In this interview we hear from Don and Bobbie Hayes who met and were married in Beechworth. Mrs Hayes was born in Beechworth to a blacksmith and a teacher who had moved to the area not long before she was born in 1925. She discusses her family and the struggle her mother had being a city woman relocated to the bush and into a family who didn't accept her for her Methodist religious beliefs as they were a staunch Catholic family. After working in the Tannery when they first moved to Beechworth from Melbourne, Don got a job in the 1950's at the Beechworth Mental hospital known as Mayday Hills (est. 1862) and continued working there for the next thirty six years. Starting as a nurse Don would be one of three or four staff known then as attendants, who would oversee up to forty patients in a ward taking them out to work the land and gardens or chop wood on the grounds. Mrs Hayes also worked in the Hospital and discusses the need at the time to be earning to pay for large medical bills that came from two of their children, one having a congenital heart problem which was not covered by hospital benefits and the other displaced hips that required surgery. By the end of his time working at the hospital, Don was in charge of the patient training centre where those destined for discharge would be trained on how to cope in the world outside of the hospital grounds they were so used to. Both talk openly and with heartfelt candour, recalling their years spent among the patients of the hospital community, their sense of humour and compassion are evident and although the times and the jobs were definitely hard and the wages low, this couple cared deeply about the people they worked with and sit among those people from the local area who established Beechworth as a significant social welfare region. 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.The significance of this oral history lies in the firsthand accounts from two people who were directly involved in the significant nursing work undertaken at Mayday Hills Mental hospital from the 1950's. Hearing the stories from those who were there and had lived experience, adds depth and we gain valuable insight into how and what the asylum was like for those who worked there and colourful details about the kinds of patients they encountered too, it adds human and personal context to what could otherwise become statistic and abstract information about a historic site. This oral history account is socially and historically significant as it is a 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 will have now been lost if they had 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.listen to what they say, beechworth, oral history, burke museum, mayday hills hospital, may day hills, beechworth mental asylum, mental hospital, asylum, nursing, hospital, patient training centre, patients, social welfare

Young Women's Christian Association, Bendigo - Warriah Club. For Girls over 20. Here hath dawned another blue day. Think I wilt thou let it slip useless away? General Secretary: A Louise Burton. Syllabus 1920. June 2-Readings, Members. June 9-Fancywork, Miss Sinclaire. June 16-Lofe in Honolulu, Miss Hunter. June 23-Home Cooking, Miss Leadbeater. June 30-Club 'At Home' to friends. July 7-An evening with Browning, Mrs Finster. July 14-A Cottage Farden, Mr Rumball. June 21-Demonstration of Cookery, Miss Sampson. June 28-How to take care of an invalid. Aug. 4-Personal Beauty. Aug 11-An evening in France, Sister Hunter. Aug 18-How to prepare meals, Miss Wheeler. Aug 25-A Winter Party. Sept 1-Nursing in the Home. Sept 8-How to keep youthful. Sept15-My books. Sept 22-Fancywork,. Sept 29-The teeth, and how to care for them. Oct 6-An evening with the poets. Oct 13-Open night. Oct 20-The Citizen Ideal. Oct 27-Invitation night. Nov 3-Etiquette, Members. Nov-10 China to-day. NovNov 17-How to furnish a home. Nov 24-Democracy. Dec 1-Open night. Dec 8-An evening with books. Dec 15-Christmas Party. The purpose of the Club is to unite girls in; Comradeship, Service, and Self-Development. The Club meets every Wednesday evening at 8pm, and is open to all girls over 20 years who wish to enrol. Presedent: Miss L Johns. Vice President: Miss B Marsh. Secretary: Miss R Sampson. Treasurer: Miss E Robinson.Bolton Bros. Printers. Bendigochurch, ymca warriah club, young women's christian association, bendigo - warriah club

Found at Hazel WILSON's house (78 Princes Street) when things were being removed after she went into a nursing home. Postcard was sent to Mrs WILSON on 23.5.1995 from her friends Lila and RayPostcard of Spirit of Tasmania, sent to a Port Melbourne address in 1995. Image of ship loaded at Station PierMessage on back, postmark, stamppiers and wharves - station pier, transport - ferries, hazel wilson nee trembath, spirit of tasmania

Taken of Sister Norma BARNETT during her five days as honorary Mayor of Port Phillip in March 1999. The robe was made by her friends and was worn for a variety of mayoral duties (prize giving, etc). Accessorised with chain (which is not available). Donated by her family following the 'Women of Port Melbourne' exhibtion after Norma's deathFour proof sheets of official photographs of occasions on which a floor length purple velvet robe, edged with fake ermine trim and black braiding was worn by Sister Norma BARNETT during her five days as Honorary Mayor of Port Phillip in March 1999. Negatives in Supplementary file.dick gross, anne dunn, julie statkus, janne ray, sister norma jean barnett, local government - city of port phillip, south port community nursing home, health - aged care