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

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

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

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

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

This set of 18 photographs were taken at a CO’s parade at the Army Survey Regiment, Bendigo in c1977. LTCOL George Ricketts presented the Defence Force Service Medal to personnel in recognition of 15 years of efficient remunerated service, or the Clasp for 5 years of additional service. See item 6071.2P for a group photo of LTCOL George Ricketts with the medal recipients.This is a set of 18 photographs of a CO’s parade and the presentation of the Defence Force Service Medal, at the Army Survey Regiment, Bendigo in c1977. The black & white photographs are on 35mm negative film and are part of the Army Survey Regiment’s Collection. The photographs were scanned at 96 dpi. .1) to 2) - Photo, black & white, c1977. LTCOL George Ricketts presents medal to WO1 Joe Farrington. .3) - Photo, black & white, c1977. LTCOL George Ricketts presents medal to WO1 Ike Lever. .4) - Photo, black & white, c1977. LTCOL George Ricketts presents medal to RSM WO1 Aub Harvey. .5) - Photo, black & white, c1977. LTCOL George Ricketts presents medal to ex-serviceman John Rankine. .6) - Photo, black & white, c1977. LTCOL George Ricketts presents medal to CPL Ian ‘Lofty’ Turner. .7) - Photo, black & white, c1977. LTCOL George Ricketts presents medal to SGT Peter Saunders. .8) - Photo, black & white, c1977. LTCOL George Ricketts presents medal to SGT Ross Hyde. .9) - Photo, black & white, c1977. Unidentified squadron marching past Fortuna Villa. In background 2nd from left – SGT Bob Williams. In foreground L to R: WO1 Jim ‘Triple J’ Jefferies, CPL Neville Stone, CPL Andy Wilson. .10) - Photo, black & white, c1977. Unidentified squadron marching past Fortuna Villa. .11) & .12) - Photo, black & white, c1977. Unidentified squadron marching past Fortuna Villa. In foreground L to R: WO1 Jim ‘Triple J’ Jefferies, CPL Neville Stone, CPL Andy Wilson, CPL Bruce Gordon. .13) - Photo, black & white, c1977. Medal recipient ex-serviceman John Rankine with family after medal presentation. .14) & .15) - Photo, black & white, c1977. Centre: CAPT Terry Edwards with medal recipients L to R: SGT Peter Saunders and SGT Jim Mulqueen. .16) - Photo, black & white, c1977. Medal recipient RSM WO1 Aub Harvey with family after medal presentation. .17) - Photo, black & white, c1977. CO LTCOL Peter Constantine AM after medal presentation. .18) - Photo, black & white, c1977. Medal recipient SGT Jim Mulqueen with family after medal presentation.No personnel are identified.royal australian survey corps, rasvy, army survey regiment, army svy regt, fortuna, asr

Badge issued to War Widows and Widowed mothers in recognition of loss of family on active service.Small circular badge, Gold colour, blue band around edge with "War Widows & Widowed Mothers" inscribed & "Association" across the bottom. Inscription in gold writing. Centre is white background and Southern Cross stars. On back is pin and hook to attach to clothing.Inscribed "Stokes & Sons". On front "War Widows & Widowed Mothers Association"war widows, badge

Part of the Bennetts Collection. See Cat No. 9726P for details f "Alva Marie Callaghan's (nee Bennetts) service.50th Anniversary Certificate commemorating the end of WW2. Text in black print. Facsimile signatures at bottom in blue. Gold decorative border on a gray background. Centre emblem features a picture of a family welcoming home a serviceman.Emblem has words 'AUSTRALIA REMEMBERS 1945-1995'. Facsimile signatures of Prime Minister, Minister for Veteran's Affairs and local MP. Handwritten in black ink: 'Alva Marie Callaghan'.alva bennetts, alva callaghan, australia remembers, ww2 certificate

The Tawonga Primary School celebrated its centenary with a program including a fete, sports, family dance and combined church service over the weekend of the 25th - 26th Oct. 1980. The newspaper covers the Alpine Shire and included further articles that would interest visitors to the centenary.Tawonga School was one of the earliest schools in the Kiewa Valley supplying an education for the children of the local farming community. The Bogong Hotel at Tawonga, the Tawonga Butter Factory and the town of Mt Beauty articles were printed providing up to date historical information on prime locations nearby. Of interest as the Hotel has burnt down and the Butter factory no longer exists. Alpine Observer newspaper dated Thursday, 23 rd October 1980 with a sketch of the school and articles regarding the Centenary of the Tawonga School on the front page. (The paper consists of 12 pages ie. 6 sheets) 2 copies On page 4 is an article on the history of the Bogong Hotel at Tawonga On page 5 is an article on the history of the Tawonga Butter Factory and an article on the township of Mt Beauty.newspaper articles; tawonga primary school; bogong hotel; tawonga butter factory

Initially in the 1880s, services (known as stations) were held at Creamer's home in Dederang - generally x3 per year.In 1883 a small church was built where the present church now stands.This weatherboard church, St Joseph's, was replaced by a brick one in 1914 and opened on 8th Nov. 1914. The book has 9 chapters, the last one being 'Photo Gallery'. It covers the religious men, local families, newspaper snippets and records.Religion was an important part of life to people throughout the 20th century especially in a rural community as it gave people an opportunity to be part of the community and to socialize. This book gives a history of religion, of maintaining a church, of a rural community and of the Catholic religion.58 pages of printed history followed by 10 pages of colored photos in a spiral book with a blue spiral spine and a clear plastic cover. The front page includes the title in blue print with a colored photo of the church below the title.st joseph's catholic church dederang; kiewa valley; dederang families; catholic clergy; religion

The Higginson family farmed in the Kiewa Valley17 pages of photocopied pages from Henry John Higginson's enlistment and service history with the Australian Imperial Force (WW1)world war 1, war service, higginson, kiewa valley

The Catholic Church in Dederang began with services in peoples' homes whenever a priest was available 2 or 3 times a year. The priest would ride from Myrtleford. The first church was built in 1883 and was used by families in the Ovens, Kiewa and Mitta valleys.The church was used by residents in the Kiewa Valley. It describes conditions and life styles of the time. Also peoples' religious beliefs and commitment. It includes a biography of the local families in Dederang.Cream coloured cardboard cover with brown fancy font printed title and with 2 sketches of the church one on the top left and one on the bottom right of the cover. It has 48 pages printed on both sides and is held by 2 staples"From Mrs Brian Ford / Gundowring to the / K.V. Historical Society" is handwritten in ink on the top right of the cover page.dederang, st josephs catholic church, kiewa valley, edna arundel, jack goonan

Girl Guides Service Badge. The green felt at the back of the badge indicates it was a Girl Guides badge - (brown felt indicating a Brownies badge). The number 2 indicates the owner was in her 2nd year as a member of the Girl Guide Club.Historical: Provenance: The Davies family lived at Tawonga in the Kiewa Valley. The badge indicates that a member of the family was a member in her second year of Girl Guides - Wilma who was heavily involved in the Girl Guide movement or her daughter, Kerrie who was a member of the Girl Guides.A Girl Guide Service Badge. Brass star shaped with 6 points. Half of each point has 2 embossed lines from centre circle towards the point. In the centre is a circle coloured black at the centre of which is a brass number 2. The 2 stands out from the rest as it is raised from the flat circle which in turn is raised from the points which taper down to what would be a flat base but the badge is hollow. At the back of the star is a brass loop to which is attached a hair clip like pin - with a straight edge and a bumpy edge.(split pin attachment) A green felt circular pad with a central hole is attached.The 2 embossed lines on each half of each point of the star. The number 2 in the black circle. badge. star badge. numismatics. equipment. rank. pip. kiewa valley. tas davies., girl guides. wilma davies. kerrie davies. tawonga

When Australia joined World War I men were encouraged to enlist to help Australia aid their 'mother country' Britain in the war against Germany. Many men volunteered often joining at the same time as their friends from the same district, all over Australia.Bert Roper and Stewart Hollonds came from families living in the Kiewa Valley. Details of their service records are kept in the KVHS collection.Thick wooden dark frame with decoration on each corner. Two separate portraits of Soldiers Bert in oval shape and Stewart in rectangular shape. At the centre of the bottom are two coloured small flags - the Union Jack and another.On the back, behind each man, their names are written: "Bert Roper" and "Stewart Hollonds"bert roper, stewart hollonds, ww1 soldier, portraits of wwi soldiers

R.S.L. is the Returned and Services League of Australia, a member based charity founded in 1916, and the largest veterans' charity in Australia. It provides a support network and community for veterans and their families. They have a commemorative service each year on 25th April, ANZAC Day.The Mt Beauty RSL committee members in 1949 is a list of people living in Mt Beauty at the time and who were working as a support team for veterans and their families. The ANZAC crowd at the temporary memorial indicate the interest in the town for a commemoration and the need for a more permanent structure.Both Black & White large photos. 1. Group of men - Mt Beauty R.S.L. Committee with names on reverse. 2. Anzac Day at Mt Beauty. Early 1950s. People including school children, gathered around a temporary war memorial structure near the current (2023) roundabout. In the background is the main workshop. The Tail race channel hasn't been constructed. On the back in pen of RSL photo: Mt Beauty R S L Committee 1949 -50 / Standing Fred De Little, Roy Cobby, WaJ. Jones/ Joe Lang, Ian Bennett, Stan Leanard, Ted White/ Seated / Harry Edney, Jack Chapman (Tres), Harold Boon (Pres), R Webster (Sec), /Joe Breen returned services league, anzac day, rsl 1949

This SEC cook book was produced circa 1950s when the Kiewa Hydro Electricity Scheme and its Commission was in full swing. The Commission had constructed two settlements, Mount Beauty and Bogong Village to house construction workers and their families in a "closed" community. These "closed" communities were for SEC staff and construction workers only. Entry into these villages was restricted to "SEC pass" carrying construction staff and their families. All facilities such as retail, sporting and other community services was provided by the SEC. This created an isolated community in which limited individual choice or administrative family leeway was available. It was a typical company town (live and work for the company). The Company was in the Kiewa Valley constructing power stations for the Kiewa Hydro Electricity Scheme of Victoria. In one way the individual did not need to be concerned with living costs, educational needs for children, and recreational amenities and therefore "normal" community survival /living methods did not apply. This living, although restrictive, was quite simple. When the scheme was completed, in 1961, marking the end of company town, caused some of the employees, who had enjoyed the "controlled" township environment, a fair degree of angst in having the new 'laissez-faire" controls thrust upon them. This was magnified when both Mount Beauty and Bogong Village became meshed into the Bright Shire, vis-a-vis, local government. This cook book is a prime example of " the company is looking after you" and leave the worrying to us. This environment of a "company town", which creates the atmosphere of minimal personal responsibilities, is still present in a few remote mining towns in Australia at the beginning of the 21st Century.This book is a classical example of the psychological control in which the company had its construction workers families living in. The motto of many companies who had employees in isolated regions was "keep them happy". A happy and contented worker is a more productive worker. This was a period in time (1950s to 1970s) when social psychology was gaining recognition in the Australian workforce as well as internationally. At the end of the construction of all the power stations both the Mount Beauty settlement and the Bogong Village became more integrated into the main stream of rural Australia environment. Development of tourism in the region opened up not only interaction with a greater cross section of the ever expanding type of Australian but also the overseas based non rural culture tourist or immigrant. It allowed the intermingling of ideas in a non company controlled environment. The Mount Beauty and Bogong Village has, and even up to the 3000 Millennium, the same housing construction, as was built by the SEC. There has only been a very gradual change to modern domestic architectural home styles. This SEC cookbook has a folded cover with two staples at the spine, securing eight double sided pages. The white pages contain black print and sketches(3), and one black and white photograph (of the author). The front cover is mainly orange in colour with a gradual fading into yellow(at the top). The cover is approximately 210 g/m2 in thickness and each page is approximately 90 g/m2 thick. Front cover: top of page "SEC Cook Book of Family Favourites", in the middle a sketch, black on orange background, of a smiling mother walking from the kitchen to the dining table with a steaming rolled roast and vegetables in one hand and a gravy pot in the other. The furniture and decor relates to the 1950s. Below this sketch is printed"SEC TESTED RECIPES NO. 16" Inside cover: on top of the page is a black and white sketch of a pineapple, apple pear fish with scales, bunch of grapes with leaves a pork roll (head of pig one end and a roll ending on the other, on top of this food arrangement rests a fruit pie. Below this sketch are printed in black print the books contents.The first side of the first page is a black and white photograph Mary Dunne, the SEC Home Service supervisor who provided a signed foreword. The inside back cover has a promotional segment detailing a black and white photograph of a smiling (and happy) couple in the foreground with an electric stove in the distance. The written motto below this photograph is" to Live better -and save money they'll join the Power People. "the new tariff is(1960s) - First 75kWh --6 cents per kWh Next 435 kWh---2.3 cents per kWh Balance --1.7 cents per kWh The rate per killowatt-hour for the final block drops from 2.1 cents to 1.7 cents --a reduction of 19%.cooking recipes circa 1950s, domestic food, sec victoria cook books, recipes circa 1950s

The badges relate to the HEWSTON family collection WW1 & WW11. The large badge with clip 1919 was possibly H.E.Hewstons No 40 AIF. Refer Cat No 2759.2..1) Badge, metal, RSSILA. Crown at top with RSL Membership Clip 1919. Centre has 2 figures. .2) Badge, metal, RSSAILA. Crown at top with 3 central figures. .1) “Returned Sailor's Soldier's Imperial League Australia No 67888” .2) “Returned Sailor's Soldier's Airmen's Imperial League Australia No V99409”numismatics-badges, societies-returned service league, rsl, membership

Part of a series of items relating to the "Jackson family". .1) This is a WW1 badge, .2) is WW2Returned from Active service badges. .1) Badge brass round with crown at top, centre has Rising Sun with "AIF" under. Rear has two lugs and is stamped. .2) Badge brass has crown, Rising sun, wings and anchor, at bottom a boomerang with lettering, rear has two lugs and is stamped plus lettering..1) On front, "Issued by Dept of Defence, Returned from Active Service" .2) On front, "returned from Active service" On rear, "95187", "AF Issued by the CWLTH Govt"badges, active service, ras

This brown wool felt hat with a broad brim was, by its style, used by a adolescent child for church services. This was worn in a period where church services on Sunday was an important weekly ritual by the whole family. Special (church only) dresses and hats were worn not only to show respect to the church but also part of expected community mores relating to religious beliefs. This behavioural pattern was more entrench in the rural communities than within larger cities. The closeness of smaller rural communities is the main factor regarding social norms. The visible standing within the community was uppermost. The period pre 2000 was a more coheasive family environment ( due to greater intra family activities) which provided better communication and family activities.This "church styled" hat is very significant to the rural lifestyle and its mores. It clearly demonstrates the coheasive force that religion has on the Valley population. The closeness that the semi isolation (at this time) brought about by the Valley's physical land formation and the poor roads within the valley brought families closer together. Not turning up for important social functionsw was duely noted by all (and frowned upon). Mrs E. Fisher lived at Mongan's Bridge in the Kiewa Valley.Brown child's all felt hat size 6 1/4. A broad brim with a lighter brown velvet ribbon head band. Head band has a crossover to the left front with 100 mm extension flowing over the brim. The top of the inside of the head pocket is lined with a soft silk fabric.6 and one quarter (size tag). Unreadable crest / monogramchildren's head wear, social head dress, church hats

Sgt Roy Arthur Heuston Taggart, 4th Australian Light Horse Regiment, Grazier of Hawthorn, born 4 Sep 1888, enlisted 19 July 1915, 12th Reinforcements. Awarded Distinguished Conduct Medal for outstanding services during Flanders operations.Historic item by original member of 4ALHRectangular embroidery in glass fronted wooden frame. Background is colour patch of the 4th Australian Light Horse Regiment, diagonally divided with upper left section white and lower part red. The Australian Coat of Arms (in red) is at the upper left. Embroidered in red at top centre: "4th Light Horse Regiment 1st Division Egypt 1916". In gold thread at bottom right: Aust Army rising sun badge. . It is edged with white tassels at top and left and gold tassels at right and lower edge.Embroidered in gold thread : "From Roy"embroidery, 4th light horse, roy taggart, scarf as gift to family

Cpl. Ronald Warren Ellis, EM (VX502517) was born in Brunswick in 1927. His family moved to Lara when he was young, and his schooling took place at the Lara State School. After finishing his education, Ron took up employment at Sims Coopers in Corio. Ron was enlisted in the second AIF at Melbourne, and posted to the 3rd Recruit Training Battalion at Greta west of Newcastle, NSW. After 3 months training, he was sent to the Service Corps Training Centre for driver and maintenance training in Ingleburn, south of Sydney. When this course was completed, Ron was posted to the Australian Army Service Corps as a driver motor vehicle with the 2nd AIF. Rons service with the AIF lasted 425 days, when he was then transferred to the Interim Army for a further 309 days. The duration of his service was in NSW. Ron was discharged from the Army in Melbourne on the 4th of May 1948. In 1957, Ron enlisted in the CMF and served with 22nd Construction Squadron for 17 years with the last 5 as a Corporal, and was awarded the Efficiency Medal for long service and good conduct.Brown canvas booklet that is folded into three. Licence gives details of Army number, name, rank and type of vehicle that is able to be driven. Licence has been issued to Private Ronald Warren Ellis on 24/01/1948. No. 258778 Army No. V?SOL517 Rank: Private Name in full: Ellis, Ronald Warren Unit: Transferred to (unit): Having passed the prescribed tests ... authorised to drive... types of ... vehicles within the Commonwealth of Australia and Territories. Signature of Driver: drivers licence, australian military forces, army, private, ellis, ww2, wwii, world war two, second world war

