A very damaged, stained red antique hardcover book for girls with the title printed in gold lettering in the middle of the front cover. There is a gold outlined drawing of a girl sitting looking out of a window. There are red flowers and green leaves decorating the cover. The spine has the title printed in gold letters with red flowers and green leaves.On the front right side end paper is an inscription for a Sabbath School award dated 1882. The frontispiece balck and white illustration is of a girl sitting at a table at a fair. Tissue paper protects it. The title page has the title, author Howe Benning as well as publisher details. 296Pp. Throughout are black and white illustrations. There are four pages at the back are lists of Recent Gift Books published by the Religious Tract Society. The spine is broken from the pages.fictionThe book is an example of a story dealing with a girl's (Margaret) life in America which is readable, pleasing and instructive, without the ordinary excitement of a love story. It has strong religious themes. It hopes that in many 'quiet corners" of our native land it may help to develop the spirit of self-sacrifice and true Christian thought for others.religious stories, family life fiction, stories for girls

On Easter Monday, 5 April 1915, the Mission organised a picnic on the St Andrew's Church grounds in Brighton. Some French and Swedish sailors ere invited to take part in sports. In the centre is probably Ethel Godfrey, Honorary Secretary of the LHLG, who was just back from England where she visited her brother, Dr Frank Godfrey and his family in Scarborough. Along with her sisters Federica and Winifred, they saw the German attack on the English town.\ located on the North Sea. Article published in the Herald, Monday 12 April 1915, page 3: "SAILORS ENJOY OUTING In the spacious grounds of St. Andrew's Church, Brighton, on Easter Monday, the Seamen's Mission held an enjoyable outing, which culminated in a tug-of-war between French and Swedish sailors, and a race in fancy costume. In the evening, at the mission house, on the Australian Wharf, a welcome home was given, after the chapel service, to Miss Ethel Godfrey, who addressed the men, and related some of her adventures at Scarborough, where she was staying when the English seaside resort was raided by German warshlps."The Godfrey sisters and their step-mother had done the voyage to Europe to visit their brother just before the war stars. They witnessed the outbreak of the war, the attacks on Scarborough. When they came back to Australia, the voyage was dangerous as Germans were attacking vessels. Barely arrived in Australia, Ethel Godfrey who could speak French, having studied in Belgium, was already helping with the picnics, eager to share her story and support French sailors.sepia photograph depicting four sailors, a lady and two young girls standing in a park.One of the sailors is handing an apple to them.Written in Pencil on verso: French sailors in Brighton 1915french, picnic, lhlg, brighton, st andrew's church, ethel godfrey, scarborough raid, sailors, mission to seamen, seamen's mission, children, girls, apples

This item was used in Dicken's Store. Originally the Pardew Brothers store in Nicholson Street, Orbost, Frank Dicken purchased the shop business. It was a bakery and general store and was known as F.B. Dicken and Son. In 1948 they bought the shop freehold . The store remains today converted into two separate shops. The meat slicer was purchased from Henry Berry and Company a large wholesale grocers and general merchant company, first established in Melbourne in 1859.The Dicken store is a prominent Orbost building. Frank and May Dicken moved to Orbost in 1936 where Frank became manager of Pardew Brothers store in Nicholson Street. In 1945, Frank purchased the business and in 1947, formed a partnership with his son, Selwyn. The store was then called F.B. Dicken and Son. The premises are still retained by the Dicken family although the shop business was sold in 1981. (ref. In Times Gone By - Deborah Hall)A heavy commercial meat slicer which sits on bench. Frame is painted red. The tray moves as the handle turns. The main structure is cast iron. It has a circular steel blade. The chrome output tray is detachable. The movable carriage has a cast aluminium tray with spikes to hold the meat and there is an adjustable clamp to secure the meat.INVICTA Model No 302 21 HENRY BERRY PTY LTD MELBfood-preparation dicken-store meat-slicer

This book was owned by F.B. Dicken. Frank and May Dicken moved to Orbost in 1936 where Frank became manager of Pardew Brothers store in Nicholson Street. In 1945, Frank purchased the business and in 1947, formed a partnership with his son, Selwyn. The store was then called F.B. Dicken and Son. The premise are still retained by the Dicken family although the shop business was sold in 1981. (ref. In Times Gone By - Deborah Hall)A brown covered book with an embossed design on the front cover. Written by Rev. Charles Clayton M.A. Published by Seeley, Jackson & Halliday, Fleet Street London.o Hand-written on the flyleaf at the front - To Frank Dicken the Rev'd with the best wishes R. Weston of his old Friend and Vicar April 1926book dicken-frank religious-literature sermons

This book was owned by F.B. Dicken. Frank and May Dicken moved to Orbost in 1936 where Frank became manager of Pardew Brothers store in Nicholson Street. In 1945, Frank purchased the business and in 1947, formed a partnership with his son, Selwyn. The store was then called F.B. Dicken and Son. The premises are still retained by the Dicken family although the shop business was sold in 1981. (ref. In Times Gone By - Deborah Hall) Richard Weston was the vicar at Burntwood in Staffordshire, England from 1886–1922.A book with a brown cloth cover. Stanhope Sermons - second edition.Inside- To Frank Dicken, in memory of Burntwood days from Vicar Richard Weston 1926sermons dicken-frank weston-richard burntwood religious-literature

