This is the site of the first roadside art gallery - Hassall's Roadside Gallery created by the artist son of an artist. Ian Hassall was the son of John Hassall who was among and may have been the first of the British poster artists. The gallery opened Saturday July 14, 1962 at 1215 Main road, Eltham by the director of the National Gallery of Victoria, Eric Westbrook. Situated on the left hand side of the main road, about a mile and a half beyond Eltham, towards Research, near Coleman's Corner at the intersection of Wattletree Road. The property has remnants of a stone quarry, probably for the purpose of gaining stone for local road making. Paintings were hung on screens and removed at night for safety. Large pedestals displayed sculpture and jewellery. All types of hand made art work was displayed. Access to the exhibition and grounds was slightly lower than the level of the road. They were encircled by a narrow little moat formed by a small tributary of the Diamond Creek accessed by a small well built stone bridge built by Ian Hassall with local stone. The Gallery later became known as Hassall's Gallery Bazaar antiques, furniture, curios bought and sold. It operated through to the early 1990s. The property has been derelict and neglected for some years. At one stage a shipping container sat near the entrance. This series of ten photographs illustrate the extent of the vegetation which has taken over the land, evidence of rubbish and a possible fire. In July 2017, planning permission was sought from the Shire of Nillumbik for buildings and works to construct a dwelling and associated vegetation removal. (source planningalerts.org.au)Born Digitaleltham, main road, hassall's gallery bazaar

This is the site of the first roadside art gallery - Hassall's Roadside Gallery created by the artist son of an artist. Ian Hassall was the son of John Hassall who was among and may have been the first of the British poster artists. The gallery opened Saturday July 14, 1962 at 1215 Main road, Eltham by the director of the National Gallery of Victoria, Eric Westbrook. Situated on the left hand side of the main road, about a mile and a half beyond Eltham, towards Research, near Coleman's Corner at the intersection of Wattletree Road. The property has remnants of a stone quarry, probably for the purpose of gaining stone for local road making. Paintings were hung on screens and removed at night for safety. Large pedestals displayed sculpture and jewellery. All types of hand made art work was displayed. Access to the exhibition and grounds was slightly lower than the level of the road. They were encircled by a narrow little moat formed by a small tributary of the Diamond Creek accessed by a small well built stone bridge built by Ian Hassall with local stone. The Gallery later became known as Hassall's Gallery Bazaar antiques, furniture, curios bought and sold. It operated through to the early 1990s. The property has been derelict and neglected for some years. At one stage a shipping container sat near the entrance. This series of ten photographs illustrate the extent of the vegetation which has taken over the land, evidence of rubbish and a possible fire. In July 2017, planning permission was sought from the Shire of Nillumbik for buildings and works to construct a dwelling and associated vegetation removal. (source planningalerts.org.au)Born Digitaleltham, main road, hassall's gallery bazaar

This is the site of the first roadside art gallery - Hassall's Roadside Gallery created by the artist son of an artist. Ian Hassall was the son of John Hassall who was among and may have been the first of the British poster artists. The gallery opened Saturday July 14, 1962 at 1215 Main road, Eltham by the director of the National Gallery of Victoria, Eric Westbrook. Situated on the left hand side of the main road, about a mile and a half beyond Eltham, towards Research, near Coleman's Corner at the intersection of Wattletree Road. The property has remnants of a stone quarry, probably for the purpose of gaining stone for local road making. Paintings were hung on screens and removed at night for safety. Large pedestals displayed sculpture and jewellery. All types of hand made art work was displayed. Access to the exhibition and grounds was slightly lower than the level of the road. They were encircled by a narrow little moat formed by a small tributary of the Diamond Creek accessed by a small well built stone bridge built by Ian Hassall with local stone. The Gallery later became known as Hassall's Gallery Bazaar antiques, furniture, curios bought and sold. It operated through to the early 1990s. The property has been derelict and neglected for some years. At one stage a shipping container sat near the entrance. This series of ten photographs illustrate the extent of the vegetation which has taken over the land, evidence of rubbish and a possible fire. In July 2017, planning permission was sought from the Shire of Nillumbik for buildings and works to construct a dwelling and associated vegetation removal. (source planningalerts.org.au)Born Digitaleltham, main road, hassall's gallery bazaar

