This pole was used in the construction of the first Torquay Lifesaving Club clubhouse in 1945. it was dug up by club members from the mouth of Spring Creek, where it had been laid as part of defence strategy during WW2. In the 1940s 'Tank Traps' were placed across low lying Victorian Beaches to stop potential invading Japanese forces. This pole was salvaged from the ashes of the fire which destroyed the first TLSC clubhouse in 1970.This wooden pole was used in the foundations of the first Torquay Surf Life saving Club club house. Timber pole associated with WW2 and Torquay SLSC, damaged by fire in 1970.torquay lifesaving club, 'tank traps', world war 11, local war defences

The Royal Standard Hotel was destroyed on the eve of the "Back to Rutherglen" week, which was to begin on 26th March 1956. The owner of the hotel was Clive Philp, a former Hawthorn and State footballer. He had only become licensee of the hotel in the previous September.Black and white photograph of the Royal Standard on fire on the 25th March 1956.royal standard hotel, hotels, fires, clive philp

The Royal Standard Hotel was destroyed on the eve of the "Back to Rutherglen" week, which was to begin on 26th March 1956. The owner of the hotel was Clive Philp, a former Hawthorn and State footballer. He had only become licensee of the hotel in the previous September.Black and white photograph of the wreckage of the Royal Standard fire after the fire that took place on 25th March 1956.royal standard hotel, hotels, fire, clive philp

Belltower Pottery was established by Rudolf Dybka in Kyabram, Victoria, in around 1977 with the help of John Stroomer. Stroomer later took over the pottery, employing as many as 23 workers and apprentices. After a fire in 1988 destroyed the building, Stroomer moved the pottery to the old Kyabram butter factory, where it operated until the late 1990s. Works may be marked with an impressed 'Belltower Pottery' or, after the move to Kyabram, 'Belltower Pottery, Handmade, Kyabram, Vic.'Wheel thrown stoneware bowl with the word 'Nuts' on one side. Stamped "'Belltower Pottery, Handmade, Kyabram, Vic"pottery, belltower pottery, kyabram, australia studio pottery

Belltower Pottery was set up by Rudolf Dybka in Kyabram, Victoria, in around 1977 with the help of John Stroomer. Stroomer later took over the pottery, employing as many as 23 workers and apprentices. After a fire in 1988 destroyed the building, Stroomer moved the pottery to the old Kyabram butter factory, where it operated until the late 1990s. Works may be marked with an impressed 'Belltower Pottery' or, after the move to Kyabram, 'Belltower Pottery, Handmade, Kyabram, Vic.'Wheel thrown stoneware bowl with the word 'Nuts' on one side. pottery, belltower pottery, rudolf dybka, john stroomer

Date made 7 January 1978Colour photograph of the disastrous fire which destroyed St Brendans RC Church. Two fire trucks in view, three people directing water onto home of Nuns next door to church. Ferris wheel of carnival in distance behind church. Lakes Entrance VictoriaMemento of St Brendan's Catholic Church, Lakes Entrance, destroyed 7.1.78schools, religion, buildings, room display

A once grand French Chateau almost obliterated by artillery fire. Despite extensive frontline service this is one of the few instances where Les Chandler took a photograph of the destruction of war. In the several hundred letters he wrote to his family at home in Australia, he stuck to his vow of almost never mentioning the horrors of war.france, chateau, destroyed, ww1, world war 1

Menzies Creek primary School opened on 15th April 1882. The front entrance by the square water tank was used by the teacher to gain access to the residence, and the children entered the classroom by the side entrance. The building was destroyed in November 1935 in a fire caused by a workman's blowtorch.

