Historical information
Dr Michele Matthews has been a local and social historian for nearly three decades since she first used correspondence held by the then Bendigo City Council for her Honours thesis. She is an ardent advocate for the use of local history records to tell Victorian and Australian history from a grassroots perspective. Michele’s MA thesis, ‘A forgotten “Father” of Federation: Sir John Quick 1852‑1911’ (2003), and her PhD thesis, ‘Survivors, schemes, Samaritans and shareholders: the impact of the Great Depression on Bendigo and District 1925‑1935’ (2007), both drew heavily on Bendigo and district records.
Physical description
Michele Matthews Collection: PHD Research - Relief during the great depression
This item includes the following documents:
8672.61a The document is a letter dated 16 February 1934 from the Bendigo Trades Hall Unemployed Association to the Mayor and Councillors of the Bendigo City Council. It raises concerns on behalf of unemployed workers who were engaged in sustenance (relief) work and complains about the poor sanitary conditions provided at these worksites.
The Association explains that workers had reported that the sanitary arrangements at sustenance works were inadequate. Although some worksites had lavatories, these facilities were considered unsuitable for the number of workers using them and were believed to be harmful to workers' health. The letter also states that some job sites had no sanitary facilities at all, further increasing concern about hygiene and health.
The Association argues that providing proper sanitary facilities is an essential requirement on all sustenance work projects. It urges the City Council to address the issue immediately, emphasising that improving sanitation is necessary to protect the health and wellbeing of the workers.
The letter closes by requesting an early and favourable response from the Council. It is signed by S. Jennings, Assistant Secretary of the Bendigo Trades Hall Unemployed Association. A handwritten note at the bottom indicates that a reply was made on 25 February 1934, referring the matter to the City Engineer.
