Golden Jubilee of Queen VictoriaPrint Page

The fountain was erected by the Burgess of Dunolly to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of the reign of Queen Victoria in 1887. It also states the Dunolly was proclaimed a Borough in 1858.  

Victoria (24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she adopted the additional title of Empress of India. With a reign of 63 years, seven months and two days, Victoria was the longest -reigning British monarch and the longest-reigning queen regnant in world history until her great-great-granddaughter Queen Elizabeth II surpassed her on 9 September 2015.

Queen Victoria`s birthday, 24th May, used to be called `Empire Day`. There were special assemblies at school with songs praising the British Empire. Children were then given a half-day holiday. Up to the 1950s, Empire Day was celebrated in Australia with huge bonfires and fireworks.

A dispute of a peculiar character between a very large number of the ratepayers and the Dunolly Borough Council has been causing a great deal of excitement recently in the locality. The council was authorised last year to provide a fountain to be placed in the Gordon gardens to commemorate the jubilee of Her Majesty Queen Victoria. No definite arrangement was made about the inscriptions to be placed on the memorial, although some suggestions were made. When, some months ago, the different parts of the memorial arrived at the local railway station, it was found that the council had had the names of all the members of the council placed on one side of the central marble block, occupying the whole of the space on this side. The names appeared in bold black letters.

Discussion on the subject at once arose, the ratepayers contending that the council had never been authorised to use the Jubilee memorial in this way. A petition was subsequently prepared, and very largely signed, requesting the removal of the names, but in reply, while the council expressed its regret, it stated that it could not comply with the request, as the memorial would thus be injured. It passed a resolution to this effect, which also included a statement that the inscriptions had been adopted in open meeting of the council, and tha tno protest had been made till too late. The reply of the council did not satisfy the ratepayers, who, it is said, have ascertained that the names could easily be removed without injury to the stone.

The dispute resulted last night in a mass meeting of ratepayers, which was held in the Bet Bet shire hall,  lent for the occasion by the president of the shire. Mr T. Barnett was called to the chair. A series of resolutions were passed protesting, first, against the action of the council in having the names on the memorial as being "unpatriotic, unnecessary and against the known wishes of the ratepayers", expressing dissatisfaction with the refusal of the council to entertain the petition, and suggesting an inscription to the effect that the memorial commemorated 50 years of progress and liberty. The resolutions were passed without a single dissentment, the meeting being most enthusiastic. A public meeting, convened by the mayor, will be held in Dunolly on Monday evening, to consider the same question.
Argus (Melbourne), 11 June 1888.

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