Pickwick Clubs were established around the world in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, inspired by the first novel of Charles Dickens. A Kew branch was formed in 1897 and lasted until c.1912. Its membership was drawn from a number of notable Kew families. The club published two booklets, the first in 1904 and the second in 1912. In addition to holding meetings, club members performed in productions of Shakespearian plays in the Recreation Hall in Wellington Street Kew. Members of the club adopted pseudonyms based on characters in Dickens' novels.Literary publication of of artistic (literary) significance recording the social and cultural activities of a group of residents of Kew and its environs that operated from 1897 to c.1912. Copies of volume 1 are held by the State Libraries of Queensland and New South Wales.Contents of The Pickwick Portfolio, Vol.1, No.1 - Frontispiece [Illustration] Pickwick Portfolio / Mark Tapley (Alice Bale); Foreword / Mantalini (Mr A. Barlow); D. Copperfield (Mr H. Brown); Sonnet to celebrate Pickwick Club's birthday's eight and to congratulate it on its happy fate / John Jarndyce (Mr G. Bell); A new planet / Mikawber (Mr H. Mollard); The melancholy heart / Samuel Weller (Mr P. Vines); Time / Florence Dombey (Miss C. Turner); A day in Japan / Miss Moucher (Dr G. Halley); His yellow affability / Mark Tapley (Alice Bale); A tragedy / N. Nickleby (Mrs J.T. Dill, nee Miss Pullar); Bill Sykes [Illustration] / (Micawber (Mr H. Mollard); The norseman's song / Pickwick (Rev W. Slack); The maker of the soul / Squeers (Mr N. Brown); Glory / Jingle (Mr H.M. King); My first conquest / Agnes Wickfield (Miss A. Vines); The mosquito / D. Copperfield (Mr H. Brown); The blind baggage / Mantlini (Mr A. Barlow); The Pickwick Tree [Illustration] / Mark Tapley (Alice Bale); The freedom of life / Toots (Mr W. Shum)fictionthe pickwick club - kew, literary clubs, pickwick clubs, charles dickens

Two items about the Attwood Family: A seventeen page computer typed copy of the memories of John Attwood, compiled by Colin Smith in January 2002. Includes memories of his childhood, contact and impressions of local identities including Merric Boyd and others; the retailers and business owners in the Murrumbeena area, the trains and railway stations, picture theatres and other businesses. A photocopy of an article taken from the Herald Sun newspaper 06/11/2007. Myra Attwood, wife of John, local business person in Murrumbeena Newsagency; includes brief local history of family and Myra’s personal hobbies, till the time of her death. Also a newspaper clipping of her death notice, unknown source and date.emily street, murrumbeena, elsternwick, railway stations, signal boxes, beena avenue, murrumbeena state school, primary schools, attwood john, attwood myra, attwood rhonda, attwood colin, attwood warren, attwood murray, attwood janine, attwood susan, attwood michael, attwood greg, attwood gerard, black bridge, outer circle railway, murrumbeena newsagency, newsagents, murrumbeena railway station, railway stations, book binders, stevens alf, sykes harold, attwood motors, neerim road, boyd merric, boyd mrs., timber houses, outbuildings, artists, trains, car parks, christie’s woodyard, ferguson cam, railway accidents, ardyne street, north road, dalny road, brett street, barnes family, newspapers, roads and streets, soils, flower growing, market gardens, world war 1939-1945, land subdivisions, air raid precautions, bicycles, drawing, springthorpe park, mass media, murrumbeena shopping centre, butcher shops, grocer shops, green grocers, shoe shops, confectionary shops, barber shops, beck george, bowyer ralph, rennie bill, bookmakers, presbyterian church, methodist church, hanna’s milk bar, sunday school, woodland bill, ssw grocery chain, drays, woodland alec, lee ron, jewellers, bakeries, fish shops, dressmakers, delicatessens, east bentleigh, selkrigs family, pottery, heads’ garage, head lindsay, head doug, head clarry, head ron, murrumbeena road, car retailers, petrol pumps, motor vehicle repair shops, billy one motors, bird mr., real estate agents, w.b. tonks and company, sparrow mr., pidgeon mr., hardware stores, florist shops, murrumbeena post office, tile shops, gardens, murrumbeena chamber of commerce, kiosks, gardeners, carnegie citizens band, spurway nursing home, argosy theatre, cinemas, dance halls, the capri, theatre groups, caulfield council, the blowfly train service, billiard rooms, printers, hammond olsen and company, l.j. miles and company, moody’s real estate agency, paddocks, flats, es&a bank murrumbeena, esanda bank murrumbeena, state savings bank murrumbeena, commonwealth bank murrumbeena, fuel merchants, hobart road, golden fleece service station, quince’s buses, bus services, ardyne street, timber yard, gow mr., railway parade, shell service station, pharmecies, house miss, bicycle shops, barnhill les mr., fliner mr., boot makers, widdop peter, moran and cato’s, grocers, pizza shop, car yards, classic caravan, o’brien kevin, wrought iron work, williams mr., candle making factory, lights, power tom, gates, fences, whitelaw monier tiles, whitelaw bill, hanna rex, dandenong road, cumloden grammar school, independent schools, emmaus rest house, oakdene, house names, taranto bob, hanson cab service, billy one motors, grey mr., horse troughs, horse drawn vehicle, taxis, board roy, buick cars, charleston’s bakery, carnegie, rosstown hotel, corum’s dairy, kangaroo road, reids dairy, dalny road, reid shaver, racehorses, cove’s dairy, wilson street, police, murrumbeena police station, dunoon street, murrumbeena park, footballers, gangs, liberal party, labour party, united australian party, uap, woodland alec, liquor shops, johnson suzanne, singers, taylor squizzy, boyd family, artists, criminals, skase christopher, skase charles, sunaria competition, herald and weekly times, ralph j.w., j.h. ralph butchers, butcher shops, pennington gardens, home units, flats, schrape frank, builder, smith colin, mansions, death registers, hockley myra, esperanto, book keepers, accountants, solicitors