The Melbourne Centenary was a 1934 centennial celebration of the founding of the city of Melbourne, Australia. The milestone was reached during the Great Depression, and as such, most Melburnians did not feel they had much to cheer about. Organisers responded to this by presenting an image of the city in the mould of a conservative "Britain of the Southern Hemisphere". Melbourne's founder, John Batman, was promoted as an heroic icon in an effort to embody the rewarding aspects of self-improvement.