One of a pair of settlers homes on the property of the Cameron Family, Watts Road, Ventnor. built about 1880.Photograph of two houses at Cameron property, Ventnor. One intact - the other in ruins. Built of corrugated iron.local history, photographs, buildings - historic, coloured photograph, john cook, phillip island, cameron's settlers homes

Poduced as a supplement to the Diamond Valley News in celebration of the centenary of the Shire of Eltham in 1971. Contains stories of historical note about people and places of the shire as well as numerous advertisng by local businsesses. Also on page 1 lists the program of events commencing Friday, April 2 commencing with a dinner and previewing of paintings by Justus Jorgensen at Montsalvat attended by the Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. W. H. McMahon running through to the publication of Pioneers & Painters edited by Alan Marshall. Contents: Page 1 Program of Events Page 2 Wingrove . . man of Eltham Page 3 Council people of 100 years Page 5 Capt. Sweeney, Eltham’s first Irish settler Page 6 Station a tribute to ex-concillor Page 7 Eltham 25 Years Ago just a street Page 9 Kangaroo Ground – once the hub of the shire Page 10 Festival of Arts and Crafts at Montsalvat Page 11 Obelisk honours their memory Page 11 Henry Dendy – an Eltham venture Page 12 Free by rail – if they worked Page 12 The long shadow of Ween Cameron Page 13 McMahon’s – a momentous era Page 14 50 Years Ago . . . Lyon Bros Ford Page 15 Beer at 3d. a pint Page 17 Oldest Home Built in 1850 Page 19 History in black and white . . . . Page 20 Historical Pigeon Bank Page 22 Bridge over log crossing Page 22 Pioneer shot by outlaw Page 23 Milestone for Smith Family Page 24 The Eltham Chamber of Commerce Mardi Gras Advertisers: F.J. & R. Favier (Butcher & Delicatessen Lower Plenty) Eltham Hotel Country Art Store (Eltham) A.R. Warren (Eltham) Heidelberg Travel Service Williams Butcher (Lower Plenty) Greensborough Bulk Store Mac’s Meats (Eltham) Buxton Garden Ornaments (Eltham) Hugh Fisher Photographer (Eltham) Para (Mach. Trading Co. (Greensborough) Westfield Shoppingtown (Doncaster) Clinton’s (Eltham) Gillespie & Lewis P/L (Soft Furnishings Greensborough) T. Hutchinson’s Engineers (Greensborough) Knox & Hellemons Pty Ltd (Builders) Angliss Butchers (Eltham) Rainbow Real Estate (Research) Research Licensed Supermarket Gibsons Research Meat Supply Owen Holmes Motors (Greensborough) Research Pharmacy R. & P. Humphries Delicatessen (Eltham) Montsalvat Eltham Apex Mowerama (Eltham) R.H. Dean & Son Real Estate (Greensborough) L.J. & J.D. Avery Butchers (Eltham) Deylen & Torikov (Motor Engineers Eltham) George Lovitt & Co. Pty Ltd Precision Engineers and Toolmakers Montmorency) Fred’s Mower Repairs (Lower Plenty) Gray’s Milk Bar (Montmorency) Maranne Beauty Salon (Montmorency) Evans Bros. & Newell Pty Ltd (Printing Greensborough) La Ronde Restaurant (Eltham) Terry & Margaret’s Garage (Caltex Lower Plenty) Kevin Dawson Building & Joinery Contractors (Eltham) Montmorency Authorised Newsagency Eltham Produce Store (W.J. Cameron) Consolidated Aluminium (Aust.) Pty Ltd (Eltham) Briar Hill Timber & Trading Co. Pty Ltd Diamond Valley Coaches (Eltham) Lyon Bros Ford (Eltham) The Natural Development Association (Eltham Shire) Alan Whitmore R.E.S.I. (Eltham) Keith Wilkie’s Mensland (Montmorency) Eltham Home Supplies (Eltham) Safeway (Greensborough) Lower Plenty Fish Supply Blue Gum Milk Bar (Eltham) W. Hutchinson Sand Soil & Gravel Suppliers (Greensborough) Keyzers Milk Bar (Greensborough) P.J. Timber & Trading Pty Ltd (Eltham) Diamond Valley Motocycles (Honda Macleod) Neville F. Emerson Real Estate (Lower Plenty) Edon Engineering (Eltham) Mobil Service Centre (Eltham) C.A. & J.M. Kohlman (Panton Hill General Store) C.A. & J.M. Kohlman (Smiths Gully General Store) ANZ (Eltham) Diamond Valley Demolition (Eltham) Volkswagen Specialists (D. Young Greensborough) N.F. Thorpe Pty Ltd Precision Engineers (Briar Hill) Ashley’s Milk Bar (Montmorency) J. Turnbull (General Blacksmith Greensborough) Airlook Service Station (Montmorency) A. & L. Mallios (Grocer Hurstbridge) United Refrigeration Pty Ltd (Greensborough) Peter McDougall & Associates Real Estate (Eltham) Hurstbridge Bus & Taxi Service Pty Ltd Browne Bros. Safeway (Eltham) St Andrews Hotel Eltham Real Estate Pty Ltd Eltham Chamber of Commerce B.P. Evergreen Service Station (Eltham) A.R. Warren Fuel Merchant (Eltham) W. Penna Chemist (Eltham) PPH Produce Paint Hardware (Eltham) Eltham Cake Kitchen (Eltham) Fred Ramak Continental Hairdresser (Eltham) Clinton’s (Eltham) Thompson’s Pharmacy (Eltham) Tillings Timber Supermarket (Eltham) Lyon Bros