Alfred Thomas Clark was born in Edmonton, a suburb of London, on 11 August, 1844. He was the third child of seven children to well-known Australian artist Thomas Clark (1814-1883) and Jane, nee Clarkson. He originally signed on as a seaman on the Australian coastal ships and then worked in H.B. Donaldson’s ship chandlery business in Port Melbourne. In the 1864-65 Victorian Gazette he is listed as an Acting Tide Waiter in the Customs Office. In 1871 he stood and was elected, as the member for Williamstown in the Victorian Parliament. He founded The Williamstown Advertiser in 1875. He was a partner in an auctioneering firm, a director of several insurance companies, involved in two building societies and in control of a land syndicate which is where he made his fortune. He was a Justice of the Peace and President of the Williamstown Football Club. He died at sea on board the Oceana on 19 May, 1888, on his way to London, where he was to put a South Australian Mining Venture on the market. His wife and three children who had been travelling with him returned to Melbourne. Source: williamstownhistsoc.org.au alfred thomas clark, mla for williamstown, williamstown advertiser

Sir George Frederic Verdon (1834-1896) emigrated to Melbourne in 1851, aged 17, and obtained a position in the office of Grice Sumner and Company, a mercantile business in Flinders Street, Melbourne. He then went into business in Williamstown and began his public career as a member of the inaugural local municipal council in 1856. The same year, he was also elected to the committee to establish the first Mechanics Institute in Williamstown. In 1859, he was elected to the legislative assembly for Williamstown and became Treasurer in November 1860. He resigned in November 1861 but was reappointed Treasurer in June 1863 under the McCulloch ministry, which lasted until May 1868. During the parliamentary recess of 1866, Verdon journeyed to England to advocate for the defenses of Victoria before the British authorities. His efforts were fruitful, securing £100,000 toward the construction of the warship HMS Cerberus, while the HMS Nelson was allocated to Victoria as a training vessel. Upon his return, he suggested that the colony establish a representative in London, which ultimately led to the creation of the Agent-General of Victoria office in 1868; Verdon was appointed as its first incumbent for a term of four years. His interests spanned science, art, and literature. In his youth, he served as an honorary assistant at the Melbourne Observatory under Robert Ellery, the Government Astronomer and fellow resident of Williamstown. An avid collector of art, he became a Trustee of the Public Library, Museums, and National Gallery of Victoria in 1872, then going on to be elected Vice-President in 1880, and President in 1883. In 1872, he was honoured with the title of Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George for his invaluable contributions to the political, scientific, artistic, and educational progress of the early colony. Verdon street Williamstown was named in his honour. source: www.williamstownhistsoc.org.au mla for williamstown, sir george verdon

The original postcards in this series (2013.002 to 2013.018) were generously loaned to Williamstown Botanic Gardens by a private collector for copying. They are evidence of the interest the gardens held as a subject for postcard publishers. The text and images provide a snapshot into fashions, social interests and concerns of the time. The professionally produced images provide a pictorial history of Gardens including changing planting styles, various structures and features of the Gardens eg the aviary, cannons, the fountain, the second Curator’s Lodge and gates. The images offer an opportunity to compare garden vistas with the present day. This postcard shows the main east-west axial path with a typical Victorian/Edwardian mown grass strip which in turn borders formal shrub beds with herbaceous plantings. The photo was taken after the Mexican Fan Palms (Washingtonia robusta) planted in 1915, which in turn were replaced with the same species in 1987. Sepia postcard of the Palm Avenue at the gardens looking west to a white statue on a plinth. The statue is of Williamstown MLA, Alfred Thomas Clark. Palms and shrubs line both sides of the path and trees can be seen behind the statue. The shadows of the plantings are across the path.Front: VALENTINE’S, M.360 PALM AVENUE WILLIAMSTOWN GARDENS MELBOURNE, VICTORIA. REAL PHOTO. Reverse: vertical on left side of card and underlined: ‘Published by the Valentine & Sons Publishing Co. Ltd. / Melbourne. Sydney & Brisbane’. Top centre of card: Contains logo of ‘VALENTINES / REAL PHOTO SERIES / POSTCARD’. There is a red two penny Australian Postage stamp on the top right hand corner. The address of the sender is 1 Railway Place, Williamstown and the card is addressed to Mr and Mrs Nayler (?) in Footscray. The remaining writing unable to be deciphered postcard, gardens, post-card, williamstown-botanic-gardens, hobsons-bay-city-council, statue, clark, alfred-thomas-clark, palms, palm-avenue, valentine-and-sons

