Audio recordings of Eltham residents discussing life in Eltham and surrounding areas over the years. Part of the John Ramsdale collection of slides and audio visual material.3 audio tapes in plastic folder."Listening to the landscape: stories and places collected from the Shire of Eltham 1988"eltham, shire of eltham, oral histories

Audio and print logo produced for Vision Australia. Audio version was included in 2005 time capsule.Audio and print Vision Australia logocorporation records, vision australia, time capsule

June Meeting (Newsletter No. 228, Jun. 2016) Shortly after the First World War Ivan Thompson, a pharmacist in Fairfield, expanded into the Diamond Valley by opening pharmacies at Eltham, Greensborough and Watsonia. A small item in the Hurstbridge Advertiser on 20th July 1928 states that ‘Mr. Ivan J Thompson, well known chemist, has opened a branch at Eltham where all prescriptions will be dispensed.’ In the early 1950’s Norm Williams considered he was fortunate to be able to serve an apprenticeship with Ivan Thompson at his Eltham pharmacy. He was with the business when it moved in 1952 to the present site at 964 Main Road, Eltham, which was the first brick shop built in the Eltham Town Centre. In 1958 Ivan Thompson decided to sell his pharmacies. Harry Brown and Norm Williams were able to purchase the Eltham business and they continued in partnership until Mr. Brown’s death in 1971. By that time they had expanded with pharmacies in Fairfield and Lower Plenty. At our June meeting Norm Williams will speak about how Thompsons Pharmacy developed, while continuing to supply a range of services for generations of Eltham families. His stories, supported by a collection of personal photographs, will entertain as well as give an insight into how the Eltham shopping centre has changed over the years.0:46:09 duration Digital MP3 File 65 MB audio recording, eltham district historical society, ivan thompson, norm williams, society meeting, thompson's pharmacy

April Meeting (Newsletter No. 233, Apr. 2017) Our meeting at 8.00pm on Wednesday 12th April 2017 is our Annual General Meeting, which includes the presentation of annual reports and the election of office bearers for the coming year. The official notification of the Annual General Meeting and Agenda are on page 8 in this Newsletter. At this meeting we are pleased to have as our guest speaker Dr. Andrew Lemon, a great friend of EDHS and a Fellow and the immediate Past President of the Royal Historical Society of Victoria. Andrew is an independent Melbourne historian, author of numerous books on local history, shipwrecks, biography, schools and sport and winner of national literary awards. He has been awarded the degree of Doctor of Letters by the University of Melbourne for his published works. Andrew edited the Victorian Historical Journal throughout the 1990s and served on the Library Board of Victoria and the Heritage Council. Andrew is a very entertaining presenter and in our 50th Anniversary year he has chosen to speak about ‘Fifty years of the EDHS - and why it matters.’1:03:34 duration Digital MP3 File 75 MB andrew lemon, audio recording, eltham district historical society, meeting, society meeting

August Meeting (Newsletter No. 235, Aug. 2017) Blanche and Jack Shallard were involved in many activities in the Montmorency community throughout their lives. They observed Were Street grow from a one shop street to a bustling shopping village. Jack was a local solicitor and on the Board of the Diamond Valley Community Hospital, while Blanche was a member of the Hospital Auxiliary and both were involved with our Society. They were also connected with Montmorency State School and St Faith’s Church in Montmorency. At this meeting we are pleased to have their daughter, Professor Margaret Deighton, speak about her family and her recollections of growing up in Montmorency.0:47:43 duration Digital MP3 File 67 MB audio recording, eltham district historical society, margaret deighton, meeting, montmorency, shallard, society meeting

October Meeting (Newsletter No. 230, Jun. 2016) Community groups are the backbone of any community and the former Shires of Eltham and now Nillumbik are no exception. In our area there are some groups with a long history of consistently contributing to the development, enrichment and benefit of our local communities. Some we are well aware of, others not so much. At our next meeting we are pleased to have representatives from three long established community groups to talk to us about their histories, how they have been a part of the Eltham scene for many years and how their contributions have supported many other local organisations and initiatives.1:03:34 duration Digital MP3 File 75 MB audio recording, community groups, eltham district historical society, meeting, society meeting

