Copy of a Country Fire Authority Report of Fire or Alarm No 65, dated March 1973 when the fire brigade was called to a fire at a disused weighbridge in Daly St, Long Gully. When the brigade arrived the weighbridge with its contents were completely burnt out. The Council used it for a storeroom. Firemen who attended were: S Knight, F Gannaway, W Waight, G Ellis, M Ellis, R Wee-Hee, R Delves, B Brooks, R Boland and E Carruthers. Report signed by S Knight.bendigo, history, long gully history group, the long gully history group - cfa report of fire or alarm no 65, public weighbridge, s knight, f gannaway, w waight, g ellis, m ellis, r wee-hee, r delves, b brooks, r boland, e carruthers, council

Agfa plastic mount (blue base, white cover) of a photograph of No. 36 northbound in Lydiard St North at Mair St. Note fire alarm on the corner, Fidelity Trustees building and other buildings. Has railway level crossing view, with gates closed and a train crossing the road. Photo taken late 1960's. Tramcar has a SEC "Everything's under control in my all electric kitchen" roof advertisement. Slide rescanned at 3200 dpi 25-10-2020, jpg replaced, tiff file retained. This file was scanned in 2003 and may show colour changes."BAS 52 in penciltramways, trams, lydiard st north, mair st, fire alarm, railway crossing, tram 36

Yields information about the streetscapes the depot junction area.Colour 27 x 27 mm slide in a Kodachrome cardboard mount of a bogie tram and a single trucker at the SEC depot junction Wendouree Parade with a depot working walking towards the depot. Has the fire alarm box on the left hand side of the photograph. Slide mount date September 1971. Photo from the collection of Lilian Butler.ballarat, tramways, trams, depot, depot junction, sec, wendouree parade

Yields information about the Lydiard St and Sturt St intersection and some of the signs that were in place at the time.Digital image, black and white, two photos of No. 12 southbound in Lydiard St North, before turning into Sturt St. Note Craigs Royal Hotel street lamp, the fire alarm box, fire plug post and the warning sign behind the Stop sign Photo taken by Peter Bruce 1970's and 1971, prior to the closure of the Ballarat tramway system. Peter's Title of image: "No. 12 and gas lamp" and "No. 12 Lydiard St Sturt 1"trams, tramways, lydiard st nth, craig s hotel, signs, tram 12

The photograph shows Geelong tram No. 4 southbound in Moorabool St at Malop St. Has the Solomons store in the background. In the view is one motor vehicle and some horse-drawn cars. On the corner can be seen a fire alarm and a letterbox. Photo 1910s to 1920s.Yields information about Moorabool St Geelong.Black and white photograph with some details on rear.In ink "No 4 in Moorabool St looking towards Ryrie St from Malop St. Photo before 1930 as No. 4 is shown in its original condition and was altered in early 1931."tramways, trams, geelong, moorabool st, malop st, tram 4

Copy of an article from the Bendigo Advertiser titled Extracts from the Advertiser - April 1903. An article mentioning the progress of the electric trams in Bendigo in 1903 and some disruption it caused to the telephone service and fire alarms. There is a photo of men working on the tram line near the Rose of Australia Hotel and the Post Office. The are also ads on the page for Bake House Bread, Valentine's Furniture and Bendigo Pre-mixed Concrete.bendigo, history, long gully history group, the long gully history group - electric in 1903, bendigo advertiser april 1903, the electric supply company of victoria, mr h w jenvey, rose of australia hotel, co-op store, post office long gully, bowdens butcher shop, bake house bread, valentine's furniture, bendigo pre-mixed concrete

Black and white negative, by Wal Jack, of S 169, Williamstown Road turning from Irving St into Nicholson St over the railway line. In the background are Malvern Cycles, a frock shop, Footscray Fish Shop, Bancroft's Dry cleaners, Moran and Cato, Miss Webb Milliner, Crofts Grocery, A I Brown delivery truck, tram stop sign, fire alarm and a road "Major Stop Road".trams, tramways, footscray, nicholson st, irving st, williamstown road, s class, tram 169

Part of Richard Carter CollectionRed covers with gold printing containing index to streets, suburban postal districts, country postal towns and alphabetical listings, Melbourne and suburban classified professions and trades section. Many advertisements for AMP, Lombard Insurance Co Ltd. K Gardner and Lang Pty. Ltd. on front cover. Back cover Kerb Exchange, May Otway Fire Alarms Pty. Ltd., Sportsmen's Physiotherapy Service and D.P.C. Cleaning Service.

Yields information about tram operations and the street views in Lydiard St near the railway station.Set of 2 photographs taken on 10/8/1971 by Campbell Duncan of trams in Lydiard St North. .1 - No. 43 inbound at Mair St with the Union Fidelity Insurance Company of Australasia Limited building in the background. Note the street fire alarm on the right hand side of the photograph. .2 - No. 34, outbound at Seymour St photographed through the verandah supports of the North Star Hotel - now (2016) Seymour's on Lydiard.trams, tramways, lydiard st north, traffic lights, mair st, seymour st, tram 43

Black and White copy print contained within the Wal Jack Bendigo and Geelong Album, see Reg Item 5003 for more details. View of the intersection of Moorabool St and Malop St, photo from the North East corner. No. 4 MESCo, about 1928, heading south. Tram has the destination of Newtown. Solomons and E.G. Stott Jewellers and watchmakers buildings in the photo. Note the fire alarm, and letter box on the corner (right hand side of photo) Not known who made print. on rear in pencil "Newtown destination"trams, tramways, geelong, mesco, malop st, moorabool st, tram 4

Kodachrome Transparency - 35mm slide - cardboard mount, with one side with red border and words "Kodachrome Transparency / Processed by Kodak" top and bottom. Photo taken by Ben Parle 5/4/1958. Has slide No. "5" stamped in red in top corner and date stamped on slide. Photo of No. 28 turning into the depot from Wendouree Parade. Tram has the destination of "Gardens via Drummond Nth". Note the break glass fire alarm on the pole nearest to the depot gate. For high resolution scan see btm2835h.tif"Depot Yard" "-5 APR 1958"tramways, trams, wendouree parade, depot, ballarat depot, tram 28

Black and white negative, by Wal Jack, of W5 801 turning from Lygon St into Holmes Road via Albion St, East Brunswick. The tram has the destination of East Coburg. The tram is fitted with a head light mask. There appears to be a solider on the tram, along with a trammies in uniform cap sitting down in the drop centre. The conductor could be on the other side of the tram. In the background is a tram stop shelter, a wall advert for the Liberty Theatre, a fire alarm pillar and a drinking fountain. Photo dated 1-9-1941 in the Wal Jack album.trams, tramways, east coburg, albion st, holmes st, headlight mask, shelters, tram 801, w5 class, world war 2, mmtb

Black and white negative by Wal Jack of Maximum Traction N 123 northbound in Nicholson St at the intersection with Holmes Road and Moreland Road. W2 445 has the destination of Darling Road. The tracks into Moreland Road are in the foreground. A RAAF poster can be seen in one of the windows of both cars. Note the fire alarm pillar, the paper boy, conductor on the step of the N 123. A premise selling blankets, sheets and towels etc can be seen. See also Reg Item 5328 to 5332 for other photos featuring this tram. Photo not in the album, based on the date of others featuring N123, 24/11/1941.trams, tramways, n class, w2 class, coburg, moreland rd, nicholson st, tram 123, tram 445

Magazine titled 'The Australian Standard'. Dated November 2002 Volume 23 Number 10. Contains new and revised Australian Standards, publications and projects. Front cover has a part sketch of the Beehive Building, home of the Bendigo Stock Exchange, in Sandhurst (now Bendigo). Above and below the sketch is a part coloured picture of a fireman at a fire. An article mentions that on 25 August 1871, 18 year old Edward Hope Kirkby, watched the burning of the Beehive Building, home of the Bendigo Stock Exchange, this may have been his motivation to become one of the most prolific inventors of communication apparatus and fire protection equipment in Australia. Has a small full picture of the Burning of the Beehive Stores and Chambers, Sandhurst and picture of the E H kirkby Fire Alarm System.magazine, organization, standards australia, the australian standard november 2002 volume 23 number 10, felicity pontoni, tom godfrey, mark elder, pmp print, beehive building, bendigo stock exchange, edward hope kirkby, la trobe picture collection, state library of victoria, barry lee oam, brian kirkby, david michel

