Rose Series postcard No. P 185, "Collins Street Melbourne" looking west from the intersection with Swanston Street, c1950. Has two trams eastbound in Collins Street and several motor cars doing a hook turn in the intersection. In the background are Frayefield Hats, Calders and Kodak signs.Yields information about the intersection of Collins and Swanston Streets c1950.Postcard - printed real photograph with Rose Stereograph Co. name on the rear.collins st, tramways, swanston st, trams, mmtb

Black and white photograph of two ESCo trams at Grenville and Sturt Streets. A Sebastopol-type car on the left and an original ESCo on the right, along with horse-drawn cars and pedestrians. The large tramway office/shelter is in the centre of the photograph. Photo possibly early 1920s, given the shelter was removed during 1923.Yields information about Grenville St tram stop and terminus.Black and white photograph on plain paper.trams, tramways, shelters, grenville st, sturt st, esco

Photograph. Bendigo Post Office and clock in centre of photo, with the Australian flag on high. Pall Mall with trees ling the street, and buildings and cars along the street. The Dome and Pine tree at the Soldiers Memorial on right side . Further back are buildings on View street.On left is a large building.photograph, landscape, bendigo pall mall and post office

Postcard part of a set of photos of Charlton buildings c. 1950 produced for sale at Jones Newsagency.. Businesses on the LH side - Kitchin/Kerrs Garage, Post Office, ANZ Bank, State Bank. On the RH side - East Charlton Hotel, Globe Hotel,. Fire station at far end of High Street.Postcard showing High St Charlton looking west. Cars parked on both sides of the street and several cars driving toward photographer. Woman walking past Holden dealership. Mobil Service sign. Businesses on the LH side - Kitchin/Kerrs Garage, Post Office, ANZ bank, State Bank. On the RH side - East Charlton Hotel, Globe Hotel,. Fire station at far end of High Street.Shopping Centre, Charlton. Vic. The Rose Series P. 2743kitchin garage, kerrs garage, anz bank, state bank, east charlton hotel, globe hotel, high street, rose series, charlton, business

Postcard, color. Image shows Shamrock Hotel, looking from west side of Pall Mall. Iron fence in foreground, cars in street. On back of card: ' Shamrock Hotel, Bendigo, Victoria. The present Shamrock Hotel was built in 1897, and has become one of the city's best loved land marks'Nu Color Vuebendigo, buildings, shamrock hotel, bendigo, shamrock hotel, pall mall

Negative and Digital images of the Wal Jack Geelong Negative file of two trams including No. 27 at the intersection of Ryrie and Moorabool streets, with shoppers and cars. No. 27 has the destination of West. In the background is Donald Chemist. Note the set of bar traffic lights at this location. Photo mid to late 1940's. trams, tramways, geelong, ryrie st, moorabool st, traffic lights, tram 27

Rose Series postcard No. P 3942, Collins Street looking west, shows a view from Exhibition Street with several motor cars. A W2 class tram with route number boxes is in the far distance, and some pedestrians, including a lady in a white habit or uniform. The T&G building sports its original tower as built in 1929. Yields information about Collins St. mid to late 1930s.Postcard - printed real photograph with Rose Stereograph Co. name on the rear.trams, tramways, collins st, w2 class

The original single storey hotel was built by the vigneron, F. F. Bubeck. The hotel was destroyed by fire in 1901 and the present red brick building was built by George Millett. The hotel provided meals and accommodation for rail travellers.A coloured photograph of the Royal Hotel which is situated on the sw corner of Brook and Evans Streets. A grey car is angle parked on the LHS of the photograph and there is a line of plane treet around the curbside. The 2 storey hotel has red brick walls with cream trim around the windows and blue shutters on the windows on the upper storey. The roof is clad with terracotta tiles. Facing Brook and Evans Streets on the roof line are the parapets with the words 'Royal Hotel' on them.ROYAL HOTELevans street, brook street, bubeck, f.f., millett, george, royal hotel, george evans collection

Rose Series postcard No. P 3334 titled "Bay Street Port Melbourne", looking south from near Bridge Street. Has two cable cars in the view, the northbound one has the destination of "Spring St". Has a Theatre on the left side of the photo along with a "Hail cars Here" tram stop sign on a pole. Photo c1920.Yields information about Bay St Port Melbourne. C1920Postcard - printed real photograph with Rose Stereograph Co. name on the rear.Has the stamp of Ken Magor on the rear.trams, tramways, cable trams, bay st, port melbourne

Elva Carr was unhappy waiting around at Russell Street for policemen to bring the work to them. In 1947 she asked Kath Mackay for the opportunity for police women to be more involved in police work. Having proved their worth the Street Patrol was established in 1948 and the police women patrolled the streets in their patrol car, dressed in dark blue uniforms and peaked caps with a silver police badge. Joyce Johnston and Elva Carr during Street Patrol, date unknown.police women, johnston, joyce evelyn 9840, carr, gwenyth elva 9835, street patrol, police woman, policewomen, policewoman

