Pamphlet produced by Met Bus, the Government operator of 7 routes following the 1993 tender to provide information on the operation, its plans, public transport, routes operated, contact details and general information. Managing Director John G Wilson. Services were operated out of the former Footscray Tram depot in Buckley St.Yields information about Met Bus in 1993.Pamphlet, 3 fold DLfull colour.met bus, buses, public transport

Set of 5 Met Bus timetables - all with a route map on the rear. 1 - Routes 216 and 219, Deer Park West - City - Brighton Beach/Gardenvale - dated 27/10/1996 2 - route 220 - Sunshine - Gardenvale - dated 14/4/1996 3 - Routes 223 and 215 - Yarraville Station to Highpoint and Deer Park West to Highpoint - dated Dec. 1996 4 - Route 232 - Altona North - Victoria Market via West Gate Freeway and Crown Casino - dated 14/4/1996 - this service effectively combined the two railway tram routes. 5 - Route 600 - St Kilda to Southland via Elwood, Brighton, Sandringham, Black Rock and Cheltenham - dated March 1997Yields information about some of the Met Bus services in 1996 and 1997.Set of five Met Bus timetables, DL size, printed in two colours.maps, bus services, route 216, route 219, route 220, route 223, route 215, route 232, route 600, met bus

Printed form on off white paper with yellow self carboning copy (NCR) titled "The Met (Met bus) – monthly record of employees ticket outfit ", listing employees names, number, day, and the various zone travel tickets including "The Met Bus special ticket". Apparently for use at Footscray Depot. Form No. MBTAF1 and F/PTC01117A. Possibly late 1980's.trams, tramways, mmtb, passengers, tickets, forms, revenue journal, buses

Set of six documents printed by the Met for the introduction of Neighbourhood bus services to the Box Hill area Oct. 1984. .1 - Envelope marked The Met - Introducing your neighbourhood bus service", containing at the time a message from Steve Crabb, Minister for Transport (now sealed) .2 - Letter from Steve Crabb .3 - Timetable for The Met Bus Route 748 dated 29/10/1984. .4 - Pamphlet - "Introducing your new neighbourhood bus service", with a map of the Ringwood neighbourhood. .5 - Pamphlet - "Shop for 2 hours at Box Hill Central for just 80c" .6 - Timetable for The Met Bus Route 738 dated 29/10/1984.trams, tramways, the met, timetables, melbourne, fares, box hill, doncaster, buses

Photocopy of a letter, single A4 sheet - "Letter to all Met Tram Employees", signed by Russell Nathan, 27/3/1997 about the sale of Met Bus operations and discussions with PTU regarding a new EBA. Notes Footscray and Sandringham depots would be sold as part of the process.trams, tramways, ptc, met tram, unions, employees, met bus, sale of land, buses, wages

The Met bus timetable for route 600 - which followed many of the early tram routes - via Sandringham, Elwood. Gives description of the route, time points, and map. Published by The Met / Public Transport Corporation.Demonstrates a Met bus route which followed many of the early tram routes in the district.Five fold DL 2 colour paper timetable - Route 600 - Southland - St Kilda - 1994the met, ptc, route 600, southland, st kilda, met bus, buses

Pamphlet - 4 A4 pages, full colour titled "70 years of Government Buses", part of a series, Public Transportation at a Glance. Notes the introduction of buses by the MMTB, Mr Cameron's 1924 trip, use of buses for conversion for the cable trams, types of buses used, double deck, Met Bus, PTC, MTA, AVM and services. Has photo of Tilling Stevens 1925 bus, MAN bus 1995.Has "May 95" in ink in top right hand corner.trams, tramways, buses, mmtb, double deck buses, conversion, ptc, mta, avm, met bus

