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