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Melton City Libraries
Pamphlet, Thoroughbred Country, c.1985
"Melton has a long and celebrated history of horse breeding and racing. Draught horses were a crucial aspect of life in the early days of European settlement, and were heavily depended upon for both transport and agricultural labour. Peppercorn trees at the corner of Station and Brooklyn roads have been associated with a horse trough installed there to provide a drink to workhorses carting produce to the chaff mills and railway station south of Melton.20 Breeders, trainers and harness drivers in the area later became such an influential force in the equine industry that this came to be a defining aspect of the district’s identity and reputation.Pioneer of the Victorian horse racing industry and early Rockbank squatter William Cross Yuille was one of the earliest importers of stud racehorses in the district in the 1850s. A leading sports editor and writer, Yuille established bloodstock auctioning agency W. C. Yuille & Co. and was involved in the compilation of the first Australian Stud Book, which ensures the integrity of thoroughbred breeding in Australia. According to early Melton chronicler Alexander Cameron, horse races were first organised in the area by Rockbank farmer William Keating. Keating owned racehorses of his own, and many brought horses from Melbourne for the events, which ‘drew large gatherings’.22 Melton Racing Club meetings were held on the Exford Estate with the permission of H. W. Staughton, who built a small wooden grandstand in 1882. Other early races and sports meetings are said to have been held in the vicinity of the current-day Melton golf course.23 An 1884 article reported that Melton’s ‘race programme … equals any put forth by country towns of far greater size’. Ernest Clarke was another important figure in the early horse racing industry in Melton. He established the Melton Stud in 1902, which bred numerous successful racehorses. Perhaps most notably The Welkin, one of the most famous stallions in Australian horse racing in the early twentieth century. The Welkin sired Gloaming, bred by Clarke at the Melton stud in 1915 and one of Australia’s greatest champion racehorses. During a long and prestigious career in both Australia and New Zealand, Gloaming achieved a triumphant 57 wins out of 67 starts and won a record amount of prize money. Ken Cox purchased the Stockwell Stud in Diggers Rest in 1957 and developed it into one of the largest and most renowned thoroughbred breeders in Australia. With its top-class facilities, international design standards and scientific methods, Stockwell became ‘the flagship of the Victorian breeding industry’.26 As well as racing studs, numerous trotting tracks were established on the flat plains around Melton in the 1960s.27 Other studs to play a leading role in the development of Melton as thoroughbred country were Cornwall Park and Merrywood at Toolern Vale, St John’s Lane Stud at Diggers Rest and Birchwood, Teppo Park and Dreelburn in the far north-east of the shire, near Sunbury. By 1985, thoroughbred horse breeding was such big business in Melton that the shire council adopted the slogan ‘The Heart of Thoroughbred Country’, which was used throughout its promotional material.29 But the slogan contained deeper meaning and was not just about Melton’s great equine industry and thoroughbred champions, the council explained: ‘“Thoroughbred Country” should be seen as a new concept of Melton, as a place where people can achieve the “Thoroughbred” ideal, excellence in all aspects of life’. The aim of the council in promoting ‘The Heart of Thoroughbred Country’, was ‘to instil in present and future residents the feeling that this is a place that is better than others. A place to be proud of’. In 1988, Melton’s champion reinsman Gavin Lang won his 176th race of the season, claiming the national harness racing record for the most wins in a single season.The following year, the first Melton Plate was held at Moonee Valley Racecourse, cementing the district’s importance in the harness racing industry. The inaugural winner was Victorys Phil, owned by local Danny Mullan. By the 1990s, Melton had earned the title of the ‘Home of Harness Racing in Victoria’. State-of-the-art, world-class harness racing facility and entertainment complex Tabcorp Park opened in Melton in 2009. In 2011, the Shire of Melton was home to over 140 registered trainers and over 1,200 horses. The municipality’s continuing leadership and influence in the industry today is a testament to the skills, talents and leadership of the local community over its history".Shire of Melton pamphlet of a map and information of the equine industry in Meltoncouncil -
Melton City Libraries
Document, Minns Family Reunion, 2004
