The Free Kindergarten Union of Victoria commenced teacher training in 1909. A two year course was run in cooperation with the Education Department in 1910-14, but from 1917 the Union trained its students independently. In 1922 the Kindergarten Training College was established in Mooroolbeek, Kew. In 1965, the institution, as the Melbourne Kindergarten Teachers' College, became an entity separate from the Union, and in 1973 joined the State College of Victoria as the Institute of Early Childhood Development. It subsequently amalgamated with the University of Melbourne to become the Department of Early Childhood Studies and moved from Madden Grove, Kew, to 234 Queensberry St, Carlton, early in July 1997.Metal plaque commemorating the opening of Mooroolbeek Hall in the Diamond Jubilee Year of the Institute of Early Childhood Development in KewMooroolbeek Hall was opened by Dr Wm C. Radford, AO, MBE, Director of the Australian Council for Educational Research on March 25th 1976 in the Diamond Jubilee Year of the Institute for Early Childhood Developmentinstitute of early childhood development - kew (vic), dr william c. radford, memorial plaques - kew (vic), mooroolbeek hall

Cr Tom Indovino, Mayor of Kew and Robyn Hore at the occasion of the opening of the memorial Phyllis Hore Room in the Kew Library in 1994.cr phyllis hore, mayors of kew (vic), memorial plaques - 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)Plaque commemorating the opening of a new town hall in KewMetal plaque recording the official opening of the Kew City Hall, 23rd April 1960. This plaque was given to the Kew Historical Society in 1991 by the former City of Kew.Kew City Hall / Opened by / The Hon. H.E. Bolte M.L.A. / Premier of Victoria / 23rd April 1960 / Cr. H.G. Ferguson J.P. - Mayor.kew city hall, foundation stones - kew (vic), sir henry bolte, local government -- 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.)

The Free Kindergarten Union of Victoria commenced teacher training in 1909. A two year course was run in cooperation with the Education Department in 1910-14, but from 1917 the Union trained its students independently. In 1922 the Kindergarten Training College was established in Mooroolbeek, Kew. In 1965, the institution, as the Melbourne Kindergarten Teachers' College, became an entity separate from the Union, and in 1973 joined the State College of Victoria as the Institute of Early Childhood Development. It subsequently amalgamated with the University of Melbourne to become the Department of Early Childhood Studies and moved from Madden Grove, Kew, to 234 Queensberry St, Carlton, early in July 1997.Small brass plaque mounted on wood commemorating the libraries of the Kindergarten Training College in Kew.The library of the Kindergarten Training College in which are incorporated the Doretta Hedderwick Memorial 1927, the Dorothy Rosner Memorial 1936, the George Sweet Memorial Library - Presented by the Nursery Kindergarten Exrension Board 1950institute of early childhood development - kew (vic), libraries - education - early childhood - kew (vic), doretta hedderwick memorial library 1927, dorothy rosner memorial library 1936, george sweet memorial library, nursery kindergarten exrension board

One of three scrapbooks created by Eva Grant, a past member of the Kew Historical Society which were donated by her niece, Julie Thomson, in 2013. The scrapbook includes photographs and descriptions of the following sites. (Many of these are now demolished and so the photographs and descriptions may be rare records of a site.) Sites include: Abbotsford (Vic) - Abbotsford Convent, Mayfield (c.1962), prefabricated house - Church street Armadale (Vic) - church (c.1959) - Thomson & Wattletree Roads Arthur’s Seat (Vic) - McCrae homestead Ballarat (Vic) - Memorial plaque on site of Bentley’s Hotel, Memorial on site of Eureka Stockade, Early municipal buildings - East Ballarat, Adam Lindsay Gordon’s cottage - Botanical Gardens, View from Sovereign Hill, Shell house Broken Hill (NSW) - panorama (1963), Flying Doctor’s base (?1963) Eltham (Vic) - Hassell’s outdoor art gallery Essendon (Vic) - Niddrie Homestead and stables (1963) Geelong (Vic) - first Bishopscourt Hawthorn (Vic) - Convent (1930), The Hawthorns, Keilor plains (Vic) - pioneer homes, pioneer cemetery Kew (Vic) - Roseneath (1951), Tarring - Ruyton, Turinville, house - Foley street (c.1960). Malvern (Vic) - church Mount Ridley (Vic) - Summerhill Melbourne (Vic) - Old Brewery - Custom’s House Lane (1960), Customs House, Scott’s Hotel (1962), Western market (c.1960) Phillip Island (Vic) - Grave Toorak (Vic) - Mandeville Hall, Merna (sic) - Arthur Streeton’s house, Toorak House Wentworth (NSW) - Harvey’s Hotel, Sturt Memorial, Sturt’s Tree, Wentworth Gaol Williamstown (Vic) - Williamstown Dairy Yan Yean (Vic) - Bear’s Castle (c.1947) Beveridge/Big Hill (Vic) - Kelly’s cottageImportant photograph record (and notes) about historic buildings in Victoria.38-page scrapbook with additional text created by Eva Grant, a past member of the Kew Historical Society. In addition to the 68 photographs, there are two postcards and a number of publications/handouts.collected by Eva on her trips to heritage sites in Victoria and New South Wales. The pages of the album can be viewed in the image carousel above. Most of the photographs of heritage buildings were taken in the early 1960s.See imagesheritage sites - victoria - australia, eva grant, scrapbooks - 20th century