One of a series of postcards published by National View by Murfett Publishers Australia. Has the details on the rear with place for a stamp, address etc, and logo. Shows W2 546 (Spencer St Route 38), possibly about to pick up passengers at the Jolimont Road Stop. At the time Wellington Parade was effectively a one-way street with extensive car parking on the south side. Shows a Safety Zone on the north side of the tram tracks. Has the CRA building, the hotel on the corner of Flinders and Spring St that was demolished for Shell House. See Reg Item 3555 for a later view by the same company.Yields information about the appearance of Wellington Parade, Jolimont, mid to late 1970's.Postcard - National View - plain edges, Wellington Parade looking west towards the CBD. Card No. P-1014-2w2 class, postcard, souvenir, wellington parade, route 38, tram 546, national view

Photo of cottage in the corner of the Memorial Gardens Rose Festival float - Sidey's old car Numurkah Street Carnival (dress-ups) Class photo Grade 8 Year unknown (some names on the back) Class photo Grade 6 Year unknown (Some names on the back) ALL THESE PHOTOS HAVE BEEN SCANNED AND SAVED ON H.S. COMPUTERnumurkah history events, activities, 1960's 1970's

Copy of a black and white photo taken from the Rose of Australia Hotel, circa 1950. The road is curved and there is a tram on the street with a motor car beside it. A power pole has a sign pointing to the Methodist Church. Buildings line the street and further up the road is the poppet legs of a mine. Label pasted on the photo - Looking toward Bendigo from Rose of Australia Hotel. Circa 1950.bendigo, history, long gully history group, the long gully history group - looking toward bendigo from rose of australia hotel, circa 1950

Postcard looking west along Collins Street. just to the east of Swanston Street. At the time of the photograph all trams have been converted to The Met colour scheme. Swanston Street was converted into Swanston walk during 1992, so photo is late 1980's or early 1990's. There are seven trams in the view: A1 239 (City Route 42), SW5 749 in Swanston Street, A1 232 (Mont Albert Route 42), two advertising cars. Collins Street is busy. Note the Hook Turn signs supported off the overhead wires.Yields information about Collins Street late 1980's or early 1990s prior to the construction of Swanston WalkPostcard - red boarders, Collins Street - Biscay Greetings, BG 275collins street, swanston street, a1 class tram, sw5 class trams, tram 239, tram 232, tram 749, trams, tramways

black and white photo: image shows Town hall, Bendigo, taken looking southward along Hargreaves Street, approx. 1920's ? Car in centre of image is open top, white wall tyres. Structure on LH side of photo has verandah and appears to be 'open' type of building underneath roofline, Bendigo Market place.To the right of the Town Hall is the north end of a market building, which stood where the Bendigo Library now stands. On rear of card ' printed in Great Britain, The Valentine & Sons Publishing Co., Ltd., Melbourne.'Valentine & Sonsbendigo, buildings, town hall, bendigo, bendigo, town hall, hargreaves street

Colour postcard with serrated edges of Ballarat tram No. 11 at dusk in Sturt St, just west of Lydiard St. with Town Hall in background. Tram has destination of "GARDENS via Drummond Nth", with a "TWIN LAKES" sign on rear driver's apron of tram. On pole in front of tram is tram stop sign and a section sign. Pole painted with tram stop sign as well. On rear , printed in dark green ink is the card details etc. "Ballarat, Victoria, Looking to the City Hall, Sturt Street at sunset." Nucolorvue car, BT 65. \ trams, tramways, ballarat, town hall, sturt st, tram 834

Set of 10 colour prints of the re construction of the Hawthorn Tram Depot to the Watermark Apartments. .1 - Depot fan Trackwork - 6-2-2001 .2 - ditto looking towards tram depot .3 - view towards the building with the second depot demolished, and forecourt excavations underway - 11-3-2001 .4 - Sign on the building advertising apartments .5 - view from street looking at the old depot wall with drilling rigs. .6 - ditto, looking at the worksite for the new block of apartments and part of the original buildings remaining. .7 - Car park slabs being formed. 11-6-2001 .8 - looking at the south wall of the first depot showing the scale of excavation and underpinning. .9 - looking south west/ .10 - Looking from the street at the car park slab in front of the depot. Colliers Jardine and Bovis Lend Lease signs in the photos.All have details of photograph on rear and photographers name.trams, tramways, watermark apartments, hawthorn depot, construction, tram depot

