Black and white photograph of the old bakery in York Street, Elthameltham, bakery, buildings, york street

Two black and white photographs; one internal and one external showing construction at bricklaying stagesherbourne primary school, schools, outlook crescent, briar hill, buildings, construction

Black and white photograph of Shillinglaw Cottage, after its re-location in 1964 to its present day location in Panther Place prior to the building of the new Eltham Library in 1994.eltham, shillinglaw cottage, buildings

Black and white photograph, looking from near Bridge street with D. Lyons house on right and the old Shire offices on the left in the distance.a.r warren, timber yard, bridge street, d lyons, houses, buildings, shire of eltham

Black and white photograph of the Old Bakery and house at the corner of York Street and Main RoadB350eltham, bakery, buildings, york street, main road

Colour photograph of Eltham Community Centre, north sidecommunity centre, public buildings, pitt street, main road, eltham

Photos include: Log building which the students constructed and used as a co-operative shop, Primary Class, Science class outside their classroom, Government meeting held in the outdoor theatre, Janet and Lawrence Nield. "Koornung School, Warrandyte was established by Clive and Janet Blake Nield in 1939, after they had visited progressive schools in Europe and America. They believed children should be given freedom to grow while learning to accept responsibility; that school should be a miniature democracy and education not a preparation for life but experience of life itself. A government of children and all staff (whatever their jobs in the school) met regularly, made the rules and dealt out punishment for breaking them. The few rules set down by staff related to health and safety, for instance, no pupils were allowed to go into the river without supervision. The school could not have been started at a worse time. Food rationing and coupons, petrol shortages and men at war limiting teaching staff made difficulties. It was an expensive school to run. Financial difficulties became more serious and eventually the school had to close in 1946. Efforts by the children and a Board of Management of notable people failed to save it. Janet Nield (M.A., Dip Ed.) was an inspired teacher of history. She was one of the few women at Melbourne University at that time to gain a Masters degree in history. The Nields left Melbourne to live in Sydney, Clive to work at Sydney University in lecturing in Education and particularly interested in Colombo Plan students. Janet devoted herself to children as a Lay Analyst. She was awarded the title of Training Analyst by a meeting of international psychoanalysts in Europe. - Pat Scott (Mrs Wynne Scott), a former member of staff at Koornung School Collection of five black and white photographs a, letter and descriptive material relating to Koornong School, Warrandyte showing various teachers and students and Connie and Alec Smith's studio.schools, koornong, warrandyte, danila vassilieff, lorna carter, adrian rawlins, teachers, janet nield, clive nield

Black and white photograph of buildings at Montsalvatmontsalvat, eltham, hillcrest avenue

Black and white photographeltham, shillinglaw cottage, buildings

Colour photograph of the earthworks undertaken in the construction of the Safeway store in Arthur Street, Eltham looking north-east.eltham, arthur street, safeway store, buildings, construction

The valley of Diamond Creek from Bridge Street looking south to Eltham Community Centreeltham, eltham community centre, buildings, construction

Three colour photographs: 1. Eltham Community Centre, Pitt Street, looking south 2. Eltham Community Centre, Pitt Street, looking south 3. Eltham Community Centre, Pitt Street, looking north; oregon uprights and mudbrick wallseltham, eltham community centre, buildings, construction

Two colour photographs: 1. Eltham Community Centre, Pitt Street, looking north 2. Eltham Community Centre, Pitt Street, looking northeltham, eltham community centre, buildings, construction

Colour photograph of the telephone exchange viewed from opposite on Main Road looking up Pitt Street. (Has a permanent staff of 7)eltham, telephone exchange, buildings, main road

