Bushmen's Contingent, drawn mainly from Victorian Mounted Rifles, sailed for South Africa 10 march 1900.Framed print of officers of the Victorian Imperial Bushmen Contingent to the South African War 1899-1902. Captains Ham, Dobbins and Hill; Lieutenants McCulloch, Carstairs, Holdsworth, Strong, Trew, Gartside, Moore.vmr, boer war, south africa, victoria, bushmen, uniform

104 p.; 31 cmnon-fictionA sawmilling and tramway history of Gembrook 1885-1985 by Mike McCarthyphotos of mills, locomotives and employees

index, ill, maps, p.104.non-fictionA history of the tramways and sawmills of Gembrook 1885-1985timber tramways - australia - history, logging railroads -- victoria -- gembrook -- history.

Discovered in One Tree Hill Park, Bendigo whilst gold prospecting.Copper medallion etched with portrait of Queen Victoria on front, bushman on back. Front: “BRITISH TRANSVAL WAR 1899 - 1902” Back: “SUCCESS TO AUSTRALIAN IMPERIAL BUSHMEN 1902”medallion, memorabilia, boer war, bushmen

Hard cover with jacket 705 pages being the service record of the 3rd and 4th Victorian Bushmen Contingents in the Boer War with a brief biographical sketch of each\ man who served.To Joan Bennett, many thanks from the author and not forgetting Pte John Cameron (462) of The 4th Victorian Imperial Bushmen who served with distinction in South Africa 1900-1901. Signed 14/10/09 by Rob Droogleever.

The adults performing on the stage were staff members and parents from the Bulla Primary School. The event was the school concert which took place in 1988 at the Bulla Community Hall in Green Street. From their costumes they seemed to be performing a bush dance. A non-digital coloured photograph of six women dressed as bushmen dancing a folk dance on a stage with children seated on the floor in the front watching them.school concerts, bulla community centre., bulla primary school

John (Jack) Poppleton was a long-time Albury resident. It seems likely the medals were mounted after his death in 1962 and donated to the 8th/13th Victorian Mounted Rifles Regimental Collection.Collection of medals of an Albury citizen who served in a mounted unit in both the Boer War and WWI.Circular frame containing medal group: Queen's South African Medal with clasps: Transvaal and South Africa 1902; and 1914-15 Star, British War medal and Victory Medal awarded to John Thomas Poppleton a resident of Albury NSW for service in Boer War 1899-1902 and WWI 1914-1918.. Frame is plastic mock timber. Engraved plastic panel fixed to glass cover. 50 Tpr John Poppleton 3rd Imp Bushmen/ 1261 Tpr John Thomas Poppleton 7th LH Regt AIF/ 1880-1962poppleton, medal, albury, boer war, wwi

The Service Record of the 3rd and 4th Victorian Bushmen Contingents in the Boer War, with a brief biographical sketch of each man who served. Book, dark blue hard cover with light blue dust jacket. 705 pages. Photo on front cover of group of soldiers posing in front of a row of tents. Back cover has photos of a Boer War memorial and medals. Attached inside front cover is a list of Men from Bendigo in the Bushmen (37).Written on 1st page: 29.4.2010 Written on title page: With Compliments Robin Drougleever 23.4.1910books, military, army

Copies of newspaper articles copied from "The Evelyn Observer" with dates. Includes some news reports but mostly letters from soldiers. Names include W. J. Beard of Research E. Andrew of Eltham Private S. Harris (Kangaroo Ground, Queenstown and Kinglake) E. Payne (Whittlesea) W Reid of (Hazelglen) W. J. Capewell (Eltham)Various un-numbered pages held in place housed in yellow folder. Photo of soldier on a horse on the cover. No caption but probably Private/Trooper Shelley Harris of Kinglake, Bushmen's Corp. Boer Warevelyn observer, boer war, letters, world war 1

Brown wooden outer frame with gold inner boarder. Glass front, sepia photo mounted on grey background. Brown paper backing on frame. Depicts civilian giving directions to Bushmen mounted on horses, trees are in the background.Bushmans Contingent at Aspendale Park on route Langwarrin to South Africa. 'Stockings' troop horse No 5.photography-photographs, frame accessories

