A $700,000 fire at Mitcham Primary School may be linked to an arson attempt at Blackburn Secondary College. Music equipment and computers were lost and setting up of a new science room has also been lost. Mullauna College has offered use of rooms until next year.A $700,000 fire at Mitcham Primary School may be linked to an arson attempt at Blackburn Secondary College.schools, mitcham primary school, no. 2904, cole, alan, blackburn secondary college, mullauna secondary college

The Nunawading Community Hub has achieved a 5 Star Green rating by the Green Building Council of AustraliaThe Nunawading Community Hub has been built on the former site of the Nunawading Primary School and the historical building has been retained and refurbished featuring classrooms, meeting rooms, spaces for art, dance and counselling as well as communal kitchen facilities.

1888 school opened. 1890 children attend (50ft x 20ft room. 90 children, 3 teachers)1922 land purchased on Tirana St. site. 1930 brick building built for upper grades. 1950's timber rooms added, later burnt down. 1967 Junior classes to brick extension Tirana St. 2008 2 large learning spaces built.Sepia photograph of Mitcham school (Grade 7 and 8) taken outside in front of a plant covered wall. The photograph was taken in 1937. This is a class of 37 children. Teacher on the right.mitcham state school no 2094, class photo, 1937

Built on part of former Primary School pine plantation.Colour photograph of Lakes Entrance Seniors Club Rooms at Coates Road, showing a brick building with hip roof. Ramp to side entry, main entry on east side. Tambo Shire Offices on hill in background. Lakes Entrance Victoria

This photograph is assumed to be the interior of the same truck shown in item 0006, which is marked Department of Health School Dental Service. The picture shows two rooms, each with a dental chair and cabinets with drawers.

Notes from the meeting of the Junior Legatee Committee held on 28 September 1942 reveal how Legatees perceived the need to establish a residence for juniors. The notes detail the type of residence which would be appropriate, and how it should be funded and run in broad outline. These views were informed by an interview with the Headmaster of Box Hill Grammar School, a co-educational boarding school.It is interesting to note the different attitudes towards boys and girls at that time; girls required sewing and music rooms to replace the workshop and gym for the boys. The impetus to provide safe accommodation for children exemplify Legacy values.5 quarto carbon copies, black on white, two punched holes for filing.Pages 4 and 5 hand written numbers '4' and '3' Date on Page 1 underlined in pen.holmbush initial negotiations, committee

Timetable published by the Electric Supply Co of Victoria (ESCo) for Ballarat Tramways - dated 1/10/1914 to 30/4/1915. Provides times for each route, ticket prices, school tickets, fare box routes, fares, transfer tickets, and route colours both for day and night. Also has notes to passengers and places of interest for each route. Has contact phone numbers for the Company. Manager Mr Pringle. See item 9131 for a 1915 Winter timetable. Has many adverts - from the front page: A M Palmer Chemist Hodgson - optical Snows - department store Summerscales - postcards W E Thomas - Dentist L Casper - optician E Jermyn - feed merchant Standsfield & Smith - Decorators Briant's Red shop tea rooms A E White - tailor Ellingsen & Co - furniture Southern Cross Hotel H P Stevens & Co - fur coats Frank Williams - painter and decorator Longhurst's bread factory G Buchanan - metal ceilings Robert Hutchinson - electrical engineer and contractor G Ludbrook - furnishing undertaker A Cant - plumber, gasfitter and ironmonger Huddart Parker and Howard Smith coal merchants Precision Big 4 - motor cycles and bicycles H W Channing - Tram drivers' training school T H Richards - butcher C Ellis - furniture exchange Levecke's motor garage Frank Penhalluriack - electrical work Nankervis - store Taffy King Fred A Reed - tobacconist F & J W Gower - builder E E Hobson - decorator Walter Cornell - liver pills Irvines - wines G Warner - Ironmonger J A Reynolds - Wall papers W J Robson - leadlights Porter's - boots and shoes Holman & Fiscalini - stables and motor garage Butler & Co - blinds Mrs Kerby - clothing reseller Rose Cosmetic - H Binzer & Co Mrs Busfield - laundry Mrs J H Dogson - registry office for servants B G Tucker's Water Cure Electric Supply Co Rowlands drinks On the bottom of most pages - Sidar products and on the top the Coliseum Picture Palace. Demonstrates and ESCo timetable and provides information about fare systems and local businesses.Time table - booklet - 40 pages + brown light card covers centre stapled with tabbed or cut pages.tramways, ballarat, timetables, esco, advertisements, fares, tickets, fare boxes

Timetable published by the Electric Supply Co of Victoria (ESCo) for Ballarat Tramways - dated 1/5/1915 to 30/9/1915 - winter. Provides times for each route, ticket prices, school tickets, issue and use of tokens, fares, transfer tickets, and route colours both for day and night. Also has notes to passengers and places of interest for each route. Has contact phone numbers for the Company. Manager Mr Pringle. See item 9132 for a 1914 Summer timetable. Has many adverts - from the front page: A M Palmer Chemist Hodgson - optical Snows - department store ESCo - show room in Sturt St L Casper - optician E Jermyn - feed merchant Standsfield & Smith - Decorators Briant's Red shop tea rooms A E White - tailor Ellingsen & Co - furniture Southern Cross Hotel H P Stevens & Co - fur coats Frank Williams - painter and decorator Longhurst's bread factory G Buchanan - metal ceilings Robert Hutchinson - electrical engineer and contractor G Ludbrook - furnishing undertaker A Cant - plumber, gasfitter and ironmonger Huddart Parker and Howard Smith coal merchants Precision Big 4 - motor cycles and bicycles H W Channing - Tram drivers' training school T H Richards - butcher C Ellis - furniture exchange Levecke's motor garage Frank Penhalluriack - electrical work Nankervis - store Taffy King Fred A Reed - tobacconist F & J W Gower - builder E E Hobson - decorator Walter Cornell - liver pills Irvines - wines G Warner - Ironmonger J A Reynolds - Wall papers ESCo Electric lighting Holman & Fiscalini - stables and motor garage Butler & Co - blinds Mrs Kerby - clothing reseller Rose Cosmetic - H Binzer & Co Mrs Busfield - laundry Mrs J H Dogson - registry office for servants Summerscales - stationary and postcards W J Robson - glass Porter's Boots and Shoes B G Tucker's Water Cure Electric Supply Co Rowlands drinks On the bottom of most pages - Sidar products and on the top the Coliseum Picture Palace. Demonstrates and ESCo timetable and provides information about fare systems and local businesses.Time table - booklet - 40 pages + green light card covers centre stapled with tabbed or cut pages.tramways, ballarat, timetables, esco, advertisements, fares, tickets, tokens

