A Bendigo 'Advertiser' article titled 'Joss House re-born.' The old Chinese Joss House at Emu Point is being re-born by the National Trust of Australia. There are photos of the Joss House and the people involved in it and also historical information. 9/12/69bendigo, chinese, joss house, lydia chancellor collection, collection, bendigo, denis o'hoy, tourism, emu point, national trust of australia, historical buildings, house, houses

Two black and white photographs of the Chinese Joss House at Emu Point.buildings, church, chinese joss house

Article written by Ray Davie in the holy Name monthly of 1st june, 1959 titled: What happened to Tom Ryan.Ray Davieperson, individual, constable thomas ryan, white hills settlement, chinatown, emu point, ah tong, thomas ryan

''The Chinese on the Bendigo Goldfield'' - draft paper with pencilled and typed annotations by ''Joch'' (J O O'Hattam) - undated. ; last page states ''Extracts from letters in the O'Breen family, and personal research; These letters were written between 1856 and 1899 by Shane O'Breen''. Mention of - two distinct 'groups' of Chinese (Canton & via California) with their stated differences in appearance and type of working; differences between European and Chinese mines (shafts as well as drives i.e. circular as against rectangular; 'smoking' of the shafts and tunnels by the Chinese; space in Chinese camps i.e. crowding; condition of Chinese camps; fire at Emu Creek camp of 1887; names of camps - Golden Square, Jackass Flat, Myers Flat, Kangaroo Flat, White Hills, Kennington, East Bendigo (Grassy Flat) and ''as far out as Diamond Hill''; Constable Ryan disappearance.Shane O'Breenbendigo, chinese, history, goldfields, chinese. o'breen family, shane o'breen, constable ryan. pigtail. cantonese. chinese smoked shafts and tunnels. emu point. opium smoking shop. joss house. golden square. jackass flat, myers flat, kangaroo flat. white hills, kennington. west bendigo (grassy flat). diamond hill.

Handwritten paper ''Chinese in Bendigo'' by A Chittock (no date or other details). Covers aspects such as fire in the Chinese Camp; disappearance of Constable Ryan; author's memories of kiln/ Bridge St/ nurseries; attitudes to Chinese; 1854 threat in Bendigo to the Chinese (Panton/McLachlan/Denovan);Chinese activities in community (Easter Fair); Bibliography.A. Chittockbendigo, mining, early chinese history, emu point, chinese joss house, white hills cemetry, bendigo chinese association.

Postcard, color. Image shows Joss House, flagpole in front. On back: Bendigo Victoria, The Chinese Joss House at Emu Point. ( A National Trust property open for inspection )Nu Color Vue,bendigo, chinese, joss house, bendigo, joss house, chinese

Coloured postcard of Birney tram no. 30 decorated for a Royal Tour occasion. The Bendigo Trust operates this tram and others on a tourist service between Central Deborah Mine and the Chinese Joss House at Emu Point.bendigo, tramways, tram 30

Map. Eastern area of Bendigo, Parish of Huntly, Ascot, Shire of Huntly, Jackass Flat, Old White Hills, White Hills, Emu Point, North Bendigo, East Bendigo, Strathdale, Parish of Strathfieldsaye, Parish of Sandhurst, Parish of Wellsford.map, bendigo, parishes

3 page document, typed, photocopy. History of Bendigo Easter Fair - includes reference to G. Aspinall and Mr. J. Burnside, Geo Mackay's father, Hallas's Premier City Band later Northcote Band, Chinese, Emu Point, Ordnance factory site, Joss House, Popular Girl 1930, Document approx 1948, unknown author.bendigo, bendigo easter fair, easter fair society

Coloured postcard. On back of card ' Birney Tram no. 30 decorated for a Royal Tour occasion. The Bendigo Trust operates this tram and others on a tourist service between Central Deborah Mine and the Chinese Joss House at Emu Point' Image shows Birney tram decorated with Union Jack and Australian flag on top, with crown on front of tram. Myer building on LH side of image.Nu Color Vuebendigo, tramways, royal tram, bendigo, tram, royal celebration, myer, pall mall

