Court minute books among recent transfers

Records from the Supreme Court of Victoria, Cardinia Shire Council and Land Use Victoria (Vicmap) have been added to Public Record Office Victoria’s (PROV) collection in recent months. Learn more about the records below and discover something new. 

Historic Supreme Court records

Supreme Court records including Full Court minute books, Court of Appeal minute books, and roll of magistrates records were recently added to our collection. As was a register of applications made under the Unemployed Occupiers and Farmers Relief Act 1931 - one of the first pieces of legislation passed in Victoria to provide financial assistance to those impacted by the Great Depression.

After an initial hearing and decision, a case could be appealed to a Full Court, which referred to all the judges of the Supreme Court, or not less than three judges excluding the original trial judge. 

The Full Court minute book logs the judges sitting, cases heard, time and dates of hearings and summaries. Entries within each volume are made in chronological order by the sittings of the court. For instance, in a volume from 1941, The King V Shelton is listed as an application for leave to appeal against a criminal sentence, heard on 26 August at 10.30am. The application was dismissed. Various pages throughout also list admissions of barristers and solicitors.

From 1995, the Full Court was replaced by the Court of Appeal. 

The roll of magistrates logs the swearing in of magistrates of the Supreme Court. It contains the wording of the oath of supremacy, oath of abjuration, oath of office, declaration and the name, dates, and signatures of the magistrates who took these oaths. 

The first oath is written in thick ink on the inside title page of the record:

“I do sincerely promise and swear that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Victoria. So help me God.”    

The register of applications under the Unemployed Occupiers and Farmers Relief Act spans from 1931, the beginning of the Act and early Great Depression, through to 1943. The aim of the Act was to "provide temporary relief to unemployed lessees, mortgagors and purchasers under contracts of sale of dwelling-houses, and to farmers in respect of debts and other purposes." 

The introduction of the relief program coincided with the collapse of the Australian economy, with unemployment reaching 32 per cent by 1932. 

Within the register is the name of the applicant, their address, date of the order, and government gazette the order was published in. This register will be of particular interest to family historians searching for members of their family tree. 

This relief program was one of several actions taken to assist the community during the peak of the Great Depression. 

Ready to explore? Click the links below to order these records for viewing in the North Melbourne reading room. 

Cardinia Shire digital council minutes

Born-digital ordinary and special council meeting minutes from Cardinia Shire Council for the period of 2020 to 2022 have also been added to our collection. Explore these records to uncover decisions, discussions, and key events shaping the community. 
Ordinary Council meetings are held monthly, and the minutes include records of decisions made, attendance, and other consequential events. Special Council meetings are called by the Mayor or Chief Executive Officer to deal with a specific item that cannot wait until the next Ordinary Council meeting.  

The records contain meeting minutes, agendas, tabled papers and reports, notices of meetings, and correspondence. The minutes relate to the wide range of activities for which the council is responsible, including building, community services, collection of rates, property valuation, and town planning. 

Access the records as PDFs via the link below – and start exploring. 

Aerial state map photo mosaics

Over the last two years, Vicmap (as part of Land Use Victoria) has been progressively transferring Victoria’s aerial state map mosaics to PROV. These unique maps offer a fascinating view of Victoria’s landscape history – explore the latest additions below. 

Recently added to this ever-growing collection are various medium-sized maps, including:

• 461 maps at 1:25,000 scale
• 166 maps at 1:50,000 scale
• 72 maps at 1:100,000 scale

As well as 12 large maps varying from 1:25,000 to 1:50,000 scale. 

Each map was created by overlapping up to 500 aerial photographic images through an intricate process of cutting and feathering. Once the map sheet was complete, it was photographed again, taking in the full scope of the landscape. The maps span right across Victoria from the 1960s through to 1981.