William Turner, a Scottish born free-lance designer, who was contracted to GP&J Baker, painted the image on which the design was based in 1918. Turner had trained as a furniture designer before leaving for London in the 1890s, where he rose to prominence as an Arts & Crafts designer. The bird that gives this design its name is adapted from Robert Havell’s ‘A Collection of Birds of Paradise’, published in 1835, and was a favourite of Victorian chintz designers.“Paradise Bird” has been in continuous production since its creation. The hand-block print, of which these curtains are an early example, was supplemented by a version engraved on copper rollers in 1962, and was updated onto screens in 1982. The curtains have significance to the collection because of their intrinsic value and for the link to one of the historic mansions in the City of Boroondara. The curtains by G.P & J Baker of London use one of the exemplary designs in this manufacturer’s output. The first use of the design was in 1918, following the Great War, and the design is said to reflect the hope for peace which was a feature of the postwar years. The curtains are an early example of the Paradise Bird design, and were block printed. A pair of curtains originally situated in one of the front reception rooms of 'Tourmont' in Balwyn Road, Balwyn (now Fintona Girls’ School). The fabric in the curtains was manufactured by the English firm of GP&J Baker. The textile design is variably named as ‘Paradise Bird’ or more recently, ‘Hydrangea Bird’. Turner’s bird perches in a blossoming branch directly above a woodpecker, which is an attribute of Mars, god of war. Thus the design reads as a symbolic statement where War is reversed and Paradise returns (a hopeful message at the end of WWI). “Paradise Bird” has been in continuous production since its creation. . curtains, fabric design, historic buildings

180 Cotham Road, formerly 178 and later 210 Cotham Road, described as a brick residence of six rooms, was constructed in c.1890, for Alexander Hall, a dentist. From 1903, Miss Florrie Wymond operated a girls school at the property, and a timber schoolroom building was constructed at the rear of the property. During the 1930s, the school was known as the Clarence Primary School, and operated by Misses F L and M Wymond. While the listing of the property as a primary school had ceased by 1947, the Wymond family owned the property until the mid 1960s. (Source: Lovell Chen 2007, Review of B-graded buildings in Kew, Camberwell and Hawthorn).One of three photographs taken between 1930 and 1935 of students of 'Clarence' Kindergarten and Sub-Primary, located at 180 Cotham Road. The photos were accompanied by detailed notes identifying the names of students (where remembered).schools -- kew (vic.), clarence school, clarence house, 180 cotham road -- kew (vic.)

180 Cotham Road, formerly 178 and later 210 Cotham Road, described as a brick residence of six rooms, was constructed in c.1890, for Alexander Hall, a dentist. From 1903, Miss Florrie Wymond operated a girls school at the property, and a timber schoolroom building was constructed at the rear of the property. During the 1930s, the school was known as the Clarence Primary School, and operated by Misses F L and M Wymond. While the listing of the property as a primary school had ceased by 1947, the Wymond family owned the property until the mid 1960s. (Source: Lovell Chen 2007, Review of B-graded buildings in Kew, Camberwell and Hawthorn).One of three photographs taken between 1930 and 1935 of students of 'Clarence' Kindergarten and Sub-Primary, located at 180 Cotham Road. The photos were accompanied by detailed notes identifying the names of students (where remembered).schools -- kew (vic.), clarence school, clarence house, 180 cotham road -- kew (vic.)

180 Cotham Road, formerly 178 and later 210 Cotham Road, described as a brick residence of six rooms, was constructed in c.1890, for Alexander Hall, a dentist. From 1903, Miss Florrie Wymond operated a girls school at the property, and a timber schoolroom building was constructed at the rear of the property. During the 1930s, the school was known as the Clarence Primary School, and operated by Misses F L and M Wymond. While the listing of the property as a primary school had ceased by 1947, the Wymond family owned the property until the mid 1960s. (Source: Lovell Chen 2007, Review of B-graded buildings in Kew, Camberwell and Hawthorn).One of three photographs taken between 1930 and 1935 of students of 'Clarence' Kindergarten and Sub-Primary, located at 180 Cotham Road. The photos were accompanied by detailed notes identifying the names of students (where remembered).schools -- kew (vic.), clarence school, clarence house, 180 cotham road -- kew (vic.)

Marion POPPLEWELL (1912-1998) Born Yorkshire Marion Popplewell visited relatives in Ballarat in the early 1940s. She loved Ballarat so much she decided to stay. She worked at a bank in Lydiard Street, opposite the Art Gallery of Ballarat, and lived in rooms above the Lydiard Street Shops. Marion enrolled in some evening classes at the Ballarat Technical Art School (a predecessor institution of Federation University Australia) conducted by Neville Bunning. He was nor overly happy with her small colourful jugs and vases, wanting her to handbuild pots, rather than wheel throw them. Marion Popplewell continued making her small wheel thrown pots with fine handles, and made glazes herself from materials imported from England. Attending classes in Ceramics up until the mid 1970s, she also took some classes in Woodwork and Needlework. Her 'Pink Glazed Jug' 1945 won a prize at the Royal Melbourne Show in the late 1940s. She died in Melbourne on 26 September 1998. This item is part of the Federation University Art Collection. The Art Collection features over 2000 works and was listed as a 'Ballarat Treasure' in 2007.Wheel thrown vessel with three slight bulges and turned foot. Deep blue glaze with rim banded in a second glaze, causing a eutectic reaction, causing the spontaneous syrupy runs down the outside of the vessel. Vessel has many small divots, suggesting the clay may have been reclaimed, or collected from nature, and not thoroughly prepared before throwing. Vessel has one small chip (13mm x 5mm) on inside of rim, but is not a threat to its overall integrity. Inscription on base: "MP 59" Sticker: "85"art, artwork, marion popplewell, ceramics, ceramics available, alumni

