Smb School of Mines and Industries Ballarat
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school of SMB mines and industries ballarat a campus of the university ballarat a guide to heritage buildings at the smb campus in lydiard street south, ballarat cricos provider number 00103d table of contents precinct plan Precinct Plan 1 public Introduction 2 car park dana street Timeline 4 Founding of the Ballarat School of Mines 5 Former Wesleyan Church 15 Technical Art School Building 16 Administration Building 18 north Former Court House 19 albert street albert Former Ballarat Gaol 20 A B H armstrong street south street armstrong c lydiard street sth street lydiard F D e eyre street G grant str eet This Guide was prepared for A Former Wesleyan Church the University of Ballarat by BAdministration Building Keith Boast with the assistance of Clare Gervasoni, Art C Technical Art School Building Curator at the University. The D Former Ballarat Gaol photographs and illustrations in the Guide are from the E Former Court House University’s Historical F ‘Old’ Chemistry Building Collection. G Former Junior Technical School H Former Botanical Gardens the school of mines and ind ustries b allarat a campus of the university of b allarat a guid e to heritage b uild ings in lyd iard street south, b allarat 1 introduction smb has a proud history of over 130 years of continuous operation. you are invited to experience and enjoy the charm of smb’s architectural heritage in one of ballarat’s most historic precincts, lydiard street south. he Lydiard Street South precinct of Ballarat is richly reflective of Ballarat’s In the ensuing years, SMB has experienced a major heritage. The nineteenth century brick buildings that comprise the precinct expansion in programs, enrolments and facilities and is now T include remnants of the former Ballarat Gaol, the former Court House, and the major provider of vocational education and training in several buildings constructed at various times from 1870 onwards to house The western Victoria. School of Mines and Industries Ballarat, commonly known as SMB. The precinct is also noteworthy for buildings now demolished, including the former Ballarat Brewery On the 1st January 1998, the University of Ballarat, SMB and the Circuit Court House. and the Wimmera Institute of TAFE were amalgamated to form the new University of Ballarat. SMB, now a campus of Located on the Ballarat escarpment, the Ballarat School of Mines, as it was originally the University, continues to operate primarily as a TAFE titled, was a direct product of the gold rush in Ballarat. Following exhaustion of the provider. It has a diverse program profile ranging over all gold to be obtained from shallow mining, the need for increasingly sophisticated major industry groups. Today, the University of Ballarat, mining techniques required by deep-lead mining generated demand for skilled through its Higher Education and TAFE courses, continues workers and mine managers. to play a vital role in developing the skills needed by Ballarat to prosper in the emerging global knowledge economy. the Ballarat School of Mines, was established principally with the purpose of providing training in the skills needed to pursue gold. It was A number of the buildings featured on the following pages the first technical training institute to be established in Australia. have been upgraded over the years and have housed many different course offerings and operations relating to the role In the years since its establishment, secondary, technical and higher education of the institution since its inception in 1870. The Ballarat courses, covering wide and diverse areas of study have been provided to meet the Gaol was closed as a penal institution in 1965 and its emerging needs of the Ballarat community. Following the relocation of tertiary grounds were later to become part of the SMB campus. In studies to Mt Helen with the foundation of the Ballarat College of Advanced 1990 the Lydiard Street South roadway was partially closed Education in 1976, and the separation of the Ballarat Technical School shortly allowing further development and enhancement of the thereafter, SMB became a provider of Technical and Further Education (TAFE). unique streetscape. the school of mines and ind ustries b allarat a campus of the university of b allarat a guid e to heritage b uild ings in lyd iard street south, b allarat 3 timeline founding of the ballarat school of mines 1870 October 26 – Official opening of the Ballarat Drawing for new smb School of Mines by its first President, Sir classrooms, c 1899 Redmond Barry in the Lydiard Street Circuit Court House, leased to the School. 1876 Large Chemistry Laboratory built 1883 Purchase of the Wesleyan Church and land on northern boundary for 2,000 pounds. 