non-fictionThe story of the life, family and achievements of Arthur Henman, born in 1861 in Lidlington, Bedfordshire, England and his wife Elizabeth Ann nee Pollard of Bonegilla, Victoria. For a time on arrival in Australia at the age of 17, Arthur had a contract to supply timber to the New South Wales Railway Department. After marrying in 1888, Arthur and Elizabeth became successful dairy farmers in Glen Innes, northern New South Wales, before deciding to come to the Barmedman district. They took up the property, now well known as "Pine Valley." They had a pioneer's task to face for a thick belt of green timber stretched from the back door of their first home to Temora. Undaunted by the task, but with great determination and courage, they fashioned a first class property out of the wild and waste of those days and made valuable contribution to the fledgling communities until retirement from active farming in 1923 when they moved to Sydney.pioneers australia, pioneers nsw, arthur henman, elizabeth ann pollard, barmedman district nsw

Faded khaki coloured Children's fiction book - with the title Con's Acre by Mrs C.M. Clarke written in yellow lettering in a box at the top surrounded by yellow and pink flowers. Author's name in black is at the bottom underneath an illustration of a man helping a lady alight from a carriage with another woman close by. 160p.fictionA story about young women growing up in England with the trials and tribulations of young love and friendship. Family life in the late 1800's is depicted with strong religious themes. religious stories, family life stories

Athorn Family - Ella Athorn - Life Story and Newspaper / PicFoundation Member, Dandenong Netball Umpires Association ; Ella Athorn Netball Pavillionathorn, ella athorn, netball, dandenong & district netball association, dandenong north primary school, dandenong primary school

non-fictionFamily Trees and stories from various Ellett members. Some members of the Ellett family lived in Pakenham Southfamily tree, life stories from ellett family members

A red cloth hardcover book The Two J.G's - A story for Boys by A.M. Irvine with a black outline of a boy reading at the top of the front cover. The spine has the title, author and publisher in black lettering. The frontispiece has a black and white illustration of a man and boy rescuing a boy from a river. 96p.fictionA story about two teenager boys who swap identities to fool a long term older man who has kindly offered to take them in to his care to tutor them due to the boys' family and behaviour problems. fiction boys, family life, friendship stories

A very damaged, stained red antique hardcover book for girls with the title printed in gold lettering in the middle of the front cover. There is a gold outlined drawing of a girl sitting looking out of a window. There are red flowers and green leaves decorating the cover. The spine has the title printed in gold letters with red flowers and green leaves.On the front right side end paper is an inscription for a Sabbath School award dated 1882. The frontispiece balck and white illustration is of a girl sitting at a table at a fair. Tissue paper protects it. The title page has the title, author Howe Benning as well as publisher details. 296Pp. Throughout are black and white illustrations. There are four pages at the back are lists of Recent Gift Books published by the Religious Tract Society. The spine is broken from the pages.fictionThe book is an example of a story dealing with a girl's (Margaret) life in America which is readable, pleasing and instructive, without the ordinary excitement of a love story. It has strong religious themes. It hopes that in many 'quiet corners" of our native land it may help to develop the spirit of self-sacrifice and true Christian thought for others.religious stories, family life fiction, stories for girls

Small blue hardcover children's book - The Treasure on the Beach and what it did for Gilbert West by M.A.P. The front cover has a black floral design which continues onto the spine and the back, with the title surrounded in gold boxes and the word, Illustrated, in gold lettering underneath. On the back is a symbol for the publisher Sunday School Union. Black and white illustrations throughout with one on the frontispiece of Gilbert West on the beach. Black and white illumination style lettering is used for the first word of each new chapter. Tissue paper covers the title page. 107p.fictionA young boy finds what he thinks is treasure when he walks along the beach near his home. The story has religious themes and depicts family life in England in the late 1800'schildren's fiction, family life fiction, adventure stories

A small badly damaged brown hardcover book with a floral and lined pattern in black on the front cover and spine including the title Little Christmas and her friends which is difficult to see due to its poor condition. Black and white illustrations throughout with a father and daughter reading depicted on the title page. Book is badly water damaged and mould marks seen. The back cover has The Religious Tract Society symbol is embossed on the back cover. 160p.fictionA story of family life in the 1800's with it's trials and tribulations. Strong religious themes throughout.family life fiction, religous stories

