John Kennedy was born on 04 April 1862, the son of ship carpenter Robert Kennedy and his wife Florinda (Aitken), and the brother of Malcolm and Colin Kennedy. In 1860 the family migrated to Melbourne where Kennedy senior set up as a shipwright. In 1879 Malcolm and John, who trained as a naval architect, joined their father as Robert Kennedy & Sons, shipbuilders and shipsmiths. On 27 December 1883 at North Melbourne, Malcolm married Ann White with Presbyterian forms. Next year Robert Kennedy & Sons removed to Hobart where with John W. Syme and W. J. Duffy, partners until 1889, they took over the Derwent Ironworks & Engineering Co., a foundry formerly owned by the (Alexander) Clark family. The Kennedys also acquired the patent slipyard, formerly Ross's, at Battery Point. After the shipbuilding industry in Hobart began to flag John also turned to mining: he attended the Ballarat School of Mines, and reopened the Hobart smelters which had been an adjunct of the Derwent Ironworks in the 1870s. He made several voyages overseas on smelting business and as mining promoter, and was a member of the London Stock Exchange. In 1913-14 he was manager of Tongkah Compound (1910); Robert Kennedy & Sons was reputed to have contributed to the success of the Hobart-run Tongkah Harbour, Thailand, tin mines by developing a suitable dredge. The brothers also held shares in the Irrawaddy Burma Co. John was a member of the Australasian Institute of Mining Engineers and from 1932 an honorary life member of the American Institute of Mining & Metallurgical Engineers. John died in Hobart on 10 January 1937. (Ann G. Smith, 'Kennedy, John (1862–1937)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/kennedy-john-7092/text11963, published first in hardcopy 1983, accessed online 24 April 2020.) A book covered in black leather with 'John Kennedy' embossed on the front in gold. The book contains notes from the time he studies at the Ballarat School of Mines. The beginning of the book has an alphabetical section where John Kennedy has created an index.Inside front cover 'John Kennedy Nena Wharf Hobart Tasmania.' john kennedy, australasian institute of mining engineers, ausimm, american institute of mining metallurgical engineers, ballarat school of mines, lecture notes, lecture notebook, antinomy, brick clay, carbon, coal, copper, chemistry, clay, chrome, electricity, fire clay, gas, gold, gold bullion, glass, gold test for, iron metallurgy, light, lead, metallurgy, mica, mineralogy, pyrites, sulphur in pyrites, sugar, slags, wolfram, preparation of pure gold, scorification, gold bullion assay, petrography, melting poinys of bodies, metric system, geology, mount morgan, queensland, rock salt, assay of tailings, classification of rocks, muffle furnace, ballarat school of mines wind furnace, assay of antinomy, recovery of silver from solutionsheat pyrometer, spectroscope, organic acids, metallurgy of iron, assat of copper, cornstock lode nevada, mount morgan queensland, scarification, elmwood, metallurgy of lead, specific gravity, copper assay, seperation of gold from other metals, test for gold, wet assay, mercury

Patterned blue hard cover, black binding on spine. On cover on white sticker: 'Bird Reef Co. in a/c with Bank of Victoria'. Entries in gold book date from 5th April 1910 to 15th August 1915. Entries show gold purchased at bank, bullion, advanced upon, to company and to tributes. Affixed to inside back cover: 1. Bank of Victoria Limited statement of gold melted and assayed for Birds Reef Co. 15th September 1910 2. Bank of Victoria pay in slip for credit of Birds Reef Co., 19th June 1911. Gold Book forms part of the Margaret Roberts Mining Collection. Entries include gold entries from the battery, tributors and cyanide. bendigo, margaret roberts, mccoll, rankin and stanistreet, gold, birds reef co., gold book, bullion

Off white soft cover book, black binding on spine. Front cover of book has been removed. Written on front of book " Central Red White and Blue Co'. Entries in gold book date from June 1919 to May 24, 1926. Affixed to inside of back cover: thirteen forms: 'Particulars of Gold Melted and Assayed on Account of Central Red White and Blue Co' .showing weight before melting, weight after melting, assay, standard, price and amount paid. Gold Book forms part of the Margaret Roberts Mining Collection. Entries include gold entries from the battery, tributors and cyanide. bendigo, margaret roberts, mccoll, gold, gold book, bullion, central red white and blue gold mining co.

Loose A4 pages, enclosed in old calendar page as make-shift cover. Written on front ' Central Nell Gwynne Gold Mining Company, No Liability. Gold Book: South Shaft' Monthly entries date from January 1938 through to February 1942 and include weight advanced upon, amount of advance, weight after melting, fineness (mint and bank charges written in pen ) Eq standard weight, value, balance of assay. Blue bank deposit slip from English, Scottish and Australian Bank enclosed dated 28.11.1941 for lodgement of 13/4/- for South Nell Gwynne GM Co., relates to entry in bullion book for same date.gold, mining, central nell gwynne

Hardcover book, crocodile skin print brown cover, black spine. Written on front in black pen 'Gold Book, Nell Gwynne Reef N.L.' Monthly entries in book date from December 1941 to December 1944 and relate to bullion, weight advanced upon , amount of advance, weight after melting, value, balance of assay. . Paper clip in book holds2 City of Bendigo Municipal Weighbridge dockets,dated November 29 and December 14, 1949, indicating that pyrites for the Nell Gwynne Reef was weighed. Purchaser: Leggo, Driver Leggo. Nett Weight 1 ton, 14 cwts. And second 2 tons, 7cwt, 3qrs Toll 1/-/-. Signed U. Austin, weigher. A4 letter appended to weighbridge dockets addressed to Mr. J.J. Stanistreet, Commonwealth Bank Chambers, Bendigo, dated 28th. December 1949. re ' Nell Gwynne Reefs G.M. Coy N.L., I beg to report having attended at the …..mill and afterwards at the works of Victor Leggo Mining Coy. To sample consignments of pyrites. Moisture contents were determined and weighbridge docket checked. Etc.' Assay declarations described in letter.gold, mining, nell gwynne reef n.l.

Hardcover blue/cream book, black spine. On sticker on front 'Central Nell Gwynne Consolidated Company Gold Book' First 3 pages held together by paper clip, dated 1922, on top of page, North Blue Consolidated Co. Entries relate to bullion, weight advanced upon , amount of advance, weight after melting, value, balance of assay. . Following pages date commences 1933, July 28 entry 'Coy North shaft, weight advanced upon, amount of advance, weight after melting, fineness (mint and bank charges written in pen ) Eq standard weight, value, balance of assay. Monthly entries continue until March 1942. Blue bank deposit slip dated 13 June 1941, for 1628/8/- for Central Nell Gwynne, equates to entry in bullion book of that date. Inside front cover: slips of paper with handwritten equations.gold, mining, nell gwynne north blue consolidated

Green hard cover book, one page only has entries. Written inside front cover in grey pencil ' New Don No Liability' Entries relate to 1933, and 1934 showing tons, weight advanced upon, amount of advance, weight after melting, fineness ( bank charge written in pen ) eq standard weight, value, balance of assay.gold, mining, new don mine

Book: Light brown Bullion book with black cloth spine. Pages printed in an account system includes Weight, Amount of Advance, Weight after melting, Mint Charges, Standard weight, Value, Balance of Assay, Pyrites, Plates. In 1939 includes Names of Tributors and Cattery cleaning etc.MCCOLL RANKIN & STANISTREETorganization, business, gold mine accounting., mccoll rankin & stanistreet