When Thomas Bent, politician and land speculator, was appointed Speaker of the Victorian Legislative Assembly in 1892, a number of local Brighton constituents and supporters raised money to present him with an oil portrait. Bent had been a member for Brighton for 21 years, and the painting was seen as a way of showing their appreciation of his services to the Brighton constituency, as well as congratulating him to his new position as Speaker. In June 1892, British/Australian landscape and portrait artist Charles E. Gordon-Frazer was given the commission to paint the portrait. Thomas Bent is depicted as standing in his Speaker's robe on the dais beneath the canopy in the Legislative Assembly Chamber in the act of addressing the House. He wears the traditional Speaker’s dress of a black silk and gold laced robe over a three-piece black suit, lace jabot and cuffs, buckled shoes and a ceremonial long wig. The top of the gold parliamentary mace sits on the right of the work near the frame's edge.sir thomas bent, thomas bent, speaker, mayor, premier, brighton, moorabbin, land speculator, local government, councillor, official, member of lower house, portrait, parliament, ceremonial robes, legislative assembly, jabot, wig, mace

The Lady Barbara Grimwade Costume Collection is comprised of Lady Barbara Grimwade's personal apparel and includes 145 pieces of clothing, 10 hats, 19 handbags, 66 pairs of shoes and assorted accessories of gloves, belts and scarves. In its breadth, this significant acquisition ranges from the mundane to the memorable, therefore giving a balanced representation of one person's taste. Following Lady Barbara Grimwade’s death in March 1990, Ararat Gallery formally accepted the generous gift of clothing and accessories donated by Lady Grimwade's son, Mr Angus K Grimwade, on 28 August 1991. Subsequent smaller donations in 1995 enhanced the collection. Lady Grimwade's Scottish forebears, the Gaerloch Campbells, first settled in Australia in 1861 in the Ararat-Beaufort district. Her great great grandfather, Mr Henry Campbell, died on the voyage to Australia. His widow, Jane, with 10 of her 13 children, farmed and grazed land, firstly at Stockyard Hill then at Fiery Creek, near Buangor, before leaving the shire in 1873. Lady Grimwade held a privileged position in Melbourne society. As the wife of Sir Andrew Grimwade, a prominent businessman, Chairman of several boards and a Trustee of various committees, Lady Grimwade met with royalty, heads of state, politicians, corporate directors, and horse and cattle breeders. Excerpt from 'Hot Pink Summers' catalogue essay, Helen Jackson, 1995.

This bodice, belonging to Alice (Henty) Hindson has traditionally been identified as a travelling jacket by her descendants. Alice Hindson was the youngest daughter of Francis Henty and Mary Ann (Lawrence) Henty. Alice's father, Francis Henty, was the youngest son of Thomas Henty, who with his family, their retainers and property moved to the Australian colonies between 1829 and 1832. In 1834, Francis’ older brother, Edward, sailed from Launceston in Van Diemen’s Land to what was to become Portland in the western part of Port Phillip District [Victoria]. Francis, together with the first flock of Merino sheep [in Victoria], followed some months later. The first and second generations of the Henty family established vast pastoral properties in the Western part of the Port Phillip District. Francis Henty managed ‘Merino Downs’ near Casterton, while also living in his retirement at ‘Field Place' in Kew. The Henty Collection of nineteenth and twentieth century clothing, including outerwear and underwear, was collected, stored and exhibited over time by female family members descended from Francis and Mary Ann Henty. During the twentieth century, items from the collection were modelled in two fashion parades by various descendants [1937, 1959]. The items in the collection are historically and aesthetically significant, with provenance provided by oral and written tradition within or held by the family. A number of the items in the collection are very rare survivors, and provide researchers with the evidence needed to reconstruct the lives of notable women in the Port Phillip District [later Victoria] during the nineteenth and early twentieth century.Alice (Henty) Hindson's midnight blue sateen bodice is highlighted using velvet lapels, cuffs, and a rear bow. The velvet, in contrast to the plain midnight blue sateen, is embellished [in the weave] with pink and navy spots. Joined at the front with 23 round domed buttons, hooks and eyes are used to close the neckline. The bodice also features coffee-coloured lace at the front and on the cuffs, which may have been added later. The bodice has some condition issues, missing one cuff and the lace on the cuffs needing re-attaching. The inside of the bodice is heavily boned, complete with a floral chintz lining. Measurements (mm): BODICE: Girth - Neck 355.6, Chest 812.8, Waist 660.4, Hip 685.8, Cuff 228.6 Vertical - From neck to hem 406.4, Front waist to hem 152.4, Back neck to hem 546.1, Back waist to hem 228.6, Sleeve length 533.4. Horizontal - Neck to sleeve head 114.3, Cross back 266.7, Underarm to underarm 368.3.alice hindson, alice henty, bodices, women's clothing, alice (henty) hindson

