Historical information

The National Bank of Australasia was formed in 1857. It began commercial operations in Queen Street, Melbourne in 1858. The Bank’s first branch in Kew opened at 87 High Street in 1885. A second building, on the corner of Walpole and Brougham Streets, designed by Inskip & Robertson, replaced the first branch in 1888. The second building remains, albeit in a somewhat altered state. In 1977, the President of the Kew Historical Society received two historic ‘Signature Books’ from the Kew branch of the National Bank of Australia.

Physical description

Press photograph, from the Whitehorse Standard, of the handover of two Signature Books by the manager of the National Bank of Australia, Mr Bendixer, to Marshall Slattery (centre) and Gordon Greer (right) of Kew Historical Society.

Inscriptions & markings

"1977 / PRESIDENT OF KEW HISTORICAL SOCIETY, CENTRE, RECEIVING 2 SIGNATURE BOOKS DONATED TO THE SOCIETY BY THE KEW BRANCH OF THE NATIONAL BANK / CENTRE PRESIDENT KHS MR SLATTERY, ON HIS LEFT MR BENDIXER MANAGER, RIGHT MR G GREER MEMBER KHS