This is the site of the first roadside art gallery - Hassall's Roadside Gallery created by the artist son of an artist. Ian Hassall was the son of John Hassall who was among and may have been the first of the British poster artists. The gallery opened Saturday July 14, 1962 at 1215 Main road, Eltham by the director of the National Gallery of Victoria, Eric Westbrook. Situated on the left hand side of the main road, about a mile and a half beyond Eltham, towards Research, near Coleman's Corner at the intersection of Wattletree Road. The property has remnants of a stone quarry, probably for the purpose of gaining stone for local road making. Paintings were hung on screens and removed at night for safety. Large pedestals displayed sculpture and jewellery. All types of hand made art work was displayed. Access to the exhibition and grounds was slightly lower than the level of the road. They were encircled by a narrow little moat formed by a small tributary of the Diamond Creek accessed by a small well built stone bridge built by Ian Hassall with local stone. The Gallery later became known as Hassall's Gallery Bazaar antiques, furniture, curios bought and sold. It operated through to the early 1990s. The property has been derelict and neglected for some years. At one stage a shipping container sat near the entrance. This series of ten photographs illustrate the extent of the vegetation which has taken over the land, evidence of rubbish and a possible fire. In July 2017, planning permission was sought from the Shire of Nillumbik for buildings and works to construct a dwelling and associated vegetation removal. (source planningalerts.org.au)Born Digitaleltham, main road, hassall's gallery bazaar

This is the site of the first roadside art gallery - Hassall's Roadside Gallery created by the artist son of an artist. Ian Hassall was the son of John Hassall who was among and may have been the first of the British poster artists. The gallery opened Saturday July 14, 1962 at 1215 Main road, Eltham by the director of the National Gallery of Victoria, Eric Westbrook. Situated on the left hand side of the main road, about a mile and a half beyond Eltham, towards Research, near Coleman's Corner at the intersection of Wattletree Road. The property has remnants of a stone quarry, probably for the purpose of gaining stone for local road making. Paintings were hung on screens and removed at night for safety. Large pedestals displayed sculpture and jewellery. All types of hand made art work was displayed. Access to the exhibition and grounds was slightly lower than the level of the road. They were encircled by a narrow little moat formed by a small tributary of the Diamond Creek accessed by a small well built stone bridge built by Ian Hassall with local stone. The Gallery later became known as Hassall's Gallery Bazaar antiques, furniture, curios bought and sold. It operated through to the early 1990s. The property has been derelict and neglected for some years. At one stage a shipping container sat near the entrance. This series of ten photographs illustrate the extent of the vegetation which has taken over the land, evidence of rubbish and a possible fire. In July 2017, planning permission was sought from the Shire of Nillumbik for buildings and works to construct a dwelling and associated vegetation removal. (source planningalerts.org.au)Born Digitaleltham, main road, hassall's gallery bazaar

This is the site of the first roadside art gallery - Hassall's Roadside Gallery created by the artist son of an artist. Ian Hassall was the son of John Hassall who was among and may have been the first of the British poster artists. The gallery opened Saturday July 14, 1962 at 1215 Main road, Eltham by the director of the National Gallery of Victoria, Eric Westbrook. Situated on the left hand side of the main road, about a mile and a half beyond Eltham, towards Research, near Coleman's Corner at the intersection of Wattletree Road. The property has remnants of a stone quarry, probably for the purpose of gaining stone for local road making. Paintings were hung on screens and removed at night for safety. Large pedestals displayed sculpture and jewellery. All types of hand made art work was displayed. Access to the exhibition and grounds was slightly lower than the level of the road. They were encircled by a narrow little moat formed by a small tributary of the Diamond Creek accessed by a small well built stone bridge built by Ian Hassall with local stone. The Gallery later became known as Hassall's Gallery Bazaar antiques, furniture, curios bought and sold. It operated through to the early 1990s. The property has been derelict and neglected for some years. At one stage a shipping container sat near the entrance. This series of ten photographs illustrate the extent of the vegetation which has taken over the land, evidence of rubbish and a possible fire. In July 2017, planning permission was sought from the Shire of Nillumbik for buildings and works to construct a dwelling and associated vegetation removal. (source planningalerts.org.au)Born Digitaleltham, main road, hassall's gallery bazaar

