Caulfield will celebrate a civic milestone on Tuesday as 100 years have passed since it was declared a city.
The announcement was first made on May 28th in 1913 and two months later, Sir John Michael Fleetwood Fuller, then Governor of Victoria, officially declared the area a city from the steps of the town hall, where he was accompanied by a fanfare of trumpets. At the time, Caulfield had around 13,000 residents across around 5,000 acres.
It is not known where the name Caulfield comes from, but many believe it may be linked to an upmarket Irish family who were among the early settlers.
The city was changed again in 1994 when it was merged with parts of the Moorabbin to form Glen Eira.
To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the declaration, the council is displaying many of its historical documents relating to the area. These include a portrait of the first Mayor of Caulfield, Councillor Hugh Thomson, and information panels exploring the story of the city.
The display also includes the original Letters Patent granting the city its own Coat of Arms. The patent is displayed on fine parchment and was written by hand using techniques and materials seen in the Middle Ages, a far cry from today's modern printing services.
The exhibition will be on show at Caulfield library on the corner of Glen Eira Road and Hawthorn Road from Tuesday May 28th.
To find out more about the area’s past, contact the Glen Eira Historical Society.
