Gift of the City of Kew 1988Archival recordsProvenance orderReproduced minutes on microfiche of the local government instrumentality - initially the Municipality, then Borough, Town and City of Kew.municipality of kew - council minutes, borough of kew - council minutes, town of kew - council minutes, city of kew - council minutes, local government - kew (vic)municipality of kew - council minutes, borough of kew - council minutes, town of kew - council minutes, city of kew - council minutes, local government - kew (vic)

The decade that began in national and domestic uncertainty was to end on a fancifully resolute moment, when Kew Council decided to apply for a gold mayoral chain. While most cities had previously been gifted mayoral chains by the Victorian Government, Kew had passed up an earlier opportunity in 1933. In that year, councillors had asked the Town Clerk to investigate whether previous mayors were willing to donate a gold link for the chain on which their name would be inscribed. Either the answer was negative, or else the Great Depression unnerved the decision makers. Hawthorn councillors, in contrast, accepted the offer of a gold chain, contributing the cost of the enamelled central medallion, while twenty former Hawthorn mayors agreed to each donate a link. At a Special Meeting of the Kew City Council on 22 August 1949, the Lieutenant Governor, Sir Edmund Herring presented a gold mayoral chain, worth £250 to the City of Kew. Contemporary newspaper accounts recorded that sixteen former mayors, or their families, donated a link inscribed with the name and term of its owner. The first mayor to wear the new chain of office was Cr Walter Hambly.Historically significant documentary record relating to the Insignia of Office of the City of KewNotice paper sent to councillors of a Special Meeting of Kew City Council, attended by the Lieutenant Governor, Sir Edmund Herring to receive the presentation of a gold mayoral chain to the City. The space where the invitee's name should be written is left blank, so presumably it was a spare copy originating in the Town Clerk's files.mayoral chain - kew, council papers - kew city council, insignia of office

The photo was taken in a period before motorised Council vehicles became commonplace. The 'wagon' predates the metal garbage trucks emblazoned with KCC, copies of which are in our collection.Small black and white photographic positive of a horse driven garbage cart in East Kew owned by the City of Kew. A council worker stands in front of the cart"Kew City Council Rubbish Cart / from E. Bentley"garbage collection -- kew (vic.), city of kew workers

Cr. Marie Dalley was the first female mayor of Kew in 1954-55. The photograph shows the interior of the Council Chamber in the 1950s.An original photograph of Cr. Marie Dalley and councillors in 1955. The photograph was once part of the Municipal Collection of the former City of Kew and was presented to the Kew Historical Society in 1989.Framed photograph of the Kew City Council at a meeting in the Council Chamber of the Walpole Street {Kew] Town Hall in August 1955; the Mayor Cr. Marie Dalley chairing the meeting. Names of the councillors and council staff are inscribed on the mount. mayors of kew (vic), kew city council - 1955, council chamber - walpole street (kew) town hall, kew (vic.) — municipal collection

Historically significant and rare photograph of Kew Councillors playing in a Cricket Team in the early 1920s.Kew Council Cricket Team. The City of Kew at times had its own cricket team. Identified players of the 1922-23 team include: Back row, left to right: Cr. Coleman, Cr. Edwards, Staff, Staff, Cr. Barnard, Mr Birrell, Cr. Wishart. Front row, left to right: Cr. Ramsey, Cr. Woolcock (Mayor), C. Cole, and Cr. Carnegie. Of the eight councillors in the team, each either had been or would be Mayors of Kew: William Wishart (1906-07), Jabez Carnegie (1908-09, 1924-25, 1934-35), Francis Barnard (1920-21), Henry Coleman (1921-22, 1929-30), James Woolcock (1922-23, 1923-24), George Ramsey (1925-26), George Cole (1926-27), and Percy Edwards (1928-29). W. D. Birrell became Town Clerk of Kew in 1938. The photographic studio's name at front is identified as C.S. Tompkins Ainar Studios, Auburn. Annotation on reverse include the names of the players, an original accession number "KH-22" and information about donor "Presented by Joy Stewart, given to her by the Edward[s] family, Mr Edward[s] once Mayor of Kew (1928-29)city of kew, kew councillors and staff, sports -- cricket -- kew (vic.)

