This photograph depicts two members of the Beechworth Band at a 'Liedertafel' concert in the main hall at the Burke Museum in 1999. The concert related to an exhibition titled, 'From the Liedertafel to the Skating Rink: Entertainment in Beechworth 1852 - early 1900s', which celebrated the rich and diverse entertainments that were a part of Beechworth life in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. 'Liedertafel' is a German tradition that accompanied European settlers to Australia. It refers to a friendly society of men united by an enthusiasm for singing. The Beechworth Liedertafel was established 14 March 1894 at the London Tavern, Camp Street, Beechworth, by president, Mr. A.A. Billson, and a visiting conductor, Mr. H. Fielder. The Beechworth Brass Band was formed by Mr. H. Vandenberg in 1887. Marching bands, choirs, processions, circus acts, theatrical performances, races, fancy dress and roller skating carnivals, were among the vibrant and diverse entertainments offered in Beechworth during the gold rush period. Race meetings were revived with a gala atmosphere at Baarmutha on New Year's Day and Easter Monday in the early 1880s. 'Spiller's Skating Rink', which premiered at St. Georges Hall in August 1869, was accompanied by the 'Beechworth Fire and Drum band'. In 1888, Beechworth had two skating rinks in operation, the Columbia Elite at Oddfellow's Hall, and the Beechworth Skating Rink, corner Camp and Last Streets, Beechworth. Vandenberg's Beechworth Brass Band was reported to have provided musical entertainment for patrons at both venues.This photograph of the Beechworth Band playing at the Burke Museum is historically significant for the information it conveys about an exhibition at the Burke Museum between September and November 1999. The use of the contemporary Beechworth Band in a 'Liedertafel' performance provides insight into curatorial approaches at the turn of the twenty-first century and improves our understanding of how exhibitions use objects in the Burke Museum's Collection to tell stories about the past in the present. The story of Liedertafel's and Beechworth Brass Band is historically and socially significant for understanding the role played by German immigrants in building Victorian communities. In settler communities, cultural associations centred on artistic, recreational and sporting activities not only provided a popular means of entertainment, but fostered social cohesion among settlers from diverse ethnic backgrounds.Rectangular colour photograph printed on matte photographic paper. Obverse (On keyboard): Technics / Reverse: 7028 / Label: Liedertafel / exh. / Beechworth / Band / 1999/2000 /liedertafel, beechworth band, burke museum, from the liedertafel to the skating rink, entertainment in beechworth 1852 - early 1900s, gold rush, immigration, beechworth's german heritage, london tavern beechworth, beechworth's first brick tavern, spiller's skating rink, vandenberg's beechworth brass band, protestantism, teetotallism, skating carnivals, beechworth german association, yma's, beechworth skating rink, progress societies, billson's brewery, german-australians, roller skating history

This photograph depicts female singers accompanied by members of the Beechworth Band at a 'Liedertafel' concert in the main hall at the Burke Museum in 1999. The concert related to an exhibition titled, 'From the Liedertafel to the Skating Rink: Entertainment in Beechworth 1852 - early 1900s', which celebrated the rich and diverse entertainments that were part of Beechworth life in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. 'Liedertafel' is a German tradition that accompanied European settlers to Australia. It refers to a friendly society of men united by an enthusiasm for singing. The Beechworth Liedertafel was established 14 March 1894 at the London Tavern, Camp Street, Beechworth, by president, Mr. A.A. Billson, and a visiting conductor, Mr. H. Fielder. The Beechworth Brass Band was formed by Mr. H. Vandenberg in 1887. Marching bands, choirs, circus acts, theatrical performances, races, and seasonal activities, such as Mr. Spiller's roller skating rink, which was founded in the late 1860s, were among the entertainments on offer in Beechworth.This photograph of the Beechworth Band playing at the Burke Museum is historically significant for the information it conveys about an exhibition at the Burke Museum between September and November 1999. The use of the contemporary Beechworth Band in a 'Liedertafel' performance provides insight into curatorial approaches at the turn of the twenty-first century and improves our understanding of how exhibitions use objects in the Burke Museum's Collection to tell stories about the past in the present. The image is historically and socially significant for attesting to the enduring appeal of local musical associations, which were a popular means of entertainment that fostered social connections among settlers from diverse ethnic backgrounds. Liedertafel choirs were originally male-only, therefore, the presence of female singers at the 1999 exhibition reflects progressive social and community values with regard to gender and inclusion.Rectangular colour photograph printed on matte photographic paper.Reverse: 7030 / Label: Burke Museum / Liedertafel Exh / Emily Messen, Luetta / Schier, Hannah / Routledge, Sarah / McKinley 2000 (?) / 2000 (?) / liedertafel, beechworth band, burke museum, exhibition 1999, from the liedertafel to the skating rink, entertainment in beechworth 1852 - early 1900s, past exhibitions, performances at the burke museum, european settlers, german community, german choral societies, brass bands, male choir, colonial passtimes, colonial entertainments, cultural traditions, gold rush, immigration, beechworth's german heritage, london tavern beechworth, camp st beechworth, beechworth historic district, beechworth's first brick tavern, spiller's skating rink, vandenberg's beechworth brass band, benevolent societies, intellectual societies, protestantism, billson brewery beechworth, teetotallism, fancy dress carnivals, skating carnivals, fundraising societies, german musicians, crimean war, beechworth german association, freemasonry, yma's, beechworth athenaeum, beechworth skating rink

