One section of a Tracker PL 5 RAR shower at fire support base (written on the back). 3 naked men, 2 topless men in bushtracker pl, 5 rar

Polly Possum escapes and runs to Granny Goanna's cottage. The Dogtor holds a conference with the bush children, on how to catch Crafty. In the meantime, Crafty is having his own conference with his nasty friends. The Dogtor leaves to summon the police. Meanwhile, Crafty and friends start a grass fire to drive out the bush children.The Flying Dogtor" series was broadcast on Australian Television Network (later becoming the Seven Network) between February and April 1964 (see item D254 for schedule).Typewritten, carbon copy, foolscap, 4 pages.Page 2, crossed out paragraph top of page for 'Theme'.the flying dogtor, robin boyd, crawford productions, manuscript

Crafty Carson and his nasty friends started a grass fire which started to spread. The flames were raging and the bush children watched in horror. Granny Goanna was unwell and in the homestead. The bush children tried to call the Dogtor but flames had damaged the radio. The fire then reached their store of fireworks and 'Boom!'.The Flying Dogtor" series was broadcast on Australian Television Network (later becoming the Seven Network) between February and April 1964 (see item D254 for schedule).Typewritten, carbon copy, foolscap, 4 pages.Page 2, 'Man' handwritten in between 'Old' and 'Redback'.the flying dogtor, robin boyd, crawford productions

The Ruyton Reporter (formerly known as Ruyton Reports) captures the essential Ruyton Girls' School experience for the broader school community. It has been produced since 1986.The record has strong historic significance as it pertains to the fourth oldest girls' school in Victoria, Australia. Ruyton was founded in 1878 in the Bulleen Road, Kew, home of newly widowed Mrs Charlotte Anderson (now High Street South). Thus, the record can be used as a reference example for research into Victorian school history. It also gives insight into the types of activities and events undertaken at Ruyton Girls' School during the period of its production. The record's significance is further enhanced by its exceptionally well-documented provenance, having remained the property of Ruyton Girls' School since its production.Black and white newsletter printed on paper with staple binding. 8 pages.Front Page: Vol. 1 No. 2 AUGUST, 1986 / R / RECTE ET FIDE LITER / RUYTON / GIRLS' SCHOOL / Reports / From Ruyton Girls' School / 12 Selbourne Road, Kew. 3101 / Telephone (03) 819 2422 / The Year 7 Camp at / Valley Homestead in Ovens, / Victoria was an outstanding / success. The first in a series / of camps with an adventure / bias for secondary students / at Ruyton, this camp is / held in early June, so that / younger students can / experience early winter / conditions in the high coun- / try, while enjoying the / warm modern comforts of / the Valley Homestead. As / kangaroos grazed on Mt. / Buffalo, the girls were / introduced to activities such / as Obstacle Courses, Bush / Dancing, Bush Skills such as / fire lighting, first aid and / shelter. Accompanied by / members of staff, these / activities proved not only / interesting and enjoyable, / but challenging and ap- / propriate to the age group / involved. As the leader, Miss / Willis, explained a special / week for all who took / part. / HIGH ADVENTURE / IN HAPPY VALLEY /ruyton girls' school, ruyton, school, students, newsletter, ruyton reports, ruyton news, kew, victoria, melbourne, girls school

Bushfire perimeter rather than bushfire area is the main control problem for firefighters on the ground. A conundrum rapidly compounded by spot fires. A small 5 ha fire can be nearly 1 km around the perimeter. That's a long way to build a control line by hand in rough bush. Dry firefighting techniques by hand were mostly confined to “knocking down” or “beating out” the flames, as well as "digging out". Digging or raking a “mineral earth” trail down to bare dirt proved most effective in forest fuels which, unlike grass, tend to retain heat and smoulder. Early tools were whatever happened to be close at hand. They were simple and primitive and included shovels, slashers, axes, hoes, beaters and rakes. A cut branch to beat the flames was often the only thing available. Farming and logging tools, developed over centuries of manual labour, and readily available at local hardware stores came into use, but little thought was given to size, weight, and balance. For years foresters experimented with combination tools. In about 1952 fire beaters and other implements were being replaced with Rakuts.Fire tool used before the introduction of RakehoesRakut - Fire Rake and cutting toolGreen and red coloured handle and 020 marking indicated which FCV District the tool belonged tobushfire