Marion POPPLEWELL (1912-1998) Born Yorkshire Marion Popplewell visited relatives in Ballarat in the early 1940s. She loved Ballarat so much she decided to stay. She worked at a bank in Lydiard Street, opposite the Art Gallery of Ballarat, and lived in rooms above the Lydiard Street Shops. Marion enrolled in some evening classes at the Ballarat Technical Art School (a predecessor institution of Federation University Australia) conducted by Neville Bunning. He was nor overly happy with her small colourful jugs and vases, wanting her to handbuild pots, rather than wheel throw them. Marion Popplewell continued making her small wheel thrown pots with fine handles, and made glazes herself from materials imported from England. Attending classes in Ceramics up until the mid 1970s, she also took some classes in Woodwork and Needlework. Her 'Pink Glazed Jug' 1945 won a prize at the Royal Melbourne Show in the late 1940s. She died in Melbourne on 26 September 1998. This item is part of the Federation University Art Collection. The Art Collection features over 2000 works and was listed as a 'Ballarat Treasure' in 2007.Wheel thrown vessel with 2 handles and turned foot. Bronze like glaze with some feint pearlescence and slight crazing. Inscription on base reads "MP 74," sticker reads "2"art, artwork, marion popplewell, popplewell, ceramics, ballarat technical art school

Marion POPPLEWELL (1912-1998) Born Yorkshire Marion Popplewell visited relatives in Ballarat in the early 1940s. She loved Ballarat so much she decided to stay. She worked at a bank in Lydiard Street, opposite the Art Gallery of Ballarat, and lived in rooms above the Lydiard Street Shops. Marion enrolled in some evening classes at the Ballarat Technical Art School (a predecessor institution of Federation University Australia) conducted by Neville Bunning. He was nor overly happy with her small colourful jugs and vases, wanting her to handbuild pots, rather than wheel throw them. Marion Popplewell continued making her small wheel thrown pots with fine handles, and made glazes herself from materials imported from England. Attending classes in Ceramics up until the mid 1970s, she also took some classes in Woodwork and Needlework. Her 'Pink Glazed Jug' 1945 won a prize at the Royal Melbourne Show in the late 1940s. She died in Melbourne on 26 September 1998. This item is part of the Federation University Art Collection. The Art Collection features over 2000 works and was listed as a 'Ballarat Treasure' in 2007.A collection of small hand thrown and glazed pots, jugs and bowls, 25 items in total. Tall jugs x 7 - from 5.5cm to 14cm tall Squat jugs x 7 - from 2.6cm to 6.8cm tall Small bowls x 5 - from 2.1cm to 5.3cm tall vase shapes x 5 - from 3.2 to 9cm tall one miniature mug - 3.2cm x 4.2cm art, artwork, marion popplewell, alumni, ballarat technical art school

Note by T.H. Kneen 20.02.1991, Early stages of landscaping for the new building. Note young Magnolia grandiflora planted to soften stark wall. The building comprised right to left Principal's office, office for school teaching staff, offices for Fruit Preserving Branch, Agrostology Branch and future Plant Breeding Branch (branches of the Department of Agriculture), four class rooms, Assembly Hall, Library and student change rooms. The old Pavilion was demolished earlier.3 copies black and white photographs. Very similar views of the newly constructed Administration Building. Planting around the building. Flag flying.principal's office, fruit preserving branch, agrostology branch, plant breeding branch, assembly hall, library, pavilion, planting, landscaping, magnolia grandiflora, staff room, class rooms, student change rooms

Note by T.H. Kneen 20 February 1991, "East facade of building L to R Library over Assembly Hall, change rooms, classroom block, offices for school staff & three branches of Department of Agriculture, Principal's office to extreme right." 2 copies black and white photograph. Taken further to the left of B91.24On reverse, "1949 Commercial Photographic Co. Pty. Ltd. FJ 5266 When ordering further prints please quote K370-6".library, assembly hall, change rooms, classroom block, office, staff, principal, administration building, branches dept of agriculture, main building

This was reproduced from a copy of the 1926 flyer relating to the Annual Speech Night. See vertical file re Mont Albert Primary / Mont Albert Central School. It was reproduced with the consent of the school archives in the early 1980's by Kenneth Tudor Hall. Mont Albert Primary was built in 1917 and was designated as a Central School in 1918 when Forms 1 & 2 were added. It remained as such until the 1964 when the secondary years formed the basis of a new high school, known as the Box Hill North High School, (later changed to Koonung Secondary College). The original building was constructed of solid red brick and consisted of seven rooms. In May 1924 a further four rooms, also in red brick, were added. The school opened with an initial enrolment of 147 students in Prep to Grade 6. A further 72 children were admitted during the year, making a total enrolment in the first year of 219. The land facing Kenmare Street was purchased in 1919, adding another 2 acres to the 5.5 acres which the school occupied in 1917. The first Principal was Charles Hyland, who was assisted by three teachers. The first official meeting of the School Council in May 1917 reveals that the building was in some senses a shell, requiring additional input from parents. Mention is made of the need for asphalting of playing areas, providing a letter box and electric lights for the lobby, double room, office and sewing room. Mont Albert was the first School in Victoria to have the interior purely constructed of Victoria hardwood, from floor to ceiling. An Honour Board was erected in 1919. mont albert central school, mont albert primary school, mont albert, schools

This was reproduced from a copy of the 1926 flyer relating to the Annual Speech Night. See vertical file re Mont Albert Primary / Mont Albert Central School. It was reproduced with the consent of the school archives in the early 1980's by Kenneth Tudor Hall. Mont Albert Primary was built in 1917 and was designated as a Central School in 1918 when Forms 1 & @ were added. It remained as such until the 1964 when the secondary years formed the basis of a new high school, known as the Box Hill North High School, (later changed to Koonung Secondary College). The original building was constructed of solid red brick and consisted of seven rooms. In May 1924 a further four rooms, also in red brick, were added. The school opened with an initial enrolment of 147 students in Prep to Grade 6. A further 72 children were admitted during the year, making a total enrolment in the first year of 219. The land facing Kenmare Street was purchased in 1919, adding another 2 acres to the 5.5 acres which the school occupied in 1917. The first Principal was Charles Hyland, who was assisted by three teachers. The first official meeting of the School Council in May 1917 reveals that the building was in some senses a shell, requiring additional input from parents. Mention is made of the need for asphalting of playing areas, providing a letter box and electric lights for the lobby, double room, office and sewing room. Mont Albert was the first School in Victoria to have the interior purely constructed of Victoria hardwood, from floor to ceiling. An Honour Board was erected in 1919. mont albert central school, mont albert primary school, mont albert, schools

