Australia One Hundred Dollars Knowing Your Note

Donomination: $100
Date of first release: 15 May 1996
Designer: Bruce Stewart
Size: 65 mm x 158 mm

Stories Behind The Faces

Obverse
Dame Nellie Melba was born Helen Porter Mitchellon 19 May 1861 in Richmond, Melbourne. Her father was a good hass vocalist and her mother her first music teacher, but it was her first singing teacher, Pietro Cecchi, who is credited with urging her to make singing her life’s work. After traveling to Europe in 1886, she adopted the stage name “Melba”, a contraction of the name of her native city. She made a triumphant operatic debut as Gilda in Verdi’s Rigoletto in Brussels, on 13 October 1887. She went on to perform leading operatic roles in London, Paris, New York and other major cities. Although she toured the world, Dame Nellie always regarded Australia as her home. She found time for many civic activities, including support of the Red Cross, raising funds for war charities, teaching at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music (now the Melba memorial Conservatorium of Music), and touring remote country areas. She was appointed a DBE in 1918 and a GBE in 1927. Dame Nellie Melba died in Sydney in 1931.

Reverse

Sir John Monash, soldier, engineer and administrator, was acknowledged for his outstanding leadership qualities in both military and civilian life. In World war l, he served at Gallipoli and on the Western Front. His greatest victory was at Hamel, in France, involving the collaboration of infantry, artillery, tanks and aircrafts; it was described as “the prefect battle”. This inspired a succession of victories, leading to the breaking of the Hindenburg line. Monash was knighted in 1918. After the war he led the State Electricity Commission of Victoria for 10 years until his death in 1931. An estimated 150,000 mourners attended his funeral. Monash University in Melbourne was name after him in 1958.

Other features
* The clear window which has a stylized image of a lyrebird printed in it, along with embossing of the number “100”;
* Raised printing that can be felt on the portraits and other major design elements, blocks of the words “ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS” in micro-printing on each side of the note, and intricate multi-coloured fine line patterns and images;
* The orientation bands on the top and bottom of the note are intended to assist in note sorting;
* When the reverse side of the note is viewed under ultraviolet light, the two serial numbers – one printed in brown, the other in green – fluoresce, and the number “100” in a patch becomes visible;
* When the note is held up to the light, a seven-pointed star within a circle is formed, by four points on one side of the note, combining perfectly with three points on the other.