Originally built by John Hill, a shoemaker at Kangaroo Ground around 1878. In the late 1970s when our Society was the Shire of Eltham Historical Society, an offer was made to the Society regarding use of an old cottage at Christmas Hills. The cottage sat beside Watsons Creek just outside the then Shire of Eltham but following municipal restructuring it now lies within the Shire of Nillumbik. For various reasons the offer ultimately lapsed. At that time some research on the cottage was carried out for the Society by Keith Chappel as part of a larger research project that he was doing. Keith’s notes were taken from Lands Department records and showed that the property was the subject of a permissive occupancy of Crown land comprising the creek reserve. In 1903 a Miner’s Right of one acre in area was granted to Edwin Samuel Birch. In 1907 Birch applied to purchase this land but was unable to because it was part of the creek reserve. The documents show that the cottage existed at that time. Upon Birch’s death in 1932, his daughter, Honor Mary Birch was granted a permit to occupy the residence. Honor Mary Birch, known as Nora, was born 1900, the daughter of Edwin Samuel Birch and Honor (nee Young). In 1939 she married George Henry Williams (aka Henry). Honor died 8 July 1976. Her siblings were Margaret Martin (dec), Bert Birch and Brigidene Brinkkotter. In her will she gave and bequeathed “all the improvements on the land held by me at Christmas Hills under Permissive Occupancy from the Department of Land and Survey consisting of the house property thereon and all the contents of the said house to my nephew Brian Joseph Martin of Christmas Hills aforesaid farmer”. The will described the property as a four room, five square house, about 100 years old with enclosed verandah, including kitchen, combined lounge dining room, bedroom and store room; built of ‘bush slabs’ with a corrugated iron roof. A dairy had been erected in 1935. After her death, the property was acquired by the Melbourne Metropolitan Board of Works in 1978. The property is listed on the Victorian Heritage Database HO200-Hill, later Birch farm complex, 945 Eltham-Yarra Glen Road, Watsons Creek and described as: The house has a steep but simply gabled roof form clad with corrugated iron, vertical adzed hardwood slab front wall construction, split palings to the gable ends; rubble freestone chimney at one end (with added gsi flue), pole-framed Graeme Butler & Associates, 2006: 101 Shire of Nillurnbik Planning Scheme Amendment C13 Heritage Assessments verandah (rebuilt?); six-pane double-hung sash windows; T&G bead-edge boarded ledged & braced door; and paling clad rooms added at verandah ends. A slab-clad large fireplace is at the north corner of the house, with a gsi upper cladding added and an internal lining of rubble stone. The rear facade is different construction, being drop-slab, and sits beneath a rear skillion addition to the main gabled form: this may be more recent construction. The house appears to have been once set up for public display and may have been recreated in part for that purpose. Outbuildings are reached by a track along the east side of the house, including what may have been a creamery (typical standard inter-war design clad with corrugated iron and lined with 1938 Lysaght Queens Head Australia galvanised sheet iron) and a paling clad gabled out-house. Timber outbuildings of differing eras are to the north-west of the house, with pole framing and paling infill construction and Redcliffe brand corrugated iron. Post and rail (front) and split paling (rear) fence remnants line the front boundary. Pepper trees part of house yard landscape49 born digital images (includes one panoramic stitch and nine frames from drone video)birch cottage, christmas hills, early settlers, edwin samuel birch, honor mary birch, john hill, watsons creek

Bendigo Advertiser "The way we were" from Thursday, May 5, 2005. Batter up: the Bendigo School of Mines baseball team of 1946. Front: J. Hutchinson, T. O'Toole, P. Birol, R. Watt, W. Bugg. Back: I. Aitken, I. Harrowfield, D. Bruce, A. Pane, M. Lefoe, K. Mitchell, M. McHale.newspaper, bendigo advertiser, the way we were