This is the site of the first roadside art gallery - Hassall's Roadside Gallery created by the artist son of an artist. Ian Hassall was the son of John Hassall who was among and may have been the first of the British poster artists. The gallery opened Saturday July 14, 1962 at 1215 Main road, Eltham by the director of the National Gallery of Victoria, Eric Westbrook. Situated on the left hand side of the main road, about a mile and a half beyond Eltham, towards Research, near Coleman's Corner at the intersection of Wattletree Road. The property has remnants of a stone quarry, probably for the purpose of gaining stone for local road making. Paintings were hung on screens and removed at night for safety. Large pedestals displayed sculpture and jewellery. All types of hand made art work was displayed. Access to the exhibition and grounds was slightly lower than the level of the road. They were encircled by a narrow little moat formed by a small tributary of the Diamond Creek accessed by a small well built stone bridge built by Ian Hassall with local stone. The Gallery later became known as Hassall's Gallery Bazaar antiques, furniture, curios bought and sold. It operated through to the early 1990s. The property has been derelict and neglected for some years. At one stage a shipping container sat near the entrance. This series of ten photographs illustrate the extent of the vegetation which has taken over the land, evidence of rubbish and a possible fire. In July 2017, planning permission was sought from the Shire of Nillumbik for buildings and works to construct a dwelling and associated vegetation removal. (source planningalerts.org.au)Born Digitaleltham, main road, hassall's gallery bazaar

An exhibition of works created by artists who have taken part in the Laughing Waters Artist Residency Program over the past 15 years. The exhibition took place at Montsalvat, Eltham 30 January - 14 March 2016. Curators Jane Woolard and Grace Longato. Spiral bound. 1 volume (unpaged) : illustrations (chiefly colour), 1 portrait ;australian art, laughing waters artist residency program

"Laughing Waters has been a source of inspiration for many artists and designers, and was a natural extension of the dynamic art and lifestyle movement that began in the 1930s at Montsalvat. It was also an important site in the development of the Melbourne art scene in the 1960s and '70s, especially the earth building movement known as the Eltham Style. Since 2001 more than eighty artists have been in residence at Laughing Waters in Birrarung House and Riverbend. Their experiences and art making are woven together with Wurundjeri, European and family histories to create an evocative account of a special place in a bushy outer suburb of Melbourne." -- back cover. Eltham District Historical Society is acknowledged in the Acknowledgments section of this book.264 pages : illustrations, maps, portraits ISBN 9780994486707laughing waters, eltham, yarra river, artists, killeavey, mud bricks

Back Cover: At a time when black and white art was flourishing in Australia- with artists like Norman Lindsay, Will Dyson and Stan Cross at work - Percy Leason's creation of Wiregrass ranked him as an illustrator of surpassing genius. His early successes as a book illustrator and as a cartoonist for the Bulletin and Melbourne Punch, presaged a full flowering of his work with his creation of the mythical town and his endowment of it with a host of characters and comic situations. His inspiration came from his childhood town in Kaniva, Western Victoria but Wiregrass was every country town, with its general store, pub and church hall, its swimming hole, football ground and racecourse, its leading citizens, its battlers and mischievous children. Wiregrass flourished in Table Talk Magazine from 1926 to 1937 when Leason, seeking to escape his comic reputation and pursue "serious" art, went to live in America." Percy Leason lived in Eltham Softcover, 80 p. : ill., 1 port. ; 30 cm.ISBN 0850912490australian wit and humour, drawing, caricatures and cartoons, country life

Cr. Mary Grant of Hurstbridge served as the North Riding Councillor for the Shire of Eltham. First elected in 1990 and required to retire by 1995. She was the Shire President at least 1992-1993. Source: Shire of Eltham 1993 Handbook. It is believed that this photograph was taken after Cr. Grant's term as President. EDHS Newsletter No. 216, May 2014, p4 Mayoral Chain of Office R.C. McLellan and family donated a Chain of Office to the Shire of Eltham to be worn by the Shire President on formal occasions. With the amalgamation of councils in 1994 this was transferred to the Shire of Nillumbik to be used during the mayoral year. Eltham had a Shire President whereas Nillumbik has a Mayor. Many municipalities have a collar or chain of office for ceremonial purposes. Traditionally these symbolise or denote the formal leadership role of office. This chain is part of the Visual Art Collection held by Nillumbik Shire Council and is now on display in the Council Chamber area in the Civic Centre at Greensborough. Matcham Skipper and Myra Skipper were commissioned by the McClellan family to create the gold-plated silver chain shown being worn by Eltham Shire President Peter Graham in 1990, with Bob McLellan and Matcham Skipper (centre). Nillumbik Shire Council has asked that the following credit information is used when the chain is displayed, or images reproduced. Matcham SKIPPER (1921-2011) and Myra SKIPPER (1920-1996) Mayoral (Presidential) Chains of Office 1976 Gold plated silver 60cm x 32cm x 1cm (variable) © The Estate of Matcham and Myra Skipper Donated by RC McLellan and Family Visual Art Collection: Nillumbik Shire Council [Picture: Nillumbik Mayoral Chain of Office] [Picture: Bob McLellan, Matcham Skipper and Eltham Shire President Peter Graham -1990]The Presidential Chain of Office is now a significant part of the Nillumbik Shire Council's art collection.Colour photograph Councillor Mary Grant in Shire President Regaliacouncillors, eltham shire council, shire presidents, mary grant, nillumbik shire art collection, presidential chain of office

