Historical information

Thomas Jefferson Connelly (1858-18/10/1892)
Son of Thomas James Connelly a well known JP at Inglewood.
Admitted as a solicitor in the Supreme Court in 1880.
Started own business as a solicitor in 1883 at Albion Chambers, View Street. By 1887 he had joined with George Henry Tatchell and in 1889 they moved their firm to Williamson Street.
On 8th Jan 1885 he was elected to the Bendigo Council and was elected as Mayor 16th Aug 1887. He was the first Bendigo born Mayor and the youngest.
He served on the committee of the Bendigo hospital and the Mechanics Institute and was a prominent member of the ANA. He was also a Captain of a local militia force.
He married Frances Cresswell Reynolds and they had 3 children who were very young when they were left fatherless in 1892.
Thomas died in Kerang, following an epileptic fit. He was attending a case at the time. He is buried at the Bendigo Public Cemetery.

George Henry Tatchell was the son of Thomas Tatchell JP of Inglewood.
He was admitted as an attorney by the Supreme Court in 1887 and formed a partnership with Thomas Jefferson Connelly 22/9/1887. By 1894, their practice had been joined by Adam George Dunlop.
In 1904 he was elected president of the Bendigo Bar Association.
George was a very bowler and was part of an Australian team that travelled to Britain in 1930, where he won the Veteran Pairs Competition competing with his brother William.
He retired to “Woodford”, Toorak.

Adam George Dunlop (1864 – 28/2/1921)
Son of Andrew McBride Dunlop.
He married Marion Ethel Nicholls, a widow in 1905.
Admitted as a solicitor, proctor and conveyancer in 1892. When Thomas Connelly died, his will stated that his share in the law firm was to be sold and if it was sold to Dunlop, he would have 3 years to pay for. This clearly happened and by 1894 the firm was known as Connelly, Tatchell and Dunlop.He continued to work for the firm Tatchell, Dunlop, Smalley and Balmer for 25 years and retired several months before his death, to “Milltara”, Glyndon Ave., Brighton.
He was heavily involved in the Sandhurst Mechanics Institute and served as president in 1899 and 1901. He was treasurer of the Zenith Lodge of Masons in 1907. He was president of the ANA in 1896 and president of the Bendigo Law Association in 1907. Whilst in Bendigo, the family lived in “Millewa”, Kangaroo Flat.

Jonathon Smalley (1873-21/8/1961)
Son of Peter, a mining investor and his wife Ellen.
1899 married Catherine Horsemann Manning with whom he had four children.
Jonathon proved proficient in sign language when he stepped into a court case where the defendant was hearing impaired.
In 1904 he was the president of the Eaglehawk Mechanics Institute. Other community postings included Vice President of Bendigo Football Association (1909), President Bendigo ANA (1899), Councilor for Eaglehawk Borough (1904- ), elected Mayor of Eaglehawk (1909),and President of Bendigo Law Association (1910).
Jonathon and his wife resided at “Overton”, View Street, Bendigo (now Harry Little Childcare Centre).
Jonathon was a champion Lawn bowler, winning the Country Singles Championship in 1913.
He is buried at the Bendigo Cemetery.

Sydney Raeburn Balmer (1869 – 24/11/1938)
Sydney was the son of Robert and Elizabeth Balmer. He married Catherine HAswell McDonald in 1905 and they later lived in Lily Street, Bendigo.
After qualifying as a barrister and solicitor, he was initially employed as a barrister for Mr Cussen (later a judge) for 2 years. He then spent 9 years working in Melbourne before joining the firm to be thenceforth known as Tatchell, Dunlop, Smalley and Balmer from 31sdt Dec. 1909

Physical description

Black and White newspaper photograph of five Tatchell Brothers attending a cricket match. Undated