The weatherboard Ballarat East State School SS 1071 was formerly known as Specimen Hill. According to 'Visions and Realisations' The Eureka gold lead opened in August 1852, running from Little Bendigo, south beneath Yarrowee Creek into Pennyweight flat, where it was joined 100 yards or so from the intersection of main and Eureka Streets by the Canadian Lead. State School 1071 was formerly known as Ballarat Common School No. 71, and was founded by the Free Presbyterian Church on Specimen Hill in Eureka Street, Ballarat on 01 January 1854. On 20 May 1869 the trustees of the Presbyterian School, Specimen Hill, Ballarat, consented to the transfer of the site to the Board of Education. On 01 September 1870, Specimen Hill, Ballarat, was vested in the Board and then became known as SS 1071. On 01 March 1879 the Minister, The Hon. William Collard Smith, and William Dobbie, Inspector of School Buildings, visited Ballarat to report on the buildings with a view to extensions and renovations. The minister issued instructions for the old wooden part of the school to be demolished, and brick additions to be erected, so that the whole premises would accommodate 350 students. (''Visions and Realisations: A Century of State Education in Victoria, Vol. 2'', Education Department of Victoria, 1973, p 729-730.)Black and white photograph of a weatherboard school with shingle roof known as Ballarat East (SS1071). The building has a brick chimney and bell tower. This school has Castlemaine flagging in the passages.ballarat east state school, education, st paul's school, specimen hill state school

Dr Michele Matthews has been a local and social historian for nearly three decades since she first used correspondence held by the then Bendigo City Council for her Honours thesis. She is an ardent advocate for the use of local history records to tell Victorian and Australian history from a grassroots perspective. Michele’s MA thesis, ‘A forgotten “Father” of Federation: Sir John Quick 1852‑1911’ (2003), and her PhD thesis, ‘Survivors, schemes, Samaritans and shareholders: the impact of the Great Depression on Bendigo and District 1925‑1935’ (2007), both drew heavily on Bendigo and district records. Michele Matthews Collection: PHD Research - Taylor Family Transcript of Audio Tape Interview This item includes the following document: 8672.91a Black and White photo of the Taylor house in Panton Street - Scanned from the transcript - Only a representation of the original photo. 8672.91b The document presents the early history of the Taylor family of Bendigo, tracing several generations from the arrival of John William Taylor in Victoria during the gold rush through to the childhood and early adulthood of Howard Johnson Taylor. Drawing heavily on oral history interviews, it describes how the family's experiences reflected the broader social and economic development of Bendigo, from the goldfields to the Depression era. Historical photographs of family members, homes and possessions accompany the narrative. The story begins around 1860, when John William Taylor emigrated from England and walked from Melbourne to Bendigo carrying his belongings. Attracted by the gold rush, he acquired a miner's right and built a timber home on Specimen Hill near Chum Street. Although he initially pursued gold, he later secured work as a pattern maker in one of Bendigo's foundries before becoming a house builder as mining declined. He married Susanna Johnson, and together they raised nine children, establishing a family whose descendants remained closely connected with Bendigo for generations. The narrative then focuses on Henry Johnson Taylor, the youngest son, and his wife Elva May Hartin, whose son Howard Johnson Taylor was born on 9 September 1912 in a weatherboard house on Specimen Hill. Howard's early childhood was marked by tragedy when his mother died in childbirth while expecting another child. The account reflects on the limitations of rural medical care at the time, suggesting that faster transport may have saved her life. Following her death, the family moved to Golden Square, and Henry later remarried May Whitcombe, who became Howard's stepmother. Howard's childhood provides an insight into everyday life in early twentieth-century Bendigo. The family experienced the influenza epidemic that followed the First World War, although Henry survived despite lasting health effects. Howard recalled living in several homes built or renovated by his father, including properties in Panton Street and later Echuca Street, Quarry Hill. The document describes domestic life in detail, including wood-fired bath heaters, heating and cooking with timber, and the pride taken in maintaining weatherboard houses. Education forms another important theme. Howard attended Specimen Hill State School, Golden Square State School, Quarry Hill State School, and later Bendigo High School. He remembered strict discipline, small class sizes in the primary years, and a strong interest in mathematics, particularly algebra and geometry. Despite enjoying school and performing well academically, the economic pressures of the Great Depression forced him to leave after obtaining his Merit Certificate so he could work alongside his father in the building trade. He later attended night classes to improve his building and bookkeeping skills. The memoir also captures changing technology and transport during Howard's youth. The family initially travelled by horse and buggy before purchasing a Chevrolet touring car in 1925, a significant financial investment at the time. Howard developed a lifelong enthusiasm for motor vehicles, learning to drive as a teenager and eventually owning numerous cars. He also briefly owned a B.S.A. motorcycle before replacing it with a Ford V8 Roadster, illustrating the rapid shift from horse-drawn transport to motor vehicles during the interwar years. Throughout the document, Howard's recollections provide valuable insight into family life, housing, education, employment, transport and community in Bendigo between the 1860s and the 1930s. Rather than simply recording genealogical facts, the narrative places the Taylor family's experiences within the broader history of Bendigo's growth from a gold mining settlement into a well-established regional city. The final pages consist of detailed footnotes referencing the original oral history recordings from which many of the quotations were drawn.bendigo, michele matthews collection, taylor transcript of audio tape interview