'Tiles from the Boomerang Studio' is a prototype of the work 'Year 2052', created while Mooney was an Artist in Resident at Laughing Waters in the Boomerang studio in 2002. Records of flora were collected in and around the Gordon Ford garden in Laughing Waters Road. The work 'Year 2052' is made up of '77' tiles and was acquired by Geelong (Regional) Art Gallery in 2003. Whilst working at the Boomerang studio, local based artist Mooney noticed that “a battle raged in the bush between non-indigenous plants and indigenous plants”. She also noticed how humans “invade” land, changing the surrounding environment and causing irreversible damage. This work is an interpretation of the fragility and value of Nillumbik’s indigenous flora and of its conflict with introduced species. The title of the work (Year 2052) and look of these ‘fossilised specimens’ asks viewers to cast themselves into the future and to look back at today. “These tiles have been found; an incomplete record of flora collected in and around the Gordon Ford garden in Laughing Waters Road. The tiles appear to have been made at the beginning of the millennium. The viewer is asked to contemplate which species are missing”. Mooney works with collected indigenous items to emphasis the beauty of their natural shapes, while at the same time introducing selected materials of contrast or sympathy. Her work creates a great sense of “stillness and peace, of simplicity and connection with the natural world as well at the vanishing Australian bush.”This work is made up of seven handbuilt earthenware oval/round clay 'tiles' - (eight pieces - with one tile intentionally broken), brown in colour and bisque and blackware fired, giving a matt black ash coating on each of the tiles' surface. Each tile has an imprint of a floral specimen indigenous to the Laughing Waters area in Eltham. Each tile has an imprint of the following specimens: tiles, earthenware, flora, indigenous, bisque, boomerang, ford, laughing waters

Landscape painting of a pine in the Australian bush landscape. Painted just after the devastating Victorian bushfires of 1962. Two figures run down the hill in the foreground. There are hills in the background and the sky is shades of pink and violet. Painted in warm earth tones in a painterly, tonal realist style.Lower right, grey paint, signature: 'Sonia Skipper'

Mechanics Institute Main Street Stawell. Used for many years as the library. Built in 1875 after the previous institute was damaged by fire in 1874. Architect Mr. George Inskip. Previous wooden institute destroyed by fire in 1866.Black and white photo of Mechanics Institute Upper Main Street. With white Valient Chrysler in foreground of photo beside bush.Hairdresser Nice "N" Natural Saloon stawell

Black and white photograph of Old Fire Station during the ceremonial laying of the Foundation Stone for the Rutherglen Bush Nursing Hospital.On back of photo: "The Old Fire Station next library" Also rubber stamp: "Printed by W.H. Skey, Rutherglen"hospital, fire station, foundation stone

Black and white photograph of Old Fire Station during the ceremonial laying of the Foundation Stone for the Rutherglen Bush Nursing Hospital. This one is an enlarged photographic duplicate of 449.7ahospital, fire station, foundation stone