Brown fabric hardcover book - Eveline's Key-Note by Edith C. Kenyon has an illustration in black. pink and green of two young women sitting on a garden seat with a girl lying on the grass next to them reading. In the background a couple are chatting. The top of the edges of the pages are gold. The Endeavour Library is written at the top in black lettering with the title in yellow underneath. The spine has the title, series and publisher initials at the bottom for The Sunday School Union, The frontispiece has a black and white illustration the same as is on the front cover. and there are five full page black and white illustrations throughout. The chapter heads have an Illuminated style decoration called a vignette. 192p.fictionVictorian fiction with a moral slant for young women about life, growing up and relationships in an English village. family life fiction, religious stories

This is a children’s book and has the signature of Esther Kruger (1924). She may be Esther Auguste Kruger, born at Penshurst in 1912 to Heinrich and Mary Kruger. She is probably related to the Kruger families of Warrnambool. Johann C.A. Kruger, of German origin, arrived in Warrnambool about 1850 and opened shops in the town, firstly with Davidson and then with the Stelling Brothers. He was also the first Manager of the Warrnambool Tramway. This book in itself is of little significance but it is interesting as an example of the type of book read by young girls and boys in the early 20th century. It is, however, of some significance because of its inscription as it belonged to Esther Kruger who was most likely connected with the Kruger families in Warrnambool. The Krugers were prominent in Warrnambool’s history in the 19th and early 20th centuries. This is a hard cover book of 80 pages. It has a dark red cover with an illustration in red, yellow, blue and black tonings of a young boy and girl with a dog. The spine has an illustration in blue, tan and black tonings of two children with a hoop. The book has a colour plate of a family scene and nine story chapters. The chapters open with an ornamental first letter of the first word. The cover is a little worn and stained and some of the pages are stained. ‘Esther Kruger 1924’esther kruger, johann c.a. kruger, history of warrnambool

This book is a pictorial memoir of Richard Worland, son of Reginald and Nancy Coombe Worland. The memoir includes memories of his life in Warrnambool from 1949 until 2016.This book is of interest because it contains stories of a local family.This is a soft-cover book of 144 pages printed in 2016. The front cover has a black and white photograph of a young boy mowing grass with a lawn mower. There is an older man with dark glasses standing in the background. There are colour photographs throughout.There are no inscriptions or markings. warrnambool, worland family, richard worland

Green tinted paperback with photograph of farming men with children and horses on front cover. Title and other text is dark brown edged in white. A number of Irish surnames are written in darker green on the paler part of front cover. This effect is also on back cover in tan lettering. The back cover description is written in brown text with image in oval above text.non-fictionHistory of St Brigid's Catholic Church and the Irish-Australian community warrnambool, crossley, st brigid's church, crossley catholic church, helen doyle

Tan hard covered book with tan and yellow dust jacket. Title and text is black. Front cover has framed drawing of cottage taken from photograph which is included in the book. Map of area is on inside front and back covers.208 pages. It has a number of black and white photographic plates included.non-fictionPioneer diaries of early Australian settlers, Sarah Midgley and Richard Skilbeck.sarah midgley, richard skilbeck, diaries of sarah midgley and richard skilbeck, yangery, early pioneer life, wesleyan church warrnambool, yangery koroit

