Various news articles pertaining to the January 1962 Victorian bushfires in the Dandenong and Healesville districts which by the third day had encompassed large areas of the State. Specific Eltham Shire districts mentioned include Panton Hill and Hurstbridge on page 1, Warrandyte on page 2, 3, 4 and 5, Hurstbridge, Smith’s Gully, Kinglake on page 3 and 4, Strathewen, Kangaroo Ground, Panton Hill, St. Andrews, Smith’s Gully on page 4 and Pound Bend, Smith’s Gully and Warrandyte on pages 20-21 • They Flee Night Peril, p1 (Illust.) • Their grim picnic; A flash fire strikes, p2 (Illust.) • Night of terror as towns quitted, p3 • Fought till he dropped, p3 (Illust.) • Rain in fire area, p3 • Wye River town goes, p3 • Black Friday Hero Dies In Fire; with wife, grandsons, p4 • Surrounded!, p4 (Illust.) • Main street houses ablaze, p4 • Hurstbridge is evacuated, p4 • Scores jump in river at Warrandyte, p5 • Hills people leave homes, p5 • “Fire” cry at Parlt., p5 • Blind – he’s safe now, p5 (Illust.) • Police Chief Runs Battle, p7 • From Fire Front: Hospital treats 34, p7 • Firms send help, p7 • Tragedy and Ruin: Third Day; Ferntree Gully; Warrandyte; Pound Bend; Smiths Gully; Escape for 18, pp20-21 (Illust.) • Church was a haven for the hurt, weary, p39 (Illust.) • A home is lost, p40 (Illust.) tom fielding collection, victorian bushfires - 1962, victorian bushfires – 1962, panton hill, hurstbridge, five ways crossroads, warrandyte south, dandenongs, upwey, mt. evelyn, monbulk, olinda, sassafras, st. andrews, warrandyte, christmas hills, yarra river, mitcham, whitehorse roiad, donvale, park orchards, metropolitan fire chief, w.t. aldridge, loughnan’s hill, ringwood, woori yallock, leslie ockwell, linda ockwell, kalorama, healesville, daylesford, fire damage – buildings, wye river, portland, eganstown, ballarat, sherbrooke park forest, forest commission headquarters, kallista, r.t. seaton, montrose, yallourn, central gippsland, smith’s creek, black friday, geoffrey ockwell, ronald ockwell, preston town hall, e.j. tenner, strathewen, kangaroo ground, eric farnsworth, adele farnsworth, robin farnsworth, roy cleland, ann cleland, belgrave, sassfras, kaloramalice commissioner porter, mansfield, box hill hospital, pound bend, ferntree gully, ferntree gully state school, w. carew, ann quinton

Various news articles pertaining to the January 1965 Victorian bushfires specifically with a focus on fires at Eltham North. Specific Eltham Shire districts mentioned include Eltham North and veteran Herald staff photographer Bert Rodda on page 1 • 3 Die as Bushfires Sweep the Hill: 10 homes burn at Nth. Eltham, p1 (Illust.) • 100 dogs die, p1 • Taken on the run, p1 (Illust.) • Fire runs wild at Eltham, p3 (Illust.) • 10-mile front out of control; Gippsland area ablaze, p3 • Trapped, but saved by wind, p3 tom fielding collection, victorian bushfires - 1965, victorian bushfires – 1965, eltham north, bert rodda, glen park road, short road, research (vic.), wattle glen, diamond creek, warrandyte, eltham, gippsland, mrs g. maher, bill dancy, eltham north store, bushfire damage - buildings

Various news articles pertaining to the January 1965 Victorian bushfires specifically with a focus on fires at Eltham North. Specific Eltham Shire districts mentioned include Eltham North on page 1, 2, 3, 28-29 • Fire Kills 3, p1 (Illust.) • Fire on their heel, p2 (Illust.) • Flames catch, kill 3 as they run: 12 house go, p3 (Illust.) • It doubled back, p3 • Helpers highly praised, p3 • Blaze kills 100 puppies, p3 (Illust.) • Scenes from Eltham’s Black Wednesday, pp28-29 (Illust.) tom fielding collection, victorian bushfires - 1965, victorian bushfires – 1965, glen park road, eltham north, sunny pine, bushfire damage – buildings, back gully, gippsland, glenmaggie, briagolong, george john crowe, john lawrence coleman, william john elwers, creek road, wattle glen, bill guy

