Strathfieldsaye was first incorporated as a road district on 20 August 1861, and became a shire on 17 September 1866.Strathfieldsaye Council was suspended on 20 July 1993, with a commissioner appointed, after allegations of the council being divided and unworkable.On 7 April 1994, the Shire of Strathfieldsaye was abolished, and, along with the City of Bendigo, the Borough of Eaglehawk, the Rural City of Marong and the Shire of Huntly, was merged into the newly created City of Greater Bendigo. (source Wikipedia). Strathfieldsaye was divided into three wards, each of which elected three councillors; Axedale Ward, Mandurang Ward, Strathfieldsaye Ward. The Shire of Sthrathfieldsaye President's chain was manufactured by P. Blashki and Sons in Stirling silver with a 22ct gold plated finish. Consisting of 20 links, the centre piece depicts the Australian Coat of Arms and drop features an enameled Shire of Strathfieldsaye coat of arms. President / Shire of Strathfieldsaye / Victoria / 1866 / Dieu et mon droit / PROGRESS / 1866city of greater bendigo ceremonial item, shire of strathfieldsaye, president of strathfieldsaye shire

Druids are known to exist from around the 3rd century B.C. Their name may have come from a Celtic word meaning “knower of the oak tree.” Many of their ceremonies were carried out in oak groves, which they considered sacred and members were, at that time a mix of priest, judge, doctor and philosopher. The Druids enjoyed a revival in the 19th century and were taken up enthusiastically during the Victorian era. Druidry was believed to have been introduced into Australia in 1851 with the setting up of the first lodge in Melbourne under the name United Ancient Order of Druids. Unlike the Freemasons, the Druids were not a secret society and were not selective in who they let in, as long as they paid their dues and acted more like a benevolent society than a spiritual movement. "They originally operated when there were few benefits available from the government or employers and the introduction of sick leave and other employer provided benefits, combined with the gradual introduction of government subsidised medicine, caused the need for them to diminish." Druids House — in Swanston Street, was opened by the Lord Mayor in 1927 and was designed to be the movement's national head office. It was completed at a cost of 19,000 pounds. This photograph was believed to have been commissioned by the Druids of Bendigo to the Licensees of the Queens Head pub where they regularly met, situated on the corner of the Bendigo-Maryborough Rd & the Calder Alternate Hwy ( Lockwood Cross Roads). The old Marong Council offices were situated opposite from 1864 until around 1908 when new offices were then built in Marong. It is believed that this photograph and a photo of the pub were given to Marong Shire by descendants of the publicans, probably in the 90’s. Framed black and white group photographic portrait of 37 members of the Sandhurst Chapter of the Druids staged and shot outdoors. Each of the gentlemen is carrying a bouquet of flowers. The photograph has a gold inner mount with the second mount cut to give the impression of a frame. The outer mount is hand painted with botanical motifs and elaborate text c.t. DRUIDS Sandhurst Lodge/ No 247. l.c Presented to Mr and Mrs Chadwick / Lockwood / in recognition for kindness rendered.W. G. Robinson / Photo and J.H. Gribble / Long Gully / 1,11,10robinson photographer, j.h.b. gribble artist, chadwick, shire of marong, city of greater bendigo portraits, city of greater bendigo community groups

Marong was first incorporated as a road district on 27 August 1861, and became a shire on 23 December 1864. On 1 October 1915, the Borough of Raywood, which was gazetted on 17 January 1865 on 23.31 square kilometres of land 28 kilometres north of Bendigo was united with Marong. On 1 October 1990, the Shire of Marong became a rural city, under the Local Government Act 1989. In a report on 17 February 1994, the Local Government Board recommended that the five councils in the Bendigo region merge to form a "super city", with a population of about 81,000. Marong, Eaglehawk and Huntly had earlier objected to the proposal, and the Board noted a weak no vote against the merger proposal in a referendum in the region; about 70% had voted against, but with a turnout of between 30% and 40% of eligible voters. The three councils filed a writ in the Supreme Court, alleging failure to follow process by the Minister for Local Government, Roger Hallam, but by the time the new "super city" was announced, the writ had not yet been heard, and on 24 March 1994, the Rural City of Marong successfully applied for an injunction blocking the publication of the gazette the following day abolishing the five councils and appointing three commissioners. The government responded by introducing legislation, the City of Greater Bendigo Bill 1994, to Parliament, to effectively override the Supreme Court action, with Hallam saying "the bill would make clear that the Government is determined to achieve its objective for a more efficient municipal structure for the Bendigo region." Marong mayor Robert Hynes described the action as "terribly disappointing", adding, "One way or another, I believe it does mean an end to our fight... it seems the Government are above the law to me." On 6 April 1994, Marong voted to drop the Supreme Court action, effectively in doing so voting itself out of existence, and on 7 April 1994, the Rural City of Marong was abolished, and along with the City of Bendigo, the Borough of Eaglehawk and the Shires of Huntly and Strathfieldsaye, was merged into the newly created City of Greater Bendigo. On 29 April 1994, the Minister confirmed the Bill was not being proceeded with. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rural_City_of_MarongEight page newspaper style council newsletter providing community updates, news and information. shire of marong, city of greater bendigo amalgamation, councillor phillip eddy, rural city of marong

Theodolites are a highly accurate instrument that measures angles between designated visible points in the horizontal and vertical planes. The theodolite has a long history, with the term first found in 1571 in a surveying textbook 'A geometric practice named Pantometria' by Leonard Digges. (source https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodolite). Theodolites are used by surveyors as part of their everyday work and although there is no specific information regarding the provenance of this particular one it is assumed it was used locally by the Shire of Marong and / or the Lands Department. Edwin Watts started the company in 1856, trading up to 1920s as E.R. Watts & Son with E. R. Watts & Son Ltd amalgamating with Adam Hilger Ltd to form Hilger & Watts in 1948.0442.1 A black and grey theodolite no 39161 made by Watts & Sons. Various moving parts showing signs of extensive use particularly on the uprights on the main body and around knobs and dials where the paint is worn back to brass. Is housed in original box with key, oil container and pin. 0442.2 handwritten instructions for making adjustments to the Theodolite written on the back of Road Users' Association of Victoria letterhead note paper.Watts & Sons / London / 5974 For N H Seward / Melbournelands and survey department bendigo, shire of marong