Balang [John MAWURNDJUL] (1952 - ) Born Mumeka, Northern Territory Country: Milmilngkan, West Arnham Land, Northern Territory Clan: Na-Kurulk Language Group: Kunwinjku Location: Milmilngkan John Mawurndjul is an Australian indigenous artist. He is a member of the Kuninjku people of West Arnhem Land, Northern Territory. Growing up John had only occasional contact with non-indigenous people and culture. He was tutored in rarrk, a traditional painting technique using fine cross hatching and infill, working on small barks. During the 1980s he started producing larger and more complex works. The artist has painted 'Wayarra', a generic term which can include both malevolent spirit beings which continually inhabit certain sites or objects but can also mean the Spirit of a recently deceased person. These spirits are one of two spirits of the dead, the other being the 'Kun-malng' soul. The 'Wayarra' is the shadow or 'shade' of the dead and may take on the form of the deceased and haunt areas where the deceased recently inhabited. In order to prevent Wayarra spirits from harassing relative of the recently deceased, a smoking ceremont is performed where Ironwood leaves are burnt around the camp of the recently deceased and ochre is rubbed on all objects belonging to the deceased. Ochre may also be rubbed on vehicles, houses and trees. Some Wayarra are a particular Dreaming totem for people of certain clans. This is why many artists depict Wayarra in their bark paintings and sculptures. They are depicting clan totems particular to their lineage and which are celebrated in major regional patrimoiety ceremonies. In 1989 the work of John Mawurndjul was included in the landmark exhibition "Magiciens de la Terra' at the Centre Pompidou and Grande Halle de la Vilette in Paris, France. His works have also been exhibited in numerous solo and group exhibitions in Australia, New York, Paris and Japan. Mawurndjul is one of eight artists whose work in part of the largest inernational commission of contemporary Indigenous art from Australia at the Musee du Quai Branly, Paris. The work was exhibited in the Australian survey "John Mawurndjul: I Am The Old And The New", at the Museum of Contemporary Art, one of the 160-odd works all chosen by Mawurndjul for inclusion in the exhibition. This item is part of the Federation University Art Collection. The Art Collection features over 1000 works and was listed as a 'Ballarat Treasure' in 2007.This artwork was chosen by John Murwurndjul as on of around 160 works for exhibition in the 2018 Australian Survey of his work at the Museum of Contemporary Art. The artist is known for his rarrk work, which is evident in 'Female Wayarra Spirit'.Aboriginal bark painting featurung rarrk. The artwork is associated with Dilebang, a duwa moiety place that belongs to the Kurulk clan. This work is currently on loan for exhibition in 'John Mawurndjul: I am the old and the new'. The exhibition will be shown at the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia (Sydney) from 6 July – 23 September 2018, and the Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide from 26 October 2018 – 28 January 2019.art, artwork, john mawurndjul, aboriginal, bark painting, rarrk, wayarra, kuninjku, maningrida, loan

Lin ONUS (1948-1996) Language: Wiradjuri / Yorta Yorta Lin Onus played a pivotal role in the recognition of Aboriginal art as an expression of a contemporary and dynamic living culture. Prior to his premature death at just 47 years of age he was a prominent, strident, yet non-confrontational agent in renegotiating the history of colonial and Aboriginal Australia. His father, Bill Onus, was the founder of the Aboriginal Advancement League in Victoria and a prominent maker of artefacts in Melbourne. As a young Koori growing up, Lin lived in a cultural environment that included exposure to visiting Aboriginal artists, including Albert Namatjira. He began his artistic life assisting his father in decorating artifacts, went on to develop skills working with metal and painting with air brush as a panel beater; and by 1974 he was painting watercolors and photo-realist landscapes. In the 1970's he completed a set of paintings on the first Aboriginal guerrilla fighter Mosquito, which holds pride of place on the walls of the Advancement League in Melbourne, to this day. Lin Onus was a largely self-taught artist. Particularly important in his development was his visits to Garmedi (Arnhem Land) starting in 1986. Jack Wunuwun, the Yolngu artist, introduced him into the Murrungun-Djinang clan and gave him permission to use some of traditional images in his paintings. His cultural education on the Aboriginal side was also provided by visits to Cummeragunja with his father, and stories told by his uncle Aaron Briggs, known as 'the old man of the forest' who gave him his Koori name - Burrinja, meaning 'star'. They would sit on the banks of the Murray River within view of the Barmah Forest, Lin's spiritual home, the subject of many of his later paintings and his final resting place. Lin's father had been of the Yorta Yorta people from the Barmah Forest country, and Lin also used images from this area in his paintings. The images in his works include haunting photorealist portrayals of the Barmah red gum forests of his father's ancestral country, and the use of rarrk cross-hatching-based based painting style that he learned (and was given permission to use when in Arnhemland). His painting Barmah Forest won Canberra's national Aboriginal Heritage Award in 1994. (http://www.cooeeart.com.au/aboriginal_artist/lin_onus/A, accessed 18 May 2015) This item is part of the Federation University Art Collection. The Art Collection features over 1000 works and was listed as a 'Ballarat Treasure' in 2007.Framed limited edition silkscreen.Signed 'Onus' lower right (posthumously by Tiriki Onus) Edition 68/80art, artwork, lin onus, onus, printmaking, screenprint, aboriginal, dreaming, frogs, available