This file contains two items about this Park. An article featuring Caulfield Park and East Caulfield Park, which was developed as the districts principal sporting areas, relating to development and restoration. Includes copies of four photographs relating to the parks featured. One colour photograph of the Park: undated, source unknown. Noted on reverse 'E. Caulf. Reserve Pavilion'.caulfield, caulfield park, east caulfield park, crown reserves, caulfield council, east caulfield park, committee of management, caulfield park committee of management, little harold, lidsey p. mrs., hannan lynette ms., leskie mr., caulfield sub district cricket club, caulfield lacross club, anderson sandy, michelson david, balaclava road, hawthorn road, victorian cricket association, cbc st. kilda, grimwade house, st. aloysius primary school, st. anthony’s primary school, monash university caulfield campus, committees of management, cypress trees, mahogany gym trees, parks and reserves, gardens, parks, sport, sports and recreations, leisure, cultural events, cultural activities, sportsgrounds, sports people, ovals, playing fields, sports establishments, recreations establishments, clubs and associations, associations, organisations, societies, athletic clubs, community groups, pavilions, playground equipment, playgrounds, gardens, barbecues, picnics, tennis courts, lawn bowls, bowls, bowling clubs, schools, educational establishments, trees, plants

This file contains five items. Two original photographs of the remains of Caulfield Park Bowling Club after the fire of 1977, date unknown. An article on the opening of the greens at Caulfield Park Sports Club from the CAULFIELD/ PORT PHILLIP LEADER dated 30/08/2011. An article on a competition that Caulfield Park Sports Club participated in to support the Alcohol Education Rehabilitation Foundation, dated 25/10/2011. An article on the Caulfield Park lawn bowls team being crowned the champions of the Sandbelt region bowls competition and their advancement to the regional playoffs. From the CAULFIELD/ PORT PHILLIP LEADER dated 10/04/2012. An article on the Caulfield Park bowling club ladies team’s win of the 2013 Victorian State Fours Title at Bendigo. GLEN EIRA/ PORT PHILLIP LEADER dated 07/05/2013.caulfield park bowling club, caulfield, caulfield park sports club, entertainment, competitions, aer mixed pairs challenge, alcohol education rehabilitation foundation, mccarthy ann, meltzer sel, sandbelt, pekelman marion, macaulay desiree, victorian state fours title, clubs, associations, organisations, societies, sports, recreations, leisure, cultural events, cultural activities, lawn bowls, sporting clubs, competitions, sports grounds, sports people

This file contains five items: 1/Item one is a newspaper article describing the plans for the restoration and development of the new pavilion. It includes figures, benefits and potential uses of the pavilion. Dated August 2012. 2/ An article from the Caulfield/Port Phillip Leader describing the new pavilion. Dated 21/08/2012. 3/A report from the Caulfield Contact detailing the history of Duncan MacKinnon Reserve. It also includes funding and planning for the upgrade to a park status, with new facilities. Dated December 1991. 4/Report by Caulfield Historical Society, with the original typed copy, describing historical changes from 1874 to 1976, and its transformation from a swamp to sporting ground. Includes figures, grants, and its changing uses by the community. Undated. Three copies in file. 5/Two photographs, an original and a smaller copy of the original, of children playing at the reserve. Undated.duncan mackinnon reserve, glen eira, murrumbeena, caulfield, north road, crosbie road, murrumbeena road, caulfield historical society, caulfield council, caulfield contact, caulfield little athletics, judge mark, hyams jamie cr, glenhuntly athletics club, caulfield district netball association, stanish jane, biggs ed cr, dixon brian, taylor sam cr, crosbie thomas mahoney, mackinnon duncan cornelius, sports establishments, pavilion, sporting clubs, athletics, competitions, swamps, playgrounds, barbeques, warren reserve, councillors, paddy’s swamp, glen eira council, sports equipment, recreations equipment, victorian masters athletics, maccabi athletics club, washington park cricket club, sports grounds, ovals, playing fields, stadiums, duncan mackinnon park, caulfield’s east ward, victorian veterans cricket club, caulfield south, crosbie swamp, caulfield park, football clubs, cricket clubs, athletic clubs, caulfield/port phillip leader, mantric architecture, parks, reserves, martens veronika cr, caulfield historical society

