This file contains five items relating to Caulfield Council Visits with the Melbourne & Metropolitan Board of Works (MMBW) from 1919 to circa 1974: 1/A photo album containing photos from the MMBW ‘visit to the Headworks, Yan Yean Water Supply, Wallaby and Silvery Creeks’ from 28/02/1919 to 03/03/1919, attended by members of the Caulfield City Council. The album contains 13 original black-and-white photographs, 3 of which are of the council members. The album is accompanied by a report by Felicitie Campbell, written 11/2008, about these visits. 2/A publication from the MMBW documenting its review of operations for 1973-1974. The report contains information about water supply, sewerage and drainage infrastructure completed or in progress during this period including infrastructure in Caulfield, Ormond, Carnegie and Bentleigh. 3/A periodical feature from the MMBW titled ‘Living City’, issue no. 16, Spring/Summer 1974. Included in the article titled ‘Program’ is a notice that construction will continue on the Elster Creek drain from Thomas St. to Wheatley Road, McKinnon. The periodical also includes the names of commissioners W. R. Walters from Caulfield and G. R. Bricker from Moorabbin (back cover). 4/2 maps and 1 information booklet from the Thomson Project Open Day attended by Felicite and John Campbell as representatives of the Caulfield City Council. This was an annual MMBW open date. Date unknown. 5/Resarch notes by Kate Aldred about the photo album and Thomson Project Open Day booklet and their links to Felicite Campbell 01/04./2014.koornang road, draper street, hall street, centre road, brewers road, caulfield intercepting sewer, byron street, caulfield park, elster creek, caulfield, carnegie, ormond, bentleigh, thomas street, brighton east, wheatley road, mckinnon, city of caulfield, bricker g. r., walters w. r., caulfield city council, melbourne and metropolitan board of works, hall councillor, murray councillor, murphy councillor, wharington councillor, phillips councillor, blyth councillor, best robert sir, reid doctor, jowett mr., wooley mr., hindle mr., annual reports, water supply structures and establishments, sewerage and sanitation, sewerage establishments, drainage, town planning, business and finance, councillors, mayors, acqueducts, dams and reservoirs, creeks, waterfalls, rivers, construction sites, north road, north road pumping station, cities and towns, campbell felicitie

Establishment and Functions Prior to 1860, the Chief Secretary's Department had been responsible for the administration of the gold fields and associated mining activities. In November 1860 a Commissioner of Mines was appointed and a Department was established under his administration. For the period November 1861 to June 1863, the Postmaster General was responsible for the Mining Department. A Minister of Mines was again appointed in 1863. Responsibilities of the Department of Mines were: 1. Regulation of mining and related public works activities through the issue of miners rights, business and residence licences, mining leases, mineral and other prospecting licences 2. Superintendence of the activities of mining surveyors, registrars, wardens and Mining Boards. 3. Investigation of the state's geological structure, mineral wealth and underground water resources 4. Development of the mining industry 5. Supervision of the safe working of mines, machinery and quarries including checking the credential of mine managers, inspectors and operators 6. Regulation of the disposal of sludge and other waste products 7. Administration of the Victorian Mining Accident Relief Fund. Arising from its initial responsibility for the supply of water on the gold fields, the Department became responsible for rural water supply from the mid 1860s. Statutory responsibility for rural water works during this period rested with the Board of Land and Works. In 1865 the Waterworks Act gave the Board power to construct waterworks, purchase land, levy charges and lease or sell works, while the Public Loans Act 1865 empowered it to provide loans to local water trusts for waterworks. The actual administration of these statutory provisions was undertaken by the Victorian Water Supply Department which operated from 1865 to 1889 as a sub-department of the Department of Mines, from 1889 as a department in its own right, and from 1895 to 1909 as a sub-department of the Department of Mines and Water Supply. For a brief period from 1891 to 1893 the Department of Mines was also responsible for forests and, until 1880, for the Schools of Mines subsequently transferred to the Education Department. In 1895 the Department of Mines and the Victorian Water Supply Department were amalgamated to form the Department of Mines and Water Supply. A snapshot into social history around the 1930s when the Department of works and the Mines Departments were still linkedReceipt Book for the Department of Works; Mines. Receipt No 2801 - 3000. 1st receipt Number 2801, "18th July 1936, for Rent of Cottage: 14 days for 2 pounds, 2 shillings. The inscription on the back is signed by J F Condau in 13-3-33Printed on spine "GENERAL RECEIPTS / 15 / 2801 / TO 3000" Printed on each receipt 'DEPARTMENT OF / PUBLIC WORKS. / MINES." Fill in using ink pen "(DATE) 18th July 1936 / (TO) - - - shields' / BEING) Rent of / Cottage: 14 days / (TO) 17th July / @ (symbol for pound) 1-1. p. week / . (symbol for pound) 2:2:-"Inside cover there is some red pencil writing, words and figures unreadable. Handwritten on back cover "Numbers checked / and found corredt / J S Coudou (?) / 13-3-33" One some receipts "Wharfage / S.S. Koonara"flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked coast, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, department of works: mines, receipt book, rent 1936, imperial currency, living costs 1936, department of works, department of mines, j f condou, 1933, 13-3-33