Bandolier was worn by Australian Horseman, Jacob Perry, Orbost farmer. Born 1874. Died 1950. He was a Boer War veteran , 4th Victorian Imperial Bushmen. a shire councillor and worker for school affairs.Jacob Perry was a prominent Orbost resident and this item is a reminder of his contribution to the defence of the Commonwealth.A leather Boer War bandolier with small pouches to hold bullets. Brass studs. Worn over the shoulder.bandolier perry-jacob boer-war ammunition arms

This book was initiated and compiled by Leanne Appleby with assistance from Sandra Livingstone and Brian Blakeman. After hearing some of the stories of the events that took place during these fires, Leanne Appleby decided that collating and recording the stories in book form would "perhaps relieve some of the tension and stress". Brian Blakeman as Community Development Officer, East Gippsland Shire, and Sandra Livingstone of Buchan became involved in the project.This is a historic record of events that took place during the 2003 bushfires in the Victoria High Plains.A 206 pp paperback book titled Flames across the Mountains. the front cover is representative of fire and lightning. In the centre is a background of bushfire and the silhouette of two mounted bushmen. The book contains personal accounts of the Bogong, Razorback and Pinnibar fires in East Gippsland, January 2003. It has both b/w and coloured photographs.bushfires reminiscences victorian-high-country

This trophy was won by H. Cumming, member of the Orbost Rifle Club. Harold Cumming was the son of William Cumming a Bete Bolong farmer who was a Shire councillor, a well-known local sportsman and a Rechabite. Jacob Perry was an Orbost farmer. Born 1874. Died 1950. He was a Boer War veteran , 4th Victorian Imperial Bushmen. a shire councillor and worker for school affairs.This trophy, in excellent condition, is aesthetically significant as well as having a well-provenanced historic significance. Harold Cumming was the son of William and Ellen (Mundy) Cumming who farmed land at Bete Bolong from c1880s. A silver plated trophy - a coffee pot - won by H. Cumming. It is an Orbost Rifle Club trophy - the Jacob Perry Memorial Trophy - 1954.O.R.C. JACOB-PERRY MEMORIAL TROPHY 1954 Won by H. Cummingorbost-rifle-club trophy cumming-h

This is a photograph of Councillor Jacob Perry who represented Central Riding in the Orboast Shire Council from 1928 - 1931. and from 1934 - 1944. He was president twice in 1934-1935 and 1943-1944 Jacob Perry was an Orbost farmer. Born 1874. Died 1950. He was a Boer War veteran , 4th Victorian Imperial Bushmen. He was a shire councillor and worker for school affairs.This item is associated with the Orbost Shire Council. The shire covered an area of 9,347 square kilometres and existed from 1892 until 1994 when it became part of the East Gippsland Shire Council. It is also associated with the Perry family early Orbost settlers.A black / white head and shoulders portrait photograph of a moustached man in a suit.on back - "Cr Jacob Perry J.P."perry-jacob orbost-shire-council

Camp ovens were used for cooking indoors and outdoors. They were used to perform a variety of tasks and to last forever.The use of dry sand moulds for casting the iron created a smoother surface. A more even surface meant more even contact points with food. The lid is close fitting.Used by people in the Kiewa Valley including campers, drovers, shearers, bushmen, miners and groups eg.scouts to cook food.Camp ovens originally named Dutch ovens were made from cast iron, were heavy and were developed in the Netherlands in the 1700s. Australian drovers, shearers, bushmen, campers and miners used the cast iron camp ovens. This one has legs and was used outside. The lid is slightly concave enabling coals from the cooking fire to be placed on top as well as below. This provides more uniform internal heat and lets the inside act as an oven. Formerly UKV 023cast iron oven, outdoor cooking

This is a hard covered book of 706 pages. The cover is blue with gold printing on the spine. The dust cover has an off white background with a photograph of some Boer War soldiers on the front and spine and colour photographs of medals, a shoulder badge and a war memorial on the back cover.The text is in two sections with eight parts in the first section and nine parts in the second section. The book contains many black and white photographs, maps and sketches and brief biographical notes on the soldiers who served in the military units described in the book. non-fictionThis is a history of the 3rd & 4th Victorian Bushman contingents who were sent to the Boer War in Afiruca.boer war, warrnambool

