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:

8672.73a This document is a formal letter from the Victorian Government Department of Labour, Sustenance Branch, dated 30 April 1934, addressed to Mr. F. T. Amer, Town Clerk of Bendigo. It acknowledges receipt of Mr. Amer's communication of 26 April 1934, which outlined the grievances and concerns raised by unemployed residents of Bendigo.

The letter states that the Assistant Minister in Charge of Sustenance has asked the Officer-in-Charge to thank Mr. Amer for providing this information. It notes that the representations concerning the unemployed have been received and that the information supplied will be of considerable assistance to the Department in understanding and addressing the issues raised.

The correspondence concludes with a courteous expression of thanks and is signed by the Officer-in-Charge on behalf of the Department. The tone is formal and appreciative, indicating that the government has taken note of the concerns presented by the Bendigo Town Clerk.

In a postscript, the writer advises that, for Mr. Amer's information, a copy of the communication has been forwarded to the Secretary of the Unemployed Ratepayers' and Citizens' Association, Bendigo. This suggests that the Department intended to keep the local organisation informed of its correspondence and response.