BENDIGO ADVERTISER DECEMBER 20, 1971, NEWSPAPER ARTICLE ''NEW MOVE FOR TOURIST TRAMS''. (Local Ministers:) Minister of Fuel and Power Mr. Balfour, Local Government Minister Mr. Hunt, Minister for Tourism Mr. Dickie. Councilors T.R. Flood, J.C.M. Jeffrey, N.J. Oliver, J.P. Pearce, Mr. V.L. Smythe. Proposal of the time run tourist trams from Central Deborah Mine through to Emu Point in North Bendigo taking in Pall Mall and McCrae Streets.bendigo, newspapers, bendigo advertiser tourist trams

Bendigo Victoria's Golden City Tourism Brochure Postcards 1960's. Charing Cross and Pall Mall looking north to the Post Office, Central Deborah Gold Mine and Vintage Tram, Chinese Joss House Emu Point Finn Street Bendigo, Charing Cross looking towards the Post Office Pall Mall Bendigo, Bendigo Vintage Tram Pall Mall Bendigo, Royal Tour Tram No. 30 Pall Mall Bendigo, Lake Eppalock at the Bendigo Yacht Club, Dusk Alexandra Fountain Pall Mall Bendigo, Sacred Heart Cathedral From High Street Bendigo, Central Deborah Gold Mine, Shamrock Hotel.bendigo, tourism, postcard

Series of six (6) Nucolorvue postcards with serrated edges of scenes around Bendigo featuring Bendigo trams under the operation of either the SECV or the Bendigo Trust. 963.1 - "The Cenotaph and Alexandra Fountain" at Charing Cross. Has Bendigo bogie car in background. Also the Beehive building and Ezywalkin shoes. Nucolorvue postcard BE41 on rear and other information in green ink. 963.2 - "Tram No. 25, a maximum traction car built in 1916. Now operated by The Bendigo Trust between Central Deborah Mine and Emu Point." Features No. 25 in Bendigo Trust colours with Coca Cola and Bendigo Timber Co ads on the roof. On nearby pole is a "Bendigo Talking Vintage Tram" signs. In background is the Beehive building and other buildings near Charing Cross. Nucolorvue postcard BE52 on rear and other information in green ink. 963.3 - "Birney Tram No. 30 decorated for a Royal Tour occasion. The Bendigo trust operates this tram and others on a tourist service between Central Deborah Mine and the Chinese Joss House at Emu Point." Features No. 30 decorated for a visit of Prince Charles, 26/10/1974 with crown, Australian and English flags. Has Myer building in the background. On adjacent pole are two signs "Cars stop on Request". Nucolorvue postcard BE 44 on rear and information in green ink. 963.4 - "The Central Deborah Gold Mine and a vintage tram operated by the Bendigo Trust" Features Birney No. 28 at the mine terminus. Nucolorvue postcard BE48 on rear and other information in green ink. 963.5 - "Charing Cross Bendigo Vic." featuring SECV trams 5, 19 and other bogie car crossing street heading for Quarry Hill. Has Fountain Plaza building in background. Nucolorvue and other information in brown ink. 963.6 - "The Sacred Heart Cathedral looking from High St." Has tram 25 in Bendigo Trust colour running along street in front of Cathedral. Work to complete the spire on the Cathedral underway. Nucolorvue postcard BE47 and other information on rear in green ink. Bendigo Vintage Talking Trams - K.S.Kingstrams, tramways, bendigo, the bendigo trust, charing cross, royal visit, tram 37

Seven point star represents 6 states and 7th for Territorial shield has 6 symbols for each of 6 states. Wreath colours of gold and blue are colours of Australia's livery and shield held up by native animals of Kangaroo and Emu.Gold ornate metallic frame with a coloured print of Australian Coat of Arms (Wreath of gold and blue with Kangaroo and Emu holding a shield and at top a 7 pointed star). Is in colour on a white background. Image has glass protection and frame has hard cardboard backing with a hook on either side connected with a length of copper hanging wire. Coat of Arms with "Australia" at bottom. Stamp on back stating "Passchendaele Barracks Trust".coat of arms, passchendaele barracks trust

