Isabel Wells was born in Beechworth in 1914. Her father, Mr. Newey, was a butcher; his shop was in Ford street and he took over from his grandfather. The family business, along with the local residents, was supplying the main government institutions in the region, like Mayday Hills Hospital and The Ovens and Murray Home, making a large percentage of his profit. Mr. Newey was also a captain of the fire brigade and Isabel mentioned that there were more fires happening in those days. The menace of a huge fire was impending in Beechworth for many years, due to the lack of adequate water supply and the absence of trained firefighters. The first fire brigade in the town was voluntary and was formed in 1858 under Superintendent Luke Reilly. A few other schemes deployed the following years, with all failing to sufficiently control the fires that occurred, until the creation of the first reliable fire brigade in the 1870s. The worst fire in the town's history happened on 23rd March 1867; it swept through many shops and the post office, leaving behind a damage cost estimated at £12,000. Isabel's mother was in a wheelchair, suffering from osteoarthritis; thus, Isabel had taken over the responsibility for looking after her mother and assisting her with daily living needs and personal care activities. She used to play golf and tennis and she was a member of the town tennis club. In terms of social life, Boxing Day was a big occasion for the town, with horse-races and games taking place. According to her narration, the use of cars was a turning point in the town's social activities, since people were able to visit nearby places and take day trips, such as having a picnic at Lake Kerferd or Buffalo. This oral history recording was part of a project conducted by Jennifer Williams in the year 2000 to capture the everyday life and struggles in Beechworth during the twentieth century. This project involved recording seventy oral histories on cassette tapes of local Beechworth residents which were then published in a book titled: Listen to what they say: voices of twentieth century Beechworth. These cassette tapes were digitised in July 2021 with funds made available by the Friends of the Burke. Isabel's account of her life in Beechworth and the local area during the 20th century is historically and socially significant as it offers valuable information about the business activity in the region and provides a deeper insight into the operation of butcher shops and meat supply during the first half of the previous century. Additionally, it offers invaluable information about the everyday life of people living in Beechworth, and highlights aspects of the overall social life and activities.This is a digital copy of a recording that was originally captured on a cassette tape. The cassette tape is black with a horizontal white strip and is currently stored in a clear flat plastic rectangular container. It holds up 40 minutes of recordings on each side.Mrs Isabel Wells/ isabel wells, beechworth, mr. newey, ford street, butcher, mayday hills hospital, the ovens and murray home, fire brigade, 23rd march 1867, fire, osteoarthritis, boxing day, horseraces, lake kerferd, buffalo, picnic, cars, firefighters, luke reilly, wheelchair

Taken in Beechworth 1865, this photograph depicts a number buildings looking down Ford Street. The left side of image shows the Bank of Australia, the Post Office, the Bank of Victoria, and Howard Bookseller. The right side depicts the Oriental Bank, Albion Hotel, the Bank of NSW, and the First church in Beechworth which was the Methodist Church on the hill.Black and white rectangular photograph. Image is printed on matt photographic paper with a cardboard backing. Obverse: ALBION HOTEL, HOWARD BOOKSELLER Reverse: STREETS / (in pencil) FORD ST, BEECHWORTH / VICTORIA 1865 19972743 A02743 beechworth, ford street, bank of victoria, burke museum, 1865

Taken in Beechworth 1862, this photograph depicts the shops in Camp street Beechworth, with the Empire Hotel in view.Black and white rectangular photograph. The image is printed on matte photographic paper. Obverse: NO INSCRIPTION Reverse: 7778 Shops, Camp Street 1862 Roy Harvey Collection PH 54 A Empire Hotel formerly the Smithville in the Woolshed relocated to Camp street burnt 1867 Full view has the post office with the tower beechworth, camp street, shops, empire hotel

This photograph was taken of Ford Street, Beechworth looking east showing the Post Office on the left and the Bank of Victoria on the right. Black and white rectangular postcard. The image is printed on matt photographic paper and mounted on cardboard.Obverse: NO INSCRIPTION Reverse: BMM7735 Beechworth beechworth, ford street, burke museum, horse, sepia

Colour photograph of old government buildings in Beechworth.beechworth

Colour photograph of old government buildings in Beechworth.beechworth, salvation army hall

Colour photograph of old government buildings in Beechworth.beechworth

Colour photograph of old government buildings in Beechworth.beechworth

David Syme (1827-1908) was a newspaper proprietor who was born on 2 October 1827 at North Berwick, Scotland. Early in 1851, he went via Cape Horn to California seeking gold. By mid-1852 he was in Melbourne, and in the next three years prospected with some success on Ballarat, Bendigo, Castlemaine and Beechworth diggings. In 1855 he lost a possible fortune at Egerton near Ballarat when a promising claim was jumped. Ebenezer Syme bought the insolvent Melbourne Age for £2000, and invited David Syme to take up a share. In September 1856 Syme put up some cash and his contracting business to obtain a half-share. He helped to manage the paper but returned to contracting late in 1857. When Ebenezer retired in 1859 Syme reluctantly returned to the business, and on Ebenezer's death next year he began his fifty-year career as publisher and editor of the Age. (C. E. Sayers, 'Syme, David (1827–1908)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/syme-david-4679/text7741, published first in hardcopy 1976, accessed online 25 August 2019._Reproducation of a image of David Syme.david syme, portrait, the age, journalist

David Syme (1827-1908) was a newspaper proprietor who was born on 2 October 1827 at North Berwick, Scotland. Early in 1851, he went via Cape Horn to California seeking gold. By mid-1852 he was in Melbourne, and in the next three years prospected with some success on Ballarat, Bendigo, Castlemaine and Beechworth diggings. In 1855 he lost a possible fortune at Egerton near Ballarat when a promising claim was jumped. Ebenezer Syme bought the insolvent Melbourne Age for £2000, and invited David Syme to take up a share. In September 1856 Syme put up some cash and his contracting business to obtain a half-share. He helped to manage the paper but returned to contracting late in 1857. When Ebenezer retired in 1859 Syme reluctantly returned to the business, and on Ebenezer's death next year he began his fifty-year career as publisher and editor of the Age. (C. E. Sayers, 'Syme, David (1827–1908)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/syme-david-4679/text7741, published first in hardcopy 1976, accessed online 25 August 2019._Reproducation of a image of David Syme.david syme, portrait, the age, journalist

George Tibbits, University of Melbourne. Faculty of Architecture, Building and Town & Regional PlanningIndex system that support the research for Beechworth : historical reconstruction / [by] George Tibbits ... [et al]Arranged by street names of BeechworthEach index card includes: street name and number of property, image of property, allotment and section number, property owners and dates of ownership, description of the property according to rate records, property floor plan with dimensions.beechworth, george tibbitsbeechworth, george tibbits