Vol. 4, No. 1, Jan-Feb 1999 CONTENTS LEGACY OF WILLIAM WESTGARTH Beginnings of German culture in Victoria 3 POSTCARD FROM VIENNA Soni Stecker in the coffee capital of Europe 6 SMALL IS BEAUTIFUL Poets Christen the Montsalvat barn 9 NEW BLOOD FOR ARTS OF ELTHAM 11 HILARY JACKMAN IN PROFILE An artist examines her motives 12 POETRY 14 VOLUMES 1ST BIRTHDAY Celebrating a new chapter in the story of Nillumbik 16, 17 NEW HEIDE EXHIBITION Luna Park and the Art of Mass Delirium 18 SONGLINES A dream takes shape for Nerida Kirov 20 THEATRE WITH CAROLYN PICKETT 23 BOOK REVIEWS 24 - 28 CD REVIEWS Coco's Lunch -Wally Wombat Shuffle; Hooray! for Mr Whiskers 29, 32 "Peter Dougherty has been involved in the local art scene for many years. As publisher and editor of the arts magazine Artstreams, his comments on the various branches of the arts are widely respected. His "The Arts" column in the Diamond Valley Leader presents a brief summary for a much wider cross section of the local community. Peter also operates his own gallery and the Artstreams Cafe at the St Andrews market. Peter has a wealth of knowledge about present day and historical aspects of local art and artists." - Eltham District Historical Society Newsletter No. 161, March 2005Colour front and back cover with feature articles and literary pieces with photographs and advertisements printed in black and white. 36 pages, 30 cm. Vol. 1, no. 1 (Nov. 1996) - Vol. 10, no. 5 (summer ed. 2005/​06) art streams, john borrack, ziebell farmhouse, sumer in the parks, william westgarth, westgarthtown, yarra valley country club, llobex image wizards, soni stecker, vienna, victorian artists supplies, adams of north riding, pool & spa care centre, montsalvat, eltham arts council, hilary jackman, st andrews hotel, jordie albiston, ian mcbryde, city of whittlesea community festival, volumes, clive dickson, luna park, museum of modern art at heide, art in public places, songlines, nerida kirov, manningham arts centres, carolyn pickett, women's circus, edna walling, trisha dixon, jennie churchill, gwen ford, eltham library community gallery, roberta sykes, soni silvan strecker, dymocks booksellers, wintyre recital gallery, carolyn morwood, anne delaney, coco's lunch, bulleen art & garden centre, franciscus henry, monty deli & catering services

