Set of four 'on active service' envelopes from letters sent by sailor Ernie Wilson to his mother in Graham Street during WWII, hand decorated with coloured cartoons of himself at work on his ship (Digital image on database)Official postmarks, stamps e.g. Censorwar - world war ii, armed services - navy, ernie wilson

This photograph is held in the Ballaarat Mechanics' Institute Audio Visual Collection. Please contact BMI for all print and usage inquiries. BMI librarian Rosemary McInerney's father George Richmond ran this furnitue business on Armstrong St Nth. Here are his reminiscences of that shoppping area from The Courier March 1st 1978 THE GOOD OLD DAYS IN ARMSTRONG ST. NORTH Mr George Richmond began work in Armstrong street north as a lad in knickerbockers in 1926. He started with Hames and Woodward, a piano, music and record shop, which he took over when both Hames and Woodward died during the war. Mr Richmond was guest speaker at an informal dinner of the Armstrong St North Traders Association held at the Victoria Hotel on Monday night. At the meeting he was made a life member of the association, with which he had been involved since its inception in 1930. “I can remember when a man on a bicycle with a little ladder on his backrode up the street with a long stick and turned on the gas lights under the verandahs,” he said. “It was around that time when there used to be a little man with a broom walking up and down the street, sweeping away what was left behind by horses. “There also used to be a bellringer who would walk up and down Armstrong street announcing a sale in a shop. He used to have a tall black hat, a large black frock coat and had a large mustache.” “Up to 1936, there used to be regular visits by street musicians, who were usually good for a few laughs.” “The last musicians to come through were an Italian trio, who were very good.” Mr Richmond said the depression was a sad time for Armstrong street. “A lot of people had to put their properties up for sale, because not many people could afford to buy things like records then,” he said. Mr Richmond said Fridays were very busy then as it was market day for hundreds of farmers in the area. “The hotels put on extra groomsmen for the stables, and standing in the store I could smell the beer and tobacco drifting down from the hotels.”ballarat, hames, woodward, furniture, richmond, armstrong st nth, shop

This photograph is held in the Ballaarat Mechanics' Institute Audio Visual Collection. Please contact BMI for all print and usage inquiries. BMI librarian Rosemary McInerney's father George Richmond ran this furnitue business on Armstrong St Nth. Here are his reminiscences of that shoppping area from The Courier March 1st 1978 THE GOOD OLD DAYS IN ARMSTRONG ST. NORTH Mr George Richmond began work in Armstrong street north as a lad in knickerbockers in 1926. He started with Hames and Woodward, a piano, music and record shop, which he took over when both Hames and Woodward died during the war. Mr Richmond was guest speaker at an informal dinner of the Armstrong St North Traders Association held at the Victoria Hotel on Monday night. At the meeting he was made a life member of the association, with which he had been involved since its inception in 1930. “I can remember when a man on a bicycle with a little ladder on his backrode up the street with a long stick and turned on the gas lights under the verandahs,” he said. “It was around that time when there used to be a little man with a broom walking up and down the street, sweeping away what was left behind by horses. “There also used to be a bellringer who would walk up and down Armstrong street announcing a sale in a shop. He used to have a tall black hat, a large black frock coat and had a large mustache.” “Up to 1936, there used to be regular visits by street musicians, who were usually good for a few laughs.” “The last musicians to come through were an Italian trio, who were very good.” Mr Richmond said the depression was a sad time for Armstrong street. “A lot of people had to put their properties up for sale, because not many people could afford to buy things like records then,” he said. Mr Richmond said Fridays were very busy then as it was market day for hundreds of farmers in the area. “The hotels put on extra groomsmen for the stables, and standing in the store I could smell the beer and tobacco drifting down from the hotels.”ballarat, hames, woodward, furniture, richmond, armstrong st nth, shop, street, night