Photograph shows Hawthorn Tramways Trust bogie Tram 15 at Glenferrie and Riversdale Roads 1916-1920. The tram body was built by Duncan and Fraser of Adelaide and entered service during April 1916. It was renumbered N class 121 by the Melbourne and Metropolitan Tramways Board following the absorption of the Trusts by the MMTB in 1920. The tram is eastbound in Riversdale Road. The tracks of the Prahran and Malvern Tramway Trust can be seen in front of the tram. The conductor has alighted from the tram and walked forward to check for trams on Glenferrie Road. A Fire Brigade street fire alarm can be seen on the corner. The existing connecting curves at the corner were installed in 1925. The tramcar had a number of significant accidents and was disposed of in March 1938. Understood from the donor, that the house on the corner was known as "Pax" and demolished when commercial development of the corner occurred. The donor's family operated the Purvis Real Estate on the southeast corner from the building now known as Stotts Corner. A Golden Fleece service station once operated from the SW corner, now (2022) an Oportunity shop.Yields information about the intersection of Riversdale and Glenferrie Roads Hawthorn, the trams that operated between 1916 and 1920 and tramway practices in having the conductor checking for trams on the adjacent road.Sepia toned or faded print of Hawthorn Tramways Trust tram No. 15 at the corner of Riversdale Road and Glenferrie Road, Hawthorn - first image is a greyscale scan of original image.trams, tramways, hawthorn, riversdale road, glenferrie road, hawthorn tramways trust, tram 15, htt, stotts corner, purvis real estate

This photograph was taken in Evans Street, Sunbury near Sunbury Square. The wooden structure was the home of the Country Fire Authority and the bell tower was used to raise the alarm for fires.A black and white photograph of a weatherboard fire station next to a metal tower with a bell on top and a ladder leaning against it.sunbury fire brigade, country fire authority, bell towers, fire stations, evans street, sunbury, george evans collection

Photocopy on cream paper of a CFA Report of Fire or Alarm No 65 for a fire which occurred at a disused Public weighbridge in Wilson Street, Long Gully. Weighbridge and building completely burn out when brigade arrived. Date 4 March 1973. Fire Brigade Members were - S/S/O S Knight, Staff S/F F Gannanay, S/F W Wright, Frmn G Ellis, M Ellis, R Wee-Hee, R Delves, B Brooks, R Boland and E Carruthers.bendigo, history, long gully history group, the long gully history group - report of fire at disused public weighbridge long gully, s knight, f gannanay, w wright, g ellis, m ellis, r wee-hee, r delves, b brooks, r boland, e carruthers, council

Negative - cable tram set turning from Smith St into Gertrude St 22/3/1940, trailer 286. Wal Jack Negative number T147. Has destination of Spencer St. and an advert for The New Palais Royale at the Exhibition buildings. In the background is G. D. Langridge Real Estate building. On the street outside is a fire alarm point. Rod Atkins advised 6/9/2020: "I have been so impressed with the photo that is being used in Bellcord for the issue that did some digging. The photo is priceless! The photo is taken on a Friday (to my surprise) mid-afternoon given the shadows. Did you notice the flip side of the dummy destination - Clifton Hill. Hard working cable tram line to the end - licence to print money for the board. The building on the South east corner. - G.D. Langridge & Sons Auctioneer. This was a Melbourne "institution" . George David Langdon was a local identity who went on to become MLA for Collingwood. ot sure when the business started but could have been in the 1860s or 70's Well before the cable trams. George died on 24th March 1891. The business survived till well after the war." Clock is showing 2.30pm, - day of the week - Friday.On rear of print in album "Cable 286 turning out of Smith St in Gertrude St Fitzroy. T147" and 22/3/1940.trams, tramways, cable trams, gertrude st, smith st, tram 286

Set of 10 digital images of Ballarat trams prior to closure, scanned from original slides by Stuart Lodington, 1971 prior to closure of the system. .1 - No. 32 entering the depot from Wendouree Parade, with the Lake in the background. Shows the depot fire alarm on an adjacent pole. .2 - No. 26 at Sebastopol, before turning the pole. Has a bus stop sign on a pole already. .3 - No. 27 and 26? crossing at the Bell St loop in Skipton St. No. 27 has a Twin Lakes sign. .4 - No. 32 outbound to the Gardens in Hamilton Ave about to enter Wendouree Parade with Loreto convent and Olympic monument the background. .5 - No. 26, Albert St Sebastopol, approaching the Sebastopol terminus, with Sebastopol Food Stores building on the left of the photo. .6 - No. 12 leaving the Parker St. Loop, Sturt St West after crossing a tram. No. 12 has destination of Victoria St. .7 - No. 12 inward bound in Lydiard St North with Fine Art Gallery in the background, 3BA. No. 12 has destination of Sebastopol and has a Twin Lakes sign. .8 - No. 12 inward bound, Sturt St West, No. 12 has destination of Victoria St and has a Twin Lakes sign. .9 - No. 26 at Sebastopol terminus, outside the Royal Mail Hotel, has a bus stop sign on a pole. Tram pole yet to be turned, but destination adjusted to Lydiard St. North. .10 - No. 12 at Sebastopol terminus, outside the Royal Mail Hotel. No. 12 has destination of Lydiard St Nth and has a Twin Lakes sign.trams, tramways, ballarat, sturt st west, sebastopol, skipton st, wendouree parade, hamilton ave, depot, depot junction, parker st loop, bell st, lydiard st nth, tram 32, tram 26, tram 27, tram 12

Set of 7 Kodachrome transparencies taken on 23/10/1965 in Melbourne. 1179.1 - W2 488 (route 42, Mont Albert) at the corner of High St. and Cotham Road Kew. Taken from Kew Post Office, has Bank of New South Wales in the background, CBC bank and the Greyhound Hotel. Tram has ads for Kolotex stockings and Ryco oil filters. 1179.2 - SW2 436, in bound (route 45, City) leaving Cotham Road, about to join High St, Kew. Buildings on the south side of Cotham Road in photo. Tram has an ad along with others for Vincent's powders. 1179.3 - W2 545 (route 48, North Balwyn) in High St. Kew. Has Commercial bank in background along with other shops. 1179.4 - W2 648 (route 42, Mont Albert) turning from High St. South into High St at Kew Junction, with Clifton Hotel in background. Tram has an ad for Kenric clothes. Note an MFBB street fire alarm by the tram stop. 1179.5 - W2 566 (inbound route 42, City) at same location as 1179.5. Tram has a Jex and a Remy Martin Brandy ads. on front dash panel. 1179.6 - W2 572 entering Victoria Parade from Brunswick St. Fitzroy. Tram has a Jex and a Remy Martin Brandy ads. on front dash panel. Eastern Hill Fire Station and ICI building in background. 1179.7 - W2 378 (inbound, route 45, City) and W2 572, inbound, in Victoria Parade between Brunswick St and Gismo St. East Melbourne. Otherwise as for 1179.6.All have date stamp of "23 Oct 1965" in purple ink. All black ink unless otherwise noted. 1179.1 - "W2 488 Entering Cotham Rd. from High St. Kew" 1179.2 - "SW2 436 in Cotham Rd., Kew, about to enter High St." 1179.3 - "W2 545 in High Street Kew, nearly opposite Cotham Road" 1179.4 - "W2 648 entering High Street from High Street South, Kew". 1179.5 - "W2 566 entering High St. South from High St. Kew" 1179.6 - "W2 572 entering Victoria Pde from Brunswick St. East Melbourne" 1179.7 - "W2 378 and 572 in Victoria Pde between Brunswick and Gisborne Sts. East Melbourne."tramways, trams, kew, high st kew, cotham road, victoria parade, melbourne, tram 545, tram 488, tram 436, tram 648, tram 566, tram 572, tram 378

