A studio photograph of the Taffe Family c. 1916.Nilballarat, taffe, studio

Inscription on verso of bi-fold cover "The Taffe Family Going for Gold Atlanta '96, Thank you for your support, signature Eddy & in print Anthony Edwards.rowing, ballarat, olympic games, atlanta, taffe family, dinner menu,

Studio portrait of Ballarat railway family in the 1920s with Michael Taffe Senior in his Head Porter uniform, and son John as Station Master beside him with Michael Jnr behind his father and Patrick rear right facing the latter two being Assistant Station Masters at that stage.On Mounting board: "Thornton" Studios Ballarat.

This chair and its five companions form part of a complete suite together with chaise lounge, grandmother and grandfather chairs all with original matching uphostery are rare in their originality and having been in situ since being purchased for the Taffe family of Hymettus Cottage 1901.taffe family, ballarat, hymettus, furniture, parlour suite

A certificate issued in 1924. Loreto or Mary's Mount, now Loreto College was the first Loreto school in Australia, established in 1875 by Mother Mary Gonzaga Barry and companions at the invitation of Ballarat's Bishop O'Connor to meet the growing educational needs of girls. The Taffe family and their relatives supported the school and several members of the wider family entered the order over the years. One of the last family members, Sr Ellison Taffe IBVM died in 2025.catholic, ballarat, loreto, education, catholic education, taffe family

1940s china novelty egg cup belonging to the Taffe family in situ in Hymettus Cottage since the 1940s.An example of a popular kitchen object this egg cup is both utilitarian and decorative, being popular with the Taffe children from the 1940scircular stamp to base "KELLE ST POTTERY CO LTD ENGLAND HANDPAINTED with painter's mark.egg cup, porcelain, kitchenware, england, ballarat

This cranberry glass sugar bowl was a wedding gift to Eleanor and Archibald Burke of Dooboobetic upon their marriage in 1902. It passed to their daughter Mary (Taffe) and has remained at Hymettus, the Taffe family home at Ballarat since she moved there with her husband in 1945.cranberry glass, glass, condiments

non-fictionballarat, horticulture, art nouveau, ballarat horticultural society, pansies

A collection of Victorian Railways Newsletters.non-fictionFrom 1930 until 1973, Victorian Railways News Letter was the inhouse journal for what is now Vicrail. Being a railway family with three stationmasters many copies remain in the family home, Hymettus Cottage.railways, railway family, journal, community

The Catholic Church held an International Congress at Sydney in 1928. This was the first such gathering in the Southern Hemisphere and special trains were run from other states to convey visitors to the event. A range of souvenir items were purchased by Catholic families and a collection of these souvenirs including Congress rail tickets were collected and remain in the Taffe family Hymettus collection.This, the 29th Congress was the first ever held outside Europe or the USA. It was first great public demonstration of faith celebrated by Catholics in Australia this event attracted a crowd of half a million, the largest religious spectacle ever seen in Australia to that time.sydney, eucharistic congress, pope pius xi, medal,

The Catholic Church held an International Congress at Sydney in 1928. This was the first such gathering in the Southern Hemisphere and special trains were run from other states to convey visitors to the event. A range of souvenir items were purchased by Catholic families and a collection of these souvenirs including Congress rail tickets were collected and remain in the Taffe family Hymettus collection.This, the 29th Congress was the first ever held outside Europe or the USA. It was first great public demonstration of faith celebrated by Catholics in Australia this event attracted a crowd of half a million, the largest religious spectacle ever seen in Australia to that time. catholic church, catholic families, souvenir, eucharistic congress, sydney

Hymettus Historic Garden and its cottage museum were opened to the public in 1985 after two years of garden restoration work. The interpretive work was undertaken by Mr and a team from Melbourne's Royal Botanical Gardens and the Taffe family. Plans were drawn up by Peter Lumley and Michael Looker of the Royal Botanical Gardens and the work of restoration undertaken by the family with financial assistance from Heritage Victoria and The City of Ballaarat. historic garden, ballarat, hymettus, postcard, royal botanical gardens melbourne, restoration, city of ballaarat.

Photograph taken by Michael Taffe of Hymettus, family property at Ballarat since 1899 on the centenary of it being awarded "Champion Cottage Garden" for the City of Ballarat in 1918. architecture, hymettus, cottage, ballarat

Flower shows or Horticultural exhibitions were a popular form of entertainment and scientific pastime in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and were widely reported on and followed. Ballarat was a major centre for nurseries and prided itself as a garden city promoting many shows at all levels including grand national exhibitions. Exhibitors ranged from professional hybridists, nurserymen and florists to amateur growers. This award represents the cottage or amateur class in flower shows and was awarded at St Andrew's Jubilee Exhibition and Flower Show. It is one of many in the Taffe family collection won by members of the family between 1899 and 2004. The collection covers three generations of amateur growers and showers across three different centuries.This collection also highlights one of the interactions between members of different religious faith communities in Ballarat in the early twentieth century as this Roman Catholic family were exhibiting at Church of England and Presbyterian functions as well as other shows across the community. An example of the popularity and social significance of flower shows in the early twentieth century. Such items also demonstrate social cohesion and the spirit of interfaith relations before the First World War. It also highlights the importance of gardening in the early twentieth century, the excellence of the gardens at Hymettus in Ballarat and the spirit of self reliance of Australians.Class B, No 14. 57, Six varieties of pansies, Miss Taaffest andrew's, jubilee, jubilee exhibition and flower show, ballarat, pansies miss taaffe, taffe, baxter & stubbs., roman catholic, church of england, presbyterian, interfaith.

