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Eltham District Historical Society Inc
Document - Map, Victoria. Department of Crown Lands and Survey, Town of Eltham, Parish of Nillumbik, County of Evelyn, 2 October 1929
Township of Eltham, Parish of Nillumbik, County of Evelyn / lithographed at the Department of Lands & Survey Melbourne 5th June 1888, amended 2 October 1929 This amendment from the 1888 original shows the reserve for the the State School marked as permanent with dimensions added to Main Road and block frontages along Main Road between Mount Pleasant Road and Dalton Street and Metery Road Possibly photocopied from a copy held at PROV by Harry Gilham whilst resaerching Eltham Primary School history in 1995.a. armstrong, a. lavard, arthur c. allan, arthur c. allen, b. bowatere, baxter street, benjamin oliver wallis, bolton steet, c. souter, c.s. hain, cemetery reserve, charles brown, charles newman, charles symons wingrove, christopher caldwell, church of england, d. anderson, dalton street, david ballard, e. james, e.m. peck, edward dumaresq, eltham town, ely street, f.e. falkiner, f.m. peck, falkiner street, flint street, g. buckingham, g. drabble, george stebbing, godalmin street, h. peck, h.c.whess, h.h. farquharson, h.j. bews, henry stooke, j. goer, j. mcdonald, j. mclaren, j. roberts, j.b. knagers, james irish, jane bailey (nee matthews), john l. smith, john mason, john scott, john smith, joseph stevenson, joseph verse, k. wingrove, k.e. dunstan, kerby street, kirby street, location tbd, m. coman, map, michael o'shea, o.b. mccutcheon, p. & g. tumbull, p.k. mccaughan, p.p. cotter, porter street, pound reserve, robert hepburn, roman catholic church, s. evans, samuel dagley, samuel phillips, samuel ramsden, t. upton, t. watkins, t.a. stark, t.c.b. batt, t.p. cross, thomas grant, thornton street, w. adam, w. blain, w. long, w. watkins, w.f. ford, w.h. hull, w.r. belcher, w.t. schultz, william thomas, eltham primary school, eltham state school, eltham state school no. 209, quarry reserve -
Eltham District Historical Society Inc
Document - Report, Paul Jerome, Advisory Committee on a Proposed Convenience Centre and an Alternative Shire Proposal - Eltham Gateway Community Precinct Concept Plan - 895 Main Road Eltham, October 1997
On 15 December 1994 the former Shire of Eltham ceased to exist following the Liberal Kennett Government local council amalgamations. A new Nillumbik Shire Council was established with unelected commissioners appointed. That Council sold the former Eltham Shire Council Offices and land at 89S Main Road Eltham to Dallas Price Homes Pty. Ltd. the sale being conditional upon the granting of a planning permit for a petrol station/convenience store, fast food and video outlet. The sale was conditional that if the permit was not granted by 30 August. 1997, the contract could be avoided by either the purchaser or the vendor. The proposed development consisted of a petrol station with undercover fuelling facilities, convenience shopping, a drive through service facility for fast food, an 80 seat cafe, automated banking, a children's play area and retail space. In addition, the proposal included a 200 square metre community facility for Council use, provision of on site carparking over 2 levels for 83 vehicles, and advertising signage. An Advisory Committee consisting of Dimitry Reed and Margaret Pitt was appointed under Section 151 of the Planning and Environment Act 1987 to hear submissions on the proposal to develop the land at 895 Main Road Eltham, the site of the former Eltham Shire Offices. In September 1996, two applications were made by Contour Consultants Australia Pty Ltd on behalf of Dallas Price Homes Ply Ltd, to Nillumbik Shire Council. After extensive notification, the Council received 213 objections and a petition of over 1400 signatures. On October 9, 1996, Nillumbik Shire Council issued Notices of Decision to Grant Permit on Applications number 96/03376 and 96/0377 for the use and development of the land as a convenience Centre consisting of a petrol station, convenience store, cafe/takeaway food premises, a retail facility and a community facility, with associated advertising signs. Objectors to the proposals lodged Planning Appeals number 96/40724 and 96/40812 with the Administrative Appeals Tribunal on November 1, 1996. The grounds of appeal can be summarised as: inappropriate development, insufficient carparking, traffic and access issues, unsatisfactory design, inadequate permit conditions, the proposal being out of character with the area. and being contrary to the purpose and orderly development of the Eltham Town Centre, excessive noise, lack of consultation and unsuitable signage. On November 13, 1996, the Minister for Planning and Local Government directed the Registrar of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal. under Section 41 (1) (a) of the Planning Act 1980, to refer the Appeals to the Governor in Council for determination without a hearing or