The discovery of gold in Smyth's Creek in 1854 and subsequent gold rush to the Caledonia diggings led to the establishment of Queenstown (present day St Andrews). The first recorded burial was July 31st, 1861 and it was officially declared a Cemetery Reserve in 1866. Many graves are unmarked and unrecorded including many Chinese and other itinerant miners. The cemetery was closed for new burials in 1851. The last recorded burial was in 1981 in an existing family grave. In Loving memory of David Band Died 30th Decr. 1862, aged 51 years. John Cork Knell Died 11th April 1867, aged 42 years. Eliza Smith Died 20th Jany. 1874, aged 3 1/2 years. William Band Died 20th Feby. 1883, aged 51 years. Published: Nillumbik Now and Then /​ Marguerite Marshall 2008; photographs Alan King with Marguerite Marshall.; p73 The discovery of gold at Smyth’s Creek* in 1854 brought 3000 people to the area in search of their fortunes.1 However in the harsh conditions many miners and their families died young, and were buried in unmarked graves. Their stories died with them but by 1861, the first burial was recorded at the Queenstown Cemetery – that of William Dalrymple aged 65 – although the cemetery was only officially declared a reserve in 1866. Even before this in 1856, a double burial had been recorded for the twin baby daughters of George Harrison at Market Square, the miners’ settlement – presumably where the cemetery is today. In 1951 the Queenstown Cemetery at 70 Smiths Gully Road, Smiths Gully, closed for burials. However the last burial in a family plot, that of Grace Evelyn Smith, occurred in 1981. Today only 55 headstones remain, but more than 380 burials are recorded. Remnant bushland dominates the cemetery where many graves are merely mounds and others have been damaged by vandalism and the neglect of time. Bushfire in 1962 destroyed the picket fencing, grave markers and cypress boundary planted in the early 1900s. The box/stringybark woodland in the 1.7 hectare Cemetery Reserve is regrowth from then and the indigenous and heritage vegetation is protected. Thanks to the volunteer Cemetery Trust and Friends & Relations of Queenstown Cemetery, the cemetery is maintained, stories recorded and the burial index corrected and expanded.2 Close by the cemetery on the site of today’s Peter Franke Picnic and Nature Reserve stood Market Square, the Caledonia Diggings village of tents and stores, the forerunner of Queenstown, now St Andrews. Many of the Caledonia Diggings miners were Chinese, many of whom, with itinerant prospectors, were buried in unmarked graves. Histories are being recorded of other immigrants, mainly English and German, who settled after the gold rush, some of whose descendants fought and died in the two world wars. Names on many headstones are also recorded on the district’s roads, reserves and war memorials such as Motschall, Joyce, Howard and Coutie. The oldest surviving tombstone is that of Scot, David Band who died in 1862 at 51 years. His oldest daughter Elizabeth, with husband John Knell, owned the Queenstown Hotel and the post office. Child-rearing in a colonial gold town was often tragically difficult, as demonstrated in the first 20 years, when 41% of the 34 burials recorded were children. Settlers endured harsh conditions graphically illustrated with the deaths of Annie Joyce at 30 years and of her family. Annie was married to gold miner Walter Joyce. Their third child Walter, born in 1886, died in March 1887. Eight months later Annie died of breast cancer. Walter died in 1909, aged 53, of miner’s phthisic caused by stone dust destroying his lungs. It was so hard to make a living that burials were usually held from 2.30 pm to allow mourners to work a day before paying their last respects.3 Most burials before 1890 were recorded as Anglicans, as the only church on the Caledonia Diggings was the Church of St Andrew, until 1897, when the Primitive Methodist Church came to Panton Hill. Generally miners came to better themselves, but some, like Grace Hopkinson (nee Milward), born in England in 1828, came from a well-off and educated family. According to family legend Grace emigrated with husband William, to live in a tent, but had kept