This photograph shows the wedding of Maggie (Fran Margaret) Middleditch form Murrangowar to Frank Day who worked in the local saddler's shop. An article in the The Snowy River Mail and Tambo and Croajingolong Gazette : ORBOST PETTY SESSIONS. 8 April 1909 Constable O'Shannassy proceeded against Frank Day on a charge of being unlawfully in possession ol four kangaroo skins. Frank Merson Day was born in 1887 and died 1950. he was the son of George Seears Day and Annie Grose He and Maggie had four children : Eileen Margaret Annie Day; Francis Day; Anne Day and Frank Day. This is a pictorial record of a social event in Orbost in the early 20th century. Those recorded have connections to Orbost.A large black / white photograph of a wedding party. The bride and groom are surrounded by family. Some are seated and most standing in front of some tall trees. There is a photocopy with a list of those in the photograph.on back - "Mary Gilbert"day-frank middleditch-maggie

This photograph shows the Richardson family having a picnic on the verandah of Captain McNeil' house at Marlo - April 1897. Snowy River Shipping Company formed in 1880. They were soon shipping produce (mainly vegetables) from the area to Melbourne. The Snowy River Shipping Company was formed by Mr Henry James during the 1880s, with Captain McNeil as master. Captain Hegarty was the shipping agent at Marlo. Towing a line of small barges these paddle steamers plied their trade between the port of Marlo, and the farms along the river banks, churning their way almost twenty miles upstream to a landing beside what is now Frank Richardson’s property. On these trips, the barges carried mail and supplies to the townspeople and farmers, loading their produce, mostly maize, on the return trip to the coast. The coming of the railway in 1915 spelt the end for the little river boats. ( ref. F. W. RODWELL in the “Snowy Review”) Frank Richardson 1877-1950 was a sawmiller at Tabbara and helped build and run paddle steamer "Curlip"as engineer. Captain McNeil was an always cheerful Marlo identity and local children had many times sailing with him on the river. Captain McNeil with tug went out through the entrance and brought in the schooners.This item is associated with the Richardson family, early settlers of the Orbost district.A black / white photograph of a group of people having afternoon tea on the end of a verandah of a wooden house. All are seated.on back - " The Richardson family picnic at Marlo"richardson-family-orbost-marlo mcneil-captain

This book was written at the same time as the replica of the PS Curlip was being built in Orbost. The great grandson of Samuel Richardson is Gil Richardson who lives in Bete Bolong just outside Orbost. Gil and Heather Richards presented the author, May Leatch with a box of old diaries written by Sam Richardson and Sam's sons, Alan and Frank. Using these as the basis of the story, May wrote the full story of the Curlip and the Richardson family.This book about a local icon and a local family was written in Orbost by a local historian.A green and grey covered book titled, CURLIP The life and times of a Snowy River Paddle Steamer and the family who built her. On the front cover is a black and white photograph of the PS Curlip taken shortly after its launch in 1890. On the back cover is a black and white photograph of phragmites on the Snowy River floodplain. The book traces the history of the Richardson family from Godalming, Surrey, England to Orbost, East Gippsland, Victoria in Australia. It contains b/w photographs, diary extracts and newspaper extracts. The book was written by May Leatch.p.s.curlip paddle-steamers orbost richardson-family richardson-samuel

McHaffie family were early settlers on Phillip Island. Mrs Frank Jansson, wife of a fisherman from Rhyll.HistoricalSmall black & white photograph of a rural outlook with house and water in the background. Foreground has a wooden buggy on a grassy area with a woman and small child.The McHaffie buggy. Mrs F. Jansson and son, John.mchaffie family, mrs frank jansson, buggy

Obituary written by the Corr family in memory of Frank Corr, a former Mayor of Ringwood as was his father. A well known Ringwood family.Bifold leaflet including order of service.

Black and white photograph of Pickett Family posing outdoors -Date unknown"Written on back of photo" Back row L to R: Hilda, Rita, Celia, Dorrie Next row L to R: Father-John, Bert (baby), Jack, Enos, Mother- Elizabeth Front row L to R: Alice, Henry, Nell, Olive. Frank not born yet.

The first known residents were Mr and Mrs Walter Pretty and their family who moved there in 1856. Mr William Collins took out a miner's right in 1886 and Mr and Mrs Frank Lowe bought the freehold when the site was auctioned in 1930.History of families associated with the property originally leased on a miner's right near the corner of Yarra Street and Cemetery Road circa 1850s, and later had a frontage to the Main Road with access from to Taroona Avenue.

Tawonga Primary School Children 1920. Tawonga is in the Kiewa Valley where farmers lived with their families. The school was opened on 27th July 1880 situated on 8 acres near the current township of Tawonga. This school was erased by fire in 1900 and all records were destroyed. The school then moved to the old Tawonga Hall. In 1910 the school was shifted to its present site on 3 acres of land donated by Frank Cooper. The school building and attendance continued to grow especially during the construction of the Kiewa Hydro Electric Scheme. Early residents of the area. Ellie Seymour front row first on left. Walter J E Ryder in front of the desk at right. Vera Ryder behind him on the right. The boys also wore white collarsCopy of black and white photograph of pupils (children) at Tawonga Primary School 1920tawonga primary school, state school, kiewa valley

Tawonga is in the Kiewa Valley, where local farmers lived with their families. The school was originally opened July 27 1880, situated on 8 acres near the current township of Tawonga. The school was erased by fire in 1900 and all records destroyed. The school was then moved to the Old Tawonga Hall. In 1910, the school was shifted to its present site on 3 acres of land donated by Frank Cooper. The school building and attendance continued to grow, especially during construction of the Kiewa Hydro Electric Scheme.Tawonga Primary School has educated the local farming and town children for many years. It is an excellent source of the names of the local families of the time ie: Vera Ryder – front row, far right (little girl with the wide headband.)Copy of black and white photograph of pupils at Tawonga Primary School. Circa 1920 (estimate)tawonga primary school, kiewa valley

