Originally purchased in 1856 from Thomas Roberts, Yeoman of Little Eltham, for £10 for use by the Wesleyan Chapel, represented by indentured Trustees, Rev. Barnabas Shaw Walker, Minister of the Pentridge Circuit, Francis Thomas, Farmer of Keelbundora, William Harriman, Blacksmith of Nillumbik, Nicholas Rodda, Farmer of Nillumbik, Aaron Grimshaw, Farmer of Greensborough, Joseph Cooper, Gardener of Keelbundora, Peter Dredge, Scholmaster of Jika Jika and Samuel Jeffrey, Farmer of Jika Jika. Lot 20 of Subdivision of Portion 13, Section 4 of the Parish of Nillumbik in the County of Evelyn was located on the southern side of Henry street in Little Eltham North, where the current Our Lady Help of Christians Catholic Church is situated. It became the location of the Eltham Rechabite Hall. In 1893 a new hall was built and further enlarged in 1919. At the commencement of 1922, the property was purchased from the Independent Order of Rechabites with publicly subscribed funds and a new hall built at a cost of £750 and improved road access constructed to reduce the grade, running from Dudley Street to Henry Street. This hall was eventually replaced with the new Shire Offices and Hall built on the corner of Arthur Street and Main Road, which was opened in 1941. Traces the earliest history of the Eltham Public Hall in Henry Street and the various names, occupations and abodes of the Trustees associated with the propertyaaron grimshaw, blacksmith, edmond perry, eltham public hall, eltham rechabite hall, eltham wesleyan chapel, francis thomas, george smith, henry street, i.w. lucas, james blanch, james chapman, james william brown, john jenkins peacock, john jones, john neale, john van mangerhoussen weiss, joseph cooper, joseph morris holloway, josiah atwool, keelbundora, lancelot iredale, little eltham, lizar elliott, mark blanchard, methodist church, nicholas rodda, p. mather, peter dredge, rev barnabas shaw walker, samuel jeffrey, samuel moor munce, thomas roberts, thomas wheaten bowden, william harriman, william hebblewhite, william john munce, william matthews, william rose

The Trustees for Lot 20 Henry Street were declared by the Wesleyan Methodist Church on 7 October 1901 to be Revd. Barnabas Shaw Walker, Minister of the Pentridge Circuit, Joseph Cooper, Gardener of Keelbundora, Samuel Jeffrey, Farmer of Jika Jika, Francis Thomas, Farmer of Doncaster and sometime of Keelbundora, John Brown, State School Teacher, William John Taylor, Gardener, Robert David Taylor, Gardener and Isaac Hill, Dealer, all of Eltham. Originally purchased in 1856 from Thomas Roberts, Yeoman of Little Eltham, for £10 for use by the Wesleyan Chapel, represented by indentured Trustees, Rev. Barnabas Shaw Walker, Minister of the Pentridge Circuit, Francis Thomas, Farmer of Keelbundora, William Harriman, Blacksmith of Nillumbik, Nicholas Rodda, Farmer of Nillumbik, Aaron Grimshaw, Farmer of Greensborough, Joseph Cooper, Gardener of Keelbundora, Peter Dredge, Scholmaster of Jika Jika and Samuel Jeffrey, Farmer of Jika Jika. Lot 20 of Subdivision of Portion 13, Section 4 of the Parish of Nillumbik in the County of Evelyn was located on the southern side of Henry street in Little Eltham North, where the current Our Lady Help of Christians Catholic Church is situated. It became the location of the Eltham Rechabite Hall. In 1893 a new hall was built and further enlarged in 1919. At the commencement of 1922, the property was purchased from the Independent Order of Rechabites with publicly subscribed funds and a new hall built at a cost of £750 and improved road access constructed to reduce the grade, running from Dudley Street to Henry Street. This hall was eventually replaced with the new Shire Offices and Hall built on the corner of Arthur Street and Main Road, which was opened in 1941. Traces the earliest history of the Eltham Public Hall in Henry Street and the various names, occupations and abodes of the Trustees associated with the propertyeltham public hall, eltham rechabite hall, eltham wesleyan chapel, francis thomas, henry street, james abel marsland, james massland, john brown, joseph cooper, little eltham north, rev barnabas shaw walker, robert david taylor, samuel jeffrey, trustee, william john taylor, little eltham, isaac hill

This is the program of a concert held at Price’s Exchange Hall in Warrnambool in December, 1867. The concert was under the management of the Warrnambool Anglican Minister, Archdeacon T. P. Beamish and the proceeds were in aid of the Warrnambool Church of England Common School. The programme was printed on silk at the office of the Warrnambool Examiner newspaper. This paper was founded in 1851 by a pioneer settler in Warrnambool, Richard Osburne and it was leased by Henry Laurie and William Fairfax from 1867 to 1872; these latter two became the founders of the Warrnambool Standard (1872 to the present day) and were the printers of this program. There were 26 musical items, a recitation by John Flaxman and a ten minute interval. Three of the performers at this concert were well-known in Warrnambool for their musical talents – singer, William Fairfax, noted above, singer Sarah Welchman (also the proprietor of a private school for girls) and singer Mrs Steedman (also the proprietor of a girls’ private school in Warrnambool). The Warrnambool Church of England Common School (number 661) was established in Warrnambool as a Government-subsidized denominational school in 1860 and closed in 1876 when the Jamieson Street Warrnambool State School (SS1743) opened. Archdeacon Peter Beamish, the sponsor of the concert, was the Anglican Minister in Warrnambool from 1850 to 1895. Price’s Exchange Hall was part of a Temperance Hotel opened in Liebig Street in 1861 by Richard Wrench. In the 1860s Thomas Price opened the Royal Exchange Hotel on these premises and his Exchange Hall was the largest hall in Warrnambool at that time. This is a most significant item because:- 1. It is a rare example of a 19th century programme printed on silk 2. The listed concert programme is a good example of the type of entertainment held in Warrnambool in the 1860s 3. Some of the participants in the concert were well-known entertainers in Warrnambool in the 1860s – Fairfax, Steedman, Welchman 4. The programme is one of the few mementoes we hold of the Church of England Common School 5. Other people important in Warrnambool’s history are connected to this item – Archdeacon Beamish, Fairfax and Laurie of the Warrnambool Standard and Thomas Price and his Royal Exchange Hotel Hall. This is a programme printed on silk. The sheet has a decorative border, black printing and an image of musical instruments and music scores. The programme has frayed edges.Church of England Common School Grand Amateur Concert Wednesday 4th December 1867 Price’s Exchange Hall, Warrnambool royal exchange hotel, liebig street, warrnambool, archdeacon beamish, warrnambool, fairfax and laurie, warrnambool examiner, church of england common school 661, warrnambool, william fairfax, sarah welchman, mrs steedman, dr mckenzie, william chambers, henry chambers, john fairfax