This photograph is held in the Ballaarat Mechanics' Institute Audio Visual Collection. Please contact BMI for all print and usage inquiries. BMI librarian Rosemary McInerney's father George Richmond ran this furnitue business on Armstrong St Nth. Here are his reminiscences of that shoppping area from The Courier March 1st 1978 THE GOOD OLD DAYS IN ARMSTRONG ST. NORTH Mr George Richmond began work in Armstrong street north as a lad in knickerbockers in 1926. He started with Hames and Woodward, a piano, music and record shop, which he took over when both Hames and Woodward died during the war. Mr Richmond was guest speaker at an informal dinner of the Armstrong St North Traders Association held at the Victoria Hotel on Monday night. At the meeting he was made a life member of the association, with which he had been involved since its inception in 1930. “I can remember when a man on a bicycle with a little ladder on his backrode up the street with a long stick and turned on the gas lights under the verandahs,” he said. “It was around that time when there used to be a little man with a broom walking up and down the street, sweeping away what was left behind by horses. “There also used to be a bellringer who would walk up and down Armstrong street announcing a sale in a shop. He used to have a tall black hat, a large black frock coat and had a large mustache.” “Up to 1936, there used to be regular visits by street musicians, who were usually good for a few laughs.” “The last musicians to come through were an Italian trio, who were very good.” Mr Richmond said the depression was a sad time for Armstrong street. “A lot of people had to put their properties up for sale, because not many people could afford to buy things like records then,” he said. Mr Richmond said Fridays were very busy then as it was market day for hundreds of farmers in the area. “The hotels put on extra groomsmen for the stables, and standing in the store I could smell the beer and tobacco drifting down from the hotels.”

This photograph is held in the Ballaarat Mechanics' Institute Audio Visual Collection. Please contact BMI for all print and usage inquiries. BMI librarian Rosemary McInerney's father George Richmond ran this furnitue business on Armstrong St Nth. Here are his reminiscences of that shoppping area from The Courier March 1st 1978 THE GOOD OLD DAYS IN ARMSTRONG ST. NORTH Mr George Richmond began work in Armstrong street north as a lad in knickerbockers in 1926. He started with Hames and Woodward, a piano, music and record shop, which he took over when both Hames and Woodward died during the war. Mr Richmond was guest speaker at an informal dinner of the Armstrong St North Traders Association held at the Victoria Hotel on Monday night. At the meeting he was made a life member of the association, with which he had been involved since its inception in 1930. “I can remember when a man on a bicycle with a little ladder on his backrode up the street with a long stick and turned on the gas lights under the verandahs,” he said. “It was around that time when there used to be a little man with a broom walking up and down the street, sweeping away what was left behind by horses. “There also used to be a bellringer who would walk up and down Armstrong street announcing a sale in a shop. He used to have a tall black hat, a large black frock coat and had a large mustache.” “Up to 1936, there used to be regular visits by street musicians, who were usually good for a few laughs.” “The last musicians to come through were an Italian trio, who were very good.” Mr Richmond said the depression was a sad time for Armstrong street. “A lot of people had to put their properties up for sale, because not many people could afford to buy things like records then,” he said. Mr Richmond said Fridays were very busy then as it was market day for hundreds of farmers in the area. “The hotels put on extra groomsmen for the stables, and standing in the store I could smell the beer and tobacco drifting down from the hotels.”ballarat, hames, woodward, furniture, richmond, armstrong st nth, shop

This photograph is held in the Ballaarat Mechanics' Institute Audio Visual Collection. Please contact BMI for all print and usage inquiries. Norma Lillian Henshall nee Sterritt biography (by son in law Rod Sharp) Norma was born on the 14th November 1912. She was a forward and independent child and always did what others would not consider appropriate at that time and you could say she was a hit of a rebel. Norma worked in Fairweather's in Pleasant Street and while she was there was taught to drive. She later drove Fairweather's Taxi being one of the first ladies to do so in Ballarat. Norma put her age up from 17 to 18 so she could get her license earlier and purchased an Austin 7 red sports car complete with a fishtail back. Norma taught herself the fundamentals of developing photographs and in 1938 rode her man's bicycle around Ballarat taking photographs of the various businesses decorated to celebrate the centenary of Ballarat. During the Second World War with her husband serving overseas in the Middle East Norma enlisted in the Army and served from 1942 through until 1945 as an Ambulance driver in the 3rd Ambulance and was stationed at Camp Pell which was located adjacent to the Melbourne Zoo. Norma transported wounded servicemen to the various hospitals around Melbourne.ballarat, sterritt, driver, ambulance, ww2

