This metal and enamel sign is believed to have hung outside the Myrtleford Forest District Office. It includes directions to the Ovens Nursery, Office and Residence Phone numbers, radio call signs (VL30V) and office hours are included It also makes reference to hardwood and softwoods In 1956, the new Chairman of the Forests Commission, Alf Lawrence, introduced a major restructure of the organisation to create 56 Forest Districts. The process included amalgamating the plantations and hardwood divisions, which had been separate and rival entities up to that time. Things remained largely unchanged for the next three decades until the early 1980s.Myrtleford Forest District office signforest signs, forests commission victoria (fcv)

Bushfire Prevention Week was initiated by the Forests Commission in 1930. Victoria’s State Governor, Lord Somers, the Lord Mayor of Melbourne, Sir Harold Luxton and the newly appointed Minister for Forests, William Beckett launched the innovative campaign with great flourish to 250 invited guests at Melbourne’s opulent Town Hall on Monday 13 January 1930. Special church sermons had been held previously on Sunday. The packed program of gala events included lavish luncheon talks at city clubs, scholarly lectures broadcast on the wireless, together with daily articles in the Melbourne and country press about the pressing need for fire prevention. The slogan for the ground-breaking campaign was… Prevent Bush Fires – It Pays… The Shell Petrol Company of Australia supplied 15000 windshield stickers, the British Australasian Tobacco Company donated a large supply of stamp stickers, while many other companies drew attention to the campaign in their newspaper advertisements. The Victorian Railways and many city firms displayed special fire posters, while Bryant and May posted messages on their limited-edition matchbox covers which are now highly prized by phillumenists (i.e. matchbox collectors). The Postmaster General's Department franked postage stamps and letters with special bushfire slogans. While plainclothes police were secretly deployed to the bush to arrest potential arsonists. Canvas and enamel fire prevention signs were erected on most roads leading to forest areas. Letters to the Editor later appeared in many city and country newspapers extolling the virtues of Bushfire Prevention Week and urging for its continuation as an annual event. Although a new idea for Australia, the Canadian Forest Service had been running a similar program for a few years. The Forests Commission in its 1929-30 Annual Report, under the title of "Propaganda", noted with some glee… "One of the most gratifying features of the ''Week" was its low cost to the Government, the major part of the publicity material being donated by private firms." And so for the next 50 years until the 1980s, Bushfire Prevention Week continued unabated with the Forests Commission producing a series of coloured “Magic Lantern” slides which were manufactured by Alex Gunn and Sons in Collins Street Melbourne for screening at Val Morgan cinemas. The slides famously introduced the menacing character, Willy Wildfire, warning motorists to be careful with matches. Now known as Fire Action Week, it remains a key event in the annual calendar for both DEECA and the CFA and is still going strong... These canvas fire awareness signs were used right throughout the period of the Forests Commission until the mid 1980sBushfire awareness signbushfire, forests commission victoria (fcv), forest signs

Bushfire Prevention Week was initiated by the Forests Commission in 1930. Victoria’s State Governor, Lord Somers, the Lord Mayor of Melbourne, Sir Harold Luxton and the newly appointed Minister for Forests, William Beckett launched the innovative campaign with great flourish to 250 invited guests at Melbourne’s opulent Town Hall on Monday 13 January 1930. Special church sermons had been held previously on Sunday. The packed program of gala events included lavish luncheon talks at city clubs, scholarly lectures broadcast on the wireless, together with daily articles in the Melbourne and country press about the pressing need for fire prevention. The slogan for the ground-breaking campaign was… Prevent Bush Fires – It Pays… The Shell Petrol Company of Australia supplied 15000 windshield stickers, the British Australasian Tobacco Company donated a large supply of stamp stickers, while many other companies drew attention to the campaign in their newspaper advertisements. The Victorian Railways and many city firms displayed special fire posters, while Bryant and May posted messages on their limited-edition matchbox covers which are now highly prized by phillumenists (i.e. matchbox collectors). The Postmaster General's Department franked postage stamps and letters with special bushfire slogans. While plainclothes police were secretly deployed to the bush to arrest potential arsonists. Canvas and enamel fire prevention signs were erected on most roads leading to forest areas. Letters to the Editor later appeared in many city and country newspapers extolling the virtues of Bushfire Prevention Week and urging for its continuation as an annual event. Although a new idea for Australia, the Canadian Forest Service had been running a similar program for a few years. The Forests Commission in its 1929-30 Annual Report, under the title of "Propaganda", noted with some glee… "One of the most gratifying features of the ''Week" was its low cost to the Government, the major part of the publicity material being donated by private firms." And so for the next 50 years until the 1980s, Bushfire Prevention Week continued unabated with the Forests Commission producing a series of coloured “Magic Lantern” slides which were manufactured by Alex Gunn and Sons in Collins Street Melbourne for screening at Val Morgan cinemas. The slides famously introduced the menacing character, Willy Wildfire, warning motorists to be careful with matches. Now known as Fire Action Week, it remains a key event in the annual calendar for both DEECA and the CFA and is still going strong... These canvas fire awareness signs were used right throughout the period of the Forests Commission until the mid 1980sBushfire awareness signHelp Prevent Bushfiresbushfire, forest signs, forests commission victoria (fcv)

