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.; p29 Garden Hill, on Yarra Glen Road, Kangaroo Ground, near the War Memorial is well named. The old house and gardens overlook a magnificent panorama extending to Kinglake. The original house, built around 1850, was one of Kangaroo Ground’s earliest, and part of it remains in today’s timber house. The house was built by the early and prominent settler Andrew Harkness. Later it was occupied for a long time by Sir Herbert Gepp, renowned Australia wide.1 Harkness and Gepp are buried in the Kangaroo Ground Cemetery. Scottish farmer Harkness, who was born in 1817, acquired this property in 18492 and he and his family occupied it until the early 1920s. Harkness cleared its 152 acres (61.4 ha), fenced it and grazed sheep and cattle. Harkness proved a valuable community member. When only ten families lived in the district, he and other settlers set up a school in 1852, with Andrew Ross as the first teacher. Harkness was also one of the first to suggest establishing the Eltham District Road Board, of which he was a member for around 15 years. He was also a trustee of the Kangaroo Ground Cemetery. Harkness married in 1854 and had four sons and five daughters. The first part of the timber house he built included a kitchen-living room and a parlor. The living room’s large fireplace was bricked-in and modernised in 1940. Beside it is the old baker’s oven with its original iron door replaced by a wooden one. It is thought two wattle-and-daub huts, used for a bedroom and bathroom, were built to the west. Harkness’ son-in-law, farmer Alexander White, who had seven sons, bought the property in 1893. Harkness’ grand-daughter Flora married Ewen Cameron who became Minister for Health and was later knighted; he was not related to Ewen Hugh Cameron, a Member of the Legislative Assembly. In 1923 the White family sold the property, called Kilby Park, to Sir Herbert Gepp, who renamed it Garden Hill. Gepp used the property, which was still on the original New South Wales title, as a hobby farm. Robert White stayed on to manage the farm for a while, living in a house on the property. Gepp was born in 1877 and at 16 years began working as a junior chemist with the Australian Explosives and Chemical Company at Deer Park near Melbourne. Gepp was a pioneer in applying enlightened labour policies in industry. He initiated the Broken Hill Progress Association, to improve living conditions. It laid the ground work for the welfare schemes pursued by companies after World War One. During the mid 20th century Gepp was the most prominent liberal thinker associated with conservative politics. As a friend of Prime Minister John Curtin, he contributed to post-war reconstruction. Gepp returned to private industry and retired in 1950. Gepp made significant contributions to the solution of the great metallurgical problems of the mining industry. He was an advocate of the role of science in industry, government and the economy and helped to establish several organizations including the CSIR and the Institute of Public Affairs.3 After Sir Herbert died in 1954 his son Orwell continued to farm the property part-time. When Lady Gepp died in 1963, the land was divided among the five children, although Orwell continued to farm it as a hobby. In 1966, a daughter, Mardi Gething, now married, settled in the house. Another daughter, Kathleen, built her house close by on the property. After the Board of Works designated the property as part of a reserve for a possible reservoir, the family sold all, except the minimum 20 acres allowed, to the Board in the 1970s. Orwell then leased what was the family property from the Board to continue grazing. The two sisters and brother continued to live on the property.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, kangaroo ground

For this second edition the story has been extended to 1980. Three new chapters have been added describing the end of the war, including the decline of American involvement in the conflict and the Great Spring Offensive of 1975; the reunification of North and South and the beginning of reconstruction after the devastation; and the Socialist Republic's worsening relations with Kampuchea and China, which resulted in new wars.vietnam war, 1961-1975 - united states, vietnam - history - 1945-1975, great spring offensive, dasher wheatley, deaths in vietnam