The Red Ribbon Movement of 1853 represented a significant series of events in the history of Bendigo. During that year there was much agitation on the Bendigo gold fields, particularly during July and August of 1853, directed against the payment of what the miners called a tax - a licence fee of thirty shillings ($3) a month for the right to search for gold on what was declared Crown land. They had to pay the licence whether they found gold or not. The miners, or diggers as they were called, also resented the means used by the authorities at the time to collect the gold licence - through so-called 'digger hunts'. The miners were expected to carry their licences with them, and the police, who were often untrained, used harsh methods to check these licences. In Bendigo, the miners took to wearing a red ribbon ‘as a symbol of their protest against the licence. Red was a very common colour in items such as shirts, so was readily available. Shopkeepers too tied red ribbons to their premises as a sign of support for the miners. It should be remembered at that time virtually everyone was a miner. The diggers also had their own banner, designed by William Dexter, a china painter from Devon. This flag showed the pick, shovel and cradle representing labour, the scales representing justice, the Roman bundle of sticks meaning unity and the kangaroo and emu of Australia Many thousands of Bendigo miners signed a petition to La Trobe, the Governor of Victoria, protesting against the licence fee. When the Governor rejected the petition, thousands of diggers marched in peaceful protest. Miners from White Hills, Eaglehawk, Golden Square, Kangaroo Flat as well as from Bendigo Flat, converged on what is now Pall Mall and View Point, surrounding the ~government camp on Camp Hill. The camp had been reinforced with soldiers of the 40 Regiment, as the Government feared bloodshed. The miners then gathered on the hill behind View Point to hear from their leaders - among them George Thomson, Captain Harrison, Captain Brown and W.D.C. Denovan. They resolved to pay a token fee often shillings ($1) for the September licence, whenthey met with Commissioners Panton and Wright on Camp Hill. Although Wright and Panton were sympathetic to the miners, the offer was rejected, but no licence fees were collected for September. Thus a possible bloody conflict was averted by the common sense shown by the miners' leaders and the commissioners. It was a truly democratic protest against arbitrary government and preceded the Eureka Stockade Incident by over a year. Bendigo Historical Society Committee on a Tram, two photos, one of five people standing behind a display cabinet, and the second one a Banner stretched across the tram. On the rear of the photo is "L-R Jim Evans, Terry Davidson, Ron Monro." Second from left is Jim Evans (President) and fourth from the left is Terry Davidson, with extreme right, Ron Munro (Vice President). In the cabinet is the 1853 Bendigo Goldfields Petition (Red Ribbon Rebellion) The society holds the petition in digital form. The diggers had their own banner, designed by William Dexter, a china painter from Devon. This flag showed the pick, shovel and cradle representing labour, the scales representing justice, the Roman bundle of sticks meaning unity and the kangaroo and emu of Australia history, bendigo, tram, 1853 bendigo goldfields petition, red ribbon rebellions