Tawonga is in the Kiewa Valley, where local farmers lived with their families. The school was originally opened July 27 1880, situated on 8 acres near the current township of Tawonga. The school was erased by fire in 1900 and all records destroyed. The school was then moved to the Old Tawonga Hall. In 1910, the school was shifted to its present site on 3 acres of land donated by Frank Cooper. The school building and attendance continued to grow, especially during construction of the Kiewa Hydro Electric Scheme.Tawonga Primary School has educated the local farming and town children for many years. It is an excellent source of the names of the local families of the time. Copy of black and white photograph of pupils at Tawonga Primary School. Circa 1920 (estimate)tawonga primary school, kiewa valley

The first Tawonga Public Hall was opened in grand style with a Grand Ball and Opening Night with musical items, a first class orchestra and supper included. All costing 2/6 The old hall was demolished after the 'new' one was built and being used demonstrating that a hall was considered a necessary community facility for the townThis was the first public hall in Tawonga. On the ticket, W.J. Cooper was Vice President and J.F Cooper was Hon Secretary. Coopers were a prominent name in the early days of Tawonga. Frank Cooper donated the land which the present Tawonga Primary School is built on.Printed ticket on green card for Grand Ball and Opening Night of the Tawonga Public Hall. Wednesday March 11, 1925. Ticket is punched presumably as proof of admittancetawonga public hall; grand ball opening; ticket; cooper family

Brass Collection Plate presented to St Paul's Anglican Church, Allansford, by the mother of Joseph & Frank Dallimore as a Memorial to the two brothers who drowned at Ryan's Den (near Cape Otway) on Jan 1st 1903. Major Joseph Dallimore (aged 32) was on leave from Sth Africa during the war and he, his wife (Beatrice Wiggs) and baby, his brother Frank Rupert Dallimore (aged 22), a farm hand Arthur Geach (aged 19) and a house maid servant, were picnicing at Ryan's Den (near Cape Otway) when the three men went walking, but never returned, all assumed drowned. One theary has it - Mrs M.E. Dallimore was picnicing at Lake Gillear beach when an enormous wave swept over the shore - (much larger than any other during that day) and rolled in all along the beach. This wave may have also reached the area where the three men were walking on the rocks and swept them into the ocean. Only one body was recovered - some 4 weeks later - that of Frank Rupert Dallimore and washed into Brown's Creek, 1 mile from the Johanna River and ten miles east of Ryans Den.It is a memorial plate and records the family's attachment and importance to the Church.Brass engraved and embossed Memorial Collection PlateEmbossed wording around edge of plate in Old English font reads - "All things come of Thee and of Thine own have we given Thee". The inscription on the tondo of the plate reads - "TO THE GLORY OF GOD / AND IN MEMORY OF / JOSEPH & FRANK RUPERT DALLIMORE, / WHO WERE DROWNED AT RYAN'S DEN, / JAN 1ST 1903. / PRESENTED BY THEIR LOVING MOTHER, / M.E.DALLIMORE."brass st pauls anglican church allansford warrnambool church of england christ church parish of warrnambool collection plate memorial plate dallimore drowning ryan s den alms dish

This item is a Certificate of Merit awarded to Leslie Arthur Tinker for bravery in risking his life in going to the rescue of passengers on the motor launch "Nestor " on the Hopkins River at Warrnambool On January 09 1921. Leslie Arthur Tinker was 31 years of age at the time of this rescue of passengers from the launch"Nestor". Les Tinker was the third son of Jessie and Frank Tinker. He was caretaker at the Town Hall for many years and lived on site. He was married to Elsie Moore and they had one son Donald born 1928. The sinking of the Nestor claimed 10 lives in Warrnambool that day and was a tragedy for Warrnambool. Two long remaining survivors were Janet Glass Dickson who died in 2011 at 97 years of age and A Mr Jim Russell who was still living in Warrnambool in 2011 at the age of 94.This certificate has strong historical and social significance with strong links to one of Warrnambool's larger families. The event itself was a tragedy for Warrnambool with ten people losing their lives. The award comes from The Royal Humane Society of Australasia and as such is a national recognition. Cream parchment certificate with black text. The text sits within a border with coats of Arms at the top The certificate sits on a paper lined brown leather scroll with gold lettering on the outside. The Royal Humane Society of Australasia in gold lettering on the outside.awarded to leslie Arthur Tinker16th June 1921 Nestor jan 9, 1921 Mason Firth and McCutcheon on the bottom of the certificate. Signed by George Lush and Thomas Brentnall. warrnambool, leslie tinker, royal humane society, nestor rescue, nestor warrnambool, certificate of merit tinker

The Box Brownie camera was developed by Frank Brownell in the late 19th century. It was marketed by Eastman Kodak of U.S.A. and was a camera with a simple lens. It provided snapshots at a low cost and was the most widely-used camera by families in the first half of the 20th century. This item was the No. 2 model which was sold from 1901 to 1935. This item was given to Olive O’Donnell when she was ten years old. The donor was Miss Florence Lake of ‘Lyndoch’ in Warrnambool. She was noted for giving presents, usually at Christmas time, to the children of her employees and other children in the Warrnambool area. Olive O’Donnell’s father worked for Miss Lake for 45 years. The property of ‘Lyndoch’ near the mouth of the Hopkins River in Warrnambool was established by a Melbourne businessman, George Rolfe, late in the 19th century and Miss Lake was one of the two stepdaughters of George Rolfe who inherited the property. Miss Florence Lake built a house at Lyndoch which today forms part of the aged care facility established when the property was sold. This camera is of interest for two reasons: 1. It is an example of the Box Brownie camera which was a very popular camera owned by many Australians in the first half of the 20th century. 2. It is an example of the type of present given to children by the Warrnambool philanthropist, Florence Lake. She resided at ‘Lyndoch’ and was well-known in the Warrnambool community in the 20th century. This is a rectangular-shaped black metal box. A metal clip acts as an opening and closing device for inserting a film. A yellow and black film is enclosed at one end of the box. A handle is on the top of the box and is attached by metal clips. There are several viewing panels on the box and a metal mechanism for winding the film. The box is scuffed and stained. ‘Brownie’ ‘No 2 Brownie Model F Patented in U.S.A. Patents Pending.’ photography, household items, lyndoch, warrnambool, florence lake, warrnambool, olive o’donnell, warrnambool

