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Councils use property values to calculate how much each property owner pays in rates. This can give us some insight to property values within the municipalities. Receipts have been recorded by Receipt No, Date, Name and Riding. The subdivisions at that time which which were proclaimed by Order-in-Council on 22nd May 1917, were North Riding, Moorabbin Riding, Cheltenham Riding, and South Riding.

Brown suede and Black linen bound book with Rates Cash Book Moorabbin Shire in gold text along the spine

Printed on white rectangular sticker in black ink: ARNALL & JACKSON/ Engravers and Lithographers/ PRINTERS/ and/ MANUFACTURING STATIONERS/ 478 Collins Street/ MELBOURNE/ No.B 27676 / 1/8/19

rates, ridings, moorabbin, municipality

Councils use property values to calculate how much each property owner pays in rates. This can give us some insight to property values within the municipalities. Receipts have been recorded by Receipt No, Date, Name and Riding. The subdivisions at that time which which were proclaimed by Order-in-Council on 22nd May 1917, were North Riding, Moorabbin Riding, Cheltenham Riding, and South Riding.

Brown suede and Black linen bound book with Rates Cash Book Moorabbin Shire in gold text along the spine

Printed on white rectangular sticker in black ink: ARNALL & JACKSON/ Engravers and Lithographers/ PRINTERS/ and/ MANUFACTURING STATIONERS/ 478 Collins Street/ MELBOURNE/ No.B 33325 / 2/10/18

rates, ridings, moorabbin, municipality

Sepia image of the Squire family at Mordialloc Beach - Standing: Gordon, Olive, Myrtle, Lilian and Cyril, Front sitting: Hazel, Mrs Squire and Cousin Elizabeth and Bruce.

Sepia image of a family with two women, with four boys and three girls sitting on grass under a tree with a picnic basket

mordialloc, beach, squire, picnic

Gathering of people outside the Mechanics Hall, Temperance Hall and Free Library, Nepean Highway, Cheltenham - in background the railway line and paddocks

Black and white image of people gathering outside the Mechanics Hall, Temperance Hall and Free Library, Nepean Highway, Cheltenham - in background the railway line and paddocks

Round red sticker: X16 [crossed out] Handwritten in blue ink circled: A5 Handwritten in red ink: 89%

temperance hall, nepean highway, cheltenham, library, mechanics hall

Moorabbin Council Chambers and Town Hall

Black and white image of Moorabbin Council Chambers and Town Hall

Handwritten and and circled in black ink: Pic No Handwritten in red ink: 90% Handwritten in blue ink: MOORABBIN COMMERCIAL Handwritten in blue ink: 27 [7 crossed out] 1/2 ems wide Handwritten in black ink: 71% [7 crossed out]

moorabbin, council chambers, town hall

Junction of Nepean Highway and South Road, Moorabbin - Moorabbin Hotel on right. Shops in centre demolished for road widening in 1980's

Black and white image of Nepean Highway and South Road junction point of view from Kingston Town Hall

Printed in black text a round white sticker: 234 Handwritten in red ink 80% Yellow post it note written in blue ink: CHAP 7 234 / - Nepean Hwy + South Road

nepean highway, south road, moorabbin, moorabbin hotel

Sepia image of Allnutt original home in Centre Dandenong Road, Cheltenham. Joseph Allnutt (left) George Allnutt (centre) other person unknown

Sepia image of three men standing in front of a white weatherboard building, two men leaning on pitchforks

allnutt, dandenong road, joseph allnutt, george allnutt

Main Street, Mordialloc, Point Nepean Road looking towards creek. David White hairdresser and tobacconist on left. Later Councillor and Mayor of Mordialloc.

Black and white image of Main Street, Mordialloc. Horse and carriage are parked to the left with a Havelock Tobacco sign over the porch of the buildings to the left. Man leading against a white fence on the right

mordialloc, point nepean road, david white, horse drawn wagon, mayor

Class group Cheltenham State School. John Allnutt boy second from right in front row. Became Shire President and Mayor of Moorabbin - Class V

Black and white image of a group of pupils Cheltenham State School, girls sitting and standing in rows to the left and boys sitting and standing to the right with male and female teachers on the left

Printed in black text a round white sticker: 85 Handwritten in red ink 50%

john allnutt, cheltenham, cheltenham state school, city of moorabbin, school

Fife and Drum boys at Church of Christ, Chesterville Road, Cheltenham

Black and white image of boys standing on a a church alter and front row pews holding fife and drums

Round red sticker: X6 [crossed out] Handwritten in black ink: CHAP 4? / Boys Band Handwritten in blue ink and circled: A14/ Handwritten in red ink: 72%

fife, drum, boys, church, church of christ, chesterville, cheltenham

Locomotive Elfreda leaves Cheltenham station with guests for laying of foundation stone at Melbourne Benevolent Asylum - Kingston Centre

Black and white image of locomotive Elfreda with men and women on open air carriages

Printed in black text a round white sticker: 80 Handwritten in red ink: 75% Velcro sticker x2

locomotive, trains, benevolent asylum, cheltenham, kingston centre

Patients arriving at Melbourne Benevolent Asylum, Kingston Centre, Warrigal Road, Cheltenham, March 1911. 513 patients transferred from North Melbourne. 313 were bedridden.