This is the story of the work of Father Tom Brophy, mainly concentrating on his work with youth in Warrnambool. Ordained as a Catholic priest in 1962, Fr Brophy worked in Ballarat and established a Ballarat Youth Centre and a Hostel for young men. He was moved to Warrnambool and arrived in early 1972. Although in Warrnambool for just two years Fr Brophy had an enormous impact in the community, establishing the Freedom Zone Youth Centre and the Warrnambool Home for Boys. He died at the early age of 45 and was buried in Warrnambool with a large number of local people attending his funeral. A Brophy Memorial Hostel was established and later developments include a Youth Centre in Timor Street and the present day Brophy Family and Youth Services organization. This book is of some importance as it outlines the work in Warrnambool of Father Tom Brophy, a Catholic priest whose name has become synonymous in Warrnambool with youth projects. He is one of the important community workers in Warrnambool in the 20th century and this book details his contribution and impact.This is a paper back book with a blue/yellow cover with a photograph of Father Tom Brophy in bluish tones on the front cover. It has 109 pages and contains printed material, photographs, illustrations and copies of newspaper extracts. The pages are glued together. Front cover: ‘Broph’ – The Story of Father Tom Brophy, the Catholic priest who gave his life to help troubled young men and inspired generations of care at Brophy Family and Youth Services. Brophy Family and Youth Services (logo) Written by Rick Bayne fr tom brophy, warrnambool, brophy house, brophy youth services, warrnambool freedom zone 1970's

Blue cover with black and white photograph of the Peterborough sign. Title text is a pale blue and authors name is white. Colour plates inside front and back covers. 184 pages. non-fictionHistory of Peterborough, Victoria peterborough, michael moore, a history of peterborough, daniel curdie, james meek, jemima vans robertson, james irvine, tom mackenzie

Refer Cat No. 1280. "JACK GRINTON No. 1043, " 38th Bn - Refer Cat No. 1280 for Service History. "BERT GRINTON No. 5024" 38th Bn - Refer Cat No. 1320P for Service History.Story Board - framed. Story board - black print on white and pale blue background on synthetic paper adhered to backing board. Illustrated - one black and white photograph, one colour photograph. Frame - metal with wood backing board."A CAMERA ON THE SOMME" "Life after 1919" Photographs - black and white - "Grinton family: Jack, Bert and Fred (back), and Arthur, May, Hughina and Emily (front) Tragowel 1920", Colour - "38th Battalion reunion hosted by the Grintons"framed accessories, camera on the somme, ww1, 38th bn, grinton

Thomas Briggs was a pioneer of the Tawonga District. He worked on his parent's farm, selling goods, droving pigs and travelling to Yackandandah and Bright. He worked with pick and shovel on the Tawonga to Bright Road in 1902. He took up 320 acres of wild forest in Tawonga at 10 cents per acre per year for 20 years. He built a slab and shingle hut and a boundary fence. In 1886 he married Annie Maria Platt parenting 5 sons and 2 daughters until Annie died in 1953, aged 86 years.Thomas Briggs was a pioneer living in the Kiewa Valley with his parents and then with wife and family. This article is a history of his life from 1862 until 1887. See KVHS 0850 for information on the dray used to make the Tawonga Gap road - owned by John Briggs.Newspaper article Page 34 Border Morning Mail, Saturday, March 5, 1988 - Thomas Briggs Born 3rd Nov. 1862 who lived with his family at Upper Gundowring. His travels in the area including the Tawonga Gap and its construction in 1902 and his taking up of land in Tawonga in 1880. The article finishes in 1887 when he married Annie Maria Platt. The Thos Briggs story continues next week.thomas briggs; tawonga; kiewa valley; annie platt

Richard Reid has written an interesting story of a day in his life.Story written by Richard B. Reid living at Wodonga whose family lived at Tawonga in the Kiewa Valley. He describes, in detail, a typical Sunday in 1933 giving detail that adds to the history, way of life and beliefs of the time. Eleven pages stapled at the top left corner. Pages are printed on one side only. No photos or drawings.tawonga, richard reid, kiewa valley

Family History of the Cooper and Boehringer families commencing with John Franklin Cooper 1892-1982 and Gertrude Beatrice Wallace Robinson 1901 - 1991Social history of life in the Kiewa Valley during the 20th Century.Coloured cardboard cover with a photo of the halves of two people. The title is white on green across the bottom third.192 pages cooper family, boehringer family, farming in the kiewa valley