Articles in the annual report include: the opening of the new building at Burwood (Enfield) and the facilities it provides, including a bowling green, swimming pool and rooms for specialist areas such as orientation and mobility and music braille; the need for the new building, publication of a booklet 'The Pre-School Child who is blind', the development of rehabilitation services for those who are unable to visit the new site and the introduction of Mark IV talking book machines.1 volume of text and imagesroyal blind society of new south wales, corporation records

Melton South "The establishment of a settlement of Melton South was induced by the opening of the railway in 1884. This subsequently prompted a number of industries, initially sawmills, and in the early twentieth century, chaff mills. This development coincided with the Exford ‘Closer Settlement’ estate at the beginning of the new century, boosting local population and produce, and the development of the chaff industry which employed many people in the Melton area. (Around 1912 the government had brought out English migrants to settle the Exford estate.) By c.1912 the small Melton Railway Station settlement had a boarding house (probably for chaff or sawmill employees), store, a small church and a hall. The Melton Valley Golf Club originated near the railway station in 1927 (in 1931 it moved to the present Melton links). In 1910 the community had built the large timber ‘Victoria Hall’, which became the focus of community life for several generations. In August of that same year AR Robertson MP and D McDonald applied for the establishment of a school on land set aside for that purpose by the Closer Settlement Board, near the Melton Railway Station settlement. District Inspector McRae recommended that a school for classes up to Grade 3 be established as an adjunct to the Melton State School. And so SS3717, ‘Melton Railway School’, was established in the leased Victoria Hall on 1st December 1911. Thomas Lang, head master at Melton since 1896, was in charge of both schools. As a ‘prep’ school only, it was necessary that the older Melton Railway Station settlement students travel to Melton SS430 at Unitt Street. Since 1912 local residents had been petitioning for the establishment of a separate school at Melton Railway Station on the grounds that it would be better if all children from the one home could attend the same school, and that the Victoria Hall was unsuitable as a school building. As a result an area of 2 acres - Allotment 8, Parish of Djerriwarrh, Exford Estate - was reserved for a State School on 4th March 1914. However the Department wrote that a school would not be established there in the near future, as ‘there is no likelihood in sight that the Railway Station settlement will increase in importance’. Parents persisted with their petitions to the Education Department, claiming that the Victoria Hall was too large, had no fireplace, that teachers were unable to use the wall for teaching aids, and that, being less than 20 metres away from a chaff mill employing 30 men, was too noisy. The turning point came when in 1920 the Hall Committee decided to increase its rent for the hall. In 1920 Head Teacher Lang advised the Education Department to discontinue SS3717 as an adjunct. The District Inspector supported this recommendation, and the schools separated in 1923. In April of that year 41 children, comprising Grades 1-8, moved into an almost completed brick building on the present site. On the 6th July 1923 the official opening of the school took place; after a ceremonial journey from the Hall to the school, speeches were given by the Hon AR Robertson and the Chief Inspector of Education. Everyone then journeyed back to Victoria Hall for a ‘bountiful repast’. (These dates are at odds with the date of 5th March 1925 given in Blake as the date the children occupied the new SS3717 brick school building. ) A teacher’s residence had been purchased for ₤500 in 1923, and the school’s name was changed to ‘Melton South’ in the same year. Even though the older Melton South pupils would no longer have to travel to the Unitt Street school, an additional brick room was still required at the Melton SS430 in that same year. In 1961 a new room was added to the school. In 1972, at the beginning of Melton’s boom as a satellite town, the number of enrolments was 224. The school has since shared in the exponential growth of the town of Melton, and at the time of its jubilee celebration (1983), 524 pupils were enrolled. Victoria Hall, neglected and vandalised, was demolished in 1992. It had been handed back to the Council on condition that it be replaced by a new hall, with the same name, and was commemorated by a plaque. Apart from the 1923 brick school building, and the railway station, none of the principal early Melton South public sites survive. Few early residential sites remain. (Further research will establish whether the house on the corner of Station Street and the railway line was the original teacher’s residence.)" Melton State School "On 17th May 1858 a State subsidised, combined Denominational School was opened by HT Stokes, with an attendance of about 30 children. This school was conducted in the wooden Melton Combined Protestant Church, situated on ‘a creek flat’ thought to be on the north side of Sherwin Street between Pyke and Byran Streets. It is likely that the Church had been established by 1855 and that the first minister was the Rev. Hampshire, who lived in Cambridge House on the Exford Estate. Ministers of the Protestant denominations were invited to hold services there. As there was only one resident Minister in the town (Presbyterian Mr J Lambie), laymen of the various denominations often spoke on Sundays. In 1863 this building was declared a Common School with the number 430. One of its first and most prominent headmasters was John Corr, who served from 1860 to 1864. Most of Mr Corr’s children also became teachers, including Joseph Corr, at the Rockbank school, and J Reford Corr and WS Corr, headmasters and teachers at numerous prestigious private secondary schools around Australia. John Corr purchased land alongside the school and elsewhere in and near Melton, became secretary and treasurer of the new Cemetery Trust, and by July 1861 was deputy registrar of births, deaths and marriages. He walked three miles every Sunday to teach at the Weslyan Sunday School he had established. Despite good reports from the Education Department Inspector, and burgeoning enrolments, the local school committee recommended the dismissal of, firstly, his wife (from the work mistress position), and then him from the headmaster position. Corr saw his dismissal as an attempt to redirect state aid for education from the Combined Protestant school to the support of the Free Presbyterian Minister Rev James Lambie (by one account the owner of the land on which the Common School was erected), whose son-in-law James Scott subsequently assumed responsibility for the school. Rev Lambie failed in his efforts to keep the existing school, which the Education Department Inspector and the majority of Melton citizens regarded as badly situated and badly built. Following a conditional promise of state aid, local contributors in 1868-69 raised ₤72.10.6 towards the cost of an iron-roofed bluestone rubble building 43 ft x 12 ft. This was erected on a new site of 1.5 acres (the present site). The State contributed ₤120 to the new school, which opened in 1870. A very early (c.1874) photograph of the school shows its headmaster and work mistress / assistant teacher (probably James Scott and his wife Jessie) and its (very young) scholars. Similar photos show pupils in front of the school in c.1903, and 1933. In 1877 a second bluestone room costing ₤297 was added and further land acquired from the Agricultural Society (who only needed it two days a year) to enlarge the schoolground to 3 acres. In the early 1880s an underground tank augmented the school water supply and in 1919 a five-roomed wooden residence was added. During this period the school correspondents often compained that the walls of the bluestone buildings were damp, affecting the plaster. In 1923 a brick room 26 ft 6 in by 24 ft with a fireplace and four rooms facing south, was added, and a corridor built to link the three buildings. This served adequately for the next 40 years. The school bell probably dates to 1883. The school also has a memorial gate (1951) to World War One ex-students, and an honour board to the 64 ex-students who served in the First World War. The school roll fell to 42 in the early post war-years, but was boosted by an influx of migrants, mainly from the UK, from the late 1960s. This presaged the boom in Melton’s development, and the corresponding growth of the school, with timber and temporary classrooms added to the previous masonry ones. An endowment pine plantation established in 1930 augmented the school’s fundraising activities when it was harvested in 1968. Part of the site was planted with eucalyptus trees in 1959. Famous ex-students of the early twentieth century included Hector Fraser (internationally successful shooter) and cyclist Sir Hubert Opperman". The Express Telegraph articles about the history of Melton South and Melton State Schoolseducation

