Prior to the election of female Councillors and Mayors in the 1960’s, the Lady Mayoress role was one of the few ways women could officially undertake civic duties. Mayoresses made important contributions to their local communities through their charity work and as ambassadors for their region on a state and federal level. They also undertook some Mayoral duties on occasions when their husband was unavailable. Gloria Quin was Mayoress from 1985 - 86.Colour photographic portrait sitting behind oval mount.city of bendigo mayoress, city of greater bendigo portraits, city of bendigo mayor, lansell pendant, mayor currie, mayoress currie

Prior to the election of female Councillors and Mayors in the 1960’s, the Lady Mayoress role was one of the few ways women could officially undertake civic duties. Mayoresses made important contributions to their local communities through their charity work and as ambassadors for their region on a state and federal level. They also undertook some Mayoral duties on occasions when their husband was unavailable. Noela Nankervis served as Mayoress from 1987 - 88.Colour photographic portrait sitting behind oval mount.city of bendigo mayoress, city of greater bendigo portraits, city of bendigo mayor, lansell pendant, mayor nankervis, mayoress nankervis

Prior to the election of female Councillors and Mayors in the 1960’s, the Lady Mayoress role was one of the few ways women could officially undertake civic duties. Mayoresses made important contributions to their local communities through their charity work and as ambassadors for their region on a state and federal level. They also undertook some Mayoral duties on occasions when their husband was unavailable. Elizabeth Morley served as Mayoress from 1989 - 90.Colour photographic portrait sitting behind oval mount.Front cover; Photograph by: / Richard Gibbs / Tel: (054)413411city of bendigo mayoress, city of greater bendigo portraits, city of bendigo mayor, lansell pendant, mayor morley, mayoress morley

Prior to the election of female Councillors and Mayors in the 1960’s, the Lady Mayoress role was one of the few ways women could officially undertake civic duties. Mayoresses made important contributions to their local communities through their charity work and as ambassadors for their region on a state and federal level. They also undertook some Mayoral duties on occasions when their husband was unavailable. Karen Douglass served as Mayoress from 1990-91, 1991 - 92, 1992 -93.Colour photographic portrait sitting behind oval mount.Front cover; Photograph by: / Richard Gibbs / Tel: (054)413411city of bendigo mayoress, city of greater bendigo portraits, city of bendigo mayor, lansell pendant, mayor douglass, mayoress douglass

Prior to the election of female Councillors and Mayors in the 1960’s, the Lady Mayoress role was one of the few ways women could officially undertake civic duties. Mayoresses made important contributions to their local communities through their charity work and as ambassadors for their region on a state and federal level. They also undertook some Mayoral duties on occasions when their husband was unavailable. Greta Balsillie served as Mayoress from 1993 - 94 and was the last official Mayoress as the role disappeared after amalgamation due to the election of female Mayors.Colour photographic portrait sitting behind oval mount.Front cover; Photograph by: / Richard Gibbs / Tel: (054)413411city of bendigo mayoress, city of greater bendigo portraits, city of bendigo mayor, lansell pendant, mayor balsillie, mayoress balsillie

Used by the City to receive feedback from the community. Top opening, hinged wooden box with latch. Top of box has a letter size opening for depositing written suggestions. Engraved plate on front of box.City of Greater Bendigo / Suggestion / Box / Strictly Confidentialcity of greater bendigo administration item

Premier Town Awards are awarded by the Victorian State Government to regional communities that best protect and enhance their environment through innovative initiatives. The award recognizes success in litter prevention, waste management and environmental projects and is designed to encourage tourism. In 1982 - 1985 Bendigo was named Victoria's Premier Town and an official dinner was held at the Town Hall, Bendigo on October 5, 1985.Two large gold coloured medals manufactured to promote the awarding of 'Premier Town' to Bendigo from 1982 - 1985. 0349a,b; Front face is has raised image of poppet head and text, reverse is blank. Front face; Premier Town Advancement Award / Bendigo / Premier Town / Victoria 1982 - 1985city of bendigo, city of bendigo commerce, city of greater bendigo awards, city of greater bendigo community groups, city of greater bendigo tourism, city of bendigo premier town 1982-85