The 1919 bushfire was the worst the area suffered. The fire struck on Saturday afternoon on the 15th February. It destroyed the station at Lavers Hill and Crowes, departmental residences at Lavers Hill and Weeaproinah, the overhead bridges at Beech Forest and Wimba, and damaged the track at various points along the line so that two locomotives became temporarily marooned at Beech Forest.. By the following Tuesday a daily fire relief train had begun operation. By the following Sunday a special train loaded with army tents travelled through to Lavers Hill and deposited most of its consignment there because little remained of this sizeable settlement. An outsider would have had difficulty in picking the place. The letters of the Lavers Hill station nameboard had been burnt although the metal letters survived, and one of the local wags had rearranged them to read "LIARS HELL". By the 1920s water trains were being used to help fight fires, a simple NQR open wagon loaded with the standard 1500 litre square iron water tank.B/W. Crowes station sign, the remains of a chimney, galvanised iron sheet and a water tank, and two men gazing at the camera. Note in the background the clear felling of the timber.crowes; lavers hill; beech forest; weeaproinah; wimba; railways; bushfire;

Bob Hymans was a pioneer of Falls Creek. After gaining qualifications as a Ski Instructor, Bob arrived in Falls Creek in July 1950. Working as an Instructor and Supervisor at Bogong Lodge, Bob decided his future was in accommodation. He was successful in negotiating an indenture for land from the State Electricity Commission (SEC). It took Bob two years to build his Grand Coeur Chalet but, tragically, it was burned down in August 1961. Grand Coeur was never rebuilt, but Bob modified his annexe to be used as accommodation and later also operated Southern Cross and the Four Seasons. Bob also built the first Chairlift in Australia. This was a single chairlift and the structure was built from wooden electricity poles. He was constantly full of new ideas and proposals for the village. Bob Hymans die on 7th July 2007.These items are significant because they document the building of Bob Hymans' Grand Coeur Chalet and its destruction by fire in 1961.A collection of images and a newspaper article about the fire which destroyed Grand Coeur Lodge in August 1961.Label for newspaper photo Three of the refugees from the fire: From left, Mrs. C. O'Connell, Five- dock, N.S.W.; Miss N. Pollock, Taringa, Queensland; and Miss N. Taylor, Earlwood, N.S.W... who have been going to Falls Creek for eight years. Each estimated that they had lost more than £100 worth of equipment in the fire.bob hymans, grand coeur chalet, grand coeur fire

wonga park school

A publication by the CFA giving detailed information, images, maps and photographs about the bush fires which blazed across Victoria and southern New South Wales from November 2019 until brought under control in February 2020.non-fictionThe 2019 - 2020 fire season, which became known as "Black SUmmer" was long and difficult for the CFA, emergency services and communities across the eastern seaboard of Australia, especially in northeastern and eastern Victoria. By its conclusion more than 8,200 CFA volunteers had contributed to the fire response in Victoria and another 2,288 CFA volunteers had been deployed interstate. THe bushfires burned 1.5 million hectares, destroyed more than 400 homes, 6,800 livestock and thousands of native animals. Tragically 5 people also lost their lives. The fires took their toll physically and psychologically.This book provides an insight into the challenges faced by so many in their efforts to protect communities and was produced as part of the recovery process from this horrific event.black summer bushfires, cfa volunteers, bushfires australia

This coin is a Warrnambool Bateman penny. It is an example of an Australian token – a coin that had the value of a penny and was produced by businessmen in the 1850s to be used only in the business of the person named on the coin. There were two firms in Warrnambool that produced tokens in the 1850s – William Jamieson, a general storekeeper and William Bateman. The latter had a general store in Banyan Street and became in the early 1850s one of the largest merchant firms in the Warrnambool district. But the firm’s liabilities were financed by overdrafts and insolvency resulted. A disastrous and suspicious fire in 1856 destroyed the Bateman store and caused a great number of insolvencies in the district as so many businessmen and farmers were financed by Bateman who eventually left the district. This token is of supreme importance. It is significant for three reasons: 1. It is an example of an 1850s Australian token, demonstrating an early business practice in our history. 2. It is an example of a Warrnambool token produced by an important Warrnambool business (only two firms in Warrnambool produced tokens) 3. It is a Bateman token and these are comparatively rare because many Bateman tokens were destroyed in the 1856 fire. This is an 1855 metal token with, on one side, an image of a woman holding scales in one hand and a cornucopia in the other (Dea Pecunia?). The obverse side has the name of William Bateman Junior of Warrnambool. It is a business token which could be used only in the Bateman store in Warrnambool in place of a penny.One side: Woman image and the word ‘Australia’ Obverse side: ‘William Bateman Junr. & Co., Importers and General Merchants, Warnambool (sic), Victoria, 1855’ william bateman junior, warrnambool tokens, bateman token, coin tokens