The original postcards in this series (2013.002 to 2013.018) were generously loaned to Williamstown Botanic Gardens by a private collector for copying. The postcards are evidence of the interest the gardens held as a subject for postcard publishers. The text and images provide a snapshot into fashions, social interests and concerns of the time. The professionally produced images provide a pictorial history of Gardens including changing planting styles, various structures and features of the Gardens eg the aviary, cannons, the fountain, the second Curator’s Lodge and gates. The images offer an opportunity to compare garden vistas with the present day. This postcard shows the main east-west axial path with a typical Victorian/Edwardian mown grass strip which in turn borders formal shrub beds with herbaceous plantings. The Cordylines which line and avenue in this image were replaced by Mexican Fan Palms (Washingtonia robusta) planted in 1915. They were replaced with the same species in 1987. Black and white postcard of Gardens main path, looking towards a white statue on a plinth. The statue is of Williamstown MLA, A T Clark. There are for people walking towards the camera – two women, a small girl and two men. The women and child are on the right of the path and the men on the left. One woman is pushing a pram. The path is edged with grass and the beds are full of flowers. There are no palms lining the path as there are today in 2013. On front of postcard ‘IN THE GARDENS, WILLIAMSTOWN’.postcard, garden-beds, post-card, williamstown-botanic-gardens, hobsons-bay-city-council, pram, clark

The memorial tablet was unveiled in the St Nicholas chapel at the Port Melbourne mission (Beach Cnr Nott St) on Wednesday 24 June 1936. The ceremony was performed by her nephew, Reverend John Smerger Drought - her sister's son. Another plaque was erected the same month in the Williamstown Institute. (Annual Report 1936) Along with the windows in the St Peter chapel in the Central Institute, those were the 3 memorials similar to the ones erected in memory of Miss Tracy. Miss Ethel Godfrey was born in 1861 at sea on the vessel called Copenhagen. Daughter of a pioneer, and settler Frederick Race Godfrey MLA and subsequently Lay Dean at St Paul's. Ethel Studied in Melbourne and abroad at Brussels and became a singing teacher and performer. In 1906 she took on the role of Honorary General Secretary to create and lead the volunteer organisation "The Ladies Harbour Lights Guild" and subsequently helped establish similar groups in Newcastle, Brisbane, Sydney, Hobart, Adelaide and also established the mission in Southampton in the UK. The structure of the LHLG was used as a model framework by similar groups supporting Missions around Australia and the Globe. A key achievement was the fundraising campaign for the memorial chapel in St Peters built in 1917 by Walter R.Butler. She died the 7 July 1935, and is buried in the St Kilda Cemetery.On her retirement in 1930 after some 25 years, Miss Godfrey together with Chaplain Gurney Goldsmith was recognised in the journal The Church and the Sailor, as a key influence and promoter of the formation of Harbour Lights groups across the suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria and Australia, the Ladies Harbour Lights Guild, Melbourne being the first such auxiliary group in the world.Clay base rectangular plaque with inlaid blue ceramic regular tesserae surrounding the ceramic centre rectangular ceramic panel with inscription and decorative glazed detail tiles. Support is a metal frame with inset wood pieces .To the Glory of God and in memory ops/ a much loved leaderAthel Augusta Godfrey, / one of the founders/ of the ladies Harbour Lights Guild/ of which she was honorary general secretary / Until 1930./ This memorial erected in the year of her death."memorial plaque, plaque, lhlg, port melbourne, chapel, brooks robinson and co, reverend john smerger drought, sectile tablet, opus sectile mosaic, mosaic, ethel augusta godfrey 1861-1935

