VPRS 10381 Advances Files - Melbourne Division

Full description

In 1917 under the provisions of the Discharged Soldiers Act, the Land Purchase Management Board (VA 2266) assumed responsibility for the settlement for discharged soldiers on land specifically set aside for them.

Tenants on soldier settlement land lots were able to lease the land with residence and improvements conditions. The terms required the lessee to fence the land, destroy vermin and noxious weeds and some leases required the tenant to erect a dwelling on the land within one year. Lessees could mortgage, transfer or sub-let their land. They could also apply for a Crown Grant under section 20 of the 1915 Closer Settlement Act to purchase the land if the balance of the purchase monies had been paid. The Board was authorised to make advances to soldier settlement lease holders to assist them to make the required improvements. Files in this series are mainly the advances files for soldier settlers in the Melbourne and Gippsland regions although there are some from other parts of Victoria. Non-Soldier settlers files are included. This may be because the land for which the advances were made was held previously or subsequently by a settler under the Closer Settlement scheme.

For each soldier settler a selection file would be created. If he applied for an advance to make improvements on his land then an advances file would also be created. If the settler was successful and was able to apply to purchase his land, an application to purchase would be created.

After the application to select was approved, a selection file would be created. These files can be found in Closer Settlement Files ?1898-?1960 (VPRS 5714). VPRS 5714 contains both soldier settlement and closer settlement selection files. Selection files record the lease application, lease details including payment receipts, correspondence and land inspection reports. When the full purchase price of the land was paid, the title to the land was transferred from the Crown to the settler and the file closed.

Under the provisions of the Discharged Soldiers Settlement Act 1917 soldier settlers were eligible to apply to the Board for advances to meet the improvement requirements of their lease. If an application for an advance was received by the Board an advances file would be created. These files can be found VPRS 10381 Soldier Settlement Advances Files. There are also soldier settlement advances files within VPRS 745, 746, 747, 748 and 749. These series are arranged by land district and record advances made to closer settlers as well as soldier settlers.

The advances files contain information regarding the advance account holder and the land leased. They are arranged by a single file number sequence accompanied by the prefix D.S. (for discharged soldiers) or D.S.L (discharged soldiers lease). Other inclusions in the files comprise of correspondence, advances applications, improvement reports made by Inspectors of Land Settlement, payment receipts, asset realisations and Closer Settlement Board (VA 2266) hearings, proceedings and decisions in relation to the advance account.

At relisting in 2006 a number of estrays were removed from the series and reserialised. These included Primary School correspondence files, High Schools and Agricultural High Schools correspondence files, Closer Settlement advances files and some Soldier and Closer Settlement Land Files.