The Municipality of Kew (1860-1863), the Borough of Kew (1863-1910), the Town of Kew (1910-1921) and the City of Kew (1921-1994) were local government instrumentalities in the State of Victoria. In 1994, the City of Kew was amalgamated, together with the former Cities of Camberwell and Hawthorn, into the new City of Boroondara (1994- ). Like other local government entities of the period, Kew was administered by town clerks. The two notable town clerks in Kew's history were H. H. (Henry Hirst) Harrison (1868-1955) and W. D. (William Dickie) Birrell (1899-1974). Harrison was appointed to the position in 1901 and retired in 1938 after 37 years. Birrell, appointed Acting Town Clerk in 1921, became Town Clerk in 1938, following Harrison's retirement. He continued in this role until his retirement in 1966. A large part of this collection of civic ephemera was assembled by W. D. Birrell. This is part of an historically significant civic collection, containing hundreds of separate invitations, documents, greeting cards, programmes and tickets issued and/or collected by successive town clerks. Items in the collection illuminate the political, social and cultural history of the district. As a continuous record, ranging across most decades of the Twentieth Century, they reveal changing tastes in design, values and relationships in the history of local government in Victoria.ephemera, civic ephemera, civic invitations, cr f w dods, kew town hall -- walpole street -- kew (vic.)

Medical practitioner Sir Stanley Seymour Argyle (1867-1940) was a man ‘much admired’ for his civic contribution to Kew. To ensure ‘pure [uncontaminated]’ milk for Kew, he co-foundered the Willsmere Certified Milk Company in 1898. His mayoralty of Kew, 1902-04, exhibited superior leadership. In association with local chartable institutions and churches he ensured the unemployed of Kew were not distressed. He also agitated for the removal of the Kew Lunatic Asylum. After a long stint as a doctor in the Army Medical Corps with the Australian Expeditionary Force, Kew formally welcomed him back home in 1918. However, in 1919 he left his two-storey red brick home, on the ‘corner of Gellibrand Street’ for Toorak. He went on to have an outstanding career in radiology at the Alfred Hospital and in Victorian politics. He was cremated following a State funeral. (SMcW)An important photograph of local and statewide historical significance showing Sir Stanley Argyle, Mayor of Kew. Argyle was later to be Premier of Victoria. This is a commemorative photograph, presented by Argyle to the Town of Kew.An early, important photograph of the Kew Councillors at a meeting in the Council Chamber of the Kew Town Hall in Walpole Street. The framed photograph was donated by Sir Stanley Seymour Argyle (1867-1940) who was Mayor of Kew in 1902-03 and 1903-04. Stanley Argyle, later to be Premier of Victoria, is in the mayoral chair wearing his robes of office. The photograph was once displayed in the Kew Town Hall. Brass Plaque: "Presented by / Cr Stanley S. Argyle / Mayor 1902-3 & 1903-4".sir stanley argyle (1867-1940), kew town council, council chamber (kew town hall)

The Number 2 Steamroller was used in public road building in Kew.It replaced the first Council steamroller which was used between 1915 and 1932.Rare photograph of a Kew City Council piece of road making machinerySmall black and white photograph of a steamroller used by the City of Kew in road construction from the 1930s to the 1950s.Reverse of photo: "KCC No 2 Roller 607S". Accompanying note: "20/3/84 Gift to the Society from Mr [?] who was K.C.C. [Kew City Council] driver of this "monster". Kew City Council No.2 Roller. Used in street construction 1950. Roller probably 1930 era."road construction - kew (vic), no.2 steamroller, steamrollers - kew (vic)