recommendation by the Tribunal. The Minister for Planning and Local Government called in the Appeals as he considered that they raised major issues of policy relating to the facilitation of development in accordance with the objectives set out in Section 4 of the Planning and Environment Act 1987, and that determination of the Appeals could have a substantial effect on the achievement of these planning objectives. The Minister required the Advisory Committee to consider the planning merits of the proposed use and development, and to address the issues raised in the objections. The Advisory Committee was required to produce a report providing: • The Committee's response to the matters detailed; • Relevant supporting information for the Advisory Committee's recommendation; and • A description of the proceedings conducted by the Advisory Committee and a list of those consulted or heard by the Committee. In March 1997, elections were held in the Shire of Nillumbik and the view of the new Council to this proposal differed from the view held by the earlier Council Hence the Submission made to the Committee by the Shire was against the decision by the Shire of Nillumbik to issue the Notices of Decision to Grant a Permit. The Recommendations of the Advisory Committee were: i. The cafe and take away food premises are as of right uses and are therefore allowable, but that shop and petrol station are unacceptable uses. A community facility is a discretionary use and is acceptable. ii. A development of the type and scale proposed is totally inappropriate for this land and that the Applications number 96/03376 and 96/0377 for the use and development of the land as a convenience Centre consisting of a petrol station, convenience store, café/takeaway food premises, a retail facility and a community facility, with associated advertising signs, be refused. iii. The land should be rezoned for public purposes and should remain in the community's ownership for community use. Following this, the Minister for Planning and Local Government, the Hon. Robert Maclellan, appointed Mr. Paul Jerome as an Advisory Committee under section 151 of the Planning and Environment Act 1987 to consider a Convenience Centre and an alternative proposal by Iha Shire of Nillumbik being the Eltham Gateway Community Precinct Concept Plan for the site of the former Shire of Eltham municipal offices at 895 Main Road, Eltham. In summary, the terms of reference for the Advisory Committee required it to: • consider the merits of the Council proposal • examine the merits of both proposals in terms of net community benefit • address the report of the previous Advisory Committee on the Convenience Centre proposal The Advisory Committee inspected the site and considered all the material before It including submissions made by all parties to the previous Advisory Committee and correspondence received by the Department of Infrastructure both before and after that Committee submltted its report. The Advisory Committee also held discussions with the following people: • Cr. Robert Marshall • Cr. Margaret Jennings • Cr. Lex de Man • Mr. Dallas Howgate of Dallas Price Properties, also Dallas Price Homes • Mr. Barry Rochford, CEO, Shire of Nillumbik • Ms. Yvonne Rust, Planning Officer, Shire of Nillumbik • Mr. Gregory Burgess, Architect of the Eltham Library and of Council’s Community Precinct Concept Plan • Mr. Jim Connor representing Mrs Thelma Barkway of the Eltham Senior Citizens Club Having considered all the material before it, the Committee arrived at two basic conclusions. First, the DPP proposal should be rejected because, on its merits, It does not sufficiently satisfy the requirements of the planning scheme which is a statutory document. The planning scheme requires that, before making a decision on the permit applications for the DPP proposal, a range of matters must be considered. It follows that consideration of these matters should Influence the decision. These matters include local policies relating to character and amenity. In particular, these policies seek • to conserve and enhance the bushland/country atmosphere, artistic heritage and strong sense of community of the Eltham Town Centre by ensuring that the design and height of any new development is sympathetic to existing buildings • to achieve a pleasing physical environment within the Eltham Town Centre by encouraging a high standard of architecture and urban design • to encourage Improvement to pedestrian amenity through such facilities as open and shattered rest areas and meeting places, crossing facilities, pedestrian arcades, pedestrian links to car parks and pedestrian weather protection • to reduce conflict between vehicular traffic and pedestrian flows, and • to encourage pedestrian thoroughfares It is submitted, as set out In the main body of this report, that the DPP proposal fails substantially to meet these policies and In so doing does not merit the exercise of discretion In Its favour with the Issuing of a