This photograph depicts members of the Beechworth Band at a 'Liedertafel' concert in the main hall at the Burke Museum in 1999. The concert was associated with an exhibition titled, 'From the Liedertafel to the Skating Rink: Entertainment in Beechworth 1852 - early 1900s', which celebrated the rich and diverse entertainments that were a part of Beechworth life in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Marching bands, choirs, circus acts, theatrical performances, races, and seasonal activities, such as Mr. Spiller's roller skating rink, founded in the late 1860s, were among the attractions on offer. 'Liedertafel' is a tradition that accompanied German settlers to Australia. It refers to a friendly society of men united by an enthusiasm for singing. The Beechworth Brass Band was formed by Mr. H. Vandenberg in 1887. The Beechworth Liedertafel was established 14 March 1894 at the London Tavern, Camp Street, Beechworth, by Mr. A.A. Billson, and a visiting conductor, Mr. H. Fielder. German clubs, complete with marching bands, athletics associations and Liedertafel choirs, were centres of social activity attracting wide audiences not limited to members of their own ethnicity. Alfred Arthur Billson was the youngest son of Mr. George Billson, who served as Beechworth’s mayor between 1869-1871. In 1872, George purchased the Oven’s Brewery in Last Street, which became Billson’s Brewery, one of the oldest continuing beverage manufacturers in Australia. An active member of Beechworth’s cultural, business and political life around the turn of the century, A.A. Billson served on Beechworth Shire Council from 1884 to 1893, and from 1895 to 1910, with three terms as president (1888–89, 1899–1901, 1908–09). He founded the Beechworth Progress Association in 1891 and produced an ‘Illustrated Guide to Beechworth and Vicinity’ to develop tourism potential. This photograph of the Beechworth Band playing at the Burke Museum is historically significant for the information it conveys about an exhibition at the Burke Museum between September and November 1999. The use of the contemporary Beechworth Band in a 'Liedertafel' performance provides insight into curatorial approaches at the turn of the twenty-first century and improves our understanding of how exhibitions use objects in the Burke Museum's Collection to tell stories about the past in the present. The image is historically and socially significant for attesting to the enduring appeal of local musical associations, which were a popular means of entertainment that fostered social connections among settlers from diverse ethnic backgrounds. Rectangular colour photograph printed on matte photographic paper. Reverse: 7029 / Label: 7029 / Source / Burke Museum / Beechworth / Band / 1999/2000 /liedertafel, beechworth band, burke museum, from the liedertafel to the skating rink, entertainment in beechworth 1852 - early 1900s, gold rush, immigration, beechworth's german heritage, london tavern beechworth, beechworth's first brick tavern, spiller's skating rink, vandenberg's beechworth brass band, protestantism, teetotallism, skating carnivals, beechworth german association, yma's, beechworth skating rink, progress societies, billson's brewery, german-australians, beechworth progess association, lodges, freemasonry, colonial australia