This book was used by Orbost Shire Council at the "Back to Orbost" celebrations in 1937 and again in 1963. The item was donated to Orbost & District Historical society from P.R.O.V. as a Place of Deposit (POD) item for safe keeping by a local history group or museum. The book was presented to the president, Jacob Perry, as a token of esteem and in appreciation of his interest and services to the movement. Jacob Perry was an Orbost farmer. Born 1874. Died 1950. He was a Boer War veteran , 4th Victorian Imperial Bushmen. He was a shire councillor and worker for school affairs. The book was used again on Friday, 8th March to Saturday, 16th March 1963.This item is a record of an early Orbost celebration and a useful reference tool.A green covered hard back visitors' book with a red spine and gold lettering on the front cover. It contains names and addresses and comments from those who attended the "Back to Orbost" celebrations in 1937 and in 1963. Entries have been hand-written in ink (1937) and biro (1963).On front in gold framed rectangle - "BACK TO ORBOST 27th FEBRUARY TO 6th MARCH 1937"visitors'-book back-to-orbost-celebrations perry-jacob

This is the Grass is Alan Marshall's sequel to his auto biography I Can Jump Puddles. First published in 1962, it tells the story of Marshall's adolescence, as he searches for work amid the rough and tumble of 1920s Melbourne. From Wallaby Creek in Donvale Shire where he boards with hard-drinking bushmen, to the slums of East Melbourne, his recollections bring to life a cast of colourful characters, each with his private tragedy. His narrative, encompassing the lived experience of ordinary men and women, is infused with Marshall's deep sense of humanity. Like its famous prequel, This is the Grass is a novel of immense courage, conveying rich insights into little-known aspects of Australia's past.Burgundy hardbackPencil: 1st Edition alan marshall

This book was awarded to Ewen Wanliss in 1891 for first prize for Greek in the VI form. Ewen enrolled at Ballarat College in 1888 at the age of 15 along with his brothers David, Cecil, Newton, Sydney and Neville. Ewen's father was Hon. T. D. Wanliss and his previous school was Toorak College IV class. The Wanliss family grew up in Wanliss House Sturt St, which was bought by the school in 1910. The house remained on the property until 1996. "Ewen Wanliss was born on 24th September 1873 and died in 1966. He was educated at Ballarat College, enrolled in1888, and was Captain of the College 1st XI and 1st XVIII in 1892. He served as 327 Pte E Wanliss, 4th (Imperial) Contingent, and as a Lieutenant (20th August 1900) with the 4th Imperial Bushmen in the South African War." (In the Footsteps of Pompey p. 14).Presbyterian educators placed great value on a classical education matched with diligence in study. Book prizes were highly regarded and academic success admired. In the school’s early years prizes were ordered direct from London and had the school crest embossed in gold on the front or back cover. Many of the prizes given in early years were returned to the school to equip the Weatherly Library when it opened in 1936.Bound in brown calf with gilt bordering on front and back cover and the college crest embossed on front cover. Six raised bands on spine with gilt lettering on red calf on the second compartment and gilt decoration on remaining compartments. End papers and page edges marbled. Black and white illustrations throughout, slight foxing on pages and slight detachment of spine. 474 p.Book plate inside front cover: ballarat college crest/ Greek/ VI Form./ First prize./ Awarded to/ E. Wanliss/ Christmas, 1891.ewen-wanliss, 1891, book-prize, ballarat-college, david, cecil, newton, sydney, neville, hon-t-d-wanliss, toorak-college, wanliss-house-sturt-st, south-african-war.