Postcard Real photo number M2844, titled "Melbourne Mansions Collins St Melb", by Valentine Sons. Featuring a west bound cable tram set in Collins Street between Exhibition and Russell Streets bound for Spencer Street, The trailer car appears to be No 52 and also has a non-standard destination box fitted on the side. The Melbourne Mansions Building. 91 - 101 Collins Street, was funded by David Syme proprietor of The Age newspaper and built in 1906. It is thought to be the first block of residential flats within the city limits. The building was demolished in 1958 to make way for Consolidated Zinc Building (CRA) completed in 1962. but since demolished. The large building further along Collins Street is the Austral Building completed in 1891. There are several parked cars and horse drawn wagons on the south side of Collins Street and an early Morris Oxford (Bullnose) on the northside. Behind that is one of the early ornate electric street lighting poles of the era. The photo has been taken around 1919 as the fourth floor addition to The Alexandra Club is visible in the photo. Unfortunately this particular copy of the photo has faded over time.Demonstrates a Valentine and Sons Real photograph postcard.Postcard - Real photograph - divided back unused.cable trams, collins st, tramways, tram 52

Set of six colour slides, possibly taken on Saturday 4 September 1972, prior to the closure of the Mt Pleasant line the following day. 1 - Two single truckers at Sturt and Lydiard Streets with many motor cars. Town Hall in the background. 2 - Tram 12 (Sebastopol) picking up passengers at the stop just before the tram turned the corner into Sturt St. Driver running a one-man tram. In the background are the ANZ and other bank buildings. 3 - Tram 13 at Stones Corner - with the destination of Gardens via Sturt St. West. The tram is crowded. 4 - Grenville and Sturt St with four trams and many motor cars - taken from near Lydiard St. 5 - Single trucker descends the hill to Grenville St, with the Titanic Bandstand in the background, 6 - Bogie tram westbound in a very busy Bridge St, near Grenville St. Demonstrates tram operations in the Ballarat city area prior to closure of the SEC operated system.Set of six Kodachrome cardboard slides.tramways, ballarat, trams, tram 12, city, lydiard st north, tram13, stones corner, sturt st, bridge st

New tennis courts on Diamond Street, Diamond Creek. The car belongs to Dr. E. Cordner Senior who was a keen tennis and football player. The courts were originally located at a site below Fyffe Street but were demolished when railway construction began in 1911. - Yarra Plenty Regional Library (via Picture Victoria) http://www.picturevictoria.vic.gov.au/site/nillumbik/NillumbikLocalHistoryDigitisationProject/6918.html The official opening of the Diamond Creek Tennis Club was on Saturday, December 2nd, 1922 where Dr. E. R./ Cordner (President) presided. 1922 'Diamond Creek.', Advertiser (Hurstbridge, Vic. : 1922 - 1939), 8 December, p. 2. (AFTERNOON), viewed 16 Feb 2020, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article56637465 The car belonging to Dr Cordner is a Ford Model T. The first Australian made Model T came off the production line in Geelong, 1 July, 1925. Black and white copy of photo printed on glossy photographic paper 30.5 x 40.5 cm (12 x 16 inch); image size approx. 18.5 x 28 cmcar, diamond creek, diamond creek tennis club, diamond street, dr edward rae cordner snr, ford model t, motor vehicles

Yields information about the closure of the SEC Ballarat system in particular the changes made to Bridge St.Newspaper clipping pasted onto a single sheet of paper with two Punch holes on the left hand side with one hole through the photograph within the cutting. Clipping from The Courier, Ballarat, Monday, 23/8/1971 (newspaper date, with page 10), with a photo and associated caption of Council employees painting out parking lines in Bridge St. in preparation for a bus stop. Has a single truck tram in the photo heading along Bridge St. for the city. Caption notes that the work was being done in preparation for the bus service introduction. Photograph taken either Saturday afternoon after shops closed or on Sunday as street has very few cars in it. See Reg item 3767 for print of photograph. 1069.2 - copy of cutting, image added 10/9/2013, from a donation by Dave Macartney.In red ink in upper central right hand corner, "21/8/71"trams, tramways, closure, bus changeover, bridge st, bus stops