The Box brownie camera was invented by Frank A Brownell in 1900 and further improved from 1901. Because it was easy to use, cheap and portable it became very popular. It was used by soldiers in the first World War and other models were marketed to groups such as the Boy Scouts.Many family photos recor It was further modified until the 1950's and have been used until recent times This camera has significance as a very popular model which was used by a wide cross section of people over many decades. It is one of the cameras which made photography accessible to many who would otherwise not have been able to use them. .1 Rectangular black box camera with leather handle attached with silver studs. There is a latch at the top and a winder at the back. There are three circular cutouts on the top and two rectangular ones on the sides.There is a logo imprinted in the base of the camera and a film is inside .2 Small 38 page manual with light card cover. Mainly printed instructions with some diagrams showing aspects of operation. for Nos. 2 A 2C and 3 Brownie cameras..1'Brownie " on the handle.The logo on the bottom reads as follows, " No 2 Brownie Use film No 120 Made in USA by Eastmann Kodak Rochester NY." .2 Published by Eastmann Kodak Rochester NY. box brownie, warrnambool,, kodak cameras, brownie instruction manual

At the family home of Thomas Teagle, 1 Thomas Street, Eltham which is at corner with Frank Street and still stands today (2023). Thomas Street was named after Thomas Teagle, Jim's fatherOn reverse "Rita Teagle"eltham, thomas street, james michael teagle, jim teagle, teagle family, pam thoonen (nee ingram) collection

Margaret Rose Crenny (1875-1946) married John Thomas Teagle (1864-1948) in 1893. Their children were: Albert Edward (Ted) Teagle 1894-1917 Mary Elizabeth (Bess) 1896-1958 Louisa (Lou) Helen 1896-1919 Ernest Thomas 1897-1969 William George 1899-1982 Leslie John 1901-1976 - never married Francis David (Frank) 1903-1958 James Michael (Jim) 1905-1951 Clifford Joseph (Cliff) 1907-1986 Reta Agnes (Rta) 1910-1961 Margaret Rose (Rosie) 1912-1982 Violet Amelda 1914-1982 Edwina May Theresa (Ted) 1917-2002 In this picture standing L-R are all the brothers of Margaret Rose Fielding and her husband Richard: Leslie John Teagle, Jim Teagle with son Tony, ? , ? , ? , ? , Cliff Teagle, Richard Fielding, ? Anthony James Teagle 1944-2010 would make photo about 1949 anthony james teagle, cliff teagle, jim teagle, leslie john teagle, pam thoonen (nee ingram) collection, richard fielding, teagle family, tony teagle, eltham, thomas street

Nillumbik Commissioners used 'reserve power's to permit a controversial Shell service station and Hungry Jackls restaurant development at the former Eltham Shire Office site at 895 Main Road. More than 200 people attended the Council meeting in the public gallery and protested at the decision. 32 personal submissions were made to Council's Planning Special Committee meeting whose members vioted 3-2 against the development. The Committee consisted of the three Nillumbik Commissioners and three community members (Jim Connor, Bronwyn South and Janet Mattiske). Chief Commissioner Don Cordell, a former Shell employee excused himself from voting and the three communbity memebrs voted against the submission. The other two commissioners, Vin Heffernan and Kevin Abbott voted against it. They then immediately closed the meeting and opened a Council meeting lasting just seconds to use special reserve powers to overturn the decision. Community residents who made submissions included Russell Yeomans speaking on behalf of the Eltham Gateway Action Group and Eltham District Historical Society, Des Ryan on belaf of Eltham Senior Citizens, Angela Newhouse, others on behalf of Our Lady Help of Christians Primary School and Judge Book Village, Tom Munro, Ian Jennings, Margartet Ball a fifth generation descendant of the Shillinglaw family, one of the early settlers of the area and owner of the land that was sold to Council, Frank Burgoyne who said "there will be a lot of creaking and rumbling in the cemetery if this goes through. So many old people who have done so much for Eltham are buried up there and it is up to us to pass on what they left to the younger generation. Eltham is a beautiful spot; why louse it up?" A second article "Anger over reserve power" by Laeta Antonysen provides commentary from the three Planning Special Committee community members, former Eltham Shire Councillor Jim Connor, Bronwyn South and Janet Mattiske about the process that took place and the first time use of the spoecial reserve power to overturn the decision of the committee. Barry Rochford, Nillumbiuk CEO defends the use of the power.The demolition of the former Shire of Eltham offices and proposed sale and development driven by the Commissioners for Nillumbik Shire Council brought the community together in substantial protest at the infrigement of ratepayers democratic say in local government and ciommunity assets combined with protests about inappropraite development of Eltham's Gateway. This issue led to the formation of the Eltham Community Action Group which still operates strongly today (2023) on behalf of the community to ensure appropriate development within the community.895 main road, commissioners, dallas price homes, development application, eltham hub, hungry jacks, nillumbik shire council, re-zoning, shell service station, town planning, eltham gateway, eltham gateway action group, eltham shire offices, shillinglaw farm, shillinglaw trees, jim connor collection, dallas howgate, nillumbik planning special committee, jim connor, bronwyn south, janet mattiske, don cordell, vin heffernan, kevin abbott, russell yeomans, eltham district historical society, eltham senior citizens, des ryan, our lady help of christians primary school, judge book village, angela newhouse, tom munro, ian jennings, margaret ball, shillinglaw cottage, frank burgoyne, andrew biasci, barry rochford

