The photo was found behind a mantelpiece in the house at 6A Thistle Street while it was being renovated. It is thought to be of the first owner, Mrs Rachel Sweetnam (nee Lewis) and her husband, Thomas Edward Sweetnam. They were married on 24 September 1884 at St John's Church, Camberwell. REF: THE ARGUS 4 Oct 1884 Thomas second eldest surviving son of Matthew Sweetnam married to Rachel (Ray) third eldest daughter of Captain T.D. Lewis, Culm Haven, Camberwell. Thomas was active in land sales and variously described as a land agent, real estate agent and auctioneer. The property - Hillsboro or Hillsborough - was originally a house on a farm of 10 acres owned by her. It became 6A Thistle Street. According to the Alan Holt property register Rachel Sweetnam owned the property prior to 1890 and a family tree on Ancestry.com has that it was owned by her in c1886. It is likely that it was an investment rather than a family residence. Thomas Sweetnam was President of the Boroondara Shire 1888/89 and a councillor from 1886-1891. During his time as Shire councillor in 1887 he was charged with assaulting Charles A. Chandler, a window blind manufacturer, in response to an ‘insulting note’ left at Sweetnam’s house. Sweetnam was fined two guineas and 31 shillings. Sweetnam was also President of the Camberwell Gun Club from around 1890 – 91. In 1893 he relocated to Ferntree Gully, where he contested for the municipality’s North Riding council seat. Multiple references can be found on Trove. Note that the gentleman in this photo does bear a resemblance to Thomas Sweetman, President of Boroondara Shire in 1888-1889 found in the City of Boroondara Library Service mayoral portrait collection. No known photo of Rachel Sweetnam. Other property owners or residents are: 1890 Selina Gaylor 1900 Stephen Pullen 1910 William Murray (draftsman) 1920 George C Hughes 1930 Arthur Leslie Austin (tram driver) 1980 Mrs Lillian Evelyn Austin Sold in 1983 for $87,000. The house is still extant (January 2025). Note that we also have material / photos regarding George Hughes and family.This photo is one of the earliest photos of residences of Surrey Hills.Black and white photo of a woman and man in a buggy behind which is a simple house with a verandah at one end, surrounded by eucalypt trees.hillsboro, house names, thistle street, horse-drawn vehicle, clothing and dress, hillsborough, rachel sweetnam, rachel lewis, thomas sweetnam, selina gaylor, stephen pullen, william murray, george hughes, arthur austin, lillian austin

The City of Boroondara was established in 1994. Boroondara Library Service took over from Kew Library at this time. The tie was part of a new uniform worn by Council employees.City of Boroondara tie, worn by members of the Boroondara Library Service"Boroondara: City of Harmony"uniforms, city of boroondara

The City of Boroondara was established in 1994. Boroondara Library Service took over from Kew Library at this time. The scarf was part of a new uniform worn by Council employees.City of Boroondara scarf, worn by members of the Boroondara Library Service"Boroondara: City of Harmony"uniforms, city of boroondara, scarfs

John Halfey (1825-89) was born in Southport, Lancashire and migrated to Victoria in 1852. After finding gold at Sandhurst, and representing the latter in the Victorian Parliament, he moved to Melbourne to engage in various commercial pursuits, including directorships of insurance, mining and banking companies. A resident of Kew from the late 1850s, he was known for the hospitality provided at his house Ordsall (later Southesk) in Cotham Road. On 14 December 1860, Halfey chaired a public meeting calling for separation from the Boroondara Roads Board, which led, four days later, to the proclamation of Kew as a separate municipality. He was elected to the Council in 1861, replacing Cr. Oswin, and subsequently served as the second Chairman of the Municipality in 1862-1863. John Halfey became a trustee of Holy Trinity Church in Bulleen Road (now High Street) in 1862. He was to resign from Council after four years in 1865. Twenty-four years later in January 1889, he died aged 63 from a seizure, at his rooms at the Herald Office. He was interred in the Boroondara General Cemetery where his monument is the tallest in the Cemetery. Donated by Eileen Grigg, 2017Small, full-length portrait of John Halfey in an original gilded frame. The artist depicts him formally dressed in a frock coat beside an open window. He is shown holding a document or perhaps a pair of gloves. The painting is badly damaged with a hole in the area of his face that has been patched and repainted.john halfey, ordsall, chairman of kew, boroondara roads board, municipality of kew

