Same image as Shire of Eltham Pioneers Photo Collection SEPP_1006 though this version shows the original mounted print had been broken in two piecesBlack and white copy of photo printed on glossy photographic paper 30.5 x 40.5 cm (12 x 16 inch); image size approx. 18.5 x 28 cmderailment, groups, railway line, red rattler, tait train, train crash, wattle glen, wattle glen railway station

Digital TIFF file Scan of 35mm Ilford FP3 black and white negative transparencyd3-639, d3-class steam locomotive, echuca railway station, george coop collection, vr commissioner's special train

"Who would have thought that a boy born in 1889 from the Victorian Mallee would become a successful artist on New York’s Staten Island? This finely illustrated, exhaustively researched and beautifully written biography on Leason features the artist’s entire career as a painter and cartoonist renowned for his depictions of Australian society in the 1920s and 1930s. Leason’s story is a poignant one tracing his beginnings as a cartoonist, to the bohemian Melbourne art scene in the early 20th century, to his involvement in the artists’ camps of Eltham, to his important series of portraits of Lake Tyers Indigenous Australians, and his eventual move to the US where he has been acknowledged as making an enormous contribution to the New York arts scene. This story, as yet untold, fills a gap in the history of art in Australia and offers a new perspective on Australian art in the first half of the 20th century." - Thames and Hudson website A NEW HOME IN ELTHAM Once they had settled back into Melbourne, Perry and Belle began to look for a place to make a permanent home. Having enjoyed the bush setting of Mosman, they decided to explore the rural fringes of Melbourne. Each weekend they packed a picnic and travelled to the towns in the nearby hills - such as Ferntree Gully, Sassafras, Lilydale and, of course, Cockatoo Creek. Eventually deciding these places might be a little too far from The Herald office, they searched closer to the city. The Heidelberg and Box Hill regions that had inspired his old teacher McCubbin, had become busy, urban areas but further east, towards Warrandyte and Templestowe, there were still large tracts of bush. Finally they settled on Eltham, an area Percy knew very well, having often painted there with Jock Frater. Perry's old friend Dick McCann and his wife Margery had also settled in Eltham. The township was fifteen miles from Melbourne and serviced by an electric train that went to the central Melbourne station of Flinders Street, near where The Herald offices were located. Eltham was a small village in 1925, separated from Melbourne by the Yarra River, and surrounded by orchards and large tracts of bush. Small farms dotted the landscape and the main businesses revolved around ironmongers, blacksmiths, and farming supplies. Of particular appeal to artists was Eltham Park, a large expanse of bushland bounded by the Yarra River on the south side and the Diamond Creek on the east. The park included a playing field that was busy on weekends with cricket or football matches, but for the rest of the week it was mostly empty and an ideal place to paint. The scenery there provided the inspiration for many paintings by Leason, Meldrum and other artists such as Colin Colahan and Peter (A.E.) Newburv. The Leasons found a rundown old farmhouse on four-and-a-half acres of land in New Street, now known as Lavender Park Road. The site was splendid, at the top of a gentle slope which gave panoramic views east to the Dandenong hills, south over the Templestowe orchards and north to Kinglake. The front lawn was taken over by onion grass (or wiregrass as Leason called it) and scattered about the property were many wattles and gum trees. Aloe cacti covered much to the front of the house, while old quince and lucerne hedges separated the house and out-buildings from a rundown apple orchard. Here they would build a new home. ·with financial assistance from The Herald, Leason bought the property and immediately commissioned an architectural firm to design a new house in the popular bungalow style of the time. The old farm house was demolished but Percy saved the siding boards, bricks and corrugated iron for the outbuildings of his new home. The new house was a two storey, triple brick with a large, gabled, terracotta tiled roof. It was situated at the very top of the slope. The paint and varnish were barely dry when the family moved in during the summer of 1925-26 and the fumes were overpowering in the heat. Despite the house being wired for electricity, power poles had not yet reached the area and initially the family had to rely on kerosene lamps and candles. When electricity did arrive, Leason reflected on the community's reception of electricity at the expense of the old growth gum tree corridors in his cartoon, Electricity comes to Wiregrass. The family had now grown to seven. Jack was nearly nine, Jean was seven, Marjory was four, Nancy was two and the baby Patricia was seven months old. Jack and Jean were enrolled in the local primary school down the hill. A retired farmer, Jock McMillan, came to live on the property and help out with the general maintenance. Jock built himself a shack and Belle provided him with meals. He was kept occupied building structures around the property·, such as the garage, the outside toilet, garden beds, trellis arbours and a number of ponds. The elderly, bearded Scotsman with his old hat and baggy pants also provided the inspiration for one of the characters Leason regularly included in his cartoons. Like Leason, Jock smoked a straight stemmed pipe. A neighbour was employed to help Belle with domestic chores, and so the family settled down to live comfortably in their new Eltham house. Two dogs, Maginary and Wodger, completed the large and vibrant household. “Percy Leason; an artist’s life” by Margot Tasca, Thames & Hudson Australia Pty Ltd, Port Melbourne 2016, pp 63-64 Hardback Bookpercy leason, margot tasca, biography, artist, landscape

Digital TIFF file Scan of 35mm Ilford FP3 black and white transparencyharris (blue) train, west richmond railway station

This area of the Flinders Street Railway Yard isl now covered by Federation Square. The second building from the top left with the hip roof is the old Princes Bridge Railway Station.Digital TIFF file Scan of 35mm Ilford FP3 black and white transparencyfederation square, flinders street railway yard, melbourne, princes bridge railway station, red rattler, tait train