The O'Shannassy Weir was a small Weir created in 1911 and completed in 1913, and was the originating point of outflow into the Aqueduct. In 1928, it was replaced by the much larger O'Shannassy Reservoir. The Weir had water moving along the Aqueduct to the Surrey Hills Reservoir. Many structures at the Weir precinct have survived and remain in-situ.The O'shannassy Weir and Aqueduct contains a wide range of intact and diverse features. This demonstrates the way in which the Board constructed and managed the water supply that flowed through farmland and forest areas subject to timber milling. The caretakers residences that are located along the aqueduct were utilised by caretakers who were responsible for maintaining one of their four sections of the channel. This transparency is significant for its historic association to the establishment of the weir and to those who worked on the project, and at the quarters. weir, o'shannassy, aqueduct, reservoir, melbourne water, mmbw, staff

Copied by Ken Hall from an early postcard. This is Surrey Hills Reservoir No 1 on the corner of Tower Street built in c1892 at a cost of £12,000 to supply higher sections of the area. The builders were Jack and Bob Laudehr, partners in a wood yard in St. Kilda (Vic). They began by delivering firewood but extended to contract work involving timber. Another of their projects was to lay cable tram tracks commencing in Acland Street St. Kilda and running along The Esplanade. The reservoir in Canterbury Road was a large concrete structure built before the introduction of reinforcements. The excavated material was banked against the sides and pine trees were planted in it to add strength to the embankment. They were paid £2,000 for their work. Construction of Surrey Hills Number 2 Reservoir was completed in 1913 and the accompanying tower was built in 1929. It is assumed that the Miss Hill as the source of the donation (via Bill Dempsey) was Ivy Annie Hill (1902-1984). She was the only female child of William Valentine Dempsey to not marry. Bill Dempsey's mother was Laura Constance 'Birdie' Hill (1900-1968) who married Albert Dempsey.A sepia photograph within a post card of a reservoir on Canterbury Road, Surrey Hills. In the background to the left you can see the top halves of two houses and the tops of some trees. The photo takes up only the central section of the postcard.Below the photo on the front of the postcard on blue biro "Reservor [sic] Canterbury Rd / Surrey Hills." On the rear in grey lead pencil in Jocelyn Hall's handwriting: "Donor W Dempsey ------------- Keep / (nephew) / [arrow pointing down] / From Miss Hill / 10 Pembroke St SH / This house can be / seen in front of / No 12 which has / tower"1890, water supply, mmbw, edward d dyer (mr), 10 pembroke street, 12 pembroke street, surrey hills, ivy annie hill (miss), william valentine hill (mr), canterbury road, tower street, water supply structures and establishments, dams and reservoirs, jack laudehr (mr), bob laudehr (mr)

"A perpetual spring in the adjacent creek provided a steady supply of fresh water to the site on which the homestead is built. Although we can not be certain of the identity of the builder, the first stage of ‘The Willows’ homestead appears to have been constructed in the mid 1850s. The house is situated on Crown Allotment No.1 (No Section), Parish of Kororoit, an allotment of 5 acres 3 roods 4 perches. Although it had surveyed the land, the Crown did not offer it for sale until 22nd November 1861, at which time it was purchased by Charles March Williams. (Although the property is directly opposite and immediately adjacent to the Township of Melton, and was sold as ‘Suburban Allotment 33’, it was situated within the Shire of Braybrook rather than the Shire of Melton until 1917.) Considerable improvements had taken place on the land prior to the Crown sale. When CM Williams purchased the allotment in November 1861 he paid £23.5.0 for the land itself, and valued the improvements at £400. Even allowing for some exaggeration by Williams, this is an extremely high valuation for improvements, and must have included a house. Some local research has claimed that in 1858 Williams had taken over the interest of a Mr Parkinson in the property, and that Parkinson built the house upon taking possession of the land c.1855. It was definitely built by 1861, when a map shows a square building on the site marked as ‘House’. The property is important in the district for its association with the establishment of the pound. The district pound had been established in 1854, when George Scarborough of Mount Cottrell (Mt Cottrell Road, south of Greigs Road) was appointed pound-keeper. Scarborough resigned in 1857. The pound was moved to Melton following agitation from local farmers and Charles March Williams appointed pound-keeper on 26th April 1858. Williams, the son of a doctor, had been born in London. Reminiscences of local residents of the time, as recorded in the Express newspaper, note Williams’ success in breeding horses on the property. Sales of up to 60 guineas were noted. Whether this was from Williams’s own stock or from unclaimed pound stock is not made clear. Williams appeared before a government inquiry in 1860 and advocated registration of all stock brands in the State. Williams died in 1862 leaving a widow, Catherine, and five living children aged 15 years to five months. At the time of his death Williams had entered negotiations with one Matthew Devenish and had a mortgage of £100 on allotments 1 and 2, Parish of Kororoit. Catherine Williams was appointed pound-keeper on 2 September 1863, with her eldest son Charles as her assistant. Her tenure was short for on 22nd March 1864 George Minns senior paid Matthew Devenish £135 for allotments 1 and 2 Parish of Kororoit (considerably less than Williams had claimed the property was worth in 1861) and on the same day paid William Tullidge £45 for the adjoining allotments 3 and 4. In April 1867, James Ebden Minns, the newly married son of George senior became the owner of The Willows property having entered into a mortgage arrangement with his father to the extent of £200. At the time George Minns was residing in Kaarimba having left Melton in 1867 