SSet of 24 The Met bus timetables, with diagrammatic map, major stops and contact details. All dated during1993 unless noted otherwise. 1 - Route 216/9 - Deer Park West & Sunshine Park - City 2 - Route 220 - Sunshine - City - 1992 3 - Route 232 - Altona North - City - 1992 4 - Route 233 - Fishermens Bend - City - 1992 5 - Route 254 - Northland Shopping Centre - City - 1992 6 - Route 256 - La Trobe Uni - City - 1992 7 - Routes 258 & 259 - Northland Shopping Centre, and La Trobe Uni - City via Eastern Freeway - 1992 8 - Route 260 etc - Deep Creek Templestow - Donvale - City 9 - Route 264 - Mitcham, Donvale City 10 - Route 265 - Deep Creek - City 11 - Route 602 - Brighton - city 12 - Route 269, 291 and 296 - Greensborough, Heidelberg & Newmans Road to Box Hill 13 - Route 272 - Warrandyte - City 14 - Route 276 & 278 - Warrandyte - City 15 - Route 284 & 270 - East Kew - City or Box Hill 16 - Route 285 - The Pines - Box Hill 17 - Route 286 & 288 - The Pines and Templestowe - Box Hill 18 - Route 290 - North Nunawading - Box Hill 19 - Route 292 etc - Box Hill, Deep Creek, Ringwood, Warrandyte 20 - Route 301, 281 315 - Ringwood, Park Orchards and Donvale - City 21 - Route 305 - Box Hill - Ringwood 22 - Route 366 & 367 - Ringwood - Croydon 23 - Route 600 - St Kilda - Brighton Beach - 1992 24 - Route 601 - Gardenvale - City - 1992Yields information about some of The Met bus services 1993Set of 24 The Met timetables, DL size, printed in two colours.timetables, the met, route 216, route 220, route 232, route 233, route 254, route 258, route 259, route 260, route 264, route 265, route 256, route 602, route 269, route 272, route 276, route 284, route 270, route 285, route 286, route 288, route 290, route 292, route 301, route 305, route 366, route 367, route 600, route 601

Poster, printed on a plastic board with a full colour sheet on the front and white paper on the rear, titled "We're changing from this...", showing bus stops (National), Tram stops (The Met with Metcard), station signage - directional and instructional. One of two boards. Mid 1990's prior to re-organisation late 1990's..trams, tramways, the met, bus stops, tram stops, railway station

Printed fold out timetable for Bus Route 754, Glen Waverley to Wheelers Hill, published by The Met, effective 29/10/1984. Provides a map, description of route, time points, timetable, ticketing information (Travel cards and Neighbourhood tickets) and the Glen Waverley Railway station and train service. Has a sponsored advert by the Statewide Building Society. Has logos of the Met. Folded into four.trams, tramways, tickets, the met, bus services, timetables, neighbourhood tickets

Document titled "Bus and Tram Shelters - Brief for the Preparation of Submissions" Issued by the Ministry for Transport, Victoria Transport, December 1989. Has a table of contents. Asks for submissions for shelters at tram and bus stops for both V/Line and The Met. Gives an outline of the project, selection process, information required in the submission, advertising proposals, design requirements. Has a number of drawings including "The Met" logo in large format.Part of the design process for a new style of bus / tram shelter in Melbourne.Report or Specification or brief, approx. 70 pages, white comb bound, clear plastic front cover, white rear card cover.In ink on the top right hand corner "1989", and on bottom edge "3.07m / 43"trams, tramways, ptc, the met, bus stops, shelters, v/line, advertisements

Set of 12 photos by Hugh Ballment, unless noted, of MMTB, VR, Hong Kong KCR and MTA: HHBM173 - VR Tram 40, 26/05/1954, Brighton Beach, Tram has three roof top Robur Tea Adverts HBM174 - VR Trams 39, 54, 1950s, Elwood depot, Both trams have the destination of Elwood Depot HBM175 - VR Tram 3, 1950s, Elwood depot, Has the VR Substation in the background HBM176 - MMTB Trams W2 385, SW6 923, 26/05/1954, Swanston St, Damaged photograph. Tram 385 (South Melbourne Beach route 2A) and 923 (RAAF tram. Camberwell route 7). In the background is the Greer & Ashburnter Pty Ltd building HBM177 - MMTB Tram 31 May 1976, Bourke Street, Dark photo. Has the Palladion Theatre in the background showing Barry's Lindon. HBM178 - MMTB, c1954, Elizabeth St, Looking south from about Little Collins St with street decorations possibly for a Royal Tour positioned. Has the Hotel London and McEwans store in the view. HBM179 - MMTB Tram PCC 980, c1955, Malvern Depot, HBM180 - MMTB Trams 864, 502, c1987, Flinders St, Dark photo - see also HBM027 for a better photo. HBM181 - Photo 1950s, Melbourne from south of Yarra River, Kodak commercial slide titled "Melbourne City Skyline across the River Yarra" HBM182 - MTA Tram SW6-915, cNov 1987, Bourke Street Mall, Has Billy Guyatts, Petra Haircare, Roger David and the Royal Mail Hotel in the background HBM183 - KCR , Apr 1988, ComEng Dandenong, Tuen Mun tram HBM184 - MTA, Aug 1988, Bourke St, Spencer St junction construction. Z3 180 on Route 96 plus several other Z class trams present. Two Welding trucks onsite plus the mobile lilting crane and AEC Mk.VI meal bus further up Bourke Street Yields information about Melbourne tram operations, with 1950s to 1980s photos of Melbourne tramways.Kodachrome cardboard and plastic mounts, with notes - set of 12new tramway, vr, st kilda brighton tramway, tram 915, bourke st, spencer st, tram 40, tram 39, tram 3, tram 54, tram 985, swanston st, tram 31, tram 980, tram 864, tram 502, malvern depot, elizabeth st, hong kong, trams, brighton beach, elwood depot, w2 class, tram 385, sw6 class, tram 923, raaf, route 2a, route 7, z class, pcc class, arts trams, volvo b59, bourke st mall, route 95, comeng, z3 class, tram 180, welding truck, route 96, met bus