GC took this photo at the entrance to Flinders Street Railway Station under the clock looking out as everytime he arrived by train from Eltham and reached this point, it was like a portal from the quiet country into the hussle and bussle of the city - there is a lot going on this picture.Digital TIFF file Scan of 35mm Ilford FP3 black and white transparencyflinders street station, melbourne, st pauls church, swanston street

Note the blue stone edging surrounding the grassy island in the intersection. This stone was originally part of the blue stone lock-up situated behind the Police Station and residence at 728 Main Road (present day Local History Centre and home to Eltham District Historical Society). Following a redesign of the intersection the stone was again relocated back to 728-730 Main Road for use as garden edging.Digital TIFF file Scan of 35mm Ilford HP4 black and white transparency471m, 728 main road, local history centre, lockup, police station, red rattler, single motor carriage, tait train, wattletree road

Former Eltham Shire Council offices in backgroundDigital TIFF file Scan of 35mm Kodak Safety 5063 black and white transparencyeltham shire office, eltham trestle bridge, harris (blue) train, princes bridge railway station

Former Eltham Shire Council offices in backgroundDigital TIFF file Scan of 35mm Kodak Safety 5063 black and white transparencyeltham shire office, eltham trestle bridge, harris (blue) train, princes bridge railway station

Former Eltham Shire Council offices in backgroundDigital TIFF file Scan of 35mm Kodak Safety 5063 black and white transparencyeltham shire office, eltham trestle bridge, harris (blue) train, princes bridge railway station

Former Eltham Shire Council offices in backgroundDigital TIFF file Scan of 35mm Kodak Safety 5063 black and white transparencyeltham shire office, eltham trestle bridge, harris (blue) train, princes bridge railway station

Former Eltham Shire Council offices in backgroundDigital TIFF file Scan of 35mm Kodak Safety 5063 black and white transparencyeltham shire office, eltham trestle bridge, harris (blue) train, princes bridge railway station

Digital TIFF file Scan of 35mm Kodak Safety 5063 black and white transparencyeltham railway station, harris (blue) train

Digital TIFF file Scan of 35mm Kodak Safety 5063 black and white transparencyeltham railway station, harris (blue) train

Digital TIFF file Scan of 35mm Kodak Safety 5063 black and white transparency471m, eltham railway station, hurstbridge line, red rattler, single motor carriage, tait train

Single carriage Red Rattler Tait train which shuttled between Eltham and Hurstbridge and a Harris (Blue) trainDigital TIFF file Scan of 35mm Kodak Safety 5063 black and white transparencyeltham railway station, harris (blue) train, hurstbridge line, red rattler, single motor carriage, tait train

Digital TIFF file Scan of 35mm Kodak Safety 5063 black and white transparency471m, diamond creek railway station, hurstbridge line, red rattler, single motor carriage, tait train

Digital TIFF file Scan of 35mm Kodak Safety 5063 black and white transparency471m, diamond creek railway station, hurstbridge line, red rattler, single motor carriage, tait train

Digital TIFF file Scan of 35mm Kodak Safety 5063 black and white transparency471m, diamond creek railway station, hurstbridge line, red rattler, single motor carriage, tait train

Digital TIFF file Scan of 35mm Kodak Safety 5063 black and white transparency471m, diamond creek railway station, hurstbridge line, red rattler, single motor carriage, tait train

Digital TIFF file Scan of 35mm Kodak Safety 5063 black and white transparency471m, diamond street, eltham, hurstbridge line, level crossing, red rattler, single motor carriage, tait train

GC visited Dunolly with his late father-in-law who used to be a gold miner up there. They were going past the station and noticed a wheat train had derailed in the yards and so he took the opportunity to photograph the goings-on. The fellow in the light grey slacks and beige shirt with tie approached GC and asked him what he was doing. He proposed that GC leave or alternatively, take as many photographs as he desired and then send him a complete set of prints, which GC did.Digital TIFF file Scan of 35mm Kodak Kodachrome colour positve transparencyKodak Kodachromederailment, dunolly, dunolly railway station, george coop collection, t-364, t-383, t-383 locomotive, t-class diesel electric locomotive, victorian railways, wheat train, y-150, y-class diesel electric locomotive

GC visited Dunolly with his late father-in-law who used to be a gold miner up there. They were going past the station and noticed a wheat train had derailed in the yards and so he took the opportunity to photograph the goings-on. The fellow in the light grey slacks and beige shirt with tie approached GC and asked him what he was doing. He proposed that GC leave or alternatively, take as many photographs as he desired and then send him a complete set of prints, which GC did.Digital TIFF file Scan of 12.6 x 18.6 cm colour printb class diesel-electric locomotive, b80, derailment, dunolly, dunolly railway station, t-364, t-383, t-class diesel electric locomotive, victorian railways, wheat train

Digital TIFF file Scan of 9 x 13 cm black and white printbanksia street, comeng electric train (1981), heidelberg railway station, overpass

Digital TIFF file Scan of 9 x 13 cm black and white printbanksia street, heidelberg railway station, hitachi electric train (1972-2014), overpass,

Digital TIFF file Scan of 9 x 13 cm black and white printbanksia street, heidelberg railway station, overpass, parcels van, red rattler, single motor carriage, tait train

Digital TIFF file Scan of 9 x 13 cm black and white printbanksia street, heidelberg railway station, overpass, parcels van, red rattler, single motor carriage, tait train

Digital TIFF file Scan of 9 x 13 cm black and white printbox hill railway station, electric train

Digital TIFF file Scan of 35mm Ilford FP4 black and white transparencyeltham railway station, hurstbridge line, red rattler, tait train

Digital TIFF file Scan of 35mm Ilford FP4 black and white transparencyeltham railway station, hurstbridge line, red rattler, tait train