Photo Album - brown cards covers, containing 12 heavy card sheets bound with a brown cotton cord titled "Types of Passenger Shelters MMTB". Ten sheets have two photos of shelters except for the last one giving location and cost. Sheet 1 - Two shelters at Wattle Park 2 - Batman Ave and Peel St; Flemington Road with cable trams in the background. 3 - Victoria Parade and Smith St; Ballarat Road and Gordon St Footscray 4 - Dandenong Road and Hawthorn Road Caulfield; photos of the standard shelter, 6 Number, for St Kilda Road, Alfred Hospital and Gisborne St East Melbourne. 5 - East Kew terminus; Camberwell Road and Smith Road 6 - Oakover Road and Gilbert Rd Preston, Flemington Road at Abbotsford St North Melbourne 7 - Swanston St and Grattan St Women's Hospital with a Bundy clock and street fire alarm in the view; Victoria Parade Fitzroy opposite Eye and Ear hospital with a W class tramcar and the Eastern Hill fire station in the background. 8 - Two photos of the shelter at the corner of William St and Collins St Melbourne. 9 - Toorak Terminus; Rennie and Nicholson St Coburg 10 - Market St terminus City. Images taken from the website production 16-1-2019 - see - http://www.hawthorntramdepot.org.au/papers/shelteralbum.htm On inside back cover is a Kodak label "Scroll" with "3" entered in ink. Date unknown, thought to be mid 1930's - see Reg item 3361 of the construction of William St shelter post 1933.in black ink "Manager" in top right hand corner.trams, tramways, shelters, mmtb, wattle park, victoria parade, st kilda rd, flemington rd, toorak, camberwell, market st, coburg, footscray, preston, caulfield

Yields information about Ballarat Tramways and trams prior to the closure of the tramway system.Set of 10 digital images of Ballarat trams prior to closure, scanned from original slides by Tony Smith, 1971 prior to closure of the system. .1 - 42 in Barkly St - at top of hill, outbound to Mt Pleasant. Note the fire alarm on the right hand side of the photo. .2 - 42 and 21 crossing at Grant St Loop, Barkly St, Mt Pleasant. 42 outbound, 21 inbound. .3 - 34 and 21 crossing at Parker St Loop, with Ballarat College in the background. 42 in bound to City and Mt Pleasant, 21 showing Sturt St. West. .4 - 21, Wendouree Parade at the south end of the old parking loop. .5 - 42 and 21 crossing at Gardens Loop. 42 showing Mt Pleasant, 21 Gardens via Sturt St West. .6 - ditto .7 - 41 showing Special at intersection of Ripon St and Sturt St with a single trucker tram ex View Point waiting to turn into Sturt St. 41 has two Johnnie Walker Whiskey roof advertisements. .8 - Two single truckers - not well focused - 21? and 13? crossing at Mill St loop, has the hospital in the background. Conductor leaning out of the door on the outbound tram. .9 - 42, bogie tram and a single trucker at the City terminus (Sturt and Lydiard Sts). Has a group of SEC trammies standing alongside the tram. Has Racey's store and the SEC offices in the background. 42 has a briquettes roof advert. .10 - 34 in Sturt St, at the City terminus, with passengers getting onto the tram. Has the Town Hall, Myers store, Gemmola's Pharmacy in the background. Tram has the destination of Gardens via Drummond St. Nth. Has two trammies (crews) standing alongside the tram stop sign.trams, tramways, sturt st west, barkly st, grant st, parker st loop, sturt st, view point, ripon st, mill st loop, crews, town hall, tram 42, tram 21, tram 34, tram 41, tram 42

My Recollections of Eltham Past by Margaret Joy Harding (nee Joy Chapman.) My family of Elizabeth and Alec Chapman moved to Eltham in 1946 into a cottage on the opposite side of the Diamond Creek from where the little train now operates in the Lower Park. At that time Eltham truly was a country town and the Pub was the main meeting place for most inhabitants on a Saturday afternoon in the beer garden. I attended Eltham Primary School where I started as a 4-year-old (my birthday being slightly after the mid-year intake) that happened then. My mother spent a lot of days taking me back to school when I had dismissed myself and walked the one kilomtre home alone. Bremner's Common (now Wingrove Park) was a big attraction with its dam and tad poling which I found much more entertaining than school. (Mrs Bremner ran a Service Station on the site of the current one). Another attraction at this site was the circus that came a couple of times a year. Watching them put up the circus tent was very interesting and even more of an attraction was the feeding of the Lions in cages and the monkeys and elephants among the other animals that are not found in a circus these days. At school then we were provided with hot chocolate at morning recess where the mothers would prepare it in the shelter shed. The only form of classroom heating was an open fire. Worse was the warm milk given in the summer months. By the time I was near finishing at Primary school we used to be able to walk along the Main Road at lunchtime to Mrs. Mitchell's shop to a delicious hot pie. As I recall there was no supervision for this departure from the school grounds. It is interesting that some of the other children I started school with I still have contact with, in fact one is a very good friend although now living in Perth. That is the other thing about Eltham; many who grew up here continue to live in the area. Following primary school, the natural progression was to Eltham High School. There was only the main building at that time and I can remember our first assembly at the front entrance. During the time I was at High School several new class rooms were added and the school hall. I remember the musical plays such as HMS Pinafore and other classical musicals being performed. I also remember countless hours doing marching practice. The main street shops when I was young consisted of the Blue Gum milk bar at the far end, a Grocery store and a shoe maker where Coles currently stands. Opposite there was Lyon's Garage. They also provided a bus service and when we got off the train this little bus would tour the back streets taking each individual to their home, sometimes this could take quite considerable time. There was also a Black Smith next to the Chiropractic Practice opposite Alistair Knox Park, another Milk Bar/General Store on the comer of Bridge Street/Main Road where a shop currently still operates. There was also a Butcher's shop down from the pub opposite Franklin Street. The only doctor was next to the courthouse on the other side of Brougham Street. On Saturday afternoon I was occasionally allowed to go the movies in the Town Hall which also stood on the site of the Coles centre. Often the Fire Alarm would sound and everyone would run outside to watch the fire truck leave with the volunteers clutching on the back. The other attraction during summer of course was the swimming pool which was a small concrete pool filled with water pumped from the Diamond Creek, sometimes it was like a mud puddle so for me the nearer to home Yarra/Diamond Creek junction was a much better option. We swam in the water hole which was quite deep and with fallen trees and sometimes carcasses of cows and kangaroos floating past. As recreation, the churches were another attraction for the Sunday school picnics to Mordialloc in the back of the moving van with benches tied into the back for us to "sit" on. Too bad when we went around a corner! In the early days we had an Ice Man deliver the ice once a week for "refrigeration". The green grocer came around in a horse and cart as did the milkman and the bread was delivered but I constantly got into trouble for eating the middle out on the way from the box it was delivered to in Mt Pleasant road across the paddock. The milkman finally would not come down our street after his horse bolted one morning and took off across the paddock. We also had the "Pan Man" come weekly and whose visit I would avoid. Our nearest shop was where the flower stall is located opposite the Lower Park. It consisted of a Tea Room and Milk Bar. There was a Public Telephone there which was the only contact to anyone else. We were a one car family so my mother’s movements were very limited as the Eltham Station was a couple of kilometres away and a trip to the city was an event. Being an only child growing up was a little lonely however rambling along the creek with my Mum, picking mushrooms and picking cherry plums for jam and the dogs catching rabbits which we ate if we could get them away from the dogs. We also liked to go into the Lower Park during school holidays when the Greek people came to camp and they would sing and dance around the camp fire and it all seemed so different to us as this was early days of immigration. Childhood was relatively simple and carefree and I wish the kids of today had the freedom of my youth and the healthy outdoor lifestyle of the "olden days".   SHOW GIRL COMPETITION In 1965 Eltham was more like a country town than the suburb it has become today. People knew each other, if not personally then certainly of the family name. The big event for the year was a Gymkhana or show at Lower Eltham Park. I can remember marching as a teenager from the town centre to the park in the marching girls with the decorated floats. In 1965, just on a whim on the day, I decided to enter the Miss Eltham Show Girl which was a part of the festivities at the park. I seem to remember that the show mainly consisted of horse events, cattle judging and dog show. As I had not given any serious thought to entering the competition, I wore a suit that I had for work which was brown wool, with a coffee coloured shirt under, black shoes, bag, and gloves but no hat. I duly paraded for the judges and much to my surprise I was announced the winner. I eventually went on to compete at the Miss Victoria Show Girl competition which was held at the Royal Melbourne Show. There I met many country girls who were representing their rural Victoria home. I made it into a final round of judging but I think justice prevailed when someone from a country background was crowned. It was fun to go into the show as I had not really been before and to see the displays of handcraft, cooking and wood chopping events was great as well as the judging of farm animals interesting. It is hard to remember the Eltham I grew up in. The Lyons Garage company bus that actually drove you home (or close to it) when we got off the train at night. The Eltham Hotel on a Saturday afternoon a usual social meeting place where people just sat and chatted. The pictures held in the Town Hall and when the fire alarm sounded all the men just jumped up and ran to help. Suburbia has now swallowed most of that life but thankfully we at least do have the trestle bridge and parkland. Digital file only - Black and white photo print on loan for scanning by EDHSalec chapman, annie bremner, blacksmith, bremner's flat, brougham steet, bus services, circus, diamond creek, dianne bell, doctor bradbury, easter gymkhana, elizabeth chapman, eltham high school, eltham hotel, eltham lower park, eltham public hall, eltham state school, eltham trestle bridge, general store, grace mitchell, ice man, joy chapman, lyons garage, margaret harding, milk bar, miss eltham 1965, miss victoria show girl, mount pleasant road, pan man, rodda parade, shops, show girl competition, swimming pool, water hole, yarra river

