Burnt down 1927. Reproduced on p75 of 'Pioneers & Painters'.This photo forms part of a collection of photographs gathered by the Shire of Eltham for their centenary project book,"Pioneers and Painters: 100 years of the Shire of Eltham" by Alan Marshall (1971). The collection of over 500 images is held in partnership between Eltham District Historical Society and Yarra Plenty Regional Library (Eltham Library) and is now formally known as the 'The Shire of Eltham Pioneers Photograph Collection.' It is significant in being the first community sourced collection representing the places and people of the Shire's first one hundred years.Digital image 4 x 5 inch B&W Negsepp, shire of eltham pioneers photograph collection, kinglake, kinglake state school no. 2188, pioneers and painters, school

School building now at Berwick State School (for short time was used at Queenstown North for some sort of home for boys) - Kent Hughes. Cross Ref: 0151This photo forms part of a collection of photographs gathered by the Shire of Eltham for their centenary project book,"Pioneers and Painters: 100 years of the Shire of Eltham" by Alan Marshall (1971). The collection of over 500 images is held in partnership between Eltham District Historical Society and Yarra Plenty Regional Library (Eltham Library) and is now formally known as the 'The Shire of Eltham Pioneers Photograph Collection.' It is significant in being the first community sourced collection representing the places and people of the Shire's first one hundred years.Digital image, 9 x 12.5 cm print and 4 x 5 inch B&W Neg sepp, shire of eltham pioneers photograph collection, queenstown, st andrews, queenstown state school no. 3594

School building now at Berwick State School (for short time was used at Queenstown North for some sort of home for boys) - Kent Hughes. Cross Ref: 0150This photo forms part of a collection of photographs gathered by the Shire of Eltham for their centenary project book,"Pioneers and Painters: 100 years of the Shire of Eltham" by Alan Marshall (1971). The collection of over 500 images is held in partnership between Eltham District Historical Society and Yarra Plenty Regional Library (Eltham Library) and is now formally known as the 'The Shire of Eltham Pioneers Photograph Collection.' It is significant in being the first community sourced collection representing the places and people of the Shire's first one hundred years.Digital image, 9 x 12.5 cm print and 4 x 5 inch B&W Negsepp, shire of eltham pioneers photograph collection, queenstown, st andrews, queenstown state school no. 3594

Source: Mrs. E.M. Jackson, Pigeon Bank, Kangaroo Ground. (Small print, no neg.) Cross Ref: 0403This photo forms part of a collection of photographs gathered by the Shire of Eltham for their centenary project book,"Pioneers and Painters: 100 years of the Shire of Eltham" by Alan Marshall (1971). The collection of over 500 images is held in partnership between Eltham District Historical Society and Yarra Plenty Regional Library (Eltham Library) and is now formally known as the 'The Shire of Eltham Pioneers Photograph Collection.' It is significant in being the first community sourced collection representing the places and people of the Shire's first one hundred years.Digital imagesepp, shire of eltham pioneers photograph collection, kangaroo ground, kangaroo ground state school

Reproduced ‘Pioneers & Painters’ pp 52-53. Picnickers enjoying a Sunday outing in the fields opposite Eltham Railway Station. Looking north towards Research along Main Road near the intersection with Dudley Street. Luther Hayley’s Bakery and General Store on left promoting refreshments and summer drinks. With the opening of the railway to Eltham in 1902, Melbourne residents would regularly enjoy a Sunday excursion journey on the train to Eltham for a day’s outing to the countryside. Possibly the annual State schools picnic held by the Board of Advice at Haley's Paddock near Eltham railway station on 11 March, 1904. Haley’s Paddock (now occupied by Eltham shopping centre) was capable of accommodating 10,000 people, with ample shade and hilly surroundings, an ideal place for any gathering. The main foreground is the site of the present day Eltham Village and Coles Shopping Centre. This photo forms part of a collection of photographs gathered by the Shire of Eltham for their centenary project book,"Pioneers and Painters: 100 years of the Shire of Eltham" by Alan Marshall (1971). The collection of over 500 images is held in partnership between Eltham District Historical Society and Yarra Plenty Regional Library (Eltham Library) and is now formally known as the 'The Shire of Eltham Pioneers Photograph Collection.' It is significant in being the first community sourced collection representing the places and people of the Shire's first one hundred years.Digital image 4 x 5 inch B&W Neg Print 20 x 25 cmshire of eltham pioneers photograph collection, eltham, main road, bakery, eltham village reserve, general store, haley's paddock, luther haley, luther haley general store, picnic, pioneers and painters, railway store, summer drinks