Black and white image of men and women patients arriving at the benevolent asylum with the steps to the building in the background and patients being carried on stretchers from two trucks into the centre

Printed in black text a round white sticker: 82 Hand written in red ink: 52%

cheltenham, benevolent asylum, kingston centre

Cheltenham Tennis Club, Park Road, Cheltenham Back (left to right) Carrie Hayman, Clem Phillips, Anne Chandler, J Woods, Eugenie Fairlam, J Francis, W Foreman, Maggie Maxwell, Fanny Woff, Minnie Cullen, Third Row: Dr A Weigell, Edwards, C Scantlebury, Wo

Black and white image of a group of men and women standing courtside with rackets in their hands

Round red sticker:X2 [crossed out] Handwritten in blue ink enclosed in a circle:49 / written in pink ink 50%

tennis, cheltenham, cheltenham tennis club, sport

A black and white image of a group players and supporters of Moorabbin Football Club senior section runner up that came to a draw after a close game

Black and white image of players and supporters of Moorabbin Football Club with a player in the center holding a football etched with M.F.C 1912

Printed in black text a round white sticker: 87 Hand written in red ink: 50%

federal football league, football, moorabbin, club, sport

Black and white image depicting two men wearing aprons standing in front of Moorabbin Co-operative Stores, Nepean Highway Cheltenham. Exchange Hotel to the right. Three horse drawn wagons, on the left two white horses with a man holding the reins, one carrying a load with hessian sacks and another on the far right with a man in the seat of the wagon also wearing an apron, suggesting they are workers at the store.

Black and white image of two men wearing aprons standing in front of Moorabbin Co-operative Store with three horse drawn wagons, on the left two white horses with a man holding the reins, one carrying a load with hessian sacks and another on the far right with a man in the seat of the wagon also wearing an apron. A sign on the left hand side of the building Havelock Tabacco.

Printed in black text a round white sticker: 75 Hand written in red ink: 75%

horse drawn wagon, workers, moorabbin, cheltenham, commerce, trade

Red Cross Workers in Bentleigh are preparing stretchers and other convalescent aids for fighting men overseas. In the background wooden crutches are leaning against the shed wall and beach chairs are being repurposed in the front of the image.

Black and white image of a group of eight men standing in front of a shed with several of the men wearing work aprons suggesting manual labour with crutches leaning against the shed and beach chairs

Hand written in red ink enclosed in a circle: A18 / 70%

community, world war i, first world war, wwi, manual labour, repurposing, red cross, crutches, bentleigh

Depicting a coach service between Mordialloc, Cheltemham and Brighton, which also shows the other coaches in the background which could be stopping at a coach hub

Black and white image of a horse drawn wagon with a man sitting on top holding the reins written across the side of the wagon Mordialloc Cheltenham and Brighton, indicating the route the coach took. Behind the coach is what appears to be a house with several other coaches in the yard indicating it could be a coach stop on the route

Printed in black text a round white sticker: 76 Hand written in red ink: 70%

coach, horse drawn wagon, public transport, mordialloc, cheltenham, brighton

This image shows the importance of a reasonably large pub offering accommodation and a meeting place for a relatively small community in a regional area during the World War I (WWI) period

Black and white image of Keighrans Hotel which is a two Storey building with a wrought iron balcony with a man standing at ground level with his bicycle and a big sign billiards

Round red sticker:X3 Handwritten in blue ink: A16 Handwritten in red ink 72% Handwritten in black ink: CHAP 4? / CHELTENHAM HOTEL / EXCHANGE HOTEL [crossed out] / Cheltenham / Pre WW [crossed out] about / WWI / BUILT ON THE SITE / of the ORIGINAL / CHELTENHAM INN

commerce, trade, hotel, pub, public house, cheltenham, world war i, first world war, wwi

Black and white image of a man dressed in a white coat with a traditional butcher's apron seated on a horse drawn buggy. Beside him is a young boy on a horse, also wearing a traditional butcher's apron.

commerce, horses, employment, moorabbin

The Fairlam family were early settlers in the region.

Black and white image of the Fairlam family, taken outside, presumably in their garden. From left to right: Richard William Percy Fairlam (Percy Fairlam), mother Elizabeth Fairlam, Eugenie Fairlam, father William Fairlam (Percy Fairlam), Fairlie (Addie) Fairlam

Elizabeth Shelby (Hollis) was appointed caretake in connection with Shire Hall Buildings in 1911. The role also included accommodation.

Black and white image of a seated woman who is looking to the side. The woman has tightly pulled back hair with a middle part and is wearing a long, dark coloured, dress with a short necklace and pendant over the top.

women, employment, moorabbin

William Fairlam's store was situated on Charman Road, Cheltenham. This image shows advertising which promotes the goods sold in the store such as tobacco and insurance, as well as providing a hairdresser and auction rooms.