Paperback; 84 p. : ill., ports ; 30 cm.ISBN 064612403buildings, monuments, social customs, art, culture, conservation

The Warrandyte Historical Society aims to collect, preserve and present the town's history. This books draws on the archival and memorabilia resources of the Society and other sources to paint a portrait of the township, its landscape, buildings, organisations and community.Warrandyte holds a significant place in Victoria's gold mining, art and settlement history.ISBN 9780992429102warrandyte, anderson's creek

Paperback; 129 p. : ill. ; 21 cm.nillumbik, artists, art

Paperback; 11 p. : ill. (some col.) ; 22 cm.artists, walter withers

Nillumbik Now and Then takes the reader on a journey from when the Aboriginal people were this area's sole inhabitnats, to the present day. Nillumbik's history - told in this collection of 96 stories, which are nearly all based on sites - mirrors those of the wider Australian community. It includes tales of the Wurundjeri people, a former convict, farmers, a bushranger, gold-mining, soldiers, artists, intellectuals, environmentalists and sportspeople. Each story is illustrated with a photograph. As a journalist with the former Diamond Valley News, Marguerite Marshall wrote a series of articles on local places of historic interest, later published as the small book "Eltham Shire - Historic Buildings and Places". Many years later an expanded version was published under the title "Nillumbik Now and Then". This is a much larger version of "Nillumbik Now and Then", including significant rewriting and many additional articles. The new publication was made possible by financial support from the Victorian Public Records Office, Bendigo Bank and Nillumbik Shire Council. EDHS and other historical societies in Nillumbik assisted with content for many of the stories. The book was launched at the Eltham Library on Wednesday 19th November 2008. Source: EDHS Newsletter No 183, November 2009 The front cover art depicts The former house of naturalist and artist Neil Douglas at Bend of Islands, photographer Marguerite Marshall. This collection of almost 130 photos and stories 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. Paperback; x, 198 p. : ill., ports. ; 30 cm.Signed by the authornillumbik shire, houses, buildings, weller's hotel, landmarks, bend of islands

Not Just a Pretty Place acknowledges the cultural significance of this site for the residents of Nillumbik Shire and for the Wurrundjeri community. Historically the confluence of rivers have particular importance as these were sites where rituals and ceremonies took place. The carved bluestone form presents an oversize river pebble that echoes the spirit of the water and draws attention to this location as a meeting place an landmark. Awarded the 2000 Nillumbik Art in Public Places Award and situated behind Lennister Farm near Yarra ParkColour photograph printaleks danko, eltham, lennister farm, yarra park

Colour photograph of painting, 'Steeple Chase at Eltham, March 27 1862'. Painting owned by Dr Ken Le Versha, Castlemainehorses, horse racing, art, paintings, eltham

Colour photograph of Marcus Skipper's sculpture of Alan Marshall with Eltham Library in backgroundsculptures, alan marshall, marcus skipper, public art, libraries, eltham library, eltham, panther place, authors, writers