This photograph taken c1999/2000, depicts the Burke Museum’s granite façade and vestibule entrance. The museum's large red door is closed and there is a white sign is attached to the door. The museum site dates to the 1857 founding of the Beechworth Public Library and Athenaeum by a newly formed Young Men's Association (YMA). In 1863 the museum was dedicated as a memorial to former Beechworth police superintendent (1854-1858) and explorer Robert O’Hara Burke, following Burke’s death from malnutrition on the Burke and Wills expedition in 1861. Funded by the Victorian Government and the Royal Society of Victoria, the officially titled 'Victorian Exploring Expedition' was tasked with being the first European party to traverse Australia from south to north. The Burke Museum holds objects from the famous expedition and explores the multi-layered history of Beechworth and surrounds from the gold rush era to the present.This photograph is historically significant for its depiction of the Burke Museum c1999/2000. The Burke Museum is Australia’s oldest regional museum and part of Beechworth's Historic and Cultural Precinct, one of Australia’s best preserved historic-town sites and a popular tourist destination. Once the government centre for a vast gold fields region, this collection of nationally significant buildings tells the story of how Australia grew and prospered. The frequent use of honey-coloured local granite as a building material, which can be seen in the museum's fabric, gives Beechworth’s historic buildings a distinct and cohesive local character. This photograph captures this distinctive character and may be compared and studied alongside other images of historic buildings in the Burke Museum Photographic Collection.Rectangular colour photograph printed on photographic paper.Reverse: 7031 / Label: Burke Museum / 1999/2000 /burke museum, indigo shire, beechworth athanaeum, beechworth library, beechworth historic building, historic precinct, burke museum exhibition, from the liedertafel to the skating rink, honey-coloured local granite, robert o'hara burke, victorian gold fields, historic towns in victoria, colonial australia, liedertafel, colonial entertainments, beechworth brass band, historic victorian architecture, australia's oldest regional museum, burke and wills expedition, first europeans to cross australia, yound mens associations, beechworth tourism, things to see in beechworth, beechworth historic trail, young men's associations

Mr. Braz Borschman was born in Beechworth on the 1st of July 1914 at his parents home. He played for many years in the Towns volunteer Brass Band, a popular local band of about 30 members. Braz played the coronet and later the trombone. His first job was for the post office, but he spend most of his working life at the Beechworth Tannery. His interview contains lots of information about the tanning processes, including the story of 'Young Thomas', who lost his arm in a tannery accident. Braz recalls the open-air picture theatres of Beechworth, the many dances and balls, and distinct lack of cars. His testimony is rich with detail and filled with many other side-stories, including 'Blind Tommy', a self-sufficient, opium-smoking blind man of Chinese descent. This oral history recording was part of a project conducted by Jennifer Williams in the year 2000 to capture the everyday life and struggles in Beechworth during the twentieth century. This project involved recording seventy oral histories on cassette tapes of local Beechworth residents which were then published in a book titled: Listen to what they say: voices of twentieth century Beechworth. These cassette tapes were digitised in July 2021 with funds made available by the Friends of the Burke.Braz' interview is significant for the many historical details it provides about life, work, and leisure in Beechworth, particularly in relation to the period of the depression and after, which is the context which Braz' interview focuses on. His detail about the Beechworth tannery and the many open-air picture gardens is particularly rare and insightful to any social history of Beechworth. The oral history project more broadly is significant for its capture of the lives of ordinary Beechworth residents from incredibly divergent backgrounds, which has led to a rich, nuanced and diverse range of accounts of Beechworth.This is a digital copy of a recording that was originally captured on a cassette tape. The cassette tape is black with a horizontal white strip and is currently stored in a clear flat plastic rectangular container. It holds up 40 minutes of recordings on each side.listen to what they say, beechworth, oral history, braz borschman, brass band

The events of the afternoon included lunch for the bandsmen at the Memorial Hall, a street march to the Park, and performances at the Park, concluding with a massed march back to town. 10 bands from the surrounding districts participated. The donor was teaching at the Rutherglen Higher Elementary School at the time of this event, and boarded at the Star Hotel.Program for a massed bands display, held by the Rutherglen & District Brass Band, on December 1939. Also included is a letter from the donor.bands, rutherglen town band, wangaratta town band, mooroopna town band, corowa town band, albury town band, goulburn valley pipe band, yarrawonga brass band, finley district citizens band, beechworth town band, benalla citizens band, rutherglen higher elementary school, star hotel