A photo of Old Calder Highway in Diggers Rest with houses on one side and a manmade waterhole on the other side beside the railway line. The railway crossing can be seen in the background next to the railway station.A colour photograph of a waterhole on the side of the road and beside a railway line. It is unmounted.old calder highway, diggers rest, diggers rest railway station, railways, george evans collection

SUMMARY - Schutt & Barrie Chaff Mills Partnership West Footscray, Parwan and Diggers Rest. Mary nee Barrie Robinson (1907 –1999) writes c1980 about her father Charles Ernest Barrie of Darlingsford Melton (1871 – 1931) Extract copied from her handwritten story - My father was born in Ballarat in 1871. … commenced his working life with a team of bullocks and a chaffcutter in the St Arnaud district, a work the he became most success at and would continue in to the end of his life. He eventually became the owner of a chaff mill at Melton station with an access line to the railway. [1900] The Schutt & Barrie partnership ….Dad later became involved in a Chaff mill at West Footscray run by John Ralph Schutt who when he met Dad was a very sick man and had begged Dad to come into the business and help him. That began a very happy association, the business was put on its feet. An empty quarry across Geelong Road opposite the mill was purchased, the chaffcutters were set up in the quarry and that was the start of a very busy and prosperous period. A branch line was run into the mill. Dad spent some afternoons at the mill going by train, and spending some hours there at night, at the same time running the farm with full time help. Two full 8 horse teams were used to work the land, which meant early rising for the horses to be fed and harnessed ready for the men to commence the days work. Charlie Lowe and Murdock Davey were two of the men who worked for Dad in those years. The firm purchased a mill at Parwan and Dad spent a lot of time and energy getting it running to their satisfaction. Monday was the day he spent time there also round the district of Parwan and Balliang. He came to know many of the their names were well known in our household for many years. [1920] Later a flour mill was built beside the Chaff mill at West Footscray but it never thrived like the mill. The chaff mill had many loyal and good men employed there and there was never any trouble between men and management. Willie Walters and Miss Renyolds were some I remember, other names me, Joyce would be able to name them. [Sister of Mary born 1920] Sample envelope from the businesslocal identities

The 11 workmen are standing at the Sunbury railway crossing facing towards the south. It was in Station Street. In the distance the Sunbury Asylum hill is on the LHS. The men are from the Diggers Rest railway gang. Standing in the immediate front is Jim Brain and front left is Malic Cahill, seated is the ganger, Clary Grimmet, 3rd from right is Phil O'Conner, son of Frank and 5th from left is Mick Frouly. It wasn't until 2023 that the level rail crossing at Sunbury was removed by redirecting Station Street under it as part of the Victorian Government's program to remove level rail crossings in built-up areas.A black and white non-digital photograph with a cream border of 11 men standing at a closed country rail crossing. The photograph has been pasted onto a piece of brown light cardboard. In formation about the people in the photograph is on a separate sheet of paper.sunbury rail crossing, station street, railway gangers, railways, jim brain, malic cahill, clary grimmet, frank o'connor, mick frouly