This pencilled letter from 1892, was written on the steamer 'Success' by Mr Terry Davidson's grandmother, Frances Edith Ashe was posted to her sister, Florence (Floss) when the steamer arrived at Pooncarrie en route to the Murray and Echuca. Frances Edith (who signs the letter with her nickname 'Yeeds') was finishing her employment as a governess at the Teryawynia Station in the employ of the Gilberts. Teryawynia is situated on the Talyawalka Creek some 30 kms from the Darling River. The beginning point for the river journey recorded as being Henley Outstation - this being some 50 kms upstream from Menindee. At the time of writing this letter, she was 20 years old and on her second job as a governess. Her sister Floss was three years older. The references to 'George' withint the letter relate to a 24-year old George Alecander Davisdon, w worker on Teryawynia while she was therre - she was to marry Geroge some six years later. the description of life onboard and of the river journey (more than family chit chat) make up the valuable historical elements to thi sletter. It is appropriate that this letter will reside within a collection that tells the story of the paddlesteamers and their part in our Australian history. Steamer "Success" stampp.s. success, darling river, pooncarrie n.s.w

Trooper Sloan Bolton DCM enlisted in the 4th Australian Light Horse Regiment and served at Gallipoli and in Palestine. He was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal for his actions in capturing a German field gun at Beersheba on 31st October 1917. In the same action he was instrumental in preventing German engineers from destroying the wells. This biography describes his war service and his family life and considerable achievements after the warTrooper Sloan Bolton DCM enlisted in the 4th Australian Light Horse Regiment and served at Gallipoli and in Palestine. He was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal for his actions in capturing a German field gun at Beersheba on 31st October 1917. In the same action he was instrumental in preventing German engineers from destroying the wells. This biography describes his war service and his family life and considerable achievements after the warSoft covered book 216 pagesInscribed by author: "Margaret Grant daughter of Sloan - proud of that name - Margaret"world war 1, beersheba, 4th light horse regiment, sloan scotty bolton, elsie bolton, margaret grant

Co-author Simon Flagg from the Koorie Records Unit, Public Record Office Victoria, did most of the research for the book. Rita Watkins, a descendent of Percy and Lucy, provided photographs and family stories for the book. "As well as brief chapter introductions, the book contains transcripts of the letters to, from and about the Pepper Family. Among various aspects of the family's life, the letters show Lucy Pepper's long battle with tuberculosis and her request to live with other family members on a mission. But she was denied this natural wish because 'half-caste' Aboriginal people were excluded from the missions." -co-author Simon Flagg from the Koorie Records Unit, Public Record Office Victoria,This book, with its transcripts of original letters, is an invaluable historical resource for university and school students on Aboriginal history in Victoria and what happened on Aboriginal reserves. A book titled "Footprints", which portrays the struggles of Lucy and Percy Pepper in the first half of the twentieth century. It was published jointly by the National Archives of Australia and Public Record Office Victoria, both of which hold original records of the family's correspondence with bureaucracy over the years. The book was authored by Simon Flagg and Dr Sebastian Gurciullo. The cover has a dark brown background with black footprints printed over it. They are both bare foot and shoe prints. It has a b /w photograph of a family posed for the camera. Across the top is the title FOOTPRINTS printed in pale yellow. At the bottom of the photo in pale yellow script is "the journey of Lucy and Percy Pepper". At the foot of the front cover is " An Aboriginal Family's struggle for survival". pepper-family aboriginal-history

This book was written at the same time as the replica of the PS Curlip was being built in Orbost. The great grandson of Samuel Richardson is Gil Richardson who lives in Bete Bolong just outside Orbost. Gil and Heather Richards presented the author, May Leatch with a box of old diaries written by Sam Richardson and Sam's sons, Alan and Frank. Using these as the basis of the story, May wrote the full story of the Curlip and the Richardson family.This book about a local icon and a local family was written in Orbost by a local historian.A green and grey covered book titled, CURLIP The life and times of a Snowy River Paddle Steamer and the family who built her. On the front cover is a black and white photograph of the PS Curlip taken shortly after its launch in 1890. On the back cover is a black and white photograph of phragmites on the Snowy River floodplain. The book traces the history of the Richardson family from Godalming, Surrey, England to Orbost, East Gippsland, Victoria in Australia. It contains b/w photographs, diary extracts and newspaper extracts. The book was written by May Leatch.p.s.curlip paddle-steamers orbost richardson-family richardson-samuel

