This sign was located in the John McLeod Pavilion, the former club rooms of the Deer Park Football and Cricket Clubs. For many years these rooms were used by the clubs as change rooms for training, competition, and social functions. The rooms were also available for the general public to hire out for functions such as birthdays, engagements, etc. These rooms were demolished in February 2026.The John McLeod Pavilion was built by I.C.I. and provides a direct connection between a worldwide company providing recreation assets for its employees and the local community.Painted blue text on white background on a masonite boardDeer Park Football Club Inc. Deer Park Cricket Club Inc.john mcleod pavilion, john mcleod reserve, deer park football club, deer park cricket club, ballarat road, deer park

Deer Park Pavilion, Home Of The Deer Park Football And Cricket Clubs Construction In 2008deer park football, deer park cricket club, john mcleod reserve, football, cricket, building

John McLeod Pavilion located on John Mcleod Reserve was the former club rooms of the Deer Park Football and Cricket Clubs. For many years these rooms were used by the clubs as change rooms for training, competition, and social functions. The rooms were also available for the general public to hire out for functions such as birthdays, engagements, etc. These photographs were taken on a site visit with the Brimbank Council before the rooms being demolished in April 2026.The John McLeod Pavilion was built by I.C.I. and provides a direct connection between a worldwide company providing recreation assets for its employees and the local community.5802.01 - John McLeod Pavilion Bar 2026 Photo 01.JPG 5802.02 - John McLeod Pavilion Bar 2026 Photo 02.JPG 5802.03 - John McLeod Pavilion Bar 2026 Photo 03.JPG 5802.04 - John McLeod Pavilion Bar 2026 Photo 04.JPG 5802.05 - John McLeod Pavilion Den of The Mighty Lions 2026 Photo 05.JPG 5802.06 - John McLeod Pavilion Evacuation Diagram 2026 Photo 06.JPG 5802.07 - John McLeod Pavilion Front Doors 2026 Photo 07.JPG 5802.08 - John McLeod Pavilion Home Team Change Rooms 2026 Photo 08.JPG 5802.09 - John McLeod Pavilion Home Team Change Rooms 2026 Photo 09.JPG 5802.10 - John McLeod Pavilion Home Team Change Rooms 2026 Photo 10.JPG 5802.11 - John McLeod Pavilion Home Team Change Rooms 2026 Photo 11.JPG 5802.12 - John McLeod Pavilion Home Team Change Rooms 2026 Photo 12.JPG 5802.13 - John McLeod Pavilion Home Team Change Rooms 2026 Photo 13.JPG 5802.14 - John McLeod Pavilion Home Team Change Rooms 2026 Photo 14.JPG 5802.15 - John McLeod Pavilion Home Team Change Rooms 2026 Photo 15.JPG 5802.16 - John McLeod Pavilion Home Team Change Rooms 2026 Photo 16.JPG 5802.17 - John McLeod Pavilion Kitchen 2026 Photo 17.JPG 5802.18 - John McLeod Pavilion Kitchen 2026 Photo 18.JPG 5802.19 - John McLeod Pavilion Kitchen 2026 Photo 19.JPG 5802.20 - John McLeod Pavilion Men's Toilets 2026 Photo 20.JPG 5802.21 - John McLeod Pavilion North Facing Window East Side 2026 Photo 21.JPG 5802.22 - John McLeod Pavilion North Facing Window West Side 2026 Photo 22.JPG 5802.23 - John McLeod Pavilion Social Area 2026 Photo 23.JPG 5802.24 - John McLeod Pavilion Social Area 2026 Photo 24.JPG 5802.25 - John McLeod Pavilion Vistors Change Rooms 2026 Photo 25.JPG 5802.26 - John McLeod Pavilion Vistors Change Rooms 2026 Photo 26.JPG 5802.27 - John McLeod Pavilion Vistors Change Rooms 2026 Photo 27.JPG 5802.28 - John McLeod Pavilion Vistors Change Rooms 2026 Photo 28.JPG 5802.29 - John McLeod Pavilion Vistors Change Rooms 2026 Photo 29.JPG 5802.30 - John McLeod Pavilion Vistors Change Rooms 2026 Photo 30.JPG 5802.31 - John McLeod Pavilion Vistors Change Rooms 2026 Photo 31.JPG 5802.32 - John McLeod Pavilion Women's Toilets 2026 Photo 32.JPG 5802.33 - John McLeod Pavilion Women's Toilets 2026 Photo 33.JPG 5802.34 - John McLeod Pavilion Women's Toilets 2026 Photo 34.JPG 5802.35 - John McLeod Pavilion Women's Toilets 2026 Photo 35.JPG 5802.36 - John McLeod Pavilion Women's Toilets 2026 Photo 36.JPG john mcleod pavilion, john mcleod reserve, deer park football club, deer park cricket club, ballarat road, deer park

John McLeod Pavilion located on John Mcleod Reserve was the former club rooms of the Deer Park Football and Cricket Clubs. For many years these rooms were used by the clubs as change rooms for training, competition, and social functions. The rooms were also available for the general public to hire out for functions such as birthdays, engagements, etc. These photographs and video were taken during the demolition of the pavilion from 7th April 2026 to 8th April 2026.The John McLeod Pavilion was built by I.C.I. and provides a direct connection between a worldwide company providing recreation assets for its employees and the local community.5817.01 - John McLeod Pavilion Demolition Photo 01.jpeg 5817.02 - John McLeod Pavilion Demolition Photo 02.jpeg 5817.03 - John McLeod Pavilion Demolition Photo 03.jpeg 5817.04 - John McLeod Pavilion Demolition Photo 04.jpeg 5817.05 - John McLeod Pavilion Demolition Photo 05.jpeg 5817.06 - John McLeod Pavilion Demolition Photo 06.jpeg 5817.07 - John McLeod Pavilion Demolition Photo 07.jpeg 5817.08 - John McLeod Pavilion Demolition Photo 08.jpeg 5817.09 - John McLeod Pavilion Demolition Photo 09.jpeg 5817.10 - John McLeod Pavilion Demolition Photo 10.jpeg 5817.11 - John McLeod Pavilion Demolition Video 01.MOV john mcleod pavilion, john mcleod reserve, deer park football club, deer park cricket club, ballarat road, deer park

John McLeod Pavilion located on John Mcleod Reserve was the former club rooms of the Deer Park Football and Cricket Clubs. For many years these rooms were used by the clubs as change rooms for training, competition, and social functions. The rooms were also available for the general public to hire out for functions such as birthdays, engagements, etc. Due the condition of the building, the City of Brimbank made a decision late in 2025 to demolish the building in February 2026. The planning permit contains structural condition reports, building photographs, the land title and a building site plan.The John McLeod Pavilion was built by I.C.I. and provides a direct connection between a worldwide company providing recreation assets for its employees and the local community.Application for a Planning Permit 783 Ballarat Rd Deer Park 3023 Demolition of the old pavilion at John McLeod Reservejohn mcleod pavilion, john mcleod reserve, deer park football club, deer park cricket club, ballarat road, deer park

These photographs provide a visual record of assorted buildings, street views, and notable locations throughout Deer Park in 2021.This photograph collection documents Deer Park in 2021.5653.01 - Bon Thomas Reserve 2021 Photo 04.JPG 5653.02 - Bon Thomas Reserve 2021 Photo 01.JPG 5653.03 - Deer Park Avenue of Honour Ballarat Rd 2021 Photo 01.JPG 5653.04 - Deer Park Club 2021 Photo 02.JPG 5653.05 - Deer Park Club 2021 Photo 04.JPG 5653.06 - Deer Park Fire Station 782 Ballarat Rd Deer Park 2021 Photo 01.JPG 5653.07 - Deer Park Football Club Rooms 2021 Photo 02.JPG 5653.08 - Deer Park Football Club Rooms 2021 Photo 04.JPG 5653.09 - Deer Park Hall Station Rd Deer Park 2021 Photo 01.JPG 5653.10 - Deer Park Play Group Centre Millbank Drive Deer Park 2021 Photo 01.JPG 5653.11 - Deer Park Post Office Ballarat Rd 2021 Photo 01.JPG 5653.12 - Deer Park Railway Station 2021 Photo 01.JPG 5653.13 - Dumfries St 73 - 77 Deer Park - Shops 2021 Photo 02.JPG 5653.14 - Dumfries St 73 - 77 Deer Park - Shops 2021 Photo 03.JPG 5653.15 - John McLeod Reserve WW2 Air Raid Shelter 2021 Photo 06.JPG 5653.16 - Leathercloth Factory Station Rd Deer Park 2021 Photo 01.JPG 5653.17 - Opie's Farm Deer Park 2021 Photo 01.JPG 5653.18 - Opie's Farm Deer Park 2021 Photo 03.JPG 5653.19 - Opie's Farm Deer Park 2021 Photo 12.JPG 5653.20 - Opie's Farm Deer Park 2021 Photo 05.JPG 5653.21 - Opie's Farm Deer Park 2021 Photo 09.JPG 5653.22 - Opie's Farm Deer Park 2021 Photo 15.JPG 5653.23 - Porter Crt 1 Deer Park - Shops 2021 Photo 01.JPG 5653.24 - Robert Bruce Reserve Deer Park 2021 Photo 02.JPG 5653.25 - Sassella Park Station Rd - Significant Tree Sugar Gum 2021 Photo 01.JPG 5653.26 - St. John Anglican Church Gates 2021 Photo 01.JPG 5653.27 - Station Rd 51 Deer Park 2021 Photo 01.JPG 5653.28 - Station Rd 75 Deer Park - Thai's Hairdressing Salon 2021 Photo 01.JPG 5653.29 - Station Rd 85 And 85A Deer Park - Shop 2021 Photo 01.JPG 5653.30 - Station Rd 93 Deer Park 2021 Photo 01.JPG 5653.31 - Station Rd 100 - 104 Deer Park - Medical Centre And Chemist 2021 Photo 01.JPG 5653.32 - Steel Works Glencairn Ave 2021 Photo 01.JPG 5653.33 - The Hunt Club Main Hall Way 2021 Photo 01.JPG 5653.34 - The Hunt Club Back Stained Glass Window 2021 Photo 10.JPG 5653.35 - The Hunt Club Balcony 2021 Photo 15 5653.36 - The Hunt Club Art Gallery 2021 Photo 17.JPGdeer park, bon thomas reserve, ballarat road, deer park club, deer park fire station, deer park football club, station road, deer park hall, millbank drive, deer park play group, deer park post office, deer park railway station, dumfries street, john mcleod reserve, air raid shelter, leathercloth factory, opie's farm, porter court, robert bruce reserve, sassella park, st. john anglican church, the hunt club, deer park medical centre, deer park avenue of honour