3 Page Letter printed on A4 printer paper. Bearing the letterhead of the Bush Dance and Music Club of Bendigo Inc. Postal Address Secretary PO Box 922 Bendigo 3552 Telephone number (03) 5442 1153 email [email protected] Mark Maddock Case Officer Australian Honours and Awards Secretariat Government house Canberra ACT 2600 28th February 2011. Dear Mark, Thank you for giving us the opportunity to speak for Peter Ellis. We know Peter to be a worthy candidate for the award and I think that most people that know him would agree. I had been putting together a nomination for Peter that was suggested by a couple at our club meeting on a night when Peter was not present. Everyone felt that he should have recognition for all the work that he has done and it was unanimously voted on. I was given the job. As someone else has beaten me to it I now can speak for him on my own behalf and in my role as secretary of the Bush Dance & Music Club Inc. Peter Ellis is a very good friend of mine and I have known him since April 1975 when we met at a Saturday night dance. At that time there was a small group of us that went around the dances. We would go 100kms to find dances that were not on the average programme, dances such as The Lancers, Albert's, Waltz Cotillion and lots of Polkas. We bemoaned the fact that they appeared to be dying out in the Towns and Cities so we tried to get the Bendigo Old Time Dance Club of which we were members, to introduce these dances on to the programme, but they were not interested. After a lot of discussion Peter, Maurie Rayner, myself and several others decided to start our own dance club where we could do the dances that we liked, and to endeavour to keep them alive. We formed the Sandhurst Dance Club in June 1979 (renamed ten years later as the Bush Dance & Music Club of Bendigo Inc.) In 1981 Peter made two attempts to form a band for the club and in 1983 the 'Celebrated Emu Creek Bush Band' was born, with Peter as the leader. Later Peter set up a junior section of the Emu Creek Band and some of these children grew up to become competent musicians and leaders of their own bands/Groups. Peter's friendship with the late Harry McQueen of Castlemaine led to and increased knowledge of the dances, calls for the sets and the various tunes used. Peter joined the Wedderburn Old Timers Orchestra in late 1979 and travelling around Victoria and interstate with them was of immense help in learning to MC dances, call sets acoustically and in collecting new 'old dances' and tunes. He met elderly MC's who gave him information on the way that they ran the dances in the old days. It was also an introduction to playing items at concerts and in reviving much of the old traditions of the bush. Demand for the tunes for dances led to Peter compiling a series of three books called 'Collectors Choice' which were published by the Victorian Folk Music Club in 1986, 1987 and 1988. 1988 was a very busy year for Peter and The Emu Creek Bush Band as they recorded two double music tapes for the club 'The Merry Country Dance' and 'The Waltz the Polka and all Kinds of Dancing' which were in much demand at the time. Also in 1988 he collaborated with the late Shirley Andrews and they co-authored the book 'Two Hundred Dancing Years and how to celebrate them with a Colonial Ball' for the Bicentennial of 1988. this publication, was instigated by the Government backed Bicentenary Committee, and distributed free to every municipality in Australia. In 1996 The Emu Creek Bush Band and Peter recorded and produced a single CD called a Friday night at 'The Spring Valley Hop'. In 1998 The Bush Dance & Music Club again happily agreed to financially back Peter to produce a series of CDs. The first thing he did was to revive and update the 1988 music tapes for CD. The first of the Qadrille Mania series of double CDs with companion call books was launched in 1999 then in 2000 and 2001. then the triple CD called The Waltz Polka & all kinds of Dances in 2002 followed by the Merry Country Dance CDs in 2005, 2006 and 2007. There were six double CDs and one triple CD produced which was a major undertaking that went on for eight years. The CDs have a great many tunes that Peter collected over the years mixed in with well known tunes and there are very few repeats. During this time we applied for a Grant from the Victorian Government to publish a book on the social History of country dances and dance instructions with Peter as the author. We were successful and published it in 2005. Our CDs and book have all been lodged with the National Library of Canberra as has all Peter's sheet music, boxes of it, as well as everything he has produced. At the 2005 Canberra National Folk Festival, at a meeting of collectors, it was stated that Peter has the largest collection of dance related material in the National Library. Peter compiled and produced his own project a triple CD called 'Take Me Back to Bendigo' in 2002. 2006 Peter and Emu Creek Bush Band produced another single CD 'Bush Concert Vol one Back to Goornong'. 2008 A pet project of Peter's was compiling and producing a double CD for the Wedderburn Old Timers it was of all the recorded material performed by them at concerts and taped by friends and fans. It was funded by Gavan Holt a son of the late Lindsay Holt an original 'Old Timer'. Recent publications are a book mainly music 'Music Makes Me Smile' a tribute to Con Klippel and the music of the Nariel Valley near Corryong Victoria. Peter Ellis & Harry Gardner 1998. The Waltz, The Polka & All Kinds of Dancing' a sheet music book for musicians supported by the Folk Song & Dance Society of Victoria. 2007-8 not sure of year. Peter has been involved over the years in collecting music and dance by himself and also with Rob Willis and the late John Meredith for the National Library in Canberra. He is continually asked for information and to write articles for people and to verify points re dance and music. He corresponds with like minded people overseas and frequently goes off to Folk Festivals all over the country, usually running dance classes, musician's workshops or just playing for dances. He is an excellent musician and plays Piano, Button Accordion, Concertina, Mouth Organ, Tin Whistle, Ukulele, Spoons and the Bones. He is regarded as one of Australia's foremost collectors and presenters of Australian traditional dance tunes, dances and some musical instruments. Over the years I have heard him referred to as the Guru of folk dance and music. Peter lives and breathes for this passion of his and always has several irons in the fire. He is a life member of The Bush Dance & Music Club of Bendigo Inc. The Victorian Folk Music Club, and The Bendigo Field Naturalists Club. He was a recipient of the David Squance Award in 1994 presented by the Folk Song & Dance Society of Victoria. Over the last twelve months for the folk magazine 'Trad & Now' he has written articles on the old dances and music and this is an ongoing project. This has led to our clubs present project which is the filming of the dances to be shown on UTube as it is referred to in the magazine. This involves members in hours and hours of practising the dances then filming them, and all with Peter's expert teaching and watchful eye on everyone. The Bush Dance & Music Club are and always have been behind Peter wholeheartedly in everything that he does and we are extremely proud of what he has achieved. His drive and enthusiasm for the preservation of music and dance is catching. People like Peter are absolutely necessary in finding and preserving our Australian Heritage, without them it would be lost forever and Australia would be a great deal poorer for it. The Bush Dance and Music Club of Bendigo Inc. and I fully support this nomination for an award as he is truly deserving of it. Yours sincerely Mary E Smith. Secretary of the Bush Dance & Music Club Inc. Peter's Timeline. 1979 A Foundation Member of the Bush Dance & Music Club of Bendigo Inc. 1979 Joined the Wedderburn Old Timers Orchestra. 1983 The Celebrated Emu Creek Bush Band was formed. 1986 Collectors Choice. Volume one. 1987 Collectors Choice. Volume Two. 1988 Collectors Choice. Volume Three. 1988 Recorded Tapes - The Merry Country Dance & The Waltz Polka & all Kinds of Dances. 1988 A book with the late Shirley Andrews called Two Hundred years of Dancing. 1991 Across to Perth collecting for National Library with the Late John Meredith. 1996 Single CD A Friday Night at the Spring Gully Hop. 1998 Music Makes Me Smile. A tribute to Con Klippel 7 music of the Nariel Valley. 1999 Double CD Quadrille Mania 1&2 2000 Double CD Quadrille Mania 3&4 2001 Double CD Quadrille Mania 5&6 2002 His own project triple CD Take Me Back To Bendigo. (Goldrush to Federation and Beyond). 2002 Triple CD The Waltz The Polka & All kinds of Dances. 2005 Double CD The Merry Country Dance 1 & 2. 2002 Book, The Merry Country Dance. 2006 Single CD with Emu Creek 'Bush Concert Vol 1 Back to Goornong' 2006 Double CD The Merry Country Dance 3&4 2007 Double CD The Merry Country Dance 5&6 2007-8-? A book of music, The Waltz, The Polka & All Kinds of Dances. 2008 Double CD The Wedderburn Old Timers in Concert.person, individual, peter ellis oam

