On 28 March 1981 the Ballarat College of Advanced Education 1870 Founders hall was opened. The hall was erected from the proceeds of the Centenary Appeal, held in 1975. It cost approximately $800,000. The hall commemorates the initiative of the founders of the original Ballarat School of Mines and its "descendants", including Ballarat College of Advanced Education, as well as formal technical education in Australia. The hall plans were to erect a building to accommodate 670 persons in a theatre type seating arrangement and to be used for multi-purpose use by community groups as well as by the College. Construction of the hall commenced in 1978. It was opened approximately 110 years after the Ballarat School of Mines (26 October 1870) and 10 years after the opening of the Mt Helen Campus (31 October 1870)..1) Morgan B. John on left with Bill North right. .2) L to R:- Betty Barrell; W.J.North; John Vernon; A.C.Burrow; Mrs North; Dulcie Burrow; Mrs Webb; K.C.Webb; Geoffrey Barrell .3) L to R:- unidentified; E.J. Tippett; Bert Stohr .4) L to R:- Mrs Handford-Stevens; Mrs Nicholson; J Handford-Stevens; Sir A Nicholson, Mayor of Ballarat .5) L to R:- Bill North; unidentified; S Martin-Brown; unidentifiedPhotographer's stamp on back of each photograph. .1) In pencil: "at Centenary Appeal conclusion reception 1975"; "M.B.John, President of (BIAE crossed out) SMB Council; W.J.C.(Bill) North, appeal committee chairman"; 10 - 3. .2) 10 - 4 .3) 10 - 2 .4) 10 - 1 .5) 10 - 5 a.w. nicholson, e.j. tippett, m.b. john, morgan b. john, ballarat junior technical school, ballarat school of mines, ballarat college of advanced education, 1870 founders hall, centenary appeal, 1978, 1981