This photograph is held in the Ballaarat Mechanics' Institute Audio Visual Collection. Please contact BMI for all print and usage inquiries. Norma Lillian Henshall nee Sterritt biography (by son in law Rod Sharp) Norma was born on the 14th November 1912. She was a forward and independent child and always did what others would not consider appropriate at that time and you could say she was a hit of a rebel. Norma worked in Fairweather's in Pleasant Street and while she was there was taught to drive. She later drove Fairweather's Taxi being one of the first ladies to do so in Ballarat. Norma put her age up from 17 to 18 so she could get her license earlier and purchased an Austin 7 red sports car complete with a fishtail back. Norma taught herself the fundamentals of developing photographs and in 1938 rode her man's bicycle around Ballarat taking photographs of the various businesses decorated to celebrate the centenary of Ballarat. During the Second World War with her husband serving overseas in the Middle East Norma enlisted in the Army and served from 1942 through until 1945 as an Ambulance driver in the 3rd Ambulance and was stationed at Camp Pell which was located adjacent to the Melbourne Zoo. Norma transported wounded servicemen to the various hospitals around Melbourne.ballarat, centenary, floral festival, 1938, sterritt, sturt st, unicorn hotel

This photograph is held in the Ballaarat Mechanics' Institute Audio Visual Collection. Please contact BMI for all print and usage inquiries. Norma Lillian Henshall nee Sterritt biography (by son in law Rod Sharp) Norma was born on the 14th November 1912. She was a forward and independent child and always did what others would not consider appropriate at that time and you could say she was a hit of a rebel. Norma worked in Fairweather's in Pleasant Street and while she was there was taught to drive. She later drove Fairweather's Taxi being one of the first ladies to do so in Ballarat. Norma put her age up from 17 to 18 so she could get her license earlier and purchased an Austin 7 red sports car complete with a fishtail back. Norma taught herself the fundamentals of developing photographs and in 1938 rode her man's bicycle around Ballarat taking photographs of the various businesses decorated to celebrate the centenary of Ballarat. During the Second World War with her husband serving overseas in the Middle East Norma enlisted in the Army and served from 1942 through until 1945 as an Ambulance driver in the 3rd Ambulance and was stationed at Camp Pell which was located adjacent to the Melbourne Zoo. Norma transported wounded servicemen to the various hospitals around Melbourne.ballarat, centenary, floral festival, 1938, sterritt, fire station, sturt st

This photograph is held in the Ballaarat Mechanics' Institute Audio Visual Collection. Please contact BMI for all print and usage inquiries. Norma Lillian Henshall nee Sterritt biography (by son in law Rod Sharp) Norma was born on the 14th November 1912. She was a forward and independent child and always did what others would not consider appropriate at that time and you could say she was a hit of a rebel. Norma worked in Fairweather's in Pleasant Street and while she was there was taught to drive. She later drove Fairweather's Taxi being one of the first ladies to do so in Ballarat. Norma put her age up from 17 to 18 so she could get her license earlier and purchased an Austin 7 red sports car complete with a fishtail back. Norma taught herself the fundamentals of developing photographs and in 1938 rode her man's bicycle around Ballarat taking photographs of the various businesses decorated to celebrate the centenary of Ballarat. During the Second World War with her husband serving overseas in the Middle East Norma enlisted in the Army and served from 1942 through until 1945 as an Ambulance driver in the 3rd Ambulance and was stationed at Camp Pell which was located adjacent to the Melbourne Zoo. Norma transported wounded servicemen to the various hospitals around Melbourne.ballarat, norma sterritt, pipe band, labor day, 1954

This photograph is held in the Ballaarat Mechanics' Institute Audio Visual Collection. Please contact BMI for all print and usage inquiries. Norma Lillian Henshall nee Sterritt biography (by son in law Rod Sharp) Norma was born on the 14th November 1912. She was a forward and independent child and always did what others would not consider appropriate at that time and you could say she was a hit of a rebel. Norma worked in Fairweather's in Pleasant Street and while she was there was taught to drive. She later drove Fairweather's Taxi being one of the first ladies to do so in Ballarat. Norma put her age up from 17 to 18 so she could get her license earlier and purchased an Austin 7 red sports car complete with a fishtail back. Norma taught herself the fundamentals of developing photographs and in 1938 rode her man's bicycle around Ballarat taking photographs of the various businesses decorated to celebrate the centenary of Ballarat. During the Second World War with her husband serving overseas in the Middle East Norma enlisted in the Army and served from 1942 through until 1945 as an Ambulance driver in the 3rd Ambulance and was stationed at Camp Pell which was located adjacent to the Melbourne Zoo. Norma transported wounded servicemen to the various hospitals around Melbourne.ballarat, norma sterritt, begonia, festival, 1954