This is a photograph taken in the Chiltern - Mount Pilot National Park near Chiltern in Victoria. On this day, the Wooragee Landcare Group was in the national park looking for signs of the tiger quoll. Tiger quolls can be found in few places with the Chiltern - Mount Pilot National Park being one of them. This photograph is of a tiger quoll nesting site as tiger quolls often nest between large rocks. This image also shows the damage caused by the 2003 bushfires. These bushfires happened at the same time as the 2003 Alpine bushfires. This bushfire started by lightning and quickly became the largest fire in Victoria since the 1939 Black Friday bushfires. The Alpine bushfires destroyed 1.3 million hectares and burnt for 59 days before it could be controlled. The 2003 bushfires severely damaged the environment and concern was raised about the safety of tiger quoll. This photograph displays how the nesting site was damaged by the fire. This meant that the quoll itself could have also been impacted by the fire. Hence why the Wooragee Landcare group went for a search for signs of the quoll.This photograph is significant because it shows a tiger quoll nesting site. Tiger quolls are a highly valuable species because they live in very few places. This, in turn, makes their nesting site valuable. This photograph also signifies the impact of the 2003 bushfires on the Chiltern - Mount Pilot National Park. The image displays burnt trees which makes it clear that the fire was deeply damaging. The fallen log over the nesting site demonstrates how the bushfire must of put the tiger quolls at risk because of how the fire damaged their nesting site. Landscape coloured photograph printed on gloss paperReverse: WAN NA 0ANA0N0 NNN+ 1 1636 / [PRINTED] (No.9) / 923bushfires, mount pilot chiltern national park, mount pilot, chiltern, victoria, wooragee landcare group, wooragee landcare, wooragee, national park, tiger quoll, 2003 bushfires, beechworth, rocks, nesting site, photograph, 2003 alpine bushfires, 1939 black friday, 2003, hectares, fire, damage, burnt, burn

Denis Gibbons (1937 – 2011) Trained with the Australian Army, before travelling to Vietnam in January 1966, Denis stayed with the 1st Australian Task Force in Nui Dat working as a photographer. For almost five years Gibbons toured with nine Australian infantry battalions, posting compelling war images from within many combat zones before being flown out in late November 1970 after sustaining injuries. The images held within the National Vietnam Veterans Museum make up the Gibbons Collection. A black and white photograph of a gun crew member of the 103 Battery, reseting his gun during a fire mission in support of infantry operating on a search and destroy mission, Phuoc Tuy Province, South Vietnam (Circa 1967). The digger is wearing ear plugs for protection against the sound of the gun.photograph, artillery, 103 battery, phuoc tuy province, gibbons collection catalogue, digger, photographer, vietnam war, denis gibbons

The fountain in the image is at the entrance to the 'Emu Bottom' homestead. George Evans squatted on land to graze sheep, along the Jacksons Creek Valley, originally known as Buttlejork Valley, in 1836 and built the homestead from local Silurian sandstone and timber. Over the years it has had a number of owners. In the 1920s the property was renamed 'Holly Green' by H.L Webb after a property in Narre Warren.In the 1950s it was renamed 'Emu Bottom'. Over the years a number of fires have destroyed parts of the building and as a result, little of the original building remains. The fountain was erected in 1936 to mark the centenary of the property as well as 100 years of European settlement in theSunbury area. The property is now a private residence and function centre.'Emu Bottom' is one of the oldest homesteads in Victoria.A small non-digital sepia photograph with a cream border of a fountain, with a horse trough around the base, at the entrance of a rural property.'emu bottom', holly green, sunbury, jacksons creek, buttlejork valley, george evans

