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 document:

8672.87a This file contains a series of letters documenting an application for charitable assistance on behalf of Mrs. M. Sheen of Bendigo during 1933–1934. The correspondence follows the request from its initial referral through investigation and final resolution by local welfare authorities.

The first letter, dated 11 December 1934, is from the State Relief Committee in Melbourne to the Public Assistance Committee in Bendigo. The Committee forwards Mrs. Sheen's application for assistance and asks local authorities to investigate her circumstances. They request advice on whether the case can be managed locally or whether financial assistance should be provided by the State Relief Committee.

Attached is a handwritten appeal from Mrs. Crane, who describes visiting the Sheen family and finding them in severe poverty. She explains that the family has four children and lacks even the most basic necessities, including adequate clothing and bedding. The children reportedly have insufficient clothing to attend school, and the family possesses only a single worn blanket. Mrs. Crane asks whether clothing, materials for sewing, or other practical assistance can be provided rather than simply financial aid, believing this would better meet the family's immediate needs.

The next stage of the correspondence shows that the Mayor of Bendigo acknowledges Mrs. Crane's request and arranges for the Sheen family to receive relief through the Bendigo Benevolent Asylum. Mr. Pool, the head of the household, is instructed to attend the asylum so assistance can be organised.

Subsequent memoranda between the Town Clerk, the Bendigo Benevolent Asylum, and the State Relief Committee confirm that the case has been investigated locally. The Superintendent of the Benevolent Asylum reports that Mrs. Sheen has now been adequately supplied with the clothing her family required and recommends that no further assistance from the State Relief Committee is necessary.

The final document records the clothing issued to the family. Items supplied include singlets, girls' singlets, boys' singlets, boys' trousers, shirts, flannelette garments, boots, and shoes. This inventory demonstrates that the response focused on providing essential clothing for the children, addressing the specific deficiencies identified in the original appeal.