Rochelle SUMMERFEILD Born Sydney, Australia This item is part of the Federation University Art Collection. The Art Collection features over 2000 works and was listed as a 'Ballarat Treasure' in 2007.Artists Statement: I am based in Northern NSW. My art practice is deeply influenced by my connections and experiences with the rivers and habitat where I live. Through drawing, paint, collage and digital media my work explores human relationships with riparian environments. Every day I see the undeniable beauty of our rivers as well as the ecological suffering of these riparian landscapes. Historical practices of land clearing, water politics and weed infestation put tremendous pressure on the Australian ecology. Disrupting traditional art forms, I combine them with new technologies to reveal some of the complexities behind human relationships with nature. With bold collagist experimentation, I combine numerous mediums to expose the small revelations between media. These juxtapositions open up the possibilities of reinventing different ways of being with the natural environment. Like the layers in my work, the issues surrounding our riverine environments are multifaceted and complex and begin with individual choices. I want to direct people’s attention to our rivers, to love, appreciate and reconnect with the natural environment. Human experience with nature is a fundamental part of our sense of self, health and well-being as well as community connection. (https://rochellesummerfield.com/about/, accessed 10 June 2020)art, artwork, rochell summerfield, printmaking, print council of australia

This work is all about Country for Wadawurrung people, the lay of the land, food crops and the abundant recourses which sustains the Wadawurrung people. Again I have used traditional patterns and made reference to Wallaby Grass and Murnong staple foods for Wadawurrung people.Painting of river and grassland from above. Green, blue and brown used.On back left bottom corner - J.Murray.Jones 2019 'Corio'corio, wadawurrung, murnong

The name Mordialloc was derived from the name Moody Yallock, which comes from the Bunurong language. The Bunurong Peoples are the Traditional Owners of this area. The name means “high water” or “high creek”. In 1839, colonial authorities declared the mouth of the creek, and an additional 830 odd acres as an Aboriginal Reserve, although this proclamation was never gazetted. The reserved land included part of the Carrum Carrum Swamp which was abundant with wild life and natural resources. Regular encroachments, including land sales which began in 1863, were made on the land until 1878 when the Reserve was declared closed, and the land was opened up to land sales. Market gardening and suburban house lots quickly began to develop, and Mordialloc became a renowned picnic and holiday site. Mordialloc Creek is a popular bay side destination for local and visitors, and is a site for boating, kayaking, fishing and swimming, along with many other activities.Colour photograph of Mordialloc Creek, looking out to the bay. Many small fishing and leisure craft are moored on either side of the banks of the creek. To the right hand side can be seen parklands, while the left hand side has a small inlet in which more small crafts are moored.mordialloc, bunurong, traditional owners, suburbs, boats, fishing, waterways

The name Mordialloc was derived from the name Moody Yallock, which comes from the Bunurong language. The Bunurong Peoples are the Traditional Owners of this area. The name means “high water” or “high creek”. In 1839, colonial authorities declared the mouth of the creek, and an additional 830 odd acres as an Aboriginal Reserve, although this proclamation was never gazetted. The reserved land included part of the Carrum Carrum Swamp which was abundant with wild life and natural resources. Regular encroachments, including land sales which began in 1863, were made on the land until 1878 when the Reserve was declared closed, and the land was opened up to land sales. Market gardening and suburban house lots quickly began to develop, and Mordialloc became a renowned picnic and holiday site. Mordialloc Creek is a popular bay side destination for local and visitors, and is a site for boating, kayaking, fishing and swimming, along with many other activities.Colour photograph of Mordialloc Creek, looking inland.Small fishing and leisure boats are moored on either side of creek, with a view of the Mordialloc Bridge Hotel in the background.mordialloc, bunurong, traditional owners, suburbs, boats, fishing, waterways, hotel