Thomas Sweeney was born in Tipperary, Ireland, in 1803, the son of an Irish farming family. As a young man, he became embroiled in the continuing struggle against colonial domination and the injustices of the land tenure system and was captured when trying to burn down the farm house of Patrick Guyder at Cullahill in 1823. His sentence to be hanged was commuted to Life Transportation to New South Wales. After 8 years as an assigned convict within the confines of the NSW Colony, Thomas's 1831 Ticket of Leave allowed him to work for himself. His 1838 Conditional Pardon allowed him to finally break free of that colony and move to the Port Phillip District to start a new life as a free man.In June 1842, while living on the Yarra in Boroondara, Thomas applied to purchase 110 acres in the Parish of Nillumbik. He called his farm 'Culla Hill' after the place in Tipperary where he had been captured in 1823. With hard work and good fortune, the Sweeney family made their mark in the area which came to be called Eltham.The story of Thomas Sweeney, one of the earliest European settlers, told in this comprehensive book, is significant in telling the early history of Eltham.sweeney family, thomas sweeney, eltham, culla hill, port phillip district

ESCAPE TO ELTHAM traces the family of John and Anna Lane who lived in Shanagolden in County Limerick during the early and middle parts of the 1800s. They lived during a time of conflict and famine. This story follows the movements of their son, Richard, and daughter, Anne, who migrated to Australia. The marriage of Anne to Tobias Butler and Richard's life establishing his farm on the Yarra River in the 1850s are explored. Marriage, children, deaths and a murder in 1861 are changes forced on the family. Richard's son, Patrick, marries a young Bridget Carrucan but when the global recession of the 1890s decimates Patrick's businesses he heads to the arid Western Australian goldfields to 'make his fortune'. The large family follows and settles in Boulder where the behaviour of a couple of the boys gets them into scapes with the law. This story celebrates the tenacity of a family whose members left adversity in Ireland hoping for a kinder life in Australia.john lane, anna lane, richard lane, patrick lane, bridget carrucan

A Golden Wattle tree was planted in memory of Eltham District Historical Society life members Harry Gilham (24 Mar 1928-25 Feb 2024; EDHS President 1993-2009) and Sue Law (27 Sep 1937-8 Aug 2023; EDHS President 1985-1993, Vice President 1993-1998 & 2009-2015). Close members of Harry’s and Sue’s families along with EDHS Committee members and life member Doug Orford joined in a dedication ceremony to commemorate their contributions, on Friday 12 April at 10.00am, in the rear yard at the Local History Centre, 728 Main Road, Eltham, on the corner of Brougham Street. EDHS President Jim Connor welcomed family members and acknowledged the dedicated efforts of both Harry and Sue over a long period of years. After unveiling of the plaque, attendees enjoyed some morning tea and sharing stories of Harry and Sue.Born Digital (15 images)activities, eltham district historical society, local history centre, main road, eltham, alison delaney, dedication, doug orford, gilham family, golden wattle, harry gilham, irene kearsey, jim connor, joan castledine, law family, peter & elizabeth pidgeon collection, plaques, richard pinn, robert marshall, russell yeoman, sue dyet, sue law

