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:

8672.72a This document is a letter dated 17 May 1934 from a local council to the Assistant Minister in Charge of Sustenance in Melbourne. The letter responds to earlier correspondence about the continuation of a government sustenance work scheme and stresses the urgency of a decision.

The writer explains that the council is facing a severe financial crisis because it has continued operating the sustenance scheme while awaiting government advice. The council's bank overdraft has already risen by £3,500 compared with the same period in the previous year, and it is expected to reach between £6,000 and £7,000 by the end of the financial year. The situation has been made worse by the recent flood damage, which has required approximately £7,000 to restore bridges, culverts, and roads.

The letter notes that the council had previously advised the government that it could not continue funding materials, supervision, horses, and drays unless financial assistance was provided. As no definite reply has been received, the council has decided to continue the sustenance work scheme for only a further two weeks. If, by the end of that period, the government has not agreed to cover the specified incidental costs, the council states that it will be forced to cease providing work under the sustenance scheme.

The closing paragraphs emphasise that the council is extremely reluctant to take this course of action but argues that it has no alternative because of its financial position. Handwritten annotations on the page further highlight the urgency of the matter, with notes such as "urgent" and a comment stating that the "extreme urgency of the position" should be shown as far as the council is concerned.