Taken in 1994, this photograph depicts the reunion of four women, all of whom were former workers at the Beechworth Shoe Factory. Pictured from left to right are: Nettie Maher, Beryl Pope, Alice Adams and Leila Doig. Nola (Nettie) Maher, who donated this photograph to the museum in 2001, was born in Beechworth on the twenty-first of December 1935. She is one of the many - primarily women - workers employed by the Beechworth Shoe Factory (also known as Pitman's Shoe Factory). Once located on Ford Street, the factory was established by Mr T. Nagle Pitman as a branch of the company Elgins Shoes, and was in operation from the first of July 1947 to the twenty-eighth of August 1961. In an interview given in 2000, Nettie recalls the close trust and friendships that were built amongst the factory workers. A sense of this bond is reflected in this reunion photograph, taken several decades later. This photograph is historically significant as it provides insight into the experiences of women factory workers in Beechworth during the twentieth century. Colour rectangular photograph printed on matte photographic paperReverse: 13 / 6981 /beechworth shoe factory, pitman shoe factory, t. nagle pitman, reunion, female friendships, nola maher, nettie maher, beryl pope, alice adams, leila doig, beechworth shoe factory reunion 1994, elgin shoes, women factory workers, beechworth factories

Elgin Shoes Pty., Ltd., established a branch shoe factory in Beechworth in 1946. Managing director, Mr T Nagle Pitman, selected Beechworth as a suitable location for the factory due to the availability of labour in the town, particularly girls under sixteen years of age. At its peak, the shoe factory employed thirty six women and girls, which also included post-war migrants. After the Second World War, Australia admitted increasing numbers of immigrants in order to fulfil labour requirements for a rapidly inflating demand of consumer goods. These migrants were largely from European Countries in line with the ‘White Australia Policy’. In 1954 Beechworth had 170 migrants from the UK, 102 from Hungary, and 63 from Germany. The factory closed in 1961 as increased centralisation of both populations and industry in the larger nearby towns of Wangaratta and Wodonga lead to the closure of many factories in small towns in the 1960s and 1970s. This photograph is historically significant as it shows the working conditions in a factory primarily staffed by women at some point between the late 1940s and early 1960s. Sepia rectangular photograph printed on matte photographic paperReverse: 14 / AFGA / 6982 / pitman shoe factory, elgin shoe company, industry, shoe factory, shoemaking, working women, post-war migration, factory, white australia policy, mid-twentieth century women's working conditions, twentieth-century working conditions, pitman, elgin, shoe, sewing machine, leather, pittman

This item is from the "Barone" Collection. "Barone" (also known as "Seaview") was a stately Brighton home built at 9 Moule Avenue prior to 1855 and demolished in 1986. The house's residents included Edward Elgin Browne (during 1859-72), a Melbourne tea merchant, and the family and descendants of retired Scottish Army captain Archibald Black (during the period 1880-1970). Its neighbors included “St Ninians” owned by the Ward Cole family, “Seacombe” owned by the Moule family, and the home of James Grahame and his family. The items in the "Barone" collection were largely donated by two of the house's later owners, Mrs Doris Halkyard and Mrs Brian Brandt.Leather, wood and metal ankle boots c.1860. Dark brown leather upper constructed of two pieces, the foot secures with a metal clasp at the centre front ankle. The upper is adhered to the wooden sole with metal nails. The sole of the forefoot has been reinforced with a metal horseshoe around the edge. On one shoe, a modern inscription (ball point pen) : From "Barone" 9 Moule Ave Brighton. Sept 1970 On other shoe, typewritten on paper: From "Barone", 9 Moule Ave., Brighton Pres. Aug 1970children's shoe, barone, seaview, brighton, 1860s

Wodonga Shire was created in 1876 when the colonial government agreed to ratepayers' petitions to have their part of the local government district severed from the Yackandandah Shire to form a new municipality. After meeting for 14 years in rented remises, in the Prince of Wales Hall, Wodonga Council built its first Shire Hall on the corner of High and Elgin Streets in 1890. The date on the façade of the building, 1876, represents the date of the formation of the Shire. In 1957 the second Shire Office was built in Woodland Grove by A.B. and M. A. Chick. These offices were considered more than adequate for future needs. The façade featured floor to ceiling windows and several different meeting rooms in addition to the council chamber, which featured an impressive “horse shoe” table. It also included a kitchen equipped with modern fittings and a President’s room. In the late 1960s the area between Hovell and Havelock Streets as far as Jack Hore Place was zoned for civic purposes. In 1969 plans for a civic centre providing a library, theatre and senior citizens’ rooms. It was opened on 22 April 1971. In 1973, the Council engaged Bruce Marshall to design new offices beside the Civic Centre. Jennings Industries were contracted to complete the offices. The Governor, Sir Henry Winneke, laid the foundation stone of the new offices on 10 March 1976. The Civic Centre was demolished in 2011 to make may for a new $10 million community and entertainment centre which opened in August 2012.These photos are significant because they depict the different buildings which have housed the centre of local government in Wodonga since its inception as an independent shire in 1876.A series of photographs depicting the different buildings used to house the Wodonga Council and Civic buildings over time.wodonga civic buildings, wodonga council, shire of wodonga, rural city of wodonga