The first Bendigo Easter Fair was held on 10th and 11th April, 1871 and remains one of Australia’s longest running annual community events taking place over the Easter long weekend. Its purpose was to raise funds in aid of two local charities; The Bendigo Hospital, and The Bendigo Benevolent Asylum. The fair features events throughout the City with celebrations culminating in a parade on Easter Sunday. The parade features a variety of commercial and community groups including a large processional dragon which has been an integral part of the annual parade since 1892. The three principal golden dragons featured over the past 130 years are Loong (1892–1970), Sun Loong (1970–2019) and Dai Gum Loong (2019–present) which are housed at the Golden Dragon Museum in Bendigo. Fundraising for charities remains a large part of this event and this raffle is an example of the types of prizes you could expect to win in 1915 with 1st prize being a Horse, Gig and Harness.Printed ticket on card. Double sided. Includes advertising for local businesses. Front covered in text describing the twenty one prizes to be won. Reverse; advertisement for Cohn Bros Beer.bendigo easter fair, bendigo hospital

Black, white and blue printed fold out brochure reporting to the community on council spending. city of bendigo, mayor jeffrey

On the 27th March, 1942 'Fortuna House' was occupied by LHQ Cartographic Company, Australian Survey Corps. Fortuna was the site of the base map plant and during this time approximately sixteen million maps of Australian Territories in the South West Pacific area were produced for use by the Allied Services. Fortuna was purchased in 1951 by the Commonwealth Government and until 1970 the Survey Corps and Regiment became part of community life in the district. This event to grant the Regiment Freedom of Entry took place at the Queen Elizabeth Oval on Sunday 14th June, 1970.Booklet outlining the celebrations commemorating the Army Survey Regiment's time in Bendigo. Includes a short history of the Regiment's association with the City which spanned from 1942 - 1970 as well as the day proceedings attended by the Mayor and Councillors.fortuna house, george lansell, royal aust survey corps, queen elizabeth oval, mayor jeffrey

Born digital advertising poster for the 2024 Bendigo Easter Fair.city of greater bendigo venue and events, city of greater bendigo community partnerships, city of greater bendigo easter fair, city of greater bendigo tourism, city of greater bendigo leisure

Joseph Henry Abbott arrived in Australia from Birmingham England in 1852 aged 22 hoping to make his fortune on the goldfields. In 1853 he opened a store in Bendigo, Abbott and Co and from there began a lengthy career as a business man supplying the local community with goods and services including owning and operating the New Times Boot Market & Factory in Pall Mall, Sandhurst, run by his wife, Anne (nee Deague). J H Abbott’s main ambitions were to serve on the local and state councils. He was elected Chairman of the Sandhurst Borough Council in 1860, Mayor of the City of Bendigo in 1891 and was gazetted a Justice of the Peace in 1864. Over his lifetime J H Abbott was closely linked to nearly all the leading institutions in Bendigo and worked for the benefit of local charities. He was trustee of the Bendigo Art Gallery and a Freemason and was said to be the first person in Bendigo to have a telephone installed in1882 between his residence and his business in Pall Mall. After JH Abbott died in 1904 he passed on his businesses to his son JH Abbott Jnr and adopted son RHS Abbott. These businesses continued to trade under the name JH Abbott & Co and today still operates under the name Abbott Supply although the last of the family interests ceased in 1986.chairman of sandhurst borough, anne abbott, city of greater bendigo commerce, mayor abbott

A4 size Mayoral report including Councillor and Executive officer information, organisational structure, economic development, planning, family and leisure services. No mention of arts or cultural services. non-fictionFinancial and civic report.mayor morley, mayoress morley, councillor p. r. morley