Set of 8 drawings, prints from original VR drawings of the Victorian Railways Sandringham Railway station, tram depot, bus depot and alterations between 1921 and 1958.\ .1 - VR Sandringham to Black Rock, Electric Street Railway – Car shed at Sandringham – Locality Plan – shows car depot layout, substation, track location for both the railway and tramway, including the platform, goods shed and coal stage. Not dated. Consists of two sheets of paper joined in the middle – 420H x 1210W. Minor creases at end of rolled sheet. .2 - Drawing 1907.21 - Sandringham car shed proposed extension – with note “Not carried out” – dated 2-8-21 Second copy has stamp – Drawer 2, Folio 1, plan 2 in bottom left hand corner. 480H x 630W .3 - Sandringham Station – station layout showing proposed extension to passenger platforms for both 7 and 10 car trains, buildings shops as the southern end of the yard, rail and tramway tracks, streets, dated 12.2.1923. Drawing 582.22. 420H x 590W. .4 - Locker Room for Bus Drivers – plan 264-46, dated 2-5-1946, 295H x 420W. .5 - Shower for Bus Drivers, Plan No. 815-50, dated 15/12/1950, 295H x 420W. Has a note on the drawing – “not carried out”. .6 - Tramcar shed – Site Plan – Entrance Gates – shows conversion arrangements of the depot from trams to buses, including entrance way gates. Plan 456-56. 295H x 420W. .7 - Conversion of sub-station into New Amenities Block - plan number 51-57, dated 22.2.1957 - Detail architectural drawings for the above work. 295H x 420W .8 - Conversion of sub-station into New Amenities Block - plan number 51-57, dated 22.2.1957 - Detail architectural drawings for the above work. 295H x 420W. .9 - Proposed Improvements to Bus Depot - Plan No. 455-52 - not dated. 420H x 595Wtrams, tramways, vr, sandringham, tramways, buses, railways, black rock

Melbourne District Nursing Society (MDNS) moved into 452 St. Kilda Road, in 1953. Seven Ford Prefect cars were purchased by the Society in the early 1950s which became the beginning of a full MDNS, later called Royal District Nursing Service, fleet of cars which would be used by their District nurses to visit patients in the community over the next years.In 1875 J.B.Scott purchased Crown Land on the corner of St Kilda Road and Arthur Street. During the 1890’s an “unpretentious grey building” was built on the site. Known as ‘Airlie’, major additions were carried out during the 1920s and 30s to this historic mansion. From its founding in 1885 until 1891 the Trained nurse (Nurses) of the Melbourne District Nursing Society (MDNS) worked from their own homes which were located in the vicinity of their areas (districts). In November 1891 MDNS was able to rent a two story terraced house at 66 Cardigan Street, Carlton, at £65 a year, which contained accommodation for three Trained nurses (Nurses) and one pupil nurse as well as being used as their Headquarters. The Nurses left from there each morning and returned at the end of their shift to write up their book work before retiring for the day. Three years later they moved into a larger terraced house at 49 Drummond Street Carlton which was rented at ‘a very moderate rental’. There was a Board room, apartments for the Nurses and pupil nurses, a large dispensary which patients could attend each evening to have prescriptions signed and bottles refilled with ‘homely remedies’ and elixirs, which were administered for e.g. Consumptive cases. Doctor’s prescriptions were filled at the Pharmacy. Cupboards containing donated blankets and bedclothes for needy patients were kept in this room, and it was here where the Nurses kept their nursing bags which were refilled at the end of each shift ready for any emergency and for the next day. A list of Doctors the Nurses could call was kept by the telephone. The home also had a kitchen where nourishing soup was made and distributed twice a week to the needy. Milk was also distributed when needed. In 1902 they moved into rented premises at 188 Leicester Street, Carlton and two years later, in 1904, to premises at 5 Royal Terrace, Nicholson Street, Fitzroy. They remained there for ten years. In June 1914 at last the Society had sufficient funding to purchase their own terraced premises, ‘Floraston’ 39 Victoria Parade, Collingwood which was their Headquarters and Nurses Home. In 1926 the After-Care Home for recovering patients, (later called After-Care Hospital) was built by the Society next door to No. 39, running from 41-47 Victoria Parade (became No. 45); the District Trained nurses (Sisters) continued to live at No. 39. In 1953 ‘Airlie’ at 452 St Kilda Road was offered by the Government as part of an agreement to split the management of the Society and the After Care Hospital. On 26th November 1953 the MDNS moved its Headquarters to 452 St Kilda Road. Renovations and alterations were however restricted by limited funds so it was not until 1/12/1954 that the Hon. W. P. Barry, Minister of Health, officially opened the building. MDNS was given Royal patronage in 1966 and became Royal District Nursing Service (RDNS). In January 1983, Headquarters of the Royal District Nursing Service at 452 St Kilda Road was classified by the National Trust. The citation in support of the classification said “The house is of historical interest as the boyhood home of Stanley Melbourne Bruce, later Lord Bruce, Prime Minister of Australia from 1923-1929.” Black and white photograph of Melbourne District Nursing Society Headquarters, 452 St Kilda Road, Melbourne. The photo, taken on the corner of Arthur street, is of a two storey building and several cars and gives a unique view of St Kilda Road in the 1950s (pre high rise buildings) This large grey two storey Italian style building, has four roman column, arched Arcadia to the right of a polygon shaped bay window on the ground floor; an arched Arcade on the second floor, and three long windows above the bay window on Arthur Street. Turning the corner onto St. Kilda Road is a three arched Arcadia running towards the one window seen on the polygon shaped bay window. Arcadia is repeated on the upper storey. A balustrade is in front of the Arcadia on the upper storey and again around the flat roof. Two chimneys can be seen. A spiked metal fence runs in front of the building. To the left of this building are two white double storey buildings and some medium sized trees. On Arthur Street, two Ford Prefect cars, one with the passenger side door partly open, a Vanguard car and another make of car can be seen.royal district nursing service, headquarters, 452 st kilda road melbourne, melbourne district nursing society, mdns, mdns transport, rdns