Notice or Timetable notice - laminated A4 sheet - "Customer Bulletin - Queens Birthday Public Holiday", issued by Met Bus, that all bus routes except route 600 will operate to the Sunday timetable on Monday 9/6/1997. Has second The Met logos and contact details.trams, tramways, buses, notices and information, timetables, events, queens birthday

Set of four drawings, printed on A2 sheets with Melbourne, The Met, bus details, c1984. .1 - "Motor Bus Data" - listing class, make and type, seating, crush loading, turning circle, wheelbase, overall length, width and height. .2 - continuation of above. .3 - Bus seating plans for Leyland National, Volvo and MAN buses. .4 - Motor bus fleet - listing class, bus numbers, chassis, body maker, number of buses in service, stored and in fleet and capacity.trams, tramways, drawings, buses, class, the met

Northern District School of NursingStory of a con-man met with on a bus while trainee nurse was travelling to Bendigo for her 2nd year block.con-man, nurse education

Pamphlet - titled "Night Rider - Now you can't miss the last bus home" promoting the The Met/PTC night rider buses, gives fares, times and where timetables could be collected from. Has a small map showing the routes. See also time 5652 for other information.Yields information about the 1993 Nightrider services.Pamphlet A4 sheet colour with a backing sheet.tramways, all night services, nightrider

Annual Report - 64 pages + card covers, printed on slightly textured paper. with the MTA logo imprinted on the front cover. Has a table of contents. Dated 31/10/1989, with letter to the Minister Jim Kennan, from the Chairman John King. Managing director Kevin Shea, Board members - include Greg Rodgers representing the Union. Includes a review of the organisation, Light rail vehicles and lines, Met Plan, new bus services and priority for trams at traffic lights.trams, tramways, annual reports, the met, public transport, mta, personnel, avm, funding, buses, light rail, metplan

Copy of printed or photocopied letter sent to all Public Transport Corporation (V/Line - railway and The Met - Tramways and bus) dated 25/6/1992 signed by the Chief Executive Office, Ian F.X. Stoney. Letter concerns the "alleged" drinking of tramway staff and illegal stoppage of trams, as published in the Sunday Age. Investigations determined the photo was the Coburg Tram terminus and the crew member was drinking a "Bundaberg Ginger Beer" stubbie. Letter written in support of staff and to criticize the AGE newspaper who refused to supply a negative.trams, tramways, ptc, i. stoney, sunday age, tram crews

Poster - full colour printed on gloss paper, titled "Grab the Latest Fares and Travel Guide for a smoother ride", advertising The Met publication. Features a bus, Comeng Train and a B class tram travelling on the side of a vertical coin. Advises where the publication could be obtained from. Possibly early to mid 1990's. See Reg Item 2507 for the actual guide.trams, tramways, the met, fares, melbourne