Built in 1912Photo is named 14880014.jpg on CD

Wonga Park: Hall Post 1926Photo is named 14880018.jpg on CD

SUMMARY - Ernest W (Bon) Barrie, 1909 – 1985 Profile Melton Mechanics Institute Member 1935 - 1982i Trustee 1952 - 1982 Life Member 1968 Years of service – 47 years He constructed and provided a public address system which was used at Melton and district halls and sports grounds for a wide variety of community events including school sports, gymkhanas, theatrical productions and processions. Fire Brigade Melton Fire Brigade (and predecessor Bush Fire Brigade) Apparatus Officer, 1945 - 1953 Captain, 1951 - 1965 Mt Cotterill Fire Brigades’ Group Elected Group Officer, on the formation of the Group, 1967. As Group Communications Officer he operated the VL3 LY base radio station from home on a 24 hour basis for fire brigades of Melton, Rockbank, Sydenham, Diggers Rest, Toolern Vale, Truganina and Werribee. With his brother Edgar, he built the first Melton Fire Truck. It was housed on the family property until a fire station was constructed in the Melton township. Recipient of the Queens Medal, 1979 Recognised for 44 years of service on the Melton Fire Brigade Memorial Wall Plaque, dedicated May 2013 Melton State School, no 430 Committee – School Correspondent (secretarial and financial role) 34 years of Service Provided his Amplifier Equipment for events and the annual district School Sports from 1939-1973. Donated the House Athletic Shield Melton and District Historical Society 1968 – 1985 President and foundation member Willows Historical Park – supported the establishment of the park and contributed many volunteers hours in the construction and landscaping of the precinct Member, Western Metropolitan Groups of Historical Societies, 1980s Shire of Melton Councillor South Riding, 1969-1971 Member of the Water Trust Melton Uniting Church Melton Uniting Church (and its predecessors the Methodist, Methodist-Presbyterian churches). A lifetime association which extended from childhood when he attended Sunday school until his death in 1985. Member of the Presbyterian Board of Management for more than 25 years in which he held positions of Honorary Secretary and Treasurer, Board member of the Parish Council and Member of the Committee of Management. He was a Sunday school teacher 1933. Community development With Mr RC Butler met with Shire Council in 1937 to canvass residents to ascertain prospective Electric consumers in the district. Electricity was subsequently turned on at dusk on 20th December 1939. Melton Progress Association, including Melton Musical, Elocutionary and Vocal Competitions, Vice President 1939 1940 Melton Development Association, 1960s Volunteer Air Observers Corps (VAOC)ii Carried out plane spotting at Shire Office and spotting tower in Melton and later from home until 1944/45. Agriculture and farming Progress and Better Farming Association, Melton. Honorary Secretary, 1935 Member, Agricultural Engineering Society Australia c1960-1985 A successful grower of wheat, oats and barley, he planted experiment plots and held Field Days on the “Darlingsford” property. He later diversified into other grains and sheep (wool and meat). He took a enthusiastic interest in agricultural engineering and was keen to introduce innovative ideas that improved the productivity of farms and farming practices. In the mid 1950 he conducted trials during harvest on the family property of the original mechanical hay fork built on a British Bedford truck by Bill Gillespie. This design was further refined in collaboration with the Gillespie brothers and resulted in the construction the hydraulically operated tractor mounted hay fork. The innovative design of the hay fork created interest from far and wide and was quickly taken up by farmers because it significantly reduced hand labouring of loading sheaves of hay with a pitch fork. His father established chaff mills in Melton, Rockbank, Parwan, Diggers Rest in the first decade of 1900 and in 1915 went into partnership with JR Schutt to establish the Schutt & Barrie Pty. Ltd. Chaff Cutting and Flour Mill in West Footscray. When it ceased trading in 1968 the directors were: Ernest W Barrie and Thomas L Barrie, R, A, and M Schutt. Awards Queens Medal, 1979 Rotary Award for Community Service, 1980 Victoria 150th Anniversary Celebrations contributions, 1985 Service held at Melton Uniting Church local identities

