On 12 January, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed that a novel coronavirus was the cause of a respiratory illness in a cluster of people in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China, who had initially come to the attention of the WHO on 31 December 2019. On 3 March, the Reserve Bank of Australia became the first central bank to cut interest rates in response to the outbreak. Official interest rates were cut by 0.25% (25 base points) to a record low of 0.5%. On 12 March, the Federal Government announced a A$17.6 billion stimulus package, the first since the 2008 GFC. he package consists of multiple parts, a one-off A$750 payment to around 6.5 million welfare recipients as early as 31 March 2020, small business assistance with 700,000 grants up to $25,000 and a 50% wage subsidy for 120,000 apprenticies or trainees for up to 9 months, 1 billion to support economically impacted sectors, regions and communities, and $700 million to increase tax write off and $3.2 billion to support short-term small and medium-sized business investment. On 16 March, Premier Dan Andrews and Minister for Health Jenny Mikakos declared a state of emergency for Victoria for at least four weeks. On 19 March, the Reserve Bank again cut interest rates by a further 0.25% to 0.25%, the lowest in Australian history. On 22 March, the government announced a second stimulus package of A$66bn, increasing the amount of total financial package offered to A$89bn. This included several new measures like doubling income support for individuals on Jobseeker's allowance, granting A$100,000 to small and medium-sized businesses and A$715 million to Australian airports and airlines. It also allowed individuals affected by the outbreak to access up to A$10,000 of their superannuation during 2019–2020 and also being able to take an additional same amount for the next year. on the same day Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews announced on 22 March that the state will bring the school holiday forwards to 24 March from 27 March. On 30 March, the Australian Federal Government announced a $130 billion "JobKeeper" wage subsidy program offering to pay employers up to $1500 a fortnight per full-time, part-time or casual employee that has worked for that business for over a year. For a business to be eligible, they must have lost 30% of turnover after 1 March of annual revenue up to and including $1 billion. For businesses with a revenue of over $1 billion, turnover must have decreased by 50%. Businesses are then required by law to pay the subsidy to their staff, in lieu of their usual wages. This response came after the enormous job losses seen just a week prior when an estimated 1 million Australians lost their jobs. This massive loss in jobs caused the myGov website to crash and lines out of Centrelink offices to run hundreds of metres long.The program was backdated to 1 March, to aim at reemploying the many people who had just lost their jobs in the weeks before. Businesses would receive the JobKeeper subsidy for six months. Victoria's "Second Wave" from Ballarat Courier, 05 August 2020 Wednesday, August 5: 725 cases, 15 deaths. A record figure reached yet again. Tuesday, August 4: 439 cases, 11 deaths. New fines introduced for COVID-infected people who aren't home. Monday, August 3: 429 cases, 13 deaths. Premier details mass industry shutdowns in Melbourne. Sunday, August 2: 671 cases, seven deaths as harsh new statewide lockdowns are announced Saturday, August 1: 397 new cases, three deaths Friday, July 31: 627 new cases, eight deaths. Premier says one in four Covid cases not home when checked. Thursday July 30: 723 cases, 13 deaths. Just when it was looking promising, alarming new record set. Wednesday July 29: 295 new cases, nine deaths as new cases drop below 300 for first time in nine days Tuesday July 28: 380 new cases, six deaths as aged care outbreaks continue to climb Monday July 27: 532 new cases as daily cases hits 500 for first time, six deaths Sunday July 26: 459 new cases as double-digit death toll is recorded for first time with 10 deaths Saturday July 25: 357 new cases, five new deaths Friday July 24: 300 cases, six deaths, ADF role expanded to help with contact tracing. Thursday July 23 - 403 cases, five deaths, worst day for fatalities in any state, masks now mandatory Wednesday July 22 - 484 cases, two deaths Tuesday July 21 - 374 cases, three deaths Monday July 20 - 275 cases, one death Sunday July 19 - 363 cases, three deaths, notice that masks will become mandatory in lockdown areas Saturday July 18 - 217 cases, three deaths, final Melbourne public housing tower released from hard lockdown Friday July 17 - 428 cases, three deaths Thursday July 16 - 317 cases, two deaths Wednesday July 15 - 238 cases, one death Tuesday July 14 - 270 cases, two deaths Monday July 13 - 177 cases Sunday July 12 - 273 cases, one death Saturday July 11 - 216 cases, one death Friday July 10 - 288 cases, a national daily record at the time Thursday July 9 - 165 cases, eight of nine Melbourne public housing towers released from hard lockdown Wednesday July 8 - 134 cases, new stage-three restrictions announced for metropolitan Melbourne and Mitchell Shire Tuesday July 7 - 191 cases Monday July 6 - 127 cases, two deaths, NSW border closed Sunday July 5 - 74 cases Saturday July 4 - 108 cases, immediate hard lockdown of nine Melbourne public housing towers Friday July 3 - 66 cases Thursday July 2 - 77 cases Wednesday July 1 - 73 casesColour photographs of social distancing signs during the Covid-19 Pandemic, on Chemist Warehouse in Sebastopol. On 06 April 2020 a maximum of 75 people were allowed in the chemist at one time, and those with syptoms of Covid-19 (fever, cough, shortness of breath) were asked to not enter without phone contact. Upon entering customers were directed to use hand sanitizer, and 1.5 metre markings were placed on the floor to enable legal social distancing.covid-19, corona virus, pandemic, chemist's warehouse, sebastopol, social distancing