This book was awarded to Ewen Wanliss in 1892 for first prize for Mathematics & Classics in the Upper Sixth form. Ewen enrolled at Ballarat College in 1888 at the age of 15 along with his brothers David, Cecil, Newton, Sydney and Neville. Ewen's father was Hon. T. D. Wanliss and his previous school was Toorak College IV class. The Wanliss family grew up in Wanliss House Sturt St, which was bought by the school in 1910. The house remained on the property until 1996. "Ewen Wanliss was born on 24th September 1873 and died in 1966. He was educated at Ballarat College, enrolled in1888, and was Captain of the College 1st XI and 1st XVIII in 1892. He served as 327 Pte E Wanliss, 4th (Imperial) Contingent, and as a Lieutenant (20th August 1900) with the 4th Imperial Bushmen in the South African War." (In the footsteps of Pompey p. 14).Presbyterian educators placed great value on a classical education matched with diligence in study. Book prizes were highly regarded and academic success admired. In the school’s early years prizes were ordered direct from London and had the school crest embossed in gold on the front or back cover. Many of the prizes given in early years were returned to the school to equip the Weatherly Library when it opened in 1936.Bound in dark green calf with College emblem embossed on front cover and six raised bands on spine. The second band gilt inscribed and the remaining bands with gilt decoration. Marble end papers and edges. Foxing on pages, front cover detached, 446 p.Book plate inside front cover: Ballarat College emblem/ Mathematics & Classics/ Upper Sixth Form./ First Prize./ Awarded to/ E. Wanliss/ Christmas, 1892. ewen-wanliss, 1892, book-prize, ballarat-college, david, cecil, newton, sydney, neville, hon-t-d-wanliss, toorak-college, wanliss-house-sturt-st, south-african-war.

Small brown covered scrapbook with newsclipping written by William Robertson, and his handwritten corrections to the articles. Newsclips include poetry and articles on: Piggoreet, Captain Moonlight, Devil's Kitchen, Ballarat East Australian Natives' Association, A Total Eclipse, Ballarat Leads, Joe Mack Cricket, Trade Unionism, Jack Hewitt of Piggoreet, Astronomy, Golden Lake, Scientific Shearers, Eureka, Piggoreet Geological, Piggoreet Mining, Happy Valley, Exchequer Flat, Fairy's Fright, H.V. Mailboy, Shearers, Creswick, Geology of Smythesdale, Shearing in the 1890s, Piggoreet reunion, Scarsdale and Smythesdale, Scarsdale to Golden Lake, Derwent Jacks, Shanties Devil's Kitchen, Berringa Bushmen, Perseus, Kruger at Pitfield, Fires and Pitfield, Football Memories, Cambrian Hill, Theo Gribble, Jack Jones Pitfield, Risks at Pitfield, Superstition, Scarsdale, death notice for William Robertson's mother.On cover: "Wm Robertson 10 Young Street Ballarat East"andrew christie, mrs nimon, william christie, alec christie, grand trunk, cape clear, donald mclean's, alchemist co, john lynch, golden belt lead, paddy webb, annie rooney, kruger hanging, pitfield, boer war, napoleons, cambran hill, hiscocks, john winter, john jenkins, bonshaw, john bird, nintingbool, moppianum station, w.h. bird, david clarke, william hamilton, john clarke, benjamin j. scott, julius kleberger, m.a. weatherston, j.h. vaughan, a. reid, alfred william crow, p. young, george clarkson, a.w. crowe, william henderson, claud pender, a. garside, mount erip, alec crothers, communism, basalt, italian gully, john roberts, john browne, john crossthwaite, patrick mcgrath, newtown, john boyd, john bruce, william irwin, george hatfield, d. croswaite, grand trunk mine, golden horn, jubilee lode, woady yallock, springdallah, fairy glen lead, linton lead, south berry, banshee, wil-o-the wisps, forest creek, chewton, mount alexander, jim crow ranges, trawalla, j.g. roberts, carngham, german lead, scarsdale railway, great western, beaumont mine, north grenville, shearing, piggoreet reunion, scarsdale and smythesdale, scarsdale to golden lake, derwent jacks, shanties, devil's kitchen, berringa bushmen, perseus, kruger at pitfield, fires and pitfield, football memories, cambrian hill, theo gribble, jack jones pitfield, risks at pitfield, superstition, scarsdale, golden point lead outlet, frenchman's lead, trooper o'brogue, peroni, morelli, lucky woman's gully, william robertson, piggoreet, captain moonlight, devil's kitchen, ballarat east australian natives' association, total eclipse, ballarat leads, joe mack cricket, trade unionism, jack hewitt of piggoreet, astronomy, golden lake, scientific shearers, eureka, piggoreet geological, piggoreet mining, happy valley, exchequer flat, fairy's fright, h.v. mailboy, shearers, creswick, geology of smythesdale