Originally catalogued around 1998 as John Cochrane in front of Shillinglaw Cottage, this is now believed to be Thomas Cochrane born 1817 in Ireland. The photograph is a reproduction of a low-resolution, poor-quality photograph. Shillinglaw Cottage is significant to Eltham’s local history. It is one of the earliest known buildings still in existence. Records suggest that the cottage was built circa 1859 by a man named Cochrane, believed to be Thomas Cochrane, in conjunction with George Stebbings though it is not known what Stebbings’s contribution was. It is believed Stebbings owned the cottage between 1874 and 1888. According to Margaret Ball’s (2017) book "Shillinglaw Family of Eltham 1660-2007", Thomas Cochrane and family lived there from 1867 to 1874 however this is contrary to the records of assessable rates levied by the Eltham District Road Board, established in 1858, which shows Cochrane was the owner occupier (in Little Eltham) of approximately 25 acres of cultivated land and 25 acres of pastureland upon which a hut was sited in 1860. It is suspected that George Stebbings may have acquired the property from Cochrane in 1874 as it is noted that he had a tenant for a period, James Rossiter, who was the editor for the Evelyn Observer in Kangaroo Ground in 1874 (LATE SHIRE OFFICE AT KANGAROO GROUND (1934, February 16). Advertiser (Hurstbridge, Vic. : 1922 - 1939), p. 5. Retrieved February 25, 2022, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article56743657). In 1881 Phillip Shillinglaw became the ratepayer for the cottage though Stebbings retained ownership until 1888 at which time it was transferred to Shillinglaw. Thomas Cochrane was born in Ireland in 1817 and died at Collingwood 1877. He married Sarah Jane Casey at St James, Melbourne in 1846. They had eight children: • Elizabeth Jane Cochrane born 1847, Keelbundoora • Sarah Cochrane born 1849, Keelbundoora • William John Cochrane born 1854, Eltham • Isabella Mary Cochrane (Cochren) born 1855, Eltham, my Great grandmother • Mary Cochrane born 1857, Eltham • Thomas Cochrane born 1859, Eltham • William James Cochrane born 1861, Eltham • Margaret Anne Cochrane (Cochran) born 1863, Eltham Information received from Richard Stone in 2019, a 2nd-great grandson of Thomas Cochrane suggests that during the early 1930s, one of Isabella’s daughters and her family attended cricket matches at Eltham. The mother and a daughter (Richard’s cousin) would wander around Eltham and a cottage in the main street backing onto the cricket ground. The cousin remembers well her mother telling her that her mother, Isabella Cochrane, lived in the cottage as a young girl. The family also had a similar or the same photo of a man standing in front of the cottage. When the Cochrane family left the cottage in 1874, Thomas Snr would have been 57 and Thomas Jnr 15 and William 13. The man in the photo has a dark and substantial beard. Therefore, it is unlikely to be Thomas Jnr or William and most likely Thomas Snr. The photo is of poor quality and low resolution however, there is little grey evident in his beard. It was possibly taken when Cochrane was a younger man shortly after the cottage was built, circa 1865. When the Eltham District Road Board was established in 1858, the forerunner to Eltham Shire Council, Thomas Cochrane was listed as the occupier/owner of two assessable parcels of farmland in Little Eltham: one of 21 acres of pastureland and another 22 acres of cultivation land. George Stebbings was not recorded as an occupier or landowner. In 1859 and 1860 a Joseph/Joshua Stebbings was recorded as the occupier of a hut owned by G. Atkinson. A hut was recorded on Cochrane’s pastureland parcel in 1860 and this parcel increased in size to 36 acres in 1861 and grew further in size by 1863. George Stebbings first appears as the owner/occupier of a hut in Eltham in 1861, also 1862 and 1863. This is most likely his cottage (still standing in present day) in Pitt Street adjoining the Eltham Hotel property owned by Benjamin Wallis where he was residing in 1867 when they both sued each other for trespass. (POLICE. (1867, August 9). The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), p. 7. Retrieved February 25, 2022, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article5774640) Thomas Cochrane was appointed one of the original trustees of the ground set aside for Eltham Cemetery in Feb 1860 (GOVERNMENT GAZETTE. (1860, February 11). The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), p. 7. Retrieved February 25, 2022, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article5676991)A very early photo of Shillinglaw Cottage with its original builder and owner/occupier, Thomas Cochrane. Cochrane was also a founding Trustee of the Eltham Cemetery Trust. Reproduction of sepia photographshillinglaw cottage, eltham, eltham cemetery trust, evelyn observer, george stebbings, james rossiter, little eltham, phillip shillinglaw, thomas cochrane

Colour photograph of the gates to the Eltham War Memorial Building, in commemoration of the 1939-45 War.eltham, war memorial, main road

Black and white photograph of a building with two water tanks on towers (at Montsalvat?)pioneers and painters, water tank