Centred on present day Diosma Rd, Stokes Pl, Nyora Rd and Eucalyptus Rd Historic Aerial Imagery Source: Landata.vic.gov.au Aerial Photo Details: Project No :5 Project : MELBOURNE AND METROPOLITAN AREA PROJECT Run : 36 Frame : 60546 Date : 12/1945 Film Type : B/W Camera : EAG4 Flying Height : 10200 Scale : 6000 Film Number : 195 GDA2020 : 37°42'47"S, 145°09'56"E MGA2020 : 338306, 5824438 (55) Melways : 22 C4 (ed. 42) A History of the Development of Crown Allotment 15, Section 5, Parish of Nillumbik – Stokes Orchard Crown Allotment 15, Section 5, Parish of Nillumbik (CA15) is a square allotment of 158 acres or approximately a quarter of a square mile. It lies just beyond the eastern end of Pitt Street, south of Nyora Road to the northern end of Eucalyptus Road and extends east from Eucalyptus Road to Reynolds Road. The topography of CA15 is generally steep, sloping up to a hill near the centre of the land, the ridgeline passing through the properties along the southern side of Diosma Road. Eucalyptus Road is a straight north-south road with its northern end at the north west corner of CA15. Until the end of the 1970s this road was an un-named Government Road and was largely not open to traffic. With residential development in the 1970s the road was constructed, and the council allocated the name obviously in recognition of the predominant species of the local bushland. CA15 was purchased from the Crown by George D’Arley Boursiquot, a prominent Melbourne printer, on 28th October 1852. On November 23, 1922, former Member for Gippsland and Melbourne Real Estate Agent, Hubert Patrick Keogh purchased the allotment then sold it March 13, 1925, to local farmer, Robert David Taylor, a former Shire of Eltham Councillor (1911-1920) and Shire President (1919). Taylor had extensive land holdings stretching west towards Bible Street and Main Road. The Taylor home was situated at the top of the hill in Bible Street at present day 82 Bible Street. At the time of Taylor’s purchase in 1925, CA15 was subdivided into 48 lots that could be described as small rural properties or large residential lots. A typical lot size was one hectare or 2.5 acres. The subdivision created two roads, Nyora Road, and Diosma Road, each following an irregular alignment between Eucalyptus and Reynolds Roads. However, the lots were not sold off separately nor were the roads constructed. The land effectively remained as one parcel for many further years. Robert David Taylor died November 30, 1934, and probate was granted to his son of the same name, Robert David Taylor of Bible Street, Salesman and William McLelland Vance Taylor of 73 Emmeline Street, Northcote, Clerk, with the transfer of the land into their names on July 8, 1935. Frank Stokes worked as a qualified accountant at Kennons leather factory in Burnley, while living at 1 Thomas Street, Mitcham. He suffered from migraines and wanted to return to working the land (he had previously worked on farms and orchards since coming to Australia from England in 1926, both in WA and Vic.). He first travelled to the district by train in July 1942 to find land with the intention to establish an orchard. By chance he met Arthur Bird of Bird Orchard (bounded by Pitt Street, Eucalyptus Road, and Wattle Grove) and they got talking over their common interest. Arthur put Frank up for the night and pointed out the land, 158 acres- part of the Taylor Estate- £900, Crown Allotment 15, Section 5, Parish of Nillumbik (CA15) somewhat diagonally opposite Bird Orchard. Stokes applied through the Riverina Agency to purchase the land who in turn applied for permission from Canberra to sell as there was a new government regulation introduced during the Second World War banning land sales except for immediate production. Stokes obtained a loan on his Mitcham house of £600 @ 5% and paid £450 deposit with quarterly payments of £15 spread over 5 years. Stokes was assisted and advised by Arthur Bird who farmed the neighbouring orchard. In early 1943 Stokes took possession and would catch the train out to Eltham on Fridays after work and began building a hut on the corner of Nyora Road and the Government Road (Eucalyptus Road) for shelter and to lock up tools. He established an orchard on the central western part of the land through the centre of which ran a natural waterway (part of the present-day linear park) and was able to pay a neighbour (Hawkins) to help with clearing and fencing 25 acres, and with a horse and single furrowed plough, planted approximately 2,500 fruit trees - cherries, peaches, plums, almonds, pears, apricots and lemons as well as a few apples and oranges; a massive task. Aerial photographs from the 1940s through to the 1990s clearly show the orchard with most of the larger CA15 site remaining as natural bushland. A huge problem was hares and rabbits eating all the new buds off the tiny trees. As well as laying poison he painted the trees with a mixture of cow manure and lime, often working by moonlight. Procurement of wire and wire netting was difficult because of the war but after much effort he obtained a permit from the Agricultural Department for supplies in March 1944. In February 1945 Stokes applied for a permit to build a “packing shed” as no house building was allowed. It was to be 33 feet x 21 feet and cost £312. It was constructed mostly from second-hand materials, which were hard to obtain, especially iron for roofing. Stokes finished work at Kennons on October 31, 1945, and in March 1946 he sold the family home at Mitcham for £1,230 plus £170 for furniture. On May 15, 1946, title to the CA15 property was issued to Frank Howard Alfred Stokes, Orchardist and Gladys Ethel Stokes, Married Woman, both of Pitt Street, Eltham. The family of five then moved into the very unfinished “packing shed” at Eltham, which was a struggle to weatherproof. Eventually rooms were divided off and lined with hessian bags and whitewashed. Their income was firewood (cut and sold), selling rockery stones and cut Sweet Bursaria. (It was discovered during the 1940s that Sweet Bursaria contained the sunscreen compound Aesculin. The RAAF utilised this compound from Sweet Bursaria during WW2 for pilots and gunners.) The orchard’s first fruit sale was a half-case of Le Vanq peaches in December 1947 for the price of 8 shillings. In 1956 plans for house were drawn and Glen Iris bricks purchased (1956 Olympic Rings variant). The building of the house commenced in 1957 - 12 feet of original packing shed was removed – and was completed in 1959. Water was connected from newly built