Ken Arnold is a Bendigo author and publisher.A series of one hundred and thirty-five articles written by Ken Arnold and published in the Bendigo Weekly between 2000 and 2003. Each article has a topic or theme and includes historical information and details. Each article includes a photograph. The articles are stored in a red vinyl covered two ring A5 folder. Index below. Number Article Name Date 1. Centenary of Victoria 19.5.00 2. Storm Water Drain 26.5.00 3. Granite Rollers 2.6.00 4. Poverty Mine 9.6.00 5. Golden Monument. St Arnaud 16.6.00 6. Turner Statue 7.7.00 7. Gold Monument. High St Golden Square 30.6.00 8. Gold Monument. Howard Square Bendigo 14.7.00 9. Lansell Statue 21.7.00 10. Shelbourne West School 18.8.00 11. Mologa’s State Schools 25.8.00 12. Salinity Stone. Pyramid Hill 1.9.00 13. Cairn. Carisbrook 8.9.00 14. Commemorative Markers. Taradale 15.9.00 15. Burke Monument. Castlemaine 22.9.00 16. Cairn. Harcourt area 29.9.00 17. Cairn Marks Gold Route 6.10.00 18. Volcanic Rock Cairn. Woodstock 13.10.00 19. Garfield Water Wheel 20.10.00 20. Anticline. Castlemaine 27.10.00 21. Lawson Bridge 10.11.00 22. Plaque. Sutton Grange area 17.11.00 23. Memorial Cairn. Maryborough 1.12.00 24. Lonely Grave 8.12.00 25. Moonlight Flat Church 5.1.01 26. Historic Church. Near Tullaroop reservoir 12.1.01 27. Granite Statue. Castlemaine 19.1.01 28. Marker. Near Tullaroop reservoir 25.1.01 29. Church Site. Mologa 2.2.01 30. Church Site. Mologa 9.2.01 31. Plaque. Mologa 16.2.01 32. Mincha School 23.2.01 33. Historic Marker. Mincha 2.3.01 34. Expedition Marker. Pyramid Hill 9.3.01 35. Irrigation Marker. Tragowel 16.3.01 36. Mologa School Sites 23.3.01 37. Cairn. Pyramid Hill 30.3.01 38. Plaque. Pyramid Hill 6.4.01 39. Bristol Hill Lookout Tower. Maryborough 12.4.01 40. Eppalock Reservoir 20.4.01 41. Colbinabbin Cairn 27.4.01 42. Mount Macedon Cross 4.5.01 43. Memorial Gateway. Macedon 11.5.01 44. Cairn. Daylesford 18.5.01 45. Grave. Carlsruhe 25.5.01 46. Water Tower. Elmore 1.6.01 47. State School Site. Glenalbyn 8.6.01 48. Cairn. Kanya 15.6.01 49. Lonely Grave. Wedderburn 22.6.01 50. Church Cairn. Glenalbyn 29.6.01 51. Kamarooka School 6.7.01 52. Granite Marker. Moyston 13.7.01 53. Memorial Park. Kerang 20.7.01 54. Water Plaque. Bears Lagoon 27.7.01 55. Cemetery. Bears Lagoon 3.8.01 56. Race Monument 10.8.01 57. Cairn. Pyalong 17.8.01 58. Cairn. In memory of Edward Parker 24.8.01 59. Mt Macedon 31.8.01 60. Mt Macedon Cairn 7.9.01 61. Expedition Pass. Chewton 14.9.01 62. Granite