Magazine, published by the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Victoria "Met Lines" (Metlines) - A4, printed on white gloss paper, centre stapled with the MTA logo or symbol. Issued under the name of Kevin Shea as Chairman. Continues from Reg Item 1183 "Met Lines" - printed in an A4 version. Notes Editor as Judi Lalor and writer Sandra McLaren. Chris Astridge Major tram and bus items listed. Tramway names only listed, not railway. .1 - March 1989 - 20 pages - Track gangs, graffiti, signalling, making recruitment videos, body building at Preston Workshops. .2 - June 1989 - 16 pages - Flinders St station cover theme - 16 pages - modifications to Z class tram lights to improve visibility at stops, payroll, Wattle Park rejuvenation project, Essendon Depot Soccer team, Ian Barkla on Puffing Billy. .3 - September 1989 - 20 pages - Show grounds theme - Met Planning, Metplan, Met Plan, Jolimont Rail Yards, Mill Park Light rail extension, photo of 2004, The Met shop, 60th anniversary of Camberwell tram depot, apprentice awards, Melbourne Stamp show 1989, Wattle Park, New billiard table at Malvern, recycling of W2 trams in to mobile Tramburgers - Jim Johnstone and Greg Hart - was going to franchise 60 trams cut in half. (See also Reg Item 406 for other background - also see Jim Johnson) .4 - December 1989 - 20 pages - Christmas theme cover - "On the buses", the Met Bus workshop, details the bus maintenance, bundy clocks - where they were maintained, size of the bus fleet and major depots. Festoon lighting at Flinders St station and retirement of Howard Smith - see image i5. For next year 1990 - see Reg Item 1185.trams, tramways, the met, mta, preston workshops, tramcars, repairs, wattle park, essendon depot, metplan, camberwell depot, postage stamps, post office, malvern depot, scrapped trams, w2 class, flinders st station, bundy clock, buses, tram 2004

Yields information about the views of various letter writers, special trains for the Begonia Festival and issues re costs.Foolscap sheet of plain paper, with rounded corners, with 7 newspaper cuttings, concerning the mooted closure of the Ballarat Tram system 2 and 3 March 1962. All from The Courier, unless noted otherwise. One cutting missing. 1 - "Tram Repairs" - 2/3/62 - Letter from R Courtney local Secretary of the Union, regarding the cost of new trams, tracks needed to and Geelong fares raised shortly before closure and then again afterward. 2 - Letter - 2/3/62 - signed by a tram driver regarding repairs of tram faults 3 - "Bolte re Promise on trams" - 2/3/62 - representations to Bolte by the Opposition leader Stoneham and protested to the Minister Mr. Reid 4 - "Special Train for Festival visitors" - The Mail, - 2/3/62 - re visit to Ballarat by the PMG Social club on 11/3 for the Begonia Festival 5 - "Sunday tour Festival City" - re a special train to Ballarat and being met by buses. 6 - "Trams Future" - 3/3/62 - 3 letters re costs of operations - two man trams, bus costs will be based on one man, trams are clean vehicles no emissions, Apex Club issues. 7 - "To Discuss Trams" - 3-3-62 - result of a Greater Ballarat Association meeting.closure, letter to the editor, editorial, sec, begonia festival, greater ballarat association

Two Newspaper clippings from The Age Newspaper Jan. 1990 - featuring public transport. There were two other feature articles written by John Masanauskas - subtitled "Public Transport Going Nowhere" .1 - 16/1/1990 - part 3 - page 11, titled "The rot set in the Fifties" about the problems on Melbourne public transport, staff, graffiti, costs, lack of use, The Met, problems with the private bus operators, Met Plan. .2 - 17/1/1990 - part 4 - page 11 titled "Scratch-it and save $24m a year "considering a report from the Toronto Transit Commission and the introduction of a new three zone ticket system using scratch or honour tickets and the use of off line ticket sellers. Has a map of the zonal system, fares, the phasing out of conductors except on W class trams.trams, tramways, tickets, fares, scratch tickets, public transport, buses, metplan

