Local Government begins...
Road Districts form Two Shires
The colony of Victoria became independent from New South Wales in 1851. As settlement expanded, it became necessary to formalise how infrastructure was managed. Road Districts were established to support the development of roads and bridges by charging property owners ‘Rates’. This began on the Mornington Peninsula in 1860 with the Mount Eliza Road District. Shortly after this, in 1862, the Kangerong Road District began and represented the Kangerong Parish in the Port Phillip area from Dromana (Kangerong Avenue Dromana reminds us of this). Part of Mount Eliza Road District separated to form the Flinders Road District in 1868, which included Flinders, Bittern and Balnarring. By the early 1870s, these Road Districts became Shires. In 1871 Mount Eliza Road District became the Shire of Mornington. This represented areas within Frankston, Somerville, Hastings and Mornington. In 1874, both the Flinders and Kangerong Road Districts combined to form the Shire of Flinders and Kangergong. In 1914 its name was refined to the Shire of Flinders.
Shire Archive Flag Collection
We have a range of objects and memorabilia in the Archive, including our collection of Flags for former Shires. The flags shown here represent three former Shires of the Mornington Peninsula. The images on these flags embody the message each Shire wished to convey about their region. These are impressive, very large artifacts, and we are fortunate to be able to present them here through the use of drone photography supplied by our team’s talented Digitising Officer.
Nineteenth Century Letters show A Vision for a United Peninsula Shire
Letter Books are among the earliest Council records to be found in the Shire Archive. They were used by the Clerk to record inward and outward correspondence. We have a number in the Collection. This is an extract from a letter book that was used by the Mount Eliza Road Board Clerk and dates from 1867. It provides a more intimate view of relationships between the neighbouring Road Boards and Shires than that found in minute books. Written in 1871, this letter records the response by the Flinders Road Board Clerk, Peter Nowlan, to the approach made by the Mount Eliza Road Board to form a united Shire for the whole Peninsula. The invitation to join Mount Eliza was declined and Flinders went on to join with Kangerong to form the Shire of Flinders and Kangerong.
Stories told by Early Accounting Records
The Archive’s early records are like a time capsule holding details of everyday life on the Mornington Peninsula. Many of these records are financial in nature. They reflect the personalities involved, projects that were undertaken, how expenses were allocated, and provide a glimpse into the social world of the time. ‘Pay Books’ for the Shire of Mornington, tell us that in 1897 Mrs Copas was the Shire Office cleaner, that a regular charity payment was being made to a Mrs Edwards and that payments were made for fox scalps to support vermin control. We can see how much the Shire President was paid, and that the Shire hired the Mechanics’ Institute hall. The progress of the new Mornington Park can be tracked through payments for the construction of the new ‘ladies’ room’, tree planting and the building of paths.
The Shire Pound Keeper was responsible for rounding up animals found wandering on Council land. Owners had an opportunity to pay a fee for their release. Unclaimed animals were sold at the market. Historical Pound registers convey the agricultural nature of life on the Peninsula. They contain colourful descriptions of horses, cows, sheep, pigs and goats and a record of their fate. Family historians will possibly see their relative’s name listed as the owner of a stray jersey cow or bay mare.
Rate and Valuation records show details of property ownership. They also provide a glimpse into the lives of people living in an area. We are fortunate to hold a range of supplementary records showing the history of Rate collection in the region, which support local and family history research.
This 1912 Valuation book for the Shire of Flinders and Kangerong, records details for land in Dromana owned by blacksmith Henry Chapman, by retired publican John Sheehan of Fitzroy as well as by orchardists, a doctor and a surveyor. Women appear too, running businesses and owning land. In this extract we can see Annie Stone, storekeeper, was the owner occupier of land in Balnarring. Mary Stanley ‘married woman’ also owned land in Balnarring and Edith Chapman, a widow, owned 12 acres of land in Red Hill.
The Shire Distributes Relief, 1938
This list from 1938, was found inside a Shire of Flinders Rate Recovery Ledger. It shows the names of people being provided with clothes and other items, on the 27th December and demonstrates the Council’s long history of providing community support. It is unclear why this was secreted inside a Ledger book, but the date suggests the activity was linked with the spirit of Christmas.
Here is an extract from the list of clothing distributed: R. Hazledine, Trousers 1 – Shirt 1 – Boots 1 – Socks 1 – Flannel 1 – W Shoes 1 – Singlet 1 – G. Singlet 1 – Bloomers 1 – Shoes 1 – Boys Boots 2 – Trousers 2.
This letter of thanks, written to the Shire of Mornington from the Victorian Deaf and Dumb Institution in 1897, is an example of the sustained role local government played in supporting charities. In the absence of structured health care or social services, people in the margins of society relied on help provided by the Church and charity institutions.