for a short trip to England and upon his return having taken up a selection in the Kaarimba district with his son Frederick who had a hotel licence there. James paid out the mortgage on 2-1-1873. James Minns was appointed pound-keeper in 1872; in 1885 the pound was moved elsewhere and Minns purchased the old pound site and added it to his farm. The Willows residence underwent a major change about this time. A two room extension, similar in style but with a lower elevation was added to the original rear of the house with a chimney matching the distinctive originals. Window arrangements did not match the original but became a feature of the façade when the new addition became the front of the building. Six buttresses were attached to the east and west walls of the old building, two to the south wall and the whole rendered with mortar to give the appearance of dressed stonework around the windows. Galvanized iron was placed over the shingles and a verandah added on three sides. By 1876 The Willows was the homestead for a thriving mixed farm of 340 acres of which 156 was rented from a H. Ruck. In October of that year the Australasian travelling reporter visited and reported on the property. In common with the nearly every other property in the district the farm had ‘recently’ (generally within the last two years) abandoned cultivation of crops, and turned over completely to cattle pasture. Butter making was the principal occupation of the farm, which had about 50 head of cattle, a large proportion of which were milking cows. The reporter also noted that a ‘large number of pigs are kept upon this farm and are found to be very profitable stock’. Their manure was used in an orchard and garden in which ‘large quantities of lucerne and prairie grass are grown for the use of stock when ordinary feed is scarce’. Two bores attached to deep brick lined wells supplied water for the house in addition to the farm. A commodious timber barn and necessary sheds had also been constructed. Access to the property was improved following the construction of the bluestone ford across the creek c.1887, when the recreation ground came into use. Prior to this date it may have been that the crossing referred to as ‘Mr Minns bridge’ was used. This appears to have been a flimsy structure and has but two references in Council reports in the Melton Express in the 1880’s. It is believed that in the late 1890’s a timber building was added near the rear of the building to house a kitchen, ablutions and laundry rooms and rooms for seasonal workers. This was attached to the house by means of a trellised walkway using the original front entry to the house (long since the back door). A photograph of this building appears in a local history of Melton. This was demolished in recent decades during the period when the house was tenanted (after the Minns family had left). James Minns son, George, took over the property following his marriage to Alice Walsh in 1903. James and Caroline moved into a house on the former JH Games property at the eastern end of Henry Street. George held the position of Shire Secretary for Melton for 40 years. He was a most prominent member of the community being Secretary to, among others, the Melton Coursing Club, the Shooting Club and the Cemetery Trust. He also rode with the hunting parties who sported across the Plains and were entertained at Mount Kororoit. George and Alice had one son, Norman who followed his father into local government and became Secretary of the Shire of Werribee completing a record term in this position. George retired to Werribee in 1951, where he died in 1965. The National Trust records note that James Ebden Minns and his sons were ‘leading men of the district, Justices of the Peace, and Shire Councillors’. It claims that Sir Thomas Bent was a frequent visitor. The Willows passed into the hands of George’s grandson, Bruce Minns and the property was let for a number of years. In the 1960s it became vacant and was subject to vandalism. Major structural problems arose with the part demolition of the roof, the loss of windows and doors and holes dug into and under the floorboards. The outbuildings were particularly targeted. Following widespread public support, the Shire of Melton purchased the house, with 3.75 acres of land, in 1972. In 1975 the Shire of Melton and the Melton and District Historical Society were successful in nominating the building for National Trust classification, and then the Australian Heritage Commission’s Register of the National Estate. The AHC particularly noted its ‘townscape importance’. It was envisaged that the farmhouse would form ‘a picturesque centrepiece to Melton’s planned … historical park, along with Dunvegan bluestone cottage … and similar structures as they become available.’ In a time of great Melton’s ‘satellite city’ development the Council spelt out its broader vision in its submission to the AHC: ‘Melton is destined to become, by the end of the present century, a city of between 75,000 and 100,000 people. Significant relics of the past, such as ‘The Willows’, regrettably will be rare in that situation. It is essential that sufficient tangible links with Melton’s pioneering days remain to promote in the new community a sense of history and continuity’. Under the direction of ‘The Willows’ Restoration Committee and consultant architect John Hitch, all outbuildings, with the exception of the garage and toilet, were demolished and the dwelling house restored. Finances were provided by the Shire of Melton and the National Estate Grants Program, and considerable amount of voluntary labour was provided by the local community. The orchard was removed, and remaining wooden buildings were relocated to provide an open vista for visitors to the Park. The property was furnished with donations from district families keen to preserve this example of pioneer life in the area. The Willows became the headquarters of the Melton and District Historical Society". Invitation to the family reunion at the Willowslocal identities, pioneer families