Source: Miss E. McColl, 8 Anderson St., Heidelberg. 3084 Cross Ref: 0614 Henry Street on left - now (1970) closed off at this point. House on left now demolished and site is playground for R.C. School. Bakery centre.This photo forms part of a collection of photographs gathered by the Shire of Eltham for their centenary project book,"Pioneers and Painters: 100 years of the Shire of Eltham" by Alan Marshall (1971). The collection of over 500 images is held in partnership between Eltham District Historical Society and Yarra Plenty Regional Library (Eltham Library) and is now formally known as the 'The Shire of Eltham Pioneers Photograph Collection.' It is significant in being the first community sourced collection representing the places and people of the Shire's first one hundred years.Digital imagesepp, shire of eltham pioneers photograph collection, eltham, main road

The Margaret Ball (Pre 1960s Houses) Collection was a personal project initiated to mark the year 2000 and arose as a result of the disappearance of many pre-1960s parts of Eltham due to development. Approximately 200 pre-1960s style houses that were left in Eltham between Main Road and east to Bible Street, between Cecil Street to the north and south to Dalton Street were photographed in late 1999. Not all of the houses could be photographed; some because the garden or trees blocked the view of the house, others because of rubbish or cars were in the way, some because people were working on the house or in the gardens at the time.Colour photographic print eltham, houses, streets, margaret ball (pre 1960s houses) collection, dudley street, our ladys school

Three horses with cart decorated with passengers for Gala Day. Mr. W. Smith & horse float, passengers include Beatrice and Ruby Cracknell, Lily Harris and Rose Smith. The Evelyn Observer and Bourke East Record reported on April 28, 1916 on the Red Cross Carnival at Panton Hill. “The Red Cross Carnival in aid of local Patriotic Funds' held on the Panton Hill Recreation Reserve on Easter Saturday, sand instant, proved a gratifying success, so much so that £70 was netted on the occasion…. The fancy dress procession, although not as lengthy as the previous one for the Belgium Carnival, lost nothing of its effectiveness, and those who helped In this part of the entertainment de: serve the very best thanks. The prize for the best decorated vehicle (which was kindly provided by Mr. Wm. Smith) was awarded to Miss Goldman's bevy of young ladies representing the "Allies." Arbor Day was once a big celebration, especially celebrated in schools usually acknowledged on the last Friday of April. Wikipedia reports that the first Gala Day was held on November 3, 1916, to raise money for the Red Cross Society at the height of World War I in Geelong. Reference: RED CROSS CARNIVAL AT PANTON HILL. (1916, April 28). Evelyn Observer and Bourke East Record (Vic. : 1902 - 1917), , p. 3 (MORNING.). Retrieved April 3, 2016, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article60664371 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gala_Day This photo forms part of a collection of photographs gathered by the Shire of Eltham for their centenary project book, "Pioneers and Painters: 100 years of the Shire of Eltham" by Alan Marshall (1971). The collection of over 500 images is held in partnership between Eltham District Historical Society and Yarra Plenty Regional Library (Eltham Library) and is now formally known as 'The Shire of Eltham Pioneers Photograph Collection'. It is significant in being the first community sourced collection representing the places and people of the Shire's first one hundred years.Digital imagesepp, shire of eltham pioneers photograph collection, panton hill, beatrice cracknell, lily harris, rose smith, ruby cracknell, w. smith, carnival, float, red cross, easter, decorated vehicle, ww1, world war 1914-1918, parade float

Situated near the top of what was known as 'Policeman's Hill' according to Miss Ivy Reynolds, neice of the photographer, Tom Prior. From the left, Eltham Court House, Police Residence and Police station on Main Road and corner of Brougham Street. These buildings formed part of Little Eltham and still stand (without the front fence) today though the Police Station was demolished in 1986 due to termite damage. A replica was built circa 1989. The institutions of law and order in Colonial Victoria included the police, courts and prisons. The 1852 report of the Snodgrass Select Committee appointed to "identify the policing needs of the colony” noted there existed seven independent police forces that did not co-operate or regularly communicate. Following the committee's report all these police entities were merged into the Victoria Police, founded on 8 January 1853, to implement law and order responsibilities throughout the Colony of Victoria. The Eltham Courthouse (1860) and adjacent Police Residence (1859) formed a justice precinct established in the immediate aftermath of the 1852 police inquiry and the effects of the gold rush. The physical presence of these buildings, in the centre of the early Eltham township, defined centralised control over law and order. In the early days the Police Constable in charge would conduct his duties travelling around the district by horse; a stable was located at the rear of the residence. At times the horse would be grazed on the paddocks across the road. Horseshoes were forged by the blacksmith beside the Courthouse on the high side of “Policeman’s Hill”. Along with the stable, there was a two-cell bluestone lockup where prisoners were held awaiting trial in the adjacent Courthouse. Their meals were usually provided by the policeman’s wife or from the hotel just up the road. With the arrival of the railway in 1902 the town centre gradually shifted towards the railway station. The Police Station and operations were moved into the town centre in 1961 to a renovated house in Pryor Street, which was later replaced by the current Police Station. From 1961-1981 the residence was occupied by the Vermin and Noxious Weeds Destruction Section of the Department of Crown Lands and Survey. Prior to August 1967 the former Police Station was dragged to the rear of Police Residence to make way for the construction of a driveway and access from Main Road. The building was placed on the site of a former Scullery and modified for Lands Department use. In 1981 the Shire of Eltham took over management of the former Police Residence in Eltham. It remained unoccupied for a period whilst its future was discussed in Council. It was then used for a community job creation scheme until 1985. In 1985 the Shire of Eltham Parks and Environment occupied the residence. Council improved the driveway but later added a second rear access from Brougham Street due to the dangerous nature of the Main Road entrance. Additionally, a rear toilet facility between the Police Residence and the relocated former Police Station, which was doubling up as a lunchroom. Council also commenced discussions to re-establish a replica Police Station. Around November 1986 the former Police Station was demolished; believed to have been suffering termite damage. About 1989, after some years of discussion, a replica Police Station was built, based on photographs, to act as a lunchroom and meeting room for the Parks and Environment staff and volunteers doing community service. In 1996 Eltham District Historical Society held discussions with Nillumbik Shire Council commissioners throughout the year regarding a home for the Society. A proposal was put forward by the Society in October to occupy the former Police Residence. In March 1997 Eltham District Historical Society gained access to former Police Residence and on July 12, 1998, moved into its Local History Centre. In July 2018, Eltham District Historical Society gained access to the replica Police Station (which had been used as a music library and storage for the Eltham Concert Band) for use as part of regular heritage tours for schools and community-based groups.This photo forms part of a collection of photographs gathered by the Shire of Eltham for their centenary project book,"Pioneers and Painters: 100 years of the Shire of Eltham" by Alan Marshall (1971). The collection of over 500 images is held in partnership between Eltham District Historical Society and Yarra Plenty Regional Library (Eltham Library) and is now formally known as 'The Shire of Eltham Pioneers Photograph Collection.' It is significant in being the first community sourced collection representing the places and people of the Shire's first one hundred years. The Reynolds family were early settlers in Research. The Reynolds/ Prior collection of photographs were taken by Tom Prior, the maternal uncle of Ivy Reynolds, around 1900 and the 60 photos in the album give a fine overview of many of the landmarks of Research and Eltham over 100 years ago. lvy lived in the family home for many years at 106 Thompson Cres Research. Ivy's father, Ernst Richard Reynolds and grandfather, Richard Reynolds, lived at the same address. Ivy's father Richard worked for Mr. Trail on his property in Research. Reynolds Road is named after the family. Mr Tom Prior (wife Eva) worked at the Melbourne zoo. He was very innovative and made his own camera, using the black cloth hood to exclude the light. The photographs are a reminder of the rural nature of Research and Eltham and its rich heritage.Digital imagechildren, court house, courthouse, eltham, eltham district historical society, eltham justice precinct, little eltham, local history centre, main road, police residence, police station, reynolds prior collection, sepp, shadow, shire of eltham pioneers photograph collection

[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

[article by Bettina Woodburn in EDHS Newsletter No. 97, July 1994:] THE WARRANDYTE MYSTERY TOUR MAY 29TH 1994 - Members of the Eltham Historical Society met at the Old Post Office, now converted into the Warrandyte Historical Museum, for a picnic lunch on the sunny back verandah overlooking the shimmering Yarra River. Interesting photographs and artefacts filled various rooms outlining the history of this area, and told tales of Aboriginal and more recent neighbours of the Eltham Shire. The weather was calm, cloudy mostly with only occasional sunny patches, but it wasn't cold, although the autumnal leaf colours had changed to wintry brown. "All Aboard" and we set off in the Warrandyte Community Bus (with the School Bus sign displayed at the rear) to learn about local places of "Pride and Joy” from Bruce our guide and Tom the driver. Almost directly opposite we entered Whipstick Gully to explore the first of the district's hidden treasures - the Victory, one of the largest of the six or so major mines, past the old quarry now used for abseiling practice. By torchlight we entered the rocky hillside and saw the seams of quartz the miners had followed in their search for gold. Stamping batteries, and there was one in this gully, converted discarded rock into 'road metal'. Warrandyte is proud to be the first declared Goldfield in 1851, and one of the longest surviving, into the 1920s. A pleasant drive across the Bridge and along Bradley's Lane to Norman's Reserve brought us to see another Tunnel at Pound Bend through which the Yarra was diverted to allow about three miles of river-bed to be used for prospecting for alluvial gold. Still on this side of the river we visited the Old Slab Hut in Castles Road. This remnant of miners' housing is preserved because it had been incorporated into a weatherboard house, and saved from the bulldozers - a last minute reprieve, for preservation, by the National Trust. Devastating bush fires have destroyed other old cottages built of wattle and daub, with bark roofs and stone fire-places. The Cairn commemorating the disclosure of Gold Discovery at Warrandyte on June 30th 1851 beside Anderson's Creek Road was our next point of historical interest. We drove on to South Warrandyte and circled back to above the ford on Anderson's Creek to the entrance of the 4th Hill Mine. Again we crept along with our torches, careful of the low roof-rock, and side shafts. At a junction in a large cavity we were able to stand, look up a long air-vent which some 'cavers' climb down, and marvel at, and experience an aspect of a miner's life. Outside we heard the same bird songs, the trills and bell-pealing, saw the same straggly eucalypts, and a silver leafed wattle in flower, native grasses and ferns, and the neat present day houses, often of Warrandyte stone, perhaps veneered only. The day ended pleasantly, seeing more of the Yarra from Everard Drive, and the water rushing out of the Tunnel at Pound Bend, before returning to afternoon tea or coffee at the Museum. A great day for all concerned - many thanks to the Organisers.Colour photographslab hut, warrandyte, "warrandyte miner's cottage"

[article by Bettina Woodburn in EDHS Newsletter No. 97, July 1994:] THE WARRANDYTE MYSTERY TOUR MAY 29TH 1994 - Members of the Eltham Historical Society met at the Old Post Office, now converted into the Warrandyte Historical Museum, for a picnic lunch on the sunny back verandah overlooking the shimmering Yarra River. Interesting photographs and artefacts filled various rooms outlining the history of this area, and told tales of Aboriginal and more recent neighbours of the Eltham Shire. The weather was calm, cloudy mostly with only occasional sunny patches, but it wasn't cold, although the autumnal leaf colours had changed to wintry brown. "All Aboard" and we set off in the Warrandyte Community Bus (with the School Bus sign displayed at the rear) to learn about local places of "Pride and Joy” from Bruce our guide and Tom the driver. Almost directly opposite we entered Whipstick Gully to explore the first of the district's hidden treasures - the Victory, one of the largest of the six or so major mines, past the old quarry now used for abseiling practice. By torchlight we entered the rocky hillside and saw the seams of quartz the miners had followed in their search for gold. Stamping batteries, and there was one in this gully, converted discarded rock into 'road metal'. Warrandyte is proud to be the first declared Goldfield in 1851, and one of the longest surviving, into the 1920s. A pleasant drive across the Bridge and along Bradley's Lane to Norman's Reserve brought us to see another Tunnel at Pound Bend through which the Yarra was diverted to allow about three miles of river-bed to be used for prospecting for alluvial gold. Still on this side of the river we visited the Old Slab Hut in Castles Road. This remnant of miners' housing is preserved because it had been incorporated into a weatherboard house, and saved from the bulldozers - a last minute reprieve, for preservation, by the National Trust. Devastating bush fires have destroyed other old cottages built of wattle and daub, with bark roofs and stone fire-places. The Cairn commemorating the disclosure of Gold Discovery at Warrandyte on June 30th 1851 beside Anderson's Creek Road was our next point of historical interest. We drove on to South Warrandyte and circled back to above the ford on Anderson's Creek to the entrance of the 4th Hill Mine. Again we crept along with our torches, careful of the low roof-rock, and side shafts. At a junction in a large cavity we were able to stand, look up a long air-vent which some 'cavers' climb down, and marvel at, and experience an aspect of a miner's life. Outside we heard the same bird songs, the trills and bell-pealing, saw the same straggly eucalypts, and a silver leafed wattle in flower, native grasses and ferns, and the neat present day houses, often of Warrandyte stone, perhaps veneered only. The day ended pleasantly, seeing more of the Yarra from Everard Drive, and the water rushing out of the Tunnel at Pound Bend, before returning to afternoon tea or coffee at the Museum. A great day for all concerned - many thanks to the Organisers.Two colour photographswarrandyte, activities, pound bend

Postcards scanned from the collection of Michael Aitken on loan to EDHS, 13 Feb 2018 Reproduced ‘Pioneers & Painters’ pp 52-53. Picnickers enjoying a Sunday outing in the fields opposite Eltham Railway Station. Looking north towards Research along Main Road near the intersection with Dudley Street. Luther Hayley’s Bakery and General Store on left promoting refreshments and summer drinks. With the opening of the railway to Eltham in 1902, Melbourne residents would regularly enjoy a Sunday excursion journey on the train to Eltham for a day’s outing to the countryside. Possibly the annual State schools picnic held by the Board of Advice at Haley's Paddock near Eltham railway station on 11 March, 1904. Haley’s Paddock (now occupied by Eltham shopping centre) was capable of accommodating 10,000 people, with ample shade and hilly surroundings, an ideal place for any gathering. The main foreground is the site of the present day Eltham Village and Coles Shopping Centre. 1904 'STATE SCHOOLS' PICNIC.', Record (Emerald Hill, Vic. : 1881 - 1954), 19 March, p. 3. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article165173087Digital file only Postcards scanned from the collection of Michael Aitken on loan to EDHS, 13 Feb 2018michael aitken collection, postcards, eltham, main road, bakery, eltham village reserve, general store, haley's paddock, luther haley, luther haley general store, picnic, pioneers and painters, railway store, shire of eltham pioneers photograph collection, summer drinks

Postcard inscribed on reverse "Eltham 26.12.12"Digital file only Postcards scanned from the collection of Michael Aitken on loan to EDHS, 13 Feb 2018michael aitken collection, postcards, research (vic.), state school

Looking southwest from near the intersection of Clyde Street with Cowin Street (in vicinity of State School). St Anne's Church of England (with steeple) is on left side of Main Road. The Rose Series P. 4283Digital file only Postcards scanned from the collection of Michael Aitken on loan to EDHS, 13 Feb 2018michael aitken collection, postcards, diamond creek

Restored by Tony Newstead. Played by Dr Phil Law during the 1930s, "for dances and other functions, while teaching at Clunes, Talbot, Creswick, Learmonth, Newtown, Smeaton, and while teaching at Elwood (at Eltham, Gisborne and Sunbury." including on many of his expeditions to the Antarctic. Phil Law was a dedicated jazz reed player and band leader in his early years as a country school teacher. His brothers also played. Gift of Dr Phil Law - 1999. Dr Law died in Melbourne on 28 February 2010 at the age of 97.Owned and played by Dr Phillip Garth (Phil) Law AC, CBE, for dances and other functions, while teaching during the 1930s, and on many of his 28 expeditions to the Antarctic. Metal Silver B flat soprano saxophone made by V. Kohlert and Sons, Graslitz, Czechoslovakia. Circa 1920s. Mother of pearl keys, slight denting. Additional mouth piece. On bell of saxophone "Kohlert Sons / Graslitz / Czechoslovakia" framed by flower and leaf motifdr phil law, dr phillip law, soprano saxophone, kohlert and sons, kohlert sons, antarctic explorer, b flat soprano saxophone, silver instrument, reed instrument

In 1978 Diamond Valley Shire recognised the need for a new public hall in Diamond Creek. Council considered the Bini shell form of construction which was in operation overseas and in use in New South Wales as libraries, gymnasiums, sports centres and multi-purpose centres. The Council gave the go-ahead. A site was chosen opposite the Hotel and close to the railway line. One day in - the following year, in 1979, activity stood still in Diamond Creek as school children and other excited spectators watched the one-hour inflation of the Bini Shell. This unusual method of construction was invented by Italian industrial designer and architect Dante Bini. The construction pneumatically raises a level of reinforced concrete from ground level which has not been set, using an internal balloon. The inner membrane inflates and compresses the mesh and concrete against the outer membrane. A net of flexible steel rods was laid on the building’s circular base, on the top of a fabric bladder. 300 tonnes of reinforced concrete were poured onto the mesh and a sealed cover laid over the concrete making a sandwich of cover, bladder and mesh. Compressed air was pumped into the bladder and the sandwich slowly began to rise and become a massive self-supporting dome. After inflation and removal of the outer membrane workmen filled in any holes. It was some days before pneumatic drills pecked out the first opening. The ceiling of the concrete dome was lined with fluffy insulating material. The dome was 36 metres in diameter at the base and 12 metres high in the centre with a usable floor space of 670 square metres. An opening night dinner was held to celebrate the new facility on March 12, 1980. Shire President Ron Pata made a speech and unveiled a plaque. It was the first public building in Victoria to be erected using the Bini Shell design method of construction The facility could cater for up to 400 people and in 1980 a fee for use was $100 for up to 200 people, $150 for up to 300 people and $200 for up to 400 people. For the next ten years or so, locals attended the hall for marital arts classes, basketball and netball games and school discoes and various other activities. After pieces of concrete fell off a Bini shell interstate due to a construction fault, the Council closed the centre. Demotion took place during the Diamond Creek Town Fair in 1991, as part of the annual Town Fair’s program. Research by L.P. Jan 2022This was the first public building in Victoria to be erected using the Bini Shell design method of construction.Colour photograph1991, diamond creek, bini shell, demolition, oval

The school was represented at each of the ceremonies in 1926, 1951 and 2001. (Contained in an album originally put together by Harry Gilham. Photos subsequently relocated to photosafe archival storage.) [2001]Colour photographkangaroo ground, war memorial tower, rededication ceremony, kangaroo ground primary school

Albert Price (1860- 1945) purchased a 31 acre block of the Montmorency subdivision. From 1911 to 1922 he was a member of the Heidelberg Shire Council and was later President of that shire. He then became the first Councillor representing Montmorency within the Shire of Eltham. He served from 1925 to 1945. He was President of the Shire five times. His achievements included bringing electric light and water into Eltham, Montmorency and Briar Hill, the improvement to the train service, together with the construction of a station at Montmorency. He was a member of the Montmorency State School committee and was also a mason. He died in May 1945 aged 85 years while still being a serving councillor. He is buried at Fawkner Cemetery. His name is remembered in the naming of Price Avenue, Montmorency. A memorial plaque was placed in the original Memorial Hall in Rattray Road in memory of Albert and Janet Price's commitment to the new suburb of Montmorency. This photo forms part of a collection of photographs gathered by the Shire of Eltham for their centenary project book, "Pioneers and Painters: 100 years of the Shire of Eltham" by Alan Marshall (1971). The collection of over 500 images is held in partnership between Eltham District Historical Society and Yarra Plenty Regional Library (Eltham Library) and is now formally known as 'The Shire of Eltham Pioneers Photograph Collection.' It is significant in being the first community sourced collection representing the places and people of the Shire's first one hundred years.Digital imagesepp, shire of eltham pioneers photograph collection, councillor price, montmorency, albert price, portrait

Source: Mrs. Dandy, Montmorency, via Shire of Eltham This photo forms part of a collection of photographs gathered by the Shire of Eltham for their centenary project book,"Pioneers and Painters: 100 years of the Shire of Eltham" by Alan Marshall (1971). The collection of over 500 images is held in partnership between Eltham District Historical Society and Yarra Plenty Regional Library (Eltham Library) and is now formally known as the 'The Shire of Eltham Pioneers Photograph Collection.' It is significant in being the first community sourced collection representing the places and people of the Shire's first one hundred years.Digital imagesepp, shire of eltham pioneers photograph collection, montmorency, road

The Heidelberg School Artists Trail was established in about 1999 with about 52 signs across four local governemnt areas including Nillumbik and Banyule. This one acknowledges "Landscape with Sheep" by Walter Withers. The text on the board states: Walter Withers depicts in this work a number of sheep on Mr. Tom Orr’s property. Our view is from the rise above this park, from the Lower Plenty side of the nearby Diamond Creek, looking northwards towards the main Eltham township. The area that is now Wingrove Park, would have been to the right, in the valley below the sheep. The mood of this work is warm and vibrant, with the use of strong blues and pinks, and this stands in marked contrast to the softer, cooler greens used by Walter Withers in his work ‘The Silent Gums’.Roll of 35mm colour negative film, 7 stripsAgfa HDC 200 plus-2eltham, heidelberg artists' trail, wingrove park trail, landscape with sheep, walter withers

The Heidelberg School Artists Trail was established in about 1999 with about 52 signs across four local governemnt areas including Nillumbik and Banyule. This one located in Wingrove Park Eltham pays tribute to Walter Withers and his painting "The Silent Guns"Roll of 35mm colour negative film, 7 stripsAgfa HDC 200 plus-2eltham, heidelberg artists' trail, wingrove park trail, walter withers, the silent gums

Viewed from western side of Para Road near Graham Body Works. Simms Road is running to the right in front of the old house. The house belongs to Mrs Cameron whose daughter married a DAVEY after which Davey Street is named. Excavation work is being undertaken for the realignment of the Para Road and Sherbourne Road intersection where the current roundabout is located, approximately where the two cars are parked. Mrs Cameron's house and the other are where Montmorency Secondary College is situated. The school opened in 1969.Roll of 35mm black and white negative film, 6 strips Ilford HP3briar hill, cameron, davey, davey road, graham body works, greensborough, montmorency secondary college, sherbourne road, simms road

Viewed from western side of Para Road near Graham Body Works. Simms Road is running to the right in front of the old house. The house belongs to Mrs Cameron whose daughter married a DAVEY after which Davey Street is named. Excavation work is being undertaken for the realignment of the Para Road and Sherbourne Road intersection where the current roundabout is located, approximately where the two cars are parked. Mrs Cameron's house and the other are where Montmorency Secondary College is situated. The school opened in 1969.Roll of 35mm black and white negative film, 6 strips Ilford HP3briar hill, cameron, davey, davey road, graham body works, greensborough, montmorency secondary college, sherbourne road, simms road

Viewed from western side of Para Road near Graham Body Works. Simms Road is running to the right in front of the old house. The house belongs to Mrs Cameron whose daughter married a DAVEY after which Davey Street is named. Excavation work is being undertaken for the realignment of the Para Road and Sherbourne Road intersection where the current roundabout is located, approximately where the two cars are parked. Mrs Cameron's house and the other are where Montmorency Secondary College is situated. The school opened in 1969.Roll of 35mm black and white negative film, 6 strips Ilford HP3briar hill, cameron, davey, davey road, graham body works, greensborough, montmorency secondary college, sherbourne road, simms road

Viewed from western side of Para Road near Graham Body Works. Simms Road is running to the right in front of the old house. The house belongs to Mrs Cameron whose daughter married a DAVEY after which Davey Street is named. Excavation work is being undertaken for the realignment of the Para Road and Sherbourne Road intersection where the current roundabout is located, approximately where the two cars are parked. Mrs Cameron's house and the other are where Montmorency Secondary College is situated. The school opened in 1969.Roll of 35mm black and white negative film, 6 strips Ilford HP3briar hill, cameron, davey, davey road, graham body works, greensborough, montmorency secondary college, sherbourne road, simms road

Viewed from western side of Para Road near Graham Body Works. Simms Road is running to the right in front of the old house. The house belongs to Mrs Cameron whose daughter married a DAVEY after which Davey Street is named. Excavation work is being undertaken for the realignment of the Para Road and Sherbourne Road intersection where the current roundabout is located, approximately where the two cars are parked. Mrs Cameron's house and the other are where Montmorency Secondary College is situated. The school opened in 1969.Roll of 35mm black and white negative film, 6 strips Ilford HP3briar hill, cameron, davey, davey road, graham body works, greensborough, montmorency secondary college, sherbourne road, simms road

Viewed from western side of Para Road near Graham Body Works. Simms Road is running to the right in front of the old house. The house belongs to Mrs Cameron whose daughter married a DAVEY after which Davey Street is named. Excavation work is being undertaken for the realignment of the Para Road and Sherbourne Road intersection where the current roundabout is located, approximately where the two cars are parked. Mrs Cameron's house and the other are where Montmorency Secondary College is situated. The school opened in 1969.Photostitch from multiple images on roll of film. Roll of 35mm black and white negative film, 6 strips Ilford HP3briar hill, cameron, davey, davey road, graham body works, greensborough, montmorency secondary college, sherbourne road, simms road

Viewed from eastern side of Para Road opposite Graham Body Works.. Simms Road is running to the right in front of the old house. The house belongs to Mrs Cameron whose daughter married a DAVEY after which Davey Street is named. Excavation work is being undertaken for the realignment of the Para Road and Sherbourne Road intersection where the current roundabout is located, approximately where the two cars are parked. Mrs Cameron's house and the other are where Montmorency Secondary College is situated. The school opened in 1969.Roll of 35mm black and white negative film, 6 strips Ilford HP3briar hill, cameron, davey, davey road, graham body works, greensborough, montmorency secondary college, sherbourne road, simms road