James Andrew Kangaroo Ground, 1870 "James Andrew, Whittlesea, born in East Palford, Devonshire, England, in 1827, arrived in Adelaide in February 1850 per ship Lady McCaughton and almost immediately sailed in a coasting vessel to Melbourne, where the first work he undertook was clearing earth from a stone quarry in Collingwood. He next carried stones for masons engaged in building the Bishop’s Palace, and then was employed in Cambellfield mowing hay. He was at Saltwater River on Black Thursday, and afterwards took a little farm at Darebin Creek, remaining there for four years. He went up to Kangaroo Ground in 1859 and lived there until he bought his present property at Whittlesea, a farm of between 300 and 400 acres. He has been twice married, and had a family of six children." "Andrew, W. B. Eltham, is a native of England, born in 1822. Coming out to Australia in 1842, he lived in Brighton, Victoria for fifteen years, when he re-visited England for a year. Returning to Victoria fourteen or fifteen years ago, he commenced storekeeping at Eltham, where he has carried on that business ever since. Mr Andrew has always taken a lively interest in the public affairs of town and district” from "Victoria and its Metropolis: Past and Present" written in 1888 by Alexander Sutherland. Chapter 19, "The Upper Yarra District" pages [402] - 415. Includes descriptions of some townships and short biographies of local residents. Page 405 Folder of information on James Andrew, Trustee Kangaroo Ground Cemetery, Kangaroo Ground 1870 William Bravery Andrew, Eltham, 1870s-1880s Ernest James Andrew, Eltham, Eltham Shire Councillor, 1920s-1950 and Ellen Matilda Brown Andrewjames andrew, pioneer, kangaroo ground, ernest james andrew, william bravery andrew, ellen andrew, eltham cemetery, biography, ellen harper andrew (nee clarke), ellen matilda andrew (nee brown), eltham war memorial gate, eltham war memorial trust

Black and white photograph of decorative building panel remaining after fire 1964fires, george w bell collection

Black and white photograph of a cartwheel leaning against buildingmontsalvat, cartwheel, george w bell collection

Colour photograph of old barn Kangaroo Groundfarm buildings, kangaroo ground

The Royal Australian Engineers (RAE) is a corps of the Australian Army (although the word corps does not appear in their name or on their badge). The RAE is ranked fourth in seniority of the corps of the Australian Army, behind the Staff Cadets, Armoured and Artillery Corps. The Corps was formed by the amalgamation of the various colonial engineer corps of the States and territories of Australia in 1902[2] and since then has served in various conflicts including World War I, World War II and the Vietnam War. The Corps has also served on numerous peacekeeping operations and is currently involved in the Australian contribution to the war in Afghanistan. The RAE provides combat engineering, construction and other technical support to the Australian Defence Force. One of the main roles of the Corps is to provide mobility and counter mobility capabilities to the Australian Army and its allies. This means enhancing the ability of friendly forces to move while denying movement to enemy forces. In order to provide these capabilities, engineers are required to conduct many tasks including penetrating minefields, locating and disarming booby traps, purifying water and building roads and bridges. The Corps also performs the majority of the Australian Army's demolition tasks and is trained to fight as infantry if needed. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Australian_EngineersWooden Plaque 15cm x 13cmRoyal Australian Engineers