"A perpetual spring in the adjacent creek provided a steady supply of fresh water to the site on which the homestead is built. Although we can not be certain of the identity of the builder, the first stage of ‘The Willows’ homestead appears to have been constructed in the mid 1850s. The house is situated on Crown Allotment No.1 (No Section), Parish of Kororoit, an allotment of 5 acres 3 roods 4 perches. Although it had surveyed the land, the Crown did not offer it for sale until 22nd November 1861, at which time it was purchased by Charles March Williams. (Although the property is directly opposite and immediately adjacent to the Township of Melton, and was sold as ‘Suburban Allotment 33’, it was situated within the Shire of Braybrook rather than the Shire of Melton until 1917.) Considerable improvements had taken place on the land prior to the Crown sale. When CM Williams purchased the allotment in November 1861 he paid £23.5.0 for the land itself, and valued the improvements at £400. Even allowing for some exaggeration by Williams, this is an extremely high valuation for improvements, and must have included a house. Some local research has claimed that in 1858 Williams had taken over the interest of a Mr Parkinson in the property, and that Parkinson built the house upon taking possession of the land c.1855. It was definitely built by 1861, when a map shows a square building on the site marked as ‘House’. The property is important in the district for its association with the establishment of the pound. The district pound had been established in 1854, when George Scarborough of Mount Cottrell (Mt Cottrell Road, south of Greigs Road) was appointed pound-keeper. Scarborough resigned in 1857. The pound was moved to Melton following agitation from local farmers and Charles March Williams appointed pound-keeper on 26th April 1858. Williams, the son of a doctor, had been born in London. Reminiscences of local residents of the time, as recorded in the Express newspaper, note Williams’ success in breeding horses on the property. Sales of up to 60 guineas were noted. Whether this was from Williams’s own stock or from unclaimed pound stock is not made clear. Williams appeared before a government inquiry in 1860 and advocated registration of all stock brands in the State. Williams died in 1862 leaving a widow, Catherine, and five living children aged 15 years to five months. At the time of his death Williams had entered negotiations with one Matthew Devenish and had a mortgage of £100 on allotments 1 and 2, Parish of Kororoit. Catherine Williams was appointed pound-keeper on 2 September 1863, with her eldest son Charles as her assistant. Her tenure was short for on 22nd March 1864 George Minns senior paid Matthew Devenish £135 for allotments 1 and 2 Parish of Kororoit (considerably less than Williams had claimed the property was worth in 1861) and on the same day paid William Tullidge £45 for the adjoining allotments 3 and 4. In April 1867, James Ebden Minns, the newly married son of George senior became the owner of The Willows property having entered into a mortgage arrangement with his father to the extent of £200. At the time George Minns was residing in Kaarimba having left Melton in 1867 for a short trip to England and upon his return having taken up a selection in the Kaarimba district with his son Frederick who had a hotel licence there. James paid out the mortgage on 2-1-1873. James Minns was appointed pound-keeper in 1872; in 1885 the pound was moved elsewhere and Minns purchased the old pound site and added it to his farm. The Willows residence underwent a major change about this time. A two room extension, similar in style but with a lower elevation was added to the original rear of the house with a chimney matching the distinctive originals. Window arrangements did not match the original but became a feature of the façade when the new addition became the front of the building. Six buttresses were attached to the east and west walls of the old building, two to the south wall and the whole rendered with mortar to give the appearance of dressed stonework around the windows. Galvanized iron was placed over the shingles and a verandah added on three sides. By 1876 The Willows was the homestead for a thriving mixed farm of 340 acres of which 156 was rented from a H. Ruck. In October of that year the Australasian travelling reporter visited and reported on the property. In common with the nearly every other property in the district the farm had ‘recently’ (generally within the last two years) abandoned cultivation of crops, and turned over completely to cattle pasture. Butter making was the principal occupation of the farm, which had about 50 head of cattle, a large proportion of which were milking cows. The reporter also noted that a ‘large number of pigs are kept upon this farm and are found to be very profitable stock’. Their manure was used in an orchard and garden in which ‘large quantities of lucerne and prairie grass are grown for the use of stock when ordinary feed is scarce’. Two bores attached to deep brick lined wells supplied water for the house in addition to the farm. A commodious timber barn and necessary sheds had also been constructed. Access to the property was improved