Thousands of elderly people at this centre have contributed much. Published: Nillumbik Now and Then /​ Marguerite Marshall 2008; photographs Alan King with Marguerite Marshall.; p161 Thousands of elderly people, who have contributed much to Nillumbik and beyond, have made their home in the treed Eltham Retirement Centre. The centre, which opened in 1956, has housed the disadvantaged in particular, through good times and hard, including floods, fire and even burglaries. As part of the Melbourne Citymission, a non-denominational Christian organisation that cares for people living with disadvantage, the centre was built to celebrate 100 years of the Melbourne Citymission’s work since 1854. Standing on a former poultry farm called Willandra (Still Waters), the centre includes independent units, hostel, nursing home accommodation and a Day Therapy Centre, which is available for non-residents as well. Despite being metres from the busy Main Road and railway station, the centre provides a quiet oasis on 6.8 hectares bordered by the Diamond Creek to the west, and the railway line to the east. The centre was originally named Judge Book Memorial Village after Judge Clifford Book, Deacon of the Collins Street Baptist Church. Book was also President of the Baptist Union of Victoria and Grand Master of the Masonic Lodge. He was so respected that, at his death, several Pentridge prisoners asked to attend his funeral. In 1993 the centre’s name was changed to clarify that it was part of the Melbourne Citymission. However Judge Book’s name continues in the Judge Book Memorial Garden, opened in 2006. The Diamond Creek has flooded the centre several times, however rarely causing serious damage. Volunteer Alan Field recalls a flood in 1974 when the resident manager Reverend Norman Pearce and his wife, were rescued by boat from their home with their budgerigar. On February 3, 2005, when the creek almost flooded Metzner Hall, 35 ambulances evacuated residents to nearby nursing homes, hostels and local homes. Residents were also evacuated during the 1965 bush fire, but fortunately a change of wind direction saved the centre. Residents have also endured several burglaries. Despite much rebuilding and modernisation over the years, traces of the original farmhouse remain in the administration areas. In 1991 the Willandra Hostel was built and in 2001 the Eltham Lodge Nursing Home with each room having a garden view. Several buildings are named after people who have given special service to the centre including the Norman Pearce Day Hospital after general manager and pastor Rev Pearce. Metzner Hall was named after the Metzner family who had been active in the auxiliary since it began and had donated generously to the Recreation Hall fund.3 A bridge was named after Sister Lila Murray who had worked at the village for 42 years in various capacities including as relieving manager. Field remembers Sister Murray as ‘the Mother Teresa and soul of what the village aspired to, with love and care’. Since 1957 the Eltham Auxiliary, later called the Residents’ Association, has worked to improve the residents’ quality of life by volunteering and raising funds. An outstanding volunteer, Field, who was drawn to the centre in 1971 with his wife Chris, has held positions on the early Eltham boards, auxiliaries and Residents’ Association. Much of his work has been supporting people with no family and those of limited means. He says he and his wife look at their work as having shared ‘our lives with amazing people’. The wealth of experience and wisdom in the Retirement Village has benefited many people, including local school children. Residents have acted as proxy grand-parents at local schools, by assisting small learning groups or telling their life stories. Conversely, students from local schools have visited to perform, or to assist in programs like craft activities. Resident Val Bell, whose mother Rose Bullock lived at the centre before her, sums up the centre’s most important attribute for her: ‘The Christian care. They could not be more caring’.This collection of almost 130 photos about places and people within the Shire of Nillumbik, an urban and rural municipality in Melbourne's north, contributes to an understanding of the history of the Shire. Published in 2008 immediately prior to the Black Saturday bushfires of February 7, 2009, it documents sites that were impacted, and in some cases destroyed by the fires. It includes photographs taken especially for the publication, creating a unique time capsule representing the Shire in the early 21st century. It remains the most recent comprehenesive publication devoted to the Shire's history connecting local residents to the past. nillumbik now and then (marshall-king) collection, diamond street, eltham, eltham retirement centre, eltham retirement village, judge book memorial village