Photocopy of 54 data sheets published by Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company of East Pittsburgh Pa, USA c1920. Consists of plastic cover, header page with Westinghouse logo, contents sheets (2 pages), forward, 67 pages (single side photocopy) and heavy rear card cover bound with a green comb binder. Original material lent by Craig Tooke of the Melbourne Tramcar Preservation Association at Haddon. Photocopied by Warren Doubleday March 2000. List of contents produced 30/6/2000 and then bound. Contains data sheets regarding motors, commutators, brushes, armatures, bearings, field coils, pinions, lubrication, air piping, axle collars, resistance grids, gear cases and other technical information. Westinghouse Railway Operating Data 30/6/2000 List of Contents Page No. Care and repair of commutators 1 Undercutting commutators 2 Railway Motor carbon brushes 3 Brush holders 4 Flashing of railway motors 5 Soldering railway armatures 6 Armature Winding 7 Banding armatures 8 Railway Motor Bearings 9 Lubrication of railway motor bearings 10 How to babbitt motor bearings 11 Oil, grease and waster for motors and gears 12 Saturation of motor bearing waste 13 Testing Polarity of Field Coils 14 Charging of storage batteries on Interurban & street rail cars 15 Precautions to be taken with blower installations on motor cars 16 Putting on Railway Motor Pinions 17 How to take armatures out of box frame motors 18 Dipping and Baking of Railway Motors 19 War time dipping and baking outfits 20 Dipping and baking railway motors will decrease troubles 21 Protection of Motor Bearings from Dust 25 Winter Operation of Railway Motor equipments 26 Installation of Air piping to prevent freezing 27 Maintenance of Traction Brake Equipment 28 Maintenance of controller fingers and contacts 29 Hand operated circuit breakers 30 Railway Motor Testing I 31 Railway Motor Testing II 33 Railway Motor Testing III 35 Railway Motor Testing IV 36 Railway Motor Testing V 37 Removing and replacing railway motor armature shaft 39 Mounting and Maintenance of car resistors 40 Lubrication of control apparatus 41 Maintenance of fuse boxes for railway service 42 Does it pay to dip and bake armatures 43 Dipping and Baking as a financial asset 44 Shop Organisation 45 Tinning Malleable Iron Bearing shells 46 Life of armature bearings or railway motors 47 The assembly of complete sets of commutator segments 48 Electric welding as a factor in reclamation 50 Metal to Metal press, shrink and clamping fit allowances 52 Life of railway motor carbon brushes 54 General information of grid resistance design for the operating man 56 Stopping a car by braking with the motors 57 Railway Motor shafts and their maintenance 58 Axle collars 59 Gear cases 60 Ventilated railway motors 62 Revamping Loose armature bearings 64 Life of axle bearings of railway motors 65 Heat-treated bolts for railway service 66 Document imaged over 7 parts 7-9-2016 - see hi res files. trams, tramways, westinghouse, motors, data sheets, technical information

Series of six (6) Nucolorvue postcards with serrated edges of scenes around Bendigo featuring Bendigo trams under the operation of either the SECV or the Bendigo Trust. 963.1 - "The Cenotaph and Alexandra Fountain" at Charing Cross. Has Bendigo bogie car in background. Also the Beehive building and Ezywalkin shoes. Nucolorvue postcard BE41 on rear and other information in green ink. 963.2 - "Tram No. 25, a maximum traction car built in 1916. Now operated by The Bendigo Trust between Central Deborah Mine and Emu Point." Features No. 25 in Bendigo Trust colours with Coca Cola and Bendigo Timber Co ads on the roof. On nearby pole is a "Bendigo Talking Vintage Tram" signs. In background is the Beehive building and other buildings near Charing Cross. Nucolorvue postcard BE52 on rear and other information in green ink. 963.3 - "Birney Tram No. 30 decorated for a Royal Tour occasion. The Bendigo trust operates this tram and others on a tourist service between Central Deborah Mine and the Chinese Joss House at Emu Point." Features No. 30 decorated for a visit of Prince Charles, 26/10/1974 with crown, Australian and English flags. Has Myer building in the background. On adjacent pole are two signs "Cars stop on Request". Nucolorvue postcard BE 44 on rear and information in green ink. 963.4 - "The Central Deborah Gold Mine and a vintage tram operated by the Bendigo Trust" Features Birney No. 28 at the mine terminus. Nucolorvue postcard BE48 on rear and other information in green ink. 963.5 - "Charing Cross Bendigo Vic." featuring SECV trams 5, 19 and other bogie car crossing street heading for Quarry Hill. Has Fountain Plaza building in background. Nucolorvue and other information in brown ink. 963.6 - "The Sacred Heart Cathedral looking from High St." Has tram 25 in Bendigo Trust colour running along street in front of Cathedral. Work to complete the spire on the Cathedral underway. Nucolorvue postcard BE47 and other information on rear in green ink. Bendigo Vintage Talking Trams - K.S.Kingstrams, tramways, bendigo, the bendigo trust, charing cross, royal visit, tram 37

