Nola (Nettie) Maher was born in Beechworth on 31st December, 1935. Her father returned from World War One and purchased a miner’s cottage in 1919 where Nettie lived in for the majority of her life. Nettie worked for ten years at the Pittman’s Shoe Factory, once located on Ford Street, which was in operation from 1 July 1947 to 28 August 1961. She fondly recalls the camaraderie amongst the staff and certain managers, and details the factory processes, union activities and the work she continued to do once she was married and had children. This oral history recording was part of a project conducted by Jennifer Williams in the year 2000 to capture the everyday life and struggles in Beechworth during the twentieth century. This project involved recording seventy oral histories on cassette tapes of local Beechworth residents which were then published in a book titled: Listen to what they say: voices of twentieth century Beechworth. These cassette tapes were digitised in July 2021 with funds made available by the Friends of the Burke. Nola Nettie Maher’s account of her personal and working life in Beechworth and the local area during the 20th century is historically and socially significant to the cultural heritage of the region. She details important details about life and working in the region post World War Two, including insights into women’s working roles, as well as the social aspects of town life. This oral history account is socially and historically significant as it is part of a broader collection of interviews conducted by Jennifer Williams which were published in the book ‘Listen to what they say: voices of twentieth-century Beechworth.’ While the township of Beechworth is known for its history as a gold rush town, these accounts provide a unique insight into the day-to-day life of the town’s residents during the 20th century, many of which would have been lost had they not been preserved. This is a digital copy of a recording that was originally captured on a cassette tape. The cassette tape is black with a horizontal white strip and is currently stored in a clear flat plastic rectangular container. It holds up 40 minutes of recordings on each side.Nola Maher /beechworth, nola maher, nettie maher, listen to what they say, jennifer williams, oral history, hospital, private hospital, birth, miner’s cottage, kerosine, eucalyptus, rabbit, laundry, dressmaking, dressing certificate, dry cleaners, hotel, shoe, leather, shoe factory, uppers, pittman, ford street, charlie king, union, wages, new years eve, dance, memorial hall, married women, flexible hours, ice cream, milk bar

Taken in 1994, this photograph depicts the reunion of four women, all of whom were former workers at the Beechworth Shoe Factory. Pictured from left to right are: Nettie Maher, Beryl Pope, Alice Adams and Leila Doig. Nola (Nettie) Maher, who donated this photograph to the museum in 2001, was born in Beechworth on the twenty-first of December 1935. She is one of the many - primarily women - workers employed by the Beechworth Shoe Factory (also known as Pitman's Shoe Factory). Once located on Ford Street, the factory was established by Mr T. Nagle Pitman as a branch of the company Elgins Shoes, and was in operation from the first of July 1947 to the twenty-eighth of August 1961. In an interview given in 2000, Nettie recalls the close trust and friendships that were built amongst the factory workers. A sense of this bond is reflected in this reunion photograph, taken several decades later. This photograph is historically significant as it provides insight into the experiences of women factory workers in Beechworth during the twentieth century. Colour rectangular photograph printed on matte photographic paperReverse: 13 / 6981 /beechworth shoe factory, pitman shoe factory, t. nagle pitman, reunion, female friendships, nola maher, nettie maher, beryl pope, alice adams, leila doig, beechworth shoe factory reunion 1994, elgin shoes, women factory workers, beechworth factories

Bendigo Advertiser ''The way we were'' from 2003. Classmates: St Mary's College pupils in 1946. The school is now known as Catholic College Bendigo. Back row from left: Stephen Webster, Kevin Maher, Peter Jeffrey, Brian White, Joe Grenfell. Seventh row: Joan Dwyer, Beverly Webster, Carlotta Bush, Judy Hill, Peggy Webster, Phyllis Webster. Sixth row: Clare Cooney, Betty McEncroe, Mary Leonie, Pat Wilson, Mary Cooney, Phillipa McEniry, Helen O'Brien. Fifth row: Patricia Wilson, Maureen McNamee, Margaret Duguid, Jeanette Tranter, Beverly Hill, Janice Gill, Barbara Leonie, Aileen Braden. Fourth row: Margaret Paull, Helen McEncroe, Genevieve Redmond, Margaret Henry, Sue McWilliams, Marie Girvan, Maree Hayes, Elaine Giudice. Third row: Michael McEniry, Jenifer Carter, Rhonda Smith, Jill McIntosh, Virginia Bush, Margaret Phillips, Patricia Cullen, Pat Elderfield, Nola Smith, Ron Salter. Second row: John Hulls, Leo Bonazza, John Hibberd, Peter Cooney, Kevin Wright, Vincent Duguid, Peter Pritchard, Bill Doherty. Front row: John McNamara, Tom Tranter, john White, Unknown, Frank Hill, John Hodge. Bendigo advertiser ''The way we were'' from 2003. Class Identified: there was an unknown in the photograph and he was either Royce Charlotte or Michael O'Brien. Also, between Frank Hill and John Hodge, Tony Hill's name was omitted. The clip is in a folder.newspaper, bendigo advertiser, the way we were

BHS CollectionBendigo Advertiser ''The way we were'' from 2003. Flashback to 1946: St Mary's college pupils, Bendigo 1946. The school is now known as the Catholic College Bendigo. Back row from left: Stephen Webster, Kevin Maher, Peter Jeffrey, Brian White, Joe Grenfell. Seventh row: Joan Dwyer, Beverly Webster, Carlotta Bush, Judy Hill, Peggy Webster, Phyllis Webster. Sixth row: Clare Cooney, Betty McEnroe, Mary Leonie, Pat Wilson,. Mary Cooney, Phillipa McEniry, Helen O'Brien. Fifth row: Patricia Wilson, Maureen McNamee, Margaret Duguid, Jeanette Tranter, Beverly Hill, Janice Gill, Barbara Leonie, Aileen Braden. Fourth row: Margaret Paull, Helen McEnroe, Genevieve Redmond, Margaret Henry, Sue McWilliams, Marie Girvan, Maree Hayes, Elaine Giudice. Third row: Michael McEniry, Jenifer Carter, Rhonda Smith, Jill McIntosh, Virginia Bush, Margaret Phillips, Patricia Cullen, Pat Elderfield, Nola Smith, Ron Salter. Second row: John Hulls, Leo Bonazza, John Hibberd, Peter Cooney, Kevin Wright, Vincent Duguid, Peter Pritchard, Bill Doherty. Front row: John McNamara, Tom Tranter, John White, Unknown O'Brien, Frank Hill, John Hodge. The clip is in a folder.newspaper, bendigo advertiser, the way we were