permit. This finding is not offset by the investment and employment attributes of the proposal. They do not override the need to comply with the planning scheme. Second, the Council proposal, on Its own merits, substantially meets all statutory requirements applicable to this site with a possible reservation about car parking and traffic management which need further definition and assessment as the concept is refined. The Council proposal, however, has a serious weakness in that Its financial viability has not been adequately tested. The Committee refers to 'financial' rather than 'commercial' viability in recognition that Council owns the land and may enter into a range of agreements and partnerships to realise its concept some of which may be truly commercial and some of which may involve an element of subsidy arising from Council's involvement as a public body acting on behalf of its community. The Committee concludes that Council should be given the opportunity, within a reasonable timeframe to establish the financial feasibility of its concept and should develop a strategy for the future of Its land asset at 895 Main Road in the event that Its concept for the site cannot be realised. 895 main road, advisory committee, dallas price homes, eltham, eltham shire office, nillumbik shire council, planning application, administrative appeals tribunal -
Eltham District Historical Society Inc
Photograph - Digital Photograph, Alan King, St Andrews Anglican Church, St Andrews, 30 January 2008
Built c.1868, St Andrew’s Anglican Church is Nillumbik Shire’s oldest timber church and is historically, socially, and spiritually significant to the Shire of Nillumbik. The church is historically significant because it may have given its name 'St Andrews' to the town (another suggestion is that the name came from the local hotel), it is also historically significant as one of only four buildings that remain from the Caledonian goldfields era of Queenstown (now St Andrews) and one of only a handful of buildings that survived the 1960s bushfires. The church is historically, socially, and spiritually significant because it has played an important part in community life for more than 150 years; a proposal to move the church in 1984 met with strenuous opposition. Much of the fires on Black Saturday 2009 were the north of the town. The town itself remained intact - as did this heritage building. Covered under Heritage Overlay, Nillumbik Planning Scheme. National Trust of Australia (Victoria) Local significance Published: Nillumbik Now and Then / Marguerite Marshall 2008; photographs Alan King with Marguerite Marshall.; p69 The St Andrews Anglican Church and former St Andrews Primary School, are two reminders of the district’s early days, when it was founded on gold. St Andrews, then called Queenstown, was the earliest goldfield in the Caledonia Diggings.1 It was the Upper Diamond Gold Mining and Administrative Centre, with 3000 miners. Queenstown was also the seat of the Court of Petty Sessions. The church and school then stood close to European and Chinese stores, three hotels, a brewery and a quartz mill.2 In 1861, Queenstown was officially proclaimed a township. From 1865, the name Queenstown was interchangeable with St Andrews, until 1952, when the town was officially named St Andrews. As gold declined from the early 1880s, Queenstown changed dramatically into a settlement of small farms. St Andrew’s Anglican Church, built in 1868, is the Shire’s oldest timber church and possibly gave its name to the township.3 The small timber church was opened on November 1, 1869, by the Dean of Melbourne. Anniversary tea meetings helped raise funds, and in 1889, a three-bedroom parsonage was built alongside. In 1910, the vicar, the Rev Selwyn Chase (and friend of the Scouting Movement’s founder, Baden Powell), established the 1st Queenstown Scout Troop, only two years after Scouting began in Australia. The church was important to the lives of many local residents who were baptised, married and had funeral services there. But by the 1950s the population had decreased and so did the weekly attendances. Around the mid-1960s the church closed, then fell into disrepair. So in the mid 1980s it was sold to the Education Department and was under threat of relocation or demolition. However this caused such opposition from locals,4 that instead, the Anglican church leased it as part of the Panton Hill parish5 and it was reconsecrated in 1987. Queenstown’s first school was held in a tent after transferring from Andersons Creek, Warrandyte.6 From 1858 a church school, Caledonia Diggings, stood west of the main road, a quarter of a mile (0.4km) before Buttermans Track. In 1882 the school was moved from a leased building, owned by headmaster Robert Harris, into a larger building on the corner of the School and the Heidelberg-Kinglake Roads. It had been moved from Smiths Gully and included a teacher’s three-roomed residence.7 In 1887 the school was replaced by the Queenstown