"The Mechanics Institute movement flourished in Victoria from 1839 to 1950. It was based on the development of Mechanics’ Institutes in Scotland and England from the 1820s, which were intended to educate and enlighten the working classes. The term ‘mechanic’ in those days meant an artisan, craftsman or working man, especially those who had moved from rural areas to work in new city factories during the Industrial Revolution. The early Institutes were usually equipped with a reading room, a library and a lecture room. Although enjoying mixed success in Britain, they contributed to the development of public education and library services. The movement was adopted more enthusiastically in the colonies. It began slowly in Victoria but its expansion after the gold rushes population influx was rapid, especially in rural areas. Every suburb and town wanted to have a Mechanics’ Institute. During the 1850s approximately forty Institutes were established, with even greater growth in the period 1860 to 1900. By 1900 there were 400 Institutes in Victoria. The establishment of a Mechanics’ Institute was often a great achievement for a local community, requiring organising committees to raise substantial funds for a building site (where this had not been granted by the Government), and the building. Once built, the committee then had to purchase books, provide a caretaker or librarian, and finance the ongoing use of and improvements to the building. ‘The history of many Institutes is a story of tremendous community effort, and often, financial difficulties’. In addition to being monuments to local enterprise and community life, the Mechanics’ Institutes played a vital role as an intellectual forum, and in contributing to an informed and participatory democracy in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. They provided journals and other reading matter on local, state, national and international issues, and hosted of lectures and held debates about wider issues such as Federation, colonial nationalism, defence, female suffrage, the price of land and labour. With the development of the school and technical education in the latter part of the nineteenth century, the need for community technical and adult education declined. As a result of the introduction of government library grants in 1867, many Mechanics’ Institutes incorporated a free library in their buildings to finance collection of their books. By 1884-85, there were 257 free libraries in Victoria. However, government support and library grants dropped off in the 1890s depression. Entertainment took on a greater role in the 1890s, with the introduction of moving pictures, billiards rooms, games rooms (chess), concerts and dances. The First World War had a devastating impact on many rural communities, and some Mechanics’ Institutes were no longer viable. On the other hand the early twentieth century was also a time of agricultural development, and many country towns were growing in this period. The 1930s depression further limited growth of many libraries and reduced grants substantially. In response many Mechanics’ Institutes were renamed, for example as memorial halls, in order to retain and attract more patrons (eg at nearby Sunbury). The diminishing role for Mechanics’ Institutes and the preference for larger and better appointed halls (with supper rooms, cloak rooms etc) resulted in demolition of some small Institutes. The advent of cars, radios, and television also provided other opportunities for recreation, learning and entertainment. The greater role of municipalities in providing library services also eroded the need for free libraries. While over 500 Mechanics’ Institutes or halls are extant, very few of these retain their original role as ‘diffusers of useful knowledge’. Most are still available for community purposes, as venues for meetings, socials, civic occasions etc, while others are employed as museums, shops and theatres. Most buildings are on Crown land, and managed by a delegated committee of management, who are responsible for raising revenue to maintain aging buildings. Many of those which were originally established on private land, such as Melton, have since reverted back to the Crown, and municipal Councils. The most common Mechanics Institute building form is the simple weatherboard gable building with iron roofs, notable for their ‘honest simplicity’ rather than as ‘monuments of the ancients’. At the other extreme there are some magnificent two storeyed brick and stucco structures with elaborate ornamentation (as was apparently envisaged by some in Melton in 1905-10)". The future of Melton Mechanic Institute Gazette articlelocal architecture