Footscray District Football League Fixture Book For 1975 Season|Local clubs listed in the fixture include Albion Football Club, Braybrook Football Club, Crossroads Football Club, Deer Park Football Club, St. Albans Football Club, Sunshine YCW Football Club & Sunshine Football Clubfootscray district football leauge, football

The Hunt Club Hotel (Now The Hunt Club and Community Arts Centre) and the Deer Park Reserve (Now John McLeod Reserve) are two of Deer Park's iconic places, both having long history with the district. This picture shows when The Club Hotel was a standalone building with the former stables out back. The building to the right and the caretaker's house at the rear were built by ICI C1932. The original Deer Park Football Club rooms bottom right, the football ground and tennis courts were built by ICI for its employees.This picture shows when both The Club Hotel and the ICI C1932 extension were standalone buildings prior to the laboratory being built between the two that ultimately joined them together.The Hunt Club And John McLeod Reserve Deer Park 1938 Photo 01.jpgballarat road, deer park, the hunt club hotel, john mcleod reserve, deer park football ground, the hunt club and community arts centre, deer park reserve

The Spalding factory opened in 1925 and was located at the intersection of Ballarat Rd and McIntyre Rd in Sunshine. The factory made sporting goods and in 1972 Spalding acquired T.W. Sherrin Pty Ltd a major manufacturer of footballs used in Australian Rules football. In the early 1990s the factory was demolished, and Spalding was bought out by the Russell Corporation.Audio tape This audio tape has been digitised. This audio tape has been transcribed. No editing of the recording has taken place, except where the speaker(s) can be identified.spaldings

The Sunshine and District Historical Society hosted a Curator's choice exhibition on Sporting Associations of Sunshine and District at The Cottage Hunt Club Community Centre Ballarat Road Deer Park from 17th October 2014 to the 7th November 2014. The Curator was Alan Dash. This was the flyer provided to visitors of the exhibition.Curator's Choice Sporting Associations of Sunshine and District Exhibition 17 Oct - 7 Nov 2014 Sunshine & District Historical Society selwyn park, sunshine districts football club, albion tennis club, sunshine bowling club, st mark's athletic club, spalding

The speedway located on the Maribyrnong Reserve, Maribyrnong was built in 1946, on what had been an undeveloped football ground. The first public race held at the raceway was in October 1946, in front of approximately 7,000 spectators, and quickly became a major venue for solo motorcycles, sidecars, and midget speedcars. Soon after opening, the track was taken over by the Kirjon Speedway Company, and was renamed the Kirjon Speedway. Fred Tracey, a well known solo motorcycle racer and winner of the 1947 Victorian Solo Championship, took over the venue around 1951, renaming it Tracey’s Speedway. Tracey’s Speedway closed in 1963, ending nearly two decades of racing. This sculpture of Fred Tracey, in honour of his contribution to speedway racing, is located in the Highpoint City Shopping Centre, Rosamond Road, Maribyrnong. Maribyrnong was originally part of the former Shire of Braybrook and later the City of Sunshine. However, in 1994, Victoria underwent council amalgamations, which resulted in Braybrook being incorporated into the City of Maribyrnong. The suburb of Maribyrnong continues to attract considerable attention from the residents of City of Brimbank, particularly its historical features, the old buildings and distinctive streetscapes that characterise the area.Tracey’s Speedway in Maribyrnong was one of Melbourne’s most famous post‑war dirt tracks, opening in 1946 and operating under several names before becoming “Tracey’s Speedway” in the early 1950s under promoter and racer Fred Tracey. It drew huge crowds, hosted national championships, and became a cultural landmark until its closure in 1963.5207 - Highpoint City - Fred Tracey Sculpture 2025.JPGhighpoint city, fred tracey, kirjon speedway, maribyrnong reserve, maribyrnong

A hardcover picture story book aimed at young children. Focuses on Marcus Bontempelli's childhood.football, bontempelli

The Spalding factory was located at the intersection of Ballarat Rd and McIntyre Rd in Sunshine (North East corner). The factory made sporting goods, and in 1972 Spalding acquired T. W. Sherrin Pty Ltd which was a major manufacturer of footballs used in Australian Rules football games. In the early 1990's the factory in Sunshine was demolished and replaced by the first Bunnings Hardware store to be erected in Victoria. In July 2003 Spalding was bought out by the Russell Corporation.The board is a historical record of the loyal employees who provided at least 25 years of service to Spalding or to T. W. Sherrin Pty Ltd.Brown stained wooden board with wave shaped top which is about 14 cm less wide than the base. The names of employees who have provided 25 years of loyal service are recorded on the board in gold coloured lettering. The board contains the names of 50 workers who had reached the 25 year service milestone at SPALDING, and also the names of 4 employees who did the same at T. W. SHERRIN Pty Ltd. The first people reached this milestone in 1950 and the last person is recorded as reaching this in 1981.honour board, spalding, t. w. sherrin pty ltd, 25 years service roll

The Spalding factory was opened in 1925 and was located at the intersection of Ballarat Rd and McIntyre Rd in Sunshine. The factory made sporting goods and in 1972 Spalding acquired T.W. Sherrin Pty Ltd a major manufacturer of footballs used in Australian Rules football. In the early 1990s the factory was demolished, and Spalding was bought out by the Russell Corporation. Black foldout style notebook folder with silver coloured text on front & backSpalding NBA Official Game Ball David J. Stern Commissionerspaldings

Collection of Sunshine Technical School clothing.1736.01 - Sunshine Technical School Clothing - Sporting Tracksuit.jpg 1736.02 - Sunshine Technical School Clothing - Sporting Trackpants.jpg 1736.03 - Sunshine Technical School Clothing - Competition Bib.jpg 1736.04 - Sunshine Technical School Clothing - Football Guernsey No 7.jpg 1736.05 - Sunshine Technical School Clothing - Football Guernsey No 14.jpg 1736.06 - Sunshine Technical School Clothing - Boy's Blazer.jpg 1736.07 - Sunshine Technical School Clothing - Boy's Jumper.jpg sunshine technical school, clothing

5464.01 - St. Albans High School 1956 Form 1A.jpg 5464.02 - St. Albans High School 1956 Form 1B.jpg 5464.03 - St. Albans High School 1956 Form 1C.jpg 5464.04 - St. Albans High School 1956 Form 1D.jpg 5464.05 - St. Albans High School 1956 Awards.jpg 5464.06 - St. Albans High School 1956 Opening.jpg Head Prefects Basil Listopad, Silvana Crespi 5464.07 - St. Albans High School 1956 1st Form Football Team.jpg 5464.08 - St. Albans High School 1956 BasketBall Team.jpg 5464.09 - St. Albans High School Prefect's Obligation.jpg st. albans high school, secondary school, main road east, st. albans

