In 1980 M.B.John was Council President. In 1980 the School of Arts moved into their new building, 1870 Founders Hall was financed - at a cost of $800,000 - from the proceeds of the SMB Centenary Appeal, and was completed late in 1980. Extensive work was carried out on the Student Residences and the former Education Department Hostel in Victorian Street. The amphitheatre adjacent to the eastern side of the Education Buildings was constructed, together with the nearby disabled ramp. Negotiations with the Shire of Buninyong were continued for access to the campus from the Green Hill Road. Following the creation by Act of Parliament in 1978 of the Victorian Post-Secondary Education Commission (VPSEC) amendments to the same Act early in 1980 made provision for the repeal of the VIC and SCV Acts. From mid-December 1980 these latter two bodies ceased to exist when the provisions for repeal of their Acts were proclaimed. The Victorian Institute of Colleges had been set up in 1965 to aid in the co-ordination and development of a number of non-university tertiary institutions that affiliated with it from 1965 on to become Colleges of Advanced Education. In taking up this role which had been spelt out in 1964 by the martin Committee, the VIC broke new ground in a whole range of operations. It became responsible for the physical development of new building programmes and new campuses from many of its colleges, for the procurement of operating funds from the Commonwealth, for the accreditation of new courses of study, for the first non-university degrees to be awarded in Australia and so on. The Former Ballarat Institute of Advanced Education (the tertiary division of the School of Mines) was affiliated with the VIC from the outset and its progress towards a new status, rapid growth and vastly improved physical resources was closely linked to and dependent upon the efforts of the VIC. The similar co-ordinating authority - The State College of Victoria - was established in 1973 to similarly foster the autonomous development of the former teachers colleges. its early work was highly influential in the transition of the Ballarat Teachers' College into the State College of Victoria at Ballarat. On the merging of the BIAE and the SCVB in 1976, the new college continued under the co-ordination of the Victorian Institute of Colleges. The major contribution made to the progress and stature of became the Ballarat College of advanced Education by both the VIC and SCV, and their Councils and officers, over the formative years of rapid change and evolution is acknowledged and recorded with appreciation. Such efforts by the two central authorities have markedly assisted in bringing the College to the present point where its accumulated experiences and traditions provide a sound basis on which it can confidently and responsibly exercise the greater autonomy gradually passing it. Purple soft covered book of 47 pages. Contents include: development of a Nurse education course, College organisational Structure, Role of Head of School, resignation of Norman Baggaley, appointment of R. Macgowan, opening of Business Resource Centre, Librarianship, resignation of M.J. Sandow-Quirk, E.A. Widdop, J. Leeuwenburg, Thelma Rungkat, Erica Myers, former Acting Head of School John Mildren elected to the Federal seat of Ballarat, Ray Watson, Resignation of A.C. Burrow, return of W.J. Vermeend, P.L. McCarthy, P.R. Calder, J.A. Fulcher, L.E. Taylor, L.J. McGrath, Teaching Resource Centreballarat college of advanced education, bcae, mt helen, mount helen, sandow-quirk, widdop, leeuwenburg, rungkat, myers, burrow, vermeend, mccarthy, calder, fulcher, taylor, victoria street

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