Vol. 4, No. 6, Nov-Dec 1999 CONTENTS ALBERT TUCKER AO 29.12.1914- 23.10.1999 3 MIETTA'S Eating and Drinking in Melbourne 4 MIRKA MORA 'Where angels fear to tread' 6 THEATRE Normie & Tuan Finding the River 7 CD REVIEWS 8, 9 MR MOON IS DEAD The new face of Luna Park 10 PUBLIC ART OR DECORATION Mark Henry 12 ELTHAM FESTIVAL 14 OPEN STUDIOS PROGRAMME 15 LOCAL BLUES/ROCK CULTURE Rob Harwood 27 INTERVIEW Kim Tarpey 22 SHORT STORY 24 ARTS SPONSORSHIP 29 BOOK REVIEW 27 ARTIN' ABOUT 28 OPERA Dialogue with the Song of Songs 22 WINING AND DINING 30 ARTISTS SERVICES 30 "Peter Dougherty has been involved in the local art scene for many years. As publisher and editor of the arts magazine Artstreams, his comments on the various branches of the arts are widely respected. His "The Arts" column in the Diamond Valley Leader presents a brief summary for a much wider cross section of the local community. Peter also operates his own gallery and the Artstreams Cafe at the St Andrews market. Peter has a wealth of knowledge about present day and historical aspects of local art and artists." - Eltham District Historical Society Newsletter No. 161, March 2005Colour front and back cover with feature articles and literary pieces with photographs and advertisements printed in black and white. 36 pages, 30 cm. Vol. 1, no. 1 (Nov. 1996) - Vol. 10, no. 5 (summer ed. 2005/​06) art streams, clare kurth, alicia clark, albert tucker, carlucci's, mietta's, adams of north riding, plenty views golf park, mirka mora, alan marshall short story award, james shaw, thanh vuu nguyen, victorian artists supplies, miriam hyde, lisa young, bluehouse, debbie morrow, clive dickson, luna park, montsalvat, dymocks booksellers, public art, mark henry, spectators sports bar, fleur de feliss florist, eltham festival, sebastian jorgensen, nillumbik artists' open studios, eltham pottery studio, muddy waters studio, studio 30, peter accadia, piers bateman, jenneke kortweg, janet boddy, dave bradley, melita jansen, jules christian burns, damian fitzgerald, jill forest, ona henderson, syd tunn, veronica holland, sally nihill, michael skewes, elizabeth vercoe, annie keil-taggart, alan martin, jenni mitchell, grace mitchell, mervyn hannan, peter oyston, chris pittard, mary lou pittard, jane viola, john hewish, nel ten wolde, rob harwood, st andrews hotel, kim tarpey, recherche, jessie howard, artspeak studio gallery, la trobe university art museum, willy wonka's ice cream gourmet food, arts sponsorship, john fry, winsome mccaughey, bostik, lucy sussex, alice's bookshop, were street cafe, thomsons pharmacy, know & grow, volumes

Shunting at Barnes Railway Station (second stop from Echuca) on the Victorian Railways line to Deniliquin, NSW. Once a private line owned by the Deniliquin-Moama Railway Company. Barnes is the junction for a similar line to Balranald, NSW. George Coop's Holden Station Sedan can be seen parked in the railway station driveway.Digital TIFF file Scan of black and white print Enlargement prints on textured paper (15.5 x 20.5 cm)george coop collection, j-507, j-class steam locomotive (vulcan foundry), barnes railway station

