Presbyterian Ladies' College

What are the Archives?

The PLC Archive stores the College's heritage. With a rich and interesting history spanning over 130 years, Presbyterian Ladies' College, established in 1875, is one of the oldest schools for girls still in existence in Australia. The College believes that there is a need to retain and preserve the history of the education of women and the contribution that the PLC Community has made to raise the status of women within the Australian society.

Primary historical evidence (photographs, diaries, albums, trophies, minute books, curriculum samples etc.), documents and supports the understanding of the College history and informs the future. The College retains records necessary for compliance with legal requirement.

PLC Archive aims to:

foster and promote an understanding and appreciation of the history of PLC that will enrich and inform the life of the wider PLC community
acquire those records relating to PLC that exemplify conditions of education experienced by PLC students, staff, Alumni and the broader College community
encourage the College community to donate relevant material
accumulate knowledge in order to develop, collect, preserve, store, document classify, exhibit, and interpret
provide access to the PLC archives
maintain a reference space which will support the programs for the Archive and researchers seeking to understand and interpret the collection
play an active role in education, formal and informal, through promoting first hand engagement with primary sources.

Where are the Archives?

Archive Storage and Archive Display areas are located in Mollison House. The constantly growing collection contains a fascinating mix of items: books, photographs, school documentation and council minutes, school magazines, pictures, personal diaries and papers, trophies, badges, uniform items and much more.

Files are kept on many former students and staff.
These include:

Dame Nellie Melba
Mrs. Louise Hanson- Dyer
Misses Florence and Amy Fuller
Miss Violet Teague
Ida Rentoul - Outhwaite
Mrs. Vance Palmer (Nettie Higgins)
Dr Leonie Kramer, an
Miss Margaret Hanna.

Interesting memorabilia in this collection include a signed portrait of Dame Nellie Melba (Ellen Mitchell 1875), original editions of the works of the illustrator Ida Outhwaite-Rentoul (Rentoul, 1898), early photos of Australian author, Henry Handel Richardson (Ethel Lindesay Richardson) and a complete Editions de l' Oiseau- Lyre of Louise Hanson-Dyer's (Smith, 1891) 12 volumes of eighteenth century French composer, Francois Couperin.

An early charter of PLC was to provide an education for women equal to that available for men. High academic achievement has always been an objective at PLC, but never at the expense of drama, sport or creative activities, especially music.
PLC women were the first women undergraduates at Melbourne University. PLC Old Collegians forged the way for women in many areas previously open only to men.
Included amongst them:

Dr Margaret Whyte (1885), the first woman to graduate M.D from the University of Melbourne,
Flos Greig (1894), the first woman to take her Law degree (LL.B Melb) in 1905 and conduct her own legal practice in Victoria, and
Vida Goldstein (1884), the first woman parliamentary candidate in the British Commonwealth, contested the first Australian Commonwealth elections in 1903.

Who uses the Archives?

Researchers:
Researchers, academic and professional, access our collection. A particular strength of this collection is the primary material on women's education in Australia.

Family Historians:
The current popularity of research into family histories is reflected in the large number of inquiries from the PLC Community and general public.

Old Collegians' Reunions:
As former students plan for reunions, archives are consulted. Displays of photos, memorabilia, uniform and Patchwork magazines are arranged.

PLC students:
All Year 7 students study a unit on the History of PLC within the History curriculum. Students in other year levels (IB and Extension classes) sometimes chose to undertake special research projects or resource their study with artifacts from the collection.

Material from the PLC Archive is available for reference by appointment.
Appointments can be made through the PLC Archivist, Jane Dyer.
Telephone 9808 5811
Email jdyer@plc.vic.edu.au