The name Mordialloc was derived from the name Moody Yallock, which comes from the Bunurong language. The Bunurong Peoples are the Traditional Owners of this area. The name means “high water” or “high creek”. In 1839, colonial authorities declared the mouth of the creek, and an additional 830 odd acres as an Aboriginal Reserve, although this proclamation was never gazetted. The reserved land included part of the Carrum Carrum Swamp which was abundant with wild life and natural resources. Regular encroachments, including land sales which began in 1863, were made on the land until 1878 when the Reserve was declared closed, and the land was opened up to land sales. Market gardening and suburban house lots quickly began to develop, and Mordialloc became a renowned picnic and holiday site. Mordialloc Creek is a popular bay side destination for local and visitors, and is a site for boating, kayaking, fishing and swimming, along with many other activities.Colour photograph of Mordialloc Creek with boats moored on both sides of the street and Pompei's boat yard visible on the right hand side of the creek., Main Street and St Brigid's Catholic Church are visible in backgroundmordialloc, bunurong, traditional owners, suburbs, boats, fishing, waterways, hotel, church

Waa Waa – Crow Feathers is a painting from Aunty Marlene Gilson’s 2022 exhibition ‘Bunjil Wour Kun Ya – Spirit of My Ancestors’. This work tells the story of Waa-Waa, the first Wadawurrung to see a white man, Matthew Flinders and his crew surveying the southern Australian coastline near the You Yangs on 1 May 1802. Speaking to Wyndham Art Gallery’s curatorial framework themes of Foregrounding, Habitat and Localism, the work portrays in Wadawurrung lore the first sighting of a European and acknowledges Australian First Nations peoples original and ongoing connections with land, history, politics and knowledges of place. The scene is overlooking the You Yangs which is deeply connected with the local place and habitat of the Werribee Plain. Aunty Marlene Gilson is a Wathaurung (Wadawarrung) Elder living on country in Gordon, near Ballarat. Marlene Gilson’s multi-figure paintings work to overturn the colonial grasp on the past by reclaiming and re-contextualising the representation of historical events. Learning her Wathaurung history from her grandmother, Gilson began painting while recovering from an illness. The artist’s meticulously rendered works display a narrative richness and theatrical quality akin to the traditional genre of history painting. Gilson, however, privileges those stories relating to her ancestral land, which covers Ballarat, Werribee, Geelong, Skipton and the Otway Ranges in Victoria. Often including her two totems, Bunjil the Eagle and Waa the Crow, Gilson’s paintings not only reconfigure historical narratives, but display her spiritual connection to Country. australian first nations art, cultural story, australian painting, wathaurung, female artist

This photograph was taken at Samaria Farm on Sunday the 5th of September when Wooragee Landcare Group took a bus trip to the Tatong area (near Benalla) to look at land use on small farms. The day trip was organised to observe land use on small farms as well as a social event for the Group. Samaria Farm at the time was a nine-hectare property located in northeast Victoria, near Mount Samaria, 130 km Northeast of Melbourne. The photograph features several pigs believed to be the breed called Large Black. The Large Black Pig breed is a traditional, heritage breed that was first imported to Australia from the UK in the early 1900's. It is believed to have originated from the Old English Hog of the 16th and 17th Centuries. The first reference to them in the Australian Pure Bred Pig Herd Book was in 1912. They are a black pig with lop ears and were prized for their superior milking and mothering abilities and soon became popular with early Dairy Farmers who fed them whey from separated milk as part of their butter making process. They proved economical to keep and, being excellent grazing pigs, were also used to pick up windfall fruit in orchards. Their black colouring also enabled them to withstand the hot Australian summers and avoid sunburn which combined with their hardiness and docile temperament made them highly suitable for free-range pork production, however Large Black pigs tend to get very fat and were not suitable for intensive farming so were often crossed with other breeds for pork production. They are now quite rare as a pure breed having been on the edge of extinction for some time. They were rescued in the early 1990s by a rare breeds farmer in the Yarra Ranges. These days they are also the focus of a small conversation effort with six registered breeders currently in Australia. For biosecurity reasons there are no imports of live pigs or pig semen permitted into Australia. This photograph shows a group of people attending one of the events that Wooragee Landcare Group has organized within the educational framework of promoting best land management practices for all types of land uses and ensuring sustainability, in addition to encouraging community interaction via social events. The Large Black pig breed is significant because of their role in early Victorian farming. They are now quite rare as a pure breed having been on the edge of extinction for some time. These days they are the focus of a small conversation effort with six registered breeders currently in Australia. For biosecurity reasons there are no imports of live pigs or pig semen permitted into Australia. Wooragee Landcare Group is important to local community landcare and environmental management practices.Colour rectangular photograph printed on paperObverse: WAN NA EONA2N2. ANN+ 3 4240/ (No. 17) 370samaria farm, wooragee landcare, wooragee landcare group, tatong, benalla, black pigs, large black, traditional breed, heritage breed, pigs, lop ears, free range pork production, early victorian farming