John Lawrence Coleman (1934-1965) born January 10, was the son of Raymond John Coleman and Hanna May (Gillet) Coleman. He married Margaret Frances Dare in 1955 and was the father of two children. He died whilst attempting to rescue an older man trapped in the bushfire at North Eltham on March 3, 1965 He died at Eltham (Herald, 4 March 1965, p3) [Picture of John Lawrence Coleman] Builder Mr John Lawrence Coleman, 31, of Main Rd., Eltham, one of three men burnt to death yesterday in the fire at North Eltham. The other two were XXXXX, 33 who lives opposite the Colemans and Mr William Elwers, 64 of Batman Rd., Eltham. * * * Frank Martin was a volunteer with the Eltham rural fire brigade at the time of the 1965 bushfires which burnt Eltham North and Research. Frank was asked to assist with the removal of three bodies from the back gully (now Orchard Avenue). They were badly burnt and one was found stuck under a fence as though trying to escape. Volunteers John Coleman Jnr, William Elwers and George Crowe were killed trying to protect Eltham from bushfire – they were local heroes. At the time, John Coleman Jnr was survived by his wife Margaret and two young children – John 11 and Vicky 2. Margaret Coleman lived in the family home until 1992 when she sold it and moved to Tasmania to be close to her son. She died in 1997 aged 65 years. 75 yr old Ken Gaston grew up on Edendale farm, which was originally a poultry farm but is now owned and run by the Shire of Nillumbik as an educational farm for schools and visitors. He was Captain of the Eltham rural fire brigade in 1965 when John Coleman Jnr was burnt to death in the Eltham North bushfires serving as an unofficial volunteer. He was able to draw where the original Wattletree Road was and at the time was verified with the location of some remaining bitumen and a post from the original bridge over the Diamond Creek located near the junction of the Diamond Creek and another small creek which is further down from Research or Christmas Creek as locals refer to it. The original Main Road ran behind Colemans before the railway line was built beyond Eltham in 1912. (Information recorded by Harry Gilham, President EDHS c.2011) * * * Bushfires rage in Victoria, Snowy: Three dead (1965, March 4). The Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995), p. 1. Retrieved May 19, 2022, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article131758981 Includes two photos of the fire in North Eltham “Firemen make for safety as fire rages in Upper Glen Park Road, North Eltham, Victoria. The smoke hides a house.” and “A house explodes into flames at North Eltham, Victoria. Firemen said bottled gas went up.” Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995), Thursday 4 March 1965, page 1 ________________________________________ Firemen make for safety as fire rages in Upper Glen Park Road. North Eltham. Victoria. The smoke hides a house. A house explodes into flames at North Eltham. Victoria. Firemen said bottled gas went up. Bushfires rage in Victoria, Snowy: Three dead MELBOURNE, Wednesday.—Three people died today in a bush» fire which raged through North Eltham, about 15 miles from Melbourne. The victims were three men. A fourth man is feared to be dead. Another bushfire. sparked off by the heatwave sizzling over south-eastern Australia, is burning out of control in the Kosciusko State Park, in the Snowy Mountains. Firefighters fear that if it reaches pine forests up the Yarrangobilly River, they will be powerless to stop it. The three victims of the North Eltbam fire were trapped by flames in a valley. Their bodies were found only a few yards apart. They were named by police tonight as Mr. George Crowe, 78, of North Eltham, William John Ewers, 64, and John Laurence Coleman, 31, both of Eltham. The other two have not been identified. They are believed to be a man aged about 40 and an 18-year-old youth. At least 12 homes were destroyed by the fire, the worst in Victoria since 1962, when eight lives were lost and hundreds of homes burnt down at Warrandyte. At one time the township of Eltham was threatened, but a cool change swept in from the south and held back the wall of flames. More than 100 dogs, worth about £4,000, died when the fire raced through two kennels in Short Street, Eltham. and Upper Glen Park Road, North Eltham. A trickle of water Residents ran into the streets as the blaze raced towards their houses. Others frantically dug firebreaks around their homes. Mrs. Sue Recourt wept when firemen arrived while she was vainly trying to stop the flames with a trickle of water from the garden hose. A stack of firewood was blazing, but the firemen managed to save the house and rescue four goats. Many homes in Eltham were saved after flames had crept to within feet of their fences. Students at North Eltham State School had to be evacuated when the blaze threatened the building. Fire fighters were severely hampered by lack of water and narrow roads. The blaze, which began in above century heat, turned toward Wattle Glen, where two houses were gutted. Then the flames raced towards Hurstbridge to the north. Firemen battling desperately, controlled the fire late this afternoon. Five forest fires were still burning in Victoria tonight.   