The Sunbury War Memorial is situated on a triangular section of land which was once at the intersection of Barkly and Stawell Streets. The precinct is also the site of the Rupertswood Gun and the Starkey Fountain. All are important historical exhibits related to Sunbury's history.A black and white photograph of a front view of the Sunbury War Memorial. The memorial has been placed on 3 steps at the base with a metal tablet set in a stone surround. There is a decorative metal pole at the top of the memorial. St. Mary's Church is in the background.war memorials, village green, st. mary's church, george evans collection

Every Anzac Day a commemoration service is held at the war memorial in Sunbury where veterans and townspeople pay their respects to soldiers who fought in various wars.A black and white photograph of people at an Anzac Day rememberance service in Sunbury. Four soldiers are standing around the memorial. A brass band is playing while the assembled crowd is standing in silence.anzac day, memorials, commemoration ceremonies, shire of bulla, sunbury war memorial, george evans collection

The Sunbury War Memorial is sited in a grassed reserve at the intersection of Stawell and Macedon Streets in Sunbury. At its initial installation, the names of Sunbury ex-servicemen who had seen battle in World Wars 1 and 2 were listed on the four plaques. In later years the names of other servicemen who have fought in recent battles have been added to the memorial. On Anzac Day a service takes place at the memorial and is attended by many of the townspeople.The war memorial in Stawell Street is one of Sunbury's important heritage structures and commands an important position in the town.A black and white photograph with a cream border of a memorial set in an open area. The memorial has been set on a pedestal of three steps. a lamp supported by a metal tripod with four smaller lamps below the main one is on top of the memorial.

The Sunbury Gun was placed in this airconditioned room in the Village Green after it was restored. A coloured photograph of the Sunbury Gun in the Village Green precinct.gun, sunbury, village green, starkie fountain, fountains, clarke, william (sir), russell, janet (lady), starkie, joseph, war memorials, monuments and statues, church of england, churches, george evans collection

The war memorial was erected in memory of those from Bulla who served and died in World War 1.A framed black and white photograph of the war memorial at Bulla.ERECTED by the residents of Bulla / in honour of the men who fought for the Empire in the Great War 1914-1919. On back: G. RANDALLworld war 1, soldiers, armed forces, shire of bulla, wars, clark, alistair, randall, george, johnson, j.w. l., tate, e. j., andrews, j., daniel, h.h., s. t., fanning, monuments and memorials, war memorials, returned servicepeople, george evans collection

A sepia photograph of a soldier's memorial at sunbury at the intersection of Macedon Street, Barkly Street and Stawell Street before it was moved. Stawell Street was closed off and now forms part of the Village Green precinct. Unmounted postcardmonuments and memorials, soldiers, armed forces, returned servicepeople, returned servicemens league, gregor, alex, billinghurst, beryl, francey, sandra, world war 2, world war 1, sunbury, macedon street, stawell street, village green, george evans collection