T. Browns Furniture Warehouse photo taken around c 1870's. Four people standing outside the front of the furniture warehouse. The two story building has two display windows divided into three panes. The entrance door is glass with five arch windows on the second story. The address is 113 Main Street Stawell, later the site of the Coles store.Photograph appears to be taken from an original sepia photo of T. Brown's Furniture Warehouse. The two story building has two display windows on the ground floor with four people standing on the footpath outside the building.T. Brown's Furniture Warehouse Ironmongers T. Brown's Timber Merchant stawell t. browns furniture warehouse business

Square wooden honour board with gold text, cut corners and a protrusion at the top with a simplified WHS logo and heading.JUNIOR HOUSE CAPTAINS YEAR OVENS KING MERRIWA WAREENA GIRLS BOYS GIRLS BOYS GIRLS BOYS GIRLS BOYS Jnr 1985 L. REID J. DOWLING M. FLYNN B. MARTIN J. FISHER J. BOULTON R. WARREN D. BARHAM Jnr 1986 K. DODSON C. LEWIS A. PLUMRIDGE J. HODSON J. FISHER J. ARCRI R. WARREN D. McDONALD Jnr 1987 S. SCHOLZ C. DERRICK T HEMPEL B. DERRICK M. WILLIAMSON M. DOBROWOLSKI J. BECHAZ S. CLAYTON Jnr 1988 K. McCORMACK A. CLARK M. IMRIE M. GREGORY J. O'FLYNN S. NORMAN M. HERTIC C. GOULD Jnr 1989 K. SOUTHERN L. SCHOLES D. McLAUGHLIN M. MOSCROP A. GREALY O. ROODENBURG H. NOLAN D. ILOTT Jnr 1990 J. SHERIDAN C. CLARK C. NORTON B. MORRIS G. WOODWARD D. PRESTON D. FRASCA A. ROSSER Jnr 1991 K. WELCH D. DEMAJ J. STEPHENS B. MORRIS K. JENKINSON P. FLYNN N. WILLIAMS A. ROSSER Jnr 1992 K. WELCH R. GRAHAM K. GLENISTER A. WISE L. REA D. FURNELL D. BIGGER R. JOHNSON Jnr 1993 R. STEFANIAC T. LEWIS C. HORN A. BARROW R. BARROW M. STAMP A. NOLAN A. WHOLERS Jnr 1994 B. SPASOJEVIC R. ROSSER M. CHILCOTT H. FULTON J. HARRISON S. HIBBERSON L. HILDEBRAND R. WOODWARD Jnr 1995 D. SMITHERAM D. FURSE M. CHILCOTT J. McCORMICK J. HARRISON D. CONSTANTINO S. KNOX A. BROWN Jnr 1996 D. SMITHERAM J. MULLINS K. DOUSSET J. FISHER K. GRAHAM S. CHALLMAN K. BREW D. OATES Jnr 1997 R. CONROY H. STAMP N. EVERITT M. BELL R. HOGARTH D. BREESE C. JONES J. DOODY Jnr 1998 J. MORONEY R. GLOVER L. RITCHENS T. LAMBERT E. BRIGGS J. PORTER M. DEFAZIO J. KIKER Jnr 1999 T. WINZER R. GLOVER K. GOODEY B. SOLIMO A. COOTE D. COOTE D. COLES J. USSHER K. KIKER Jnr 2000 A. POTTER S. GANNON K. WHEELER C. FURZE K. WHITE C. WHITE H. OLIVER A. SHELDRICK Jnr 2000 R. GILBERT R.GOLVER K. GOODEY B. SOLIMO G. JONES D. COLES A. NAISH C. DOUG Inter 2001 K. O'BRIEN S. GANNON K. WILLIAMS M. CONROY V. STEWART J. AMMITZBOLL H. OLIVER C. MANGUBAT Jnr 2002 J. BORDIGNON T. SORRAGHAN N. TAVARE M. ANDERSON B. KERLIN D. GAUT K. SURACE M. GLOVER Inter 2002 A. POTTER S. GANNON S. DAWS T. CHIVERS M. WATKINS D. MORGAN H. OLIVER J. PATRICK Jnr 2003 S. PENNY N. PORTER E. NEWMAN A. ROBERTSON S. McSWINEY B. REVELL K. SURACE B. McMILLAN Inter 2003 R. CLARKSON D. McCULLOUGH S. ANDERSON M. CONROY G. ATKINSON T. CROCKETT H. OLIVER D. SEYMOUR Jnr 2004 C. WESLEY R. STONE E. PANE J. DWYER G. BLANCH M. GATHERCOLE C. BODLER R. LUGG Inter 2004 A. VELJANOSKA D. McCULLOUGH N. TAVARE D. BAKKER E. HARRINGTON J. AMMITZBOLL M. BASSIER M. GLOVER Jnr 2005 E. KEIR J. PARTINGTON A. WESCOMBE J. SIRIANNI A. MARTIN R. ALLEN J. SCHULZ-BAHLEBURS D. SCOTT Inter 2005 J. ROBBINS T. STAFFORD E. PANE J. DWYER K. GRAHAM M. GATHERCOLE K. SURACE M. MACLEISH Jnr 2006 M. BRUCE S. ALDOUS H, PANE L. BRABAZON C. TYLER J. ANDERSON O. HUTCHINGSON B. MORTIMER Inter 2006 L. TINDILL J. DAVENPORT E. PANE D. MORGAN A. FULLER M. GATHERCOLE S. COOTE S. CARUSO DONATED BY P.A.S.T.A. 1988