IN VICTORIA THIS WEEK Tragic lack of central fire authority (1965, March 9). The Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995), p. 2. Retrieved May 19, 2022, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article131759928 Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995), Tuesday 9 March 1965, page 2 ________________________________________ IN VICTORIA THIS WEEK Tragic lack of central fire authority From Rohan Rivett It was the worst week for Victorian fire fighters since Black Friday 27 years ago. On that day one pilot up in a spotter plane said afterwards: "It seemed at times that half the State was on fire." This time, for three days on end, Gippsland men, women and children had moments of conviction that their towns would have blackened into anonymity before the weekend was out. The week began with horror at Eltham on the North-eastern edge of Melbourne. Eltham today is something of an artists' colony. Oil painters, water colourists, potters and sculptors proliferate. A number of University folk have emulated the example of Professor MacMahon Ball who pioneered the way by moving to Eltham and carving a home out of the bush in the thirties. Innermost Eltham is barely 14 miles from the G.P.O. Farthest Eltham stretches miles beyond. It served to illustrate the tragi-ludicrous truncation of Victoria's fire control. Part of Eltham is under the protection of the Melbourne Fire Brigade. But this responsibility ceases at some invisible and incomprehensible line — apparently determined by the meanderings of the water mains. At this point everybody's property throughout the rest of Eltham is dependent on the Country Fire Authority. Half an hour before midday on Wednesday, a fire suddenly started on the West side of Upper Glen road on the edge of Eltham. Before the fire brigade could arrive, it was burning on a widening front through timber and high grass north of Eltham. Two wind changes in rapid succession saw the fire leaping Diamond Creek. With a freshening wind it struck home after home in three streets. More than one of them exploded suddenly as if hit by an incendiary bomb. There is no piped gas in the Eltham area, hence many housewives use bottle gas. The flames outside caused the bottles to explode. Altogether twelve homes were completely incinerated and four more were badly damaged. Thirty prize dogs perished. About three hours after the fire started it raced suddenly down a gully hillside trapping an elderly man. Two other men apparently raced to the rescue. Flames caught the three men within yards of each other, not 200 yards off the Upper Glen Park Road where safety lay. They were burned to death. Next evening an angry and convincing secretary of the Fire Brigade Union, Mr. W. M. Webber, came on television and appealed to the people of Victoria to end the ridiculous and dangerous dualism in fire-fighting control. The Eltham fire, he said, had precisely illustrated the situation. The Metropolitan Fire Brigade area touched Eltham, but where the fire had gutted and killed, was just outside its area. Mr. Webber said his union had constantly urged one authority for the State with a complete reorganisation of fire protection. On Wednesday the union had repeated its call for an inquiry into fire protection in Victoria to the Chief Secretary, Mr Rylah. "No matter how close the liaison between the two organisations, there are always divided sections of thinking," Mr. Webber told viewers. "I don't know how much tragedy the com-munity can take before it demands that it is properly protected." Rumours that differences in gauge between taps and hose nozzles (as between the two authorities) accentuated the damage were denied by fire chiefs who said that all appliances were now carrying adaptors so that hoses could be linked to mains everywhere. But there is grave concern in the Metropolitan Fire Brigade's higher councils at the action of several Federal authorities with projects in and around Melbourne. They are installing non-standard equipment without reference to the State authorities or any dovetailing of appliances and equipment. Public alarm was not diminished by the publication on Friday and Saturday of a heart tearing letter from the young widow of John Lawrence Coleman, 31 year old father of two, who had died in the flames apparently trying to rescue the old man trapped in the gully. By that time, a Vast area of Gippsland was in flames and the troops had been sent in to back up the overworked and often helpless fire-fighters. By Saturday, the Leader of the Opposition, Mr. Stoneham, who has previously demanded a Royal Commission into fire-fighting arrangements, repeated his demand. To add to the Chief Secretary's worries he was publicly rebuked for allegedly implying on television that lives had been lost at Eltham because people went to the wrong place at the wrong time. In a letter to the Press, Professor MacMahon Ball pointed out that two of the men involved were experienced bushmen who had gone "to help an old man in great danger fully aware of the danger to themselves". As Victoria faced its sixth day of total State-wide fire ban, it looked likely that even official resistance was not going to silence the demand for one central authority to control the fire fiend. At the moment, the 400 square miles where two million Victorians live in Greater Melbourne are divorced from the rest of the State in planning, communications, equipment and control of personnel. No one doubts the whole-hearted co-operation and willingness to back each other up of the M.F.B. and the C.F.A., both at top-level and among the firemen themselves. However, when a city straggles so deeply into the country side, the absence of a single authority, to oversee and analyse the fire threat as a whole, suggests suicidal policy of divide and fuel. Emphasis of the tragic loss of a member of a pioneering family who died whilst helping others in his communitybushfire, cfa, country fire authority, fire brigrade, glen park road, heroes, john lawrence coleman, north eltham, victorian bushfires - 1965, volunteers, william john elwers, fire fighter, frank martin, george john crowe, ken gaston, orchard avenue