A group of five men dressed in hats and overcoats look at caged cockatoos. Research by project volunteer, Fiona Collyer: On 25 June 1934, new Victorian Governor, His Excellency Lord Huntingfield and his wife Lady Huntingfield made an official visit to the Melbourne Zoological Gardens in order to grant his patronage to the Royal Zoological and Acclimatisation Society. The zoo director, Mr. Andrew Wilkie, introduced them to the cockatoos in the flight aviary. The Argus newspaper reported the visit in the following morning’s issue: "Birds' Greeting To Governor. Visit to Zoological Gardens. "A Very Important Society." "Cheery shouts of "Hullo!" and requests for drinks greeted His Excellency the Governor (Lord Huntingfield) on one of his official visits yesterday morning. Lady Huntingfield, who accompanied him, was asked loudly for a kiss. They were inspecting the huge cockatoo aviary at the Zoological Gardens after Lord Huntingfield had granted his patronage to the Royal Zoological and Acclimatisation Society. Both obviously enjoyed the democratic experience. It was explained to them that most of the cockatoos had been presented by residents of flats, whose neighbours objected to the noise of the birds, while others were protected birds which had been surrendered. Lord Huntingfield recalled that he had taken two Australian cockatoos to England when he left Australia in his youth. One, a galah, had lived in England for many years." In 1929, the Zoo built a commodious new flight aviary at the cost of several thousand pounds and Zoo director, Mr Andrew Wilkie, sent out an appeal published in newspapers Australia-wide for donations of parrots from all states. Many of the parrot species he wanted were protected and a special permit needed for their capture, however Mr Wilkie guaranteed he would obtain authority from the Fisheries and Game Department and that the cost of transit would be borne by the Zoo. The wanted birds were "Parrots - Black-tailed, Rock Pebbler, King, Superb, Grass (all kinds), Swamp or Ground, Mallee or Ringneck" and "Cockatoo[s] - Black, Pink or Major Mitchell, Gang-Gang". The Zoo asked that the birds be sent in boxes large enough to prevent overcrowding, contain food and water and the Zoo notified on the type and number of birds in transit. All boxes were to be addressed to 'The Zoo, Melbourne'. A letter from a reader appeared in the Weekly Times newspaper's popular "Camp-fire Circle" page for "Young Australians", 11 May 1929: "Dear Pal, I am much interested in your page, especially the nature notes. I have a pet parrot, but I don’t like to see it shut up in a cage, so I am giving it to the Melbourne Zoo. It can whistle 'Pretty Joey' and 'What's the Matter with Father' and is just learning to whistle for the dog... Wishing you and the Camp-fire Circle success." - Murray Holmes (Gorae, Vic.) The fate of this talented parrot is unknown, however in 1932, this young naturist, T Murray Holmes, 1912-1947, collected for the first time a type specimen, blue star sun orchid from Gorae (near Portland, Victoria), and it was named in his honour, Thelymitra holmesii. Murray was described by orchid collector W H Nicholls as "a youthful and energetic orchidologist, who added much to our knowledge of the orchids of south-western Victoria." Murray Holmes enlisted in the army in 1941 and fought in the Middle East before being sent to Java. In 1942 he was captured by the Japanese and became a prisoner of war for three years, working on the notorious Thai-Burma railway. Murray's health was undermined though ill treatment and starvation and he returned to Australia after the war, broken and sick. He died aged 35 in 1947. He was intensely interested in the flora and fauna of the Gorae area to the end. Murray's parents received over 200 tributes of respect for their son - too many to answer personally so they put a notice in the Portland Guardian thanking "all kind friends and relatives for letters, cards, floral tributes and personal expressions of sympathy received in their recent sad bereavement - the lamented death of their loved son, Murray." Andrew Arthur Wellesley Wilkie, 1853-1948, was Director of the Melbourne Zoo from 1923 to 1936 and was associated with the zoo for 70 years. He first worked as a horticultural assistant to Government botanist Baron Ferdinand von Mueller at the Botanical Gardens at the age of 13, along with his older brother David. One of Andrew’s jobs was to capture moths for the National Herbarium. In 1857, a group of prominent Melburnians assembled at St. Patrick’s Hall to form the Zoological Society of Victoria, with the aim of introducing animals and plants from overseas. It was conceived, “For the purposes of science and for that of affording the public the advantages of studying the habits of the animal creation in properly arranged zoological gardens.” The Victorian Government granted 32 acres (13 hectares) of land to the Zoological Society at the southern end of Richmond Paddock on the opposite bank to the Botanical Gardens. (This is where AAMI Stadium and Collingwood Football Club now stand.) In 1861, the Zoological Society of Victoria was renamed The Acclimatisation Society of Victoria. Unfortunately the Yarra River frontage was damp, swampy and subject to flooding, so the animals were briefly housed at the Botanical Gardens until in 1862, the City of Melbourne donated 55 acres (22 hectares) of land at Royal Park for the fledgling zoo. Baron von Mueller secured employment at Royal Park for Andrew and David and they helped to lay out the gardens, plant trees and take care of a collection of deer, pheasants, hares and partridges. Initially the zoo was used for the acclimatisation of animals recovering from the long voyage to Australia and for breeding them for sport. In 1872, the zoo bought two lions, a leopard and a cheetah that had been seized from circus showmen Keith and Phillips when they were unable to pay the bill of butcher Mr T K Bennet of Bourke Street. The first zoo director, Mr. Albert Le Souef, negotiated with captains of ships to buy animals at overseas ports they visited and soon a multitude of exotic species arrived, including a ten-year-old Indian elephant in 1878. In 1923, after being head keeper for some years, Andrew was appointed director of the zoo. By 1933, the zoo had 110 different species of animals, 200 species of birds and 72 species of reptiles under Andrew’s care. He had personally planted all but six trees and laid out the garden beds. As director he lobbied authorities for funds to build more humane enclosures for the animals. In June 1928, Table Talk magazine wrote of Andrew Wilkie: “Up at the Zoo there is a humble gentleman who is a lion among the lions, who knows the proper specific to employ when the boa constrictor has chilblains, and who is a friend and confidant of Queenie the elephant. His fount of zoological lore has never been plumbed. It is bottomless, like his good fellowship and geniality. Every day he may be seen somewhere in the grounds of that growing sanctuary for the strange and arresting fauna and creeping things of the world, and I assure you as one who is privy to his passion that that area and its inhabitants are rarely out of his thoughts.” Andrew retired from the zoo in 1936 at the age of 83 and in 1948 died at his home in Brunswick aged 94. He and his wife Josephine had six children. The Victorian Acclimatisation Society was founded in 1861 by Edward Wilson, 1813-1878, then owner and editor of The Argus newspaper. He said that Australian indigenous animals were practically useless, providing only “a little sport and an occasional meal”. The Society believed that Australia’s plants and animals were vastly inferior to those in Europe. They wanted to introduce and acclimatise to Victoria “all innoxious animals, birds, fishes, insects and vegetables, whether useful or ornamental” for sport and for the table, and to spread indigenous animals and plants from the colony around the world. Their motto was “if it lives, we want it”. The Society was primarily responsible for introducing sparrows, starlings, sambar and hog deer, ostriches, brown trout, blackberries, and carp to the Murray River. They released the European songbirds, thrush and blackbird to quell the homesickness of British settlers. The Society also sent Australian animals like platypus, echidnas, kangaroos and koalas to Europe for scientific and novelty purposes. Thomas Austin, a wealthy sheep farmer of Barwon Park, Winchelsea (property now owned by the National Trust) was a member and in 1859 he introduced hares, blackbirds, thrushes and partridges onto his property. He is probably best known for introducing 24 breeding rabbits onto his estate as game for shooting parties. Thomas quipped, “The introduction of a few rabbits could do little harm and might provide a touch of home, in addition to a spot of hunting." In 2022, genomic data confirmed that Australia’s feral rabbit population is entirely descended from these rabbits. Biological control has brought the rabbit population down from an estimated high of 10 billion rabbits in the 1920s to approximately 200 million today, inhabiting 70% of Australian landmass (5.3 million square kilometres). In 1872, the Acclimatisation Society was renamed The Zoological and Acclimatisation Society of Victoria and they focused on importing exotic animals for display purposes to the zoo. In 1937, the Royal Acclimatisation Society of Victoria was recreated as the Zoological Board of Victoria with a focus on research of native animals threatened with extinction. In an editorial for The Argus newspaper, 16 March 1856, Edward Wilson lamented: "...this country has been shamelessly stolen from the blacks. Had they been like the New Zealanders or the North American Indians, we should have bought their land, and supplied them with the means of living when we took it... In less than twenty years we have nearly swept them off the face of the earth. We have shot them down like dogs. In the guise of friendship we have issued corrosion sublimate in their damper, and consigned whole tribes to the agonies of an excruciating death. We have made them drunkards, and infected them with disease which has rotted the bones of their adults, and made such few children as are born amongst them a sorrow and a torture from the very instant of their birth. We have made them outcasts on their own land, and are rapidly consigning them to entire annihilation. There are but a few of them left, comparatively. This is what we would do for that few. We would feed and clothe every one of them.” [Note: this last sentence is italicized in the original newspaper article text]. Lord Huntingfield, (William Charles Arcedeckne Vanneck) 1883-1969, Governor of Victoria 1934-1939, was a British Conservative Party politician and the first ever Australian-born Governor of an Australian state (although he was always considered British). He was patron of the Royal Zoological and Acclimatisation Society of Victoria and was acting Governor-General for six months during the absence of Lord Gowie in 1938. Lady Huntingfield (née Margaret Eleanor Crosby) 1884-1943, his American-born wife showed great interest in social welfare and the advancement of women and children. She was president of the City Newsboys Society and Patroness of the Girls Friendly Society. In 1937, rose breeder Alister Clark named a yellow hybrid tea rose for her. In 1940, the City of Melbourne opened the Lady Huntingfield Free Kindergarten in North Melbourne, now the Lady Huntingfield Early Learning and Family Services Centre. Lady Huntingfield died in London in 1943 after her house was bombed during a German airstrike. The Lady Huntingfield Memorial Scholarship was established after the City of Melbourne raised £1000 in a public appeal conducted in her memory for students undertaking a Social Work degree at the University of Melbourne. It is awarded annually to this day. The Queen Victoria Hospital named a bed in her honour. References: Prominent Personalities ANDREW WILKIE (1928, June 7). Table Talk (Melbourne, Vic. : 1885 - 1939), p. 15. Retrieved August 29, 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article146562949 BIRDS' GREETING TO GOVERNOR (1934, June 26). The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), p. 6. Retrieved August 19, 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article10950051 Zoo Appealing For Parrots And Cockatoos To Fill Aviary For Children’s Instruction (1929, April 11). The Sun News-Pictorial (Melbourne, Vic. : 1922 - 1954; 1956), p. 31. Retrieved August 23, 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article275757361 LETTERS FROM READERS (1929, May 11). Weekly Times (Melbourne, Vic. : 1869 - 1954), p. 50. Retrieved October 6, 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article223183144 Correspondence. (1929, April 18). Corryong Courier (Vic. : 1894 - 1945), p. 6. Retrieved August 30, 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article269039262 'Edward Wilson (journalist)', Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Wilson_(journalist) 'Thomas Austin (pastoralist)', Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Austin_(pastoralist) 'The Acclimatisation Society was driven by misguided ideals about 'fixing nature' in Australia', ABC News, https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-11-04/acclimatisation-society-introduced-species-history-listen/101588262? utm_source=abc_news_app&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_campaign=abc_news_app&utm_content=safari Touching Canine Devotion. (1942, September 21). Portland Guardian (Vic. : 1876 - 1953), p. 1 (EVENING). Retrieved October 6, 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article64381989 OBITUARY (1947, August 11). Portland Guardian (Vic. : 1876 - 1953), p. 2 (EVENING). Retrieved August 26, 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article64412155 Family Notices (1947, September 11). Portland Guardian (Vic. : 1876 - 1953), p. 2 (EVENING). Retrieved October 10, 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article64412476 'Thelymitra holmesii', Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thelymitra_holmesii THE ABORIGINES. (1856, March 16). The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), p. 4. Retrieved September 28, 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article4833244Photographer notations on slide: "Vice Regal visit to zoo B42".zoos, governors, 1930-1939, cockatoos