Sculture in bronze of Alan Marshall by Marcus Skipper, 1995 Alan Marshall, AM., O.B.E., Hon.LL,D. (1902-1984) was born at Noorat, Victoria and became one of Australia's most famous authors. His association with the Eltham area began in 1920 when he started his first job as a junior clerk at the Eltham Shire Offices, Kangaroo Ground. In the 1940's he spent some time living at Research. From 1955 he lived in Eltham for nearly 20 years. Disabilities resulting from polio as a young child did not prevent a wide range of experiences. Alan's occupations have been listed as clerk, night watchman, fortune teller, freelance journalist and author. He has been patron of many disadvantaged Children's Societies. Alan's books are numerous and include novels, short stories, children's books, history and travel. Among the best known are his autobiographies "I Can Jump Puddles" and "This is the Grass". Others include "These are My People", "Ourselves Writ Strange", "People of the Dreamtime"; "The Gay Provider" and "Wild Red Horses". In 1971 he wrote the Centenary History of the Shire of Eltham, "Pioneers and Painters". Covered under National Trust of Australia (Victoria), State significance. Published: Nillumbik Now and Then /​ Marguerite Marshall 2008; photographs Alan King with Marguerite Marshall.; p159 Outside the Eltham Library a bronze figure of a short one-legged man with a crutch invites people to the world of literature. The bronze statue, by Marcus Skipper, is of author Alan Marshall, who is famed for his autobiography I Can Jump Puddles, about growing up and overcoming the effects of polio. That plucky little boy later lived in the Nillumbik district for more than 50 years, and on his death in 1984, was buried in the Nillumbik Cemetery at Diamond Creek. Although a hugely successful author, his grave is modest with only a tiny boulder and simple bronze plaque on a grassed plot. From 1955 to 1972 Marshall lived in a tiny fibro-cement bungalow at the rear of a house at Park West Road, Eltham, owned by his older sister, Elsie McConnell. It was there that he wrote most of his autobiographical trilogy and his history of the former Eltham Shire, Pioneers and Painters. His long association with Eltham Shire began in 1918 when his family moved to Diamond Creek. Then in 1920 he began work as a junior clerk at the Eltham Shire Offices on Main Road, Kangaroo Ground near the Yarra Glen Road, while boarding at the hotel next door. Marshall later bought a block of land in Research, which had three bark huts. In one of these he wrote his first book These Are My People. He later sold the land but lived in a caravan there and in 1955 wrote I Can Jump Puddles.1 Proud of its citizen, the Eltham Shire named a park after Marshall at the corner of Main Road and Leanne Drive, Eltham. In 1985 the Shire initiated the Alan Marshall Short Story Award. It was Marshall’s early life in the country that taught him to live courageously in spite of his crippling polio, and he inspired many. This informed his writing – full of courage, championing the battler and love of the bush. Alan Marshall was born in 1902 at Noorat in Western Victoria, as the only son of Billy a drover, horse breaker, hawker and then general store owner. At the age of six, Marshall contracted infantile paralysis and was later hospitalised in Colac for 18 months. With his father’s encouragement, Marshall learnt to swim, wrestle and box, ride a bicycle (downhill), ride a horse and drive a car. Marshall won a scholarship to Stott’s Correspondence College to study accountancy. To help him continue his studies and find employment, his family bought 12 acres (4.8ha), in Ryans Road, Diamond Creek, opposite Windmill Court. There they ran cows, some poultry and an orchard. But life with a disability and during the Depression was hard for Marshall, who for 20 years, endured long periods of unemployment and loneliness and was often exploited at work.2 However, life improved in the 1930s, when he published short stories and articles in newspapers and magazines, including a column of advice to the lovelorn, which he wrote for nearly 20 years. At age 42 Marshall published his first book and in the next 30 years he published more than 20. His most successful book was I Can Jump Puddles, which sold more than three million copies internationally. It was made into a film, released in 1971, by Czechoslovakian director Karel Kachyna. Marshall was one of the first Australians to write about Aborigines who called him Gurrawilla - teller of tales - when he lived with them in Arnhem Land for eight months.3 In 1941 Marshall married Olive Dixon, with whom he had two daughters, Catherine and Jennifer. Marshall and Olive divorced in 1957. In 1972 Marshall was awarded an OBE for his work with the handicapped. He was also awarded an Honorary Doctor of Laws by Melbourne University, an Order of Australia for services to literature and the Soviet Order of Friendship of Peoples.This collection of almost 130 photos about places and people within the Shire of Nillumbik, an urban and rural municipality in Melbourne's north, contributes to an understanding of the history of the Shire. Published in 2008 immediately prior to the Black Saturday bushfires of February 7, 2009, it documents sites that were impacted, and in some cases destroyed by the fires. It includes photographs taken especially for the publication, creating a unique time capsule representing the Shire in the early 21st century. It remains the most recent comprehenesive publication devoted to the Shire's history connecting local residents to the past. nillumbik now and then (marshall-king) collection, alan marshall, art in public places, eltham, eltham library, marcus skipper, panther place, public art, sculpture