pressure storage on the property at the end of 1959 and the electricity connection for the first time at 3pm on April 29, 1960. The house remains to present day (somewhat modified) at 1 Nyora Road, home to Nyora Studio Gallery. On occasions, spare remnants of the 1956 bricks have been known to be unearthed in gardens on the estate as they were utilised by Frank Stokes to fill in rabbit holes. On May 26, 1950, a parcel of land was compulsorily acquired by the Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works on the hilltop to establish an easement for a high-level service reservoir to augment Eltham’s water supply. The project also included pipe tracks for the necessary water mains. The reservoir has now been superseded by higher level water tanks east of Reynolds Road and its former site is now a public reserve. On November 27, 1964, the State Electricity Commission served notice to compulsorily acquire a further parcel through the eastern part of the land for a major electricity transmission line that augmented supply from the La Trobe Valley to Melbourne. The easement was registered February 11, 1966. The easement was widened July 18, 1969 for a second transmission line to be constructed. In 1971 Melbourne Metropolitan Planning Scheme amendments adopted Nyora Road as the boundary between a residential zone to the north and a rural zone to the south. This determined the future development of the land. In the mid-1970s the Shire of Eltham divided the orchard into numerous rate-able parcel lots, the 48 lots having been established in 1925 and the subsequent rates assessment proved unsustainable for Stokes. He commenced selling lots outside the boundary of the orchard, north of Diosma and South of Nyora. However shortly later the land between Nyora and Diosma Roads and west of the electricity easement was sold and subdivided into residential lots, a housing development by Macquarie Builders and marketed as the Stokes Orchard Estate. New streets were created, and most were named after trees, although one, Stokes Place, commemorates the former owners. The development was undertaken in two stages; Stage 1 (1975) encompassing Scarlet Ash Court, Ironbark Close and Peppermint Grove bounded by Nyora and Eucalyptus roads and Stage 2 (1978) encompassing Stokes Place, Orchard Way, The Crest and The Lookout bound by Nyora and Diosma roads. The developer, Macquarie Builders went bankrupt shortly after the release of Stage 2 leaving many purchasers to fend for themselves and arrange for their own independent builders. There were also difficulties with sewerage for the land immediately south of Diosma Road and so the conventional residential lots were abandoned in favour of larger lots. The development of Orchard Way, The Crest and The Lookout did not proceed as planned and the proposed lots were incorporated into five-acre parcels instead. These included a low-density group housing development by the Graves family and the award winning Choong House (1983) with Gordon Ford developed garden immediately next door situated on the ridge of the hill nestled amongst the original bush, Eucalypt trees and Sweet Bursaria. In 1994, Nillumbik Shire Council applied Significant Environment and Significant Landscape overlays upon the properties on the south side of Diosma Road to ensure protection of this natural bush garden environment. With the arrival of the sewer along Diosma Road in the 1990s, most of these five-acre parcels have since been subdivided multiple times. The Choong house presently sits on a 2.7-acre property, which in 2022 Nillumbik Council nominated for Cultural Significance Heritage protection and is considered potentially significant at State level. The Stokes family were also associated with the Eltham Christian Church. In the 1970s this church had met in temporary premises in Eltham. Lots of the original 1925 subdivision remained south of Nyora Road and a number of these lots were utilized for the Eltham Christian School, which was established by the Eltham Christian Church in 1981. The school operated on this site until 2000. The premises are now used by The Vine Baptist Church. By the mid-1980s the whole of CA15 had been developed for residential and school purposes, except for the sections north of Diosma Road and between the transmission lines and Reynolds Road. Sewerage issues had been resolved for the section north of Diosma Road and in 1987 it was in the process of being subdivided into residential lots. The development coincided with the discovery of colonies of the rare and endangered Eltham Copper Butterfly on the site. This resulted in a community and political campaign to save the butterfly habitat. With the co-operation of the land developer the subdivision was altered to create two bushland reserves in the critical butterfly habitat areas. In the late 1980s the State Government was investigating options for establishing a metropolitan ring road link between Diamond Creek and Ringwood. The chosen route was adjacent to Reynolds Road and so this created a freeze on development of CA15 between Reynolds Road and the electricity easement. The ring road proposal was eventually abandoned, and this part of the land was subdivided into low density residential lots. Diosma Road has been discontinued at the electricity easement and the eastern part incorporated into View Mount Court with access from Reynolds Road. The whole of CA15 has now been developed for residential or associated purposes, ranging from conventional density to quite low density south of Nyora Road. Some remnants of the orchard remain, a few cherry trees on the Graves property and a lone apple tree in Stokes Place. The butterfly reserves comprise significant areas of remnant bushland. Linear reserves through the estate link with central Eltham via the Woodridge linear reserve and with Research along the electricity easement. CA15 as it exists today has a complicated history of rural use, Government acquisition, urban development, and community action. References: • “Stokes Orchard, an incomplete history”; Russell Yeoman with Doug Orford • Correspondence, Beryl Bradbury (nee Stokes) • Aerial Photographs, 1931-1991, Landata (landata.vic.gov.au) • Certificate of Title, Vol. 4930 Fol. 985900 • Plan Number LP 10859 aerial photo, diosma road, eltham copper butterfly, eucalyptus road, ironbark close, nyora road, peppermint grove, peter & elizabeth pidgeon collection, power transmission lines, reynolds road, scarlet ash court, stokes orchard estate, stokes place, woodridge estate, frank stokes