following the construction of the bluestone ford across the creek c.1887, when the recreation ground came into use. Prior to this date it may have been that the crossing referred to as ‘Mr Minns bridge’ was used. This appears to have been a flimsy structure and has but two references in Council reports in the Melton Express in the 1880’s. It is believed that in the late 1890’s a timber building was added near the rear of the building to house a kitchen, ablutions and laundry rooms and rooms for seasonal workers. This was attached to the house by means of a trellised walkway using the original front entry to the house (long since the back door). A photograph of this building appears in a local history of Melton. This was demolished in recent decades during the period when the house was tenanted (after the Minns family had left). James Minns son, George, took over the property following his marriage to Alice Walsh in 1903. James and Caroline moved into a house on the former JH Games property at the eastern end of Henry Street. George held the position of Shire Secretary for Melton for 40 years. He was a most prominent member of the community being Secretary to, among others, the Melton Coursing Club, the Shooting Club and the Cemetery Trust. He also rode with the hunting parties who sported across the Plains and were entertained at Mount Kororoit. George and Alice had one son, Norman who followed his father into local government and became Secretary of the Shire of Werribee completing a record term in this position. George retired to Werribee in 1951, where he died in 1965. The National Trust records note that James Ebden Minns and his sons were ‘leading men of the district, Justices of the Peace, and Shire Councillors’. It claims that Sir Thomas Bent was a frequent visitor. The Willows passed into the hands of George’s grandson, Bruce Minns and the property was let for a number of years. In the 1960s it became vacant and was subject to vandalism. Major structural problems arose with the part demolition of the roof, the loss of windows and doors and holes dug into and under the floorboards. The outbuildings were particularly targeted. Following widespread public support, the Shire of Melton purchased the house, with 3.75 acres of land, in 1972. In 1975 the Shire of Melton and the Melton and District Historical Society were successful in nominating the building for National Trust classification, and then the Australian Heritage Commission’s Register of the National Estate. The AHC particularly noted its ‘townscape importance’. It was envisaged that the farmhouse would form ‘a picturesque centrepiece to Melton’s planned … historical park, along with Dunvegan bluestone cottage … and similar structures as they become available.’ In a time of great Melton’s ‘satellite city’ development the Council spelt out its broader vision in its submission to the AHC: ‘Melton is destined to become, by the end of the present century, a city of between 75,000 and 100,000 people. Significant relics of the past, such as ‘The Willows’, regrettably will be rare in that situation. It is essential that sufficient tangible links with Melton’s pioneering days remain to promote in the new community a sense of history and continuity’. Under the direction of ‘The Willows’ Restoration Committee and consultant architect John Hitch, all outbuildings, with the exception of the garage and toilet, were demolished and the dwelling house restored. Finances were provided by the Shire of Melton and the National Estate Grants Program, and considerable amount of voluntary labour was provided by the local community. The orchard was removed, and remaining wooden buildings were relocated to provide an open vista for visitors to the Park. The property was furnished with donations from district families keen to preserve this example of pioneer life in the area. The Willows became the headquarters of the Melton and District Historical Society". Invitation to the family reunion at the Willowslocal identities, pioneer families -
The Celtic Club
Book, H. V. Evatt, William Holman: Australian Labour leader, 1940
Biography of W. A. Holman leader of the ALP and the labour movement in Sydney.Index, ill, plates, p.429.non-fictionBiography of W. A. Holman leader of the ALP and the labour movement in Sydney. australian labor party - history, william holman - biography -
The Celtic Club
Book, Heather Radi, Jack Lang, 1977
... of Labour History's commitment to collect and publish ...The book is the result of the Society of Labour History's commitment to collect and publish the achievements and impact of labour social and economic policies and their impact on Australian society.Index, bib, ill, p.282.The book is the result of the Society of Labour History's commitment to collect and publish the achievements and impact of labour social and economic policies and their impact on Australian society.australia - politics and government, jack lang - biography -
Melbourne Tram Museum
Document - Report, Robert Risson, "Problems in Passenger Transport in City Streets", May. 1954