Ford (Eltham) Bob Clarke’s Men’s Wear (Eltham) Eltham Glen Service Station (Eltham) Miss V. Rampton Naturopath (Eltham) Eltham South Milk Bar (Eltham) Eltham Jewellers (Eltham) Baines Supa-Valu Supermarket (Eltham) Sibbel Builders P/L (Eltham) G. & E. Reivers Fly and Shower Screens (Eltham) Kenton Shoeland (Eltham) Eltham Newsagency (Eltham)One copy marked '1971' on fronta. & l. mallios (grocer hurstbridge), a.r. warren (eltham), a.r. warren fuel merchant (eltham), airlook service station (montmorency), alan whitmore r.e.s.i. (eltham), angliss butchers (eltham), anz (eltham), ashley’s milk bar (montmorency), b.p. evergreen service station (eltham), baines supa-valu supermarket (eltham), blue gum milk bar (eltham), bob clarke’s men’s wear (eltham), briar hill timber & trading co. pty ltd, browne bros. safeway (eltham), buxton garden ornaments (eltham), c.a. & j.m. kohlman (panton hill general store), c.a. & j.m. kohlman (smiths gully general store), clinton’s (eltham), consolidated aluminium (aust.) pty ltd (eltham), country art store (eltham), deylen & torikov (motor engineers eltham), diamond valley coaches (eltham), diamond valley demolition (eltham), diamond valley motocycles (honda macleod), edon engineering (eltham), eltham apex, eltham cake kitchen (eltham), eltham chamber of commerce, eltham glen service station (eltham), eltham home supplies (eltham), eltham hotel, eltham jewellers (eltham), eltham newsagency (eltham), eltham produce store (w.j. cameron), eltham real estate pty ltd, eltham south milk bar (eltham), evans bros. & newell pty ltd (printing greensborough), f.j. & r. favier (butcher & delicatessen lower plenty), fred ramak continental hairdresser (eltham), fred’s mower repairs (lower plenty), g. & e. reivers fly and shower screens (eltham), george lovitt & co. pty ltd precision engineers and toolmakers montmorency), gibsons research meat supply, gillespie & lewis p/l (soft furnishings greensborough), gray’s milk bar (montmorency), greensborough bulk store, heidelberg travel service, hugh fisher photographer (eltham), hurstbridge bus & taxi service pty ltd, j. turnbull (general blacksmith greensborough), keith wilkie’s mensland (montmorency), kenton shoeland (eltham), kevin dawson building & joinery contractors (eltham), keyzers milk bar (greensborough), knox & hellemons pty ltd (builders), l.j. & j.d. avery butchers (eltham), la ronde restaurant (eltham), lower plenty fish supply, lyon bros ford (eltham), mac’s meats (eltham), maranne beauty salon (montmorency), miss v. rampton naturopath (eltham), mobil service centre (eltham), montmorency authorised newsagency, montsalvat, mowerama (eltham), n.f. thorpe pty ltd precision engineers (briar hill), neville f. emerson real estate (lower plenty), owen holmes motors (greensborough), p.j. timber & trading pty ltd (eltham), para (mach. trading co. (greensborough), peter mcdougall & associates real estate (eltham), pph produce paint hardware (eltham), r. & p. humphries delicatessen (eltham), r.h. dean & son real estate (greensborough), rainbow real estate (research), research licensed supermarket, research pharmacy, safeway (greensborough), shire of eltham centenary, sibbel builders p/l (eltham), st andrews hotel, t. hutchinson’s engineers (greensborough), terry & margaret’s garage (caltex lower plenty), the natural development association (eltham shire), thompson’s pharmacy (eltham), tillings timber supermarket (eltham), united refrigeration pty ltd (greensborough), volkswagen specialists (d. young greensborough), w. hutchinson sand soil & gravel suppliers (greensborough), w. penna chemist (eltham), westfield shoppingtown (doncaster), williams butcher (lower plenty), a. roy ford, a.g. thomas, agnes bell, albert h. price, andrew ross, anton w. brinkkotter, arthur brindley, b. bessant, b.w. plant, bell family, charles wingrove, culla hill, dave lyon, david w. bell, e.j. andrew, edwin smith, eltham court house, eltham obelisk, ewen hugh cameron, f.e. griffith, f.v. squire, frank mcmahon, george green, george stebbing, h. eric rundle, harold e. bartlett, henry dendy, henry hurst, henry stooke, herbert a. davies, herbert hewitt, i.g. smedley, j.a. mcdonald, jack baker, jack williams, james k. brice, james rossiter, john lyon, john s. smedley, justus jorgensen, kangaroo ground, larry burke, martin mcmahon, menzies jackson, mott family, mrs andrew, mrs harper, p. harmer, p.j. lester, patrick joseph mcmahon, r.j. galbraith, robert burke, robert charles harris, rosehill, s. willey, shillinglaw cottage, shire of eltham war memorial tower, thomas sweeney, tiny carroll, tom orford, w.b. thomas, william morris