University related material of Merle Bush; a. Handbook for Janet Clarke Hall (Trinity College) University of Melbourne, Year 1924. (7 pages); b. Booklet ''Wilson HLL - Centre and Symbol of the University'' by R M Crawford (MUP, 1952) - published post fire of Jan 1952)education, tertiary, university

The first meeting of the 1st Bendigo Guides was held by Miss Merle Bush on the 22nd of August 1922 in the St Paul' School Room. Twelve girls were present. Miss Bush was given permission to open the Company by Miss R. Hamilton, State Secretary for Victoria, she received her Captain's Warrant on 12th December 1922.First article is from "Matilda" August 1947 - Miss merle Bush Vol XXIV No 1. Second article "Matilda" - Bendigo Centenary September 1951 with black and white photo of 4th Bendigo Guides and Guiders talking to Mrs Orr around a fire.girl guides, guiding, merle bush, trefoil guild, the australian womens register, matilda

The photograph was taken in 1989 when students in Grades 4 and 5 from Bulla Primary School attended a school camp at Gundiwindi Camp. The camp is in the Yarra Valley area on the border of North Wandin and Silvan. At the camp the children were learning bush survival skills, which were practised by the local indigenous people.The emphasis on the camp at Gundiwindi was bush survival and skills used by indigenous people.A non-digital coloured photograph of four children in a bushland setting attempting to build a camp fire in the cleared area. the forested area is behind the group.school camps, gundiwindi, bulla primary school, indigenous culture