State School No 128, although it was also called Caledonia Diggings until 1891. In 1956 it was renamed St Andrews. Still standing, this building is now used as the St Andrews Community Centre and the residence is leased for private use. The original timber-lined room remains alongside the extensions, and is distinctive with its high ceiling and tall small-paned windows. In 1984 a new school was built 500 metres west of the old school. Many residents have contributed much to St Andrews but one family that has done so for several generations is the Harris family. Robert Harris was an active member of the St Andrew’s Anglican Church, and worked hard at improving the town’s amenities until his death in 1887. He was a signatory to the successful 1863 petition to the Chief Commissioner of Police, against the proposed removal of the Court of Petty Sessions and police station at the Caledonia Diggings. The police station stayed in the town until 1917. Harris was Head Teacher of Queenstown State School from 1864 to 1874, then of the Smiths Gully school until it closed in 1882, and he continued teaching at Panton Hill until his death. His son, Robert Charles Harris, was editor and printer of the local newspaper, The Evelyn Observer, from 1873 until 1915. Robert’s son, William Shelley Harris, served in the Boer War and in World War One. In 1928 he became Kinglake National Park’s first park ranger. Robert’s daughter Elizabeth, taught needlework at Queenstown State School, and later ran the post office in Kinglake.This collection of almost 130 photos about places and people within the Shire of Nillumbik, an urban and rural municipality in Melbourne's north, contributes to an understanding of the history of the Shire. Published in 2008 immediately prior to the Black Saturday bushfires of February 7, 2009, it documents sites that were impacted, and in some cases destroyed by the fires. It includes photographs taken especially for the publication, creating a unique time capsule representing the Shire in the early 21st century. It remains the most recent comprehenesive publication devoted to the Shire's history connecting local residents to the past. nillumbik now and then (marshall-king) collection, st andrews, st andrews anglican church -
Eltham District Historical Society Inc
Photograph - Digital Photograph, Alan King, Panton Hill Primary School, 27 March 2008
The Panton Hill Primary School building, which has served the community since 1889, was not the area's first. Kingston School (an early name for Panton Hill) opened in May 1865. This was replaced in 1871 when the Panton Hill School number 1134 opened and in 1874 the school moved to its current location [September 2023] where many additions and renovations have taken place to meet the needs of local children in the 21st century. Covered under Heritage Overlay, Nillumbik Planning Scheme. Published: Nillumbik Now and Then / Marguerite Marshall 2008; photographs Alan King with Marguerite Marshall.; p63 The Panton Hill Primary School building, which has served the community since 1889, was not the area’s first. In 1871 Henry Edelman opened a Common School in a paling-clad hut, replacing the Kingstown No 786 school. The two-acre (0.8ha) site of crown land had previously been held under Miners Right. In 1875 the Education Department bought a building on the main road for State School No 1134, for £200 and remodelled it as a school.4 Panton Hill had as one of its teachers, Frank Tate, who was to become one of Victoria’s most influential educational reformers. It was his first school, when he began teaching on January 22, 1884, as a 20 year old.5 The following month Robert J Harris was appointed to the school and remained as head teacher until his death in 1887. His son R C Harris was apprenticed to Mr Rossiter, editor of the first local paper. The Evelyn Observer, first published in 1873. Harris later bought the newspaper which remained a family business until the 1920s. J Hughes of Cherry Tree Road succeeded Harris as teacher at Panton Hill and sold his land for the school site. Though now unrecognisable, the school building includes the classroom of the last Smiths Gully State School No 1737, which was built in 1882, and moved to Panton Hill in 1894. From 1922 each school day began with the ringing of the bell, which is still in its stand, and is an unusually old memorial of this kind. To accommodate the growing population, the building was remodelled, with additions in 1923 and classrooms were added in 1955, 1963 and 1970. The former teacher’s residence is the only surviving 19th century dwelling in the centre of Panton Hill, and is now used as part of the school. The residence was originally rectangular but is now L-shaped. Similar weatherboard State School buildings in the shire from this period are the Kangaroo Ground and the St Andrews Primary Schools. All were standard Education Department/Public Works Department designs.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, panton hill primary school -