Kangaroo Ground's first school began in 1851 with 22 pupils from the district's ten families. It was a single room school located further south on the site, which also served as a Presbyterian church. The first teacher was Andrew Ross. The school building was used as a Post Office between 1854 and 1858 and during 1857 also served as a Court of Petty Sessions. With a growing farming community, a new building was warranted and the original Sate School No. 352 was closed and a new building, State School No. 2105 was oipened October 1, 1878. A residence for Head Teacher Henry Wallace School was erected in 1879 attached to the left of the school building. That residence is now home to the Andrew Ross Museum, which opened in 1993. Covered under Heritage Overlay, Nillumbik Planning Scheme. Published: Nillumbik Now and Then /​ Marguerite Marshall 2008; photographs Alan King with Marguerite Marshall.; p35 In a corner of the Kangaroo Ground Primary School playground stands an old weatherboard building. This structure, attached to the former teacher’s weatherboard residence facing Main Road, first served as a school in 1878. The former residence, built in 1879, houses the Andrew Ross Museum, which opened in 1993. It is named after the school’s first teacher,1 who also founded The Evelyn Observer newspaper, which began on the site in 1873. Later the printing presses were moved to brick newspaper offices by the Kangaroo Ground Hotel, which became the Shire of Eltham offices. However Kangaroo Ground’s first school began in 1851 for 22 pupils from the district’s ten families, in a slab building further south on this site. Andrew Harkness and other settlers campaigned for the building, which was built on half an acre (0.2ha) donated by local farmer, James Donaldson. Builder was Samuel Furphy, father of the novelist Joseph.2 The single room measuring 30 feet x 18 feet (9m x 5.5m), was unlined and the green slabs shrank, allowing the wind and rain entry through cracks except when they were stuffed with paper.3 The building served as a Presbyterian church as well as a school, where fees were 18 pence a week for education. Young men also attended evening classes there in winter. At one stage, a corner of the room was curtained off for the schoolmaster’s living space, and the platform, which was used for sleeping, was also the pulpit during church services. Teacher Andrew Ross also took church services when the minister was unable to attend, which happened frequently as he had long distances to travel on the bad roads. In 1857 the school building was also used as the Court of Petty Sessions, and from 1854 until 1858, it served as a post office. During the gold rush fossickers on their way to the Caledonia Diggings at Queenstown (now St Andrews) prospected the district, but did not remain long, as the fields were not rich in gold. But the farming community grew, until by 1878 the population warranted the building of State School No 2105 – the present one-roomed tongue-and-groove lined building measuring 49 feet x 18 feet (15m x 5.5m), to accommodate 60 children. The old school, No 352, was closed, and the new one opened on October 1, with Henry Wallace as head teacher, assisted by work mistress Annie Johnston. Early teachers included Messrs Smith, Hamilton and Prosser, with sewing teachers Misses Sweeney, Limerock and Oliver. In the early 1920s a small room was built on the front veranda of the teacher’s residence, and used as a State Savings Bank agency until about 1934. In 1928 the schoolroom’s three-tiered floor was replaced by a flat floor and teacher’s platform (which has since been removed). A half-glassed partition wall then divided the large room into two rooms in which the old style form-type desks were replaced with dual desks. The small playground, surrounded by pine trees and a picket fence, was extended in 1931 with an additional acre or so (0.4 ha) of land. During World War Two the school faced closure because of a fall to seven in the enrolment, but by 1946 it had increased again to 45. Mr Eric Morgan was head teacher and Mrs Margaret Banks was assistant head teacher, a position she held for ten years. In 1955, under the head teacher Mr V Gardiner, who taught there for 13 years, the school won a prize for the best-kept garden and school ground in the inspectorate. A district subdivision increased the enrolment in 1968 to 65 and a bus service was established. After the hall which had been used for lessons was demolished late that year, the pupils met in the original fire brigade meeting room (now the tennis club, diagonally opposite the general store). The new school building with a storeroom and staffroom was built in 1974.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, andrew ross museum, eltham-yarra glen road, kangaroo ground primary school no. 2105, kangaroo ground state school, state school no. 2105

Kangaroo Ground's first school began in 1851 with 22 pupils from the district's ten families. It was a single room school located further south on the site, which also served as a Presbyterian church. The first teacher was Andrew Ross. The school building was used as a Post Office between 1854 and 1858 and during 1857 also served as a Court of Petty Sessions. With a growing farming community, a new building was warranted and the original Sate School No. 352 was closed and a new building, State School No. 2105 was oipened October 1, 1878. A residence for Head Teacher Henry Wallace School was erected in 1879 attached to the left of the school building. That residence is now home to the Andrew Ross Museum, which opened in 1993. Covered under Heritage Overlay, Nillumbik Planning Scheme. Published: Nillumbik Now and Then /​ Marguerite Marshall 2008; photographs Alan King with Marguerite Marshall.; p35This 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, eltham-yarra glen road, kangaroo ground primary school no. 2105, kangaroo ground state school, state school no. 2105