Flavour of Eltham: recipes and other things was collected and published by the Friends of Shillinglaw Cottage in 1964. The original cottage once stood about 100 metres away from its current location in Panther Place, Eltham. Built in the 1870’s, it is one of Eltham’s earliest buildings. In 1963 it faced demolition to make room for the Eltham Shire offices. But local residents came together to save the cottage. It was the first time that an early settler’s brick building was removed and reconstructed. A fundraiser was the resident’s compilation of loved recipes into the cookery book Flavour of Eltham. It also includes illustrations and advertisements for local buisnesses. The foreword of the book states: “This book is about Eltham. But more than that it is about intention. It originated when the people of Eltham, the first in Australia to preserve the reconstruction an historical building, removed and rebuilt a cottage that reflected the spirit of a period. The shilling law cottage was first built in 1859 and was rebuilt in 1964. It has beauty and is rich with the past. The people of Eltham stand for something. There is, in this community, a firm resolve to preserve for their children the natural beauty of the district; to establish a centre whose allegiance is to aesthetic values rather than to commercial ones. Eltham already has this reputation, a reputation that is known beyond the borders of Australia. Its desire is to increase it. This book is a step forward in that direction.” October 1964. Signed Alan Marshall The chapters include: Old time, Restaurants, are you in a hurry, Advance action, Serve it cold, Tea time tanstalizer, Pickles and preserves, Fabulous fare and Ne Buvez Jamais L’eau. The cover illustration was drawn by Peter Glass, First Edition: November 1964, Second Edition: January 1965, Third Edition: August 1965, Fourth Edition: August 1968 Additonal souce: Marshall, Marguerite, Nillumbik Now and Then, MPrint Publications, 2008Paperback; 116 p. : ill. ; 18 x 23 cm.shillinglaw cottage, cooking, recipes, cookery, friends of shillinglaw cottage

The Shillinglaw Cottage Preservation Committee, also known as The Shillinglaw Cottage Preservation Society, also known as the Friends of the Shillinglaw Cottage collated and published a community cookbook "Flavour of Eltham", first published in 1964 to raise funds for the preservation and re-location of this historical cottage in Eltham. This folders includes photocopies from the book, a letter requesting advertising space and an article from 'The Australian Women's Weekly', December 23, 1964 (unable to locate via digitised AWW on Trove) Shillinglaw Cottage is of social significance as an important local landmark since the 1960s, once used as a handicraft and tourist centre, now a restaurant, and as an example of an early local community conservation project which led to the accurate reconstruction of the cottage close to its original site. - Victorian Heritage Database.6 photocopiesharry gilham collection, flavour of eltham, community cookbook, shillinglaw cottage preservation society, shillinglaw cottage preservation committee, friends of the shillinglaw cottage

From front cover. "RE-ESTABLISHMNET/AND/SOCIAL SERVICE BENEFITS/AVAILABLE TO/EMPIRE/ (other than United Kingdom)/AND ALLIED SERVICE/ PERSONNEL WHO SETTLE/ IN AUSTRALIA. (A Separate booklet outlines the position in relation to/ United Kingdom ex-service personnel). (SECOND EDITION). COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA/ MINISTRY OF POST WAR RECONSTRUCTION/ JANUARY 1948"Booklet. Cover - lightweight cardboard. light brown colour. Black print on front cover. 16 pages - cut, plain, off white colour paper. No illustrations. Instruction manual - Social Service Benefits.booklets, manuals, social service benefits

The 1953 catastrophic earthquakes on Ithaca and nearby Cephalonia caused extensive damage destroying many houses and buildings. The tremors reached 7.2 on the Richter Scale and the devastation was exacerbated by the quake occurring at midday when many people were cooking so fires spread rapidly across the island. The Holy Church of Taxiarchion, located in northern Ithaca on the hill overlooking the village of Platrithia and Afales Bay, was extensively damaged. A committee was formed to rebuild the church and its reconstruction following the earthquake is testament to the determination and resilience of the island's people to overcome hardship and disasters. A black and white photograph of scaffolding supporting a building destroyed in earthquake. A trench along the side of the structure is being prepared for further reinforcement with steel rods before the concrete is poured.The photo a has stamp on the back from the local committee overseeing the rebuilding of the church. It is written in Greek and states the following: REBUILDING COMMITTEE/ HOLY CHURCH OF TAXIARCHES/PLATRITHIA ITHACA.