Glenelg council history among new transfers to PROV

We’ve recently received a range of records from Glenelg Shire Council spanning 1938 through to 2023, as well as Department of Education school council files, Ballarat Base Hospital board of management minutes and agendas, and Supreme Court Council of Judges minutes and papers. These records are all now available to order for viewing in the North Melbourne reading room. While Walhalla Cemetery Trust letter books and ledgers are now available online.  

Glenelg Shire Council records 

Voter rolls, council committee minutes, agendas and annual reports are among the more than 600 records recently transferred to PROV from the Glenelg Shire Council. The voter rolls date back to 1971, with council minutes dating all the way back to the 1930s – invaluable sources for research into the local area – the Barwon South West region of Victoria.  
 

This council committee minute book from 1956-59 includes the Portland Town Council’s conditions regarding Sunday sport and details of local bands allowed to play in public spaces – just two of the local issues considered at the time. Sporting codes competing on Sundays were only able to play sport on a council reserve between 1pm and 6pm. Another stipulation was that “the applicant body shall take all necessary steps to secure the orderly conduct of the spectators, an in particular shall undertake the supervision necessary to prevent the consumption of intoxicating liquor in the reserve during the period of occupation.”

The records now available to order and view in our reading room include:

School council files

More than 1,700 school council files from open and closed government schools have been added to our collection, dating back to 1962. They are filed in alphabetical order, from Abbotsford Primary School through to Zeerust Primary School, and contain papers around the establishment of the school councils, members, and constituting orders. 
 

The records now available to order and view in our reading room include:

Ballarat Base Hospital board of management minutes and agendas 

The board of management was the prime decision-making and policy body of the Ballarat Base Hospital, and later Ballarat Health Services. These papers document the board’s decisions as well as the proceedings by which those decisions were made. Included in the documents are agendas, minutes and related papers such as reports, recommendations, key performance indicators, correspondence, and strategic plans dating all the way back to 1856.

The original construction of the Ballarat Base Hospital began after the extent of the wounded of the Eureka Stockade highlighted a need for a dedicated hospital in the area. The hospital is now operated by Grampians Health Ballarat (previously the Ballarat Health Services) who also run the nearby Queen Elizabeth Centre and various other health facilities in the region.

The records now available to order and view in our reading room include:

Walhalla Cemetery Trust letter books and ledgers

Two volumes from the Walhalla Cemetery have also been added to our collection, the trustees letter book spanning 1878 - 1918 and ledger 1879-1925. These records have been digitised so are available to view online. Featuring delicately scrawled handwriting, you may need to zoom in using our image viewer to better read the inky script. 
 

The letter above asks for assistance clearing scrub around the fence of the cemetery among other jobs that need doing. 
 

View the records online:

Council of judges minutes books and papers 

From the Supreme Court of Victoria, minute books and papers of the council of judges dated from the 1980s through to 2003 are now available to order and view in our reading room. 

The Judges of the Supreme Court of Victoria meet at least annually to consider the operation and rules of the Supreme Court Act 1986, the working of the offices and officers of the Court, and examine any defects in procedure or administration of the law.

The minutes and papers record discussions including the arrangement of court business, the state and repair of the court buildings, robes and wigs and proposals from the Attorney General for the administration of the court and justice.

Order these records for viewing in the reading room: