Digital scans of slides of Southwood Primary School prepared by former teacher, Faye Griggs Rogers Guthrie, in 1986 for a University project. See Record 11540 for description of full collection. This record contains digital images of the School Buildings. No identification or dates on individual slides

Digital scans of slides of Southwood Primary School prepared by former teacher, Faye Griggs Rogers Guthrie, in 1986 for a University project. See Record 11540 for description of full collection. This record contains digital images of the Teachers and ClassesNo identification or dates on individual slides

Digital scans of slides of Southwood Primary School prepared by former teacher, Faye Griggs Rogers Guthrie, in 1986 for a University project. See Record 11540 for description of full collection. This record contains digital images of the Canteen. No identification or dates on individual slides

Digital scans of slides of Southwood Primary School prepared by former teacher, Faye Griggs Rogers Guthrie, in 1986 for a University project. See Record 11540 for description of full collection. This record contains digital images of the ExcursionsNo identification or dates on individual slides

Digital scans of slides of Southwood Primary School prepared by former teacher, Faye Griggs Rogers Guthrie, in 1986 for a University project. See Record 11540 for description of full collection. This record contains digital images of the School GroundsNo identification or dates on individual slides

Digital scans of slides of Southwood Primary School prepared by former teacher, Faye Griggs Rogers Guthrie, in 1986 for a University project. See Record 11540 for description of full collection. This record contains digital images of the StudentsNo identification or dates on individual slides

Digital scans of slides of Southwood Primary School prepared by former teacher, Faye Griggs Rogers Guthrie, in 1986 for a University project. See Record 11540 for description of full collection. This record contains digital images of the Music RoomNo identification or dates on individual slides

Digital scans of slides of Southwood Primary School prepared by former teacher, Faye Griggs Rogers Guthrie, in 1986 for a University project. See Record 11540 for description of full collection. This record contains digital images of the School OfficeNo identification or dates on individual slides

Digital scans of slides of Southwood Primary School prepared by former teacher, Faye Griggs Rogers Guthrie, in 1986 for a University project. See Record 11540 for description of full collection. This record contains digital images of the School CrossingNo identification or dates on individual slides

Digital scans of slides of Southwood Primary School prepared by former teacher, Faye Griggs Rogers Guthrie, in 1986 for a University project. See Record 11540 for description of full collection. This record contains Miscellaneous imagesNo identification or dates on individual slides

Digital scans of slides of Southwood Primary School prepared by former teacher, Faye Griggs Rogers Guthrie, in 1986 for a University project. See Record 11540 for description of full collection. This record contains digital images of the Sick Bay RoomNo identification or dates on individual slides

Information - on front cover - "CENTENARY EDITION/ BEERSHEBA/ TRAVELS THROUGH A FORGOTTEN AUSTRALIAN VICTORY/ PAUL DALEY/. A full-bodied, human telling of the deeds of the AUSTRALIAN LIGHT HORSEMAN/ TONY WRIGHT" On back cover. "It was a glorious triumph of arms for Australian/ Forces, a romantic moment of dash and bravura that/ stood out in the tragedy of World War 1. Yet it barely/ registers in Australia's national consciousness."Soft cover book. Cover - cardboard; black, gold and white print on front, spine and back. White background. Illustrated - front - black and white photograph of a trooper mounted on a horse with full kit. 339 pages, cut, plain, white paper. Illustrated - black and white diagrams of maps and centrefold collection of photographs. Inscription - front end paper.Front end paper - handwritten, black ink - donor's name and date, "Donated by Joy Wellings/ 16-8-2023".books, ww1, beersheba, australian army, light horse regiment.

This catalogue was written by Joan Luxemburg for the Art Gallery of Ballarat Exhibition of James Meek works (13th June to 9th August 2015). It is not intended as a full biography of James Meek and concentrates on his decorative works. Joan Luxemburg has spent many years researching the life and works of James Meek and the exhibition and catalogue are part of a PhD project at Federation University. A biography of James Meek by Joan Luxemburg is due for publication in 2016. English-born James Meek, a fisherman, cannery operator, poet, writer, explorer in the Otway district, librarian, calligrapher and accountant, was one of the first settlers in Ballarat, building the first house and establishing a cordial and sly grog business. After some time in Melbourne he came to the Warrnambool area, becoming an early settler in the Peterborough area and establishing a cannery there. In Warrnambool he set up a commercial fishing company which failed, organized an Otways exploration trip looking for gold and established a reputation for producing fine calligraphy works. He was in New Zealand from 1874 to 1890 and died in Warrnambool in 1899. This catalogue is important because it records the decorative works of James Meek, an important early settler in Warrnambool and district. Meek was well-known in Warrnambool in the 1850s and 60s as a commercial fisherman, an Otways explorer, a writer and lecturer and a calligrapher. One of his daughters married Peter Dallimore, a fellmonger at Lake Gillear and the Dallimore family is also prominent in our history. The Art Gallery of Ballarat 2015 Exhibition of Meek works featured one of our Meek documents, a Fidler Family tree.This is a catalogue with a reinforced plastic-covered cover. It has 87 pages with illustrations and photographs. The sepia-coloured cover features a portion of a James Meek work of calligraphy.Front cover – ‘The Inimitable Mr Meek’ Back cover – Art Gallery, Ballarat james meek, the inimitable mr meek, james meek artist

Students in Form 4 were encouraged and taught to perform plays during the 1960s.G. Davies grew up in the Kiewa Valley at Tawonga and attended Mt Beauty Secondary College. Red soft covered book with black and white picture of girl (black) taking a bow and black writing on front and on the spine. The title is in red on white background.'G. Davies Form 4' on first page.school, education, drama, g. davies, tawonga, plays

This book, written by Matthew Richardson, gives details of the song ‘Waltzing Matilda’. This song is the most famous and best-loved song in Australia and its origins start in Warrnambool. In 1894 Christina McPherson heard an old folk song played by the local Garrison Artillery Band at the Warrnambool races and later in Queensland she played the tune to Andrew Barton (Banjo) Paterson who wrote the words to the music. This book is retained as it gives details of the song ‘Waltzing Matilda’. Warrnambool has the claim to fame of being the place where this well-known Australian song began. This is a hard cover book of 23 pages. The cover is red with white printing on the spine. The dust cover has a pale green background with a sepia-coloured image of a swagman and black and red printing. The book contains a CD in a plastic covering inserted into the front dust cover. The book has a preface, 14 chapters of text, some illustrations, appendices, a bibliography, acknowledgements and an index.music, songs, warrnambool, waltzing matilda, australiana, christina mcpherson, andrew barton (banjo) paterson, history of warrnambool

This book, written by Inspector Robert Haldane, details the history of the Police Force in Victoria up to the late 20th century. The history of the Police Force is mirrored in the history of the police presence in Warrnambool since the early days of settlement. One important ex-Warrnambool policemen featured in the book is Thomas O’Callaghan, an Inspector of Police in Warrnambool in the 1880s and the Chief Commissioner of Police from 1902 to 1913.This item is of interest firstly as a book giving comprehensive details on the history of the Victorian Police Force and secondly as book containing information on police members who were connected with the history of Warrnambool. .1 This is a hard cover book of 372 pages with a blue cover and silver printing on the spine. The dust cover has a white and blue background with a photograph of a 19th century policeman, six colour photographs and one black and white photograph. The printing on the dust cover is in white, blue and black. The book contains six chapters and many sketches, illustrations, photographs and graphs. .2 This is a 1986 newspaper cutting from the Warrnambool Standard featuring an article on the book, The People’s Force. Printed Inscription: ‘To those Police who created history without knowing it.’victorian police force, warrnambool

This satchel belonged to John Malcolm Fraser (1930-2015), the 22nd Prime Minister of Australia from 1975 to 1983. Malcolm Fraser was educated at Melbourne Grammar and Oxford University and lived for many years on the family property, Nareen in the Western District. He was the leader of the Australian Liberal Party and was the Federal member in the seat of Wannon in the Western District, an area which included Warrnambool. As the Prime Minister he took a particular interest in foreign affairs. This satchel was donated by Malcolm Fraser to a charity auction held in Warrnambool in 1997 in aid of the Red Cross and the purchaser of the satchel at that time has since donated the item to the Warrnambool and District Historical Society. This satchel is of considerable significance as it belonged to Malcolm Fraser, the Prime Minister of Australia from 1975 to 1983, the local member in the Federal seat of Wannon and a property owner and resident in the Western District of Victoria. This is a brown leather brief case or satchel. The compartment on one side has a metal catch and holders inside for pencils and pens. This side also has another compartment with a zip fastener and two extra pockets with flaps on the top held by metal catches. There is another compartment on the other side with an extra pocket enclosed with a zip folder. There is a leather handle on the top of the satchel and inside one of the pockets is an extra leather strap to extend the handle length. The handle has a maroon-coloured airways tag attached with information on the satchel’s owner. There is some scuffing near the top handle. The satchel contains a newspaper cutting and an information sheet regarding the charity sale of the item.F. Rvnci Roma QANTAS First Class Rt. Hon. Malcolm Fraser 44th Fl. 55 Collins St. Melbourne Victoria Tel 03 65 41 822 malcolm fraser, australia prime minister, history of warrnambool

This book by Carolyn Rasmussen contains biographical material on Maurice Blackburn and his wife Doris. Maurice Blackburn was the founder of the Melbourne legal firm with a business still operating today under that name. Maurice and Doris Blackburn were prominent 20th century independent Labor politicians and community activists, influencing conscription laws, benefits for working men and women, atomic bomb tests, civil rights and indigenous recognition. They had friends in Warrnambool and enjoyed visiting the city on a regular basis. This book is of historical interest as a biographies of two well-known Victorian politicians of the 20th century and is of minor local interest as the Blackburns were regular visitors to Warrnambool. This is a hard cover book of 400 pages. The black cover has red lettering on the spine and the dust cover is black, red and grey with photographs of a man’s suit and a man and a woman. The book contains fourteen chapters of text and black and white photographs.The Blackburns Private Lives Public Ambition Carolyn Rasmussen maurice and doris blackburn, history of warrnambool

139 pagesnon-fictionDirectory which contains more than 600 organisations and individulas throughout Australia which have collections of pictorial material of Australian subjects. From fine art modes such as paintings or prints to photographic forms ranging from early glass negatives to video formats.directories, photographic collections

Includes a brief history of Montmorency Primary School up to 1970montmorency primary school, montmorency state school no. 4112

Full page newspaper clipping featuring the March 1965 Victorian bushfires. Items include: Photograph - TWO-WOMAN BUCKET BRIGADE, Mrs Henry Marsden (left) and Mrs Moureen Ellis, whose fire-fighting efforts yesterday were highly praised today by their Eltham neighbours, carry out mopping-up operations Photograph - DOGS MADE HOMELESS by the fire in North Eltham yesterday are being cared for at First-Constable Doug. Mummery's kennels at Eltham and here is kennel maid Helen Oliver, 17, with some of them today. The two basset hounds are owned by Mr Bill Guy who lost about 100 daschund and basset hound puppies and dogs in the fire. Photograph - He died at Eltham [Picture of John Lawrence Coleman] Builder Mr John Lawrence Coleman, 31, of Main Rd., Eltham, one of three men burnt to death yesterday in the fire at North Eltham. The other two were XXXXX, 33 who lives opposite the Colemans and Mr William Elwers, 64 of Batman Rd., Eltham. John Lawrence Coleman (1934-1965) born January 10, was the son of Raymond John Coleman and Hanna May (Gillet) Coleman. He married Margaret Frances Dare in 1955 and was the father of two children. He died whilst attempting to rescue an older man trapped in the bushfire at North Eltham on March 3, 1965 Other news stories of the day:  Bushfires rage in Victoria, Snowy: Three dead (1965, March 4). The Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995), p. 1. Retrieved May 19, 2022, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article131758981 Includes two photos of the fire in North Eltham “Firemen make for safety as fire rages in Upper Glen Park Road, North Eltham, Victoria. The smoke hides a house.” and “A house explodes into flames at North Eltham, Victoria. Firemen said bottled gas went up.” Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995), Thursday 4 March 1965, page 1 ________________________________________ Firemen make for safety as fire rages in Upper Glen Park Road. North Eltham. Victoria. The smoke hides a house. A house explodes into flames at North Eltham. Victoria. Firemen said bottled gas went up. Bushfires rage in Victoria, Snowy: Three dead MELBOURNE, Wednesday.—Three people died today in a bush» fire which raged through North Eltham, about 15 miles from Melbourne. The victims were three men. A fourth man is feared to be dead. Another bushfire. sparked off by the heatwave sizzling over south-eastern Australia, is burning out of control in the Kosciusko State Park, in the Snowy Mountains. Firefighters fear that if it reaches pine forests up the Yarrangobilly River, they will be powerless to stop it. The three victims of the North Eltbam fire were trapped by flames in a valley. Their bodies were found only a few yards apart. They were named by police tonight as Mr. George Crowe, 78, of North Eltham, William John Ewers, 64, and John Laurence Coleman, 31, both of Eltham. The other two have not been identified. They are believed to be a man aged about 40 and an 18-year-old youth. At least 12 homes were destroyed by the fire, the worst in Victoria since 1962, when eight lives were lost and hundreds of homes burnt down at Warrandyte. At one time the township of Eltham was threatened, but a cool change swept in from the south and held back the wall of flames. More than 100 dogs, worth about £4,000, died when the fire raced through two kennels in Short Street, Eltham. and Upper Glen Park Road, North Eltham. A trickle of water Residents ran into the streets as the blaze raced towards their houses. Others frantically dug firebreaks around their homes. Mrs. Sue Recourt wept when firemen arrived while she was vainly trying to stop the flames with a trickle of water from the garden hose. A stack of firewood was blazing, but the firemen managed to save the house and rescue four goats. Many homes in Eltham were saved after flames had crept to within feet of their fences. Students at North Eltham State School had to be evacuated when the blaze threatened the building. Fire fighters were severely hampered by lack of water and narrow roads. The blaze, which began in above century heat, turned toward Wattle Glen, where two houses were gutted. Then the flames raced towards Hurstbridge to the north. Firemen battling desperately, controlled the fire late this afternoon. Five forest fires were still burning in Victoria tonight.   IN VICTORIA THIS WEEK Tragic lack of central fire authority (1965, March 9). The Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995), p. 2. Retrieved May 19, 2022, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article131759928 Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995), Tuesday 9 March 1965, page 2 ________________________________________ IN VICTORIA THIS WEEK Tragic lack of central fire authority From Rohan Rivett It was the worst week for Victorian fire fighters since Black Friday 27 years ago. On that day one pilot up in a spotter plane said afterwards: "It seemed at times that half the State was on fire." This time, for three days on end, Gippsland men, women and children had moments of conviction that their towns would have blackened into anonymity before the weekend was out. The week began with horror at Eltham on the North-eastern edge of Melbourne. Eltham today is something of an artists' colony. Oil painters, water colourists, potters and sculptors proliferate. A number of University folk have emulated the example of Professor MacMahon Ball who pioneered the way by moving to Eltham and carving a home out of the bush in the thirties. Innermost Eltham is barely 14 miles from the G.P.O. Farthest Eltham stretches miles beyond. It served to illustrate the tragi-ludicrous truncation of Victoria's fire control. Part of Eltham is under the protection of the Melbourne Fire Brigade. But this responsibility ceases at some invisible and incomprehensible line — apparently determined by the meanderings of the water mains. At this point everybody's property throughout the rest of Eltham is dependent on the Country Fire Authority. Half an hour before midday on Wednesday, a fire suddenly started on the West side of Upper Glen road on the edge of Eltham. Before the fire brigade could arrive, it was burning on a widening front through timber and high grass north of Eltham. Two wind changes in rapid succession saw the fire leaping Diamond Creek. With a freshening wind it struck home after home in three streets. More than one of them exploded suddenly as if hit by an incendiary bomb. There is no piped gas in the Eltham area, hence many housewives use bottle gas. The flames outside caused the bottles to explode. Altogether twelve homes were completely incinerated and four more were badly damaged. Thirty prize dogs perished. About three hours after the fire started it raced suddenly down a gully hillside trapping an elderly man. Two other men apparently raced to the rescue. Flames caught the three men within yards of each other, not 200 yards off the Upper Glen Park Road where safety lay. They were burned to death. Next evening an angry and convincing secretary of the Fire Brigade Union, Mr. W. M. Webber, came on television and appealed to the people of Victoria to end the ridiculous and dangerous dualism in fire-fighting control. The Eltham fire, he said, had precisely illustrated the situation. The Metropolitan Fire Brigade area touched Eltham, but where the fire had gutted and killed, was just outside its area. Mr. Webber said his union had constantly urged one authority for the State with a complete reorganisation of fire protection. On Wednesday the union had repeated its call for an inquiry into fire protection in Victoria to the Chief Secretary, Mr Rylah. "No matter how close the liaison between the two organisations, there are always divided sections of thinking," Mr. Webber told viewers. "I don't know how much tragedy the com-munity can take before it demands that it is properly protected." Rumours that differences in gauge between taps and hose nozzles (as between the two authorities) accentuated the damage were denied by fire chiefs who said that all appliances were now carrying adaptors so that hoses could be linked to mains everywhere. But there is grave concern in the Metropolitan Fire Brigade's higher councils at the action of several Federal authorities with projects in and around Melbourne. They are installing non-standard equipment without reference to the State authorities or any dovetailing of appliances and equipment. Public alarm was not diminished by the publication on Friday and Saturday of a heart tearing letter from the young widow of John Lawrence Coleman, 31 year old father of two, who had died in the flames apparently trying to rescue the old man trapped in the gully. By that time, a Vast area of Gippsland was in flames and the troops had been sent in to back up the overworked and often helpless fire-fighters. By Saturday, the Leader of the Opposition, Mr. Stoneham, who has previously demanded a Royal Commission into fire-fighting arrangements, repeated his demand. To add to the Chief Secretary's worries he was publicly rebuked for allegedly implying on television that lives had been lost at Eltham because people went to the wrong place at the wrong time. In a letter to the Press, Professor MacMahon Ball pointed out that two of the men involved were experienced bushmen who had gone "to help an old man in great danger fully aware of the danger to themselves". As Victoria faced its sixth day of total State-wide fire ban, it looked likely that even official resistance was not going to silence the demand for one central authority to control the fire fiend. At the moment, the 400 square miles where two million Victorians live in Greater Melbourne are divorced from the rest of the State in planning, communications, equipment and control of personnel. No one doubts the whole-hearted co-operation and willingness to back each other up of the M.F.B. and the C.F.A., both at top-level and among the firemen themselves. However, when a city straggles so deeply into the country side, the absence of a single authority, to oversee and analyse the fire threat as a whole, suggests suicidal policy of divide and fuel. Emphasis of the tragic loss of a member of a pioneering family who died whilst helping others in his communitybushfire, cfa, country fire authority, fire brigrade, glen park road, heroes, john lawrence coleman, north eltham, victorian bushfires - 1965, volunteers, william john elwers, fire fighter, frank martin, george john crowe, ken gaston, orchard avenue, doug mummery, helen oliver, mrs henry marsden, mrs moureen ellis

A book, published as part of the Australian Bicentenary Celebrations on the history of the suburb of Bundoora. ... Includes photographs, maps and index. Local history of the outer Melbourne suburb of Bundoora, from the original Wurundjeri people through to its development as a thriving suburb in the 1980s ; section entitled "The Aborigines" (pp.14-21) discusses the traditional way of life of the Wurundjeri people prior to European settlement.bundoora, bundoora hall, hospitals, jane mckimmie, janefield, janefield church, john mckimmie, la trobe university, marvellous melbourne, mont park, mont park psychiatric hospital, plenty river, william shillinglaw, wurundjeri, yan yean reservoir

Photocopied extract on ‘The Howitt Family of Barragunda’ from ‘Early Pioneer Families of Victoria and Riverina’ includes black photos of family. Handwritten family tree – source unknown. Two handwritten foolscap sheets with extracts from Caulfield Rate Books, 1857-1891 where Howitt is listed as owner of properties, records tenants, addresses, size of property and value. Typewritten notes on the biography of Dr. Godfrey Howitt, outlines qualifications, endowments, interest, membership, no map included – it says Foot Survey Map. Howitt, Alfred William, typed and handwritten notes, references to house. Notes on publications written by Howitts, and the roles they undertook.bakewell, millman william, howitt godfrey dr., howitt john henry, howitt richard, howitt phoebe, mrs. nee godfrey bakwell, howitt william, howitt edward, howitt charles ernest, howitt edith mary, howitt alfred william, burke and wills expedition, king john, ‘rosemont’ kooyong rd, melbourne university, pioneer, botanist, naturalist, squatters, doctors, crotonhurst rd, caulfield, kooyong rd west, balaclava rd west, eyre rd, hume rd, howitt thomas, tantum phoebe, boothby benjamin judge, botham mary, millman william, mcwilliams robert, blake arthur palmer, grice james, spretchley edward, mcnaughton goerge, campbell john a., serle w.h., howitt mary, mickle royal society of victoria, st. mary’s church of england caulfield, stables, slab huts, police magistrate, authors

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