[from EDHS Newsletter No. 75, November 1990:] WALTER WITHERS PLAQUE At long last we have unveiled our plaque in the Walter Withers Reserve. The function was attended by a number of members and friends of the Society and descendants of the Withers family. Following the unveiling, the group proceeded to the Eltham Shire Office for afternoon tea and a small exhibition of Withers' paintings arranged by Andrew Mackenzie. The unveiling was performed by Mary Owen, a grand-daughter of Walter Withers. Her speech provided an interesting personal perspective on Withers and is repeated in full here: I feel somewhat overwhelmed by the responsibility of paying tribute to the man you have all come to honour today. I have the feeling that most of you probably know more about him and his work than I do. Walter Withers died nearly seven years before I was born and so I never knew him. Sadly, although other members of his family inherited some of his talent, I was not among them and I know very little about art. This is doubly hard to bear because my husband had some ability to draw and my second daughter also has some talent in this direction. My children are all artistic - mostly in the field of music inherited partly from their father - a Welshman who sang like a Welshman - and partly from my grandmother, Fanny Withers who, I believe was no mean pianist. However all this talent gave me a miss and for many years I felt a complete ignoramus in the fields of the arts. It was not until I was nearly fifty years old that I walked into a gallery in Brisbane and, as I wandered around the room, suddenly one picture leapt at me and I knew instantly that it had been painted by my grandfather. I had never seen the picture before and it gave me quite a shock to find that I had recognized the style of painting. I realized then that I had absorbed more than I realized simply by living with pictures and with people who painted them and talked about their painting and the painting of others. When I was a child I sometimes spent school holidays with my Aunt Margery Withers and her husband, Richard McCann. Aunt Marge painted me several times but I'm afraid I was a restless subject and used to sit reading a book and look up grudgingly when she wanted to paint my eyes. During the September holidays my aunt and uncle were busy preparing paintings far the annual exhibition of the Melbourne Twenty Painters, to which they both belonged. I remember how important I used to feel when they took me along to the Athenaeum Gallery on the Friday night before the opening to help hang their pictures. There were many artists there but the two I remember are perhaps surprisingly both women: Miss Bale and Miss Tweddle. I remember how cold it used to be up in that gallery at night. They used to heat water on a gas ring to make tea and Aunt Marge used to bring sandwiches and fruit for our evening meal. Everyone seemed to be poor in those days and no-one dreamed of going out for a meal. It was a case of make-do - even to cutting down frames to fit pictures or cutting pictures to fit the frames. They had to use the same frames from year to year if the pictures didn't sell. The opening was an exciting event for me. I felt I was privileged to meet important people - people who knew a lot more than I - and Uncle Dick would get quite merry after a couple of the tiny sweet sherries which were always distributed. I realise now that quite a lot of "art talk" rubbed off on me during my visits to the Athenaeum and during my stays with my aunt and uncle. I suspect that much of our most useful learning comes this way and those of us who have had the privilege of associating with artists, writers, philosophers and other thinkers have a richness in our lives of which we may be unaware. Walter Withers was a prolific painter and, although he painted for love of it, I suspect that the need to provide for his family drove him, like Mozart, to greater efforts than he might otherwise have achieved. Reading old letters and articles about the Heidelberg artists, I have come to realize something of the constant strain placed on many of them - particularly Withers and McCubbin - by poverty and the need to make ends