Vision Splendid Bendigo. Cream coloured paper 56 pages, with line drawings of landmark buildings of Bendigo. Drawings by Jan Neil. Vision Splendid Introduction, Wesleyan Church Golden Square, Sacred Heart Cathedral, Central Deborah Mine, Marlborough House, Fuse factory, Goldmines Hotel, Fortuna Villa, Bon Accord, Heinz Butcher Shop, Long Gully State School, California Gully State School, Stone cottage Harvey Town, Eaglehawk Town Hall, Caradon, Eaglehawk State School, Victoria Hotel, Bendigo Pottery, Eucalyptus Distillery, St Luke’s, Lake Weeroona, Joss House, Benevolent Home, Lansellstowe, Kaithness, Malmo Valentine Street, Dudley House, Rifle Brigade Hotel, Fire Station, Masonic Hall, Temperance Hall, Old Post Office, Wesley Church, St. John’s Church, Alexandra Fountain, Commercial Bank View Point, State Bank, St Paul’s Cathedral Railway Station, National Bank, Town Hall, Post Office, Shamrock Hotel, Camp Hill State School, Police Barracks, Law Courts, Specimen Cottage, Technical College, St. Kilian’s Church, Tram Depot, St. Aidan’s OrphanageJan Neilbendigo, buildings, heritage buildings, heritage, heritage buildings, bendigo.

Speciman Hill School No. 1316 was initially established as Wesleyan School in 1857. It became State School 592 in 1873 before moving to its current site and being renumbered No. 1316 in 1874.Bendigo Advertiser '' The way we were'' from 2002. Those old school days: Specimen Hill School in 1914. The clip is in a folder.newspaper, bendigo advertiser, the way we were

Dr George Clendinning and others were trustees of the Church of England (St Paul's) A number of enlargements of the Ballarat East maps. .4) Bakery Hill, Humffray Street, Victoria Street, Ballarat Youth Council .5) Specimen Vale, Victoria Street, Eureka Street, Housing Commission .10) - Tomber Reserve, York Street, Spencer Street, Bennett Street, Wilson Street, Rodier Street, Richard Street, Fussell Street, Turpie Street, Stockade Street, Ballarat Rifle Range Lal La Street, Clayton Street, Eureka Street Sheet 2 - Yarrowee Creek, High Street, Dinney's Dam, Binney Street, Oliver Street, Humffray Street, Morres Street, Finch Street, Scotts Parade, Rice Street, HOrnby Street, Queen Street, Newman street, King Street, Napier Street, Sim Street. Sheet 3 - Russell Square, Victoria Street, Orphan Asylum, Ballarat Orphanage, Lofven Street, Haines Street, Yarrowee Creek, Ching Who Coey, Chinese, Stawell Street, Rice Street, Lane Street, Humffray Street, Nelson Street, Coffield Street, Morres Street, Western Highway, Rodier Street, Scott Parade, Canterbury Street Sheet 4 - Orphan Asylum, Ballarat Orphanage School, Fortune Street, Scotts Parade, Water Street, Ritchie Street, Humffray Street, Brophy Street, Thompson Street, Victoria Street,Humffray Street Church of England Reserve, Strickland Parade. Mount Xavier Recreation Reserve, Charlesworth Street Catholic Church Reserve. Sheet 5 - Western Highway, Mount Street, Fortune Street, Finlay Street, Jones Street, Ryan Street, Water Street, Brandbury Street, Humffray Street. Sheet 6 - Barkly Street, Ebden Street, Grenville Street, Cameron Street, Peel Street, Young Street, Victoria Street, Steinfeld Street, Haymes Street, Bond Street, Anderson Street, Eastwood Street, Mair Street, East Street, Haymes Crescent Sheet 7 - Murphy Street, Queen Street, Dyte Parade, Princes Street, Midland Highway, York Street, Dodds St, Wilson St Otway Street, Specimen vale, King Street, Gray Street, Little Dodds Street, Eureka Street. Sheet 9 - Richards Street, Fussell Street, Stockade Street, Orphan Asylum, Ballarat Orphanage, Elford Street, Russell Street, Ross Street, Charlesworth Street, Lalor Street, Stockade Street, Wilson Street, York Street, Eureka Street Sheet 10 - Eureka Street, York Street, Elford Street, Wilson Street, Mount Street, Turpie Street, Timber Reserve, Mount Xavier Sheet 11 - Yarrowee Creek, Humffray Street, Barkly Street, Morton Street, Cobden Street, Morton Street Wesleyan Church, Pryor Street, Albion Street, Bradshaw Street, Ballarat Woollen Mills, Tannery, Mount Pleasant. Sheet 12 - Magpie Street, Grant Street, Gladstone Street, Cobden Street, Fraser Street, Grenfell Street, Robertson Street, Bond Street, Barkly Street, Vine Street, Sovereign Hill, Ballarat Observatory, Pearce Street, Bond Street. Sheet 13 - Murphy Street, Larter Street, midland Highway, Geelong Road, gales Street, Lal Lal Street, Clayton Street, Dodds Street, Elsworth Street Sheet 14 - Eureka Street, Eureka Stockade Memorial Park, Eureka Stockade Reserve. York Street, Joseph Street, Kline Street, Charlesworth Street, Chamberlain Street, Trevor Street, Belford Street, Queen Street, Murray Street, Eureka Tiles, Orphan Asylum, Ballarat Orphanage. Sheet 18 - Scotts Parade, Stawell Street, Fortune Street, Victoria STreet, Railway Line, Haines Street, Eureka Street, Elford STreet, Brophy Street, York Street, Clayton Street, Elsworth Street, Barkly Street, Humffray Street, Midland Highway, Princes Street ballarat youth council, ballarat east, bakery hill, humffray street, victoria street, st paul's anglican church, humffray street state school