The Municipality of Kew was proclaimed on 19 December 1860, then upgraded to a Borough (1863), a Town (1910) and finally a City (1921). From 1865, its offices were based in the former Athenaeum Hall in Walpole Street, which, although extended in 1883, inevitably became inadequate. Plans for a new purpose-built Town Hall were first mooted in the late 1880s, but fell prey to six subsequent decades of debate. During that time, many sites were considered and rejected, and several schemes prepared. Finally, in 1945, it was resolved to build a new civic centre as a war memorial. The council acquired Southesk, a mansion on the south-west corner of Cotham Road and Charles Street – first mooted as a possible Town Hall site two decades earlier – and plans for a civic precinct were drawn up by John Scarborough. The project stalled until 1957, when a Town Hall Committee was formed and a new architect appointed: Harold Bartlett of Leith & Bartlett. He also proposed an entire civic precinct, of which a large public hall would constitute Stage One. Designed to accommodate almost any public or official function, the space had had a small stage at one end for intimate theatrical productions, a larger stage at the other (with operable sunken orchestra pit) for musical performances, plus the most up-to-date equipment for live TV transmission. The building, befitting its original intent as a war memorial, was also to include a sculpted monument, for which a separate design competition was held. First prize went to George H Allen (1900-1972), long-time head of the Sculpture Department at RMIT and a former war artist himself (the only one, in fact, to have worked in the medium of sculpture). At the time of the Kew project, Allen was best known for his Cenotaph at the Shrine of Remembrance (1955) and a controversial abstract sculpture at Hume House in William Street (1957). Tenders for the new hall were called and the contract (worth £104,986) was awarded to H F Yuncken. The foundation stone was laid by the Mayor, Cr F C O'Brien, on 1 June 1959. Completion (initially scheduled for October) was delayed by the unavailability of certain materials; it was barely finished in time for the official opening (by Premier Henry Bolte) on 23 April 1960. The war memorial was unveiled two days later (Anzac Day) by Bolte's deputy, the Hon A G Rylah. Fittingly, that year also marked Kew's municipal centenary, and many celebratory events were held in and around the new civic centre in December, including a special council meeting (attended by the Prime Minister), a tree planting ceremony and a youth ball. Source: Survey of Built Heritage in Victoria: Stage Two (Built Heritage Pty Ltd., 2010)Historically significant commemorative plaqueMetal plaque relating to special Council meeting to mark centenary of Kew, 13th December 1960. This plaque was given to the Kew Historical Society in 1991 by the former City of Kew.A Special Meeting Of The / Kew City Council Was Held In / This Hall On 13th December 1960 / To Commemorate / The Centenary of Kew / Cr. W.H.S. Dickinson, M.B.E., J.P., / Mayorkew city hall, foundation stones - kew (vic), cr. w.h.s. dickinson, local government -- kew (vic.)

Arthur Henry Dear was an employee of the City of Kew, acting as Hall Keeper of the Kew Recreation Hall in Wellington Street, and later the new Kew City Hall in Cotham Road. The Arthur Dear Collection contains memorabilia - tickets, programmes, invitations - as well as his identification badge. Items in the collection dates from the 1940s to the 1960s. The Arthur Dear Collection is a comprehensive collection of theatrical ephemera relating to performances by theatrical and musical organisations from within and outside the former City of Kew who typically performed at venues in Kew during the 1950s and 1960s.One page flyer issued by the Steering Committee for the proposed Kew Recreation Council to individuals to attend a Special Get-together in No.3 Hall, Kew Civic Centre, on 27 November 1975 at 7.15 p.m.arthur dear collection, city of kew, kew civic centre, mrs henri serroni

Hugh George Ferguson was born in June 1900 in Williamstown. After his family moved to Kew, they lived in Fernhurst Grove while his future wife’s family lived in Fellows Street. He married in 1940 and subsequently joined the Second AIF. In 1945, he was reported to be the ACF (Australian Comforts Fund) Commissioner in Borneo [Kalimantan]. After the Second World War, he worked as a Billeting Affairs Organiser for the Dutch Government, resettling migrants in Australia. He also worked in advertising as an account manager, and as campaign director for Arthur Rylah in Victorian politics. He directed the first major trade fairs at the Royal Exhibition Buildings after the Second World War, including ‘Australia Makes It Exhibition’ in 1947, the ‘Australian Industrial Fair’ in 1949 and 1950, the ‘Modern Home Exhibition’ in 1949, and ‘Made in Australia’ in 1952. The funds raised during the latter were earmarked for a ‘bankrupt’ Queen Victoria Hospital. He built a home in Brougham Street and represented North Ward on Kew Council from 1952 to 1968. He was elected Mayor in 1959. Hugh Ferguson died in 1975, aged 75. He was buried on 2 September in Grave 201, Special (Non- Denominational) Compartment A, Boroondara General Cemetery.City of Kew identification badge issued to sitting councillors. The City of Kew cost is surrounded by a blue enamel band with City of Kew Council picked out in gold cloisonné.Front: City of Kew to top, Crest in middle with Council below Rear: Cr H. G. Ferguson 27-8-1955mayors of kew - cr hg ferguson, kew council, city of kew