My Recollections of Eltham Past by Margaret Joy Harding (nee Joy Chapman.) My family of Elizabeth and Alec Chapman moved to Eltham in 1946 into a cottage on the opposite side of the Diamond Creek from where the little train now operates in the Lower Park. At that time Eltham truly was a country town and the Pub was the main meeting place for most inhabitants on a Saturday afternoon in the beer garden. I attended Eltham Primary School where I started as a 4-year-old (my birthday being slightly after the mid-year intake) that happened then. My mother spent a lot of days taking me back to school when I had dismissed myself and walked the one kilomtre home alone. Bremner's Common (now Wingrove Park) was a big attraction with its dam and tad poling which I found much more entertaining than school. (Mrs Bremner ran a Service Station on the site of the current one). Another attraction at this site was the circus that came a couple of times a year. Watching them put up the circus tent was very interesting and even more of an attraction was the feeding of the Lions in cages and the monkeys and elephants among the other animals that are not found in a circus these days. At school then we were provided with hot chocolate at morning recess where the mothers would prepare it in the shelter shed. The only form of classroom heating was an open fire. Worse was the warm milk given in the summer months. By the time I was near finishing at Primary school we used to be able to walk along the Main Road at lunchtime to Mrs. Mitchell's shop to a delicious hot pie. As I recall there was no supervision for this departure from the school grounds. It is interesting that some of the other children I started school with I still have contact with, in fact one is a very good friend although now living in Perth. That is the other thing about Eltham; many who grew up here continue to live in the area. Following primary school, the natural progression was to Eltham High School. There was only the main building at that time and I can remember our first assembly at the front entrance. During the time I was at High School several new class rooms were added and the school hall. I remember the musical plays such as HMS Pinafore and other classical musicals being performed. I also remember countless hours doing marching practice. The main street shops when I was young consisted of the Blue Gum milk bar at the far end, a Grocery store and a shoe maker where Coles currently stands. Opposite there was Lyon's Garage. They also provided a bus service and when we got off the train this little bus would tour the back streets taking each individual to their home, sometimes this could take quite considerable time. There was also a Black Smith next to the Chiropractic Practice opposite Alistair Knox Park, another Milk Bar/General Store on the comer of Bridge Street/Main Road where a shop currently still operates. There was also a Butcher's shop down from the pub opposite Franklin Street. The only doctor was next to the courthouse on the other side of Brougham Street. On Saturday afternoon I was occasionally allowed to go the movies in the Town Hall which also stood on the site of the Coles centre. Often the Fire Alarm would sound and everyone would run outside to watch the fire truck leave with the volunteers clutching on the back. The other attraction during summer of course was the swimming pool which was a small concrete pool filled with water pumped from the Diamond Creek, sometimes it was like a mud puddle so for me the nearer to home Yarra/Diamond Creek junction was a much better option. We swam in the water hole which was quite deep and with fallen trees and sometimes carcasses of cows and kangaroos floating past. As recreation, the churches were another attraction for the Sunday school picnics to Mordialloc in the back of the moving van with benches tied into the back for us to "sit" on. Too bad when we went around a corner! In the early days we had an Ice Man deliver the ice once a week for "refrigeration". The green grocer came around in a horse and cart as did the milkman and the bread was delivered but I constantly got into trouble for eating the middle out on the way from the box it was delivered to in Mt Pleasant road across the paddock. The milkman finally would not come down our street after his horse bolted one morning and took off across the paddock. We also had the "Pan Man" come weekly and whose visit I would avoid. Our nearest shop was where the flower stall is located opposite the Lower Park. It consisted of a Tea Room and Milk Bar. There was a Public Telephone there which was the only contact to anyone else. We were a one car family so my mother’s movements were very limited as the Eltham Station was a couple of kilometres away and a trip to the city was an event. Being an only child growing up was a little lonely however rambling along the creek with my Mum, picking mushrooms and picking cherry plums for jam and the dogs catching rabbits which we ate if we could get them away from the dogs. We also liked to go into the Lower Park during school holidays when the Greek people came to camp and they would sing and dance around the camp fire and it all seemed so different to us as this was early days of immigration. Childhood was relatively simple and carefree and I wish the kids of today had the freedom of my youth and the healthy outdoor lifestyle of the "olden days".   SHOW GIRL COMPETITION In 1965 Eltham was more like a country town than the suburb it has become today. People knew each other, if not personally then certainly of the family name. The big event for the year was a Gymkhana or show at Lower Eltham Park. I can remember marching as a teenager from the town centre to the park in the marching girls with the decorated floats. In 1965, just on a whim on the day, I decided to enter the Miss Eltham Show Girl which was a part of the festivities at the park. I seem to remember that the show mainly consisted of horse events, cattle judging and dog show. As I had not given any serious thought to entering the competition, I wore a suit that I had for work which was brown wool, with a coffee coloured shirt under, black shoes, bag, and gloves but no hat. I duly paraded for the judges and much to my surprise I was announced the winner. I eventually went on to compete at the Miss Victoria Show Girl competition which was held at the Royal Melbourne Show. There I met many country girls who were representing their rural Victoria home. I made it into a final round of judging but I think justice prevailed when someone from a country background was crowned. It was fun to go into the show as I had not really been before and to see the displays of handcraft, cooking and wood chopping events was great as well as the judging of farm animals interesting. It is hard to remember the Eltham I grew up in. The Lyons Garage company bus that actually drove you home (or close to it) when we got off the train at night. The Eltham Hotel on a Saturday afternoon a usual social meeting place where people just sat and chatted. The pictures held in the Town Hall and when the fire alarm sounded all the men just jumped up and ran to help. Suburbia has now swallowed most of that life but thankfully we at least do have the trestle bridge and parkland. Digital file only - Black and white photo print on loan for scanning by EDHSalec chapman, annie bremner, blacksmith, bremner's flat, brougham steet, bus services, circus, diamond creek, dianne bell, doctor bradbury, easter gymkhana, elizabeth chapman, eltham high school, eltham hotel, eltham lower park, eltham public hall, eltham state school, eltham trestle bridge, general store, grace mitchell, ice man, joy chapman, lyons garage, margaret harding, milk bar, miss eltham 1965, miss victoria show girl, mount pleasant road, pan man, rodda parade, shops, show girl competition, swimming pool, water hole, yarra river