The building was designed by Charles Maplestone of Heidelberg, son-in-law to Anthony Beale of St Helena. Maplestone was a prominent architect who came out to Australia with his family in 1852. The foundation stone was laid by Mrs Isabella Maplestone on 11th November 1867. The bricklayers for the church were George Stebbing, H Limmer, H Spicer and a Mr Timm while Thomas Day was the stonemason. Another three years were to pass before sufficient money could be raised for its completion. It was opened by Bishop Perry on 1st November, 1870. The church bell which hung under a tree for 50 years until it was incorporated in the parish hall was brought out from England and presented by Charles Orme. In 1916, the estate of George Martin Pizzey left sufficient money to build the red brick hall, which still stands today (2023) though in January 1969 the hall and bell tower were badly damaged by bushfire. Coincidentally the former home of benefactor, George Pizzey was destroyed in the same fire. Of particular significance are the interior and exterior of the church, the Sunday school and hall with emphasis on pre-World War I fabric (excluding the 1990s additions) and the three coloured glass windows currently suspended in the 1990s entry foyer. In 2011 further alterations were made to the front of the Church. The church is historically significant because it was the oldest public building in the former Diamond Valley Shire, is amongst the oldest buildings in the Shire of Nillumbik and is associated with the early settlement of the Diamond Creek district. The church is historically, socially and spiritually significant because it has been a place of worship for over 150 years and continues to be, an important meeting place in the Shire. The church is aesthetically significant for the three stained glass windows executed by the noted stained glass manufacturers, Ferguson & Urie, as well as the supporting coloured glass windows in the church. The Sunday school & parish hall is architecturally significant because the hall is a well executed and preserved example of the work of noted church architects, North & Williams. It is historically significant because it is connected with local parishioner and Melbourne industrialist, George Pizzey, who bequeathed funds for its construction. Covered under Heritage Overlay, Nillumbik Planning Scheme. National Estate Ntionl Trust of Australia (Victoria) Local significance Published: Nillumbik Now and Then /​ Marguerite Marshall 2008; photographs Alan King with Marguerite Marshall.; p85 St John’s Anglican Church stands like a beacon on the hill on Main Street, Diamond Creek. Today the church has a large congregation, but its early years were marked by a small congregation struggling to find enough money to survive. It was gold in Diamond Creek that resulted in the building of this National Trust registered property.1 This church is far removed from William Wilson’s humble barn (later the Bowling Green) where the first Anglican church services were conducted – probably the first in the district.2 In the mid 19th century services were infrequent as the Rev Francis Hales, travelling on horseback, also conducted services elsewhere, including at Heidelberg, Coburg, Kinglake, Arthurs Creek, St Andrews and Kangaroo Ground. In 1860 Diamond Creek came under the jurisdiction of the Eltham Parish. Until the mid 1860s the Diamond Creek settlement included only about 20 families who were struggling farmers. But this changed when gold was found in 1862. Then the township grew to 200 families, including miners, civil administration workers and shopkeepers. The resulting growth of Church of England adherents prompted them to petition the Government in 1866 for land to build a church. The area chosen, on which the original building still stands, was at the centre of the proposed township. Today church leaders believe that this conspicuous location is one of the reasons for its exceptional growth. Prominent architect Charles Maplestone designed the building as he did the Presbyterian Church at Kangaroo Ground. St John’s, which is still intact, was built in the Gothic Revival style with the traditional rectangular plan of a central nave and sanctuary at the end. It is typical of small churches built in Victoria at that time, with polychromatic hand-made bricks, a porch, diagonal buttresses and a slate roof.3 The church was officially opened by Lord Bishop Perry on November 1, 1870. But during the next 40 years, due to the varying fortunes of gold mining, the church struggled to remain viable. In 1909 it separated from the Eltham Parish to form a parish with Greensborough. Life became more difficult with the privations of World War One. Then disaster struck in 1915 when fire destroyed the Diamond Creek Gold Mine, wiping out the major livelihood of most parishioners. However the church’s morale was lifted in 1916, when it received a bequest to build the red brick hall, from late parishioner and prominent leather manufacturer, George Pizzey. As prosperity grew, in 1924 the congregation separated from Greensborough, but they rejoined in the 1930s Depression. In the 1950s the wider population soared, impacting on St John’s, and it became a separate parish, becoming responsible for six churches at St Andrews, Hazel Glen, Hurstbridge, St Helena and Yarrambat. As parishioner numbers outgrew the building, extensions were added in 1989 and then in 1993, blending in well with the original building. Church members have made a huge contribution to the local community. John Ryan was a Heidelberg Shire Councillor for 25 years from 1931, Mayor in 1939 and headed several local sporting and other organisations. His son Jock became a clergyman and a local historian heading the Nillumbik Historical Society. Another parishioner, Dr Ted Cordner, came to Diamond Creek in 1920. One of his sons Donald, who was a local doctor, won the Brownlow Medal, was President of the Melbourne Cricket Club and President of the Melbourne Grammar School Council. Roy ‘Monty’ Vale was a state Liberal MP and was related to May Vale, a member of the Heidelberg School of Artists.4 In the early 21st century St John’s Anglican Church is one of the fastest growing congregations in Melbourne. References: St Johns Anglican Church complex, Sunday School and Parish Hall 61 Main Street DIAMOND CREEK, NILLUMBIK SHIRE. (2023, June 7). Retrieved from https://vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/places/64023 Diamond Creek, VIC. – St John’s Anglican (2023, June 7). Retrieved from https://www.churchhistories.net.au/church-catalog/diamond-creek-vic-st-johns-anglican 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, st john's anglican church, diamond creek