Kew, in Melbourne, Victoria, was declared a Borough in 1859, following which the first Council was elected in 1860. Kew became a Town in 1910, and a City in 1921. It was amalgamated into a new City of Boroondara in 1994. The centenary celebrations of 1860 marked 100 since the first Kew Council was established.This reel-to-reel tape, now digitised, is both rare (ie unique) and historically significant. While the recording clearly has local significance, it is also of national and international significance due to the content of the Prime Minister's address. The focus of his speech is the nature of Australian democracy and its strengths, deriving from universal suffrage and the acceptance of democratic values by the Australian population, gained through historic participation in democracy at local, state and federal levels. RG Menzies mounts a strong case for each level of government having value in the development of Australian democracy. He also describes the emerging democracies of Africa in the period following decolonisation, and suggests that the success of these countries is dependent on democratic institutions not being imposed from above by colonial powers. City of Kew Centenary 1860-1960 Speeches by The Hon RG Menzies, MHR for Kew, and Cr WHS Dickinson, Mayor of Kew. Recorded on 13th December 1960 at the Kew City Hall 34 minutes 29 seconds From the archives of the Kew Historical Society Inc Copyright Kew Historical Society Inc Timings 00.14-17.00 The Right Hon RG Menzies MHR 17.07-32.33 Cr. WHS Dickinson 32.38-33.10 The Right Hon RG Menzies MHR 33.30-33.50 Cr. WHS Dickinson 33.51-34.25 Song - 'For He's a Jolly Good Fellow'Label on original boxcity of kew, centenary of kew 1860-1960, robert gordon menzies, william henry shorey dickinson, bill burrell, mayors of kew, town clerks of kew, australian prime ministers, australian democracy, democracy

Set of 8 Notice Papers or Meeting Agendas - sent to Trust Members and others for The Melbourne Tramways Trust for period March 1898 to August 1900 as listed below. Signed by the Secretary. Covers, appointments, financial, loans, debentures, legislation, arrangements with the Melbourne Tramway and Omnibus Company and other organisations including banks. Notes are the principal items shown in the Orders of the Day. Printed using a Gestetner wax type printing process, possibly the same company as previous. 1897 – 1898 – Alderman S. Amess Chairman, T. Hamilton Secretary Meeting No. Date Notes 3 11/3/1898 Payments, interest payable in London, purchase of Shire of Boroondara debentures. 1898 – 1899 – Cr. J. Stedeford Chairman, T. Hamilton Secretary – Gestener wax type printing Meeting No. Date Notes 6 10/7/1899 Special meeting to consider vary Tramway Acts. 7 11/8/1899 Account payments, purchase of Essendon debentures, slight alteration to tramway between Swanston and Russell Streets. 1899 – 1900 – – Cr. J. Stedeford Chairman, T. Hamilton Secretary – Gestener wax type printing Meeting No. Date Notes 1 11/9/1899 Appointment of a Chairman, Committee members, payments, sinking fund debenture purchases. 1 24/11/1899 Payments, sinking fund debenture purchases, reports to Councils. 3 10/2/1900 payments, sinking fund debenture purchases, condition of Johnson St tunnels. 4 11/5/1900 Payments, sinking fund debenture purchases. 5 3/8/1900 Payments, sinking fund debenture purchases, reappointment of C. W. Ellis as auditor, Northcote council cable tramway. For a word version - see: \dbtext\hawthtramcoll\images\htd2004doc.doctrams, tramways, mtt, cable trams, melbourne tramways trust, construction, finances, mto co