Centred over present day Reynolds Road and Mount Pleasant Road, Eltham (including Diosma Rd, Stokes Pl, Nyora Rd and Eucalyptus Rd) Historic Aerial Imagery Source: Landata.vic.gov.au Aerial Photo Details: Project No :1931 Project : MALDON PRISON Run : 21 Frame : 3160 Date : 11/1931 Film Type : B/W Camera : F8 Flying Height : 11000 Scale : 18860 Film Number : 60 GDA2020 : 37°43'31"S, 145°10'20"E MGA2020 : 338912, 5823086 (55) Melways : 22 E8 (ed. 42) A History of the Development of Crown Allotment 15, Section 5, Parish of Nillumbik – Stokes Orchard Crown Allotment 15, Section 5, Parish of Nillumbik (CA15) is a square allotment of 158 acres or approximately a quarter of a square mile. It lies just beyond the eastern end of Pitt Street, south of Nyora Road to the northern end of Eucalyptus Road and extends east from Eucalyptus Road to Reynolds Road. The topography of CA15 is generally steep, sloping up to a hill near the centre of the land, the ridgeline passing through the properties along the southern side of Diosma Road. Eucalyptus Road is a straight north-south road with its northern end at the north west corner of CA15. Until the end of the 1970s this road was an un-named Government Road and was largely not open to traffic. With residential development in the 1970s the road was constructed, and the council allocated the name obviously in recognition of the predominant species of the local bushland. CA15 was purchased from the Crown by George D’Arley Boursiquot, a prominent Melbourne printer, on 28th October 1852. On November 23, 1922, former Member for Gippsland and Melbourne Real Estate Agent, Hubert Patrick Keogh purchased the allotment then sold it March 13, 1925, to local farmer, Robert David Taylor, a former Shire of Eltham Councillor (1911-1920) and Shire President (1919). Taylor had extensive land holdings stretching west towards Bible Street and Main Road. The Taylor home was situated at the top of the hill in Bible Street at present day 82 Bible Street. At the time of Taylor’s purchase in 1925, CA15 was subdivided into 48 lots that could be described as small rural properties or large residential lots. A typical lot size was one hectare or 2.5 acres. The subdivision created two roads, Nyora Road, and Diosma Road, each following an irregular alignment between Eucalyptus and Reynolds Roads. However, the lots were not sold off separately nor were the roads constructed. The land effectively remained as one parcel for many further years. Robert David Taylor died November 30, 1934, and probate was granted to his son of the same name, Robert David Taylor of Bible Street, Salesman and William McLelland Vance Taylor of 73 Emmeline Street, Northcote, Clerk, with the transfer of the land into their names on July 8, 1935. Frank Stokes worked as a qualified accountant at Kennons leather factory in Burnley, while living at 1 Thomas Street, Mitcham. He suffered from migraines and wanted to return to working the land (he had previously worked on farms and orchards since coming to Australia from England in 1926, both in WA and Vic.). He first travelled to the district by train in July 1942 to find land with the intention to establish an orchard. By chance he met Arthur Bird of Bird Orchard (bounded by Pitt Street, Eucalyptus Road, and Wattle Grove) and they got talking over their common interest. Arthur put Frank up for the night and pointed out the land, 158 acres- part of the Taylor Estate- £900, Crown Allotment 15, Section 5, Parish of Nillumbik (CA15) somewhat diagonally opposite Bird Orchard. Stokes applied through the Riverina Agency to purchase the land who in turn applied for permission from Canberra to sell as there was a new government regulation introduced during the Second World War banning land sales except for immediate production. Stokes obtained a loan on his Mitcham house of £600 @ 5% and paid £450 deposit with quarterly payments of £15 spread over 5 years. Stokes was assisted and advised by Arthur Bird who farmed the neighbouring orchard. In early 1943 Stokes took possession and would catch the train out to Eltham on Fridays after work and began building a hut on the corner of Nyora Road and the Government Road (Eucalyptus Road) for shelter and to lock up tools. He established an orchard on the central western part of the land through the centre of which ran a natural waterway (part of the present-day linear park) and was able to pay a neighbour (Hawkins) to help with clearing and fencing 25 acres, and with a horse and single furrowed plough, planted approximately 2,500 fruit trees - cherries, peaches, plums, almonds, pears, apricots and lemons as well as a few apples and oranges; a massive task. Aerial photographs from the 1940s through to the 1990s clearly show the orchard with most of the larger CA15 site remaining as natural bushland. A huge problem was hares and rabbits eating all the new buds off the tiny trees. As well as laying poison he painted the trees with a mixture of cow manure and lime, often working by moonlight. Procurement of wire and wire netting was difficult because of the war but after much effort he obtained a permit from the Agricultural Department for supplies in March 1944. In February 1945 Stokes applied for a permit to build a “packing shed” as no house building was allowed. It was to be 33 feet x 21 feet and cost £312. It was constructed mostly from second-hand materials, which were hard to obtain, especially iron for roofing. Stokes finished work at Kennons on October 31, 1945, and in March 1946 he sold the family home at Mitcham for £1,230 plus £170 for furniture. On May 15, 1946, title to the CA15 property was issued to Frank Howard Alfred Stokes, Orchardist and Gladys Ethel Stokes, Married Woman, both of Pitt Street, Eltham. The family of five then moved into the very unfinished “packing shed” at Eltham, which was a struggle to weatherproof. Eventually rooms were divided off and lined with hessian bags and whitewashed. Their income was firewood (cut and sold), selling rockery stones and cut Sweet Bursaria. (It was discovered during the 1940s that Sweet Bursaria contained the sunscreen compound Aesculin. The RAAF utilised this compound from Sweet Bursaria during WW2 for pilots and gunners.) The orchard’s first fruit sale was a half-case of Le Vanq peaches in December 1947 for the price of 8 shillings. In 1956 plans for house were drawn and Glen Iris bricks purchased (1956 Olympic Rings variant). The building of the house commenced in 1957 - 12 feet of original packing shed was removed – and was completed in 1959. Water was connected