My Recollections of Eltham Past by Margaret Joy Harding (nee Joy Chapman.) My family of Elizabeth and Alec Chapman moved to Eltham in 1946 into a cottage on the opposite side of the Diamond Creek from where the little train now operates in the Lower Park. At that time Eltham truly was a country town and the Pub was the main meeting place for most inhabitants on a Saturday afternoon in the beer garden. I attended Eltham Primary School where I started as a 4-year-old (my birthday being slightly after the mid-year intake) that happened then. My mother spent a lot of days taking me back to school when I had dismissed myself and walked the one kilomtre home alone. Bremner's Common (now Wingrove Park) was a big attraction with its dam and tad poling which I found much more entertaining than school. (Mrs Bremner ran a Service Station on the site of the current one). Another attraction at this site was the circus that came a couple of times a year. Watching them put up the circus tent was very interesting and even more of an attraction was the feeding of the Lions in cages and the monkeys and elephants among the other animals that are not found in a circus these days. At school then we were provided with hot chocolate at morning recess where the mothers would prepare it in the shelter shed. The only form of classroom heating was an open fire. Worse was the warm milk given in the summer months. By the time I was near finishing at Primary school we used to be able to walk along the Main Road at lunchtime to Mrs. Mitchell's shop to a delicious hot pie. As I recall there was no supervision for this departure from the school grounds. It is interesting that some of the other children I started school with I still have contact with, in fact one is a very good friend although now living in Perth. That is the other thing about Eltham; many who grew up here continue to live in the area. Following primary school, the natural progression was to Eltham High School. There was only the main building at that time and I can remember our first assembly at the front entrance. During the time I was at High School several new class rooms were added and the school hall. I remember the musical plays such as HMS Pinafore and other classical musicals being performed. I also remember countless hours doing marching practice. The main street shops when I was young consisted of the Blue Gum milk bar at the far end, a Grocery store and a shoe maker where Coles currently stands. Opposite there was Lyon's Garage. They also provided a bus service and when we got off the train this little bus would tour the back streets taking each individual to their home, sometimes this could take quite considerable time. There was also a Black Smith next to the Chiropractic Practice opposite Alistair Knox Park, another Milk Bar/General Store on the comer of Bridge Street/Main Road where a shop currently still operates. There was also a Butcher's shop down from the pub opposite Franklin Street. The only doctor was next to the courthouse on the other side of Brougham Street. On Saturday afternoon I was occasionally allowed to go the movies in the Town Hall which also stood on the site of the Coles centre. Often the Fire Alarm would sound and everyone would run outside to watch the fire truck leave with the volunteers clutching on the back. The other attraction during summer of course was the swimming pool which was a small concrete pool filled with water pumped from the Diamond Creek, sometimes it was like a mud puddle so for me the nearer to home Yarra/Diamond Creek junction was a much better option. We swam in the water hole which was quite deep and with fallen trees and sometimes carcasses of cows and kangaroos floating past. As recreation, the churches were another attraction for the Sunday school picnics to Mordialloc in the back of the moving van with benches tied into the back for us to "sit" on. Too bad when we went around a corner! In the early days we had an Ice Man deliver the ice once a week for "refrigeration". The green grocer came around in a horse and cart as did the milkman and the bread was delivered but I constantly got into trouble for eating the middle out on the way from the box it was delivered to in Mt Pleasant road across the paddock. The milkman finally would not come down our street after his horse bolted one morning and took off across the paddock. We also had the "Pan Man" come weekly and whose visit I would avoid. Our nearest shop was where the flower stall is located opposite the Lower Park. It consisted of a Tea Room and Milk Bar. There was a Public Telephone there which was the only contact to anyone else. We were a one car family so my mother’s movements were very limited as the Eltham Station was a couple of kilometres away and a trip to the city was an event. Being an only child growing up was a little lonely however rambling along the creek with my Mum, picking mushrooms and picking cherry plums for jam and the dogs catching rabbits which we ate if we could get them away from the dogs. We also liked to go into the Lower Park during school holidays when the Greek people came to camp and they would sing and dance around the camp fire and it all seemed so different to us as this was early days of immigration. Childhood was relatively simple and carefree and I wish the kids of today had the freedom of my youth and the healthy outdoor lifestyle of the "olden days".   SHOW GIRL COMPETITION In 1965 Eltham was more like a country town than the suburb it has become today. People knew each other, if not personally then certainly of the family name. The big event for the year was a Gymkhana or show at Lower Eltham Park. I can remember marching as a teenager from the town centre to the park in the marching girls with the decorated floats. In 1965, just on a whim on the day, I decided to enter the Miss Eltham Show Girl which was a part of the festivities at the park. I seem to remember that the show mainly consisted of horse events, cattle judging and dog show. As I had not given any serious thought to entering the competition, I wore a suit that I had for work which was brown wool, with a coffee coloured shirt under, black shoes, bag, and gloves but no hat. I duly paraded for the judges and much to my surprise I was announced the winner. I eventually went on to compete at the Miss Victoria Show Girl competition which was held at the Royal Melbourne Show. There I met many country girls who were representing their rural Victoria home. I made it into a final round of judging but I think justice prevailed when someone from a country background was crowned. It was fun to go into the show as I had not really been before and to see the displays of handcraft, cooking and wood chopping events was great as well as the judging of farm animals interesting. It is hard to remember the Eltham I grew up in. The Lyons Garage company bus that actually drove you home (or close to it) when we got off the train at night. The Eltham Hotel on a Saturday afternoon a usual social meeting place where people just sat and chatted. The pictures held in the Town Hall and when the fire alarm sounded all the men just jumped up and ran to help. Suburbia has now swallowed most of that life but thankfully we at least do have the trestle bridge and parkland. Digital file only - Black and white photo print on loan for scanning by EDHSalec chapman, annie bremner, blacksmith, bremner's flat, brougham steet, bus services, circus, diamond creek, dianne bell, doctor bradbury, easter gymkhana, elizabeth chapman, eltham high school, eltham hotel, eltham lower park, eltham public hall, eltham state school, eltham trestle bridge, general store, grace mitchell, ice man, joy chapman, lyons garage, margaret harding, milk bar, miss eltham 1965, miss victoria show girl, mount pleasant road, pan man, rodda parade, shops, show girl competition, swimming pool, water hole, yarra river