Mont Albert State School was officially opened on 23rd April 1917. The school became Mont Albert Central School in 1918, taking in Forms 1 and 2. The school remained a Central School until 1964, when the secondary years formed the basis of a new High School, the Box Hill North High School, later to be named Koonung Secondary College. This is part of a large collection of material related to the Deakin, Mair and Young families, all with connections to Surrey Hills and Mont Albert. Laurie Young was the daughter of Beryl Mair (1916-1976) and Ernest Lance Young (1915-1999). The family lived at 5 York Street and later 11 York Street, Mont Albert. Laurie was born on 18 August 1947. Black and white photo taken of the school building from the path from Barloa Street. There is one large bush to the left of the path obscuring the side of the main building. There is a wooden fire escape at the far end of the building. The grass in the foreground is patchy."School" underlined in blue ink, centre top. "MOnT ALBeRT CENTAL / School" centre in blue biro; thought to be the donor's hand. "GRADE" in blue ink "IV D" in blue ink. "APPROX: 1958" in blue biro; thought to be the donor's hand. These have been written by at least 2 hands and at different times.mont albert central school, laurie young, laurie newton, education

Standing proud, still here, the spirit of ten ancestral matriarchs adorned in contemporary ceremonial cloaks. Representing our women past, present and future, her Spirit, our culture, our Country (spelt with a capital for its importance and this is part of First Peoples protocols on acknowledging Country, our strength, our resilience and healing towards a sustainable future. The murnong was one of the main food sources for First Peoples before colonisation as it grew right across Wadawurrung Dja. The introduction of the sheep and cattle saw the murnong eaten roots and all and it quickly became less plentiful. The tubers were eaten raw or roasted on a fire. Water could be added to make a paste for small children to eat. The woman’s wooden digging stick that was used to gather and harvest plants was often buried with the woman for her afterlife and is considered sacred women’s knowledge. All parts of the plants and trees were and still are honoured as sacred medicine, healing plants and bush food knowledge.Yellow flower and female figure motif on black background on outer cloak, black and white diamond, and circle design in lining. Solid black trimming. Cloak is machine sewn and handstitched with hand stitching on shoulder seam.deanne gilson, wadawurrung dja, first nations art, cloak, murnong

Wallace's Hut is the oldest surviving cattlemen's hut on the High Plains, built in 1889 by the three Wallace brothers - Arthur, William and Stewart. Their father David bought land at Kergunyah as well as grazing land on the banks of the Kiewa River, North East Victoria. Once the boys were old enough, the family followed the local squatters’ custom of taking their cattle up to the mountains for the spring and summer to fatten the mob, at the same time resting their home pastures. They decided to build a hut where they could shelter from the extreme mountain weather. The timber was cut from the forest about four hundred metres east of the hut, and the hearth stone was dragged in from Pretty Valley. The chimney had a base of rubble and above this iron sheeting on a timber frame. The slab walls were lined with hessian and later with tar-paper, and inside there was a bush table, sleeping platform and a rustic fire-side settle. The hut nestled among snow gums sheltered by a rocky outcrop. The names of the Wallace brothers were burnt into the tie-beams of the roof and at the back of the mantelpiece. The Wallace family’s lease expired in the late 1930s and the hut was bought by the State Electricity Commission to house staff on the High Plains and it became the first home of Toni and Skippy St. Elmo. The SEC covered the old shingles with iron, and later on the walls and chimney as well, and they added a lean-to. Wallace’s Hut is now owned by the Crown and maintained by Parks Victoria. It is on the Historic Buildings Register and is classified by the National Trust.This image is significant because it depicts an important heritage-listed structure and refuge for cattlemen and other travellers in Victoria's High Country.A black and white photograph of a skier outside of Wallace's Hut. Several sets of skis and poles are standing around and other skiers are in the background.wallace's hut, toni and skippy st. elmo, high country huts