Unidentified school and students (not Eltham State School No. 209). Possibly Yarra Park State School No. 1406 (similar brickwork in backdrop to other photos (1928) in collection of a family that moved to Research. Yarra Park State School No.1406 (also known as Yarra Mews) was located at 1055 Punt Road, East Melbourne. It was built 1874 - 1877. Its current use is residential appartments. It is listed in the Victorian Heritage Database. Reproduction colour print of black and white printyarra park state school no. 1406, schools, yarra park, yarra mews, class photo, east melbourne, state school no. 1406

The Society again arranged a float for the festival parade. Members dressed appropriately to the theme "Pioneers of Eltham". The parade commenced at 12 noon, participants assembling at 11.30am in Cecil Street. As in past parades, several members of the Victorian Folk Music Club accompanied the Society. The Society also arranged a display at the Eltham Community Centre in association with the activities there over the Festival weekend. The theme of this year's display was the waterways of the local area.35mm colour positive transparency Mount - Kodak Kodachrome Cardeltham, eltham festival, parade, parade floats, central park, doug orford, eltham shire office, garnet burges, joh ebeli, opal smith, panther place, peter bassett smith, peter bassett-smith, russell yeoman, victorian folk music society

In 1981 the Shire of Eltham Historical Society was asked by the Victorian Place Names Committee to comment on a proposal by the Shire of Eltham to assign names to parklands in Eltham as follows:- "Eltham Common" - the area between the municipal offices, Main Road, the Eltham railway -line, and Panther Place and containing Shillinglaw Cottage. The Shire has advised that this name has been used locally for the site since about 1975. "Alistair Knox Park" - the area bounded by the Eltham railway -line, Panther Place, Main Road, Bridge Street, and Susan Street, and through which flows the Diamond Creek. The area has been known locally as "Eltham Town Park" The proposed name "Alistair Knox Park" had created some local controversy with a number of reversals of the Council's decision and letters to the local paper both for and against the proposal. The society was reluctant to be drawn into this controversy particularly as there were known to be members with strong views both for and against the proposed name. The society appreciated the work done by Alistair Knox both in the formulation of the park concept and in its development but because of the controversy generated by the proposed naming and also because of the wide general use of the park by the public·, the name Eltham Town Park was felt more appropriate. The society noted that there was no outstanding historical associations with the land comprising the park which would warrant naming the park after any particular person, place or event. No objection was raised to the Eltham Common proposal as set-out above. The decision was made in the knowledge that Alistair Knox had been associated with the society over many years and was a prominent figure in the recent history of Eltham. He was regarded as a key figure in the environmental building movement and in particular was renowned for his use of mud bricks as a building material. He served as a councillor of the Shire of Eltham from 1971-1975, his final year as Shire President. It was during these years that the proposals to create the park in its present form were shaped and Alistair played a leading part in the decision to make it a landscaped passive recreational park rather than a sporting area. The parklands comprise a section of the Diamond Creek valley. The creek itself flows through the centre of the area which is overlooked by steep hills on each side. The parks form part of the land purchased from the Crown in 1851 by J.M. Holloway and then subdivided into allotments and called "Little Eltham". While most of the area was subdivided into residential lots the creek valley was subdivided into lots suitable for small farms. Some further subdivision took place over the years and the whole of the parks now comprises eight separate titles. A list of some of the former owners has been compiled but exhaustive research on all owners has not been carried out. The ownership of one parcel has been traced back to when it was purchased from Holloway by John Hicks Petty in 1874, long after it was subdivided. Other families owning land within the area over the years included Lyon, Rees, Clark, Waterfall, Carrucan, Graham, Hill and Morant. The character of the valley area has remained rural while development occurred on each side. Early photos show the area as orchard and grazing land. In 1901 the railway was constructed through the area resulting in the timber trestle bridge across the Diamond Creek. which is an important feature of the park landscape. A memorial obelisk to the Eltham servicemen killed in World War 1 was erected at the south eastern corner of the park. The site is now within the intersection of Main Road and Bridge Street and the memorial was shifted in the 1950s to the Eltham R.S.L. clubrooms. Following the financial failure of the local sub-branch, the memorial obelisk was again relocated to the Eltham War Memorial building precinct in 2011. During the early 1960's the Council started purchasing the land which now comprises the parks. In the late 1960's the area to the east of the Diamond Creek was used as a garbage tip and filled above the flood plain of the creek. When this area was filled the tip was transferred to the west side of the creek. From the early 1970's the area has been progressively developed as a park for passive recreation with ornamental lakes, extensive tree planting and landscaping. The character of the valley before the days of the tip has been recreated and this has earned a Landscape classification from the National Trust, an unusual honour for a man-made landscape. The parks are not only attractive in appearance. The large number of people using them, particularly at weekends and holidays is evidence of their popularity and the foresight and careful planning of local residents, Councillors and Council Staff. 35mm colour positive transparency (1 of 23) Mount - Kodak EktachromeProcess Date MAY 88Meltham, main road, alistair knox park, eltham town park

