Document. Harry Biggs Collection. A copy of a letter from E. Hayward, Hon. Sec. Bendigo Historical Society to the Town Clerk, Town Hall Bendigo. It is requested that an application be made to the Education Department for the Bendigo Historical Society to occupy the Police Barracks as an Historical Museum. A letter in reply from F. T. Amer, Town Clerk advises that the Council have complied with the request.organization, club/society, community, harry biggs collection, police barracks

Document. Harry Biggs Collection. A blue copy of letter dated 18/5/1951 from E. Hayward Hon. Sec. Bendigo Historical Society to The Town Clerk Bendigo City Council re old Police Barracks. He is asking if the Council will renew its application for the Society's use of the premises now that the school is soon to be accommodated in a Prefab. A letter in reply from F. T. Amer Town Clerk dated 22/6/51 rejects their application & suggests they try to acquire the old YMCA premises.organization, club/society, community, harry biggs collection, police barracks

Dr Michele Matthews has been a local and social historian for nearly three decades since she first used correspondence held by the then Bendigo City Council for her Honours thesis. She is an ardent advocate for the use of local history records to tell Victorian and Australian history from a grassroots perspective. Michele’s MA thesis, ‘A forgotten “Father” of Federation: Sir John Quick 1852‑1911’ (2003), and her PhD thesis, ‘Survivors, schemes, Samaritans and shareholders: the impact of the Great Depression on Bendigo and District 1925‑1935’ (2007), both drew heavily on Bendigo and district records. Michele Matthews Collection: PHD Research - Relief during the great depression This item includes the following documents: 8672.73a This document is a formal letter from the Victorian Government Department of Labour, Sustenance Branch, dated 30 April 1934, addressed to Mr. F. T. Amer, Town Clerk of Bendigo. It acknowledges receipt of Mr. Amer's communication of 26 April 1934, which outlined the grievances and concerns raised by unemployed residents of Bendigo. The letter states that the Assistant Minister in Charge of Sustenance has asked the Officer-in-Charge to thank Mr. Amer for providing this information. It notes that the representations concerning the unemployed have been received and that the information supplied will be of considerable assistance to the Department in understanding and addressing the issues raised. The correspondence concludes with a courteous expression of thanks and is signed by the Officer-in-Charge on behalf of the Department. The tone is formal and appreciative, indicating that the government has taken note of the concerns presented by the Bendigo Town Clerk. In a postscript, the writer advises that, for Mr. Amer's information, a copy of the communication has been forwarded to the Secretary of the Unemployed Ratepayers' and Citizens' Association, Bendigo. This suggests that the Department intended to keep the local organisation informed of its correspondence and response.bendigo, michele matthews collection, letters seeking support in bendigo during the great depression 1932 to 1934

Dr Michele Matthews has been a local and social historian for nearly three decades since she first used correspondence held by the then Bendigo City Council for her Honours thesis. She is an ardent advocate for the use of local history records to tell Victorian and Australian history from a grassroots perspective. Michele’s MA thesis, ‘A forgotten “Father” of Federation: Sir John Quick 1852‑1911’ (2003), and her PhD thesis, ‘Survivors, schemes, Samaritans and shareholders: the impact of the Great Depression on Bendigo and District 1925‑1935’ (2007), both drew heavily on Bendigo and district records. Michele Matthews Collection: PHD Research - Relief during the great depression This item includes the following documents: 8672.53a The letter, dated 5 December 1935, was sent by the Victorian Department of Labour, Sustenance Branch to F. T. Amer, Town Clerk of Bendigo. It acknowledges receipt of the Town Clerk’s earlier correspondence and clarifies the department’s policy on payments to men undertaking sustenance work. The department states that workers must not be paid the higher rate of sustenance unless they are actually performing work. It emphasises that payment at the higher rate is strictly conditional on work being carried out and should not be granted simply because a worker is enrolled in the scheme. The letter further advises that if work is suspended between 23 December 1933 and 2 January 1934, men who are not undertaking work during that period should receive only the lower sustenance rate. This reinforces the department’s position that higher payments are tied directly to active employment rather than periods of inactivity. Finally, the department suggests that municipalities may arrange for workers to complete additional hours before the Christmas and New Year holiday period so that their accumulated work credits will carry their sustenance payments through the shutdown. However, it makes clear that no credit is to be given for the holiday period itself. The letter closes with the signature of the Officer-in-Charge.bendigo, michele matthews collection, letters seeking support in bendigo during the great depression 1932 to 1934

Dr Michele Matthews has been a local and social historian for nearly three decades since she first used correspondence held by the then Bendigo City Council for her Honours thesis. She is an ardent advocate for the use of local history records to tell Victorian and Australian history from a grassroots perspective. Michele’s MA thesis, ‘A forgotten “Father” of Federation: Sir John Quick 1852‑1911’ (2003), and her PhD thesis, ‘Survivors, schemes, Samaritans and shareholders: the impact of the Great Depression on Bendigo and District 1925‑1935’ (2007), both drew heavily on Bendigo and district records. Michele Matthews Collection: PHD Research - Relief during the great depression This item includes the following documents: 8672.78a The document is a letter dated 18 June 1934 from the Unemployed Ratepayers' and Citizens' Association in Bendigo to Mr. F. T. Amer, Town Clerk of Bendigo. It reports the outcomes of a special meeting held to discuss the Sustenance Act and outlines the Association's concerns and resolutions regarding unemployment relief and sustenance work. The Association's primary resolution calls for unemployed workers to receive the full amount of sustenance to which they are entitled under the Act. It also urges the Government to provide sufficient funding to the City Council so that it can continue supervising sustenance work, ensuring unemployed people have access to appropriate relief and employment opportunities. A second resolution requests that the City Council prevent agitators from interfering with sustenance works, including during lunch breaks while men are employed. The Association argues that supervisors should have the authority to keep agitators away from work sites, claiming that outside interference and worksite meetings are not in the best interests of the workers and may disrupt employment. The letter concludes by stating that the Association is compiling a list of additional public works capable of employing more workers. It notes that the resolutions have already been forwarded to both the Premier and the Minister of Sustenance, expressing hope that the matter will be resolved quickly. The letter is signed by Fred C. Sweeney, General Secretary of the Unemployed Ratepayers' Association.bendigo, michele matthews collection, letters seeking support in bendigo during the great depression 1932 to 1934