My Recollections of Eltham Past by Margaret Joy Harding (nee Joy Chapman.) My family of Elizabeth and Alec Chapman moved to Eltham in 1946 into a cottage on the opposite side of the Diamond Creek from where the little train now operates in the Lower Park. At that time Eltham truly was a country town and the Pub was the main meeting place for most inhabitants on a Saturday afternoon in the beer garden. I attended Eltham Primary School where I started as a 4-year-old (my birthday being slightly after the mid-year intake) that happened then. My mother spent a lot of days taking me back to school when I had dismissed myself and walked the one kilomtre home alone. Bremner's Common (now Wingrove Park) was a big attraction with its dam and tad poling which I found much more entertaining than school. (Mrs Bremner ran a Service Station on the site of the current one). Another attraction at this site was the circus that came a couple of times a year. Watching them put up the circus tent was very interesting and even more of an attraction was the feeding of the Lions in cages and the monkeys and elephants among the other animals that are not found in a circus these days. At school then we were provided with hot chocolate at morning recess where the mothers would prepare it in the shelter shed. The only form of classroom heating was an open fire. Worse was the warm milk given in the summer months. By the time I was near finishing at Primary school we used to be able to walk along the Main Road at lunchtime to Mrs. Mitchell's shop to a delicious hot pie. As I recall there was no supervision for this departure from the school grounds. It is interesting that some of the other children I started school with I still have contact with, in fact one is a very good friend although now living in Perth. That is the other thing about Eltham; many who grew up here continue to live in the area. Following primary school, the natural progression was to Eltham High School. There was only the main building at that time and I can remember our first assembly at the front entrance. During the time I was at High School several new class rooms were added and the school hall. I remember the musical plays such as HMS Pinafore and other classical musicals being performed. I also remember countless hours doing marching practice. The main street shops when I was young consisted of the Blue Gum milk bar at the far end, a Grocery store and a shoe maker where Coles currently stands. Opposite there was Lyon's Garage. They also provided a bus service and when we got off the train this little bus would tour the back streets taking each individual to their home, sometimes this could take quite considerable time. There was also a Black Smith next to the Chiropractic Practice opposite Alistair Knox Park, another Milk Bar/General Store on the comer of Bridge Street/Main Road where a shop currently still operates. There was also a Butcher's shop down from the pub opposite Franklin Street. The only doctor was next to the courthouse on the other side of Brougham Street. On Saturday afternoon I was occasionally allowed to go the movies in the Town Hall which also stood on the site of the Coles centre. Often the Fire Alarm would sound and everyone would run outside to watch the fire truck leave with the volunteers clutching on the back. The other attraction during summer of course was the swimming pool which was a small concrete pool filled with water pumped from the Diamond Creek, sometimes it was like a mud puddle so for me the nearer to home Yarra/Diamond Creek junction was a much better option. We swam in the water hole which was quite deep and with fallen trees and sometimes carcasses of cows and kangaroos floating past. As recreation, the churches were another attraction for the Sunday school picnics to Mordialloc in the back of the moving van with benches tied into the back for us to "sit" on. Too bad when we went around a corner! In the early days we had an Ice Man deliver the ice once a week for "refrigeration". The green grocer came around in a horse and cart as did the milkman and the bread was delivered but I constantly got into trouble for eating the middle out on the way from the box it was delivered to in Mt Pleasant road across the paddock. The milkman finally would not come down our street after his horse bolted one morning and took off across the paddock. We also had the "Pan Man" come weekly and whose visit I would avoid. Our nearest shop was where the flower stall is located opposite the Lower Park. It consisted of a Tea Room and Milk Bar. There was a Public Telephone there which was the only contact to anyone else. We were a one car family so my mother’s movements were very limited as the Eltham Station was a couple of kilometres away and a trip to the city was an event. Being an only child growing up was a little lonely however rambling along the creek with my Mum, picking mushrooms and picking cherry plums for jam and the dogs catching rabbits which we ate if we could get them away from the dogs. We also liked to go into the Lower Park during school holidays when the Greek people came to camp and they would sing and dance around the camp fire and it all seemed so different to us as this was early days of immigration. Childhood was relatively simple and carefree and I wish the kids of today had the freedom of my youth and the healthy outdoor lifestyle of the "olden days".   SHOW GIRL COMPETITION In 1965 Eltham was more like a country town than the suburb it has become today. People knew each other, if not personally then certainly of the family name. The big event for the year was a Gymkhana or show at Lower Eltham Park. I can remember marching as a teenager from the town centre to the park in the marching girls with the decorated floats. In 1965, just on a whim on the day, I decided to enter the Miss Eltham Show Girl which was a part of the festivities at the park. I seem to remember that the show mainly consisted of horse events, cattle judging and dog show. As I had not given any serious thought to entering the competition, I wore a suit that I had for work which was brown wool, with a coffee coloured shirt under, black shoes, bag, and gloves but no hat. I duly paraded for the judges and much to my surprise I was announced the winner. I eventually went on to compete at the Miss Victoria Show Girl competition which was held at the Royal Melbourne Show. There I met many country girls who were representing their rural Victoria home. I made it into a final round of judging but I think justice prevailed when someone from a country background was crowned. It was fun to go into the show as I had not really been before and to see the displays of handcraft, cooking and wood chopping events was great as well as the judging of farm animals interesting. It is hard to remember the Eltham I grew up in. The Lyons Garage company bus that actually drove you home (or close to it) when we got off the train at night. The Eltham Hotel on a Saturday afternoon a usual social meeting place where people just sat and chatted. The pictures held in the Town Hall and when the fire alarm sounded all the men just jumped up and ran to help. Suburbia has now swallowed most of that life but thankfully we at least do have the trestle bridge and parkland. Born digitalalec chapman, annie bremner, blacksmith, bremner's flat, brougham steet, bus services, circus, diamond creek, dianne bell, doctor bradbury, easter gymkhana, elizabeth chapman, eltham high school, eltham hotel, eltham lower park, eltham public hall, eltham state school, eltham trestle bridge, general store, grace mitchell, ice man, joy chapman, lyons garage, margaret harding, milk bar, miss eltham 1965, miss victoria show girl, mount pleasant road, pan man, rodda parade, shops, show girl competition, swimming pool, water hole, yarra river