Colour slide of five legatees and two ladies (presumably wives of the Legatees) in the Picola Hotel after collecting wood from the area. It was during Operation Firewood. Legatees would organise collection of wood from the country and distribute it to widows in metropolitan Melbourne. Other slides show the cutting and loading of wood and delivery to widows in metropolitan Melbourne. Was with many other slides taken in the 1950s and 1960s. The slides have been photographed to make digital images and moved to archive quality sleeves. In many cases the original images were not well focussed and the digital image the best available.A record of Legacy helping widows by sourcing, supplying and delivering firewood. When open fires were the main source of heating, a load of firewood and help moving it, would have been very important to the widows.Colour slide of Legatees at the Picola Hotel during Operation Firewood in brown Anscochrome cardboard mount.Printed on front in red ink 'Anscochrome / View from this side / Made in Australia'. Hand written on front 'The Bush Pub Picola' in blue pen. Printed on reverse in red ink 'Processed by Verycolor photo labs. Melbourne, Victoria'.operation firewood, legatees

A metal camp oven with handle for hanging above a fire. camp oven, camp, camping, bush, wodonga, cooking, cook, pot

Photos of what appears to be a picnic in the bush with Holmbush children and legatees, possibly in the 1940s. The matron is the lady in the hat fanning the fire and is believed to be Dorothy Farmer, names of the children and legatees are not known. There is a tray of cooked sausages and a large pot that had been on the campfire. The last photo shows a tripod of branches that had been erected to hold the pot over the campfire. Also some of the cars that took them on the outing. From a photo album which contains photos of Holmbush and some of the excursions and events that happened there, appears to have been put together in the 1940s. Including trips to the zoo and picnics. Holmbush at 1267 Burke road, was one of the properties that Legacy used for Junior Legatees. It was purchased 1942. In 1957 Holmbush was renamed Blamey House until it was sold in 1977.A compilation of photos of the matron and junior legatees from the Legacy residences on an outing with legatees.Black and white photo x 4 of Matron, children and Legatees on a bush picnic pasted to the page of an album.residences, holmbush, matron, picnic, junior legatee outing

Early water carrying bladder A number of accidents with these rubber tanks occurred on the fireline, particularly on tracks with steep side grades. The movement of the water sloshing and accumulating on the lower tank wall created an imbalance in the vehicle. The frayed anchor ropes, under strain due to constant rubbing on the high side wall of the vehicle, would snap, and the whole assembly of tank, pump and hose would break away from the vehicle and bounce down through the bushLarge rubber bag which held 80 gallons of water. Developed in the 1960s. It was strapped down in the back tray of Utes and attached to a small fire pump with a control valve. It was filled by a top tube that was clamped closed. It wallowed badly when the vehicle was moving, hence the common name of "Pig". When the bag was full it made driving dangerousDunlopforests commission victoria (fcv), bushfire, fire pump

At the time of the 1982-83 bushfire season FCV firefighters wore either navy blue issue overalls or their own clothing, generally a checked flannel shirt and jeans. Uncomfortable safety boots and hardhats were issued. The CFA had switched from white overalls to their distinctive yellow kit by 1983. In about 1980, in a far-sighted corporate move for the time, Alan Threader, who was the Chairman of the FCV, established a departmental safety committee, which he personally chaired. The Committee, among other things, wanted to upgrade fire safety clothing. Alan also initiated a radical colour idea after a work trip to the UK in about 1981 and brought home a small sample swatch. Alan believed that the now distinctive bright yellow-green was a good colour contrast to the Victorian bush which is a blue-green hue. Trevor Brown from Stores Branch scored the task to make the change and letters were sent to the UK seeking information about the pigment. The FCV worked with the Commonwealth Dyers Association and Cushen Clothing to replicate the shade on cotton drill, which presented darker when it was treated with the flame-retardant chemical, Proban. The first of the new Kermit Suits were rolled-out in late 1984, and the stylish colour was initially registered and patented to the Department. But it's also fair to say that the new gaudy shade of apparel wasn’t universally popular with staff. The lime green overalls were an Australian first, and forest agencies in other states followed a few years later. In the early 1990s, armed with a pair of dressmaker’s scissors, the baggy one-piece Kermit boilersuits were tailored by Peter Billing from Fire Protection Branch and Trevor Brown in conjunction with the family-owned business, Top Level Workwear, which saw numerous enhancements and prototypes. The two-piece Kermit suits were available in the late 1990s after many years of argy-bargy and complaints from field firefighters. Protective overalls Two types - early FCV (c 1983) and later CNR (1992) forests commission victoria (fcv), protective clothing, safety equipment

used at fire campsMetal food safe Common before refrigeration was available in the bushBruthen 100forests commission victoria (fcv), bushfire, camping equipment