Magazine, published by the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Victoria "Met Lines" (Metlines) - A4, printed on white gloss paper, with the MTA logo or symbol. Issued under the name of L. A. Strouse as Chairman. Continues from Reg Item 1058 "Met Lines" - printed in an A3 version, Now a monthly version printed in an A4 size. Major tram and bus items listed. Tramway and bus names only listed, not railway. .1 - Vol 1 No. 5 - August 1985 - 20 pages - announcement of trams for Hong Kong, Minister Tom Roper, tram posters, an article on the work of the TMSV with photos. Retired tramway employees association, Minister visiting Brunswick depot, Melbourne Brighton Bus Lines joins the Met - has photos of staff. .2 - Vol 1 No. 6 - September 1985 - 20 pages - tram emergency crew - derailment of 34 at Russell and Burke and Emergency crew at work and in front of truck, Joe Saccasan foreman at South Melbourne and artist, Doncaster Bus depot, The Met Transporter at the Royal Melbourne show. .3 - Vol 1 No. 7 - October 1985- 20 pages - front page Emery Worldwide courier Elizabeth Sciberra with driver John Edwards, competition to detail a photo of cable tram conductor with very large safety pins (for the bell punch tickets), Hong Kong Kowloon-Canton KCRC inspection tour of Preston Workshops, new tram track construction, Essendon depot Soccer Club premiers winners, Malvern Depot photos and story, Norm Cross and making of Malcolm, Conductor training at Hawthorn depot, photo of enthusiast Paul Jordan, Bus and Coach Society of Victoria article with photos of MMTB Double Decker 244 and a Thornycroft bus No. 14. Article on MMTB uniforms - cable trams, PMTT with photos. .4 - Vol 1 No. 8 - November 1985 - 20 pages - front page cable sketches of cable trams - Met Annual Report, Personnel management, 100 years of Melbourne's tram - many photographs, history timeline for trams, Marketing new posters (See Reg Item 585), tram tours, the Outer Circle Railway - bike path, Essendon depot to be redeveloped, lunch at Hawthorn Training School, tram wheel grinding - James Hajjar. .5 - Vol No. 9 - December 1985 - 20 pages - MTCO Conductor competition - Ray Marsh, Met Posters, Footscray Bus Depot, Scrubber trams, calendar, tram centenary celebrations a success, old Bourke St head office plaque unveiling by Tom Roper and Keith Kings of TMSV, Eric Hobday MMTB Relieving Depot Master remembers the cable trams last day, Alan Jennings retirement, lists personnel movements within The Met. For next year 1986 - see Reg Item 1086trams, tramways, mta, the met, cable trams, conductors, bell punch, hong kong, tram track, malcolm, training, hawthorn, bscv, buses, uniforms, pmtt, mmtb, annual reports, personnel, 100 years of electric trams, posters, outer circle railway, footscray depot, scrubber tram, tmsv, posters, melbourne brighton bus, brunswick depot, r10 vehicle, emergency, derailments, tram 8w, tram 11w, tram 34