June Meeting (Newsletter No. 240, Jun. 2018) Prior to Shillinglaw Cottage (c1878-80) being relocated to where it is now operated as a popular cafe near the Eltham Library, it was within Josiah Holloway’s 1850s subdivision known as Little Eltham, which later became the centre of the first Eltham township. Originally a farmer’s cottage it is historically significant because it is one of the Shire’s oldest dwellings and a fine example of the work of the well-known pioneer builder George Stebbing. In 1964 the then Shire of Eltham purchased the Shillinglaw property with the intention of demolishing the cottage and constructing new Shire offices on the site. However extensive community action resulted in funds being raised to have the building saved and relocated further south to the Eltham Common, where it was joined by the Eltham Library 1994. New Shire offices opened in 1965, but following municipal restructure in 1994 these were demolished and the land sold to a developer, which precipitated a dramatic trail of community angst, threats of legal action, the sacking of a newly elected council and several unsuccessful development proposals, by subsequent councils. After all these years the vacant site there is still guarded by the three trees that were outside the front of the Shillinglaw Cottage. At our Society meeting on Wednesday 13th June 2018 Jim Connor will speak about the dramatic tale encompassing the history of the former Eltham Shire office site and the adjoining War Memorial Buildings complex, which are now being considered for sale or redevelopment by the current Nillumbik Shire Council.1:17:57 duration Digital MP3 File 27 MB audio recording, eltham district historical society, jim connor, meeting, shire of eltham office site, society meeting

August Meeting (Newsletter No. 241, Aug. 2018) How do you consider designing an extension to a church that was built in 1861, just where do you start, especially when it is a church of local significance and listed by Heritage Victoria? The church in question was designed by architect Nathaniel Billings, built by well-known pioneer builder George Stebbing on land donated by Henry Dendy and is St Margaret’s Church in Pitt Street, Eltham. Adjoining this church is a large mud brick hall known to many of our Society members. It was also the venue for our 50th anniversary celebration dinner on 21st November 2017. At our Society meeting at 8.00pm on Wednesday 8th August 2018 architect David Wagner from Atelier Wagner will speak about the opportunities and challenges experienced in designing and constructing a contemporary style extension to this revered historical building, valued by the local congregation. Prior to becoming involved with St Margaret’s the Atelier Wagner architectural practice has, among an extensive range of projects, renovated and extended several churches. With this project there was also the challenge of incorporating, modifying and connecting the adjacent buildings that shared an entrance foyer.0:57:51 duration Digital MP3 File 20 MB audio recording, david wagner, eltham district historical society, jacqui wagner, meeting, society meeting, st margaret's church

April Meeting (Newsletter No. 239, Apr. 2018) Our Annual General Meeting includes the presentation of annual reports and the election of office bearers for the coming year. At this meeting we are pleased to be able to show a film of the early activities of the Briar Hill Timber and Trading Company, in Sherbourne Road, Briar Hill. This film details the various operations involved in this business during the 1950s/60s, from sourcing trees from the forest, to machining the timber and then manufacturing various building materials and components. A copy of this film has been generously donated to our Society by Bob Manuell, who was an active part of this family owned business, established by his mother-in-law Mrs Hazel Squire. We are fortunate that Bob has agreed to attend our meeting to add his comments and insights about some of the scenes shown. Bob Manuell was a former Shire President and Councillor at the Shire of Eltham, from 1980 until 1994, when following municipal restructure the Shire ceased upon the establishment of the Shire of Nillumbik. Bob’s father-in law Fred Squire was also a former Eltham Shire President and Councillor, having served between 1945 and 1953.1:26:38 duration Digital MP3 File 30 MB audio recording, bob manuell, briar hill timber & trading, eltham district historical society, meeting, society meeting

October Meeting (Newsletter No. 242, Oct. 2018) At our Society meeting at 8.00pm on Wednesday 10th October 2018 we will explore ideas about what is considered to be the ‘Spirit of Eltham’. We will view a video produced for the Shire of Eltham in response to the 1985 Victorian Local Government Commission Report titled ‘The Restructure of Local Government in Victoria – Principles and Program’ (the Morris review). The recommendation was to amalgamate the Shires of Eltham and Diamond Valley, something that Eltham Council did not support as being appropriate for the shire or compatible with the ‘Spirit of Eltham’. We will also be fortunate to have a presentation on this theme by Lynnsay Prunotto, a local architect, who is also involved in community planning activities, as well as some insights from Hamish Knox on his experience of growing up and working for many years in the region.1:29:41 duration Digital MP3 File 32 MB audio recording, eltham district historical society, hamish knox, lynnsay prunotto, meeting, society meeting, spirit of eltham