My Recollections of Eltham Past by Margaret Joy Harding (nee Joy Chapman.) My family of Elizabeth and Alec Chapman moved to Eltham in 1946 into a cottage on the opposite side of the Diamond Creek from where the little train now operates in the Lower Park. At that time Eltham truly was a country town and the Pub was the main meeting place for most inhabitants on a Saturday afternoon in the beer garden. I attended Eltham Primary School where I started as a 4-year-old (my birthday being slightly after the mid-year intake) that happened then. My mother spent a lot of days taking me back to school when I had dismissed myself and walked the one kilomtre home alone. Bremner's Common (now Wingrove Park) was a big attraction with its dam and tad poling which I found much more entertaining than school. (Mrs Bremner ran a Service Station on the site of the current one). Another attraction at this site was the circus that came a couple of times a year. Watching them put up the circus tent was very interesting and even more of an attraction was the feeding of the Lions in cages and the monkeys and elephants among the other animals that are not found in a circus these days. At school then we were provided with hot chocolate at morning recess where the mothers would prepare it in the shelter shed. The only form of classroom heating was an open fire. Worse was the warm milk given in the summer months. By the time I was near finishing at Primary school we used to be able to walk along the Main Road at lunchtime to Mrs. Mitchell's shop to a delicious hot pie. As I recall there was no supervision for this departure from the school grounds. It is interesting that some of the other children I started school with I still have contact with, in fact one is a very good friend although now living in Perth. That is the other thing about Eltham; many who grew up here continue to live in the area. Following primary school, the natural progression was to Eltham High School. There was only the main building at that time and I can remember our first assembly at the front entrance. During the time I was at High School several new class rooms were added and the school hall. I remember the musical plays such as HMS Pinafore and other classical musicals being performed. I also remember countless hours doing marching practice. The main street shops when I was young consisted of the Blue Gum milk bar at the far end, a Grocery store and a shoe maker where Coles currently stands. Opposite there was Lyon's Garage. They also provided a bus service and when we got off the train this little bus would tour the back streets taking each individual to their home, sometimes this could take quite considerable time. There was also a Black Smith next to the Chiropractic Practice opposite Alistair Knox Park, another Milk Bar/General Store on the comer of Bridge Street/Main Road where a shop currently still operates. There was also a Butcher's shop down from the pub opposite Franklin Street. The only doctor was next to the courthouse on the other side of Brougham Street. On Saturday afternoon I was occasionally allowed to go the movies in the Town Hall which also stood on the site of the Coles centre. Often the Fire Alarm would sound and everyone would run outside to watch the fire truck leave with the volunteers clutching on the back. The other attraction during summer of course was the swimming pool which was a small concrete pool filled with water pumped from the Diamond Creek, sometimes it was like a mud puddle so for me the nearer to home Yarra/Diamond Creek junction was a much better option. We swam in the water hole which was quite deep and with fallen trees and sometimes carcasses of cows and kangaroos floating past. As recreation, the churches were another attraction for the Sunday school picnics to Mordialloc in the back of the moving van with benches tied into the back for us to "sit" on. Too bad when we went around a corner! In the early days we had an Ice Man deliver the ice once a week for "refrigeration". The green grocer came around in a horse and cart as did the milkman and the bread was delivered but I constantly got into trouble for eating the middle out on the way from the box it was delivered to in Mt Pleasant road across the paddock. The milkman finally would not come down our street after his horse bolted one morning and took off across the paddock. We also had the "Pan Man" come weekly and whose visit I would avoid. Our nearest shop was where the flower stall is located opposite the Lower Park. It consisted of a Tea Room and Milk Bar. There was a Public Telephone there which was the only contact to anyone else. We were a one car family so my mother’s movements were very limited as the Eltham Station was a couple of kilometres away and a trip to the city was an event. Being an only child growing up was a little lonely however rambling along the creek with my Mum, picking mushrooms and picking cherry plums for jam and the dogs catching rabbits which we ate if we could get them away from the dogs. We also liked to go into the Lower Park during school holidays when the Greek people came to camp and they would sing and dance around the camp fire and it all seemed so different to us as this was early days of immigration. Childhood was relatively simple and carefree and I wish the kids of today had the freedom of my youth and the healthy outdoor lifestyle of the "olden days".   SHOW GIRL COMPETITION In 1965 Eltham was more like a country town than the suburb it has become today. People knew each other, if not personally then certainly of the family name. The big event for the year was a Gymkhana or show at Lower Eltham Park. I can remember marching as a teenager from the town centre to the park in the marching girls with the decorated floats. In 1965, just on a whim on the day, I decided to enter the Miss Eltham Show Girl which was a part of the festivities at the park. I seem to remember that the show mainly consisted of horse events, cattle judging and dog show. As I had not given any serious thought to entering the competition, I wore a suit that I had for work which was brown wool, with a coffee coloured shirt under, black shoes, bag, and gloves but no hat. I duly paraded for the judges and much to my surprise I was announced the winner. I eventually went on to compete at the Miss Victoria Show Girl competition which was held at the Royal Melbourne Show. There I met many country girls who were representing their rural Victoria home. I made it into a final round of judging but I think justice prevailed when someone from a country background was crowned. It was fun to go into the show as I had not really been before and to see the displays of handcraft, cooking and wood chopping events was great as well as the judging of farm animals interesting. It is hard to remember the Eltham I grew up in. The Lyons Garage company bus that actually drove you home (or close to it) when we got off the train at night. The Eltham Hotel on a Saturday afternoon a usual social meeting place where people just sat and chatted. The pictures held in the Town Hall and when the fire alarm sounded all the men just jumped up and ran to help. Suburbia has now swallowed most of that life but thankfully we at least do have the trestle bridge and parkland. Digital file only - Black and white photo print on loan for scanning by EDHSalec chapman, annie bremner, blacksmith, bremner's flat, brougham steet, bus services, circus, diamond creek, dianne bell, doctor bradbury, easter gymkhana, elizabeth chapman, eltham high school, eltham hotel, eltham lower park, eltham public hall, eltham state school, eltham trestle bridge, general store, grace mitchell, ice man, joy chapman, lyons garage, margaret harding, milk bar, miss eltham 1965, miss victoria show girl, mount pleasant road, pan man, rodda parade, shops, show girl competition, swimming pool, water hole, yarra river

My Recollections of Eltham Past by Margaret Joy Harding (nee Joy Chapman.) My family of Elizabeth and Alec Chapman moved to Eltham in 1946 into a cottage on the opposite side of the Diamond Creek from where the little train now operates in the Lower Park. At that time Eltham truly was a country town and the Pub was the main meeting place for most inhabitants on a Saturday afternoon in the beer garden. I attended Eltham Primary School where I started as a 4-year-old (my birthday being slightly after the mid-year intake) that happened then. My mother spent a lot of days taking me back to school when I had dismissed myself and walked the one kilomtre home alone. Bremner's Common (now Wingrove Park) was a big attraction with its dam and tad poling which I found much more entertaining than school. (Mrs Bremner ran a Service Station on the site of the current one). Another attraction at this site was the circus that came a couple of times a year. Watching them put up the circus tent was very interesting and even more of an attraction was the feeding of the Lions in cages and the monkeys and elephants among the other animals that are not found in a circus these days. At school then we were provided with hot chocolate at morning recess where the mothers would prepare it in the shelter shed. The only form of classroom heating was an open fire. Worse was the warm milk given in the summer months. By the time I was near finishing at Primary school we used to be able to walk along the Main Road at lunchtime to Mrs. Mitchell's shop to a delicious hot pie. As I recall there was no supervision for this departure from the school grounds. It is interesting that some of the other children I started school with I still have contact with, in fact one is a very good friend although now living in Perth. That is the other thing about Eltham; many who grew up here continue to live in the area. Following primary school, the natural progression was to Eltham High School. There was only the main building at that time and I can remember our first assembly at the front entrance. During the time I was at High School several new class rooms were added and the school hall. I remember the musical plays such as HMS Pinafore and other classical musicals being performed. I also remember countless hours doing marching practice. The main street shops when I was young consisted of the Blue Gum milk bar at the far end, a Grocery store and a shoe maker where Coles currently stands. Opposite there was Lyon's Garage. They also provided a bus service and when we got off the train this little bus would tour the back streets taking each individual to their home, sometimes this could take quite considerable time. There was also a Black Smith next to the Chiropractic Practice opposite Alistair Knox Park, another Milk Bar/General Store on the comer of Bridge Street/Main Road where a shop currently still operates. There was also a Butcher's shop down from the pub opposite Franklin Street. The only doctor was next to the courthouse on the other side of Brougham Street. On Saturday afternoon I was occasionally allowed to go the movies in the Town Hall which also stood on the site of the Coles centre. Often the Fire Alarm would sound and everyone would run outside to watch the fire truck leave with the volunteers clutching on the back. The other attraction during summer of course was the swimming pool which was a small concrete pool filled with water pumped from the Diamond Creek, sometimes it was like a mud puddle so for me the nearer to home Yarra/Diamond Creek junction was a much better option. We swam in the water hole which was quite deep and with fallen trees and sometimes carcasses of cows and kangaroos floating past. As recreation, the churches were another attraction for the Sunday school picnics to Mordialloc in the back of the moving van with benches tied into the back for us to "sit" on. Too bad when we went around a corner! In the early days we had an Ice Man deliver the ice once a week for "refrigeration". The green grocer came around in a horse and cart as did the milkman and the bread was delivered but I constantly got into trouble for eating the middle out on the way from the box it was delivered to in Mt Pleasant road across the paddock. The milkman finally would not come down our street after his horse bolted one morning and took off across the paddock. We also had the "Pan Man" come weekly and whose visit I would avoid. Our nearest shop was where the flower stall is located opposite the Lower Park. It consisted of a Tea Room and Milk Bar. There was a Public Telephone there which was the only contact to anyone else. We were a one car family so my mother’s movements were very limited as the Eltham Station was a couple of kilometres away and a trip to the city was an event. Being an only child growing up was a little lonely however rambling along the creek with my Mum, picking mushrooms and picking cherry plums for jam and the dogs catching rabbits which we ate if we could get them away from the dogs. We also liked to go into the Lower Park during school holidays when the Greek people came to camp and they would sing and dance around the camp fire and it all seemed so different to us as this was early days of immigration. Childhood was relatively simple and carefree and I wish the kids of today had the freedom of my youth and the healthy outdoor lifestyle of the "olden days".   SHOW GIRL COMPETITION In 1965 Eltham was more like a country town than the suburb it has become today. People knew each other, if not personally then certainly of the family name. The big event for the year was a Gymkhana or show at Lower Eltham Park. I can remember marching as a teenager from the town centre to the park in the marching girls with the decorated floats. In 1965, just on a whim on the day, I decided to enter the Miss Eltham Show Girl which was a part of the festivities at the park. I seem to remember that the show mainly consisted of horse events, cattle judging and dog show. As I had not given any serious thought to entering the competition, I wore a suit that I had for work which was brown wool, with a coffee coloured shirt under, black shoes, bag, and gloves but no hat. I duly paraded for the judges and much to my surprise I was announced the winner. I eventually went on to compete at the Miss Victoria Show Girl competition which was held at the Royal Melbourne Show. There I met many country girls who were representing their rural Victoria home. I made it into a final round of judging but I think justice prevailed when someone from a country background was crowned. It was fun to go into the show as I had not really been before and to see the displays of handcraft, cooking and wood chopping events was great as well as the judging of farm animals interesting. It is hard to remember the Eltham I grew up in. The Lyons Garage company bus that actually drove you home (or close to it) when we got off the train at night. The Eltham Hotel on a Saturday afternoon a usual social meeting place where people just sat and chatted. The pictures held in the Town Hall and when the fire alarm sounded all the men just jumped up and ran to help. Suburbia has now swallowed most of that life but thankfully we at least do have the trestle bridge and parkland. Digital file only - Black and white photo print on loan for scanning by EDHSalec chapman, annie bremner, blacksmith, bremner's flat, brougham steet, bus services, circus, diamond creek, dianne bell, doctor bradbury, easter gymkhana, elizabeth chapman, eltham high school, eltham hotel, eltham lower park, eltham public hall, eltham state school, eltham trestle bridge, general store, grace mitchell, ice man, joy chapman, lyons garage, margaret harding, milk bar, miss eltham 1965, miss victoria show girl, mount pleasant road, pan man, rodda parade, shops, show girl competition, swimming pool, water hole, yarra river