MABEL nee ABRAHAM ROGERS 1920 - 2004 Publications: The First One Hundred Years 1870-1970 Melton State School No 430 Co Author with Edna Barrie The Mechanics [Melton] 1985 Mabel Abraham was daughter of Herbert G Abraham, Butcher of High Street Melton. She attended Melton State School from 1928 qualifying for her Merit certificate in December 1928 and continued her education at Melbourne Girls High School [soon after known as MacRobertson Girls High School] She studied piano and elocution as a school girl. Mabel was associated with many activities in the Melton community. She was a natural writer and interested in research and was committed to documenting and preserving Meltons History. Mabel produced, wrote and acted for the “ Melton Amateurs” theatrical group established in 1950. The group performed Revues, Pantomimes, one and three act plays, Musical Comedy and Melodramas. In 1960 it lapsed for a time and from 1967 onwards more shows were successfully produced by Mabel. A creative producer and writer, audiences at the Melton Mechanics Institute enjoyed the performances of Gilbert and Sullivan and excerpts from the many Musicals of the era. She skilfully wrote scripts interweaving with songs and topical local dialogue successfully drawing out the talents of all the cast members. Mabel was a member of the C.W.A. holding position of Secretary. She was a member of the Melton and District Historical Society at its inception in 1968 and was a Member of The Willows Committee of Management. She was supporter of the first historical display and the Mechanics Hall and the Historical Society Annual Art and Craft shows from 1974 until 1982. In 1961 she was involved with Melton Development Association and in 1969 with the establishment of the first “Carols by Candlelight” held in Melton. Mabel was a member Anglican Church and Committee. She was a member of the Melton Mechanics Institute and made a Trustee and Life Member in 1965. She was a member of Victoria 150th Anniversary Celebration Committee. She was Guide Leader, member of the Red Cross and School Committee. In November 1982 she was a recipient of the Annual Rotary Community Service Award for outstanding service to the Community of Melton over a prolonged time. Mabel married Eric Rogers in August 1944 the wedding reception was held at the Melton Mechanics Hall. Their are children John, Ron, Francis and Judy. The family lived in High Street Melton between the Mechanics Institute and earliest Shire Hall eastern end. Eric was grader operator on the district roads. In their latter years Mabel and Eric lived in Bacchus Marsh. Eric died in Bacchus Marsh in July 2007. Country Women's Association Melton Branch lyrics from Mabel Roger's handwritten noteslocal identities, local significant groups

"The outbreak of World War I in August 1914 had an immediate impact on communities across Australia, and it was no different in Melton. Young men began enlisting immediately, and Australia’s initial offer of 20,000 troops was soon exceeded by Victorian enlistments alone. Over the four years of the war, approximately 114,000 Victorians enlisted and around 91,000 servicemen and women were sent overseas. They came not just from Melbourne, but from all over the state; from farms, small towns and suburban areas. They included locals, newly arrived migrants and Indigenous people. The Australian home front was a hive of activity throughout the war, and the Melton community played its part. Following the announcement that Australia was joining the war with Great Britain and its allies on 5 August 1914, the Melton community lost no time in launching into action. A meeting ‘to assist the Red Cross fund’ was held in the Melton Mechanics’ Institute hall on 18 August – just days after the outbreak of the war. Collectors were appointed for each corner of the shire and individual donations were made. A Melton branch of the Australian Red Cross Society was formed in June 1915 and focused its energies on raising funds to purchase material that was used to make clothes for sick and wounded soldiers. A depot was established in Melton to collect clothing and other ‘comfort’ items for the soldiers – including reading material, tobacco, linen, canned foods and soap – and to coordinate the branch’s work and activities. Local cab driver Percival Stubbs volunteered to transport all the packages to the Melton railway station, until he enlisted and departed for the front in 1916. Such were the numbers of people getting involved that branches were also established in Toolern Vale and Rockbank. Regular community events were held to farewell soldiers who were leaving on active service and to welcome those who returned home. Gunner Robert (Bob) Wynne, whose uncle’s family ran the general store in Toolern Vale, was presented with a pair of field glasses (binoculars), a gold watch, inscribed locket and autographed letter by the Toolern Vale community before he set sail for the front in 1916. His mother noted that he ‘sailed away in good spirits with a smile till out of sight’. From June 1915 to June 1919, the Melton Red Cross branch donated 2,156 pairs of socks, 1,357 shirts, 425 kit bags, 251 pillowslips, 224 towels and 121 pairs of pajamas. Countless fundraising events were held, including jumble fairs, concerts and gift evenings. Local schools also encouraged students to contribute through fund-raising and making and collecting comforts for the soldiers. People across the country engaged in similar activities, but Victoria’s rural communities found unique ways of contributing. In Melton, people were encouraged to send rabbits and hares ‘in good condition’ to an exporter in Spencer Street, for export to Belgium ‘for the relief of those suffering". Special Anzac Memorial article featured in the Star Weeklylocal identities, war

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