Black and white image of a group of four men and a boy standing out the front of William Fairlam's store in Charman Road, Cheltenham.

shopping, commerce, cheltenham

The Institute movement came to Melbourne in 1839 with the establishment of the Melbourne Mechanics’ Institute later known as the Melbourne Athenaeum. Adopting the principles of self help, social improvement and the recognition of the importance of useful knowledge, it maintained a library, a reading room and an art gallery, while also establishing classes and lectures in a variety of fields.

Various dates have been suggested for the founding of the Cheltenham Mechanics’ Institute with the range being somewhere between 1853 and 1856. The first Institute building erected on the tip of the land where Charman Road joined Point Nepean Road was of weatherboard construction. It consisted of a small hall, a reading room and a library. Later it was realized that the building was inadequate for community functions that attracted a large number of participants; consequently additions and modifications were needed. The Shire Council in 1888 voted £10 to the building fund but stipulated that the money would only be paid when the new building was commenced. Major contributors to the fund were the temperance societies who were regular users of the Institute’s facilities. As a result of their contributions the building was named Mechanics’ Institute Free Library and Temperance Hall with this title being proudly painted on its façade in ‘gold letters shaded with blue’.

Black and white image of a group of six men dressed in suits and wearing hats, standing at the front entrance of the Mechanics Institute, Free Library and Temperance Hall, Cheltenham

In the aftermath of World War I, calls for disarment rang out. Under the Treaty of Versailles, the 'peace treaty' signed in the Hall of Mirrors at Veresailles, Germany was declared the aggressor in WWI and restrictions were placed on the size of its military, the manufacture of armoured cars, tanks, submarines, planes and poisonous, and a demilitarised zone was put in place between Germany and France. The forced disarmament of Germany, it was hoped, would be accompanied by voluntary disarmament in other nations.

It's difficult to know if this photograph was taken at the close of World War I, or later, when 'world disarment' was being investigated and promoted (c. 1920). Either way, a float bearing a banner in support of disarment made its way down Charman Road, Cheltenham to garner support.

Black and white image of a wagon, drawn by four horses, with a group of men standing on the wagon.

protest, war, disarmament

The Melbourne Benevolent Asylum opened in 1851. Due to a lack of other institutions in the colony at the time it was established, the Benevolent Asylum initially accommodated a wide range of people in need. This included children, until 1857 when children were transferred to the Melbourne Orphan Asylum at its new site in Emerald Hill. As Melbourne established more charitable institutions the Benevolent Asylum focused increasingly on housing the aged poor. It relocated from North Melbourne to Cheltenham in 1911. In 1970 it was renamed the Kingston Centre.

A black and white image featuring five men standing in front of a table in the centre. Three of the men are wearing aprons, the other two are in shirt sleeves with vests.

The Cheltenham cycling club was formed in about 1903. The race used to take place on Wednesday afternoons.

Sepia toned image of a group of men standing side by side, each holding up a bicycle. It appears to be outside Cheltenham Cemetery.

Cheltenham Bowling Club officially opened on October 10, 1908 in the presence of over two hundred district residents.

Black and white image of members of the Cheltenham Bowling Club outside their clubroom at the corner of Centre Dandenong Road, and Wilson Street, Cheltenham. This image marks the official opening of green for season 1948-49

Gregg's Hotel in South Brighton was purchased by Barry Gregg in 1869 and continued to until 1925. Gregg had planned to create a health resort. This image first appeared in Alexander Sutherland's 'Victoria and Its Metropolis, Past and Present', 1888.

Colour image of a drawing of Gregg's Hotel in South Brighton. South Brighton is now called Moorabbin. The drawing shows stables in the background with a field and a house behind that. The train line can be seen in the distance, with a train running along the tracks.

Photographic portrait of Francis (Frank) Thomas Le Page. Frank is the oldest child of Nicholas and Rachel (nee Addy), who arrived in Melbourne in 1852 from Guernsey in the Channel Islands. Nicholas was a tailor and Rachel was a dressmaker. They originally made their home in Prahran and set up a business but about two years later decided to take up market gardening.

The Le Page family bought property in the Two Acre Village, Cheltenham. They had nine other children. At 14 years of age Frank was driving his father’s horse and dray to Melbourne with the vegetables they grew - standing backed in to the footpath in Little Collins Street, at the old Eastern Market. At 18 years of age, and the other members of the family growing up, Francis decided to seek work outside, and was employed as a gardener by Mr Budd, who conducted the Brighton Grammar School. It was whilst employed there that the late Sir Thomas Bent and he became friends, a friendship which lasted throughout their lives. Sir Thomas was then on the land also. Frank was an active member of social and sporting groups in the region. In 1876 Frank married Mary Geraghty and they made Cheltenham their home. He became a councillor for the then Shire of Moorabbin, a position he held for 25 years, and in 1902 was elected President of the Shire of Moorabbin. He was also a Justice of the Peace and occupied the bench at the Cheltenham Court. The next generation of Le Pages continued to be heavily involved in the civic life of the region with Frank and Mary's son Everest being elected mayor twice.

Black and white image of Francis (Frank) Thomas Le Page.

Black and white image of the Cheltenham Post Office, Mechanics Institute Hall and Billiard Room looking across the Nepean Highway.