Bonnie Fagan's County is Wadawurrung. Most of her early learning about her Aboriginality came from the father.Aboriginal dot painting telling the artist's learning journey. Bonnie Fagan wrote of this work: "Ochres reflect my connection with the land of my traditional Wadawurrung Country. Yellow ochre forms the background and white ochre defines my pathway, showing where I have traveled from my past and where I am heading in my future. I use reddish ochres for the larger dots along my pathway to show my footprint and for the smaller dots that ripple outwards to show how I've had some influence, either good or bad. The white lines show my pathway with an entry point from my past marking the start of my journey, a middle part showing were my life will continue. Through the middle part, my teenage years, the pathway is very windy. These years were sometime quite difficult and I struggled. The two circle areas symbolize two chapters in my life, first as a child and then as an adult, when I've felt mostly positive and safe. They are periods when I've been very open to learning, gathering knowledge from people and experiences that I trusted, and the circles within the circles symbolize the layers of support, of experience, of connection and of learning that I experienced. Strong visual symbols at the base of the painting under the first circle area represent the key figures in my learning through my childhood: my father (represented by the traditional symbol, of a man with a spear) and my mothers with me as a small child, The spirit of my paternal grandmother, my Nan, hovers above my childhood circle and near the pathway through to my teenage years, showing the strength of her influence and how she was always there guiding me." (Robyn Brandenburg and Jacqueline Z, Wilson [Eds] Pedagogies for the Future: Leading Quality Learning and Teaching in Higher Education, Sense Publishers, The Netherlands, 2013, pp40-41)bonnie fagan, bonnie chew, wadawurrung, artists, artwork, aboriginal