Nillumbik Shire Council transferred to the former Diamond Valley Shire Offices in Greensborough after municipal restructuing. The offices became the official Nillumbik Shire Council Offices on 16 October 1995. The former Shire of Diamond Valley Civic Centre or Shire Office building was officially opened on 26th February 1972. Archtiects were A.K. Lines, McFarlane & Marshall and it was built by L.U. Simon Pty Ltd, The Diamond Valley Shire had been created in 1964 from part of the City of Heidelberg. On December 15, 1994 the Shire of Nillumbik was established. Under the Council amalgamations imposed by the Kennett government, the Shire of Eltham, Shire of Diamond Valley and City of Heidelberg ceased to exist with the establishment of Nillumbik Shire Council and the City of Banyule.The new Nillumbik shire surrended the west riding from Eltham to Banyule but in place gained parts of the former Diamond Valley Shire which itself had been created in 1964 from parts of the City of Heidelberg. Three unelected and non-local Commissioners were put in place by the government bringing democracy into question by many members of the local community. The Commissioners determined to abandon the former Shire of Eltham offices located in Main Road, Eltham and in turn occupy the former Shire of Diamond Valley offices located at the boundary of the new shire with Banyule, in Civic Drive, Greensborough. In July 1996 the Commissioners sold the former Eltham Shire Offices and had them bulldozed leading to many years of communiity protest over the process and future development applications. The site has remained vacant ever since. Published: Nillumbik Now and Then /​ Marguerite Marshall 2008; photographs Alan King with Marguerite Marshall.; p43 It was the need for roads that led to this district’s first council. In 1853 a committee was formed to improve the rough roads, some in Kangaroo Ground being almost impassable in winter.1 The committee fundraised by voluntary levies and grants to improve in particular, the main road between Kangaroo Ground and the Plenty River. From this committee arose the Eltham District Road Board, in 1856, which was the precursor to the Eltham Shire Council. The Board’s first chairman was Kangaroo Ground farmer, John Barr. Secretary was the former committee’s secretary, Andrew Ross, Kangaroo Ground’s first school teacher, and founder of the district newspaper, The Evelyn Observer.2 Most of the board’s income came from a toll-house north of the Lower Plenty Bridge, which funded such projects as a road from Kangaroo Ground to the Caledonia Diggings. In 1871 the Shire of Eltham was proclaimed, with its boundaries the same as those of the Road Board, and Councillor A Donaldson of Kangaroo Ground was the first president. Eltham was at the southern tip of the shire, which extended north to Kinglake and east beyond Yarra Glen. In 1878, part of Kinglake was added to the shire, while the area east of Watts River, near Healesville was removed. In 1912, then again in 1958, the shire was further reduced. Yarra Glen, Steels Creek, Tarrawarra, parts of Healesville and Christmas Hills, were transferred to the Shire of Healesville. In 1972 a smaller area, at Kinglake, was transferred to the Shire of Yea, leaving 277 square kilometres in the Eltham Shire. Perhaps no other Victorian municipality has had so many meeting places. Although from 1858 to 1904, the council convened at the office in the home of Secretary Charles Wingrove, the board, and later the council, also met at other more central locations.3 The board moved from the Fountain of Friendship Hotel to the Eltham Courthouse, to the Kangaroo Ground schoolhouse. It then met at the Kangaroo Ground Hotel, which some considered put it in danger of interruptions by people ‘the worse for liquor’.4 In 1885 the council met at the hall on Mr J Donaldson’s land at Kangaroo Ground. After Wingrove’s retirement, the council rented space at the Kangaroo Ground General Store and Post Office. Then, in 1917, the council bought the former office of The Evelyn Observer, after its printing works transferred to Hurstbridge. In 1934, fire destroyed the shire office, which was temporarily relocated to the Kangaroo Ground home of Shire Secretary, Mr P J McMahon. In 1941, the shire office moved to a new building (which included a public hall) in Eltham, at the corner of Arthur Street and Main Road, where the Eltham Village Shopping Centre was eventually built. Growth required new offices, which opened in 1965, on the former Shillinglaw property in Main Road.5 In 1994, as part of municipal restructuring under the Jeff Kennett Liberal Government, most of the Eltham Shire formed part of the new Shire of Nillumbik. It joined with the north section of the Diamond Valley Shire and parts of the Healesville and Whittlesea municipalities. The Diamond Valley Shire had been created in 1964, from part of the City of Heidelberg. Turbulence followed Nillumbik Shire’s formation. Under the Commissioners the council transferred to the former Diamond Valley Shire offices in Greensborough, and the Eltham council offices were demolished. In March 1997 the first five-member Nillumbik Council was elected. But, in October 1998, the government suspended the council and appointed an administrator . Early in 1999, shire residents voted to increase councillors to nine: comprising five ward councillors and four shire-wide councillors. Elections were held in March 1999. Then, before the March 2002 elections, nine new wards were created.6 In 2008 these were reduced to seven. Today [2008] the council governs a varied population of more than 60,000 people living in townships and on bush properties in the green wedge.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, greensborough, nillumbik shire council offices, civic drive

