Built by artist and cartoonist Percy Leason in 1927 in what was then New Street but renamed Lavender Park Road in the late 1950s/early 1960s. Covered under Heritage Overlay, Nillumbik Planning Scheme. Published: Nillumbik Now and Then /​ Marguerite Marshall 2008; photographs Alan King with Marguerite Marshall.; p121 Said to be a genius, cartoonist Percy Leason’s career was at its peak when in 1925 to 1926 he built his home at New Street (now Lavender Park Road) Eltham. The Herald newspaper owner, Sir Keith Murdoch, had hired Leason for his newly acquired Melbourne Punch magazine at a salary of £1750, making him ‘one of the highest paid cartoonists in the world’.1 With this salary and financial help from Murdoch, Leason was able to build his lovely home in Eltham. At the crest of a sweeping drive, the home now two-storey in white brick with a gabled grey slate roof and dormer windows is flanked by an extension built by another owner in the 1980s. Leason lived in the home with his wife, Isabel and children, until 1937, when he left for the United States of America, where he lived until his death in 1959. The four-bedroom house and garden would have been well-suited to bringing up his family and to entertaining their friends in style. Large airy rooms have high ceilings with moulded plaster, timber floors and several are brightened with bay windows. Leason made friends with many of the artists and personalities who gravitated to Eltham. Around 1931 Justus Jörgensen, founder of the Montsalvat Artists’ Colony, helped Leason build his large studio at the back of the house. Another friend was journalist Mervyn Skipper, father of jeweller and sculptor Matcham, and artists Helen and Sonia. Leason’s teacher, artist Max Meldrum, also visited and rented accommodation in Eltham, opposite Wingrove Park. Punch folded in 1925, but Leason continued as cartoonist for Table Talk. In 1926 Leason began the cartoons of a mythical Australian town Wiregrass, which were inspired by Kaniva, his home town. The art gallery in Main Road Eltham was named Wiregrass in Leason’s honour. Leason completed 1000 drawings from 1919 to 1937, which author Garrie Hutchinson claimed, were technically unsurpassed and had regional and universal interest. Leason’s acute observations of country life stemmed from his childhood in Kaniva in Victoria’s western Wimmera, where he was born, the son of a selector, in 1889. Meldrum claimed that Leason could name every plant and the habits of every animal.2 Leason also painted 28 portraits of the last full-blooded aboriginals in Victoria at Lake Tyers in Gippsland, most of which are in a private collection. In Sydney Leason illustrated Henry Lawson’s Selected Poems and worked for The Bulletin. Leason had begun his career at 13 as an apprentice lithographic artist at Sands and MacDougall. He attended night classes at the National Gallery and the Victorian Artists Society. Leason first visited Eltham in 1910 to paint with fellow artist William ‘Jock’ Frater. They camped near Bible and Pitt Streets and along the Diamond Creek on the site of the present Eltham Retirement Centre. Despite his success as a cartoonist, Leason wanted to be recognised as a serious painter and for his anthropological work.3 He was also conservative and felt uncomfortable with the modern art scene in Melbourne.4 So he left for the United States of America to work as a painter. Ironically his time in New York saw the burgeoning of modern art, notably by artists such as Jackson Pollock. But Leason found his niche by running an art school, painting society portraits and illustrating books and magazines.This collection of almost 130 photos about places and people within the Shire of Nillumbik, an urban and rural municipality in Melbourne's north, contributes to an understanding of the history of the Shire. Published in 2008 immediately prior to the Black Saturday bushfires of February 7, 2009, it documents sites that were impacted, and in some cases destroyed by the fires. It includes photographs taken especially for the publication, creating a unique time capsule representing the Shire in the early 21st century. It remains the most recent comprehenesive publication devoted to the Shire's history connecting local residents to the past. nillumbik now and then (marshall-king) collection, landscape, lavender park road, percy leason, new street

"WE WERE THE RATS" - Biography under the headings "Nervidale" on route to Tobruk "Tobruk", After Tobruk. Part of the "William (Bill) THOMASON Collection. Refer Cat No. 4136P for more items.Hard cover book. Cover - cardboard, light khaki colour buckram, red colour print on spine. 275 pages - cut, plain, off white colour paper. No Illustrations Front end paper - handwritten information. Handwritten information - blue ink pen. "Elsie Broadstock" - grey lead pencil. "A/ R/U/ ??"publications, books, ww2, tobruk, biography

The City of Moorabbin Historical Society was formed c 1960 by a group of Moorabbin residents who were concerned that the history of the area should be preserved. A good response to a call for items related to the historical area of Moorabbin Shire brought donations of a wide variety of artefacts which are now preserved by the current members of CMHS at Box Cottage Museum . Helen Stanley, Secretary of CMHS, began producing a Newsletter for members in April 2007 to provide current information and well researched items of historical interest.Helen Stanley has produced a bi-monthly Newsletter, 2007 - 2013, for the members of the City of Moorabbin Historical Society that contains well researched interesting historical items, notification of upcoming events, current advice from Royal Australian Historical Society , Museums Australia Victoria and activities of Local Historical Societies. The Newsletter is an important record of the activities of the CMHS. Tom Sheehy, a past President of CMHS, was an Historian and Author of ‘Battlers tamed the Sandbelt’, the Lawson family were early settlers, Dr Graham Whitehead, is Historian for Kingston CC and the Henry Lawson Society promotes the Poet’s works.A4 paper printed both sides x1. Issue 3 of the bi-monthly, City of Moorabbin Historical Society Newsletter produced by Society member and Secretary, Mrs Helen Stanley in August 2007. Members of the CMHS are shown 3 photocopies of ‘quaint Account Overdue ‘ notices c 1940,. An excerpt from the 1962 Moorabbin Historical Society Newsletter, edited by the President Tom Sheehy, describing the 1860’s decade that saw ‘the establishment of Edward Zorn’s Tomato factory in Clayton’s Road in 1862 and then Henry Comport’s Sauce factory in Cheltenham. ‘New settlers’ arriving in the area were William Highett , near Hampton, Mr McKinnon , an Oakleigh farmer, and Mr Stephen Tuck and wife to Cheltenham while Mr John Kingston was looking for land.. 60 children were enrolled at St Stephen’s Common School on Tucker Road. George Higginbotham., William Highett and Tommy Bent were confident of the years ahead.’ Upcoming events at CMHS were August 26th Mr Bob Lawson will talk about World War 1, on October 28th a talk by Dr G Whitehead titled ‘Murder’, and at the last meeting for year November 25th Frank Thatcher, CMHS, will welcome the Henry Lawson Society and Australian Natives Association who will again come to Box Cottage to celebrate their Bryan Kelleher Memorial Picnic Day. CITY of MOORABBIN HISTORICAL SOCIETY / AUGUST 2007 NEWSLETTERcity of moorabbin historical society, stanley helen, melbourne, moorabbin, brighton, cheltenham, ormond, bentleigh, oakleigh, kingston, highett, hampton, clayton, market gardeners, pioneers, early settlers, moorabbin shire, sheehy tom, thatcher frank, tucker road, st stephen’s common school, henry lawson society, australian natives association, whitehead dr graham, lawson bob, lawson nan, kelleher bryan, comport henry, zorn edward, highett william, bent tommy, higginbotham george, kingston john, le roy tracy pty.ltd, sydney, tomato sauce factory