from newly built pressure storage on the property at the end of 1959 and the electricity connection for the first time at 3pm on April 29, 1960. The house remains to present day (somewhat modified) at 1 Nyora Road, home to Nyora Studio Gallery. On occasions, spare remnants of the 1956 bricks have been known to be unearthed in gardens on the estate as they were utilised by Frank Stokes to fill in rabbit holes. On May 26, 1950, a parcel of land was compulsorily acquired by the Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works on the hilltop to establish an easement for a high-level service reservoir to augment Eltham’s water supply. The project also included pipe tracks for the necessary water mains. The reservoir has now been superseded by higher level water tanks east of Reynolds Road and its former site is now a public reserve. On November 27, 1964, the State Electricity Commission served notice to compulsorily acquire a further parcel through the eastern part of the land for a major electricity transmission line that augmented supply from the La Trobe Valley to Melbourne. The easement was registered February 11, 1966. The easement was widened July 18, 1969 for a second transmission line to be constructed. In 1971 Melbourne Metropolitan Planning Scheme amendments adopted Nyora Road as the boundary between a residential zone to the north and a rural zone to the south. This determined the future development of the land. In the mid-1970s the Shire of Eltham divided the orchard into numerous rate-able parcel lots, the 48 lots having been established in 1925 and the subsequent rates assessment proved unsustainable for Stokes. He commenced selling lots outside the boundary of the orchard, north of Diosma and South of Nyora. However shortly later the land between Nyora and Diosma Roads and west of the electricity easement was sold and subdivided into residential lots, a housing development by Macquarie Builders and marketed as the Stokes Orchard Estate. New streets were created, and most were named after trees, although one, Stokes Place, commemorates the former owners. The development was undertaken in two stages; Stage 1 (1975) encompassing Scarlet Ash Court, Ironbark Close and Peppermint Grove bounded by Nyora and Eucalyptus roads and Stage 2 (1978) encompassing Stokes Place, Orchard Way, The Crest and The Lookout bound by Nyora and Diosma roads. The developer, Macquarie Builders went bankrupt shortly after the release of Stage 2 leaving many purchasers to fend for themselves and arrange for their own independent builders. There were also difficulties with sewerage for the land immediately south of Diosma Road and so the conventional residential lots were abandoned in favour of larger lots. The development of Orchard Way, The Crest and The Lookout did not proceed as planned and the proposed lots were incorporated into five-acre parcels instead. These included a low-density group housing development by the Graves family and the award winning Choong House (1983) with Gordon Ford developed garden immediately next door situated on the ridge of the hill nestled amongst the original bush, Eucalypt trees and Sweet Bursaria. In 1994, Nillumbik Shire Council applied Significant Environment and Significant Landscape overlays upon the properties on the south side of Diosma Road to ensure protection of this natural bush garden environment. With the arrival of the sewer along Diosma Road in the 1990s, most of these five-acre parcels have since been subdivided multiple times. The Choong house presently sits on a 2.7-acre property, which in 2022 Nillumbik Council nominated for Cultural Significance Heritage protection and is considered potentially significant at State level. The Stokes family were also associated with the Eltham Christian Church. In the 1970s this church had met in temporary premises in Eltham. Lots of the original 1925 subdivision remained south of Nyora Road and a number of these lots were utilized for the Eltham Christian School, which was established by the Eltham Christian Church in 1981. The school operated on this site until 2000. The premises are now used by The Vine Baptist Church. By the mid-1980s the whole of CA15 had been developed for residential and school purposes, except for the sections north of Diosma Road and between the transmission lines and Reynolds Road. Sewerage issues had been resolved for the section north of Diosma Road and in 1987 it was in the process of being subdivided into residential lots. The development coincided with the discovery of colonies of the rare and endangered Eltham Copper Butterfly on the site. This resulted in a community and political campaign to save the butterfly habitat. With the co-operation of the land developer the subdivision was altered to create two bushland reserves in the critical butterfly habitat areas. In the late 1980s the State Government was investigating options for establishing a metropolitan ring road link between Diamond Creek and Ringwood. The chosen route was adjacent to Reynolds Road and so this created a freeze on development of CA15 between Reynolds Road and the electricity easement. The ring road proposal was eventually abandoned, and this part of the land was subdivided into low density residential lots. Diosma Road has been discontinued at the electricity easement and the eastern part incorporated into View Mount Court with access from Reynolds Road. The whole of CA15 has now been developed for residential or associated purposes, ranging from conventional density to quite low density south of Nyora Road. Some remnants of the orchard remain, a few cherry trees on the Graves property and a lone apple tree in Stokes Place. The butterfly reserves comprise significant areas of remnant bushland. Linear reserves through the estate link with central Eltham via the Woodridge linear reserve and with Research along the electricity easement. CA15 as it exists today has a complicated history of rural use, Government acquisition, urban development, and community action. References: • “Stokes Orchard, an incomplete history”; Russell Yeoman with Doug Orford • Correspondence, Beryl Bradbury (nee Stokes) • Aerial Photographs, 1931-1991, Landata (landata.vic.gov.au) • Certificate of Title, Vol. 4930 Fol. 985900 • Plan Number LP 10859 aerial photo, diosma road, eltham copper butterfly, eucalyptus road, ironbark close, nyora road, peppermint grove, peter & elizabeth pidgeon collection, power transmission lines, reynolds road, scarlet ash court, stokes orchard estate, stokes place, woodridge estate, frank stokes