Depicts names of Bandmen who served in the first and Second world warsTimber construction honor board with mantle on top and three panes containing names of bandsmen who served in world war one and two.1914 1918 Thompsons Foundry Band H Barry J R Bennett H S Carroll P Cowling J Emmott * F B Gaulton J E Gaulton V Ireland * W Lewis P C Mitchell S Mitchell S McDonald R J Odgers * W Plummer * H W Rasmussen H L Rasmussen A H Roberts * A Rodda D Ross H L Ross E Sexton G Scott J Scott R Scott 1939-1945 C G Beck F J Brady T L Cartwright R P Desmond K Kenyon E H Mills C Normington J H O'Connell G H Paull H L Rasmussen J S Verlin Killed in action * Presented by Mrs David Thompsonworld war 1, world war 2, mrs david thompson, h barry, j r bennett, hs carroll, p cowling, j emmott, f b gaulton, j e gaulton, v ireland, w lewis, p c mitchell, s mitchell, s mcdonald, r j odgers, w plummer, h w rasmussen, h l rasmussen, a h roberts, a rodda, d ross, h l ross, e sexton, g scott, j scott, r scott, c g beck, fj brady, t l cartwright, r p desmond, k kenyon, e h mills, c normington, j h o'connell, g h paull, js verlin, anzac

BHS CollectionBlack and white photographs (5) mounted on rectangular brown board. House, weatherboard on lower portion, top portion rendered, brick verandah columns and parapet, 2 chimneys, small rectangular panes in front windows, wooden slat fence. 59 Neale Street. On back of photos ' Geo Every £950' and 'Smith's, late Geo Every ( next Sheffields) Neale St .£950 (crossed out) £775, terms £300 deposit, sewered' 2012 photo of house attached to record.Frank A. Jeffree Bendigot c watts and son, 59 neale street bendigo, george every

BHS CollectionBlack and white photograph mounted on rectangular grey board. House, brick, porch, brick fence, small pane and lead light windows. 1 chimney. Decorative brickwork on verandah lintel and on brick fence. Stained glass windows. Written on back ' tapestry brick fireplace, dining room and kitchen, 117 Queen Street. Brick bungalow, built 1923, 5 rooms, vest, both 2 weatherboard sleep outs, toolshed, woodshed, workshop, garage, sewered. Through to King Street, 33'11 1/4' by 165'. Hot water service, electric copper, 22 points electricity, 8 power points, new gas , stainless ink, crockery cupboards, pedestal basin.t.c. watts & son, 117 queen street bendigo