The Bendigo Mechanics Institute (also known as the Sandhurst Mechanics Institute) operated until 1904 when it was closed, and its library transferred to the Bendigo School of Mines and Industries. Richard Hartley Smith Abbott, company director, was born, probably in Bendigo, Victoria, around 1859, the son of Richard Hartley Abbott, also a company director, and Ann, née Smith. The young Richard was educated at Bendigo High School and then at St Andrews, Scotland. Returning to Australia, he became proprietor of the Abbott Supply Company, a director of the Sandhurst Building Society, the Bendigo Gas Company, and several local mining enterprises. He owned farms at Lyell, Mandurang and Eppalock, and was a pioneer of lucerne cultivation and tanning. In 1887, Abbott became a councillor for Strathfieldsaye Shire, a position he held for fifteen years. He was shire president (1901–02) and a Bendigo City councillor (1904–09; 1913–19), serving as mayor of Bendigo between 1917 and 1918Grey coloured cardboard with black printing and writing. Sandhurst Mechanics' Institute & Free Library 10th April 1884 Sir Your attendance is required at a meeting of the Finance Committee, to be held on the 14 tenth at 7.30 o'clock Yours respectfully D. T. Rogers, Secretary Mr. R. H. S Abbott Business General Written on the back......... Invoices January 1st to June 30th bendigo, sandhurst mechanics' institute & free library, r.h.s.abbott

Dull orange folder containing copies of letters, brochures, information sheets and some newspaper cuttings. Name on the front is Frank A. Stevenson 244 Hargreaves St Bendigo. Letters date from 1937 to 1942. Newspaper titles include: Prevention of Rust- Principle of the Scalebuoy, Scalebuoys in Cars, Tragic Death of Captain Hartley Abbott and the Obituary of Captain R.H.S.Abbott.sciences, instruments - general, scalebuoy, bill ashman collection - correspondence, frank a stevenson, mr bacon, amalgamated freezing co bendigo, g whalley, gunbower co-operative butter factory & trading coy ltd, mr wallace, j charlesworth, d v evershed, bendigo electronic co, walshes crown hotel, hunter bros, wybgones unit, 180 gold mining co, o'hallorans cyanide unit, crystal ice works, stevenson unit, bendigo council, central nell gwynne, nth deborugh g m co, deborugh g m c, deborugh consolidated, cohuna butter factory, geo ross, victorian producers' co-operative coy ltd, h abbott, ernest f o liddell, rothacker bros, motor spares ltd, leggo's buildings, t j jorgensen, mr robinson, stevenson bros, r h s abbott, d c house, the electrical factor in metabolism, w n abbott, the great boulder proprietary gold mines ltd, w o galletly, mr stronell, newport workshops, victorian railways, mr brownbill, mr james, the university of melbourne, j l osborne, n clarkson, sister mary gonzaga, st joseph's hospital, mater misericordiae hospital, mr herzog, sister m monica?, vacuum oil, j johns, h j grigg, w a walsh, market square, crown hotel, g e cole, transport & engineering in australia 16/12/1937, mr menderson, mr ross, sanitary age 8/2/1935, northern kiwanis clubs, harry a baxter, w h cunningham & hill ltd, link-belt co ltd, sir william crooks, royal zoological society, ginna works germany, close brothers, w h taylor, geo taylor hardware co ltd, details of hydraulic spinner unit (scalebuoy), a davidson, john g kelly inc, hannon, myers wishart, kennedy, mr critten, pennsylvania rubber coy, paul a douden & co, w e humphrey, kansas city public service co, smith, tangney hotels, wahkonsa hotel, muscatine hotel, arlington hotel, burke hotel, helen tangney-springer, f w woolworth co, w w edan, ymca, n f alcock, b j ingram, scalebuoys, bendigo electronic company of australia proprietary limited, a s bloomfield, harry ponsonby mackenzie, arthur robinson & co, the commercial banking company of sydney ltd, a t madden, victorian railways, e c eyers, city of bendigo, frank h day, lane's motors pty ltd, h c holland, union oil soap & candle co ltd, knox home, n a duthie, w h mccorkindale, maungatapere co-op dairy co ltd, the whangarei co-op dairy co ltd, w h millingford, kettering cartons limited, j g arlidge, w e humphrey, kansas city public service company, h w smith, prospectus of scale buoy distributors limited, edwin gripper banks, richard hartley smith abbott, frank shaw fitchett, hayden smith & fitchett, the commercial bank of australia limited, william john stanley horsfall, frank cooper, scott's hotel, a j phillips, stringer & phillips proprietary ltd, e g banks, edwin gripper banks, reginald william stringer, frank cooper, claude gordon robinson, s reid

Abbott collection. Sepia toned photograph of R. H. S. Abbott in Mayoral robes, in a chrome plated frame with brown velvet backing and strut support.photograph, person, bendigo-history-abbott-mayors, r h s abbott