This building is the earliest building remaining on site today. It was built in 1875 and was the second school building replacing the original 1856 building of stone walls with wooden shingles on the roof. That building needed to be replaced after the stone walls collapsed outwards. In August 1912 the school issued a requisition for remodelling of the school concerned with replacement of the existing windows with larger and wider windows to allow additional light into the school rooms and the erection of a wooden partition in the centre of the room. An extension to the building at rear and skylights in the roof were added in 1921. Only two low wooden stairs were originally provided to enter the porch. These were rebuilt by 1928. A steel mud grate was introduced 1930s/1940s and an infant shelter shed circa 1945. Covered under Heritage Overlay, Nillumbik Planning Scheme. Published: Nillumbik Now and Then /​ Marguerite Marshall 2008; photographs Alan King with Marguerite Marshall.; p49 Eltham Primary School at Dalton Street, bustling with hundreds of students, has changed dramatically since it began in July 1855.1 A reminder of its early days is the building in local sandstone with a slate roof. First head teacher was David G Clark who was officially in charge from June 1856 until 1889.2 This school was not the settlement’s first. That was the Church of England Little Eltham School, west of Diamond Creek in 1853 and closed in 1872. In 1855 David Clark and his sister Catherine, opened what was to become the present school, with eight students. The school operated elsewhere in a temporary slab building, also used for worship by the Wesleyans,3 which allowed the wind and rain easy access. As well as having to endure such Spartan conditions, the students paid one penny a week for the privilege. But in June 1856 the patrons objected to the conditions, and they and the Clarks wrote to the National Schools Board, asking for a suitable school. They asked for a grant to buy land for a school, and to appoint the Clarks. As a result, inspector Mr A B Orlebar visited the school. He found 33 children aged from four to 13 and noted, among other things: ‘There is no attempt at classification, and this is owing chiefly to the want of books, every child bringing with it any spelling or reading book he or she may find at home,4 and partly to the master and mistress having little idea of anything but individual instruction.’ Of Mr Clark, Mr Orlebar said: ‘I cannot pass him as coming up to the full standard of a probationer. He promises however to pursue a course….if the commissioners take him into their service.’ Of Catherine: ‘She makes a promise similar to that of her brother. Pupils were orderly and the school seemed well conducted. I cannot therefore hesitate to recommend them both personally as probationers.’ Later at a public meeting, Mr Orlebar pledged the commissioners would give £150 for a school, if this was matched by local residents. The meeting decided the commissioners would acquire two acres (0.8ha) for the school site. The building, constructed with local sandstone, was completed in December 1857, measuring 40 feet x 16 feet (12mx5m) and 10 feet (3m) high. It was divided into two rooms – one for the school and the other for teacher accommodation. So the Eltham school was born, in an area regarded as ‘one of the poorest in the colony’. Excerpts from inspectors’ reports in the following years, show that in some ways school has not changed that much since then: ‘Discipline only moderate. Too much chattering!’ (1873); ‘Several slates were cleaned with saliva applied by the hand! Damp rags would be much nicer.’(1891).5 In 1863 the Board of Education took over the school giving it its current name and number, Eltham Primary School No 209. Overcrowding has dogged the school over much of its history. In 1875 overcrowding spilled part of the school into the local courthouse. But that year the sandstone building, which is still standing, was built for 100 children, costing £553 and replacing the National School building. Now, this section, even following renovations, still bears part of its original graciousness, with lofty timber ceilings, tall vertical windows and original floors.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, dalton street, eltham primary school, state school no. 209

Built in 1891 for Head Teacher John Brown. His predecessor and the school's first Head Teacher, John Clark, lived in his own house 'Shoestring' in Metery Road, adjacent to the school. At the time of this photograph, the building was being used for before and after school care. Its present-day (2023) use is for school administration offices. Covered under Heritage Overlay, Nillumbik Planning Scheme. Published: Nillumbik Now and Then /​ Marguerite Marshall 2008; photographs Alan King with Marguerite Marshall.; p49 The former head teacher’s residence on 690 Main Road, was built in 1891 for the head teacher, John Brown. His predecessor David Clark lived in his own house known as Shoestring at Metery Road, possibly built in the late 1850s. With the school, Wingrove and Jarrold Cottages, it makes up the original Eltham township south of Dalton Street’s only group of 19th century buildings. The two Monterey Pines were popular vegetation in the late 19th and early 20th centuriesThis 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, dalton street, eltham, eltham primary school, headmaster's residence, main road, state school no. 209