1899 The Foundation Stone of present Administration Building was laid. 1915 The new Art School was opened on site of former Circuit Court building site. 1919 The Gaol Governor’s residence was transferred to School for classes for girls The original initiative for the founding of the Ballarat School 1921 The Junior Technical School was accommodated of Mines was taken at a meeting of the Ballarat Mining in the current A W Steane Building. Board on 6 October, 1869. On the suggestion of Mr Harrie 1959 The former Wesleyan Church was Wood, Mr James M Bickett moved that a school of mines be converted from a museum to the established in Ballarat, in view of the shortage of managers ‘EJ Tippett Recreation Hall’. for the mines. It was proposed that the committee of the 1965 The Ballarat Gaol in Lydiard Street South was Mechanics Institute be asked to set apart a room for the closed as a penal institution. The Gaol and its grounds were later to became part of the school, and that the Melbourne University be requested to SMB campus. examine its pupils. 1981 The Old Gaol – Student Amenities Centre was The draft Constitution of the new school was officially opened. adopted by the Ballarat Mining Board on 15 January, 1983 The Vocational Skills Centre was AW Steane 1870, and a Provisional Council was set up, with Sir officially opened. Redmond Barry as President and Judge Rogers as 1986 The EJT Tippett Learning Resource Centre was Vice-President. officially opened. 1987 The MB John Building officially was opened. The trustees secured for the School, in April 1870, a fifteen year lease at one shilling per annum, of the Circuit Court 1990 Lydiard St Sth was closed to through traffic. House in Lydiard Street and an area of 11 acres surrounding 1993 Brewery site in Lydiard Street was purchased. it. Late in June The Ballarat Courier reported that the Court 1997 The Brewery Complex was officially opened by House, which had been ‘a picture of ruin’, had ‘assumed an The Hon John Howard MP, Prime Minister, on aspect of solidarity, neatness and cleanliness.’ 29 January 1997. 1999 The renovations to the ‘Old’ Chemistry Building were completed. the school of mines and ind ustries b allarat a campus of the university of b allarat a guid e to heritage b uild ings in lyd iard street south, b allarat 5 ballarat school of mines Construction of the new classrooms (administration Sir Redmond Barry delivered the Inaugural Address on the building) 26 October 1870. The Constitution was adopted and members of the School Council elected. The purpose of the School is captured in a document of the time: “The primary object of the School is to impart instruction in the various branches of science relating to mining engineering. It is proposed, as soon as practicable, to extend the operation of the school so as to impart instruction in those branches of technical science which may be considered most likely to exert a beneficial influence upon the prosperity of victoria.” Because of this desperate situation the Council of the School On Monday, 23 January 1871, classes commenced with only was obliged to take extra measures to strengthen its position four students, although the number grew to thirteen in term financially. One means it adopted was to try to create a three. From these modest beginnings developed an institution greater local interest in the School by conducting public whose students were to earn it an outstanding reputation lectures at the School. The first of a series of such lectures was extending to many parts of the world. delivered on Thursday evening 20th April 1871, by Mr J F In the early years, the Council of the Ballarat School of Usher, entitled ‘Chemistry’. Mines faced its first major challenge when it discovered it had the school motto: insufficient money to implement its program. The financial support of the School, by the Government of Victoria, by ingenio effodere opes industry and commerce and by private citizens had fallen short of the Council’s expectations. Consequently the School was adopted in 1873. its meaning: Top: James M Bickett advanced into its first decade of teaching with an inadequate ingenio by talent (native ability) and uncertain income, a situation which was to persist for Above: Joseph Usher effodere to dig out many years. opes wealth (intrinsic value) the school of mines and ind ustries b allarat a campus of the university of b allarat a guid e to heritage b uild ings in lyd iard street south, b allarat 7 ballarat school of mines ballarat school of mines The Ballarat School of Mines was affiliated with the University of Melbourne during the period 1887–1894. The first application for affiliation had been made in 1884 when the University had been asked to recognize the School’s lectures and examinations. The University of Melbourne was reluctant to concede equal academic status to one of the provincial schools of mines, so it delayed giving any direct answer to the request.