My Recollections of Eltham Past by Margaret Joy Harding (nee Joy Chapman.) My family of Elizabeth and Alec Chapman moved to Eltham in 1946 into a cottage on the opposite side of the Diamond Creek from where the little train now operates in the Lower Park. At that time Eltham truly was a country town and the Pub was the main meeting place for most inhabitants on a Saturday afternoon in the beer garden. I attended Eltham Primary School where I started as a 4-year-old (my birthday being slightly after the mid-year intake) that happened then. My mother spent a lot of days taking me back to school when I had dismissed myself and walked the one kilomtre home alone. Bremner's Common (now Wingrove Park) was a big attraction with its dam and tad poling which I found much more entertaining than school. (Mrs Bremner ran a Service Station on the site of the current one). Another attraction at this site was the circus that came a couple of times a year. Watching them put up the circus tent was very interesting and even more of an attraction was the feeding of the Lions in cages and the monkeys and elephants among the other animals that are not found in a circus these days. At school then we were provided with hot chocolate at morning recess where the mothers would prepare it in the shelter shed. The only form of classroom heating was an open fire. Worse was the warm milk given in the summer months. By the time I was near finishing at Primary school we used to be able to walk along the Main Road at lunchtime to Mrs. Mitchell's shop to a delicious hot pie. As I recall there was no supervision for this departure from the school grounds. It is interesting that some of the other children I started school with I still have contact with, in fact one is a very good friend although now living in Perth. That is the other thing about Eltham; many who grew up here continue to live in the area. Following primary school, the natural progression was to Eltham High School. There was only the main building at that time and I can remember our first assembly at the front entrance. During the time I was at High School several new class rooms were added and the school hall. I remember the musical plays such as HMS Pinafore and other classical musicals being performed. I also remember countless hours doing marching practice. The main street shops when I was young consisted of the Blue Gum milk bar at the far end, a Grocery store and a shoe maker where Coles currently stands. Opposite there was Lyon's Garage. They also provided a bus service and when we got off the train this little bus would tour the back streets taking each individual to their home, sometimes this could take quite considerable time. There was also a Black Smith next to the Chiropractic Practice opposite Alistair Knox Park, another Milk Bar/General Store on the comer of Bridge Street/Main Road where a shop currently still operates. There was also a Butcher's shop down from the pub opposite Franklin Street. The only doctor was next to the courthouse on the other side of Brougham Street. On Saturday afternoon I was occasionally allowed to go the movies in the Town Hall which also stood on the site of the Coles centre. Often the Fire Alarm would sound and everyone would run outside to watch the fire truck leave with the volunteers clutching on the back. The other attraction during summer of course was the swimming pool which was a small concrete pool filled with water pumped from the Diamond Creek, sometimes it was like a mud puddle so for me the nearer to home Yarra/Diamond Creek junction was a much better option. We swam in the water hole which was quite deep and with fallen trees and sometimes carcasses of cows and kangaroos floating past. As recreation, the churches were another attraction for the Sunday school picnics to Mordialloc in the back of the moving van with benches tied into the back for us to "sit" on. Too bad when we went around a corner! In the early days we had an Ice Man deliver the ice once a week for "refrigeration". The green grocer came around in a horse and cart as did the milkman and the bread was delivered but I constantly got into trouble for eating the middle out on the way from the box it was delivered to in Mt Pleasant road across the paddock. The milkman finally would not come down our street after his horse bolted one morning and took off across the paddock. We also had the "Pan Man" come weekly and whose visit I would avoid. Our nearest shop was where the flower stall is located opposite the Lower Park. It consisted of a Tea Room and Milk Bar. There was a Public Telephone there which was the only contact to anyone else. We were a one car family so my mother’s movements were very limited as the Eltham Station was a couple of kilometres away and a trip to the city was an event. Being an only child growing up was a little lonely however rambling along the creek with my Mum, picking mushrooms and picking cherry plums for jam and the dogs catching rabbits which we ate if we could get them away from the dogs. We also liked to go into the Lower Park during school holidays when the Greek people came to camp and they would sing and dance around the camp fire and it all seemed so different to us as this was early days of immigration. Childhood was relatively simple and carefree and I wish the kids of today had the freedom of my youth and the healthy outdoor lifestyle of the "olden days".   SHOW GIRL COMPETITION In 1965 Eltham was more like a country town than the suburb it has become today. People knew each other, if not personally then certainly of the family name. The big event for the year was a Gymkhana or show at Lower Eltham Park. I can remember marching as a teenager from the town centre to the park in the marching girls with the decorated floats. In 1965, just on a whim on the day, I decided to enter the Miss Eltham Show Girl which was a part of the festivities at the park. I seem to remember that the show mainly consisted of horse events, cattle judging and dog show. As I had not given any serious thought to entering the competition, I wore a suit that I had for work which was brown wool, with a coffee coloured shirt under, black shoes, bag, and gloves but no hat. I duly paraded for the judges and much to my surprise I was announced the winner. I eventually went on to compete at the Miss Victoria Show Girl competition which was held at the Royal Melbourne Show. There I met many country girls who were representing their rural Victoria home. I made it into a final round of judging but I think justice prevailed when someone from a country background was crowned. It was fun to go into the show as I had not really been before and to see the displays of handcraft, cooking and wood chopping events was great as well as the judging of farm animals interesting. It is hard to remember the Eltham I grew up in. The Lyons Garage company bus that actually drove you home (or close to it) when we got off the train at night. The Eltham Hotel on a Saturday afternoon a usual social meeting place where people just sat and chatted. The pictures held in the Town Hall and when the fire alarm sounded all the men just jumped up and ran to help. Suburbia has now swallowed most of that life but thankfully we at least do have the trestle bridge and parkland. Digital file only - Black and white photo print on loan for scanning by EDHSalec chapman, annie bremner, blacksmith, bremner's flat, brougham steet, bus services, circus, diamond creek, dianne bell, doctor bradbury, easter gymkhana, elizabeth chapman, eltham high school, eltham hotel, eltham lower park, eltham public hall, eltham state school, eltham trestle bridge, general store, grace mitchell, ice man, joy chapman, lyons garage, margaret harding, milk bar, miss eltham 1965, miss victoria show girl, mount pleasant road, pan man, rodda parade, shops, show girl competition, swimming pool, water hole, yarra river