"On 17th May 1858 a State subsidised, combined Denominational School was opened by HT Stokes, with an attendance of about 30 children. This school was conducted in the wooden Melton Combined Protestant Church, situated on ‘a creek flat’ thought to be on the north side of Sherwin Street between Pyke and Byran Streets. It is likely that the Church had been established by 1855 and that the first minister was the Rev. Hampshire, who lived in Cambridge House on the Exford Estate. Ministers of the Protestant denominations were invited to hold services there. As there was only one resident Minister in the town (Presbyterian Mr J Lambie), laymen of the various denominations often spoke on Sundays. In 1863 this building was declared a Common School with the number 430. One of its first and most prominent headmasters was John Corr, who served from 1860 to 1864. Most of Mr Corr’s children also became teachers, including Joseph Corr, at the Rockbank school, and J Reford Corr and WS Corr, headmasters and teachers at numerous prestigious private secondary schools around Australia. John Corr purchased land alongside the school and elsewhere in and near Melton, became secretary and treasurer of the new Cemetery Trust, and by July 1861 was deputy registrar of births, deaths and marriages. He walked three miles every Sunday to teach at the Weslyan Sunday School he had established. Despite good reports from the Education Department Inspector, and burgeoning enrolments, the local school committee recommended the dismissal of, firstly, his wife (from the work mistress position), and then him from the headmaster position. Corr saw his dismissal as an attempt to redirect state aid for education from the Combined Protestant school to the support of the Free Presbyterian Minister Rev James Lambie (by one account the owner of the land on which the Common School was erected), whose son-in-law James Scott subsequently assumed responsibility for the school. Rev Lambie failed in his efforts to keep the existing school, which the Education Department Inspector and the majority of Melton citizens regarded as badly situated and badly built. Following a conditional promise of state aid, local contributors in 1868-69 raised ₤72.10.6 towards the cost of an iron-roofed bluestone rubble building 43 ft x 12 ft. This was erected on a new site of 1.5 acres (the present site). The State contributed ₤120 to the new school, which opened in 1870. A very early (c.1874) photograph of the school shows its headmaster and work mistress / assistant teacher (probably James Scott and his wife Jessie) and its (very young) scholars. Similar photos show pupils in front of the school in c.1903, and 1933. In 1877 a second bluestone room costing ₤297 was added and further land acquired from the Agricultural Society (who only needed it two days a year) to enlarge the schoolground to 3 acres. In the early 1880s an underground tank augmented the school water supply and in 1919 a five-roomed wooden residence was added. During this period the school correspondents often compained that the walls of the bluestone buildings were damp, affecting the plaster. In 1923 a brick room 26 ft 6 in by 24 ft with a fireplace and four rooms facing south, was added, and a corridor built to link the three buildings. This served adequately for the next 40 years. The school bell probably dates to 1883. The school also has a memorial gate (1951) to World War One ex-students, and an honour board to the 64 ex-students who served in the First World War. The school roll fell to 42 in the early post war-years, but was boosted by an influx of migrants, mainly from the UK, from the late 1960s. This presaged the boom in Melton’s development, and the corresponding growth of the school, with timber and temporary classrooms added to the previous masonry ones. An endowment pine plantation established in 1930 augmented the school’s fundraising activities when it was harvested in 1968. Part of the site was planted with eucalyptus trees in 1959. Famous ex-students of the early twentieth century included Hector Fraser (internationally successful shooter) and cyclist Sir Hubert Opperman". Photo of Edna and Margaret Barrie with Miles Baunders taken for the Telegrapheducation, local identities