[from EDHS Newsletter No. 75, November 1990:] WALTER WITHERS PLAQUE At long last we have unveiled our plaque in the Walter Withers Reserve. The function was attended by a number of members and friends of the Society and descendants of the Withers family. Following the unveiling, the group proceeded to the Eltham Shire Office for afternoon tea and a small exhibition of Withers' paintings arranged by Andrew Mackenzie. The unveiling was performed by Mary Owen, a grand-daughter of Walter Withers. Her speech provided an interesting personal perspective on Withers and is repeated in full here: I feel somewhat overwhelmed by the responsibility of paying tribute to the man you have all come to honour today. I have the feeling that most of you probably know more about him and his work than I do. Walter Withers died nearly seven years before I was born and so I never knew him. Sadly, although other members of his family inherited some of his talent, I was not among them and I know very little about art. This is doubly hard to bear because my husband had some ability to draw and my second daughter also has some talent in this direction. My children are all artistic - mostly in the field of music inherited partly from their father - a Welshman who sang like a Welshman - and partly from my grandmother, Fanny Withers who, I believe was no mean pianist. However all this talent gave me a miss and for many years I felt a complete ignoramus in the fields of the arts. It was not until I was nearly fifty years old that I walked into a gallery in Brisbane and, as I wandered around the room, suddenly one picture leapt at me and I knew instantly that it had been painted by my grandfather. I had never seen the picture before and it gave me quite a shock to find that I had recognized the style of painting. I realized then that I had absorbed more than I realized simply by living with pictures and with people who painted them and talked about their painting and the painting of others. When I was a child I sometimes spent school holidays with my Aunt Margery Withers and her husband, Richard McCann. Aunt Marge painted me several times but I'm afraid I was a restless subject and used to sit reading a book and look up grudgingly when she wanted to paint my eyes. During the September holidays my aunt and uncle were busy preparing paintings far the annual exhibition of the Melbourne Twenty Painters, to which they both belonged. I remember how important I used to feel when they took me along to the Athenaeum Gallery on the Friday night before the opening to help hang their pictures. There were many artists there but the two I remember are perhaps surprisingly both women: Miss Bale and Miss Tweddle. I remember how cold it used to be up in that gallery at night. They used to heat water on a gas ring to make tea and Aunt Marge used to bring sandwiches and fruit for our evening meal. Everyone seemed to be poor in those days and no-one dreamed of going out for a meal. It was a case of make-do - even to cutting down frames to fit pictures or cutting pictures to fit the frames. They had to use the same frames from year to year if the pictures didn't sell. The opening was an exciting event for me. I felt I was privileged to meet important people - people who knew a lot more than I - and Uncle Dick would get quite merry after a couple of the tiny sweet sherries which were always distributed. I realise now that quite a lot of "art talk" rubbed off on me during my visits to the Athenaeum and during my stays with my aunt and uncle. I suspect that much of our most useful learning comes this way and those of us who have had the privilege of associating with artists, writers, philosophers and other thinkers have a richness in our lives of which we may be unaware. Walter Withers was a prolific painter and, although he painted for love of it, I suspect that the need to provide for his family drove him, like Mozart, to greater efforts than he might otherwise have achieved. Reading old letters and articles about the Heidelberg artists, I have come to realize something of the constant strain placed on many of them - particularly Withers and McCubbin - by poverty and the need to make ends meet. Withers was ever conscious of the need to provide for his wife and his five children and there are touching letters to his wife, regretting that he was not able to earn more for them. In addition to his painting, he worked hard at teaching and illustrating and, as he grew older, the strain began to tell and his health deteriorated. He seems never to have had a very strong constitution and suffered from rheumatism, which must have made painting quite painful at times. His eldest daughter, Gladys, was eventually confined to a wheelchair with rheumatoid arthritis and I have a tendency to arthritis myself, so I am particularly aware of what this could have meant to him. Recently I found a short letter written by my mother to her mother, Fanny Withers on the anniversary of her father's birthday in 1919, in which she said: "Poor old Dad, I often think now what a lot he must have suffered. His life was too hard and too strenuous for him. He had too many chick-a-biddies, I think. He wasn't equal to so much town life and train journeys with so many delicacies as he had. Since I have been ill, I have realised what he must have felt like.” He certainly drove himself to produce. He travelled all over Victoria by train, buggy, bicycle and on foot and for a time he travelled from Eltham to Melbourne every day by train, although later he lived in Melbourne during the week and only returned to Eltham for the weekends. My mother died seven years after her father's death, when my twin sisters were 10 days old and I was 16 months. So I never knew my mother or my grandfather. But my two aunts, Gladys and Margery, sometimes took me to stay with Gan Withers at Southernwood in Bolton Street . No cars in those days and it seemed a very long hot and dusty walk from the Station. Three memories remain with me of Southernwood. One is the well at the back which I found quite terrifying; the second is Gan killing a snake - even more terrifying. She was a formidable woman, my grandmother and a great ally and support to her husband. I think she was the business end of the partnership. The third memory of Southernwood is my grandfather's studio – down what seemed like a toy staircase inside the room. This and the big walk-in fireplace stayed in my mind from the age of about six until I saw them again about forty years later when the house was being used as a Sunday School. I just wish that money could be found to purchase this old house for the City of Eltham so that a permanent museum could be established in memory of a man who did so much to put Eltham on the map of art history. Recently I have become interested in family history and spent some time in England, Ireland and Wales looking for traces of my ancestors. I realized then how important it is to have records of people who have contributed to our society. We forget so soon and it is amazing how often, within two generations, names, dates and many details are forgotten. We are fortunate that so many of Walter Withers' works have been bought by galleries and that people like Andrew Mackenzie have taken the trouble to search out people who knew him and to write about him and his work. And I am very grateful to the Historical Society of Eltham for recognizing the importance of having a permanent tribute in Eltham to the contribution made by Walter Withers, who loved Eltham so much and who has assured this lovely district a place in the annals of history. I am indebted to Kathleen Mangan; the daughter of another famous Australian painter , Fred McCubbin, - featured in The Age this morning (thanks again to Andrew Mackenzie) for the most apt tribute to Walter Withers. Kathleen is not well and she rang me a couple of days ago, regretting that she could not be present today “to pay tribute” as she said, “to Walter Withers for I always think Walter Withers is the spirit of Eltham.” Thank you, Kathleen. And now I have much pleasure in unveiling the plaque commissioned by the Eltham Historical Society from Bob McLellan of Charmac Industries to commemorate the life and work of Walter Withers, the spirit of Eltham. Mary Owen, 13 October 1990.Three colour photographswalter withers rock, walter withers reserve, mary owen