The Eltham Gateway Group (EGG) was established about 1987 by some Eltham residents concerned for the development of the Eltham Gateway, defined as that historically and environmentally sensitive region of land along Main Road, Eltham extending from the roundabout at Fitzsimons Lane to Dudley Street, Eltham. The gateway was a unique urban area with a strong sense of character that provided a distinctive entrance to the Eltham Town Centre. The intention of this group was to support development that preserved both the natural and historic features of the gateway region. It encouraged development sympathetic to Eltham’s traditional association with the arts and natural environment. The group was initiated in response to a planning application in December 1986 to redevelop the then Mobil service station site at 729 Main Road, Eltham on the corner of Brougham Street. This group worked with and encouraged the Eltham Shire Council to consider rezoning to protect the gateway area. A detailed Eltham Gateway Study undertaken by Tract Consultants assisted with the establishment of the Eltham Gateway Zone, the Eltham Gateway Policy and the Eltham Gateway Design and Siting Guidelines. The State Government subsequently agreed to a planning amendment to rezone the land from a Residential Zone C to an Eltham Gateway Zone under the Eltham Planning Scheme. While zoning changes over the years have altered the mix of permitted uses within this area the Eltham Gateway still looks and feels like a predominately residential style precinct, even where non-residential type uses operate. EGG was followed by the establishment of the Eltham Protection Society in about 1989 to respond to community planning issues beyond the area of the Eltham Gateway and in effect took over the role from the EGG. Jim Connor President Eltham District Historical Society 4 July 2022 During 1986/87 I was a community member on the Shire of Eltham’s Community Consultative Committee involved with the Eltham Gateway Study, which led to the establishment of the original Eltham Gateway Zone, under the then Eltham Planning Scheme The Eltham Gateway Group was the pioneer community action group dedicated to protecting the character of the Eltham Gateway. It was succeeded by the Eltham Protection Society. When the Shire of Eltham Offices were demolished by the unelected Commissioners of Nillumbik Shire Council in July/August 1996, significant community upset and protest led to the establishement of the Eltham Gateway Action Group (EGAG) which in present day form has evolved into the Eltham Community Action Group (ECAG) focussing on issues throughout Eltham and not just the Eltham Gatewayeltham community action group, eltham gateway, eltham gateway action group, eltham gateway design and siting guidelines, eltham gateway group (egg), eltham gateway policy, eltham gateway study, eltham gateway zone, eltham planning scheme, eltham protection society, jim connor, michael wilson, rodger dalling, tony mcmanus

A quarry was transformed into the Blue Lake. Published: Nillumbik Now and Then /​ Marguerite Marshall 2008; photographs Alan King with Marguerite Marshall.; p179 The dramatic steep-sided Plenty Gorge lies along the divide of two geological areas, and separates the Nillumbik Shire and the City of Whittlesea. On the Nillumbik side are undulating hills and sedimentary rock, and in Whittlesea, lies a basalt plain formed by volcanic action up to two million years ago. This provides the Plenty Gorge Park with diverse vegetation and habitats, making it one of Greater Melbourne’s most important refuges for threatened and significant species. The park, established in 1986, consists of around 1350 hectares, and extends 11 kilometres along the Plenty River, from Greensborough to Mernda. It provides a wildlife corridor for around 500 native plant and 280 animal species. The area’s plentiful food and water attracted the Wurundjeri Aboriginal people and then European settlers. By 1837 squatters had claimed large runs of land for their sheep and cattle. The Plenty Valley was among the first in the Port Phillip District to be settled - mainly in the less heavily timbered west - and was proclaimed a settled district in 1841.But by the late 1880s, the settlers’ extensive land clearing for animal grazing, then agriculture, depleted the Wurundjeri’s traditional food sources, which helped to drive them away. Many Wurundjeri artefacts remain (now government protected), and so far 57 sites have been identified in the park, including scarred trees, burial areas and stone artefacts. Pioneer life could be very hard because of isolation, flooding, bushfires and bushrangers. Following the Black Thursday bushfires of 1851, basalt was quarried to build more fire-resistant homes. Gold discoveries in the early 1850s swelled the population, particularly around Smugglers Gully; but food production made more of an impact. In the late 1850s wheat production supplanted grazing. In the 1860s the government made small holdings available to poorer settlers. These had the greatest effect on the district, particularly in Doreen and Yarrambat, where orchards were established from the 1880s to 1914. Links with a prominent early family are the remains of Stuchbery Farm, by the river’s edge bounded by Smugglers Gully to the north and La Trobe Road, Yarrambat, to the east. The Stuchberys moved to the valley in 1890, and the family still lives in the area. In 1890, Alfred and Ada first lived in a tent where four children were born, then Alfred built the house and outbuildings around 1896. They planted an orchard, then a market garden, and developed a dairy. The family belonged to the local Methodist and tennis communities. Their grandson Walter, opened the Flying Scotsman Model Railway Museum in Yarrambat, which his widow, Vi, continues to run. Wal was also the Yarrambat CFA Captain for 22 years until 1987. Walter sold 24 hectares in 1976 for development - now Vista Court - and in 1990, the remaining 22.6 hectares for the park. Remaining are an early stone dairy and remnants of a stone barn, a pig sty and a well. Until it was destroyed by fire in 2003, a slab hut stood on the Happy Hollow Farm site, at the southern end of the park. The hut is thought to have been built in the Depression around 1893. This was a rare and late example of a slab hut with a domestic orchard close to Melbourne. Emmet Watmough and his family first occupied the hut, followed by a succession of families, until the Bell family bought it around 1948. There they led a subsistence lifestyle for 50 years, despite encroaching Melbourne suburbia. The Yellow Gum Recreation Area includes the Blue Lake, coloured turquoise at certain times of the year. Following the 1957 bushfires, this area was quarried by Reid Quarries Pty Ltd for Melbourne’s first skyscrapers, then by Boral Australia. However in the early 1970s water began seeping into the quarry forming the Blue Lake and the quarry was closed. The State Government bought the site in 1997 and opened it as a park in 1999.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, blue lake, plenty gorge park