In 1848, Francis Rogerson form Dumfriesshire, Scotland purchased 80 acres of land at Kangaroo Ground on which he built a two-roomed bark hut. He named the property afterr the many Bronzewings and Wonga Pigeons in the area. Ewen Hugh Cameron moved to Pigeon Bank the same year he was elected to Parliament as the Member for Evelyn. At the time he moved in, Pigeon Bank had six rooms and the present water well. He made further extensive additions and lived there until his death in 1915. Covered under Heritage Overlay, Nillumbik Planning Scheme. Published: Nillumbik Now and Then /​ Marguerite Marshall 2008; photographs Alan King with Marguerite Marshall.; p27 Pigeon Bank, on the Kangaroo Ground – Warrandyte Road, Kangaroo Ground, is one of the Shire’s oldest farm dwellings, and has been home to some of the district’s earliest and most distinguished families. Although close to the road, the white weatherboard Victorian farmhouse is ensured privacy by the trees and hedges around it. On 4.8 hectares of farmland, Pigeon Bank is surrounded by rolling hills, farmland and bush, the peace of which is punctuated by an occasional birdcall. Pigeon Bank’s first owner was Francis Rogerson, from Dumfriesshire, Scotland, who bought 80 acres (32.4ha) of land in 1848 on which he built a two-roomed bark hut. Today this is the centre piece of the 14-room home.1 Rogerson lined the rooms with tongue-and-groove boards and roofed them with wooden shingles and sapling frames, which remain under the present green corrugated iron roof. He named Pigeon Bank after the many forest bronzewing and Wonga Pigeons in the area at the time, and the name Bank was commonly used in Scotland. Rogerson was united with one of the oldest families in the area when his sister Janet married John Bell, son of William, the original Bell settler. When Ewen Cameron moved to Pigeon Bank in 1874 it had six rooms and the present water well. He made extensive additions to the house and farm buildings and lived at Pigeon Bank until his death in 1915. Cameron, who had arrived in Melbourne from Scotland in 1853, contributed an enormous amount to the community. He worked as a builder, as a miner at Andersons Creek, a storekeeper at Queenstown2 and as the first postmaster at Warrandyte. In 1867 he married Agnes Bell, daughter of local farmer, John Bell. Cameron was a member of the Eltham Road Board (which preceded the Shire Council) and for more than 50 years, from 1863, he was an Eltham Shire Councillor, being President three times. Cameron was the Member for Evelyn for 40 years from 1874. In the 1880s he became the Government Whip, in 1902 the Minister for Mines and Water Supply, and in 1904, the Minister for Health, Cameron was also an outstanding farmer, whose farm won the Agricultural Department prize for the finest in the district, three consecutive times. Not surprisingly Pigeon Bank became the centre of district life. Every New Year’s Eve, Cameron hired a highland piper, who marched from the Kangaroo Ground school house to Pigeon Bank playing his pipes.3 Distinguished visitors included opera singer, Dame Nellie Melba, Victorian Premier, Thomas Bent, Governor, Lord Hopetoun and artist, Longstaff. Following Cameron’s death, the property changed hands several times, then returned to the family in 1919 when bought by Gordon Cameron. As the car took over from the horse, Pigeon Bank entered difficult times because the farm had produced chaff and oats and bred Clydesdales and harness ponies. In 1926 Mr Matthews bought the property and made many alterations including pulling down the kitchen, which had been separate from the main house. The property again changed hands several times. One owner was Senator James F Guthrie, who added a sunroom. In 1968 the house again returned to the Cameron family, when Vera Jackson, a grand-daughter of Ewen Cameron, and her husband, bought the property. The Bishop family, who were sixth and seventh generation Bells and also descended from the Camerons, restored the house in the 1980s. Today tongue-and-groove boards still line part of the hall (which retains two fine arches), the breakfast room, and Ewen Cameron’s former room. Five original fireplaces in the bed and living rooms are still in working order. The wide veranda with a curved iron roof and ornate iron lace work bounds three sides of the house, and nearby a windmill stands beside the water well. Sue and Ron James, who bought the property in 2001, made extensive improvements to the homestead and meticulously restored the grounds to their original state.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, ewen hugh cameron, francis rogerson, kangaroo ground, kangaroo ground-warrandyte road, pigeon bank