On 18 July 1891, a statue of local MLA Alfred Thomas Clarke was erected in a circular plot at the intersection of the major axial paths. AT Clarke was Williamstown's representative in the Legislative Assembly from 1871 to 1887, and a Commissioner of Trade & Customs in the third Berry Ministry. He did his utmost to defend Williamstown against the Melbourne Harbour Trust and was also the founder of the Advertiser. The statue was sculpted by Enrico Luchinelli in Cararra marble. The likeness was taken from a photograph.The postcards are evidence of the interest the gardens held as a subject for postcard publishers. The text and images provide a snapshot into fashions, social interests and concerns of the time. The professionally produced images provide a pictorial history of Gardens including changing planting styles, various structures and features of the Gardens eg the aviary, cannons, the fountain, the second Curator’s Lodge and gates. The images offer an opportunity to compare garden vistas with the present day. This postcard shows the main east-west axial path with a typical Victorian/Edwardian mown grass strip which in turn borders formal shrub beds with herbaceous plantings. The Cordylines which line the avenue in this image were replaced by Mexican Fan Palms (Washingtonia robusta) planted in 1915, which in turn were replaced with the same species in 1987 A colour image of main east west axial path looking towards the statue of A C Clarke enclosed with a white fence. The path is lined with grass, shrubs and Cordylines. This image is before the Cordylines were replaced with palm trees, which was 1915.Front: ‘The Botanic Gardens, Williamstown’. Reverse: Top ‘POST CARD’ Left side ‘The Space may be used for Correspondence’; Right side: ‘For Address Only.’ Top right corner is a red Victorian one penny stamp. The card is addressed to Mr R Fraser / Collins St. / Essendon from his niece, whose name is unclear. postcard, gardens, post-card, williamstown-botanic-gardens, hobsons-bay-city-council, garden-path, cordylines, clarke, 1891, enrico luchinelli, cararra marble

An article in the Box Hill 'Reporter' (11 October 1907, p.2) refers to the presentation of the artefact to the Kew Town Hall. The report records: 'Presentation to Kew's Ex-Mayor In the mayor's room at Kew on Tuesday evening, Ex-Mayor Cr Wishart was made the recipient of a handsomely-illuminated and exquisitely-framed testimonial as a mark of appreciation by his colleagues of the highly satisfactory manner in which he had discharged the duties appertaining to the mayoral office. .... A framed group of the metropolitan mayors was subsequently presented by Cr Wishart as an addition to the pictures hung in the mayor's room.'The newspaper report in the Box Hill Reporter positively identifies the artefact and how it was placed in the Mayor's Room in the Walpole Street Town Hall. The collage is historically significant as it may include the only photograph of a mayor of a city at this period of time.A large framed photographic collage of Henry Weedon surrounded by the Mayors of Greater Melbourne (holding office for the year 1906-07). The photograph was assembled in recognition of the ‘slight favours to them’ showed by the Lord Mayor. The photograph is dated August 1907. Surrounding the central medallion is, from left to right: Cr. C. C. Mercy (Camberwell), Cr. T. L. Taylor (Northcote), Cr. Thos. Smith (Port Melbourne), Cr. W. Flintoft (Prahran), Cr. W. Collings (Fitzroy), Cr. C. D. Lloyd (Caulfield), Cr. W. Wishart (Kew). Cr. Eli Williams (Coburg), Cr. C. Pattison (Essendon), Cr. A. E. Wells (South Melbourne), Cr. H. B. Gibbs (St Kilda), Cr. J. F. Hamilton (Brighton), Cr. C. Dalley (Hawthorn), Cr. C. L. Davey (?), Cr. J. C. Hill (Heidelberg), Cr. D. Phillips (Brunswick), Cr. M. Alexander (Richmond), Cr. W. Johns (Collingwood), Cr. W. H. Edgar MLC (Malvern), Cr. T. P. Hannah (Williamstown) and Cr. A. A. Harris (Footscray). henry wheedon, c. c. mercy, t. l. taylor (northcote),thomas smith, w. flintoft, w. collings, c. d. lloyd), w. wishart, eli williams, c. pattison, a. e. wells, h. b. gibbs, j. f. hamilton, c. dalley, c. l. davey, j. c. hill, d. phillips, m. alexander, w. johns,w. h. edgar, t. p. hannah, a. a. harris, mayors, kew, henry weedon

Pre-dinner drinks and canapes, 50th Anniversary Dinner of Williamstown being declared a city, 17 May 1968 L-R: Mr R. Hamer, Cr ??, Cr K.C. White (Mayor), Mr W.L. Floyd MLA, Hon F. Crean, Hon. A. Todd MLA, Cr?? 50th anniversary dinner of williamstown, 1968