Eltham District Historical Society Inc
Photograph - Digital Photograph, Alan King, Alistair Knox Park, Eltham, 2008
Alistair Knox Park, an oasis of peace and beauty. Covered under National Trust of Australia (Victoria) Landscape Significance and Heritage Overlay, Nillumbik Planning Scheme. Published: Nillumbik Now and Then / Marguerite Marshall 2008; photographs Alan King with Marguerite Marshall.; p173 It is hard to imagine that the Alistair Knox Park, an oasis of peace and beauty beside busy Main Road, Eltham, was once the township’s rubbish dump. It was only in the 1970s that the tip was transformed into this beautiful six hectare space, which later earned it a National Trust Landscape classification. Before its life as a dump, the area was used for small farms. Thanks largely to the foresight and efforts of local environmental builder Alistair Knox, the park was designed sympathetically with the character of the wider Eltham landscape. Then, appropriately, the park was named after Knox, who was an Eltham Shire Councillor from 1971 to 1975 and Shire President in 1975. The park designers were four major forces in the urban bush landscape garden –Knox, landscape designer Gordon Ford, artist Peter Glass and landscaper Ivan Stranger. The National Trust citation for the park, originally called Eltham Town Park, includes the Eltham railway trestle bridge and the Shillinglaw Cottage. The citation states ‘the semi-natural setting of the parkland provides a landscape which is evocative of the history of the area’. Manna Gums (Eucalyptus viminalis) and Candlebarks (Eucalyptus rubida) are significant features. Most of the park’s construction was directed by Bob Grant, Superintendent of the Parks and Gardens Department for the Eltham Shire Council. First plantings occurred in Arbour Week in 1973, then the lake and botanic area were completed in 1975, with Federal Government funding, and the toilet block in 1978. Bounded by the Eltham railway line, Panther Place, Main Road, Bridge and Susan Streets, the park is in a valley about a kilometre wide overlooked by steep hills at the east and west. The Diamond Creek flows through it and the picturesque historic timber trestle railway bridge edges the north. Informal plantings of Australian indigenous and native species in open and undulating grassed settings blend with the natural landscape of the Diamond Creek to the west. The bush-style plants, particularly around the creek, balance with open lawns, paths and a cascade flowing from a small lake to another below. A footbridge over the creek leads to the park’s west. The park includes an adventure playground and barbecue areas. The park stands on part of the land bought from the Crown in 1851 by Josiah Holloway, who subdivided it into allotments and which he called Little Eltham. Most of the land was subdivided into residential lots, but the creek valley, on which the park stands, was subdivided into farm-size lots, used mainly for orchards and grazing. One of the earliest owners was John Hicks Petty, who in 1874 bought a plot from Holloway. Other families who owned properties in that area, included Rees, Clark, Waterfall, Graham, Hill and Morant. In 1901 the railway was built through the area. Jock Read, an Eltham resident since around 1920, remembers several farms in the 1920s and ’30s that occupied the site of today’s park. A poultry farm, which extended from present day Panther Place, was owned by the Gahan family. Next to that farm was another for grazing cattle owned by Jack Carrucan. Beside this was land owned by John Lyon. A doctor lived beside this, and at the north-west corner of Bridge Street and Main Road stood a memorial to the soldiers who died in World War One, which was later moved to the RSL site. Mr Read also remembers other farms and orchards west of the creek In the early 1960s the Eltham Council began buying these farms and in the late 1960s turned the areas east of the Diamond Creek into a garbage tip. When this was filled above the creek’s flood plain, the tip was moved to the west of the creek.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, alistair knox park, eltham -
Eltham District Historical Society Inc
Photograph - Digital Photograph, Alan King, Pauline Toner Butterfly Reserve, 2008