The City of Kew (1860-1994) was a municipality within the boundaries of suburban Melbourne, bordering on the inner suburbs. It was governed by a Council who employed council officers and workers. Services offered to ratepayers included garbage collection. Workers also carried our rubbish removal. From the evidence of photographs, garbage trucks has a semi-circular top with openings on the side of the top and at the rear. Rubbish carts were simple open top containers. Both garbage trucks and rubbish carts were drawn by horses and, in the interwar years and after, operated out of the Council Depot in High Street (formerly the 'horse tramway' sheds and later was to be replaced by the Kew Recreation Centre. The depot was on the corner of High and Disraeli Streets, kew. Small, original black and white positive photograph of a council worker, horse and rubbish cart. This rectangular cart has an open top. An unidentified house is in the background.Annotation in pencil by donor verso: "Kew Council Rubbish cart / Pre & during WWII / from Eliz Bentley"rubbish collection, garbage collection, rubbish carts, city of kew, council workers, horse-drawn vehicles, kew depot

Legal document within a light brown manila document titled "Kew City Council Advance to Trust" dated 31/7/1914 between the PMTT and the constituent cities for a loan by the city to the Trust, comprising 8 sheets bound together in a pre-printed document with the signatures and seals of each council and the PMTT including various schedules outlying payment dates, previous documents. Document prepared by G. Lindsay Skinner & Co. Solicitors and printed by Harston Partridge & Co. Printers of Melbourne. A typed folio sheet, carbon copy listing debentures, payment dates, interest payable and sinking funds.trams, tramways, pmtt, finances, city of prahran, city of malvern, city of st kilda, city of caulfield, city of hawthorn, city of kew

Ron Setford and his wife Grace Setford lived in Tanner Avenue, East Kew, from c.1946 to c.1995. A keen photographer, he recorded the changing face of Kew over a 20 year period. Apart from 30 photographs of built structures and places in Kew dating from 1960 and 1961, 145 of his 35mm colour slides chronicle the development of the Eastern Freeway through the Yarra Valley over a five year period from c.1972 to c.1977. This important collection was donated to the Society by his granddaughter in 2025.This collection of 175 35mm slides is of local and statewide significance, owing to its subject matter, particularly the major development of road transport infrastructure during the 1970s with the construction of the Eastern Freeway. The photographer also took care to annotate and date most of his slides which enable the researcher to pinpoint temporal and spatial locations."Kew Council Offices"ron setford, kew civic offices

This book was specifically designed to highlight the settings in which we live, and six representative Kew life - styles were selected. Mostly photographs.This book was specifically designed to highlight the settings in which we live, and six representative Kew life - styles were selected. Mostly photographs.End paper : Sue Barnett1988, kew, lounges, bedrooms, kitchens, meals-on-wheels

This large framed photograph once hung in the Kew Town Hall in Walpole Street. It marked the occasion when Kew became a city. It is an important record of a significant civic event by a nationally significant photographer. A very large, framed portrait of the elected councillors of the City of Kew in 1921. The photograph was taken by the nationally important photographer, Josiah Barnes who had until recently been a resident of Kew. He was to die in the same year that the photograph was taken. The photograph was taken in the Alexandra Gardens in front of the Jubilee Rotunda. [Inscription] "Kew Proclaimed a City, 10th March 1921, Kew City Council". [Photographer] "J.E. Barnes Photo / Kew". Plaque: “Presented by Cr Wm Wishart / Mayor 1906-7”.kew city council