Meeting to discuss the Nillumbik Shire Council's proposed sale and devlopment of the former Shire Office site at 895 Main Road as well as the Eltham War Memorial including the Maternal and Infant Welfare Centre, Eltham Pre-school and Eltham War Memorial Hall and Memorial Gardens at 903-907 Main Road which also includes thje Eltham Senior Citizen's Centre. The meeting was attended by more than 300 people which considered the following: Motion from public meeting – Saturday 13th October, 2018 1. This meeting has no confidence in Nillumbik Shire Council's proposed process for the re-development of 895 and 903-907 Main Rd, Eltham and we deplore the cursory attention given to public consultation to date. 2. We call on Council: *to preserve the Eltham War Memorial building complex at 903-907 Main Rd, Eltham, and retain their existing uses in accordance with the Eltham War Memorial Trust purpose; and retain the Cenotaph and Eltham Senior Citizens' Centre. * to retain council ownership of all land at 895 and 903-907 Main Rd, Eltham for our community and future generations. * following meaningful engagement with residents of the Shire, to place sufficient planning controls on the site of the former Eltham Shire Office to ensure that any future development of that land responds to Eltham's form and character and properly protects public amenity, access and use. * to make all proposals for the development of 895 and 903-907 Main Rd, Eltham available for public inspection as soon as they are received by Council. Moved: Greg Johnson Seconder: Andrew Lemon * carried unanimously1:28:52 duration Digital MP3 File 30.5 MB 895 main road, 903-907 main road, community meeting, eltham pre-school, eltham shire office, eltham war memorial, eltham war memorial hall, infant welfare centre, nillumbik shire council, senior citizen's centre

April Meeting (Newsletter No. 245, Apr. 2019) At this meeting we are pleased to have as our guest speaker a representative from the Eltham Cemetery Trust, who will talk about their connections to our local history and how current practices and projects continue to support the artistic connections in the Eltham region.1:11:42 duration Digital MP3 File 24.6 MB audio recording, eltham cemetery trust, eltham district historical society, julia drew, meeting, society meeting

1:04:31 duration Digital MP3 File 76 MB 50th anniversary, audio recording, eltham district historical society, meeting, society meeting

Second information meeting regarding the Shire of Nillumbik's proposed development/sale of 895 and 903-907 Main Road0:37:56 duration Digital MP3 File 13.0 MB 895 main road, 903-907 main road, community meeting, eltham pre-school, eltham shire office, eltham war memorial, eltham war memorial hall, infant welfare centre, nillumbik shire council, senior citizen's centre

October Meeting (Newsletter No. 248, Oct. 2019) It was intended that Dr. Andrew Lemon AM would be our guest speaker at our last meeting on Wednesday 14th August 2019, to talk about Heritage Advocacy - the role of historical research and historical societies. Unfortunately, due to a clash of commitments Andrew apologised for not being able to attend and we are delighted he will now be our speaker at our next meeting on Wednesday 9th October. As mentioned in our last newsletter, this presentation was very well received when Andrew was the keynote speaker at the recent Regional Conference of the Association of Eastern Historical Societies. Andrew is an independent professional historian who has published many commissioned local and institutional histories since his first book, Box Hill, forty years ago. He has now written sixteen books, four of which have won prizes, on subjects ranging from local history, sport, education and biography. Andrew received his doctorate of letters from the University of Melbourne in 2004 because of the excellence of a body of work, not one single piece, as in a thesis. He has been a consistent supporter of our Society and a long term member, who has spoken at a number of our meetings, over many years.1:20:57 duration Digital MP3 File 27.7 MB andrew lemon, audio recording, eltham, eltham district historical society, heritage advocacy, meeting, society meeting