"ARARAT WAR MEMORIAL.- Remarkable simplicity and beauty are combined in the Ararat war memorial, which will be unveiled by Senator H.E. Elliott to-morrow. The monument is a simple rectangular stone mass, 12ft in length, 6ft in width, and 18ft m height, standing on a bluestone platform of three steps in the centre of a formal garden Surrounding the memorial is a bronze frieze, conceived from the classic frieze of the Parthenon in Athens depicting incidents in Australian engagements overseas. The frieze took the sculptor (Mr Wallace Anderson) two years to complete. The memorial was designed and supervised by Mr A.S. Hall. Photographs of the memorial are included in the collection at the architectural exhibition it the Town Hall." (The Argus, Friday 8 August 1930) A number of colour photographs showing details from the Ararat War Memorial.ararat, ararat war memorial, ararat cenotaph, wallace anderson, a.s. hall, world war, nurse

The St Brigid statue was presented to the church by Fr Kerin in 1915. "CROSSLEY. (From Our Correspondent). At the Crossley hall, on Thursday evening last, a meeting was held for the purpose of forming a Catholic Debating Society. There was a splendid attendance, Rev Fathers Kerin and Phelan being present, both of whom explained the advan tages to be gained by such a society. After the matter had been dis cussed, it was unanimously de cided to form a Crossley Debating Society, the election of officers re sulting as follows-President, Rev Father Phelan ; secretary, Mr S. Shanley ; assistant secretary, Mr P. Farley ; vice-presidents, Messrs L. Dwyer and P. Wall; treasurer, Mr D. Lane ; auditors, Messrs F. Shanley and M. Foley ; press correspondent, Mr P. Crowe. A com mittee of 12 was elected, and a sub committee was appointed to draft rules governing the society. It was decided to hold meetings fortnightly, Friday evenings being the choice for meetings. Immediately before 11 o'clock Mass at St. Brigid's R.C. Church, Crossley, on Sunday last, the Rev Father Kerin blesssed und unveiled a beautiful life-size statue of St. Brigid. The rev gentleman, in a lengthy discourse, dwelt on the life of piety led by the saint. He expressed a wish that in passing by the statue it would be a reminder to them that their church and school were dedicated to this saint. {Port Fair Gazette, 19 April 1915.}Colour photograph of a papier mache statue of St Brigid, photographed at St Brigid's Crossley.st brigid statue, st brigid's crossley, d'aprato statue co., st brigid

"Centenary of Fnrst Mass at Ballarat Friday last marked the centenary of the arrival of the first priest and the celebration of the first Mass in Ballarat. The Rev. Patrick Dunne reached the diggings on October 17, and on Sunday, October 19, 1851, in a bark hut near Brown Hill, he celebrated Mass. Worshippers had to kneel on quartz gravel. The weather had been the worst experienced in Victoria for a number of years, and most of the creeks between Melbourne and Ballarat were flowing torrents, but Father Dunne (who came from the Coburg mission), carrying the barest necessities and the sacred vestments, set out for Ballarat on horseback. He had to ford and swim his horse across the creeks. When most of his congregation left for the Castlemaine diggings Father Dunne returned to Melbourne. In August, 1852, Rev. Matthew Downing became Ballarat's first resident priest. He built a large wooden structure with a canvas roof which served as a church, but later erected at the Gravel Pits the first permanent church. This church was the largest of any house of worship on any goldfield in the colony. It cost £ 100, contributed solely by Father Downing and his flock. Soon after he got the authorities to survey a large piece of land at the back of the township as a burial ground and procured a grant of £500 for fencing it. A grant of £250 was also obtained for the improvement of the chapel and fittings of a school, where Michael Campion Carey opened the first school. Rev. Patrick Smyth succeeded Father Downing, who was followed by Rev. P. Madden, who in 1857 began to plan the erection of St. Patrick's Church. The foundation stone of this was laid by Bishop Goold on February 12, 1858, and the church was opened for the first time on November 8, 1863." (Melbourne Advocate 25 October 1951)Two colour photographs showing the St Alipius' Catholic Church flag - a blue cross and border on white. st alipius, church, ballarat east, flag

The Altar at Colac decorated for Holy Thursday 1934. Prior to the 1955 reforms of Pope Pius XII the Mass of the Lord's Supper and the Easter Vigil were celebrated in the morning of Thursday and Saturday respectively, and Holy Week and Lent were seen as ending only on the approach of Easter Sunday. The Altar is highly decorated and the ceremony focused upon as following the Mass of Holy Thursday Mass is not celebrated on Good Friday and the communion distributed at the Celebration of the Lord's Passion on Good Friday is consecrated on Holy Thursday.Caligraphy to board "St Mary's Colac Holy Thursday 1934".holy thursday, st mary's colac, easter, 1934.

Photograph. Mass of thanksgiving for Neil Frederick Talbot who passed away 15th October 2016. St. Kilian's church, Friday 21/10/2016.photo, person, neil talbot