Photographer notations on slide: "Vice Regal visit to zoo B42" Published: The Age, Tuesday 26 June 1934, page 11. Published title: VICE-ROYALTY GREETS THE KING OF THE BEASTS AT THE ZOO. Published caption: “Lord Huntingfield experienced a pleasant “induction ceremony” as Patron of the Royal Zoological and Acclimatisation Society yesterday, when he made a tour of the Zoological Gardens. The picture shows the Governor, accompanied by Lady Huntingfield, inspecting the King of the Beasts, who is submitting to a little playful treatment from the Director of the Gardens, Mr. Wilkie, while the Director whispers in his ear that a distinguished visitor has come to see him.” Trove article identifier: http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article204818472 Description: A man wearing a hat and suit strokes a caged lion, observed by a man in a hat, scarf and overcoat who is leaning on a walking stick, and a woman in a hat and coat, holding a handbag. They stand behind a protective rail. Research by project volunteer, Fiona Collyer: Andrew Arthur Wellesley Wilkie, 1853-1948, was Director of the Melbourne Zoo from 1923 to 1936 and was associated with the zoo for 70 years. He first worked as a horticultural assistant to Government botanist Baron Ferdinand von Mueller at the Botanical Gardens at the age of 13, along with his older brother David. One of Andrew’s jobs was to capture moths for the National Herbarium. In 1857, a group of prominent Melburnians assembled at St. Patrick’s Hall to form the Zoological Society of Victoria, with the aim of introducing animals and plants from overseas. It was conceived, “For the purposes of science and for that of affording the public the advantages of studying the habits of the animal creation in properly arranged zoological gardens.” The Victorian Government granted 32 acres (13 hectares) of land to the Zoological Society at the southern end of Richmond Paddock on the opposite bank to the Botanical Gardens. (This is where AAMI Stadium and Collingwood Football Club now stand.) In 1861, the Zoological Society of Victoria was renamed The Acclimatisation Society of Victoria. Unfortunately the Yarra River frontage was damp, swampy and subject to flooding, so the animals were briefly housed at the Botanical Gardens until in 1862, the City of Melbourne donated 55 acres (22 hectares) of land at Royal Park for the fledgling zoo. Baron von Mueller secured employment at Royal Park for Andrew and David and they helped to lay out the gardens, plant trees and take care of a collection of deer, pheasants, hares and partridges. Initially the zoo was used for the acclimatisation of animals recovering from the long voyage to Australia and for breeding them for sport. In 1872, the zoo bought two lions, a leopard and a cheetah that had been seized from circus showmen Keith and Phillips when they were unable to pay the bill of butcher Mr T K Bennet of Bourke Street. The first zoo director, Mr. Albert Le Souef, negotiated with captains of ships to buy animals at overseas ports they visited and soon a multitude of exotic species arrived, including a ten-year-old Indian elephant in 1878. In 1923, after being head keeper for some years, Andrew was appointed director of the zoo. By 1933, the zoo had 110 different species of animals, 200 species of birds and 72 species of reptiles under Andrew’s care. He had personally planted all but six trees and laid out the garden beds. As director he lobbied authorities for funds to build more humane enclosures for the animals. In June 1928, Table Talk magazine wrote of Andrew Wilkie: “Up at the Zoo there is a humble gentleman who is a lion among the lions, who knows the proper specific to employ when the boa constrictor has chilblains, and who is a friend and confidant of Queenie the elephant. His fount of zoological lore has never been plumbed. It is bottomless, like his good fellowship and geniality. Every day he may be seen somewhere in the grounds of that growing sanctuary for the strange and arresting fauna and creeping things of the world, and I assure you as one who is privy to his passion that that area and its inhabitants are rarely out of his thoughts.” Andrew retired from the zoo in 1936 at the age of 83 and in 1948 died at his home in Brunswick aged 94. He and his wife Josephine had six children. Roy, aged 28 in 1934, was a former Wirth’s circus lion who had been left at the zoo at 10 years of age. Andrew visited Roy every day on his rounds and the pair formed a close and affectionate bond. Wireless Weekly magazine in February 1933 reported, “Roy was delighted to see Mr Wilkie, and in a docile manner, approached the bars of his cage and had his head vigorously rubbed by the director, who daily carries out this act of kindness.” As reported in The Herald on 27 October 1936, “Mr Wilkie has also found the old lion docile. He has not shown the animal any particular favouritism, but the lion has shown him a faithfulness that none of the keepers can claim. When Mr Wilkie approaches the bars the lion rolls over and lets the director stroke him and pull his tail. He gets very excited if Mr Wilkie passes without climbing over the protecting rail for a little game.” A 1930 newsreel film shows Andrew stroking Roy’s mane through the bars and the blissed out big cat lying on his back while lifting his chin for a rub. Another newsreel film from the time shows Andrew stroking a lioness and playfully pulling her tail. The Victorian Acclimatisation Society was founded in 1861 by Edward Wilson, 1813-1878, then owner and editor of The Argus newspaper. He said that Australian indigenous animals were practically useless, providing only “a little sport and an occasional meal”. The Society believed that Australia’s plants and animals were vastly inferior to those in Europe. They wanted to introduce and acclimatise to Victoria “all innoxious animals, birds, fishes, insects and vegetables, whether useful or ornamental” for sport and for the table, and to spread indigenous animals and plants from the colony around the world. Their motto was “if it lives, we want it”. The Society was primarily responsible for introducing sparrows, starlings, sambar and hog deer, ostriches, brown trout, blackberries, and carp to the Murray River. They released the European songbirds, thrush and blackbird to quell the homesickness of British settlers. The Society also sent Australian animals like platypus, echidnas, kangaroos and koalas to Europe for scientific and novelty purposes. Thomas Austin, a wealthy sheep farmer of Barwon Park, Winchelsea (property now owned by the National Trust) was a member and in 1859 he introduced hares, blackbirds, thrushes and partridges onto his property. He is probably best known for introducing 24 breeding rabbits onto his estate as game for shooting parties. Thomas quipped, “The introduction of a few rabbits could do little harm and might provide a touch of home, in addition to a spot of hunting." In 2022, genomic data confirmed that Australia’s feral rabbit population is entirely descended from these rabbits. Biological control has brought the rabbit population down from an estimated high of 10 billion rabbits in the 1920s to approximately 200 million today, inhabiting 70% of Australian landmass (5.3 million square kilometres). In 1872, the Acclimatisation Society was renamed The Zoological and Acclimatisation Society of Victoria and they focused on importing exotic animals for display purposes to the zoo. In 1937, the Royal Acclimatisation Society of Victoria was recreated as the Zoological Board of Victoria with a focus on research of native animals threatened with extinction. In an editorial for The Argus newspaper, 16 March 1856, Edward Wilson lamented: "…this country has been shamelessly stolen from the blacks. Had they been like the New Zealanders or the North American Indians, we should have bought their land, and supplied them with the means of living when we took it... In less than twenty years we have nearly swept them off the face of the earth. We have shot them down like dogs. In the guise of friendship we have issued corrosion sublimate in their damper, and consigned whole tribes to the agonies of an excruciating death. We have made them drunkards, and infected them with disease which has rotted the bones of their adults, and made such few children as are born amongst them a sorrow and a torture from the very instant of their birth. We have made them outcasts on their own land, and are rapidly consigning them to entire annihilation. There are but a few of them left, comparatively. This is what we would do for that few. We would feed and clothe every one of them.” [Note: this last sentence is italicized in the original newspaper article text]. Lord Huntingfield, (William Charles Arcedeckne Vanneck) 1883-1969, Governor of Victoria 1934-1939, was a British Conservative Party politician and the first ever Australian-born Governor of an Australian state (although he was always considered British). He was patron of the Royal Zoological and Acclimatisation Society of Victoria and was acting Governor-General for six months during the absence of Lord Gowie in 1938. Lady Huntingfield (née Margaret Eleanor Crosby) 1884-1943, his American-born wife showed great interest in social welfare and the advancement of women and children. She was president of the City Newsboys Society and Patroness of the Girls Friendly Society. In 1937, rose breeder Alister Clark named a yellow hybrid tea rose for her. In 1940, the City of Melbourne opened the Lady Huntingfield Free Kindergarten in North Melbourne, now the Lady Huntingfield Early Learning and Family Services Centre. Lady Huntingfield died in London in 1943 after her house was bombed during a German airstrike. The Lady Huntingfield Memorial Scholarship was established after the City of Melbourne raised £1000 in a public appeal conducted in her memory for students undertaking a Social Work degree at the University of Melbourne. It is awarded annually to this day. The Queen Victoria Hospital named a bed in her honour. References: VICE-ROYALTY GREETS THE KING OF BEASTS AT THE ZOO. (1934, June 26). The Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954), p. 11. Retrieved August 18, 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article204818472 Prominent Personalities ANDREW WILKIE (1928, June 7). Table Talk (Melbourne, Vic. : 1885 - 1939), p. 15. Retrieved August 29, 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article146562949 'Thomas Austin (pastoralist)', Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Austin_(pastoralist) 'Edward Wilson (journalist)', Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Wilson_(journalist) THE WOMAN'S WORLD (1934, June 26). The Herald (Melbourne, Vic. : 1861 - 1954), p. 14. Retrieved August 19, 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article243164806 MR. WILKIE CAN PULL THE OLD LION'S TAIL (1936, October 27). The Herald (Melbourne, Vic. : 1861 - 1954), p. 4. Retrieved August 18, 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article248551307 Director Of Zoo Will Retire Tomorrow--With White Kitten (1936, December 30). The Herald (Melbourne, Vic. : 1861 - 1954), p. 8. Retrieved August 18, 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article244655203 LIGHT CAR CLUB IN CARICATURE (1931, August 25). The Sun News-Pictorial (Melbourne, Vic. : 1922 - 1954; 1956), p. 24. Retrieved August 19, 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article276250310 'The Acclimatisation Society was driven by misguided ideals about 'fixing nature' in Australia', ABC News, https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-11-04/acclimatisation-society-introduced-species-history-listen/101588262?utm_source=abc_news_app&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_campaign=abc_news_app&utm_content=safari 'Dr Andrew Wilkie Director Of Melbourne Zoo, With Lion (1930) Video', Pond5 Inc., https://www.pond5.com/stock-footage/item/155691351-dr-andrew-wilkie-director-melbourne-zoo-lion-1930 'Kodak Cinegraph Compilation No 12', ACMI Collection, YouTube.com [Zoo footage at 8.33 minutes, Mr Wilkie at 11.04 minutes], https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZZqgSNsP0k THE ABORIGINES. (1856, March 16). The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), p. 4. Retrieved September 28, 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article4833244Photographer notations on slide: "Vice Regal visit to zoo B42".1930-1939, melbourne zoo, animals, hunting, wildlife, royal park, gardens

