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Town Hall, 333 Bay Street, Port Melbourne
Town Hall, 333 Bay Street, Port Melbourne

Preventing plague in Port

CollectionMarch 12, 2015
From the Collection - Rats Cash Book June 15 1903 to May 3 1904 (catalogue number 2534) This wonderful document in the PMHPS collection records action taken between 1903 and 1904 in Port Melbourne to prevent the spread of bubonic plague by paying people for dead rats. A rat bonus of 3d and later 2d a head was paid at the Town Hall…

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Stories from a Postcard

CollectionFebruary 5, 2015
From the collection - a postcard showing Nott St school in Port Melbourne This postcard was found by one of the PMHPS founding members at a Postcard swap meet.   A simple old postcard, but what a story it tells. On the front is a photo of the State School Port Melbourne and on the back is a letter from Percy to his…

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Employment at Kitchens

CollectionJanuary 8, 2015
From the Collection A photograph from the J Kitchen and Sons collection  In summer of 1854-5, John Kitchen, former grocer and candle-maker from Reading, England, arrived in Melbourne, Victoria, with three young sons and little money, to begin a new life. They were soon able to buy some cheap candle frames, and they commenced making tallow candles in a…

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Holy Trinity Guild Cookery Book

CollectionDecember 2, 2014
From the Collection Holy Trinity Guild Cookery Book In January 1909 a fierce storm blew down the 59 year old Holy Trinity iron church. The church Ladies Working Guild went into action to help with the fund raising for a new church.  They published a cookery book with well-tested recipes collected by Mrs H. H. Hayman, which they sold…

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Commemorating the Liardets

CollectionNovember 6, 2014
From the Collection Port Melbourne Centenary Souvenir and commemorative enamelled badges and pins PMHPS catalogue no 856 Liardet's ARRIVAL On November 15, 1839, the good ship 'William Metcalfe' anchored in Hobson’s Bay.  She carried Mr. and Mrs. Wilbraham Frederick Evelyn Liardet and their family of nine after an eventful voyage of five months… The mother and father were a little over 40 at…

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Captain Gray, Master of the Paddle Steamers

Collection, PeopleOctober 1, 2014
From the collection Scrapbook of Captain Harry Gray: Master of the Paddle Steamers PS Hygeia and PS Weeroona Captain Gray kept a scrapbook of newspaper clippings of various shipping events and stories on Port Phillip Bay from 1888 to 1976 which was donated to the PMHPS by Joyce Gray of Swallow St in 2004. The clippings include newspaper articles which…

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The Ron Laing collection

CollectionJuly 14, 2014
Documenting change PMH&PS is fortunate to have in its collection an impressive number of photographs taken by Ron Laing (1920 to 2003) Ron Laing spent the years between his retirement in 1984 and the end of his life documenting the massive change that was taking place in Port Melbourne through that time.  ‘I’d heard that things were going to change round…

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Movement at the Station (Pier)

Collection, Port Melbourne HistoryJuly 8, 2014
From the PMHPS collection A place of “Welcome and Farewell”  - Early settlers, cargo ships, soldiers going overseas to fight in the wars, new migrants and travellers embarking on an overseas holiday would throw coloured streamers to family, friends and departing soldiers on the pier. streamers sold at the Eastern kiosk, Station Pier Station Pier was originally Railway Pier, built in 1854…

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PMHPS acknowledges the generous support of the City of Port Phillip.

 

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Acknowledgement of Traditional Custodians

We respectfully acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we meet and work, the Bunurong Boon Wurrung and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung peoples of the Eastern Kulin Nation and pay respect to their Elders past, present and emerging.