In April 1999, Arthritis Foundation of Victoria staff travelled to Merbein, Sea Lake, and Mildura during National Arthritis Week (NAW). These visits were conceived as part of the Rural Access Project. This photo depicts a street view of a cenotaph, a covered wooden bench, and some directional road signs in Sea Lake, on route to Mildura. The cenotaph is dedicated to the memory of Trooper John Kiley (of the Victorian Imperial Battalion Bushmen, D Squardon). The wooden bench commemorates Councillor James Mudge. Both are located on Horace St (Calder Hwy), on the corner of Best St, Sea Lake. In the foreground, there is a directional road sign indicating 'CALDER HIGHWAY' and directions to various nearby towns. A larger road sign indicates the route to the town of Mildura. At that time, the Sea Lake District War Memorial had not yet been erected, but it now stands between the cenotaph and the wooden bench. The Sea Lake Visitor Information Centre is currently located on the property next door.COL photo of some directional road signs, a cenotaph, and a wooden bench with an overhead shelter on a paved area next to a building. In the foreground, one directional sign indicates 'CALDER HIGHWAY' and directions to various locations nearby, such as: 77 WYCHEPROOF; OUYEN (partially obscured); 33 LASCELLES; and SWAN HILL 77. A larger green directional sign indicates Route A79 to the town of Mildura.arthritis foundation of victoria, afv, rural access project, outreach, street signs, road signs, directional signs, war memorial, cenotaph, trooper john kiley, commemorative bench, cr james mudge, horace st, best st, sea lake, 1999

Soon after the outbreak of World War Two, the British Government requested experienced forestry soldiers from Australia, New Zealand and Canada to be deployed in France as part of the British Expeditionary Force. The first Forestry Company (2/1) was based in Sydney with men from NSW, Queensland and South Australia, led by Captain Cyril Richard Cole, a professional forester from the Australian Capital Territory. The second Forestry Company (2/2) included many Forests Commission staff, local sawmillers and experienced bushmen from Victoria, WA and Tasmania including veterans of the First World War. They were led by Captain Andrew Leonard (Ben) Benallack, a graduate from the Victorian School of Forestry in 1922. Both Forestry Companies sailed from Fremantle on the Stratheden in late May 1940 and landed in England not long after the evacuation of Dunkirk. The foresters were recalled to Australia at the insistence of Prime Minister John Curtin in late 1943 because of the War in the Pacific. After reequipping and some refresher training in jungle warfare at Kapooka the 2/2 Forestry Company was deployed to Lae in Papua New Guinea in May 1944. This photograph was probably taken in Australia before deployment to PNG.Photo in wooden frame of Royal Australian Engineers Forestry Company

Before the construction of the Wodonga Municipal Saleyards which opened in 1935, there were four private saleyards which operated in Wodonga. They were owned by Gippsland & Northern Co-Operative Co. Ltd., Dalgety & Co., New Zealand Loan & Mercantile Agency Co. Ltd. and Younghusband Ltd. When Mrs Julia Ronan nee Arundel lost her husband John to tuberculosis in 1906, she quickly decided to move from their small farm into Wodonga with her 3 children. She was granted the lease of the ground she needed to establish her eating house at one shilling per year in a shed on the Dalgety's saleyard block. Two established merchants Albert Schlink and John Whan and butcher Jack Garrett agreed to allow her credit which enabled her to open Ronan's Dining Rooms at the Saleyards. It was often a challenging environment, with drovers, and horse- breakers, auctioneers and bushmen bringing huge mobs of cattle and horses to the saleyards. Stories of the premises include the unexpected arrival in the passage of a lively bullock which finished up on the girls' bed. Mrs Ronan persevered and beat all obstacles to finally move from the saleyards to the Wodonga Coffee Palace in High Street, beside the railway gates in 1921.This item is significant because it captures one of the private saleyards which operated prior to the establishment of the Wodonga Municipal Saleyards.A black and white image of the sale yards at Wodonga c1907 with the dining room operated by Mrs Ronan on the right.Beneath image: View of Wodonga Mrs Ronan's Dining c1907 Wodonga Sale site, Corner Elgin (Melbourne Road) and Smythe Street, replaced by Municipal Saleyards in 1935. Photo: Bob Prentice, Donated by Mrs Val Phefleywodonga saleyards, mrs julia ronan