One of seven sites in Eltham and Greensborough where the butterfly survives. Published: Nillumbik Now and Then / Marguerite Marshall 2008; photographs Alan King with Marguerite Marshall.; p181 The rare Eltham Copper Butterfly, Paralucia pyro-discus, was saved from near extinction by a community campaign in the late 1980s. Thanks to that effort, the butterfly, a form of the Fiery Copper Butterfly, with a wing span of only 2.5cm, can be seen in parts of Eltham and Greensborough from late November to April. As late as 1987 the butterfly was thought to be near extinction. But that year, entomologist, Michael Braby, found several colonies, including two major ones in natural bushland on Diosma Road, Eltham. However these were threatened with destruction, as their habitat was to be destroyed by a development of 71 houses. The colonies were on a 14 hectare subdivision owned by Esanda Finance, an ANZ Bank subsidiary. It would cost around $5 million, to reimburse the bank for the land. The butterfly, which depends on woodland, a stunted form of the Sweet Bursaria bush, and the Notoncus ant, was considered too fragile to relocate. Braby’s discovery led to a sometimes fiery two-year campaign, which even became an election issue. It involved the local community, local and state governments and the developer, before a compromise was reached. The larvae have an intricate relationship with the small black ant, Notoncus. During the day, the larvae shelter in nests made by the ants around the base of the trunk and roots of the Sweet Bursaria (Bursaria spinosa). The ants are thought to protect the larvae from predators and parasites, as they attend them from the nests to feed on the Bursaria leaves at night. In return, the larvae excrete a sugar solution, which the ants love to eat. The butterfly was first recorded in Victoria in 1893, and first collected scientifically from Eltham in 1931. But it was only officially named in 1951, by Victoria’s then top butterfly expert, David Crosby.2 However, from 1970, rapid housing development in Eltham destroyed much of the butterfly’s habitat. The discovery of several major colonies in 1987 met with great excitement, and 250 people attended the first local public meeting. The State Government commissioned Crosby to investigate how to protect the butterfly, and the council froze development for three weeks. Then Esanda agreed to suspend development for several months, until a compromise was reached. Crosby recommended that 62 of the 71 lots be kept to ensure the butterflys’ survival. However this would cost $1 million to $1.5million in compensation to Esanda. Greensborough MP Pauline Toner, launched a $1million fundraising campaign and many artists donated their works to the appeal. Toner offered Clifton Pugh’s painting Eltham Copper Country to millionaire Alan Bond for $1 million, after having heard that he had offered $6 million for the Van Gough painting Sunflowers. However Bond did not accept. The butterfly was considered a ‘hot’ election issue during the by-election, following Pauline Toner’s resignation. Liberal party candidate, Margaret Brown, was accused of falsely saying she had been involved in the butterfly campaign so as to win votes. Sadly, the $1million appeal fell short at $426,000, so a compromise was reached. The State Government donated the Education Department site on Eucalyptus Road, but only nine lots of the Diosma site were bought, and the rest of the development went ahead. On March 3, 1989, Ms Toner died. Thee Eucalyptus Road site was named in her honour. Around 2000 the butterfly was further threatened by proposed developments on Pitt Street, facing the Pauline Toner Reserve and between Diosma and Nyora Roads. Fortunately the Friends of the ECB, with the Shire of Nillumbik, ensured that more habitat was made available. The butterfly now survives in seven sites in Eltham and Greensborough, including the main sites at the Pauline Toner Reserve on Eucalyptus Road, the Western and Eastern colonies on Diosma Road, and the Yandell Reserve in Greensborough.5 The butterfly survives also in Castlemaine and in the Kiata and Salisbury areas. However, it remains endangered.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, eltham copper butterfly, pauline toner butterfly reserve -
Eltham District Historical Society Inc
Photograph - Digital Photograph, Alan King, Sweet Bursaria, 2008
Published: Nillumbik Now and Then / Marguerite Marshall 2008; photographs Alan King with Marguerite Marshall.; p181 The rare Eltham Copper Butterfly, Paralucia pyro-discus, was saved from near extinction by a community campaign in the late 1980s. Thanks to that effort, the butterfly, a form of the Fiery Copper Butterfly, with a wing span of only 2.5cm, can be seen in parts of Eltham and Greensborough from late November to April. As late as 1987 the butterfly was thought to be near extinction. But that year, entomologist, Michael Braby, found several colonies, including two major ones in natural bushland on Diosma Road, Eltham. However these were threatened with destruction, as their habitat was to be destroyed by a development of 71 houses. The colonies were on a 14 hectare subdivision owned by Esanda Finance, an ANZ Bank subsidiary. It would cost around $5 million, to reimburse the bank for the land. The butterfly, which depends on woodland, a stunted form of the Sweet Bursaria bush, and the Notoncus ant, was considered too fragile to relocate. Braby’s discovery led to a sometimes fiery two-year campaign, which even became an election issue. It involved the local community, local and state governments and the developer, before a compromise was reached. The larvae have an intricate relationship with the small black