This photo is from 1917 and is of Private Harry Groves (standing) with his cousin Arthur Whitter (seated). Private Groves was the Uncle of Ron Ellis, who was a Lara Sub-Branch member. Cpl. Ronald Warren Ellis, EM (VX502517) was born in Brunswick in 1927. His family moved to Lara when he was young, and his schooling took place at the Lara State School. After finishing his education, Ron took up employment at Sims Coopers in Corio. Ron was enlisted in the second AIF at Melbourne, and posted to the 3rd Recruit Training Battalion at Greta west of Newcastle, NSW. After 3 months training, he was sent to the Service Corps Training Centre for driver and maintenance training in Ingleburn, south of Sydney. When this course was completed, Ron was posted to the Australian Army Service Corps as a driver motor vehicle with the 2nd AIF. Rons service with the AIF lasted 425 days, when he was then transferred to the Interim Army for a further 309 days. The duration of his service was in NSW. Ron was discharged from the Army in Melbourne on the 4th of May 1948. In 1957, Ron enlisted in the CMF and served with 22nd Construction Squadron for 17 years with the last 5 as a Corporal, and was awarded the Efficiency Medal for long service and good conduct. This photo represents the connection that Lara RSL members and their family members have to the conflicts that Australia has been involved in over time. Photograph of Harry Grove (standing) with his cousin Arthur Witter (seated) - France 1917. The black and white photo is framed within a wooden frame, and above it is a piece of paper with details about the photo written in red texta. The photo is black and white, and in the bottom right corner in pencil is written: Sincerely Yours, Arthur. The remainder of the text extends under the frame, but looks as though it says: Arthur, France. world war 1, ww1, wwi, photo, family, private, corporal

Originally would have been issued with a scroll & letter from the King but neither with plaque. 1914-1918 Memorial Plaque In early 1920 it was announced that the next-of-kin of all Australian servicemen and women whose deaths were attributable to the First World War would receive a memorial plaque and scroll "as a solace for bereavement and as a memento". The memorial plaques were not uniquely Australian. In fact they were designed and produced in Britain and issued to commemorate all those who died as a result of war service from within the British Commonwealth. The idea for the plaques was originally conceived mid-way through the war. In 1917 a competition was announced to obtain a suitable design and 800 entries were eventually received. The winner, Mr. E. Carter Preston of Liverpool, England, was chosen in 1918. He was awarded a prize of 250 pounds. Mr Manning Pike directed the manufacture of the memorial plaques at the Memorial Plaque Factory set up at Acton, London. Some later plaques were also made at the Woolwich Arsenal. The cost of manufacturing so many plaques must have been considerable. Each plaque had the name of the soldier commemorated individually embossed (some were engraved) as part of the design. The full name was given without any indication of rank or honours to show the equality of sacrifice of all those who had lost their lives. The scroll designed to accompany the plaques was of thick paper, headed by the royal coat-of-arms, and bore the following message: "He whom this scroll commemorates was numbered among those who, at the call of King and Country, left all that was dear to them, endured hardness, faced danger, and finally passed out of the sight of men by the path of duty and self-sacrifice, giving up their own lives that others might live in freedom. Let those that come after see that his name is not forgotten". Underneath the message the serviceman or woman’s name, rank, honours and unit were written by hand in red ink. Because of the late arrival in Australia of the plaques many scrolls were sent out separately. A message from the King, "I join with my grateful people in sending you this memorial of a brave life given for others in the Great War", was included with the scroll. The first plaques were distributed in Australia in 1922. Each plaque was sent out from Base Records Office at Victoria Barracks in Melbourne by second-class mail. Approximately 60,000 plaques were issued in Australia. Families of deceased members of the Royal Australian Navy and the Australian Army Nursing Service also received plaques and scrolls Bronze Memorial Plaque 1914-1918 for 4876 Pte. Harry Milne , 46 Battalion KIA 10/5/1918, In a cardboard square envelope. http://www.awm.gov.au/research/people/roll_of_honour/person.asp?p=493414Embossed around edge of plaque "HE DIED FOR FREEDOM AND HONOVR" Name of serviceman embossed on plaque right of centre "HARRY MILNE"ww1, dead mans penny, kings penny, memorial plaque