Russel's Mill was located in what is now Bunyip State Park on the Back (or Black Snake) Creek in a relatively clear, flat area beside Ash Landing Road. In 1926 EAC Russel built the mill's 3ft gauge steel rail tramway - with Old Bill's Timber Tractor - to transport timber from the sawmill to what is now Puffing Billy's line. It ran 14 km from Gembrook Station. This tramway was one of only five in the state to use articulated steam power. The Timber Tractor was a six-wheeled Day's model, two of which ran on the Timber Tramway alongside two locomotives - a Kerr Stuart 0-4-2T (which was not powerful enough to do the job) and a geared locomotive built by Day's. The tractors were likely in use until 1953. This photograph, taken by H. Russell, shows relatively normal operation of one of the tractors in the mid-1930s, moving two wagons of processed timber towards Gembrook. Interestingly, the frontmost wagon also appears to be carrying several pieces of furniture. This is a photograph of the book "Bellbrakes, Bullocks & Bushmen: A Sawmilling and Tramway History of Gembrook 1885–1985," by Mike McCarthy. This book is also in our collection, as VEMU1479.Russel's sawmill, through its associated tramway, contributed to keeping the line which is now Puffing Billy running commercially thanks to the quantities of timber it needed to transport. While it has not been operational for a long time, the timber tramway and its rail tractors occupy a significant place in the region's railway history.This item is a photograph of a book, capturing a black and white photograph that was printed in the book and the accompanying printed caption. The photograph features a rail tractor, moving two tractors filled with cut timber. The background is forested and there is vegetation along the line. There appear to be several unclear pieces of furniture on top of the timber in the frontmost wagon.Obverse, Caption in Photographed Book: Top Right: "Down the Black Snake 49" Bottom Right: "Removing furniture from / the bush was not a problem / although the french polish- / ing may have suffered! / Russell's tractor near Gem- / brook in the mid 1930s. / Photo: H. Russel"railway, gembrook, forestry

Small black enamelled cast iron tobacco cutter mounted on wooden base. K36 painted on the bottom. Letter located in correspondence file ( 21.5.2019 by curator) 'This cutter was used to cut plug tobacco suitable for smoking in a pipe. It belonged to John Temple Rileywo died at the age of 97 at Hobart, Tasmania, October 1970. John Temple Riley led an eventful life. As a youth he trained and rode race horses at the Higginbotham stables quite near the Morphetville racecourse. He won one South Australian St. Ledger and rode the famous Carbine at track training only. In 1967 he was the only living person who had been astride Carbine. He served in Africa with the Tasmanian Imperial Bushmen. He was a sergeant in the Australian Light Horse Regiment in the Egyptian and Eastern Desert and at Gallipoli. He won an Italian decoration as well as Australian citations, he was promoted to Lieutenant J.H. Riley. He met with success in the mining field with his tin strike at Heemskirk on the West Coast.' Written by M.M. Stone, Shelbourne, 3463, via Maldon.personal effects, smoking accessories, tobacco cutter, small tobacco cutter, smoking

When Mrs Julia Ronan nee Arundel lost her husband John to tuberculosis in 1906, she quickly decided to move from their small farm into Wodonga with her 3 children. She was granted the lease of the ground she needed to establish her eating house at one shilling per year in a shed on the Dalgety's saleyard block. Two established merchants Albert Schlink and John Whan and butcher Jack Garrett agreed to allow her credit which enabled her to open Ronan's Dining Rooms at the Saleyards. It was often a challenging environment, with drovers, and horse- breakers, auctioneers and bushmen bringing huge mobs of cattle and horses to the saleyards. Stories of the premises include the unexpected arrival in the passage of a lively bullock which finished up on the girls' bed. Mrs Ronan persevered and beat all obstacles to finally move from the saleyards to the Wodonga Coffee Palace in High Street, beside the railway gates in 1921. The construction of the Hume Weir had begun and some construction workers boarded at the Coffee Palace. Her 3 children achieved success due to their mother’s hard work to ensure their futures. Bill trained for the priesthood and was a parish priest, but died from tuberculosis 1n 1939 aged of 41. Katie became a highly accomplished music teacher, including 32 years at Albury Public School. In the 1930s she was able to buy a house at 49 High Street, Wodonga where she lived with her mother and sister Mary. Mary trained in office work at Edmondson’s solicitors and then worked on the Albury Council. After living with her daughters in the High Street house, Julia passed away on her 90th birthday in 1958. Mary died on 6 January 1983. Katie passed away in Wodonga at the age of 97 on the 16 September 1996. All members of the family are buried at Yackandandah, Victoria.A black and white image of Miss Mary Ronan, Mrs Julia Ronan and Miss Teresa Trudewind at the Old Saleyards Dining Room, Wodonga.On front of building: DINING ROOMS/ MRS. J. RONANmrs. ronan, dining rooms wodonga sale yards, wodonga businesses, wodonga pioneers

