2 January 2018
Every year on the 1st of January hundreds of state archives are made public as part of Public Record Office Victoria’s annual Section 9 record openings. These historic records are of particular interest to family historians waiting on files that mention members of their family tree.
Among the files made public for the first time on the 1st of January 2018 is the 1942 murder of a woman known as Wild Rose. The case was famous at the time as the “peep hole” murder as it was witnessed by a 17 year old boy through a nearby crack in a door. The capital sentence file of the murderer, Frederick Francis Green, details the crime and conviction. Initially sentenced to death, his sentence was commuted to 20 years imprisonment. Also among the openings are male prison registers, divorce case files from 1942 as well as children’s court registers from 1917 and birth registers from 1911-1918, just to name a few.
Director and Keeper of Public Records, Justine Heazlewood, says that researchers, historians, writers and genealogists will find some invaluable information within the files.
“These historic records provide not only information about individuals but also provide a glimpse into the time period in which they were written. People’s attitudes and habits, medical treatments, living situations, they give us a snapshot of Victoria and Victorian lives.”
Under Section 9 of the Public Records Act 1973 files of a personal or private nature are closed to prevent the violation of personal privacy. A broad guide to time periods for closure under Section 9 is as follows:
- Records primarily concerning adults may be closed for 75 years from the year in which the records were created.
- Records concerning children as the primary subject may be closed for 99 years from the year in which the records were created.
- Records such as staff records where the individuals concerned may still be in the workforce may be closed for a lesser period such as 30, 40, or 50 years as appropriate.
See below for the full list of records opened on 1 January 2018.
For more information contact Tara Oldfield, Communications Officer, on 0418 698 364.
|
Record Title |
Date Range |
|
Criminal Trial Briefs |
1942 |
|
Children’s Court Register, Ballarat Courts |
Jan 1916 - Feb 1918 |
|
Capital Case Files |
1938 - 1941 |
|
Inward Registered Correspondence, Attorney General’s Department |
1941 - 1942 |
|
Divorce Case Files, Melbourne |
1941 - 1942 |
|
Central Register of Male Prisoners |
1941 - 1942 |
|
Divorce Case Files, Ballarat |
1942 |
|
Capital Sentence Files |
1942 |
|
Wages Records, Country Roads Board |
1941 - 1942 |
|
Children’s Court Register, Oakleigh Courts |
1914 - 1918 |
|
Criminal Trial Brief Register II |
1942 |
|
Criminal Trial Brief Register II |
1942 |
|
Commonwealth Register, Children’s Court, Daylesford Courts |
1917 - 1918 |
|
Master Patient Index Cards, Alfred Hospital |
1941 - 1942 |
|
Ward Registers |
Nov 1917 - Dec 1918 |
|
Children’s Court Register, Dimboola Courts |
1908 - 1918 |
|
Divorce Cause Books |
Feb 1941 - May 1942 |
|
Index to Divorce Cause Books |
1939 - 1942 |
|
Post Mortem Registers, Royal Park Receiving House |
29 Apr 1940 - 7 Dec 1942 |
|
Post Mortem Register, Mont Park Mental Hospital |
6 Oct 1939 - 16 Jun 1942 |
|
Register of Applicants for Permanent Positions, Dept Mental Hygiene |
1938 - 1942 |
|
Admission Papers (Voluntary Boarders), Pleasant View Licensed House |
1911 - 1942 |
|
Admission Warrants, Male and Female Patients, Kew Cottages |
1914 - 1918 |
|
Patient Clinical Notes, Kew Mental Hospital |
1941 - 1942 |
|
Employee Record Book, Northern Engine Houses, Melbourne & Metropolitan Tramways Board |
c. 1887 - c. 1942 |
|
Bound Circulated Photographs & Criminal Offences of Convicted Persons |
Nov 1941 - March 1942 |
|
Historical Records Collection, Melbourne & Metropolitan Board of Works |
Nov 1941 - Dec 1942 |
|
Nursing Report Books, Female, Sunbury Mental Hospital |
Nov 1941 - Dec 1942 |
|
Children’s Court Registers, Caulfield Courts |
Apr 1916 - Feb 1918 |
|
Case Files, Office of the Public Solicitor |
1937 - 1942 |
|
Presentments, Supreme Court |
1941 - 1942 |
|
Children’s Court Register, St Kilda Courts |
Jul 1915 - Feb 1918 |
|
Children’s Court Register, Northcote Courts |
Mar 1916 - Oct 1918 |
|
Children’s Court Register, Geelong Courts |
Sept 1915 - June 1918 |
|
Apprentice History Cards, Apprenticeship Commission |
1929 - 1967 |
|
Employee Record Cards, Electrical Engineering Branch, Victorian Railways |
1924 - 1962 |
|
Tramway Employees Record Cards |
1962 |
|
Correspondence with Australian Railway Union regarding industrial issues |
1961 - 1962 |
|
Accident Compensation Claim Register, Victorian Railways |
1961 - 1962 |
|
Country Roads Board Minutes |
1967 |
|
Victorian Nursing Council Executive Committee Minutes |
Feb 1965 - Dec 1967 |
|
Physiotherapists Register |
1923 - 1987 |
|
Nursing Staff Training Books, Orthopaedic, Frankston |
1960 - 1967 |
|
Criminal Presentments and Final Orders, Court of General Sessions |
Dec 1941 - Dec 1942 |
|
Birth Registers |
July 1911 - June 1918 |
|
Children’s Court Register, Eltham Courts |
May 1908 - Aug 1917 |
|
Children’s Court Register, Kew Courts |
May 1914 - Oct 1917 |
|
Discharge Register of Patients, Ararat Mental Hospital |
Mar 1927 - Jun 1942 |
|
Admission & Discharge Register of Patients, Beechworth Mental Hospital |
Jan 1914 - Mar 1942 |
|
Observation Ward Report Books: Male Patients, Beechworth Mental Hospital |
Jan 1941 - Feb 1942 |