Archway. St Arnaud 21.9.01 63. Stuart Mill School Site 28.9.01 64. School Site. Beazley’s Bridge 5.10.01 65. Fosterville 12.10.01 66. Barnadown 19.10.01 67. Salisbury School Site 26.10.01 68. Cricket History at Wattle Flat 2.11.01 69. School Site. Waterloo Plains 9.11.01 70. Carapooee School Site 11.01 71. Turkish Gun. Maldon 11.01 72. Kooreh 30.11.01 73. Marnoo East School 7.12.01 74. Bulgana Site 14.12.01 75. Emu School 21.12.01 76. Kooroocheang 4.1.02 77. Church Site. Gre Gre North 11.1.02 78. Carmens Tunnel. Maldon 18.1.02 79. Monument. Maldon 25.1.02 80. Woodfull Plaques. Maldon 1.2.02 81. Carapooee. St Peters Anglican Church 8.2.02 82. Cairn. Kingower 15.2.02 83. Cob & Co Stopover. Rheola 22.2.02 84. Flynn Monument 1.3.02 85. The Welcome Stranger. Moliagul 8.3.02 86. Campbell’s Creek Reserve 15.3.02 87. Mine. Fryerstown 22.3.02 88. Escott Grave. Near Chewton 28.3.02 89. School No 808. Kurting area 5.4.02 90. Graves. Bendigo Creek 10.5.02 91. School. Fish Point, Benjeroop North 17.5.02 92. Old Township. Diggora 24.5.02 93. Diggora West (1) 31.5.02 94. Diggora West (2) 7.6.02 95. School No 2735. Gower East 14.6.02 96. Pannoomilloo 21.6.02 97. Kamarooka Settlement 28.6.02 98. Mincha West State School No 1931 5.7.02 99. Bridges. Arnold 12.7.02 100. Woodvale 19.7.02 101. A Famous Son of Raywood. Jack Donaldson 26.7.02 102. Tandarra Area Schools 2.8.02 103. Dingee 9.8.02 104. Avonmore 30.8.02 105. Myola East School 6.9.02 106. Colbinabbin West 13.9.02 107. Colbinabbin West School 20.9.02 108. Runnymede area 27.9.02 109. Wanalta 4.10.02 110. School Sites. Between Wanalta and Carop 11.10.02 111. Burramboot 18.10.02 112. Kangaroo Chair. 25.10.02 113. Mincha South 1.11.02 114. Woodlands Church 8.11.02 115. School site. Sylvaterre 15.11.02 116. Terrick Terrick 22.11.02 117. Leitchville 29.11.02 118. Pennyweight Cemetery. Castlemaine 6.12.02 119. Mincha Area 13.12.02 120. Musk School 20.12.02 121. Dowie Park. Carisbrook 3.1.03 122. Neereman School Site 10.1.03 123. Bald Rock 17.1.03 124. Sylvaterre School Site 24.1.02 125. Carlsruhe 31.1.02 126. Athenaeum. Maldon 7.2.03 127. School. Mincha West 14.2.03 128. Yarraberb 21.2.03 129. Settlement Marker. Ravenswood Estate 28.2.03 130. Comini Reserve. Ravenswood 7.3.03 131. Ironbark and Gold Track. Whroo 14.3.03 132. Burke and Wills Obelisk. Castlemaine 21.3.03 133. James Cook Statue. Myers St Bendigo 28.3.03 134. St Marys Church. Axedale 4 .4.03 135. Butter Factory Site. Warragamba 11.4.03 events, monuments, historical sites, landmarks