These images capture for all time Light Horsemen travelling through Geelong on their way to camp at Torquay for the last Group meeting in Australia . information following - details obtained from .........https://torquayhistory.com/light-horse-brigade/ On Australia Day, 1997, Sir John Young unveiled this plaque on Point Danger, Torquay. Torquay history, Light Horse Training Camp, WW2 Plaque at Pt. Danger Note----- (See images to view plaque) The plaque identifies a significant event in Torquay’s history and the sentiments of ‘change’ for the Light Horse Brigade – from horses to machines. In 1940 the four Light Horse Regiments (4th, 8th, 13th and 20th), some 5000 Light Horse and 2000 horses camped and trained at Torquay. Three other regiments, formerly mounted on horses, were also at Torquay ‘mounted’ on privately owned trucks and cars. Division troops included Artillery, Engineers, Signals, Field Ambulance and other branches of the Army necessary to enable a Division to function. It wasn’t just the sheer numbers of men coming to this little town that made the event significant, it was also the fact that the men of the Light Horse were dramatic, almost glamorous figures and it is easy to see their exploits as some splendid adventure. Horses have played a special role in the story of Australia. They were the only means of transport across this huge country, so it was necessary for everyone to have the ability to ride a horse. When war broke out in 1899 between Britain and the Boers of South Africa (“Boer” was Dutch for “farmer”) Australia sent troops to fight. At first Britain was wary of using untried, unprofessional colonial cavalrymen but soon saw that the slouch-hatted Australian “bushmen” were a match for the fast-moving and unconventional mounted commandos of the Boers. The Australians proved themselves to be expert rough-riding horsemen and good shots. Bush life had hardened them to go for long periods with little food and water. They also showed remarkable ability to find their way in a strange country and use its features for cover, in both attack and defence. By 1914, when Australia joined the war against Germany, there were 23 Light Horse regiments of militia volunteers. Many men from these units joined the Light Horse regiments of the Australian Imperial Force (AIF). Men were given remounts (if not using their own horses) – army horses bought by Commonwealth purchasing officers from graziers and breeders. These were called “walers” because they were a New South Wales stockhorse type – strong, great-hearted animals with the strains of the thoroughbred and semi-draught to give them speed, strength and stamina. On 1st November, 1914, Australia’s First Infantry Division and the first four Light Horse regiments sailed for England in a fleet of transport ships. The first of the Light Horse arrived at Gallipoli in May without their horses. Back with their horses after Gallipoli, they were formidable combatants across the Sinai and Palestine. Some British commanders observed that the light horseman moved with a “lazy, slouching gait, like that of a sleepy tiger” but described how the promise of battle “changes that careless gait, into a live athletic swing that takes him over the ground much quicker than other troops”. They had Light Horse, Torquay, training campdeveloped a reputation as formidable infantrymen. The Turks called them “the White Ghurkas” – a reference to their deadly skill with the bayonet. The Arabs called them “The Kings of the Feathers”. The plume had originally been a battle honour of the Queensland Mounted Infantry for their work in the shearer’s strike of 1891. During WW1 it was adopted by almost all the Light Horse Regiments. It was the proud badge of the light horseman. The most famous of their battles was the attack on Beersheba- the charge of the 4th Light Horse Brigade. Mounted infantrymen and their superb walers had carried out one of the most successful cavalry charges in history – against what seemed impossible odds. They surprised the Turks by charging cavalry-style, when they would normally have ridden close to an objective then dismounted to fight. The fall of Beersheba swung the battle tide against the Turks in Palestine; and changed the history of the Middle East. While 19 men from the Surf Coast Shire served with the 4th Light Horse over the course of WW1, only four were involved in the charge of Beersheba- John GAYLARD, Philip QUINN.