Printed extract - four pages 35 to 38 of an paper printed in Electrical Engineer and Merchandiser, May 15, 1954 titled "Problems in Passenger Transport in City Streets", by Robert Risson. Presented originally to Melbourne Division of the Institute of Engineers 13/4/1954. Pages contained with in a manila folder and marked "Problems in Passenger Transport in City Streets" - (Extract from Electrical Engineer and Merchandiser - 15/5/54). Looks at transport in Melbourne, its history, trams vs trolley buses vs buses, track costs, tram carrying capacity vs its cost vs buses, labour costs, traffic congestion, car parking, costs and fares, peak loads and staggering of hours. Has a graph showing passengers arriving or departing in peak hours and impact of staggered hours.On front cover of folder - the AETA stamp and library number in red "4J14"trams, tramways, melbourne, traffic control, mmtb, public transport -
Canterbury History Group
Book, Don Gibb et al, Canterbury: a history, 2022
Canterbury: A History covers the history of the suburb of Canterbury, Victoria from its Aboriginal history as part of the country of the Wurundjeri people to its completed development as a middle-class suburb by the late 1950s. The book had been a labour of love by esteemed historian, Don Gibb, for many years. Don’s sudden death in late 2017 left the manuscript uncompleted. The Canterbury History Group and the Royal Historical Society of Victoria, together with Don’s family, were determined to see Don’s book completed and published. Jill Barnard contributed the final two chapters dealing with the inter war and post-World War II decades.187 pages : illustrations, maps, portraits, facsimilesnon-fictionCanterbury: A History covers the history of the suburb of Canterbury, Victoria from its Aboriginal history as part of the country of the Wurundjeri people to its completed development as a middle-class suburb by the late 1950s. The book had been a labour of love by esteemed historian, Don Gibb, for many years. Don’s sudden death in late 2017 left the manuscript uncompleted. The Canterbury History Group and the Royal Historical Society of Victoria, together with Don’s family, were determined to see Don’s book completed and published. Jill Barnard contributed the final two chapters dealing with the inter war and post-World War II decades.canterbury, canterbury history, residential development, maling road, gibb> don -
Warrnambool and District Historical Society Inc.
Administrative record - Warrnambool Water Trust Notebook, late 19th century (1892-1900)
This notebook appears to be the Warrnambool Water Trust Records of two contracts in 1892 . (The reference is written as 'W.W.Trust'.) The first contract, with the contractors, Coates and Reed, is for the excavation for settling tanks and clear water basin and a reservoir in Liebig Street and there are 60 pages giving details of these works - labour, masonry, concreting, fencing etc. The second contract with the contractor, William Kellas, is for the erection of a cottage and an engine shed and boiler room (7 pages). The Warrnambool Water Trust was set up in 1891 and the first project was the supply of water from the Merri River near Wollaston to a reservoir and tower in Liebig Street and this notebook concerns some details of this early water supply scheme. This notebook is of some interest as it supplies details of a late 19th century Warrnambool water supply scheme and so should be of value to local history researchers This is a notebook with a red leather cover and pages with printed headings and ruled red lines. The pages contain handwriting in black ink. The cover has a label (partly torn) with handwriting.Returns Contracts 1 & 2warrnambool water supply, warrnambool water board, 19th century water in warrnambool -
Victorian Railway History Library
Book, Rowe, Denis, John, Construction of the Great Northern Railway in New South Wales 1854-1889, 1986
... and labour history. ill, maps, p.226. Construction of the Great ...A thesis for a Masters of Arts degree on the construction of the Great Northern Railway in New South Wales from Sydney to Wallangarra 1854-1889: An economic and labour history.ill, maps, p.226.non-fictionA thesis for a Masters of Arts degree on the construction of the Great Northern Railway in New South Wales from Sydney to Wallangarra 1854-1889: An economic and labour history.railroad construction - new south wales - history, railroad construction - australia - history -
Merri-bek City Council
Photograph - Digital print on Ilford Fibre Pearl paper, Kim Kruger, Within ten miles of Melbourne 2, 2022
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Merri-bek City Council
Photograph - Digital print on Ilford Fibre Pearl paper, Kim Kruger, Splitting logs for a “feed” 1, 2022
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Merri-bek City Council
Photograph - Digital print on Ilford Fibre Pearl paper, Kim Kruger, Within ten miles of Melbourne 1, 2022
merri-bek public art collection