Black and white reproduction of a photo that appeared in the Melbourne Sun News Pictorial, 6 November 1923, of the aftermath of the fire at the Zoo horse tram depot. Has workers wheeling wheels. The Timeline history of Melbourne trams - Barry George et al, dates the fire as 4 November 1923, during the Police Strike. Four horse tram cars were destroyed as a result. The photo has mounted onto a Norman Co. cardboard tag using an adhesive substance. Photo could be peeled off card if needed.On the rear of the card is the TMSV Address stamp and on the rear of the photograph in ink "Melbourne Sun News Pictorial, 6 November 1923".trams, tramways, zoo tram, police strike, fire

This old apple tree situated beside the Plenty River Trail at Greensborough has been associated with Melbourne Founder John Batman. The concrete block is inscribed with the date 1841, when the tree was thought to have been planted. Known as Batman's Tree, this apple tree is on the bank of the Plenty River near Leischa Court, Greensborough. It is said that Melbourne Founder John Batman may have planted the tree and later signed his treaty here with the Aboriginal people. It still bears fruit and its recorded on the National Trust's Register of Significant Trees, as the oldest apple tree in Victoria. Published: Nillumbik Now and Then /​ Marguerite Marshall 2008; photographs Alan King with Marguerite Marshall.; p7This 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, greensborough, john batman tree, plenty river trail

The original house was built around 1850 was one of Kangaroo Ground's earliest homes, part of which remains today. Built by Scottish farmer Andrew Harkness who acquired the property in 1849 at the top of the hill with magnificent panoramic views as far as Kinglake, the same year he married Sarah Oswin. The property was known as Garden Hill from at least 1865. Andrew and Sarah had four sons and five daughters. Harkness was a founder of the Kangaroo Ground School and one of the first to suggest establishing the Eltham District Road Board (1858-71) of which he was a member, the pre-cursor to the Shire of Eltham (1871-1994). He was also a Trustee of the Kangaroo Ground Cemetery. His daughter Fanny married farmer Alexander White who purchased the property in 1893. Alexander White died in 1906 and ownership transferred to Fanny White. Son, Robert White was a Councillor of the Shire of Eltham at the time the Shire acquired two acres of land on the adjacent property from the Mess brothers for the creation of the Shire of Eltham Memorial Park (1921) in which the Shire of Eltham War Memoirial tower was erected (1926). Fanny White donated a small section of land from the Garden Hill property to facilitate entry access to the park. The White family sold the property to Sir Herbert Gepp in 1925. Covered under Heritage Overlay, Nillumbik Planning Scheme. Published: Nillumbik Now and Then /​ Marguerite Marshall 2008; photographs Alan King with Marguerite Marshall.; p29This 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, kangaroo ground

Situated in King Street, Eltham, Alistair Knox built his home and office in 1962-1963 with mud-bricks made from the local soil and recycled materials blending the house with bush around it. Knox popularised the Eltham earth building movement, begun by Montsalvat founder, Justus Jorgensen. Alistair Knox (1912-1986) was also an Eltham Shire Councillor 1971-1975 and Shire President in 1975. He established the inaugural Eltham Community Festival in 1975. Covered under Heritage Overlay, Nillumbik Planning Scheme. Published: Nillumbik Now and Then /​ Marguerite Marshall 2008; photographs Alan King with Marguerite Marshall.; p145This 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, alistair and margot knox house, alistair knox design, mudbrick construction, eltham, king street

Considered the best of the early mud-brick houses built by Alistair Knox. Covered under Heritage Overlay, Nillumbik Planning Scheme. Published: Nillumbik Now and Then /​ Marguerite Marshall 2008; photographs Alan King with Marguerite Marshall.; p143This 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, alistair knox, alistair knox design, busst house, kerrie crescent, mudbrick construction, mudbrick houses, silver street

The Little Bank Building at the corner of Anzac Avenue, formerly a Commercial Bank of Australia branch, was moved to Hurstbridge around 1917. It was one of a few portable branch buildings, towed by horse or bullock team to a site as required. The branch operated until the early 1980s. In 1985 it was moved about 42 metres south to the Allwood House grounds to become part of the Hurstbridge Neighbourhood House. Covered under Heritage Overlay, Nillumbik Planning Scheme. Published: Nillumbik Now and Then /​ Marguerite Marshall 2008; photographs Alan King with Marguerite Marshall.; p13This 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, cba bank, commercial bank of australia, hurstbridge, little bank building, portable buildings