(Winchelsea); Wallace FINDLAY (Anglesea); Harry TRIGG (Bambra). After the war, Light Horse units played a key role in the Australian Government’s compulsory military training programme. The Citizen Military Forces (C.M.F.) thrived on the glamour of the wartime Light Horse tradition, ignoring the possibility that motor vehicles would soon replace the horses. When training was no longer compulsory, the C.M.F. regiments declined and horses became more of a luxury during the 1930s depression years of poverty and unemployment. Some regiments were motorised. Then, in 1939, Australia joined Britain in another world war. Training was increased for the militia at both home bases and regional training camps. The camp at Torquay in 1940, commanded by Major General Rankin, was at Divisional strength. By the end of the camp some felt that the Division was ready for active service. Gradually, over the next four years, the Australian Light Horse units were mounted on wheels and tracks and the horses were retired. Six men enlisted at the Torquay camp and another 57 men and women enlisted at Torquay for service in WW2. Those who served in the Militia provided valuable Officers and NCOs and men for the armed services during the war. Each infantry division of the 2nd AIF had a Light Horse regiment attached to it. But the day of the Australian mounted soldier hadn’t quite passed. During World War II, Australia’s 6th Cavalry Regiment formed a mounted unit they called “The Kelly Gang” which did valuable scouting work. In New Guinea, a mounted Light Horse Troop did patrol duty and helped carry supplies. Some fully equipped walers were flown into Borneo for reconnaissance in rugged mountain country. But by the end of the war, in 1945, the horse had disappeared from the Australian Army. References: Australian Light Horse Association www.lighthorse.org.au National Australia Archives Australian War Memorial Surf Coast Shire WW1 memorials www.togethertheyserved.com The Light horse- a Cavalry under Canvas Light Horse, Training Camp, Torquay, WW2 Late in 1939 it was decided to set up a Lighthorse training camp in Torquay to train both men and horses for the battles of the Second World War. Horses, men and equipment came on special trains from all over Victoria and NSW, and as you would expect horseman came from areas such as Omeo and Sale, the Wimmera and the Western District. They arrived at the Geelong racecourse for watering in the Barwon River and then were ridden across the ford at the breakwater and began their 11 mile trek to Torquay. Light Horse, Training Camp, Torquay, WW2 Tent city By the end of January 1940 the camp at Torquay accommodated some 5000 men and 2500 horses of the Second Cavalry Division. The rows of horses, tents and huts near Blackgate Road were quite a sight. While the cavalrymen engaged in exercises on the land and on the beaches, many of the troops took over the Torquay School for special training of men and officers. Mr Bob Pettit local farmer and Councillor for the Barrabool Shire, wrote about the Light horse in the Surf Coast Community News in 1985 saying “They used to travel about the district riding four abreast in one long convoy. To my annoyance they went through my property and shut all the gates behind them. I had certain gates open to let stock in to the water holes and it would take me three -quarters of an hour to follow the horsemen up and put all the gates right again” he continued “the men from the Light Horse were here when the fire went through in March 1940. He recalled an incident when early one morning, as some one blew the bugle, a soldier putting a white sheet on the line frightened the horses. They panicked and ran off in all directions. Six went over the cliff near Bird Rock, five were never found, and the rest were gathered up after nearly a fortnight in the bush around Addiscott and Anglesea" Light Horse, Training Camp, Torquay, WW2, Geelong Parade Geelong parade The training camp culminated in a parade through the streets of Geelong on March 12th 1940. The salute was given at the Town Hall and the troops continued on a route to the You Yang’s for a training exercise. Note-----(see media section for photograph) The Camp was abandoned in mid 1940 as it was deemed unsuitable for training during winter and the cost of a permanent camp could not be justified if it could not be used all year. Historic.......Rare,,,Interpretive.Sepia photographs.set of four ....post card size ....Horses &LighthorsemenNo 1, Lighthorsemen Regiment Geelong 1940......No 2 Light Horse at Breakwater Geelong 1938 to 1940....No 3 Light Horse at Breakwater Geelong 1938 to 1940.....No 4 Light Horse crossing Breakwater camped at Geelong Showgrounds. These markings are on reverse of photographs.light horsemengeelong 1940., world war 2