SUMMARY - Edna (Myers) Barrie, 1918 – 2018, Profile Early Life Edna was born at Melton and delivered by Hannah Watts. Her mother Martha walked in the dark at night with her basket under her arm to the bridge over the Toolern Creek Bridge and into Sherwin Street to the corner of Yuille Street to Hannah’s house Lynch Cottage. Martha’s husband was away shearing and eventually heard the news of the birth of their blue eyed third child and second daughter. She was born into a family that was surrounded by music; her father played the “squeeze box” and mother the mouth organ. From an early age the family were aware of the great composers, a framed picture of Beethoven, Chopin, Schubert and Wagner hung above the door to the lounge room of their 4 roomed cottage, the room where the piano stood. Her life on stage started as a singer aged 6 years at the Melton Mechanics Institute Hall. Edna was born with a natural ear for music learning piano and singing from her older sister Marjorie who became an accomplished pianist and soloist and renowned music teacher in Melton and district. In the 1920s and 1930s concerts at the Melton Mechanics Institute were regular events were the local talent was fostered. The Myers children, like other children of Melton and Rockbank, studied singing, piano and elocution, sat examinations, entered in competitions in South Street Ballarat, Footscray and Melbourne. In 1929 a Sacred Concert was broadcast by 3AR from the Hall as part of the Back to Melton Celebrations. Marjorie Myers performed two of the items on the piano. Edna attended Melton State School 430 from 1924 – 1933. Her father Fred had also attended the same school. In 1924 the School staged Cinderella at the Melton Mechanics Institute Hall with a cast of 33 students. After completing her education a Melton she boarded in South Melbourne and attending Melbourne Girls High School (MacRobertson Girls High School), a school which recognized her musical attributes. She travelled home on the train on the weekends, sometimes getting off at Rockbank to save a few pennies in fares. Working life The early 1930s the Depression was a difficult time for a young woman to find work. Jobs were often menial and given to the youngest and therefore cheapest applicant. She worked as sales assistant at Polonskis and Myer in the city, and Irvines Modes in Footscray. Working to 1pm on Saturday, and when held up by a customer meant missing the train home. While at Myer Department store she lived at home and rode her bike to the Melton railway station. On one occasion she had a nasty fall when a part of her bicycle came loose causing the bike to crash rendering her concussed and injuring her nose. During the 1930s she was given a camera “a little snap” by Mrs Kelly her landlady. This began her interest in photography documenting family life at their “Burnbank” home. Musically, while at Myers she participated in annual performances held at The Kings Hall and the Myer Mural Hall. Working in the basement at Myers she was often embarrassed when her name was called, customers assuming she belonged to the Myer Family. Ken Myer worked in the basement at the same time handling the ‘Wheeler’, a wicker basket used for moving goods around the store. The family philosophy was for the children to start at the bottom and work their way up. Social life Social life in her teenage years was connected also with Scots Presbyterian Church. She attended Sunday School classes and received book prizes for attendance. She loved to read and welcomed the times when she received new book. She took part in the Sunday School Anniversaries and was presented with a Bible from the Superintendent, Henry Robinson for her assistance with the music. Marriage and War years In 1941 Edna married Ernest “Bonnie” Barrie. War in the Pacific was soon to break out. While in Sydney on their honeymoon they met up with Jim Barrie who was on his way to Canada via Hawaii just missing Pearl Harbour by two days. Jim became a Spitfire Pilot and joined the RAF and was based in England. He returned to Australia later in RAAF to fight the Japanese off the coast of New Guinea. The three eldest Barrie brothers were farmers and food producers and were thus except from military service. Edna and Bon were members of the VAOC- Volunteer Air Observers Corp entailing being rostered on duty as plane spotters. The women took shifts during the day and the men at night which involved staying overnight in the Shire Offices. Later the spotting tower was built in the plantation opposite the Post Office. Edna and Bon carried on with this from their home in Ferris Rd when the threat of invasion had ceased Community life Community life in Melton revolved around fund raising events for the Melton Mechanics Institute for the War effort and keeping up with maintenance for the Hall. In 1944 the Minister for Health gave approval for the Shire of Melton to open and Infant Welfare Centre inviting Edna to form part of the Committee with seven other women. In 1948 she was President of Melton Branch of the Victorian Health Centres Association. She volunteered this use of her car driving the person in charge, Sister Smith to visit mothers and their babies. In 1963, along with Betty Jones and Isabel Snell, Edna was instrumental in forming the 1st Melton Cub Pack and later supported the formation of the 1st Melton Scouts. During 1963 – 1968 she completed the Australian Boy Scout Association Cub Pack Preliminary Training and achieved her Wood Badge. Country Women’s Association In 1944-1996 she was a member of the Melton Branch Country Women’s Association (CWA), Melton Branch, Secretary of the Branch in 1945 – 1946 and Branch International Secretary 1970-1971. She worked with choir, music and drama interest groups within the branch attaining both first and second place in 1959, second place in 1952 Exhibition and second in Music in 1960 in the state. She was involved in their handicraft craft events, fund raising and musical events and singing competitions. During the 1950s she trained Trios and Quartets in part singing for the CWA competitions in Ballarat and Melbourne. It was at this time that she developed her skill as a conductor and trainer of choirs. She later auditioned for the Victorian Choir for alto parts believing she would stand a better chance of being chosen, because of her ability to sing in natural harmony. In 1962 she participated in the Tenth Australian Country Women of the World (ACWW) Triennial Conference “Australia Presents: CWA Massed Choir” in the Melbourne Town Hall. This event was recorded by Super Sound Spotlight on 45 extended play vinyl record. The songs were Australian music and words, for example The Silver Stars are in the Sky, The Graceful Swaying Wattle and Kookaburra. Edna continued with her interest in the Victorian Choir regularly meeting at the CWA Headquarters in Toorak for rehearsals. In 1974 she took part in the Australian Choir at the fourteenth Triennial conference of the ACWW Interfaith Service held at the Perth Concert Hall on the 13th of October. Arts and Culture Edna was also in the Choir of 3KZ Carols by Candlelight at the Myer Music Bowl in 1963 and 1964. Melton Choral Society. Edna was Director and Conductor in the 1970s performing at many community events such as Carols by Candle Light, Church Services, Easter and Palm Sunday services, Mothers Union and the 1976 Community Services Week Combined Church Service. The October – November 1978 Program covered the following: songs from the Musicals, Choral and Solo with Narratives, Guest Instrumental Item, Recitation Negro Spirituals and Australian Songs. Her involvement with church choirs included the Scots Presbyterian Church Choir Easter and Christmas performances and the 1967 Centenary Service. In 1980s the Melton Uniting Church Sacred Music Performances included The Crucifixion by Stainer, The Olivet to Calvary and other church Hymns. Edna was Musical Director of the Melton Amateur Theatrical Society and worked on performances in collaboration with Mabel Rogers on script and musical interpretation. Melton and District Historical Society Annual Art and Craft Show. First held in Melton Mechanics Institute Hall in 1973, it later took place in the in the Melton Community Hall. The Art Show was also run in conjunction with other community organizations such as Rotary and Girl Guides. Community history and research Melton streetscape and society Over 20 years commencing in the 1970s, Edna undertook extensive photographing of the changing streetscape of Melton’s High Street. She anticipated the impact of change on the community during the time of Melton’s rapid transition from a small farming district to a large urban community and this led to her extensively document and photograph many of the structures and landscape features of the township that have since been lost. She also meticulously recorded much of the contemporary life of the town and has left a significant legacy of archival material. Melton State School 100 Years Celebration, October 1970 Co-author with Mabel Rogers “The First 100 Years, 1870 – 1970” Assembled a collection of School Class Photograph and identified and compiled lists of names for future school history. She also assembled a photographic display for the 125th anniversary in 1995. Melton and District Historical Society (M&DHS) Foundation Member, 1968 Held President and Secretary positions from its inception Research associated with the classification of Heritage buildings Christ Church Classification C Scots’ Presbyterian Church Classification D Set up the storage and Catalogue system in the Office at the Willows Organised society visits to Heritage sites in and beyond the Shire of Melton, including Stathtulloh, Eynesbury, Deanside, ToolernVale sites including Merrywood (now demolished) Staughton Vale, Chirnside, Point Cook, Shwerkolts Cottage. 