The suburb Cairnlea was officially established in 1999. Cairnlea was built on the former Albion Explosive Factory site. These photographs provide a visual record of assorted buildings, street views, and notable locations throughout Cairnlea in 2021.These photographs provide a visual chronicle of assorted buildings, street views, and notable locations throughout Cairnlea in 2021.5586.01 - Stockton Run Reserve Cairnlea - Significant Tree Sugar Gum 2021 Photo 01.JPG 5586.02 - Albion Rovers Football Club Kevin Flint Reserve Cainlea 2021 Photo 01.JPG 5586.03 - Featherheads Grasslands Cainlea 2021 Photo 01.JPG 5586.04 - Featherheads Grasslands Cainlea 2021 Photo 02.JPG 5586.05 - Gurnung Rd Cairnlea - Significant Tree Sugar Gum 2021 Photo 01.JPG 5586.06 - Gurnung Rd Cairnlea - Significant Tree Sugar Gum 2021 Photo 02.JPG 5586.07 - ICI Internal Kororoit Creek Bridge Cairnlea 2021 Photo 01.JPG 5586.08 - ICI Internal Kororoit Creek Bridge Cairnlea 2021 Photo 02.JPG 5586.09 - Kororoit Creek Near Powder Mill - Significant Tree River Red Gum 2021 Photo 01.JPG 5586.10 - Kororoit Creek Near Powder Mill - Significant Tree River Red Gum 2021 Photo 02.JPG 5586.11 - Kororoit Creek Near Powder Mill - Significant Tree River Red Gum 2021 Photo 03.JPG 5586.12 - Kororoit Creek Rear of Deer Park Hotel Cainlea 2021 Photo 01.JPG 5586.13 - Powder Miil Plaque 2021 Photo 01.JPG stockton run, albion rovers football club, kevin flint reserve, featherheads grasslands, gurnung road, kororoit creek, black powder mill, cairnlea

The Whitten Bridge, originally called the Maribyrnong River Bridge was built between 1992 and 1994. The purpose of the bridge was to carry the newly built Western Ring Road (now the M80) across the Maribyrnong River at Sunshine North. The bridge is named after Edward James “Ted” Whitten OAM, better known as Ted Whitten or by his nickname "Mr Football", one of the most iconic figures in Australian Rules Football.These photographs show the original configuration of the roadway, which consisted of two separate structures: a Northbound Bridge and a Southbound Bridge. In 2018, as part of the M80 widening project, the two bridges were stitched together to form a single, unified structure. This upgrade increased capacity from three lanes to five lanes in each direction.5670.01 - Whitten Bridge Construction (Sun Adv 506.2) 1993 Photo 01.JPG 5670.02 - Whitten Bridge Construction (Sun Adv 506.2) 1993 Photo 02.JPG 5670.03 - Whitten Bridge Construction (Sun Adv 506.2) 1993 Photo 03.JPG 5670.04 - Whitten Bridge Construction (Sun Adv 506.2) 1993 Photo 04.JPGwhitten bridge, sunshine north, western ring road, maribyrnong river bridge, m80

The Whitten Bridge, originally called the Maribyrnong River Bridge was built between 1992 and 1994. The purpose of the bridge was to carry the newly built Western Ring Road (now the M80) across the Maribyrnong River at Sunshine North. The bridge is named after Edward James “Ted” Whitten OAM, better known as Ted Whitten or by his nickname "Mr Football", one of the most iconic figures in Australian Rules Football.These photographs show the original configuration of the roadway, which consisted of two separate structures: a Northbound Bridge and a Southbound Bridge. In 2018, as part of the M80 widening project, the two bridges were stitched together to form a single, unified structure. This upgrade increased capacity from three lanes to five lanes in each direction.5671.01 - Whitten Bridge Under Construction 1993 Photo 01.jpg 5671.02 - Whitten Bridge Under Construction 1993 Photo 02.jpg 5671.03 - Whitten Bridge Under Construction 1993 Photo 03.jpg whitten bridge, sunshine north, western ring road

Photograph 1 and 2 by Charles Pratt approximately mid 1924 to 1930 showing Sunshine Harvester Works and surrounding building|CD disk by Brian OReilly on 3 July 2012|17 mini photographs Photo 1 Brunswick Oval North Fitzroy Photo 2 City 6 Photo 3 Collingwood Photo 4 Deer Park Ammunition Photo 5 Download 267 Deer Park Photo 6 download 268 Deer Park Photo 7 download 269 Deer Park Photo 8 download 270 Deer Park Photo 9 download 272 Deer Park Photo10 download 276 Nettlefolds Sunshine Photo 11 Creamoata Factory Footscray West Photo 12 Mitchells Sunshine and Geelong Roads Photo 13 Footscray Photo 14 Maribyrnong Photo 15 Maribyrnong Munitions Photo 16 Newmarket Stock Yards Photo 17 Sunshine|Photo 2 Hunt Club Deer Park|Photo 3 Maribrynong Munitions|Photo 4 Corner Sunshine Road and Geelong Road|Photo 5 South Kensington|Photo 6 Melbourne City Corner Flinders Street and Spencer Street and Corner Collins and Spencer Street|Photo 7 Creamota Mills Sunshine Road West Footscray|Photo 8 Fitzroy Football Ground Brunswick Street|Photo 9 Collingwood Football Ground Victoria Park|Photo 10 Footscray Football Ground|Photo 11 Newmarket Saleyards|Photo 12 Leather cloth Fabrex Flay Kynoch Deer Park|Photo 13 Nettleford and Spaldings Phoenix Firewords|Photo 14 ICI Deer Park|Photo 15 ICI Deer Park|Photo 16 ICI Deer Park|Photo 17 ICI Deer Park|Photo 18 Sunshine Harvester Works HV McKay|HV McKay had a building in Argentina called Agar of Argentina There is photographs of the building and a factory and a photograph of equipmenth.v. mckays, sunshine harvester works

Print arranged by donor Alex OBrien 834 Ballarat Road Deer Park 3023Sunshine Football Club team, Premiers 1938:|L-R. rear Jim White Norm Goddard Unknown Neilsen Harry Chatfield Peter Inkster Jack McKay George Webb Cec Park Norm Carlton Don Webb Keith Johnstone|L-R 2nd row Ray Thomas Cyril Parsons Ron Crosbie Ron Pocock Allan Stainer Allan Goddard Les Unknown Jim Wood|L-R Sitting Sandy Adams Harold Drayton Eddie Hunter Jack Downing Eric Huxtable Col Utber Ron Ferrell Ken Tisdale|L-R front Clarrie Roberts Ray Carlton Alex OBrien Tom Calverly Kevin Webb Lindsay OBrien Bill Bowmansunshine football club, football, team photograph

Photograph Station Road and Ballarat Road Intersection including Railway Station in background Leathercloth Factory Houses in Ballarat Road and Station Road|Photograph Station Road and Ballarat Road Intersection including Railway Station in background Leathercloth Factory Houses in Ballarat Road and Station Road and Deer Park Football Oval|Photograph Leathercloth Factory Houses in Ballarat Road The Hunt Club and Deer Park Football Oval|Photograph ICI and Kororoit Creek and Deer Park Hoteldeer park, aerial photograph

