Alexander Robert Edgar, President of the Victoria and Tasmania Conference of the Wesleyan Methodist Church by Certificate of Consent of Sale dated 28 November 1901, declared that the Conference of the Church held in Melbourne, 27 February 1894, agreed to the sale by the Trustees of Lot 20 Henry Street. Indenture dated 15 November 1901 between Revd. Barnabas Shaw Walker, Minister of the Pentridge Circuit, Joseph Cooper, Gardener of Keelbundora, Samuel Jeffrey, Farmer of Jika Jika, John Brown, State School Teacher, Robert David Taylor, Gardener and Isaac Hill, Dealer, all of Eltham, the Trustees conveyed the land to William John Taylor the Younger, Gardener, George Knapman, Blacksmith and Isaac Hill junior, Carrier, all of Eltham and Trustees at the time for a Friendly Society known as the Hope of Eltham Tent No. 195 Victoria District Independent Order of Rechabites for the sum of £40. The conveyance was received into the Office of the Registrar General, State of Victoria, 12 December 1901. Originally purchased in 1856 from Thomas Roberts, Yeoman of Little Eltham, for £10 for use by the Wesleyan Chapel, represented by indentured Trustees, Rev. Barnabas Shaw Walker, Minister of the Pentridge Circuit, Francis Thomas, Farmer of Keelbundora, William Harriman, Blacksmith of Nillumbik, Nicholas Rodda, Farmer of Nillumbik, Aaron Grimshaw, Farmer of Greensborough, Joseph Cooper, Gardener of Keelbundora, Peter Dredge, Scholmaster of Jika Jika and Samuel Jeffrey, Farmer of Jika Jika. Lot 20 of Subdivision of Portion 13, Section 4 of the Parish of Nillumbik in the County of Evelyn was located on the southern side of Henry street in Little Eltham North, where the current Our Lady Help of Christians Catholic Church is situated. It became the location of the Eltham Rechabite Hall. In 1893 a new hall was built and further enlarged in 1919. At the commencement of 1922, the property was purchased from the Independent Order of Rechabites with publicly subscribed funds and a new hall built at a cost of £750 and improved road access constructed to reduce the grade, running from Dudley Street to Henry Street. This hall was eventually replaced with the new Shire Offices and Hall built on the corner of Arthur Street and Main Road, which was opened in 1941. Traces the earliest history of the Eltham Public Hall in Henry Street and the various names, occupations and abodes of the Trustees associated with the propertyaaron grimshaw, blacksmith, edmond perry, eltham public hall, eltham rechabite hall, eltham wesleyan chapel, francis thomas, george knapman, george smith, henry street, hope of eltham tent no. 195, i.w. lucas, isaac hill, james blanch, james chapman, james william brown, john brown, john jenkins peacock, john jones, john neale, john van mangerhoussen weiss, joseph cooper, joseph morris holloway, josiah atwool, keelbundora, lancelot iredale, little eltham, little eltham north, lizar elliott, mark blanchard, methodist church, nicholas rodda, p. mather, peter dredge, rev barnabas shaw walker, robert david taylor, samuel jeffrey, samuel moor munce, thomas roberts, thomas wheaten bowden, trustee, victoria district independent order of rechabites, wesleyan methodist church, william harriman, william hebblewhite, william john munce, william john taylor, william matthews, william rose

With the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki destroyed by atomic weapons, the will of the Japanese leadership was tested Emperor Showa of Japan announced his intention to surrender to the Allies unconditionally over public radio on 15 Aug 1945. The date of Japan's formal surrender was 2 Sep 1945, and it took place aboard American battleship Missouri in Tokyo Bay. There were other surrender ceremonies including that on Sept 6 1945. At 0900 hours, sloop HMS Hart picked up Hitoshi Imamura and Jinichi Kusaka at Kabanga Bay, who would sign the surrender documents aboard HMS Glory at 1127 hours which surrendered 139,000 remaining personnel at Rabaul plus all forces in Australian territory in the South Pacific. The surrender of Imperial Japan was announced on August 15 and formally signed on September 2, 1945, bringing the hostilities of World War II to a close. The surrender ceremony at Rabaul, New Britain took place on 6 Sep 1945 aboard the British carrier HMS Glory surrendering 139,000 remaining personnel at Rabaul plus all forces in Australian territory in the South Pacific. Light brown frame with glass, of a black and white photocopy. Script is very ornate and has Japanese lettering at the bottom. Instument of Surrender of Japanese Forces in New Guinea, New Britain, New Ireland, Bougainville and adjacent Islands. I the Commander in Chief of the Japanese Imperial Southeastern Army, hereby surrender to the General Officer Commanding First Australian Army all Japanese Armed Forces under my command in accordance with the Instrument of Surrender issued by the Japanese Imperial General Headquarters and Government and General Order No.1 Military and Naval issued by the Japanese imperial General Headquarters. I will henceforth and until otherwise directed by you or your successor carry out the orders issued by you or your staff on your behalf to the best of my ability and I will take action to ensure that my subordinate commanders carry out the orders issued by your representatives. Commander in Chief Japanese Imperial Southeastern Army. Received on board H.M.S. Glory off Rabaul at 1130 hours sixth day of September 1945. Lieutenant General General Officer Commanding First Australian Army.wwii, world war 2, imperial japanese army, japanese army, surrender, rabaul

Thomas Cunningham Reidy was a native of Clare, Ireland. Shortly after arriving in Australia, he was employed as a travelling salesman for a brewery at Seymour, Victoria. In about 1872 with Mr Andrew McCormick, he carried on a business as storekeeper at various points along the North-Eastern Railway whilst the line was being constructed, finally arriving in Wodonga. Their partnership continued with the construction of the Carrier’s Arms Hotel and a general store which opened in 1874. The store drew trade from as far away as Wagga Wagga in New South Wales. The Carrier's Arms was also a coach stop for the Bethanga Express Coach. When the Wodonga Shire was created in 1876 after being severed from the Yackandandah Shire, Thomas Reidy was one of the first Councillors. He resigned in the following year, but was re-elected a year later. He served as Shire President in 1880–1881 and again in 1883–1884. He also served as a Justice of the Peace. In 1884 the partnership between Thomas Reidy and Andrew McCormick was terminated and the Carrier’s Arms was sold to Edmund T. Powell. Mr Reidy purchased the Tangambalanga Estate near Kiewa where he focussed on stock breeding, including horses. Whilst at Kiewa he was also one of the promoters of the local butter factory, and was the Chairman of the first Board of Directors of the Kiewa Butter Company. Early in 1896, Thomas Reidy sold Tangambalanga Estate to Mr L. R. Davies-Griffith, having already purchased the Club Hotel in Morwell. Unfortunately, he died in Morwell on 15th December 1896 leaving behind his wife Mary and 10 children including a new-born son.This portrait is significant because it depicts a citizen of Wodonga who played an important role in commerce and local government in Wodonga.A colourised photo of T.C. Reidy in an oval plastic frame.t.c. reidy, wodonga councillors, carriers' arms wodonga