Photographer notations on slide: "Vice Regal visit to Zoo B42" Not published. Description: A group of men and one woman all dressed in hats and overcoats stand by a wire fence while watching an emu. 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. During the visit, zoo director Mr. Andrew Wilkie introduced them to some of the zoo’s inhabitants, including an emu. After the First World War, many returned soldiers took up the Government’s offer of land in the Soldier Settlement Scheme. Most of the veterans had little or no farming experience and much of the land offered was of poor quality, with blocks often too small to be viable. Many of the settlers had ongoing physical and mental injuries from the war. The Western Australian government allocated land to 5000 former soldiers but by 1929, one quarter of the men had already abandoned their land, unable to make a living. Not only was the world economy struggling with the Great Depression, but the settlers also had to contend with plummeting wheat and wool prices, crippling drought and rabbit infestation. The Scullin Government (Oct 1929-Jan 1932) had promised subsidies to the Western Australian farmers if they increased their wheat crops but were unable to pass the legislation in the Senate. The new Lyons Government (Jan 1932-April 1939) abandoned the legislation and the subsidies were never paid, bringing calls from Western Australia of secession from Australia. In October 1932, a deputation of soldier settlers from the Campion wheatbelt region in Western Australia, petitioned Commonwealth Minister for Defence, Western Australian Senator Sir George Pearce, for assistance. A mob of 20,000 emus were migrating to the coast after breeding and were gathering along the eastern side of the Number 1 Rabbit Proof Fence, attracted to the ripening crops and the dams the farmers had built. They were heading towards Campion, 303 kilometres east of Perth, eating and trampling the wheat, destroying the fences and letting the rabbits in. Having witnessed firsthand the effectiveness of machine guns in killing people in war, the former soldiers thought the guns would be ideal for killing emus. Sir George, wanting to demonstrate that his government was sympathetic to the settlers and hoping to quell Western Australian succession talk, agreed. However, he stipulated that no expense would be incurred by the Commonwealth Government and only active military personnel could use the machine guns. The farmers had to pay for the ammunition, food and accommodation for the military for the length of the operation. The cost for the ammunition was £50 for 10,000 rounds. Sir George also felt the operation would provide excellent target practice for the soldiers! The operation was headed by Major Gwynydd Purves Wynn-Aubrey Meredith, 1887-1975, of the Seventh Heavy Battery of the Royal Australian Artillery, and assisted by Sergeant S. McMurray and Gunner J. O'Halloran. They were equipped with two American-designed Lewis light machine guns and 10,000 rounds. Each magazine held 47 rounds of ammunition and the gun was capable of firing 500 to 600 rounds per minute with effective firing range of 800 metres. A cinematographer from British Movietone News accompanied the soldiers in order to record what was expected to be not only an easy victory but also useful propaganda for both the military and the Lyons Government. Emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae, meaning New Holland Racer) is a species of long-necked flightless bird endemic to Australia. The Tasmanian and the dwarf King and Kangaroo Island subspecies were hunted to extinction after the European settlement of Australia. It is the second largest bird in the world after the ostrich, standing up to 1.9 metres tall and weighing up to 50 kilograms. The Emu has long, powerful legs with three forward facing toes and is the only bird with calf muscles. It is able to jump 2.1 metres into the air and run 50 kilometres per hour. It communicates by drumming and booming through an inflatable neck sac which can be heard up to two kilometres away. Along with its tough hide and a body more feathers than flesh, the emu can be a tricky target. Emus had been a protected native species until 1922, when the government changed their status to “vermin” in response to the emus breaking down fences and destroying crops. Major Meredith told the press that Colonel Oswald V. Hoad of the 1st Cavalry Division NSW had especially requested he send 100 emu skins to replenish the plumage on his Light Horsemen’s hat tops. On the first day of the Emu War, 2 November 1932, Major Meredith spotted a mob of emus out of range of the guns, so he asked the farmers to use their vehicles to drive the emus towards the fence and the guns. The panicked birds split into small groups, kicking up the dust and scattering every which way. Only six were killed, though some were wounded. After that, the emus became very wary of humans. On 4 November, Major Meredith staged a dawn ambush at a dam. As 1000 emus approached to drink, the soldiers opened fire, killing 12 emus. After reloading, the gun jammed and the emus dispersed in all directions, and were not sighted again that day. The West Australian newspaper reported on 4 November 1932 that, “The emus have proved that they are not so stupid as they