2748.01 - Deer Park by Sylvia Kirwan Collection - Cricket Club Hotel.jpg 2748.02 - Deer Park by Sylvia Kirwan Collection - The Former Hunt Club Hotel.jpg 2748.03 - Deer Park by Sylvia Kirwan Collection - The Original Deer Park School.jpg 2748.04 - Deer Park by Sylvia Kirwan Collection - Deer Park Cricket Team 1913.jpg 2748.05 - Deer Park by Sylvia Kirwan Collection - I.C.I. Acid Workers 1925.jpg 2748.06 - Deer Park by Sylvia Kirwan Collection - Nobel Workers 1911.jpg 2748.07 - Deer Park by Sylvia Kirwan Collection - Deer Park School 1932.jpg 2748.08 - Deer Park by Sylvia Kirwan Collection - Deer Park School 1923 Mr Reid Teacher.jpg 2748.09 - Deer Park by Sylvia Kirwan Collection - Unknown.jpg 2748.10 - Deer Park by Sylvia Kirwan Collection - Les Diggins Store Ballarat Rd Cnr Station Road Deer Park.jpg 2748.11 - Deer Park by Sylvia Kirwan Collection - Burnside Swimming Hole 1950's.jpg 2748.12 - Deer Park by Sylvia Kirwan Collection - Deer Park Cricket Club.jpg 2748.13 - Deer Park by Sylvia Kirwan Collection - Walter James O'Brien House 818 Ballarat Rd Deer Park.jpg 2748.14 - Deer Park by Sylvia Kirwan Collection - Burnside Swimming Hole.jpg 2748.15 - Deer Park by Sylvia Kirwan Collection - Wally O'Brien Jones Creek Bridge Ballarat Road.jpg 2748.16 - Deer Park by Sylvia Kirwan Collection - Wally O'Brien in a bike race.jpg 2748.17 - Deer Park by Sylvia Kirwan Collection - I.C.I. Women's Football Team.jpg 2748.18 - Deer Park by Sylvia Kirwan Collection - Deer Park State School.jpg 2748.19 - Deer Park by Sylvia Kirwan Collection - Deer Park School 1951 Grades 2, 3 and 4.jpg 2748.20 - Deer Park by Sylvia Kirwan Collection - River Gums Station Road Cnr Glencairn Ave Deer Park.jpg 2748.21 - Deer Park by Sylvia Kirwan Collection - Hume and Hovel Monument Original Position.jpg 2748.22 - Deer Park by Sylvia Kirwan Collection - Hume and Hovell Monument Original Position.jpg 2748.23 - Deer Park by Sylvia Kirwan Collection - Deer Park School 1951 Grades I and II.jpg 2748.23 - Deer Park by Sylvia Kirwan Collection - Deer Park School 1952 Grades 1 and 2.jpg 2748.23 - Deer Park by Sylvia Kirwan Collection - Deer Park School 1953 Grade III.jpg 2748.23 - Deer Park by Sylvia Kirwan Collection - Deer Park School 1954 Grades IVA.jpg 2748.23 - Deer Park by Sylvia Kirwan Collection - Deer Park School 1955 Grades 5 and 6.jpg 2748.23 - Deer Park by Sylvia Kirwan Collection - Deer Park School 1956 Grade VI.jpg 2748.24 - Deer Park by Sylvia Kirwan Collection - Early Deer Park Housing Planning.jpg 2748.25 - Deer Park by Sylvia Kirwan Collection - Engineers and Toolmakers.jpg 2748.26 - Deer Park by Sylvia Kirwan Collection - Jim Orbell Fabrex.jpg 2748.27 - Deer Park by Sylvia Kirwan Collection - I.C.I. Football Team Early 1950's.jpg 2748.28 - Deer Park by Sylvia Kirwan Collection - I.C.I. Fabrex Process Workers Early 1950's Photo 01.jpg 2748.28 - Deer Park by Sylvia Kirwan Collection - I.C.I. Fabrex Process Workers Early 1950's Photo 02.jpg 2748.28 - Deer Park by Sylvia Kirwan Collection - I.C.I. Fabrex Process Workers Early 1950's Photo 03.jpg 2748.29 - Deer Park by Sylvia Kirwan Collection - I.C.I. Fabrex Process Workers Early 1950's.jpg 2748.30 - Deer Park by Sylvia Kirwan Collection - I.C.I. Men's Smoke Night.jpg 2748.31 - Deer Park by Sylvia Kirwan Collection - I.C.I. Ball Early 1950's.jpg 2748.32 - Deer Park by Sylvia Kirwan Collection - I.C.I. Fabrex Ladies Christmas Party Early 1950's.jpg 2748.33 - Deer Park by Sylvia Kirwan Collection - I.C.I. Fabrex Process Workers Early 1950's.jpg 2748.34 - Deer Park by Sylvia Kirwan Collection - I.C.I. Fabrex Ladies Process Workers.jpg 2748.35 - Deer Park by Sylvia Kirwan Collection - Deer Park Junior Footballers.jpg 2748.36 - Deer Park by Sylvia Kirwan Collection - Deer Park Cricket Team.jpg 2748.37 - Deer Park by Sylvia Kirwan Collection - I.C.I. Apprentice Electricians.jpg 2748.38 - Deer Park by Sylvia Kirwan Collection - I.C.I. Apprentice Electricians.jpg 2748.39 - Deer Park by Sylvia Kirwan Collection - I.C.I. Women's Football Team Back.jpg 2748.39 - Deer Park by Sylvia Kirwan Collection - I.C.I. Women's Football Team Front.jpg 2748.40 - Deer Park by Sylvia Kirwan Collection - I.C.I. Workers.jpg 2748.41 - Deer Park by Sylvia Kirwan Collection - I.C.I. First Apprentices Class 1958.jpg 2748.42 - Deer Park by Sylvia Kirwan Collection - I.C.I. Receation Club Gala Dance.jpg 2748.43 - Deer Park by Sylvia Kirwan Collection - I.C.I. Smoke Night.jpg 2748.44 - Deer Park by Sylvia Kirwan Collection - I.C.I. Football Club.jpg 2748.45 - Deer Park by Sylvia Kirwan Collection - Deer Park State School 1966 Grade 2B.jpg 2748.46 - Deer Park by Sylvia Kirwan Collection - Deer Park West Primary School Football Team 1977.jpg 2748.47 - Deer Park by Sylvia Kirwan Collection - Deer Park School Reunion 2003 Newspaper Article.jpg 2748.48 - Deer Park by Sylvia Kirwan Collection - Deer Park School Reunion 2003 Photo 01.jpg 2748.48 - Deer Park by Sylvia Kirwan Collection - Deer Park School Reunion 2003 Photo 02.jpg 2748.49 - Deer Park by Sylvia Kirwan Collection - Deer Park School Reunion 2003.jpg 2748.50 - Deer Park by Sylvia Kirwan Collection - Deer Park School Reunion 2003.jpg 2748.51 - Deer Park by Sylvia Kirwan Collection - Deer Park School Reunion 2003.jpg 2748.52 - Deer Park by Sylvia Kirwan Collection - Deer Park School Reunion 2003.jpg 2748.53 - Deer Park by Sylvia Kirwan Collection - Early 1950's School Teachers Frank Dando, Gordon Wright Ira (Richards) Wright.jpg 2748.54 - Deer Park by Sylvia Kirwan Collection - Deer Park School Reunion 2003.jpg 2748.55 - Deer Park by Sylvia Kirwan Collection - Deer Park School Reunion 2003.jpg 2748.56 - Deer Park by Sylvia Kirwan Collection - Deer Park School Reunion 2003.jpg 2748.57 - Deer Park by Sylvia Kirwan Collection - Deer Park School Reunion 2003 Photo 01.jpg 2748.57 - Deer Park by Sylvia Kirwan Collection - Deer Park School Reunion 2003 Photo 02.jpg 2748.57 - Deer Park by Sylvia Kirwan Collection - Deer Park School Reunion 2003 Photo 03.jpg 2748.57 - Deer Park by Sylvia Kirwan Collection - Deer Park School Reunion 2003 Photo 04.jpg 2748.58 - Deer Park by Sylvia Kirwan Collection - Deer Park School Reunion 2003.jpg 2748.59 - Deer Park by Sylvia Kirwan Collection - Deer Park School Reunion 2003 Photo 01.jpg 2748.59 - Deer Park by Sylvia Kirwan Collection - Deer Park School Reunion 2003 Photo 02.jpg 2748.59 - Deer Park by Sylvia Kirwan Collection - Deer Park School Reunion 2003 Photo 03.jpg 2748.59 - Deer Park by Sylvia Kirwan Collection - Deer Park School Reunion 2003 Photo 04.jpg 2748.60 - Deer Park by Sylvia Kirwan Collection - Deer Park School Reunion 2003 Photo 01.jpg 2748.60 - Deer Park by Sylvia Kirwan Collection - Deer Park School Reunion 2003 Photo 02.jpg 2748.60 - Deer Park by Sylvia Kirwan Collection - Deer Park School Reunion 2003 Photo 03.jpg 2748.60 - Deer Park by Sylvia Kirwan Collection - Deer Park School Reunion 2003 Photo 04.jpg 2748.61 - Deer Park by Sylvia Kirwan Collection - Deer Park School Reunion 2003 Photo 01.jpg 2748.61 - Deer Park by Sylvia Kirwan Collection - Deer Park School Reunion 2003 Photo 02.jpg 2748.61 - Deer Park by Sylvia Kirwan Collection - Deer Park School Reunion 2003 Photo 03.jpg 2748.61 - Deer Park by Sylvia Kirwan Collection - Deer Park School Reunion 2003 Photo 04.jpg 2748.62 - Deer Park by Sylvia Kirwan Collection - Deer Park School Reunion 2003 Photo 01.jpg 2748.62 - Deer Park by Sylvia Kirwan Collection - Deer Park School Reunion 2003 Photo 02.jpg 2748.62 - Deer Park by Sylvia Kirwan Collection - Deer Park School Reunion 2003 Photo 03.jpg 2748.63 - Deer Park by Sylvia Kirwan Collection - No Time For Tears.jpg 2748.64 - Deer Park by Sylvia Kirwan Collection - Sunshine Technical School 1913 - 1991.jpg 2748.65 - Deer Park by Sylvia Kirwan Collection - Sunshine Technical School 1913 - 2013 Celebrating 100 Years.jpgdeer park, history, sylvia kirwin

Australian Rules football had been played in the Bacchus Marsh area from at least the 1870s. The first meeting to form a club was held in Bacchus Marsh in 1874 but it was not until the 1880s that regular matches were played in the district. In 1912 it was decided by representatives from a number of football clubs in the district to form a football association to better organize and promote the development of the game in the district. Hence by 25 May 1912 the Bacchus Marsh District Football Association was formed comprising the following clubs: Bacchus Marsh, Deer Park, Melton, Parwan, and Maddingley. This image shows the delegates from the various clubs to the newly formed association. The individual people in the image have been specifically identified but the clubs they represented have not. The unnamed umpires in the image have been identified by the honorary historian and statistician of the Australian Football League Umpires Association, David Flegg. Left, Fred Lucas (Goal Umpire), centre, Evan James (Field Umpire), and right, James Smith (Goal Umpire). The date of this image is 9th August 1913. Newspaper reports in the Bacchus Marsh Express on 9th August confirm the participation of these umpires in a Bacchus Marsh versus Melton match on this date. The match took place at Maddingley Park, which appears to be the location where the picture was taken.This item has historic and social significance as an image of one of the early sporting administrators of Bacchus Marsh and District. It is a typical example of group photographs of this era. It is evidence of the transition of football from a social informal setting to an organised activity and signals the growth of importance of sport, in this case Australian Rules football, as a cultural and social activity central to the Australian ethos. It reflects the pride local districts invested in their local sporting clubs. A sepia photograph mounted on a cardboard mat, showing a group of sixteen men arranged in three rows in a park setting. Twelve men are dressed in suits, collars and ties, a thirteenth man is wearing a uniform coat with epaulettes. Several of the men are wearing ribbons which may indicate their membership of the Association, and/or their status as delegates. In the front row, three men are crouched, two wearing white coats over their suits, and holding white flags, denoting their role as goal umpires. The middle man, the field umpire, is wearing long-sleeved top, shorts, socks and laced-up athletic shoes. On the front, under the photo, hand-written, the words: Delegates 1913. Bacchus Marsh District Football Association. Beneath the title: Top Frank Winderlich. H Connors (s deleted). G.Coburn. P. McDonald. McKenzie? Grant Morton. Edgar Smith. Mid: Roy Edwards. J.J.Barry Snr. Ross. Robert Dugdale. Cunningham. J.B. Doherty. Bottom Row. Not inscribed but have been identified as VFL accredited umpires. Left, Goal Umpire Fred Lucas, centre Field Umpire Evan James, right Goal Umpire James Smith. On the back: Hand-written: Executive members of the First Football League (formed 1912). Given by E.Kight. E. Kight Grant Street Bacchus Marsh. On a white label: Miss Gwynne Moore. australian rules football, bacchus marsh district football association