Allwood - built in 1894 by Henry Hurst’s relatives, stands near the site of his house, which was demolisherd in the 1940s. Until 1924 Hurstbridge was known as Allwood. The building, one of the district's oldest is situated back from the corner of Arthurs Creek Road and Main Road. Covered under Heritage Overlay, Nillumbik Planning Scheme Published: Nillumbik Now and Then /​ Marguerite Marshall 2008; photographs Alan King with Marguerite Marshall.; p17 Hurst, who was a surveyor, came to Melbourne in 1852 by default, as on the way to Sydney he contracted typhoid and was off-loaded in Melbourne. Deciding to settle near Melbourne, he selected some land near the present Eltham railway station and was one of the first to grow crops there.2 But disaster struck again, when his shack was looted and burned, while he was carting goods for sale to nearby goldfields. It was then that Hurstbridge’s first settler, Cornelius Haley, asked Hurst to manage his 160 acres (65ha) grazing property and 9000 acres (3443ha) of leased land where the present Hurstbridge stands. Hurst proved equal to the tough conditions and he and his brother, Fred, cut a track with a bullock team from the property to Romsey, where Haley had selected some land. Hurst also put up a bridge across the creek near his house, after which Hurstbridge was named. He ran the property helped by two ticket-of-leave men and others, several of whom were sailors who had abandoned ship in search of gold, and were working there temporarily. In 1866, only 14 years after coming to Australia, Hurst met an early tragic death. One day a bushranger named Burke came to the house and demanded a horse. Hurst thought the bushranger might be an officer in search of runaway sailors3 and anyway, did not like the look of him, so he refused. A tussle followed and apparently Hurst shot first.4 He was shot and died five hours later from loss of blood. Later, troopers found Burke, who was subsequently hanged. The event is recorded in the Old Melbourne Gaol. The government offered the family £500 but the family refused it as ‘blood money’. Hurst’s father, Robert, even signed a petition against the bushranger’s death, claiming one life did not replace another. Hurst’s family continued to live in the district and saw a rise in their fortunes. They bought Haley’s cattle station and built the present Allwood House, using the original home as an orchard packing shed. The present Victorian style timber house had several outbuildings including a blacksmith’s shop. The property passed on to William Gray, an orchardist and nurseryman, who married Hurst’s grandniece, Frances. The business boomed from the early 1900s when it supplied most of the orchards in the area. Gray was Eltham Shire’s President for two terms and was asked to stand for parliament, but his wife’s illness and other family commitments prevented him from doing so. Then several calamities drove the family to bankruptcy. During World War One, Gray lost more than one million pounds on trees shipped overseas, which the Lloyd’s company had refused to insure. Other factors, including the Great Depression, ruined the family’s fortunes. The land was reduced from more than 640 acres (256ha) to 50 acres (20ha) and the older members married and left. After Mr Gray died, the house was leased, until his daughter Sheila Ferguson and her husband Gordon settled there in 1951, after buying it from other family members. However in 1975 the Shire designated the property as a passive recreation reserve. The Ferguson family sold most of the land, leaving the house on 0.6 hectares.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, hurstbridge, henry hurst, allwood house

Henry Hurst, after whom Hurstbridge was named, had a hard and adventurous life in the raw colony of the mid 1800s. His tragic end is recounted on his tombstone at the Hurst family cemetery, by Greysharps Road off Arthurs Creek Road erected ‘by a grateful public as a memorial to his heroic self-sacrifice.’ The memorial reads, ‘Sacred to the memory of Henry Facey Hurst (formerly of Hanford Dorset) who while defending his home fell near this spot by a ball fired by the bushranger Burke on October 4 1866 aged 34 years’. Published: Nillumbik Now and Then /​ Marguerite Marshall 2008; photographs Alan King with Marguerite Marshall.; p15This 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, hurst family cemetery, hurstbridge, gravestones, henry hurst, memorial