Kangaroo Ground's first school began in 1851 with 22 pupils from the district's ten families. It was a single room school located further south on the site, which also served as a Presbyterian church. The first teacher was Andrew Ross. The school building was used as a Post Office between 1854 and 1858 and during 1857 also served as a Court of Petty Sessions. With a growing farming community, a new building was warranted and the original Sate School No. 352 was closed and a new building, State School No. 2105 was oipened October 1, 1878. A residence for Head Teacher Henry Wallace School was erected in 1879 attached to the left of the school building. That residence is now home to the Andrew Ross Museum, which opened in 1993. Covered under Heritage Overlay, Nillumbik Planning Scheme. Published: Nillumbik Now and Then /​ Marguerite Marshall 2008; photographs Alan King with Marguerite Marshall.; p35 In a corner of the Kangaroo Ground Primary School playground stands an old weatherboard building. This structure, attached to the former teacher’s weatherboard residence facing Main Road, first served as a school in 1878. The former residence, built in 1879, houses the Andrew Ross Museum, which opened in 1993. It is named after the school’s first teacher,1 who also founded The Evelyn Observer newspaper, which began on the site in 1873. Later the printing presses were moved to brick newspaper offices by the Kangaroo Ground Hotel, which became the Shire of Eltham offices. However Kangaroo Ground’s first school began in 1851 for 22 pupils from the district’s ten families, in a slab building further south on this site. Andrew Harkness and other settlers campaigned for the building, which was built on half an acre (0.2ha) donated by local farmer, James Donaldson. Builder was Samuel Furphy, father of the novelist Joseph.2 The single room measuring 30 feet x 18 feet (9m x 5.5m), was unlined and the green slabs shrank, allowing the wind and rain entry through cracks except when they were stuffed with paper.3 The building served as a Presbyterian church as well as a school, where fees were 18 pence a week for education. Young men also attended evening classes there in winter. At one stage, a corner of the room was curtained off for the schoolmaster’s living space, and the platform, which was used for sleeping, was also the pulpit during church services. Teacher Andrew Ross also took church services when the minister was unable to attend, which happened frequently as he had long distances to travel on the bad roads. In 1857 the school building was also used as the Court of Petty Sessions, and from 1854 until 1858, it served as a post office. During the gold rush fossickers on their way to the Caledonia Diggings at Queenstown (now St Andrews) prospected the district, but did not remain long, as the fields were not rich in gold. But the farming community grew, until by 1878 the population warranted the building of State School No 2105 – the present one-roomed tongue-and-groove lined building measuring 49 feet x 18 feet (15m x 5.5m), to accommodate 60 children. The old school, No 352, was closed, and the new one opened on October 1, with Henry Wallace as head teacher, assisted by work mistress Annie Johnston. Early teachers included Messrs Smith, Hamilton and Prosser, with sewing teachers Misses Sweeney, Limerock and Oliver. In the early 1920s a small room was built on the front veranda of the teacher’s residence, and used as a State Savings Bank agency until about 1934. In 1928 the schoolroom’s three-tiered floor was replaced by a flat floor and teacher’s platform (which has since been removed). A half-glassed partition wall then divided the large room into two rooms in which the old style form-type desks were replaced with dual desks. The small playground, surrounded by pine trees and a picket fence, was extended in 1931 with an additional acre or so (0.4 ha) of land. During World War Two the school faced closure because of a fall to seven in the enrolment, but by 1946 it had increased again to 45. Mr Eric Morgan was head teacher and Mrs Margaret Banks was assistant head teacher, a position she held for ten years. In 1955, under the head teacher Mr V Gardiner, who taught there for 13 years, the school won a prize for the best-kept garden and school ground in the inspectorate. A district subdivision increased the enrolment in 1968 to 65 and a bus service was established. After the hall which had been used for lessons was demolished late that year, the pupils met in the original fire brigade meeting room (now the tennis club, diagonally opposite the general store). The new school building with a storeroom and staffroom was built in 1974.This collection of almost 130 photos about places and people within the Shire of Nillumbik, an urban and rural municipality in Melbourne's north, contributes to an understanding of the history of the Shire. Published in 2008 immediately prior to the Black Saturday bushfires of February 7, 2009, it documents sites that were impacted, and in some cases destroyed by the fires. It includes photographs taken especially for the publication, creating a unique time capsule representing the Shire in the early 21st century. It remains the most recent comprehenesive publication devoted to the Shire's history connecting local residents to the past. nillumbik now and then (marshall-king) collection, kangaroo ground, andrew ross museum, eltham-yarra glen road, kangaroo ground primary school no. 2105, kangaroo ground state school, state school no. 2105

Six documents about the Japanese School: 1/The Japanese School of Melbourne Planning Brief document draft February 1984 to the City of Caulfield. Brief includes background of school, current educational standards of school and structure, future plans, including forecast of future student numbers, request to use prefabricated rooms. Also plans for new building and room alterations. Includes appendice which has current and projection graph of students attending. Period covered: January 1968-February 1984 (17 pages). 2/Fourteen page school prospectus, which includes history and location, term dates, school hours, curriculum subjects, teachers qualifications, health department approval and enrolment list. Also includes Division of School Duties, school educational aims and guidance priorities. Period covered: 07/09/1968-13/05/1986. 3/An 11/11/1988 Melbourne Development and Prospectus for the Japanese School of Melbourne, includes purpose of school, development options, planning brief, construction time, and development program. Includes seven plans and maps of school location and bus routes (14 pages). Prepared for the City of Caulfield on its request. 4/List of representatives of the Japanese School of Melbourne that met with City of Caulfield councilors on 23/11/1988. 5/Black and white photo of 'Ian Rob with Japanese students September 1991', six students included. 6/Colour photograph of 'Mayor Ed Biggs with Japanese students February 1992', thirteen adults and young people included.japanese school of melbourne limited, japanese school, caulfield, holy cross catholic, holy cross school, ellington school, keeron street, mockridge stahle and mitchell architects, architects, secondary schools, primary schools, playgrounds, hawthorn road, caulfield south, yaji hidero, japanese community, yazaki yasuo, morita hiroshi, teachers, bloink des, stokes tony, building surveyors, japanese supplementary school of melbourne, school committees, libraries, school houses, brick, bloink clarke harding consulting architects group, anthony stokes and assoc. building surveyors and town planners, rob ian, biggs ed mayor

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