meet. Withers was ever conscious of the need to provide for his wife and his five children and there are touching letters to his wife, regretting that he was not able to earn more for them. In addition to his painting, he worked hard at teaching and illustrating and, as he grew older, the strain began to tell and his health deteriorated. He seems never to have had a very strong constitution and suffered from rheumatism, which must have made painting quite painful at times. His eldest daughter, Gladys, was eventually confined to a wheelchair with rheumatoid arthritis and I have a tendency to arthritis myself, so I am particularly aware of what this could have meant to him. Recently I found a short letter written by my mother to her mother, Fanny Withers on the anniversary of her father's birthday in 1919, in which she said: "Poor old Dad, I often think now what a lot he must have suffered. His life was too hard and too strenuous for him. He had too many chick-a-biddies, I think. He wasn't equal to so much town life and train journeys with so many delicacies as he had. Since I have been ill, I have realised what he must have felt like.” He certainly drove himself to produce. He travelled all over Victoria by train, buggy, bicycle and on foot and for a time he travelled from Eltham to Melbourne every day by train, although later he lived in Melbourne during the week and only returned to Eltham for the weekends. My mother died seven years after her father's death, when my twin sisters were 10 days old and I was 16 months. So I never knew my mother or my grandfather. But my two aunts, Gladys and Margery, sometimes took me to stay with Gan Withers at Southernwood in Bolton Street . No cars in those days and it seemed a very long hot and dusty walk from the Station. Three memories remain with me of Southernwood. One is the well at the back which I found quite terrifying; the second is Gan killing a snake - even more terrifying. She was a formidable woman, my grandmother and a great ally and support to her husband. I think she was the business end of the partnership. The third memory of Southernwood is my grandfather's studio – down what seemed like a toy staircase inside the room. This and the big walk-in fireplace stayed in my mind from the age of about six until I saw them again about forty years later when the house was being used as a Sunday School. I just wish that money could be found to purchase this old house for the City of Eltham so that a permanent museum could be established in memory of a man who did so much to put Eltham on the map of art history. Recently I have become interested in family history and spent some time in England, Ireland and Wales looking for traces of my ancestors. I realized then how important it is to have records of people who have contributed to our society. We forget so soon and it is amazing how often, within two generations, names, dates and many details are forgotten. We are fortunate that so many of Walter Withers' works have been bought by galleries and that people like Andrew Mackenzie have taken the trouble to search out people who knew him and to write about him and his work. And I am very grateful to the Historical Society of Eltham for recognizing the importance of having a permanent tribute in Eltham to the contribution made by Walter Withers, who loved Eltham so much and who has assured this lovely district a place in the annals of history. I am indebted to Kathleen Mangan; the daughter of another famous Australian painter , Fred McCubbin, - featured in The Age this morning (thanks again to Andrew Mackenzie) for the most apt tribute to Walter Withers. Kathleen is not well and she rang me a couple of days ago, regretting that she could not be present today “to pay tribute” as she said, “to Walter Withers for I always think Walter Withers is the spirit of Eltham.” Thank you, Kathleen. And now I have much pleasure in unveiling the plaque commissioned by the Eltham Historical Society from Bob McLellan of Charmac Industries to commemorate the life and work of Walter Withers, the spirit of Eltham. Mary Owen, 13 October 1990.Three colour photographswalter withers rock, walter withers reserve, mary owen