In 1848, Francis Rogerson form Dumfriesshire, Scotland purchased 80 acres of land at Kangaroo Ground on which he built a two-roomed bark hut. He named the property afterr the many Bronzewings and Wonga Pigeons in the area. Ewen Hugh Cameron moved to Pigeon Bank the same year he was elected to Parliament as the Member for Evelyn. At the time he moved in, Pigeon Bank had six rooms and the present water well. He made further extensive additions and lived there until his death in 1915. Covered under Heritage Overlay, Nillumbik Planning Scheme. Published: Nillumbik Now and Then /​ Marguerite Marshall 2008; photographs Alan King with Marguerite Marshall.; p27 Pigeon Bank, on the Kangaroo Ground – Warrandyte Road, Kangaroo Ground, is one of the Shire’s oldest farm dwellings, and has been home to some of the district’s earliest and most distinguished families. Although close to the road, the white weatherboard Victorian farmhouse is ensured privacy by the trees and hedges around it. On 4.8 hectares of farmland, Pigeon Bank is surrounded by rolling hills, farmland and bush, the peace of which is punctuated by an occasional birdcall. Pigeon Bank’s first owner was Francis Rogerson, from Dumfriesshire, Scotland, who bought 80 acres (32.4ha) of land in 1848 on which he built a two-roomed bark hut. Today this is the centre piece of the 14-room home.1 Rogerson lined the rooms with tongue-and-groove boards and roofed them with wooden shingles and sapling frames, which remain under the present green corrugated iron roof. He named Pigeon Bank after the many forest bronzewing and Wonga Pigeons in the area at the time, and the name Bank was commonly used in Scotland. Rogerson was united with one of the oldest families in the area when his sister Janet married John Bell, son of William, the original Bell settler. When Ewen Cameron moved to Pigeon Bank in 1874 it had six rooms and the present water well. He made extensive additions to the house and farm buildings and lived at Pigeon Bank until his death in 1915. Cameron, who had arrived in Melbourne from Scotland in 1853, contributed an enormous amount to the community. He worked as a builder, as a miner at Andersons Creek, a storekeeper at Queenstown2 and as the first postmaster at Warrandyte. In 1867 he married Agnes Bell, daughter of local farmer, John Bell. Cameron was a member of the Eltham Road Board (which preceded the Shire Council) and for more than 50 years, from 1863, he was an Eltham Shire Councillor, being President three times. Cameron was the Member for Evelyn for 40 years from 1874. In the 1880s he became the Government Whip, in 1902 the Minister for Mines and Water Supply, and in 1904, the Minister for Health, Cameron was also an outstanding farmer, whose farm won the Agricultural Department prize for the finest in the district, three consecutive times. Not surprisingly Pigeon Bank became the centre of district life. Every New Year’s Eve, Cameron hired a highland piper, who marched from the Kangaroo Ground school house to Pigeon Bank playing his pipes.3 Distinguished visitors included opera singer, Dame Nellie Melba, Victorian Premier, Thomas Bent, Governor, Lord Hopetoun and artist, Longstaff. Following Cameron’s death, the property changed hands several times, then returned to the family in 1919 when bought by Gordon Cameron. As the car took over from the horse, Pigeon Bank entered difficult times because the farm had produced chaff and oats and bred Clydesdales and harness ponies. In 1926 Mr Matthews bought the property and made many alterations including pulling down the kitchen, which had been separate from the main house. The property again changed hands several times. One owner was Senator James F Guthrie, who added a sunroom. In 1968 the house again returned to the Cameron family, when Vera Jackson, a grand-daughter of Ewen Cameron, and her husband, bought the property. The Bishop family, who were sixth and seventh generation Bells and also descended from the Camerons, restored the house in the 1980s. Today tongue-and-groove boards still line part of the hall (which retains two fine arches), the breakfast room, and Ewen Cameron’s former room. Five original fireplaces in the bed and living rooms are still in working order. The wide veranda with a curved iron roof and ornate iron lace work bounds three sides of the house, and nearby a windmill stands beside the water well. Sue and Ron James, who bought the property in 2001, made extensive improvements to the homestead and meticulously restored the grounds to their original state.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, ewen hugh cameron, francis rogerson, kangaroo ground, kangaroo ground-warrandyte road, pigeon bank