[from EDHS Newsletter No. 75, November 1990:] WALTER WITHERS PLAQUE At long last we have unveiled our plaque in the Walter Withers Reserve. The function was attended by a number of members and friends of the Society and descendants of the Withers family. Following the unveiling, the group proceeded to the Eltham Shire Office for afternoon tea and a small exhibition of Withers' paintings arranged by Andrew Mackenzie. The unveiling was performed by Mary Owen, a grand-daughter of Walter Withers. Her speech provided an interesting personal perspective on Withers and is repeated in full here: I feel somewhat overwhelmed by the responsibility of paying tribute to the man you have all come to honour today. I have the feeling that most of you probably know more about him and his work than I do. Walter Withers died nearly seven years before I was born and so I never knew him. Sadly, although other members of his family inherited some of his talent, I was not among them and I know very little about art. This is doubly hard to bear because my husband had some ability to draw and my second daughter also has some talent in this direction. My children are all artistic - mostly in the field of music inherited partly from their father - a Welshman who sang like a Welshman - and partly from my grandmother, Fanny Withers who, I believe was no mean pianist. However all this talent gave me a miss and for many years I felt a complete ignoramus in the fields of the arts. It was not until I was nearly fifty years old that I walked into a gallery in Brisbane and, as I wandered around the room, suddenly one picture leapt at me and I knew instantly that it had been painted by my grandfather. I had never seen the picture before and it gave me quite a shock to find that I had recognized the style of painting. I realized then that I had absorbed more than I realized simply by living with pictures and with people who painted them and talked about their painting and the painting of others. When I was a child I sometimes spent school holidays with my Aunt Margery Withers and her husband, Richard McCann. Aunt Marge painted me several times but I'm afraid I was a restless subject and used to sit reading a book and look up grudgingly when she wanted to paint my eyes. During the September holidays my aunt and uncle were busy preparing paintings far the annual exhibition of the Melbourne Twenty Painters, to which they both belonged. I remember how important I used to feel when they took me along to the Athenaeum Gallery on the Friday night before the opening to help hang their pictures. There were many artists there but the two I remember are perhaps surprisingly both women: Miss Bale and Miss Tweddle. I remember how cold it used to be up in that gallery at night. They used to heat water on a gas ring to make tea and Aunt Marge used to bring sandwiches and fruit for our evening meal. Everyone seemed to be poor in those days and no-one dreamed of going out for a meal. It was a case of make-do - even to cutting down frames to fit pictures or cutting pictures to fit the frames. They had to use the same frames from year to year if the pictures didn't sell. The opening was an exciting event for me. I felt I was privileged to meet important people - people who knew a lot more than I - and Uncle Dick would get quite merry after a couple of the tiny sweet sherries which were always distributed. I realise now that quite a lot of "art talk" rubbed off on me during my visits to the Athenaeum and during my stays with my aunt and uncle. I suspect that much of our most useful learning comes this way and those of us who have had the privilege of associating with artists, writers, philosophers and other thinkers have a richness in our lives of which we may be unaware. Walter Withers was a prolific painter and, although he painted for love of it, I suspect that the need to provide for his family drove him, like Mozart, to greater efforts than he might otherwise have achieved. Reading old letters and articles about the Heidelberg artists, I have come to realize something of the constant strain placed on many of them - particularly Withers and McCubbin - by poverty and the need to make ends meet. Withers was ever conscious of the need to provide for his wife and his five children and there are touching letters to his wife, regretting that he was not able to earn more for them. In addition to his painting, he worked hard at teaching and illustrating and, as he grew older, the strain began to tell and his health deteriorated. He seems never to have had a very strong constitution and suffered from rheumatism, which must have made painting quite painful at times. His eldest daughter, Gladys, was eventually confined to a wheelchair with rheumatoid arthritis and I have a tendency to arthritis myself, so I am particularly aware of what this could have meant to him. Recently I found a short letter written by my mother to her mother, Fanny Withers on the anniversary of her father's birthday in 1919, in which she said: "Poor old Dad, I often think now what a lot he must have suffered. His life was too hard and too strenuous for him. He had too many chick-a-biddies, I think. He wasn't equal to so much town life and train journeys with so many delicacies as he had. Since I have been ill, I have realised what he must have felt like.” He certainly drove himself to produce. He travelled all over Victoria by train, buggy, bicycle and on foot and for a time he travelled from Eltham to Melbourne every day by train, although later he lived in Melbourne during the week and only returned to Eltham for the weekends. My mother died seven years after her father's death, when my twin sisters were 10 days old and I was 16 months. So I never knew my mother or my grandfather. But my two aunts, Gladys and Margery, sometimes took me to stay with Gan Withers at Southernwood in Bolton Street . No cars in those days and it seemed a very long hot and dusty walk from the Station. Three memories remain with me of Southernwood. One is the well at the back which I found quite terrifying; the second is Gan killing a snake - even more terrifying. She was a formidable woman, my grandmother and a great ally and support to her husband. I think she was the business end of the partnership. The third memory of Southernwood is my grandfather's studio – down what seemed like a toy staircase inside the room. This and the big walk-in fireplace stayed in my mind from the age of about six until I saw them again about forty years later when the house was being used as a Sunday School. I just wish that money could be found to purchase this old house for the City of Eltham so that a permanent museum could be established in memory of a man who did so much to put Eltham on the map of art history. Recently I have become interested in family history and spent some time in England, Ireland and Wales looking for traces of my ancestors. I realized then how important it is to have records of people who have contributed to our society. We forget so soon and it is amazing how often, within two generations, names, dates and many details are forgotten. We are fortunate that so many of Walter Withers' works have been bought by galleries and that people like Andrew Mackenzie have taken the trouble to search out people who knew him and to write about him and his work. And I am very grateful to the Historical Society of Eltham for recognizing the importance of having a permanent tribute in Eltham to the contribution made by Walter Withers, who loved Eltham so much and who has assured this lovely district a place in the annals of history. I am indebted to Kathleen Mangan; the daughter of another famous Australian painter , Fred McCubbin, - featured in The Age this morning (thanks again to Andrew Mackenzie) for the most apt tribute to Walter Withers. Kathleen is not well and she rang me a couple of days ago, regretting that she could not be present today “to pay tribute” as she said, “to Walter Withers for I always think Walter Withers is the spirit of Eltham.” Thank you, Kathleen. And now I have much pleasure in unveiling the plaque commissioned by the Eltham Historical Society from Bob McLellan of Charmac Industries to commemorate the life and work of Walter Withers, the spirit of Eltham. Mary Owen, 13 October 1990.Two colour photographswalter withers rock, walter withers reserve, mary owen