are usually considered to be. Each mob has its leader, always an enormous black-plumed bird standing fully six-feet high, who keeps watch while his fellows busy themselves with the wheat. At the first suspicious sign, he gives the signal, and dozens of heads stretch up out of the crop. A few birds will take fright, starting a headlong stampede for the scrub, the leader always remaining until his followers have reached safety.” In a later attempt, they mounted a gun onto the bed of a truck in order to chase and mow down the birds. However the truck couldn’t drive fast enough over the rough terrain and it was too bumpy to fire the gun accurately. The birds easily outran the truck except for one hapless emu who faltered while being chased and fell under the truck, its body wedging in the steering gear, causing the driver to crash the truck, and bringing down half a chain of the rabbit proof fence. RSPCA inspector Mr. Arthur Austin arrived with a rifle and knife in order to finish the work of the Lewis guns and dispatch injured emus. He said that while his society was sympathetic to the stricken settlers, he was anxious that wounded birds should not be left to suffer. Major Meredith told the inspector, “What speed can you run? You have to be better than Peter Pan if you want to catch wounded emus that make for the scrub.” (Racehorse “Peter Pan” had won the 1932 Melbourne Cup a few weeks earlier.) The commentator of the British Movietime newsreel uses a jocular tone to optimistically proclaim, “The scouts [emus] of the advancing army have keen eyesight, and in order to get close to the main body, our lads have to do some real stalking, with the enemy watching events through their periscopes raised up over the heads of corn... Instead of the birds ruining the farmers, tables are turned, there will be no more damage down here for many a day to come once the enemy is eliminated.” Emus proved tougher adversaries than expected, barely breaking stride even when badly injured from machine gun bullets, and the suspicious emus soon learnt to stay out of range of the men and their guns. Meanwhile, in the eastern states concern was being expressed about the cruelty of machine-gunning the native birds. Senator James Guthrie UAP of Victoria suggested that there must be “more humane, if less spectacular methods” of coping with the pests. People wrote letters to the newspapers to express their dismay at the inhumane methods used. R.F. Bellchambers from Humbug Scrub, 25 November 1932, lamented that, “At the present rate of extinctions, it will shortly be necessary to go to the Museum to see the remains of our fauna.” The Murchison Times published a letter on 16 November 1932 from “Clay Pan Joe”: “War on Emus. Slaughter of innocent birds would be more appropriate... The birds may be a nuisance and it may be necessary to destroy them, but why cause so much suffering amongst these innocent birds.” E.S. Playford of Norton’s Summit wrote to The Advertiser, 22 November 1932, that “...habitation on the earth would be impossible without bird life. Therefore, it is unwise to say that any bird is useless. Is sentiment dying? Are we so keen on personal gain that our lovely and unique birds have to be ruthlessly slaughtered in thousands and their bodies left rotting in the sun?” In Sydney, picture palace patrons expressed “considerable concern” after viewing the Movietone News newsreel of emus fleeing from the barrage of machine-guns, and wounded emus in the fields in Campion. The press had a field day, dubbing it the “The Emu War” and joking that the “Chicago method” was being used against the feathered foe. The Daily News newspaper published a cartoon depicting the emus outrunning and outsmarting the soldiers. In Parliament NSW Senator James Dunn called Sir George the “Minister for the Emu War”. Labor member Mr. Rosevear, midst great laughter, asked if the minister would consider declaring an armistice and withdrawing his troops from the Western Front. Prime Minister Joe Lyons was asked if medals would be struck for those taking part in the war. Labor parliamentarian Mr. A.E. Green declared any medals should go to the emus who had “won every round so far”. With the embarrassing press coverage and poor results, Sir George ordered a stop to the project on 9 November, and Major Meredith and the soldiers departed for Perth. The WA Premier Sir James Mitchell and the Campion farmers demanded they return, citing the continued destruction of crops and fences by the emus. Major Meredith and his two gunners were allowed to return on 13 November and seemingly having learnt from their previous experiences, had slightly more success this time killing emus. The operation finally finished on 10 December with Major Meredith reporting “definite kills” of 986 emus for 9860 rounds of ammunition, coincidentally and conveniently exactly 10% of the number of rounds used. A further 2500 birds were said to have died from their injuries and although this is a disputed figure, even if accurate, the ratio of rounds expended to emu casualties was thought too high to justify continuing. The operation barely caused a dint in the marauding mob of 20,000 emus. “There’s only one way to kill an emu”, one of the party bitterly remarked: “Shoot him through the back of the head when his mouth is closed or