Historical information

Mayor Harkness is best known for abolishing liquor from the Town Hall and replacing the Mayor's Ball with a Monster Sunday School Picnic for children which took place in Ravenswood in 1883 and was attended by 15,000 people.
Abraham Harkness arrived in Victoria in 1857 aged 28. He was initially successful in his search for gold and after a return trip to England in 1862 returned to Bendigo where he opened a general store and then a foundry manufacturing mining machinery.
He stood for council from in 1880 and was elected a further eight times over the next twenty years. Cr Harkness served as Mayor in 1882, 1897 and 1898. His son Andrew became Mayor in 1908-09. Abraham Harkness married Jane Elizabeth Noble in Bendigo in1864 and together they had six sons and five daughters. Abraham died in 1912 and Jane in 1927.

Town Halls serve many purposes. Symbolically they are an outward expression of a City’s prosperity while practically serving as an administration hub, a place to showcase industry and agriculture, host grand balls and royal visits and administer law and order.
The Bendigo Town Hall has proudly served its citizens and played a vital role in nearly every major decision and event that has shaped the City. In the early years it included spaces for Surveyors, Engineers, Town Treasurer, Clerk of Courts, council meeting rooms and a separate office for the Mayor.

Physical description

Blue and gold printed invitation for Christmas Reception held at the City hall, Bendigo on 15th December 1897 by Mayor and Mrs Harkness. Front design features the Bendigo Coat of Arms, inside left message reads 'The Mayor of Bendigo and Mrs. Harkness wish the Citizens the Compliments of the Season - 15th December 1897'. Music program printed on right hand side and bird motif with 'Christmas, 1897 on the back of the invitation