Published: (1934, June 26). The Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954), p. 11. Published title: VICE-ROYALTY GREETS THE KING OF THE BEASTS AT THE ZOO. Published caption: Lord Huntingfield experienced a pleasant “induction ceremony” as Patron of the Royal Zoological and Acclimatisation Society yesterday, when he made a tour of the Zoological Gardens. The picture shows the Governor, accompanied by Lady Huntingfield, inspecting the King of Beasts, who is submitting to a little playful treatment from the Director of the Gardens, Mr. Wilkie, while the Director whispers in his ear that a distinguished visitor has come to see him. (Inset), is a picture of Lord Huntingfield greeting one of the Koalas. Trove article identifier: http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article204818472 Description: A man wearing a hat, scarf and overcoat reaches up to pat a koala in a tree watched by a man in a hat and suit. Research by project volunteer, Fiona Collyer: In 1932, the Zoo built an Australian native animal enclosure which visitors could enter and closely view koalas, wallabies, kookaburras and magpies all placed together. The branches of the trees in the enclosure were cut so that visitors could easily see and feed the koalas sitting in them. The cost to feed each koala fresh gum leaves was fifteen shillings per week. By 1924, Queensland was the last stronghold in Australia for the koala. They were functionally extinct in South Australia, only a few hundred in NSW, and an estimated population of 1000 animals remained in Victoria. There had been a six-month open season on koalas in Queensland in 1919 where over a million had been slaughtered, however with its vast, dense forests it was impossible to accurately know their numbers. Koala fur is tough, warm and waterproof and was in high demand from consumers in Canada, Britain and the US to make hats and gloves and for lining greatcoats. In 1927, with Queensland suffering a crippling drought and high unemployment, the cash-strapped McCormack Labor Government declared an “Open Season” on koalas and “opossums” for their skins, for the month of August. (Possums were often called “opossums” at this time but they are actually possums). There were widespread protests from many groups including the Nature Lovers League, Wild Life Preservation Society of Australia, Queensland Museum, C.W.A. Royal Australian Ornithologist Union, Boy Scouts, religious and women’s groups. There were letters to newspapers from ordinary people, editorials and pleas to women to refuse to wear or purchase koala fur. People questioned the masculinity of koala hunters as it was felt that no proper bushman or sportsman would kill such a defenceless creature. The Brisbane Courier newspaper led the campaign, devoting six columns a day to “Spare the Bear”. Author Vance Palmer sent an impassioned letter to the editor of the The Brisbane Courier, 19 July 1927: “Sir- It is be hoped that the disgust which all humane people have felt at the declaration of an open season for native bears in August will not be allowed to fade away until some protest... so overwhelming and effective that the question will never be raised again. For the shooting of our harmless and loveable native bear is nothing less than barbarous. His case is entirely different from that of other furred animals. No one has ever accused him of spoiling the farmers’ wheat, eating the squatters’ grass or even spreading the prickly pear. There is not a social vice that can be put down to his account. In addition, he is comparatively defenceless. He affords no sport to the gunman, and can be trusted to present a sitting target to the creature mean enough to aim at him. For this reason he has been almost blotted out already from some areas, in days when our fauna and flora were held in such little regard that the settlers’ first instinct was to shoot every strange animal and to sink his axe into every unfamiliar tree.” The Anglican Archbishop of Brisbane, Gerald Sharp, had his letter published in The Brisbane Courier on 16 July 1927: “Sir... The extermination of fauna so distinctive of our country, especially of such harmless and pretty creatures as our native bears, seems to me a shameful thing, and this is likely to mean their extermination.” But it was all to no avail. Known as “Black August”, the government was unmoved by the public’s outrage. 10,000 licences were issued to hunters and “the slaughter of the innocents” went ahead. The newspapers were full of stories of dreadful cruelty against the helpless, benign creatures by the heartless hunters who not only used guns and spotlights but wire snares and cyanide baits so that pelts wouldn’t be damaged. Infant koalas were left orphaned and unlikely to survive without their mothers. Top quality pelts were sold at an average price of 56 shillings and 9 pence per dozen, poor quality skins for as little as 2 1/2 pence each. In December 1927, the Minister for Agriculture and Stock, Mr W. Forgan Smith told the Parliament that during the August open season 597,985 koala pelts worth £139,595 had netted the state’s coffers £6000. 952,194 “opossum” pelts were sold and £9000 made for the State. The backlash that followed helped topple the Queensland Labor Government in 1929. The Wild Life Preservation Society of Australia lobbied the Prime Minister Mr Stanley Bruce to refuse to issue exportation permits for koala pelts and from 10 November 1927 the Commonwealth Government suspended the issuing of permits. In 1930, the Society made a direct appeal to USA President Herbert Hoover and he signed an order prohibiting the importation of koala and wombat fur to USA, eliminating a major market. Koala pelts were often deliberately mislabelled “wombat” to get around restrictions. The ban most likely saved the koala from probable extinction. Three years later the Australian Federal Government banned the export of koala products. This movement against koala killing was really the first conservation campaign in Australia. It raised awareness of the vulnerability of a beloved animal and eventually brought about national parks and national laws for their protection. By 1936, community opposition to possum open seasons was beginning. The koala was made a Protected Species in all states in 1937, meaning no one is allowed to harm a koala, however the laws protecting the gum trees they rely on for food and shelter are weak. The Australian Government estimates the wild koala population in Australia is between 225,000 and 500,000 in 2024. The Australian Koala Foundation estimates the national population at less than 60,000 in 2021 with a 30% decline in three years. Habitat loss from land clearing, dog attacks, road deaths, chlamydia, bushfires and drought exacerbated by climate change, continues to cause their decline. Over eight million koalas were killed for their pelts between 1888 and 1927. Any one of the annual harvests killed more koalas than are alive now. At this time, children were also being taught to appreciate Australian native animals. In 1933, “Blinky Bill: The Quaint Little Australian” book for children was published by Angus and Robertson. It was written and illustrated by New Zealand-born author Dorothy Wall and “Dedicated to my son Peter and all other Peters and Johns and Bobs and Toms and Marys and Bettys and Joans and Pats and all kind children.” The book tells the story of Blinky Bill - a mischievous, patched knickerbocker-wearing koala and his mother and father. The story has messages of conservation and instances of human unkindness and cruelty. Mr. and Mrs. Koala and young Blinky lead a mostly idyllic family life amongst a variety of other animals in the forest. However it all changes in chapter two, when Blinky Bill’s father is distressingly shot by a hunter. There is a harrowing description of Mr. Koala’s shooting and eventual death. “The Koala family lived so happily; never thinking of harm, or that anything could happen to disturb their little home, as all they asked for were plenty of fresh gum-leaves and the warm sun. They had no idea such things as guns were in the world or that a human being had a heart so cruel that he would take a pleasure in seeing a poor little body riddled with bullets hanging helplessly from the tree-top... That same being might just as well take his gun and shoot baby kookaburras, so helpless were they all and so trusting.” “Poor Mr. Koala one day was curled up asleep in his favourite corner, when the terrible thing happened. Bang! He opened his eyes in wonder. What was that? Did the limb of the tree snap where that young cub of his was skylarking? ... bang! again. This time he felt a stinging pain in his leg... Peering over the bough of the tree he saw a man on the ground with something long and black in his arms... Another bang and his ear began to hurt. Bang! again and now his little body was stinging all over. He grunted loudly and slowly climbed up the tree, calling Mrs. Koala and Blinky as he went. He managed to reach the topmost branch... Tears were pouring down his poor little face. He brushed them away with his front paws and cried just like a baby. Fortunately Mrs. Koala and Blinky Bill were hiding in the leaves quite motionless, and the shadows of the tree made them appear as part of it. The man with the gun stood and waited a long time, then walked away, whistling as he went - the only sound to be heard in the bush except the cries of the little bear far up in the tree.” Blinky and his mother quietly and fearfully wait for Mr. Koala to wake. In the morning, grunting and crying, they feel his lifeless body with their paws. Eventually Mrs. Koala realises that her husband is dead and that they need to move to a safe place. After travelling deeper into the forest, Mrs. Koala and Blinky meet koalas Mrs. Grunty and her son Snubby and she describes how she was captured as a baby by koala fur trappers to be a pet for a little girl. The trapper forgot to bring gum leaves for the koala so they try to feed her cake, milk and bananas, making her sick. The little girl’s father relays something he read in the paper: “During the year 1920 to 1921, two hundred and five thousand six hundred and seventy-nine koalas were killed and their skins sold to the fur market, under the name of wombat.” They place the koala in a box with a teddy bear for company. The baby koala’s health deteriorates and the alarmed trapper returns her to the bush. Mrs. Grunty tells Mrs. Koala that she and Blinky are the only bears that she has seen for ten years: “I remember well the little girl’s father telling her... that not so many years ago the bush was alive with us bears, from Queensland to the south of Victoria. Now, we are so rare that we have become a curiosity, something to put in zoos, for children to see; and actually in museums. I believe our grandparents sit there in glass cases, stuffed with something inside to make them appear alive, and, oh dear, glass eyes. In New South Wales, I think we could wander for miles from one corner to another and never meet a bear. I don’t know why we were all killed. As you know, we don’t eat the farmers’ crop or ruin their orchards. All we asked for were our own gum-trees.” At the end of the book, Dorothy tells her readers - “The kindest action of all would be to leave the koala baby in his own bushland, among his own playmates, with the sun, the sky, the birds, and the