Source: Geelong Art Gallery via Mr Alan Marshal, then via Shire of Eltham This photo forms part of a collection of photographs gathered by the Shire of Eltham for their centenary project book,"Pioneers and Painters: 100 years of the Shire of Eltham" by Alan Marshall (1971). The collection of over 500 images is held in partnership between Eltham District Historical Society and Yarra Plenty Regional Library (Eltham Library) and is now formally known as the 'The Shire of Eltham Pioneers Photograph Collection.' It is significant in being the first community sourced collection representing the places and people of the Shire's first one hundred years.Digital imagesepp, shire of eltham pioneers photograph collection, montmorency, the road to lower plenty, walter withers

[from EDHS Newsletter No. 104, September 1995:] ALAN MARSHALL SCULPTURE. In our last Newsletter brief mention was made of the bronze sculpture of Alan Marshall outside the Eltham Library. Sculptor Marcus Skipper has now completed the installation of his almost life-size work. The setting and location are ideal and Marcus has really captured the typical Marshall character. It has attracted much favourable comment since its completion. Most members are generally familiar with Alan's life and work but for those not so familiar and for the sake of the record we include these brief biographical details. Alan Marshall, A.M., O.B.E., Hon.LL.D. (1902-1984) was born at Noorat, Victoria and became one of Australia's most famous authors. His association with the Eltham area began in 1920 when he started his first job as a junior clerk at the Eltham Shire Offices, Kangaroo Ground. In the 1940s he spent some time living at Research. From 1955 he lived in Eltham for nearly 20 years. Disabilities resulting from polio as a young child did not prevent a wide range of experiences. Alan's occupations have been listed as clerk, night watchman, fortune teller, freelance journalist and author. He has been patron of many disadvantaged Children's Societies. Alan's books are numerous and include novels, short stories, children's books, history and travel. Among the best known are his autobiographies "I Can Jump Puddles" and "This is the Grass". Others include "These are My People", "Ourselves Writ Strange", "People of the Dreamtime", "The Gay Provider" and "Wild Red Horses". In 1971 he wrote the Centenary History of the Shire of Eltham, "Pioneers and Painters".Colour photographalan marshall, eltham library, marcus skipper, public art, sculptures

