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William Charles Almeida
William Charles Frederick Almeida who was educated at Ballarat Grammar School, engaged with the Ballarat Banking Company in 1920, worked with the Commercial Banking Company in 1924 died in exceptional circumstances on 29 November 1924.
Archery
Of all the sports available in Ballarat in the mid 1800s, archery was open to both men and women. Mr W. Liardet had formed a small group of archers in 1840 at Port Melbourne and in 1855 an archery competition at Emerald Hill, won by an American with a long bow, was reported in the Melbourne Herald. The Victorian Archery Club, comprising members of both sexes, was established in November 1857.
Art Deco
With the advent of the Great War (1914) ornamentation became less ostentatious and design simpler. In the interwar years Art Deco was a term used to describe so called 'modern' approaches to industrial design, fashion, architecture, furniture and household values. It represented a move away from the excessive decoration of previous styles and was characterised by clean, geometric and elegant lines.
Ballarat Benevolent Asylum
The Ballarat Benevolent and Visiting Society was the forerunner of the Ballarat Benevolent Asylum.The Government granted 5 acres of swampy Crown Land for the Ballarat Benevolent Asylum and the foundation stone was laid on 17 March 1859. The Star reported that it was 'situated at the corner of Eyre Street and a street as yet un-named', that it was 'a credit to the locality', and would 'not be much inferior to any similar erection in all the colonies'. One of the first patients was James Miller, a Scottish miner, aged 65 years who was admitted on 21 February 1861.
Ballarat and District Research
This article gives a brief overview of Ballarat around the time of gold discovery, Ballarat genealogy and also lists many organisations with collections to assist in your research. These include Ballarat Astronomical Society, Ballarat Engine Preservation Society, Ballarat Tramway Museum, Bacchus Marsh, Bungaree, Carisbrook, Creswick, Clunes, and Woady Yallock (Smythesdale).
Ballarat: A Genealogist's Goldmine
One in ten people who were living in Australia before World War II have a family history connection to Ballarat. This articles gives a few ideas on uncovering these genealogical connections.
Campaspe Common
Town, Farmers and Goldfields Commons were registered from 1861 to 1886. Petitions were often created by Farmers or Miners in the hope of obtaining land, or objecting to conditions invoked by the government. The Campaspe Common is a transcription of a petition signed by 25 farmers who resided at Campaspe and Runnymede.
Creswick Hospital Inpatients
Creswick Hospital was established in 1863. An index of 4331 surnames has been compiled of the inpatients who visited this hospital from 1863 to 1883. The names include the men who were admitted to the hospital because of the Australasian Mining Disaster.
Fabrizio Crippa's Villa Parma, Hepburn Springs
Crippa was a large Italian speaking landholder in Hepburn Springs during the 1860s. He built a magnificent double storey villa in 1864, creating a garden, vineyard and orchard.
Electricity illuminates Ballarat
The "wonder of the 19th Century", electricity, was introduced to Ballarat is householders in 1905. According to the newspapers of July 7th "An Up to Date Illuminant" had long been awaited in Ballarat, and the Edison Electric Company of 28 Armstrong Street North, anticipated "a big rush of orders for the supply of motive power and electrical appliances." Percival E. Nettle, manager and Herman J. Tiedemann, engineer, both of the Edison Electric Company, urged the residents of Ballarat to inquire about the electrical appliances which they "would be pleased to explain."
Eureka - A Multicultural Event
The Victorian goldfields boasted a community comprising of a large number of different nationalities, as well as people holding many differing political and religious views. It is therefore not surprising to discover the large number of differing cultures involved at the Eureka uprising. Lists of people associated with the Eureka Stockade are given under coutnry of origin.
Naming Patterns Reflecting the Year of Australia's Federation
The Federation of Australian states occured in 1901. During that year some parents celebrated by naming their children with a federation flavour.
Papyrograph
The Papyrograph, or office printer, was an early for of copying or duplicating correspondence and other documentation without using carbon paper.
Policing in Victoria
In the early 1850s there were no less than seven separate bodies of police: The City Police, The Geelong Police, The Gold Fields Police, The Water Police, The Rural Bench Constabulary, and the Mounted Police and the Escort. These forces were maintained without co-operation or communication with each other. The Victoria Police Force, as a state-wide entity, was created due to The Police Regulation Act of 1853. The Police Camp in Ballarat was located north of Sturt Street on the plateau between Lydiard and Camp Streets.
Researching miners on the Victorian Goldfields
It is often difficult to research miners on Victorian gold diggings. They were transient and followed rush to rush as soon as a new discovery was announced. This articles gives ideas on how to find the elusive gold-digger.
Albert Whitelock Steane
Albert Steane was important as the instigator of the Sloyd Centre at Ballarat before tranferring to the School of Mines Ballarat. He was known for the teaching of Sloyd or woodwork, which was an important point in his career. The teaching of woodwork in Victoria began in 1901 and Steane was chosen, among 18 others for the inaugural training course at Queensberry State School in Melbourne.
Swiss & Italian Pioneers in Australia and New Zealand
Many Italian speakers left Italy and Switzerland in the search for gold on the Victorian goldfields during the 1850s. From this first settlement they congregated in other localities throughout Australia and New Zealand. Settlements of Italian Speakers were located at Hepburn Springs (Jim Crow Goldfield), Walhalla (Victoria), Geelong ditrict (Victoria), Coolgardie (WA), Kalgoorlie (WA), New Italy (NSW), Hokitika (NZ) and Greymouth (NZ).
(Updated January 2010)
Edward Yates
Edward Yates was sentenced to transportation after being found guilty of forging Bills of Exchange. The trial took place during the Worchester Lent Assizes, 9th of March 1816. The sentence was death, later commuted to transportation for life.
X-Ray Pioneers
The following people were among those who witnessed the first X-ray experiments to be carried out in Ballarat. Mr Andrew Anderson, President of the School of Mines A large number of ladies and gentlemen The medical profession Dr Edward Champion (1867-1929); Dr Gerald Eugene Cussen (1888-1943); Dr William Edward Davies (1868-1928); Dr Charles William Henry Hardy (1861-1941); Dr Edward Kenneth Herring(1864-1922); Dr Joseph Lalor (1859-1907); Dr James Thomas Mitchell (1856-1945); Dr Edward Graham Ochiltree (1857-1896); Dr Robert Denham Pinnock (1849-1902); Dr Joseph Francis Usher (c1832-1909); Dr Grace Vale (nk-1933). The staff of SMB Professor Alfred Mica Smith Professor, D. J. Dawbarn and Mr. Frederick J. Martell.