1970 – 1983 Melton and District Historical Society Letterhead. Staughton Memorial Light from early newspaper cutting in its location before restoration to present location. Sketch by Wendy Barrie. Designing and printing pamphlets, stationery, and other sale items with Willows title. M&DHS street naming research for new housing developments (1970 – 2000). Collaborated with Mary Tolhurst to research the names of early landowners and pioneer families connected to the first settlers. Researched Aboriginal names for inclusion on lists submitted to developers. An early example is the naming of Kuranjang and the street names associated with the McPherson family. Plains of Promise (Shire of Melton history) by Joan Starr (1985). Edna assisted with Historical Society materials and contributed her own research and photographs. Contacted and organised for Hubert Opperman to launch the book. (She was also present at his last bike ride at Rochester in 1995.) Western Metropolitan Groups of Historical Societies. Member attending meetings and representing Melton, also hosted the Group at Melton The Willows Member of the Committee of Management for the restoration of the “Willows” house the establishment of The Willows Park 1982 March - Official Opening of the Willows Park- Preparation and planning for the event. Involved in the collecting of items in the furnishing of the display rooms in the Willows house. Donated items and furniture from the Myers and Daley family houses. (19th century) Machinery Shed Establishment. Involved with Jeff Robinson in the construction and collection of machinery display Other significant sites Championed and participated in the restoration and preservation significant sites in Melton, including: restoration of the Staughton Memorial Light and its return to its present site restoration of the Pykes Grave (using EW Barrie earthmoving equipment) restoration and reconstruction of Dunvegan restoration and reconstruction of Macs Cottage, the management and Caretakers residence Melton State School War Memorial Gates removed from Unitt Street entrance and relocated to the Willows Park Donated the Barrie family single furrow plough which was standing at the Court House Plaza. It removed and to Council Depot and later missing. The plaque was taken to the Willows. Jimmy Melrose (aviator) cairn restoration at crash site in Melton South Donald Mackintosh (Olympic gold medallist marksman) grave site at the Melton Cemetery (Historical items held by the Myers family collection.) Houdini first flight at Diggers Rest. Edna’s father was shearing at Diggers Rest at the time and witnessed the flight. She attended the 90 year anniversary of the event at the site in 2000. Radio and electronics Edna’s husband Bon interest in wireless communication dates in the 1920s with the building of a crystal set in the early days of public broadcasting. At the Back to Melton Celebrations in 1929, 3AR broadcast a concert from the Melton Mechanics Institute on the 20th February at 8pm featuring Footscray City Band, James Hill baritone, Vera Carew Soprano, James Foran Tenor, Marjorie Myers Piano, and James Williamson Entertainer. Accompanists: Miss Agnes Ross and Mrs James Hill. The Myers children had recordings of their piano playing made onto the aluminium records, Martha Myers’ voice can be heard introducing an item. These were made in a studio in Melbourne. Marjorie was given a upright Gramophone by Donald Mackintosh in recognition of her talent and her contribution to the cultural life of Melton. The family were then able to listen to 78rpm recordings of the famous classical recordings. The turntable was hand wound metal stylus needles had to be regularly replaced. The aluminium disk needed a bamboo needle to prevent damage to the surface. Before electricity was introduced to Melton in 1939 the Mechanics Hall relied on generators to produce electricity. Bon Barrie, being mechanically minded, built a public address system for be used a community functions at the Hall and Recreational Park. By 1939 this was up and running and used for over three decades. A large Collection of 78rpm records provided music for dances, marching, parades and any public event needing music and microphones. The early system was portable and worked on batteries. CFA Radio Communication In the 1950s with the introduction two-way HF and later VHF very high frequency radio sets. Melton Rural Fire Brigade was part of the Bacchus Marsh Group. Radio sets where located in the Melton Fire Truck, and in the house of the Barrie family at Ferris Road. This was an ideal location to observe a 360 degree view in all directions when smoke appeared on the horizon. An antenna was erected beside the house. The set OX 7 was located in the kitchen and monitored 24 hours by the family. When an electrical fire occurred at the junction of the electricity to the house there was time to radio the fire station and summons the men working in the paddocks, thus saving the house from possible destruction. With the introduction of UHF – ultra high frequency Vinten Radios the signal was clearer and static and interference lessened and radio traffic became easier to read, and reduced noise levels in the household. VL3 LY Radio Base became the Group Headquarters was established in 1967. By 1970 the Brigades were: Melton, Rockbank, Sydenham, Toolern Vale, Diggers Rest, Truganina, and Werribee. In 1974 when the family moved to First Avenue, another antenna and a small building were erected adjacent to the residence and used to house the equipment, maps. Radio traffic consisted of regular schedule times and communication with adjoining groups of brigades such as Bacchus Marsh, Mt Macedon and Little River Groups. Many of the brigade and group base radios were situated in private residences and operated primarily by fire fighters wives who held the position of Communications Officer, either registered as a brigade member or informally. Edna was never registered as an operational brigade member but operated informally as an assistant to her husband Bon. She was however a member of the Melton Fire Brigade Ladies Auxiliary from its inception in 1968, a non-operational position. Edna kept up to date with radio procedure following the 1967 handbook; preparing maps, plotting compass points and taking notes on weather forecasts from the SA Border and Western District. Daily notes were taken in anticipation of fire warnings. These log books and daily radio traffic were incidental to the regular radio schedules. Emergency turnouts noted, burning off times and predicted location of smoke. In the summer fire season all TBF (total fire ban days were recorded.) In times of emergency the Barrie family assisted Bon the base radio operator to plot the position and location of fire trucks and to help clarify garbled radio traffic, keep notes and make telephone calls. These log books are held in the EE and EW Family Archive. Melton Uniting Church Edna founded the Church Opportunity with Maisie Robinson in 1975 in the Melton South Methodist Church building. Methodist and Presbyterian Churches of Melton had combined severing their long held connection with Bacchus Marsh. A Manse had been recently built for the Melton Minister. At a Parish Committee meeting at the Melton South Church it was suggested to use the building as an Opportunity Shop. It opened in July 1975, and it raised $1,600 contribution to the church budget in 1976. In 1977 The Uniting Church in Australia was formed and the Melton South Uniting Church Opportunity shop continued to go from strength to strength expanding the buildings providing the welfare needs of the community. Archive Set up by Edna Catalogued items dating from 1857 Minute Book and set ongoing system and storage of items of heritage. Melton Un Awards and recognition of service to the Melton community Rotary Award for Community Service, 1980 Victoria 150th Anniversary Celebrations contributions, 1985 Life Membership of the Melton and District Historical Society (M&DHS), 1989 Extra-Ordinary Contribution for years of service to M&DHS, 1992 Long Service for Exceptional Service MD&HS, 1993 Royal Historical Society of Victoria Award of Merit, 1997 Shire of Melton Certificate of Appreciation for continued support and dedication as a member of MD&HS to the preservation of Melton’s History, 1998 Centenary of Federation Peoplescape (Canberra) Melton Shire nomination, 2001 Uniting Church Melton Life Membership of the Opportunity Shop Uniting Church in Australia Commission for Mission for 30 years of hard work and dedications to the Uniting Church, 2007 Uniting Church Adult Fellowship Certificate appreciation in recognition of valuable support through the “Sammy” Stamp Fund Neighbourhood Watch 5 year award Photographs of Edna at different ageslocal identities