[from EDHS Newsletter No. 104, September 1995:] ALAN MARSHALL SCULPTURE. In our last Newsletter brief mention was made of the bronze sculpture of Alan Marshall outside the Eltham Library. Sculptor Marcus Skipper has now completed the installation of his almost life-size work. The setting and location are ideal and Marcus has really captured the typical Marshall character. It has attracted much favourable comment since its completion. Most members are generally familiar with Alan's life and work but for those not so familiar and for the sake of the record we include these brief biographical details. Alan Marshall, A.M., O.B.E., Hon.LL.D. (1902-1984) was born at Noorat, Victoria and became one of Australia's most famous authors. His association with the Eltham area began in 1920 when he started his first job as a junior clerk at the Eltham Shire Offices, Kangaroo Ground. In the 1940s he spent some time living at Research. From 1955 he lived in Eltham for nearly 20 years. Disabilities resulting from polio as a young child did not prevent a wide range of experiences. Alan's occupations have been listed as clerk, night watchman, fortune teller, freelance journalist and author. He has been patron of many disadvantaged Children's Societies. Alan's books are numerous and include novels, short stories, children's books, history and travel. Among the best known are his autobiographies "I Can Jump Puddles" and "This is the Grass". Others include "These are My People", "Ourselves Writ Strange", "People of the Dreamtime", "The Gay Provider" and "Wild Red Horses". In 1971 he wrote the Centenary History of the Shire of Eltham, "Pioneers and Painters".Colour photographalan marshall, eltham library, marcus skipper, public art, sculptures

View from driver's cabin The Station Master's house is located within the cluster of trees to the left of the photograph which is now the short term car park and bus bay. The Country Art Store is now Cafe 3095.Digital TIFF file Scan of 35mm Ilford FP4 black and white transparencycountry art store, eltham railway station, eltham station masters house

Note the graffiti. Older 20th.c and earlier railway cars were rolling palaces of the cabinet makers art. Full of polished timber, plated & embossed metal fittings, soft upholstery & beveled glass. In their earliest form, the Tait’s and earlier swing door cars for even modest suburban work, reflected some level of this design approach. Plus of course large sepia toned photographs on dividing walls displaying tourist spots trains could take you to.Digital TIFF file Scan of 35mm Kodak Safety 5062 black and white transparencygraffiti, interior, passenger carriage, red rattler, tait train

from EDHS Newsletter No. 122, September 1998 - There is a new display in our local history cabinet in the Eltham Library. This time we have used our growing collection of material on Eltham, England. It includes the painting by Lionel Backhurst presented to us on behalf of Eltham Society by Clifford Crate. The booklet on the Eltham town sign that Clifford also brought is in loose leaf format so we have been able to include the whole of that which really presents an excellent summary of the important historic buildings of Eltham. Also on display is another painting by Lionel which was presented to Russell and Marion Yeoman. (Much of this material was presented to the Society during a visit by Margaret Taylor and Clifford Crate of the Eltham Society during Christmas/New Year 1997/98.)Roll of 35mm colour negative film, 7 stripsKodak Gold 200-6activities, art, clifford crate, displays, eltham library, eltham society (london), lionel backhurst, local history, margaret taylor

Held in the carpark between the Safeway Supermarket and Commercial PlaceRoll of 35mm black and white negative film, 5 stripsIlford HP5art and craft market, carparks, commercial place, eltham market, safeway supermarket, shopping centre

Held in the carpark between the Safeway Supermarket and Commercial PlaceRoll of 35mm black and white negative film, 5 stripsIlford HP5art and craft market, carparks, commercial place, eltham market, safeway supermarket, shopping centre

Held in the carpark between the Safeway Supermarket and Commercial PlaceRoll of 35mm black and white negative film, 5 stripsIlford HP5art and craft market, carparks, commercial place, eltham market, safeway supermarket, shopping centre