Guest speaker Chad Griffiths (at 0:18:30), a former planning manager with 17 years' experience at Nillumbik Shire Council discusses what can and cannot be done with the Eltham War Memorial and former Shire Office sites. Guest speaker Andrew Lemon, Historian, former President of the Royal Historical Society of Victoria and a former board member of Heritage Victoria (0:46:45), discusses the unique aspects of the Eltham War Memorial site and the current submission to Heritage Victoria and process for heritage listing protection. Note: Andrew Lemon's presentation was interrupted between 1:05:00 to 1:06:10 and again at 1:08:00 to 1:11:40 due to a medical emergency involving a member of the audience.1:44:33 duration Digital MP3 File 36.8 MB 895 main road, 903-907 main road, agm, andrew lemon, chad griffiths, community meeting, ecag, eltham activity centre, eltham community action group, eltham pre-school, eltham shire office, eltham war memorial, eltham war memorial hall, infant welfare centre, nillumbik shire council, precinct 3, precint 4, senior citizen's centre

April Meeting (Newsletter No. 245, Apr. 2019) At this meeting we are pleased to have as our guest speaker a representative from the Eltham Cemetery Trust, who will talk about their connections to our local history and how current practices and projects continue to support the artistic connections in the Eltham region.1:11:42 duration Digital MP3 File 24.6 MB audio recording, eltham, eltham district historical society, jim connor, meeting, society meeting, street names

Two Compact Discs produced by 88.6 Plenty Valley FM Disc 1 Tracks 01 Introduction; MP3 file, 01.02MB; 0.44 02 Epping District (written and spoken by Felicity Williams, Head of English, Mill Park Secondary College); MP3 file, 9.94MB; 07:14 03 P. E. Cook (wriiten and spoken by Liz Pidgeon, Local and Family History Librarian, Yarra Plenty Regional Library); MP3 file, 10.5MB; 07:38 04 Research Honour Board (wriiten by Jim Allen of Eltham District Historical Society and spoken by Daniel Polombi of Plenty Valley FM; MP3 file, 7.52MB; 05:28 05 Will Longstaff (wriiten by Bill McGililvray, Plenty Valley FM and spoken by Daniel Polombi of Plenty Valley FM; MP3 file, 9.01MB; 06:33 06 Robert Smith (wriiten and edited by Bill McGillivray, Plenty Valley FM and spoken by Shelley Carpatharcus and Daniel Polombi of Plenty Valley FM; MP3 file, 9.55MB; 06:57 07 Stanley Addison (wriiten and spoken by Jim Connor of Eltham District Historical Society; MP3 file, 9.25B; 06:43 08 Bessie Gallagher (wriiten by Maureen Jones and and spoken by Geraldine Ishken of Plenty Valley FM; MP3 file, 12.3MB; 08:58 Disc 2 Tracks 09 George Muir Letter 1 (wriiten by Maureen Jones and and spoken by Geraldine Ishken of Plenty Valley FM; MP3 file, 9.32MB; 06:47 10 George Muir Letter 1 Part 2; MP3 file, 9.17MB; 06:40 11 George Muir Letter 1 Part 3; MP3 file, 8.50MB; 06:11 12 George Muir Letter 2; MP3 file, 4.91MB; 03:34 13 George Muir Letter 3; MP3 file, 7.25MB; 05:17 14 George Muir Letter 4; MP3 file, 5.59MB; 04:04 15 George Muir Letter 5; MP3 file, 4.63MB; 03:22 16 George Muir Letter 6; MP3 file, 3.38MB; 02:27 17 George Muir Letter 7 (introduction by Jim Connor of Eltham District Historical Society, original letters by George Muir, commentary written by Helen Mann and Bill McGillivray of Plenty Valley FM, spoken by Romero Callaghan and Stephen Pidgeon); MP3 file, 4.36MB; 03:10 18 George Muir Letter (introduction by Jim Connor of Eltham District Historical Society, original letters by George Muir, commentary written by Helen Mann and Bill McGillivray of Plenty Valley FM, spoken by Craig Wright of Planty Valley FM); MP3 file, 12.4MB; 09:02alan marshall, anzac stories, audio cassette, audio recording, bessie gallagher, bill mcgillivray, community radio, craig wright, daniel polombi, eltham district historical society, epping district, felicity williams, george muir, geraldine ishken, helen mann, jim allen, jim connor, liz pidgeon, maureen jones, mill park secondary college, p.e. cook, plenty valley 88.6 fm, research honour board, robert smith, romero callaghan, shelley carpatharcus, stanley simpson addison, stephen pidgeon, victoria's anzac centenary, will longstaff, yarra plenty regional library