gum-trees, where he will grow to manhood and live for many years - happy as he should be.” In 1934, a “Wild Zoo”, the Sir Colin Mackenzie Sanctuary, opened on 32 hectares of land, formerly part of Coranderrk Aboriginal Reserve in the Yarra Valley, exclusively displaying Australian native animals, birds and reptiles. It was later renamed Healesville Sanctuary and is now managed by Melbourne Zoo and home to over 200 species of Australian native fauna. The Sanctuary is committed to rescuing, breeding, researching and raising awareness of the vulnerability of Australian animals. Andrew Arthur Wellesley Wilkie, 1853-1948, was Director of the Melbourne Zoo from 1923 to 1936 and was associated with the zoo for 70 years. He first worked as a horticultural assistant to Government botanist Baron Ferdinand von Mueller at the Botanical Gardens at the age of 13, along with his older brother David. One of Andrew’s jobs was to capture moths for the National Herbarium. In 1857, a group of prominent Melburnians assembled at St. Patrick’s Hall to form the Zoological Society of Victoria, with the aim of introducing animals and plants from overseas. It was conceived, “For the purposes of science and for that of affording the public the advantages of studying the habits of the animal creation in properly arranged zoological gardens.” The Victorian Government granted 32 acres (13 hectares) of land to the Zoological Society at the southern end of Richmond Paddock on the opposite bank to the Botanical Gardens. (This is where AAMI Stadium and Collingwood Football Club now stand.) In 1861, the Zoological Society of Victoria was renamed The Acclimatisation Society of Victoria. Unfortunately the Yarra River frontage was damp, swampy and subject to flooding, so the animals were briefly housed at the Botanical Gardens until in 1862, the City of Melbourne donated 55 acres (22 hectares) of land at Royal Park for the fledgling zoo. Baron von Mueller secured employment at Royal Park for Andrew and David and they helped to lay out the gardens, plant trees and take care of a collection of deer, pheasants, hares and partridges. Initially the zoo was used for the acclimatisation of animals recovering from the long voyage to Australia and for breeding them for sport. In 1872, the zoo bought two lions, a leopard and a cheetah that had been seized from circus showmen Keith and Phillips when they were unable to pay the bill of butcher Mr T K Bennet of Bourke Street. The first zoo director, Mr. Albert Le Souef, negotiated with captains of ships to buy animals at overseas ports they visited and soon a multitude of exotic species arrived, including a ten-year-old Indian elephant in 1878. In 1923, after being head keeper for some years, Andrew was appointed director of the zoo. By 1933, the zoo had 110 different species of animals, 200 species of birds and 72 species of reptiles under Andrew’s care. He had personally planted all but six trees and laid out the garden beds. As director he lobbied authorities for funds to build more humane enclosures for the animals. In June 1928, Table Talk magazine wrote of Andrew Wilkie: “Up at the Zoo there is a humble gentleman who is a lion among the lions, who knows the proper specific to employ when the boa constrictor has chilblains, and who is a friend and confidant of Queenie the elephant. His fount of zoological lore has never been plumbed. It is bottomless, like his good fellowship and geniality. Every day he may be seen somewhere in the grounds of that growing sanctuary for the strange and arresting fauna and creeping things of the world, and I assure you as one who is privy to his passion that that area and its inhabitants are rarely out of his thoughts.” Andrew retired from the zoo in 1936 at the age of 83 and in 1948 died at his home in Brunswick aged 94. He and his wife Josephine had six children. The Victorian Acclimatisation Society was founded in 1861 by Edward Wilson, 1813-1878, then owner and editor of The Argus newspaper. He said that Australian indigenous animals were practically useless, providing only “a little sport and an occasional meal”. The Society believed that Australia’s plants and animals were vastly inferior to those in Europe. They wanted to introduce and acclimatise to Victoria “all innoxious animals, birds, fishes, insects and vegetables, whether useful or ornamental” for sport and for the table, and to spread indigenous animals and plants from the colony around the world. Their motto was “if it lives, we want it”. The Society was primarily responsible for introducing sparrows, starlings, sambar and hog deer, ostriches, brown trout, blackberries, and carp to the Murray River. They released the European songbirds, thrush and blackbird to quell the homesickness of British settlers. The Society also sent Australian animals like platypus, echidnas, kangaroos and koalas to Europe for scientific and novelty purposes. Thomas Austin, a wealthy sheep farmer of Barwon Park, Winchelsea (property now owned by the National Trust) was a member and in 1859 he introduced hares, blackbirds, thrushes and partridges onto his property. He is probably best known for introducing 24 breeding rabbits onto his estate as game for shooting parties. Thomas quipped, “The introduction of a few rabbits could do little harm and might provide a touch of home, in addition to a spot of hunting." In 2022, genomic data confirmed that Australia’s feral rabbit population is entirely descended from these rabbits. Biological control has brought the rabbit population down from an estimated high of 10 billion rabbits in the 1920s to approximately 200 million today, inhabiting 70% of Australian landmass (5.3 million square kilometres). In 1872, the Acclimatisation Society was renamed The Zoological and Acclimatisation Society of Victoria and they focused on importing exotic animals for display purposes to the zoo. In 1937, the Royal Acclimatisation Society of Victoria was recreated as the Zoological Board of Victoria with a focus on research of native animals threatened with extinction. In an editorial for The Argus newspaper, 16 March 1856, Edward Wilson lamented: "...this country has been shamelessly stolen from the blacks. Had they been like the New Zealanders or the North American Indians, we should have bought their land, and supplied them with the means of living when we took it... In less than twenty years we have nearly swept them off the face of the earth. We have shot them down like dogs. In the guise of friendship we have issued corrosion sublimate in their damper, and consigned whole tribes to the agonies of an excruciating death. We have made them drunkards, and infected them with disease which has rotted the bones of their adults, and made such few children as are born amongst them a sorrow and a torture from the very instant of their birth. We have made them outcasts on their own land, and are rapidly consigning them to entire annihilation. There are but a few of them left, comparatively. This is what we would do for that few. We would feed and clothe every one of them.” [Note: this last sentence is italicized in the original newspaper article text]. Lord Huntingfield, (William Charles Arcedeckne Vanneck) 1883-1969, Governor of Victoria 1934-1939, was a British Conservative Party politician and the first ever Australian-born Governor of an Australian state (although he was always considered British). He was patron of the Royal Zoological and Acclimatisation Society of Victoria and was acting Governor-General for six months during the absence of Lord Gowie in 1938. Lady Huntingfield (née Margaret Eleanor Crosby) 1884-1943, his American-born wife showed great interest in social welfare and the advancement of women and children. She was president of the City Newsboys Society and Patroness of the Girls Friendly Society. In 1937, rose breeder Alister Clark named a yellow hybrid tea rose for her. In 1940, the City of Melbourne opened the Lady Huntingfield Free Kindergarten in North Melbourne, now the Lady Huntingfield Early Learning and Family Services Centre. Lady Huntingfield died in London in 1943 after her house was bombed during a German airstrike. The Lady Huntingfield Memorial Scholarship was established after the City of Melbourne raised £1000 in a public appeal conducted in her memory for students undertaking a Social Work degree at the University of Melbourne. It is awarded annually to this day. The Queen Victoria Hospital named a bed in her honour. References: VICE-ROYALTY GREETS THE KING OF BEASTS AT THE ZOO. (1934, June 26). The Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954), p. 11. Retrieved August 23, 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article204818472 Prominent Personalities ANDREW WILKIE (1928, June 7). Table Talk (Melbourne, Vic. : 1885 - 1939), p. 15. Retrieved August 29, 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article146562949 'Edward Wilson (journalist)', Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Wilson_(journalist) 'Thomas Austin (pastoralist)', Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Austin_(pastoralist) 'The Acclimatisation Society was driven by misguided ideals about 'fixing nature' in Australia', ABC News, https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-11-04/acclimatisation-society-introduced-species-history-listen/101588262?utm_campaign=abc_news_web&utm_content=link&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_source=abc_news_web Blinky Bill: the quaint little Australian (eBook); by Dorothy Wall, 1933, 2023, Project Gutenberg Australia, https://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks04/0400571h.html "Black August": Queensland's Open Season on koalas in 1927 (thesis); Glenn Fowler, 1993, Australian National University, https://www.savethekoala.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Black-August.pdf Unfair game: Queensland's Open Season on koalas in 1927; Jacqui Donegan, 2000, University of Queensland, https://mesto-ku.narod.ru/koalas.pdf OPEN SEASON CONDEMNED. (1927, July 19). The Brisbane Courier (Qld. : 1864 - 1933), p. 15. Retrieved September 5, 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article21863465 COUNTRY WOMEN'S ASSOCIATION. (1927, July 30). The Brisbane Courier (Qld. : 1864 - 1933), p. 25. Retrieved September 20, 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article21866965 AUSTRALIA: Barnardo's children at Melbourne Park Zoo (1929), British Pathé, YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Wcrbo_cHpI 'Kodak Cinegraph Compilation No 8', ACMI Collection, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCrBng5RwFI KOALA SKINS. EXPORT BAN SOUGHT. (1927, August 4). The Brisbane Courier (Qld. : 1864 - 1933), p. 10. Retrieved September 15, 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article21868746 THE ABORIGINES. (1856, March 16). The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), p. 5. Retrieved September 28, 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article4833244 Koala Bears (1937), British Pathé, YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbqgMtyuzwE Australian Koala Bear (Earliest Archive Footage: 1929), Pond5, https://www.pond5.com/stock-footage/item/152767491-australian-koala-bear-earliest-archive-footage-1929Photographer notations on slide: "Vice Regal visit to zoo B42".1930-1939, zoos, governors, koalas, conservation, possums, botanic gardens