[from a contemporary report:] The Shire of Eltham District Society's Parade float theme for 1989 was gold mining which, of course, was a most important aspect of our early history. Bruce Ness assembled the float with items loaned by Warrandyte Historical Society and quite a bit of his own ingenuity. Phyllis MacDonald also arranged for the Victorian Folk Music Club to provide us with appropriate musical accompaniment. To provide a level of authenticity, a present day prospector, Jack Hodson, was in charge of the equipment on the float. The parade assembled in Youth Road and commenced at 10:30am.Colour photograph1989, bruce ness, central park, eltham festival, jack hodson, opal smith, shire of eltham historical society

Postcard as part of a series produced by Shire of Nillumbik for a children's photo project "Nillumbik Naturally" developed by FOCUS FORCE cleebrating Children's Week 2000. Words and photo by Janelle Chambers (Age 13). The logo for the Nillumbik Tourism Assocation Inc is stamped on the front of the postcard. This seat was placed in Alistair Knox Park in commemoration of the end of the Shire of Eltham after Victorian Council amalgamations with the words "Shire of Eltham 1871-1994" included on the back wooden plate of the seat. A similiar seat was placed in the Montmorency Shopping Centre referencing the west riding of the Eltham Shire, which incuded Montmorency. Digital file only - Digitised by EDHS from a scrapbook on loan from Beryl Bradbury (nee Stokes), daughter of Frank Stokes. Also physical postcard (used) alistair knox park, beryl bradbury (nee stokes) collection, janelle chambers, nillumbik tourism association, wattle, seat, children's week, commemoration

Article of World War 1 Refer to carved life size soldier with machine gun in foyer and photograph at its feet.A4 sheet of white paper has two cut-out sections of Veteran Affairs Newspaper article dated June 1998 glued on. Title Australian Corps Memorial Park. Article covers a Memorial cost $1.3 million dollars for dedication on 4th July 1998 consisting of three curved memorial walls for Australian soldiers that died during Wold War 2. The photograph included in the article was taken on August 8, 1918 which shows B company of the 29th Battalion - a Victorian Unit - being addressed by their platoon Commander. All 5 Australian Divisions took part in the major Allied attack on the German Lines - the first time the five Australian Divisions had fought together as the Australian Corps. (Under Australian Command) It is the First memorial on the Western Front dedicated to the Australian Corps. The park surrounding it includes a 500 meter walking tril with 18 information panels along its length on aspects of the battle.Article was found in Veteran Affairs News dated June 1998, heading - Australian Corps Memorial Park.veteran affairs news article, a4 paper sheet