through the front of his mouth when his mouth is open. That’s how hard it is.” Australian ornithologist Dominic L. Serventy noted that “The machine-gunners’ dreams of point blank fire into serried masses of Emus were soon dissipated. The Emu command had evidently ordered guerrilla tactics, and its unwieldy army soon split up into innumerable small units that made use of the military equipment uneconomic. A crestfallen field force therefore withdrew from the combat area after about a month.” Major Meredith expressed the greatest of respect for the enemy. He said, “If we had a military division with the bullet-carrying capacity of these birds, it would face any army in the world. They could face machine guns with the invulnerability of tanks. They are like Zulus, whom even dum dum bullets would not stop." The Major’s official report stated that there were no human casualties in “The Emu War.” Emus are considered the victors of “The Great Emu War.” Western Australian farmers requested military assistance in 1934, 1943 and 1948, including using bombs, but the government refused. The bounty system instigated in 1923 continued, with farmers using rifles against their fleet-footed foe, with 57,034 bounties for dead emus claimed in six months in 1934 in Western Australia alone. 284,704 emus were killed in Western Australia between 1945 and 1960. The other most effective defence against the emus was the construction of a robust, vermin proof fence spanning over a long distance. Emus were formally protected in 1999 by the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act. It’s estimated there are between 625,000 to 725,000 wild emus in Australia in 2024. An emu and a kangaroo feature on Australia’s coat of arms, holding up a shield illustrated with symbols of the six states. The animals symbolise the nation moving forward as neither animal can walk backwards. Campion is now a ghost town. A book about the operation, “Letters from the Emu War” by J.A. Bryden was published in 2023 by Playtime Books. In 2024, an Australian film called “The Emu War” was released, starring Damian Callinan and Luke McGregor. 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 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 WAR ON EMUS. (1932, November 4). The West Australian (Perth, WA : 1879 - 1954), p. 12. Retrieved September 29, 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article32588972 'The Great Emu War: how it started and who won', ABC Australia, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1wA0PKeJqc Advertising (1932, November 25). The West Australian (Perth, WA : 1879 - 1954), p. 2. Retrieved October 26, 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article32584578 Emu Chasers Must Outstrip Peter Pan (1932, November 9). The Labor Daily (Sydney, NSW : 1924 - 1938), p. 5. Retrieved October 10, 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article237042749 WAR ON EMUS (1932, November 22). The Advertiser (Adelaide, SA : 1931 - 1954), p. 18. Retrieved October 15, 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article73997254 WAR ON EMUS. (1932, October 28). The Labor Daily (Sydney, NSW : 1924 - 1938), p. 6. Retrieved October 24, 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article237046601 EMU WAR (1932, December 3). Mirror (Perth, WA : 1921 - 1956), p. 7. Retrieved October 24, 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article75626301 Machine Gun Offensive Against Emus. (1932, November 10). Western Mail (Perth, WA : 1885 - 1954), p. 3 (PICTORIAL SECTION). Retrieved October 24, 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article37766670 A THOUSAND BIRDS IN LUCK. (1932, November 10). Western Mail (Perth, WA : 1885 - 1954), p. 28. Retrieved October 11, 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article37766849 New Strategy In A War On The Emu (1953, July 5). The Sunday Herald (Sydney, NSW : 1949 - 1953), p. 13. Retrieved October 11, 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article18516559 This is a nice emu-that was! (1932, November 5). The Daily News (Perth, WA : 1882 - 1955), p. 9 (HOME EDITION). Retrieved September 30, 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article82878309 LOCAL AND GENERAL (1932, November 16). The Murchison Times (Cue, WA : 1924 - 1937), p. 2. Retrieved October 14, 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article257500260 Taking Him for a Ride! (1932, October 13). The Daily News (Perth, WA : 1882 - 1955), p. 6 (HOME EDITION). Retrieved September 30, 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article83717338 'The Emu War', History Nuggets, https://historynuggets.squarespace.com/nuggets/2018/4/21/the-emu-war New Strategy In A War On The Emu (1953, July 5). The Sunday Herald (Sydney, NSW : 1949 - 1953), p. 13. Retrieved October 23, 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article18516559 'This is the story of how Australia went to war with emus and lost', First Dog on the Moon, https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/jul/26/this-is-the-story-of-how-australia-went-to-war-with-emus-and-lost Photographer notations on slide: "Vice Regal visit to Zoo B42"emu wars, governors, melbourne zoo, city of melbourne, 1930-1939, hunting, lord huntingfield, lady huntingfield, royal park, animals, wildlife