The Australian Historical Records Society existed in Ballarat between 1896 and 1906. They were one of Australia's first historical societies, and were in the position to still be able to talk to early pioneers. They invited such pioneers to either submit letters or memoirs, or to address the Society's meetings, where their reminiscences were taken down in shorthand and later typed up. The Society also attempted to preserve memorabilia from Ballarat's early days, but on the disbanding of the group in 1906, materials were stored at the Ballarat Town Hall and were later lost. It is not known how the papers made their way to the then Ballarat Municipal Library, but they have been part of the Library's collection for many years.Notes from a lecturette given to the AHRS by James Oddie, and recorded by Mr Coulthard, the Recording Secretary. James Oddie was born in England and arrived in Geelong with his wife and daughter in 1849. The gold lured him to Ballarat, where he witnessed the Eureka uprising. He was the first chairman of the Ballarat Municipal Council, and because of his many philanthropic activities and community involvement, is thought of as "the father of Ballarat."larpent (ship), eureka stockade, goldrush, ballarat, immigrant experience, immigrants

This item was located in a book called The English Lakes which was owned by E.C. Holmes [Edward Carter Holmes was the name of my mother's, Elizabeth Mary [Elizabeth] Holmes family's pioneer settler. He arrived in Geelong on the 28th of June, 1849, with his wife Sarah and their first child Frances Harriet as assisted immigrants (people whose passage was subsidised by an assisted immigration scheme) to New South Wales at Port Henry, Geelong in the sailing boat ‘Larpent’. Sarah and Edward arrived two years before his mother, Harriet, arrived as unassisted passenger in Geelong on ‘The Eagle’. 200 of the " Larpent" passengers had been selected in England by Rev John Dunmore Lang whose wish was to encourage the migration of hard-working, God-fearing Protestants to the colony. He sponsored two ships, the "Travancore" and the" Larpent', to bring the settlers to Australia in 1849 with Dr Alexander Thomson, a Sydney Presbyterian minister, ready to receive and settle them. Thomson owned section 10 of the parish of Barrabool known as the Kardinia section — a square mile of undulating land west of Colac, still known today as Larpent. Among the 'Larpent' immigrants were many well-known Ballarat and District pioneers including Armitage, Mercer, Oddie and Scott. For more details about this migration scheme refer to: A thoroughly Protestant emigration: the emigration activities of the Rev. Dr. J.D. Lang / Ian Wynd.2006.] [source: Jane Dyer 2024] Printed card with a pressed botanical specimen glued onto it. Printed onto the card 'Flowers from the Holy Land. Placed on the Holy Sepulchrechatham family archive, chatham, holmes, ec holmes. holy land, relic, botanical, botany, holy sepulchre, botanical specimen