MVM 1894

Robert Gordon Menzies is born to James and Kate Menzies on 20 December in Jeparit, a small town in Victoria about 400km north-west of Melbourne. Robert was born in a room at the back of his father's general store where the family lived.

"They [parents] went to a small township with a main street and a few score houses, called by the curious name of Jeparit ... There, on 20 December 1894, I was born, my birth being ushered in by the greatest series of bank failures in the history of the State of Victoria."
Sir Robert Menzies, Afternoon Light, 1967 p 7.

"By 1891 the settlement [Jeparit] had ... a population of fifty-five. By 1893 the town had two newspapers, boasted a variety of small businesses and was about to be linked by a branch railway line, through Dimboola, to Ballarat and Melbourne."
A W Martin, Robert Menzies: A Life. Vol 1 1894-1943, 1993 p 7.

A sculpture by Peter Latona (pictured) is now on the site of the building where Robert Menzies was born. The unveiling on 21 August 1990 was attended by members of Sir Robert's family: his daughter Mrs Heather Henderson, his wife Dame Pattie and son Mr Ken Menzies.


	Robert Gordon Menzies is born to James and Kate Menzies on 20 December in Jeparit, a small town in Victoria about 400km north-west of Melbourne. Robert was born in a room at the back of his father's general store where the family lived. "They [parents] went to a small township with a main street and a few score houses, called by the curious name of Jeparit ... There, on 20 December 1894, I was born, my birth being ushered in by the greatest series of bank failures in the history of the State of Victoria." Sir Robert Menzies, Afternoon Light, 1967 p 7. "By 1891 the settlement [Jeparit] had ... a population of fifty-five. By 1893 the town had two newspapers, boasted a variety of small businesses and was about to be linked by a branch railway line, through Dimboola, to Ballarat and Melbourne." A W Martin, Robert Menzies: A Life. Vol 1 1894-1943, 1993 p 7. A sculpture by Peter Latona (pictured) is now on the site of the building where Robert Menzies was born. The unveiling on 21 August 1990 was attended by members of Sir Robert's family: his daughter Mrs Heather Henderson, his wife Dame Pattie and son Mr Ken Menzies.		The birthplace of Robert Menzies: Jeparit, Victoria 4
			Main street of Jeparit, c 1895 20
			The Menzies family at the Menzies Memorial sculpture in Jeparit, August 1990 3


	Non-indigenous women gain the right to vote in South Australia. The Depression of the 1890s caused by the collapse of Victoria's land boom is having devastating effects in Melbourne and other large centres. NSW Premier, George Reid, announces his support for a second Federal Convention, and asks other Premiers to co-operate.


	Japan declares war and defeats China after a land and sea operation. Sun Yat-sen founds the first of several revolutionary societies in China. France and Russia sign an alliance. Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book is published.