[from EDHS Newsletter No. 75, November 1990:] WALTER WITHERS PLAQUE At long last we have unveiled our plaque in the Walter Withers Reserve. The function was attended by a number of members and friends of the Society and descendants of the Withers family. Following the unveiling, the group proceeded to the Eltham Shire Office for afternoon tea and a small exhibition of Withers' paintings arranged by Andrew Mackenzie. The unveiling was performed by Mary Owen, a grand-daughter of Walter Withers. Her speech provided an interesting personal perspective on Withers and is repeated in full here: I feel somewhat overwhelmed by the responsibility of paying tribute to the man you have all come to honour today. I have the feeling that most of you probably know more about him and his work than I do. Walter Withers died nearly seven years before I was born and so I never knew him. Sadly, although other members of his family inherited some of his talent, I was not among them and I know very little about art. This is doubly hard to bear because my husband had some ability to draw and my second daughter also has some talent in this direction. My children are all artistic - mostly in the field of music inherited partly from their father - a Welshman who sang like a Welshman - and partly from my grandmother, Fanny Withers who, I believe was no mean pianist. However all this talent gave me a miss and for many years I felt a complete ignoramus in the fields of the arts. It was not until I was nearly fifty years old that I walked into a gallery in Brisbane and, as I wandered around the room, suddenly one picture leapt at me and I knew instantly that it had been painted by my grandfather. I had never seen the picture before and it gave me quite a shock to find that I had recognized the style of painting. I realized then that I had absorbed more than I realized simply by living with pictures and with people who painted them and talked about their painting and the painting of others. When I was a child I sometimes spent school holidays with my Aunt Margery Withers and her husband, Richard McCann. Aunt Marge painted me several times but I'm afraid I was a restless subject and used to sit reading a book and look up grudgingly when she wanted to paint my eyes. During the September holidays my aunt and uncle were busy preparing paintings far the annual exhibition of the Melbourne Twenty Painters, to which they both belonged. I remember how important I used to feel when they took me along to the Athenaeum Gallery on the Friday night before the opening to help hang their pictures. There were many artists there but the two I remember are perhaps surprisingly both women: Miss Bale and Miss Tweddle. I remember how cold it used to be up in that gallery at night. They used to heat water on a gas ring to make tea and Aunt Marge used to bring sandwiches and fruit for our evening meal. Everyone seemed to be poor in those days and no-one dreamed of going out for a meal. It was a case of make-do - even to cutting down frames to fit pictures or cutting pictures to fit the frames. They had to use the same frames from year to year if the pictures didn't sell. The opening was an exciting event for me. I felt I was privileged to meet important people - people who knew a lot more than I - and Uncle Dick would get quite merry after a couple of the tiny sweet sherries which were always distributed. I realise now that quite a lot of "art talk" rubbed off on me during my visits to the Athenaeum and during my stays with my aunt and uncle. I suspect that much of our most useful learning comes this way and those of us who have had the privilege of associating with artists, writers, philosophers and other thinkers have a richness in our lives of which we may be unaware. Walter Withers was a prolific painter and, although he painted for love of it, I suspect that the need to provide for his family drove him, like Mozart, to greater efforts than he might otherwise have achieved. Reading old letters and articles about the Heidelberg artists, I have come to realize something of the constant strain placed on many of them - particularly Withers and McCubbin - by poverty and the need to make ends meet. Withers was ever conscious of the need to provide for his wife and his five children and there are touching letters to his wife, regretting that he was not able to earn more for them. In addition to his painting, he worked hard at teaching and illustrating and, as he grew older, the strain began to tell and his health deteriorated. He seems never to have had a very strong constitution and suffered from rheumatism, which must have made painting quite painful at times. His eldest daughter, Gladys, was eventually confined to a wheelchair with rheumatoid arthritis and I have a tendency to arthritis myself, so I am particularly aware of what this could have meant to him. Recently I found a short letter written by my mother to her mother, Fanny Withers on the anniversary of her father's birthday in 1919, in which she said: "Poor old Dad, I often think now what a lot he must have suffered. His life was too hard and too strenuous for him. He had too many chick-a-biddies, I think. He wasn't equal to so much town life and train journeys with so many delicacies as he had. Since I have been ill, I have realised what he must have felt like.” He certainly drove himself to produce. He travelled all over Victoria by train, buggy, bicycle and on foot and for a time he travelled from Eltham to Melbourne every day by train, although later he lived in Melbourne during the week and only returned to Eltham for the weekends. My mother died seven years after her father's death, when my twin sisters were 10 days old and I was 16 months. So I never knew my mother or my grandfather. But my two aunts, Gladys and Margery, sometimes took me to stay with Gan Withers at Southernwood in Bolton Street . No cars in those days and it seemed a very long hot and dusty walk from the Station. Three memories remain with me of Southernwood. One is the well at the back which I found quite terrifying; the second is Gan killing a snake - even more terrifying. She was a formidable woman, my grandmother and a great ally and support to her husband. I think she was the business end of the partnership. The third memory of Southernwood is my grandfather's studio – down what seemed like a toy staircase inside the room. This and the big walk-in fireplace stayed in my mind from the age of about six until I saw them again about forty years later when the house was being used as a Sunday School. I just wish that money could be found to purchase this old house for the City of Eltham so that a permanent museum could be established in memory of a man who did so much to put Eltham on the map of art history. Recently I have become interested in family history and spent some time in England, Ireland and Wales looking for traces of my ancestors. I realized then how important it is to have records of people who have contributed to our society. We forget so soon and it is amazing how often, within two generations, names, dates and many details are forgotten. We are fortunate that so many of Walter Withers' works have been bought by galleries and that people like Andrew Mackenzie have taken the trouble to search out people who knew him and to write about him and his work. And I am very grateful to the Historical Society of Eltham for recognizing the importance of having a permanent tribute in Eltham to the contribution made by Walter Withers, who loved Eltham so much and who has assured this lovely district a place in the annals of history. I am indebted to Kathleen Mangan; the daughter of another famous Australian painter , Fred McCubbin, - featured in The Age this morning (thanks again to Andrew Mackenzie) for the most apt tribute to Walter Withers. Kathleen is not well and she rang me a couple of days ago, regretting that she could not be present today “to pay tribute” as she said, “to Walter Withers for I always think Walter Withers is the spirit of Eltham.” Thank you, Kathleen. And now I have much pleasure in unveiling the plaque commissioned by the Eltham Historical Society from Bob McLellan of Charmac Industries to commemorate the life and work of Walter Withers, the spirit of Eltham. Mary Owen, 13 October 1990.Two colour photographswalter withers rock, walter withers reserve, mary owen