Stuchbery Farm was situated on the Plenty River bounded by Smugglers Gully to the north and La trobe Road, Yarrambat, to the east. Alan and Ada Stutchbery moved to the valley in 1890, first living in a tent where four children were born. Alfred built a home and outbuildings around 1896. They planted an orchard, then a market garden and developed a dairy. Published: Nillumbik Now and Then /​ Marguerite Marshall 2008; photographs Alan King with Marguerite Marshall.; p179 The dramatic steep-sided Plenty Gorge lies along the divide of two geological areas, and separates the Nillumbik Shire and the City of Whittlesea. On the Nillumbik side are undulating hills and sedimentary rock, and in Whittlesea, lies a basalt plain formed by volcanic action up to two million years ago. This provides the Plenty Gorge Park with diverse vegetation and habitats, making it one of Greater Melbourne’s most important refuges for threatened and significant species. The park, established in 1986, consists of around 1350 hectares, and extends 11 kilometres along the Plenty River, from Greensborough to Mernda. It provides a wildlife corridor for around 500 native plant and 280 animal species. The area’s plentiful food and water attracted the Wurundjeri Aboriginal people and then European settlers. By 1837 squatters had claimed large runs of land for their sheep and cattle. The Plenty Valley was among the first in the Port Phillip District to be settled - mainly in the less heavily timbered west - and was proclaimed a settled district in 1841. But by the late 1880s, the settlers’ extensive land clearing for animal grazing, then agriculture, depleted the Wurundjeri’s traditional food sources, which helped to drive them away. Many Wurundjeri artefacts remain (now government protected), and so far 57 sites have been identified in the park, including scarred trees, burial areas and stone artefacts. Pioneer life could be very hard because of isolation, flooding, bushfires and bushrangers. Following the Black Thursday bushfires of 1851, basalt was quarried to build more fire-resistant homes. Gold discoveries in the early 1850s swelled the population, particularly around Smugglers Gully; but food production made more of an impact. In the late 1850s wheat production supplanted grazing. In the 1860s the government made small holdings available to poorer settlers. These had the greatest effect on the district, particularly in Doreen and Yarrambat, where orchards were established from the 1880s to 1914. Links with a prominent early family are the remains of Stuchbery Farm, by the river’s edge bounded by Smugglers Gully to the north and La Trobe Road, Yarrambat, to the east. The Stuchberys moved to the valley in 1890, and the family still lives in the area. In 1890, Alfred and Ada first lived in a tent where four children were born, then Alfred built the house and outbuildings around 1896. They planted an orchard, then a market garden, and developed a dairy. The family belonged to the local Methodist and tennis communities. Their grandson Walter, opened the Flying Scotsman Model Railway Museum in Yarrambat, which his widow, Vi, continues to run. Wal was also the Yarrambat CFA Captain for 22 years until 1987. Walter sold 24 hectares in 1976 for development - now Vista Court - and in 1990, the remaining 22.6 hectares for the park. Remaining are an early stone dairy and remnants of a stone barn, a pig sty and a well. Until it was destroyed by fire in 2003, a slab hut stood on the Happy Hollow Farm site, at the southern end of the park. The hut is thought to have been built in the Depression around 1893. This was a rare and late example of a slab hut with a domestic orchard close to Melbourne. Emmet Watmough and his family first occupied the hut, followed by a succession of families, until the Bell family bought it around 1948. There they led a subsistence lifestyle for 50 years, despite encroaching Melbourne suburbia. The Yellow Gum Recreation Area includes the Blue Lake, coloured turquoise at certain times of the year. Following the 1957 bushfires, this area was quarried by Reid Quarries Pty Ltd for Melbourne’s first skyscrapers, then by Boral Australia. However in the early 1970s water began seeping into the quarry forming the Blue Lake and the quarry was closed. The State Government bought the site in 1997 and opened it as a park in 1999.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, ada stuchbery, alan stuchbery, dairy, stuchbery farm, farm buildings, yarrambat, plenty gorge park