"The Mechanics Institute movement flourished in Victoria from 1839 to 1950. It was based on the development of Mechanics’ Institutes in Scotland and England from the 1820s, which were intended to educate and enlighten the working classes. The term ‘mechanic’ in those days meant an artisan, craftsman or working man, especially those who had moved from rural areas to work in new city factories during the Industrial Revolution. The early Institutes were usually equipped with a reading room, a library and a lecture room. Although enjoying mixed success in Britain, they contributed to the development of public education and library services. The movement was adopted more enthusiastically in the colonies. It began slowly in Victoria but its expansion after the gold rushes population influx was rapid, especially in rural areas. Every suburb and town wanted to have a Mechanics’ Institute. During the 1850s approximately forty Institutes were established, with even greater growth in the period 1860 to 1900. By 1900 there were 400 Institutes in Victoria. The establishment of a Mechanics’ Institute was often a great achievement for a local community, requiring organising committees to raise substantial funds for a building site (where this had not been granted by the Government), and the building. Once built, the committee then had to purchase books, provide a caretaker or librarian, and finance the ongoing use of and improvements to the building. ‘The history of many Institutes is a story of tremendous community effort, and often, financial difficulties’. In addition to being monuments to local enterprise and community life, the Mechanics’ Institutes played a vital role as an intellectual forum, and in contributing to an informed and participatory democracy in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. They provided journals and other reading matter on local, state, national and international issues, and hosted of lectures and held debates about wider issues such as Federation, colonial nationalism, defence, female suffrage, the price of land and labour. With the development of the school and technical education in the latter part of the nineteenth century, the need for community technical and adult education declined. As a result of the introduction of government library grants in 1867, many Mechanics’ Institutes incorporated a free library in their buildings to finance collection of their books. By 1884-85, there were 257 free libraries in Victoria. However, government support and library grants dropped off in the 1890s depression. Entertainment took on a greater role in the 1890s, with the introduction of moving pictures, billiards rooms, games rooms (chess), concerts and dances. The First World War had a devastating impact on many rural communities, and some Mechanics’ Institutes were no longer viable. On the other hand the early twentieth century was also a time of agricultural development, and many country towns were growing in this period. The 1930s depression further limited growth of many libraries and reduced grants substantially. In response many Mechanics’ Institutes were renamed, for example as memorial halls, in order to retain and attract more patrons (eg at nearby Sunbury). The diminishing role for Mechanics’ Institutes and the preference for larger and better appointed halls (with supper rooms, cloak rooms etc) resulted in demolition of some small Institutes. The advent of cars, radios, and television also provided other opportunities for recreation, learning and entertainment. The greater role of municipalities in providing library services also eroded the need for free libraries. While over 500 Mechanics’ Institutes or halls are extant, very few of these retain their original role as ‘diffusers of useful knowledge’. Most are still available for community purposes, as venues for meetings, socials, civic occasions etc, while others are employed as museums, shops and theatres. Most buildings are on Crown land, and managed by a delegated committee of management, who are responsible for raising revenue to maintain aging buildings. Many of those which were originally established on private land, such as Melton, have since reverted back to the Crown, and municipal Councils. The most common Mechanics Institute building form is the simple weatherboard gable building with iron roofs, notable for their ‘honest simplicity’ rather than as ‘monuments of the ancients’. At the other extreme there are some magnificent two storeyed brick and stucco structures with elaborate ornamentation (as was apparently envisaged by some in Melton in 1905-10)". The future of Melton Mechanic Institute Gazette articlelocal architecture

The people were attending a memorial service which took place on the local Sunbury sports ground in Evans Street during World War 1. The local sportsmen's band entertained the crowd at the event, which commemorated the servicemen who had lost their lives during World War 1. Many young men from Sunbury enlisted and fought on battlefields during World War 1.A non-digital sepia photograph with a cream frame of a crowd of people standing in the centre of a sports ground.sportsmen's band, memorial services

The War Memorial was erected in Sunbury. On 11th November 1919, on the first anniversary of the end of WW1, it was announced that there were plans to erect a memorial. On 15th December 1919 a final peace celebration took place at the newly erected memorial which was sited between Stawell and Barkly Streets. Since then Anzac services have terminated at that site where wreaths are laid.A non-digital sepia photograph with a cream border of a memorial which has wreaths of flowers placed around it.Stamped on the back - 'Velox' and 'Kodak Print' and handwritten S8798war memorials, stawell street, barkly street

The Sunbury Gun was originally donated to the Shire of Bulla by the Clarke family. For many years it stood at the intersection of Barkly, Stawell and Macedon Streets. Over the years it became very dilapidated and as traffic along Macedon Street gradually increased it was decided to refresh and relocate it to a triangular site opposite the Memorial Hall in 1970. In March 1982, the weathered Sunbury Gun was restored and housed in an atmospherically controlled glass case and displayed again in the triangular site opposite the Memorial Hall along with the War Memorial and the Starkie fountain.A non-digital black and white photograph of a gun in a large building.sunbury gun, memorial hall, clarke family, stawell street, barkly street

The Sunbury Memorial Hall was originally the Sunbury Mechanics Institute, until after World War 1. Over the years it has been the site for many different functions from social to local government meetings. The parkland in the foreground was Stawell Street, which was closed off to become included in the Village Green passive recreation area in 1979. St. Mary's Anglican Church is in the middle distance.Many social gatherings have taken place in both the hall and the Village Green over the years and is used constantly today. A coloured photograph of a cream rendered hall with a small porch in the front. A bluestone church is set in parkland in the middle distance. The street ends when a low growing hedge has been planted across from the hall boundary.sunbury memorial hall, mechanics institute, sunbury village green, st. mary's church of england