her personally embossed sterling silver cutlery service. Amid the tough environment were some successes like that reported in The Evelyn Observer April/May 1901 of miner William Hopkinson who was buried at the cemetery in 1912 aged 81. The Observer stated that Hopkinson ‘recently dropped across another find in his claim at One Tree Hill’. The lump of gold found this time weighed more than half a kilo. Mr Hopkinson referred to it as ‘another little speck’. *Today’s Smiths GullyThis 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, david band, eliza smith, gravestones, john cork knell, queenstown cemetery, smiths gully road, st andrews, william band

This photograph is thought to be of the younger pupils attending Linton State School in 1918 or 1919. A second copy of this photograph is Registration number 2015-12. A companion photograph, which shows the older pupils in the same year, is Registration number 315. The same dog is in both photographs. In the "Index of Photographs (Numerical Order)" folder, an early LDHS index, pupils have been identified as: Back row: Vincent McDonald, -? Lamb, Spencer Grigg, Arthur Bass, Norman Barr, Billy Lamb. Second row: Ilma Jennings, Jean Nicol, Linda Murrell, Doris Whitehead, Isobell Brett, -? Cole, Agnes Kennedy. Third row: Sydney Chibnall, Claude Godden, Colin Kirk, Syd Lamb, -? Cole, Coronation Wishart, Mollie Smith, Joyce Commons, Muriel Stapleton, Mollie Gascoigne, Eileen Armstrong, Jimmy Wishart, Bill Wishart. Fourth row: Jack Stapleton, Joe Reidy, Perc McGee, Ron Kirk, Jim Stapleton, Had Cornish, Alan Ching, Lance Chegwin, Bruce Maddox, Innis Brett. Fifth row: Ivy Brown, Eileen Kennedy, Jean Toshack, Alice Armstrong, Laura Mitchell, Elsie Mitchell, Nellie Norris, Norman Murrell. Dating the photograph: One of the copies of this photograph of the younger pupils was donated in 2014 by Peter Stapleton, who understood it was taken in 1919. However, a very damaged copy of the companion photograph (older pupils - this copy has not been catalogued into the collection) is dated in an inscription "October 1918".Black and white photograph of a group of school children posed in front of a bluestone and brick wall. One of the pupils is holding a dog.On back of photograph: "M. McBeath" List of names on paper with Registration no. 621: " 947 Back row. L-R - (1) Vincent McDonald, (2) - Lamb, (3) Spencer Grigg, (4) Arthur Lamb, (5)Norman Barr. 2nd Row. L-R (Girls) (1) Ilma Jennings, (2) Jean Nicol, (3) Linda Murrell, (4) Doris Whitehead, (5) Isobel Brett, (6) - Cole, (7) Agnes Kennedy. 3rd Row (Boys) (1) - Lamb, (2) - Godden,(3) - Kirk. (girls) (4) Mollie Smith, (5) Joyce Commons, (6) Marie Stapleton, (7) Mollie Gascoigne, (8) Eileen Armstrong. (boys) (9) Jimmy Wishart, (10) Bill Wishart. 4th Row (boys) (11) Jack Stapleton, (12) Joe Reidy, (13) Perry McGee, (14 - Kirk, (15) Jack Stapleton, (16) Harold (Ad) Cornish, (17)Allan Ching, (18) - Chegwin, (19) Bruce Maddock, (2) - Brett. 5th Row - front. (1) Ivy Brown, (2) Eileen Kennedy, (3) Jean Toshack, (4) - Armstrong, (5) Laura Mitchell (Tonkin), (6) Elsie Mitchell, (7) Nellie Norris, (8) Norman Murrell". "Probably 1917-1920 when E. Chegwin was HT." Note: There are actually three sets of names to go with this photograph, which all vary somewhat. The list of names in the "Other Information" field of this catalogue record is taken from the "Index of Photographs (Numerical Order)" folder, an early index compiled for LDHS. The third set of names is inscribed on the back of the copy in the "Linton State School - Photos" file.linton state school no. 880, vincent mcdonald, -? lamb, spencer grigg, arthur bass, norman barr, billy lamb, ilma jennings, jean nicol, linda murrell, doris whitehead, isobell brett, -? cole, agnes kennedy, sydney chibnall, claude godden, colin kirk, syd lamb, -? cole, coronation wishart, mollie smith, joyce commons, muriel stapleton, mollie gascoigne, eileen armstrong, jimmy wishart, bill wishart, jack stapleton, joe reidy, perc mcgee, ron kirk, jim stapleton, had cornish, alan ching, lance chegwin, bruce maddox, innis brett, ivy brown, eileen kennedy, jean toshack, alice armstrong, laura mitchell, elsie mitchell, nellie norris, norman murrell