Belleek was established following the Irish famine of the mid nineteenth century that brought so many Australian families, including the Taffe and Berkery families to immigrate to the Australian colonies. This Belleek porcelain tea set and tray in the Thorn pattern based on the hawthorn bush sprig in flower carries the impressed registration mark for 1878. Belleek was well represented at the Melbourne International Exhibition of 1880-81 at Melbourne's Exhibition building and many examples were bought by key Ballarat Irish families including those connected to this family such as the Brophy, O'Malley and Fitzgerald families, Julia Taffe's (nee Berkery) aunts uncles and cousins. Many such examples remain in Ballarat collections although this is not one.Tea set consisting of a tray with teapot, creamer, sugar bowl two saucers and one remaining cup from the original pair. All pieces decorated in the thorn and spiderweb pattern.Impressed factory mark and registration mark on base of each piece.belleek, porcelain, ballarat, ireland, exhibition building, melbourne, exhibition, thorn pattern, irish famine, tea set, tray, brophy, fitzgerald, o'malley, julia taffe, berkery, australian colonies,

non-fictionMarion Taffe was Features Editor for Melbourne's MX commuter newspaper and wrote this feature following the loss of her cousin and family at Kinglake in Victoria's Black Saturday bushfires of 2009. Her article was published in newspapers worldwide.bushfire, black saturday bushfires, victorian bushfires, kinglake, warnambool, marion taffe, mx, newspaper, davey family

Portrait photograph with artistic brushwork by Ballarat photographer Thornton c.1917. Thornton & Richards were one of Ballarat's major photographic studios and their work and historic records of schools, sporting and civic events remain a major record of social and family life in Ballarat region over a century.Thornton & Richards were one of Ballarat's major photographic studios and this is an exceptional demonstration of their portraiture.portrait

In 1920 Michael Taffe was awarded Junior Cornet Solo Champion at Ballarat's South St competitions, The Grand National Eisteddfod of Australasia. This competition was the premier band contest in Australia with musicians from every state and New Zealand taking part. This Boosey & Co cornet was on display in the window of Allan's Music store Melbourne when the building was severely damaged by fire but these items were saved. Part of a large family collection of local & family history items at Hymettus Cottage, home to the same Ballarat family for the past 125. This cornet has a well documented provenance and a known owner and has been at Hymettus for over a century. Boosey & Co joined with Hawkes in 1930 to become Boosey & Hawkes. This cornet forms part of a significant and representative historical collection that reflects Ballarat's local history from a family perspective. It contributes to our understanding of social and family life in Ballarat from the 19th to the 21st century and provides interpretative capacity for family, local, and social history themes.Heavily decorated and inscribed.cornet, music, michael taffe, south street competitions, ballarat, boosey & co

non-fictiontaaffe, taffe, vienna, london, ireland,

Produced as a family memorial card at Julia's death in 1927 and retained in the family ever since in her beloved home 'Hymettus'.Julia Taffe was born Julia Berkery at Bungaree in 1868 of pioneering Irish couple Patrick and Mary Berkery who arrived and settled in the district in1853. Proud of her pioneering family and close to her uncle, Daniel Brophy, Shire President of Bungaree, MLA and Mayor of Ballarat she requested the family home remain as such. Hymettus has been kept in accordance to her wishes.ballarat, bungaree, pioneer

A small moulded glass cake stand owned by Marie Taffe's (Knights') great grandmother Hoy formerly Beard.A small late nineteenth century moulded glass cake stand typical of basic domestic items after the style of more elaborate table pieces from a different social class.moulded or pressed glass with central stem and squared knop. The flat top section for standing cake or other delicacies decorated with hobnail pattern and fan pattern to centre.Nilcake stand, warrnambool, hoy family, beard

See image.fictionSet in tenth century England in the time of Aethelflaed of Mercia and the consolidation of Mercia, Wessex and other regions prior to the rise of Edward 1st. The work relates the story of a girl who is subjected to a hard father and suffers from the devastation of Viking raids before advancing through her maturity and independence from male domination. mercia, wessex, england, aethelflaed, the peak district

Made by Mary Burke (later Taffe) in the 1930s and remains in the family home to the present time (2025).cushion, needlework, craft

non-fictionA small booklet outlining British and European settlement across Australia with attention given to the contribution of post-war migration.commonwealth of australia, jubilee

Maintained in this Irish-Australian generational Catholic family home this box-framed statue has been used for family/domestic devotions over several generations. Often used as inspiration in the practice of praying the rosary.A domestic devotional item used as a focus for the recitation of the rosary.devotion, statue, burke, taffe, mary, catholic

Plastic, cased silverplate souvenir spoon from when Hymettus Cottage and Garden, Ballarat was open to the public1985 - 2010.The Taffe family home, Hymettus was open to the public as a tourist attraction and house museum 1985 - 2010 following extensive heritage work with Victoria 150th funding and analysis from Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne. The property was awarded Champion Cottage Garden for the City of Ballaarat 1915-1918. Following restoration work it was the only nineteenth century working mans' exhibition garden retaining original layout and plantings from the Victorian/Edwardian era surviving in Australia. The property has been lived in by the same family from 1899 - the present.souvenir spoon, tourism, ballarat, museum, heritage garden, historic house, open garden scheme