early 1890’s was a Chautauqua, or religious conference at the Grampians. Many of the religious leaders of Victoria gathered for the purpose of discussion, conference and spiritual enrichment. So great was the impression made, that a peak in the Grampians was named Chautauqua Peak. stawell

Grampians Halls Gap (Wonderland Range). Part of a collection of Photographs by Mr. O.G. Armstrong as commissioned by the Shire of Stawell for the Inter-colonial and Paris Exhibition in Melbourne in 1866. Although little is known of the lifestyle of the Grampians, Aborigines. Evidence of their thousands of years occupation exists in the form of campsites and Ochre and Pipeclay drawings on the smooth surfaces of rock shelters. There are 40 or more aboriginal art galleries known to be in the Grampians, most of which have been discovered in the past 25 years. Some of these shelters are accessible to visitors. stawell

Mokebilla Station. Part of a collection of Photographs by Mr. O.G. Armstrong as commissioned by the Shire of Stawell for the Inter-colonial and Paris Exhibition in Melbourne in 1866. Charles Browning Hall was at the station for a short period in about 1840-41. Horatio Wils purchased Lexington from C.B. Hall in 1842. To this he added the stations of Larose and Mokebilla. Part of the property still remains along the Halls Gap Rd, by the bridge over the Mount William Creek. Note that the spelling has changed over the years and it is currently known as Mokepilly. Looking across water to Homestead and outbuildings behind large Gum Trees.stawell

Wimmera Falls Glenorchy. Part of a collection of Photographs by Mr. O.G. Armstrong as commissioned by the Shire of Stawell for the Inter-colonial and Paris Exhibition in Melbourne in 1866. The fact that there was ever a natural waterfall in the Wimmer River would probably be a surprise to anyone who has known the river at all. There are many man-made weirs across it in several places today, one of them at Glenorchy is thought to hide the original falls. A Stawell Paper dated 21st August 1888, refers to them being a mile below the Township. View of river amongst gum trees with shallow falls at centre of photograph.stawell

The Sister Rocks Pleasant Creek. Part of a collection of Photographs by Mr. O.G. Armstrong as commissioned by the Shire of Stawell for the Inter-colonial and Paris Exhibition in Melbourne in 1866. sailing ship and landed at Port Ferry. They came to Stawell from the port by bullock wagon laden with goods for the goldfield and camped at the Sister Rocks and so they were named. Later the girls married. One became Mrs Hodge and lived on the Western Highway, another became Mrs D’Arcy of the Shamrock Hotel Stawell West. The third was Mrs Moore of Levithan East Stawell. Large Granite boulders with no visible Graffiti. Log on left of photo. stawell tourism

Certificate awarded to J. Scott, Nurseryman, Hawthorn. Mrs J.C. Corbett's aunt married a son of James Scott.Bronze coloured medal set in illuminated cardboard certificate awarded to J. Scott, Nurseryman, Hawthorn. Designed and printed by W. Calvert 89 Little Collins St., Melbourne, sculpted by C. Summers. (Also see B92.664 and framed copy B92.548.)Handwritten on reverse, 'Presented by Mrs. J.C. Corbett, 28 Stawell St., Kew.medal, certificate awarded, j. scott, nurseryman, w. calvert, c. summers, mrs. j.c. corbett, james scott, j.c. corbett, flowers, first prize

Emily Ann Hanson Stitfold was born in Ballarat in 1866 to Thomas Stitfold and Sarah Stitfold (Hanson). There were six children, one boy and five girls. Emily attended photography classes at Ballarat School of Mines in 1896 (Grade !) and 1898. Photography was a new course offered and she was one of the first students to attend. She became a member of the Ballarat Amateur Photographic Association. Emily died in 1948 and is buried in the Ballarat Old Cemetery. (BN Section 19 Grave 9). Her parents, Thomas and Sarah are also buried in the Old Cemeterywomen of note, ballarat school of mines, emily stitfold, photography, student, ballarat amateur photographic association, ballarat old cemetery, thomas stitfold, sarah stitfold

Post card of the Stawell Shire Hall built 1866. The Shire Hall in Longfield Street Stawell has seen many changes over time. The building originally had a brick facade as seen in this photo. The post card also shows the changes in vegetation around the building. In front of the two arched front windows of the building are two tall Dracaena's possible planted in c 1890's. The decorative fence was not in very early photographs of the building but appears in photographs around c 1890. The post card is located in Albun 14, p.9.Black & white post card of the Stawell Shire Hall. The building has a brick facade with trees in the background. In front of the two arched front windows of the building are two tall Dracaena's either side of the entrance. There is a decorative fence with posts either side of the entrance gates to the building. The post card is located in Albun 14, p.9.The Shire Hall, Stawell Victoria. Real Photo Series. M. 672. on the back Valentines real photo series POST CARD branches Sydney London Dundee Capetown Montreal Toronto all in a box. Published by the Valentine & Sons Publishing Co.Ltd. Melbourne, Sydney & Brisbane.stawell

Grampians Entrance to Halls Gap. Part of a collection of Photographs by Mr. O.G. Armstrong as commissioned by the Shire of Stawell for the Inter-colonial and Paris Exhibition in Melbourne in 1866. Halls Gap is named after Charles Browning Hall. In his letter to Joseph Latrobe he gives no clue about his early life except that he was a stock herder as early as 1837. He held two runs in the Wimmer district, that of La Rose and Mokebila in the Grampians (1841 to 1842). He then moved to the Clunes area in 1851. He was a member of the Carisbrook Magistrates Bench. stawell