ant, Notoncus. During the day, the larvae shelter in nests made by the ants around the base of the trunk and roots of the Sweet Bursaria (Bursaria spinosa). The ants are thought to protect the larvae from predators and parasites, as they attend them from the nests to feed on the Bursaria leaves at night. In return, the larvae excrete a sugar solution, which the ants love to eat. The butterfly was first recorded in Victoria in 1893, and first collected scientifically from Eltham in 1931. But it was only officially named in 1951, by Victoria’s then top butterfly expert, David Crosby.2 However, from 1970, rapid housing development in Eltham destroyed much of the butterfly’s habitat. The discovery of several major colonies in 1987 met with great excitement, and 250 people attended the first local public meeting. The State Government commissioned Crosby to investigate how to protect the butterfly, and the council froze development for three weeks. Then Esanda agreed to suspend development for several months, until a compromise was reached. Crosby recommended that 62 of the 71 lots be kept to ensure the butterflys’ survival. However this would cost $1 million to $1.5million in compensation to Esanda. Greensborough MP Pauline Toner, launched a $1million fundraising campaign and many artists donated their works to the appeal. Toner offered Clifton Pugh’s painting Eltham Copper Country to millionaire Alan Bond for $1 million, after having heard that he had offered $6 million for the Van Gough painting Sunflowers. However Bond did not accept. The butterfly was considered a ‘hot’ election issue during the by-election, following Pauline Toner’s resignation. Liberal party candidate, Margaret Brown, was accused of falsely saying she had been involved in the butterfly campaign so as to win votes. Sadly, the $1million appeal fell short at $426,000, so a compromise was reached. The State Government donated the Education Department site on Eucalyptus Road, but only nine lots of the Diosma site were bought, and the rest of the development went ahead. On March 3, 1989, Ms Toner died, and the Eucalyptus Road site was named in her honour. Around 2000 the butterfly was further threatened by proposed developments on Pitt Street, facing the Pauline Toner Reserve and between Diosma and Nyora Roads. Fortunately the Friends of the ECB, with the Shire of Nillumbik, ensured that more habitat was made available. The butterfly now survives in seven sites in Eltham and Greensborough, including the main sites at the Pauline Toner Reserve on Eucalyptus Road, the Western and Eastern colonies on Diosma Road, and the Yandell Reserve in Greensborough.The butterfly survives also in Castlemaine and in the Kiata and Salisbury areas. However, it remains endangered.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, eltham copper butterfly, sweet bursaria -
Bendigo Historical Society Inc.
Document - LONG GULLY HISTORY GROUP COLLECTION: NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH
... Department of Main Roads... of Main Roads, St laurence Court, Charles Fay, La Trobe History... School, Department of Main Roads, St laurence Court, Charles Fay ...BHS CollectionThree pages, the first titled Neighbourhood Watch. The second, dated 2/6/97, mentions a phone call to the City of Greater Bendigo about speaking to Marco in the Planning Department. The third, dated 30/5/97, also mentions Eaglehawk Heritage Society, Cornish Miners, Cornish Association, Long Gully School, Department of Main Roads, St laurence Court, Charles Fay, La Trobe History Department. It has Cheryl Wallis signature at the bottom of page.bendigo, history, long gully history group, the long gully history group - neighbourhood watch, edward clarence dyason, isaac dyason, george lansell, st andrew's college, melbourne university, bendigo amalgamated goldfield company, chamber of mines, gold producers association, bendigo mines limited, league of nations, australian institute for international affairs, melbourne syphony orchestra, world war ii, british commonwealth relations conference, powercor australia, city of greater bendigo, eaglehawk heritage society, cornish association, long gully school, department of main roads, st laurence court, charles fay, la trobe history department, cheryl wallis -
Melbourne Tram Museum
Magazine, Department of Infrastructure (DOI), "New Home for Heritage Trams", Dec. 1998
Eight page magazine, folded A3 printed on gloss paper, blue and black ink, "Infrazine" - Department of Infrastructure Victoria, Issue 11, December 1998 with the main article on the redevelopment of Hawthorn Tram depot - titled "New Home for Heritage Trams". Gives details of the history of the depot, involvement of the Department of Infrastructure, Public Transport Corporation, and the Urban Land Corporation, TMSV and the future use of the heritage trams. Article signed by Brandon Mack. Other items cover legal services, the Marine Board, regional offices.trams, tramways, hawthorn depot, ptc, doi, reconstruction