Alan French was born in Beechworth in 1918 on Christmas Day, an only child descendent from French, Irish and Scottish family who had moved to and stayed in the area years before, both of his parents were born in Beechworth and were fourth generation Indigo Shire locals. Alan grew up in the depression era working the land with his dad when they could, cutting wood or helping on the local farms in and around Wooragee. Everyone able in those days bartered for goods, little coin and vegetables if there was spare to go around with labour or what little they produced from their efforts. In this interview, Alan discusses how his great grandparents Francois (French) and Catherine (Irish) Bertrand were the first vignerons in Beechworth, even mentioned in Beechworth, a Titans Field; 'Vines were draped across 156 acres of Beechworth shire in 1880, and notable vignerons included Francois Bertrand [...]' (Woods: 162) according to Alan 'you can still see where the old vines used to be, Malakoff Rose Garden' but whether or not the wine they produced was any good for drinking is open to interpretation and lost to the history of Beechworth and those who tasted it. This oral history recording was part of a project conducted by Jennifer Williams in the year 2000 to capture the everyday life and struggles in Beechworth during the twentieth century. This project involved recording seventy oral histories on cassette tapes of local Beechworth residents which were then published in a book titled: Listen to what they say: voices of twentieth century Beechworth. These cassette tapes were digitised in July 2021 with funds made available by the Friends of the Burke.This oral history account is socially and historically significant as it is a part of a broader collection of interviews conducted by Jennifer Williams which were published in the book 'Listen to what they say: voices of twentieth-century Beechworth.' While the township of Beechworth is known for its history as a gold rush town, these accounts provide a unique insight into the day-to-day life of the town's residents during the 20th century, many of which will have now been lost if they had not been preserved.This is a digital copy of a recording that was originally captured on a cassette tape. The cassette tape is black with a horizontal white strip and is currently stored in a clear flat plastic rectangular container. It holds up 40 minutes of recordings on each side.listen to what they say, beechworth, oral history, burke museum, vigneron, a titans field, beechworth a titans field, francois bertrand, wooragee, indigo shire, depression era, wood cutting, labour, farming, vines, history, malakoff rose garden

Life story of Charles Gerrish, as told to his granddaughter-in-law. Including family history, farming, many activities in local government.Blue cover, title in white writing, some gold. 1910 - 2000. Photograph of C Gerrish and tree on front. On back cover - tributes from B McCarthy and D McPherson.gerrish family, mooroopna water trust, charles gerrish, gerrish family history

This is a poster advertising the sale of part of the Wollaston Estate in Warrnambool in 1919. The sections for sale were Allotments 1, 18 and 19 which included the Wollaston Homestead. The original Wollaston property of 679 acres was selected by Thomas Manifold in the late 1840s. This land, on the northern side of the Merri River, near the Woodford Road was three kilometres from the Warrnambool town. The first farmer we know who leased the property was William Simpson. Walter Manifold inherited the property and he took it over in 1884. The swing bridge he built in 1890 still stands today. In 1919 the Closer Settlement Board of Victoria acquired Wollaston and 17 lots were sold to returned soldiers for farming purposes. By 1930 there were only five soldier settlers remaining. In 2009 further subdivision took place with lots sold for residential purposes. The homestead allotments were sold separately in 1919 with various owners of the homestead itself recorded since that time. This poster is of interest as it shows the areas of the Wollaston Estate which were sold in 1919. The history of this estate is well-documented and of importance in the history of Warrnambool. This is a sheet of paper with red and black printing and a map of the Wollaston Estate which is photo-lithographed. The sheet has been folded three times. It has some small tears at the top of the page. wollaston, history of warrnambool, walter manifold