Victoria once had well over one hundred fire lookouts and firetowers. Fire lookouts, or observation posts, were often just a clearing on a hill or a vantage point, whereas firetowers were definite structures. There are at least three categories of firetowers… (1) tree perches, (2) four-legged towers made of either wood or steel, as well as (3) hilltop cabins and observatories. Many were established by the Forests Commission Victoria (FCV) in the 1920s, but the network was expanded rapidly in response to recommendations of the Stretton Royal Commission after the 1939 Black Friday bushfires. The wooden towers were often built by bush craftsmen like legendary FCV overseer Clem Heather from Orbost. But advances in aerial reconnaissance and radio technology led to the gradual reduction in the number of fixed towers. FFMV now operates 72 firetowers. The CFA, Melbourne Water, Hancock Victorian Plantations (HVP) also operate some, the Army has one at Puckapunyal overlooking the live-firing range. Only two remaining fire towers of this design remain in Victoria (Mt Little Dick and Big Tower in the Mullungdung State Forest). Mt Nowa Nowa and Stringers Knob burnt down in the 2019/20 bushfiresLarge model of an Reef Hills fire tower. Presumably used for instructional purposes. Traditional FCV four legged design with three landings and closed cabin.bushfire, forests commission victoria (fcv)

Bushfire perimeter rather than bushfire area is the main control problem for firefighters on the ground. A conundrum rapidly compounded by spot fires. A small 5 ha fire can be nearly 1 km around the perimeter. That's a long way to build a control line by hand in rough bush. Dry firefighting techniques by hand were mostly confined to “knocking down” or “beating out” the flames, as well as "digging out". Digging or raking a “mineral earth” trail down to bare dirt proved most effective in forest fuels which, unlike grass, tend to retain heat and smoulder. Early tools were whatever happened to be close at hand. They were simple and primitive and included shovels, slashers, axes, hoes, beaters and rakes. A cut branch to beat the flames was often the only thing available. Farming and logging tools, developed over centuries of manual labour, and readily available at local hardware stores came into use, but little thought was given to size, weight, and balance. This canvas hose beater was based on a century-old design which used lengths of canvas fire hose rivetted together and lashed with wire to a broom handle. The hose was be soaked in water to improve its effectiveness. If the flames were more than a metre or so the user was generally not able to get close enough to extinguish the fire It's recommend that users lift no more than above knee height to conserve energy and let the beater to the work. For years foresters experimented with combination tools. In about 1952 fire beaters and other implements were being replaced with Rakuts and later RakehoesEarly firefighting toolBushfire beater - Canvas with wooden handleR P PWD (Public Works Department) The handle has painted markings which indicate which FCV District it belonged to.bushfire, forests commission victoria (fcv)

Bushfire perimeter rather than bushfire area is the main control problem for firefighters on the ground. A conundrum rapidly compounded by spot fires. A small 5 ha fire can be nearly 1 km around the perimeter. That's a long way to build a control line by hand in rough bush. Dry firefighting techniques by hand were mostly confined to “knocking down” or “beating out” the flames, as well as "digging out". Digging or raking a “mineral earth” trail down to bare dirt proved most effective in forest fuels which, unlike grass, tend to retain heat and smoulder. Early tools were whatever happened to be close at hand. They were simple and primitive and included shovels, slashers, axes, hoes, beaters and rakes. A cut branch to beat the flames was often the only thing available. Farming and logging tools, developed over centuries of manual labour, and readily available at local hardware stores came into use, but little thought was given to size, weight, and balance. This leather beater was based on a century-old stockman's design which used green cow hide leather lashed to a broom handle. It's recommend that users lift no more than above knee height to conserve energy and let the beater to the work. For years foresters experimented with combination tools. In about 1952 fire beaters and other implements were being replaced with Rakuts and later RakehoesEarly firefighting toolBushfire beater - Leather with wooden handlebushfire, forests commission victoria (fcv)

Black and white photograph showing S S Tambo, trail trip 1882 on Tambo River shows large crowd on boat, bunting flying from mast, two small row boats either side. Thick bush on far bank. Post and rail fence going into the water lower right hand corner. Camp oven or boiler and camp fire lower left hand corner. Tambo Upper Victoriaboats and boating, tourism, waterways