Sports Clubs in Kew in the final decades of the 19th century and in the early 20th century were often umbrella organisations with facilities for a number of sports. Typically in Kew, this included teams in lawn bowls, tennis and croquet. The Kew Bowling Club was formed in 1880 while the privately owned Auburn Heights Recreation Club was opened in 1904. By 1998, the two Clubs decided to amalgamate at the Auburn Heights site in Barkers Road, forming the Kew Heights Sports Club. The combined club was itself taken over by the Melbourne Cricket Club in 2012 becoming MCC Kew Sports Club. In 2017 MCC Kew closed and its landholding was subsequently sold to Carey Baptist Grammar School. Both the Kew and Auburn Heights Clubs assembled important collections. These historically significant and large collections were donated to the Society in 2020. The collections include manuscripts, pictures, trophies, plans, honour boards etc. References Barnard FGA 1910, 'Sports and Pastimes' in Jubilee History of Kew Victoria: Its origin & progress 1803-1910. Nixon NV 1980, The History of the Kew Bowling Club 1880-1980. Reeve S 2012, City of Boroondara: Thematic Environmental History, p.216.The combined collections of the four sporting clubs making up the collection number hundreds of items that are historically significant locally. They are also significant to the sporting history of the greater Melbourne area and to the sports of lawn bowls and tennis in Australia in the 19th and 20th centuries. The collection illuminates two of the Victorian historic themes - 'Building community life' through forming community organisations and 'Shaping cultural and creative life' by participating in sport and recreation.Memorial Plaque. [The item is part of the large historic Kew Bowling Club collection (1880-1988) gifted to the Kew Historical Society in 2020].kew bowling club - wellington street - kew (vic), clubs - lawn bowls - kew (vic)

George Henry Allen (8 February 1900 – 12 October 1972) was an Australian sculptor and teacher, an official war artist in the latter years of the Second World War. He served as an official war artist with the rank of lieutenant from December 1943, working at Port Moresby and the Australian War Memorial, retired February 1945. The plaque by George Allen on the exterior wall of the north side of Kew Library commemorating WW2 was funded by a bequest from the late Mrs Annie Anderson.One of two black and white snapshots (polaroid photos) of George Allen's sculpture at Kew Library. Mavis Rolley wrote about the memorial in 1980 as: This impressive piece of Sculpture, a memorial to the sacrifice of those who served in the Second World War, was completed in 1960 to coincide with the One Hundred Centenary Year of the City of Kew, and was unveiled on Anzac Day of that year by the Hon. A.G. Rylah, Chief Secretary, Deputy Premier of Victoria. Mr. George Allen, sculptor, submitted the winning design and through the contribution of a generous bequest of the late Mrs. Annie Anderson, a former resident of Kew, the Municipal Office was able to commission this gentleman’s work. The memorial is mounted on a wall of granite blocks and carved in Sydney Freestone, depicting a scene of war and loved ones at home.war memorials -- kew (vic.), memorials -- world war 2. -- kew (vic.), george henry allen, artworks -- kew library

George Henry Allen (8 February 1900 – 12 October 1972) was an Australian sculptor and teacher, an official war artist in the latter years of the Second World War. He served as an official war artist with the rank of lieutenant from December 1943, working at Port Moresby and the Australian War Memorial, retired February 1945. The plaque by George Allen on the exterior wall of the north side of Kew Library commemorating WW2 was funded by a bequest from the late Mrs Annie Anderson.One of two black and white snapshots (polaroid photos) of George Allen's sculpture at Kew Library. Mavis Rolley wrote about the memorial in 1980 as: This impressive piece of Sculpture, a memorial to the sacrifice of those who served in the Second World War, was completed in 1960 to coincide with the One Hundred Centenary Year of the City of Kew, and was unveiled on Anzac Day of that year by the Hon. A.G. Rylah, Chief Secretary, Deputy Premier of Victoria. Mr. George Allen, sculptor, submitted the winning design and through the contribution of a generous bequest of the late Mrs. Annie Anderson, a former resident of Kew, the Municipal Office was able to commission this gentleman’s work. The memorial is mounted on a wall of granite blocks and carved in Sydney Freestone, depicting a scene of war and loved ones at home.war memorials -- kew (vic.), memorials -- world war 2. -- kew (vic.), george henry allen, artworks -- kew library

This grand Italianate mansion at 26 Sackville Street was built in 1890 as a private home. In May 1915, ‘Blackhall’ was purchased for £1800 by the Salvation Army and renamed the ‘Catherine Booth Girls’ Home’. The Home provided accommodation from 1915 to 1976 for about 90 to 100 girls between the ages of 4 and 16. An original plaque can still be seen at the front entrance. ‘Preshil, the Margaret Lyttle Memorial School’ purchased Blackhall for its Senior School in 1978. The photograph dates from 1945.Colour photographic positive of one of the houses in Sackville Street, now Preshil but formerly 'Blackhall'. Also at one stage the Salvation Army Catherine Booth Girls’ Home. Built in 1890, Blackhall is of significance as a typical and intact late Victorian mansion and as such is one of the key Victorian Buildings to have been built in Kew. It is integral to the significance of the concentration of Victorian mansions along Sackville Street.blackhall -- sackville street -- kew (vic.), catherine booth girls’ home, salvation army -- kew (vic.)