P005877 revised AU-VU:EOAS Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation

All key entry types: Awards; Concepts; Corporate Bodies (Organisations); Cultural Artefacts; People; etc

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 English AACR2 Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules Corporate Body created 2017-09-19 human Elizabeth Daniels updated 2025-10-14 human https://www.eoas.info/biogs/P005877b.htm corporateBody Hobart Town Mechanics Institute AACR2 Van Diemen's Land Mechanics Institution 1827 1871 Education Technical College The Hobart Town Mechanics Institute was established in early 1827 by James Ross [ADB v2 1967 pages 396-397] and George Augustus Robinson. The Institute was modelled on similar bodies in Britain that aimed to provide classes, lectures and skills to working class individuals. This was seen by many members of the aristocracy to be a 'moral' imperative. The composition of the committee for the institute attracted and sustained criticism over the life of the institution. The domination of the committee that oversaw the institution by non-mechanics led to the institution being called exclusionary.

According to research into the organisation by Stefan Petrow the institute never really gained much interest from the working class community it claimed to serve, rather it was attended mostly by the middle and upper middle classes. The institute also ran into financial problems as it struggled to acquire paying members.

Despite the best efforts of early Tasmanians such as Reverend John Lillie, Adam Turnbull and James Ross the Institute was formerly closed in 1871.

 Robinson, George Augustus (1791 - 1886)

Founder 1827

 'Hobart Town Mechanics Institute', in Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation, Centre for Transformative Innovation, Swinburne University of Technology Hobart Town Mechanics Institute Swinburne University of Technology, Centre for Transformative Innovation Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation Newspaper Article: The Mercury 1872 The Mercury 2 Newspaper Article: The Mercury 1871 The Mercury 2 Newspaper Article: Educational and Literary Educational and Literary 1871 The Mercury 3 Newspaper Article: The Courier The Courier 1837 The Hobart Town Courier 2 Newspaper Article: To the Editor To the Editor 1839 The Cornwall Chronicle 3 Newspaper Article: To the Editor To the Editor 1839 The Cornwall Chronicle 1 Journal Article: The Life and Death of the Hobart Town Mechanics' Institute 1827 - 1871 Petrow, Stefan The Life and Death of the Hobart Town Mechanics' Institute 1827 - 1871 1993 Papers and Proceedings (Tasmanian Historical Research Association) 40 1 7 - 18