Bushfire Prevention Week was initiated by the Forests Commission in 1930. Victoria’s State Governor, Lord Somers, the Lord Mayor of Melbourne, Sir Harold Luxton and the newly appointed Minister for Forests, William Beckett launched the innovative campaign with great flourish to 250 invited guests at Melbourne’s opulent Town Hall on Monday 13 January 1930. Special church sermons had been held previously on Sunday. The packed program of gala events included lavish luncheon talks at city clubs, scholarly lectures broadcast on the wireless, together with daily articles in the Melbourne and country press about the pressing need for fire prevention. The slogan for the ground-breaking campaign was… Prevent Bush Fires – It Pays… The Shell Petrol Company of Australia supplied 15000 windshield stickers, the British Australasian Tobacco Company donated a large supply of stamp stickers, while many other companies drew attention to the campaign in their newspaper advertisements. The Victorian Railways and many city firms displayed special fire posters, while Bryant and May posted messages on their limited-edition matchbox covers which are now highly prized by phillumenists (i.e. matchbox collectors). The Postmaster General's Department franked postage stamps and letters with special bushfire slogans. While plainclothes police were secretly deployed to the bush to arrest potential arsonists. Canvas and enamel fire prevention signs were erected on most roads leading to forest areas. Letters to the Editor later appeared in many city and country newspapers extolling the virtues of Bushfire Prevention Week and urging for its continuation as an annual event. Although a new idea for Australia, the Canadian Forest Service had been running a similar program for a few years. The Forests Commission in its 1929-30 Annual Report, under the title of "Propaganda", noted with some glee… "One of the most gratifying features of the ''Week" was its low cost to the Government, the major part of the publicity material being donated by private firms." And so for the next 50 years until the 1980s, Bushfire Prevention Week continued unabated with the Forests Commission producing a series of coloured “Magic Lantern” slides which were manufactured by Alex Gunn and Sons in Collins Street Melbourne for screening at Val Morgan cinemas. The slides famously introduced the menacing character, Willy Wildfire, warning motorists to be careful with matches. Now known as Fire Action Week, it remains a key event in the annual calendar for both DEECA and the CFA and is still going strong... These canvas fire awareness signs were used right throughout the period of the Forests Commission until the mid 1980sBushfire awareness signProtect your forests from firebushfire, forests commission victoria (fcv), forest signs

Bushfire awareness gallows signs were common features during the summer fire season and hung outside both FCV offices and on major roadways This large metal sign has different text on each side and the text and lettering is simple enough to be read from a moving vehicleBushfire Awareness - gallows signbushfire, forest signs, forests commission victoria (fcv)

Signs were erected around the forest to restrict the use of firearms.Shooting Prohibited sign - canvasbushfire, forest signs, forests commission victoria (fcv)

Considered in terms of both loss of property and loss of life, the Black Friday bushfires on 13 January 1939 were one of the worst disasters to have occurred in Australia and certainly the worst bushfire up to that time. The fires burnt 2 million hectares, 69 sawmills were destroyed, 71 people died, and several towns and sawmills were entirely obliterated. Among those killed were four men from the Commission The subsequent Royal Commission conducted by Judge Leonard Stretton has been described as one of the most significant inquiries in the history of Victorian public administration. Its recommendations led to sweeping changes. In addition to building dams and water points, the Stretton Royal Commission recommended expanding and controlling the use of bushfire dugouts at forest sawmills. Well-constructed dugouts had saved the lives of many sawmill workers and their families during the 1939 bushfires. But in some locations, they had proved fatal. Dugouts became mandatory for those few sawmills that remained in the forest after the 1939 fires. Many remote logging coupes and FCV roading camps also had dugouts. The local District Forester was required to make annual pre-season inspections of all dugouts on State forests and those within the Fire Protected Area (FPA). Some were built privately on private land. Most were primitive construction with a log or corrugated iron roof covered with earth. A hessian bag often hung at the entrance to keep the heat and smoke out. But they were dark and damp with snakes and other creepy crawlies often lurking inside. By 1940-41 there were 19 new dugouts constructed by the Commission and a further 128 by forest licensees. Ten years later there were 8 new Commission dugouts and 21 new ones built by other interests. By 1960-61 the rate of new builds was declining but the Commission still managed 103 dugouts while 127 were looked after by others. However, as the forest road network improved and gave all-weather access to modern two-wheel-drive vehicles the reliance on dugouts receded.Large metal sign that was positioned near forest dugoutsbushfire, forest signs, forests commission victoria (fcv)

bushfire, forest signs, forests commission victoria (fcv)

This sign proudly hung outside the Forests Commission Victoria (FCV) Beechworth office which is now site of the Forestry Heritage Museum. The granite building in the Beechworth's historic precinct was once the Gold Warden's Office and is one of the town's original buildings. The FCV was the main government authority responsible for management and protection of State forests in Victoria between 1918 and 1983. The Commission was responsible for ″forest policy, prevention and suppression of bushfires, issuing leases and licences, planting and thinning of forests, the development of plantations, reforestation, nurseries, forestry education, the development of commercial timber harvesting and marketing of produce, building and maintaining forest roads, provision of recreation facilities, protection of water, soils and wildlife, forest research and making recommendations on the acquisition or alienation of land for forest purposes″. The Forests Commission had a long and proud history of innovation and of managing Victoria's State forests but in September 1983 lost its discrete identity when it was merged into the newly formed Victorian Department of Conservation, Forests and Lands (CFL) along with the Crown Lands and Survey Department, National Park Service, Soil Conservation Authority and Fisheries and Wildlife Service. After the amalgamation the management of State forests and the forestry profession continued but the tempo of change accelerated, with many more departmental restructures occurring over the subsequent four decades. Responsibilities are currently split between the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA), Forests Fire Management Victoria (FFMV), Parks Victoria, Melbourne Water, Alpine Resorts Commission, the State Government-owned commercial entity VicForests and the privately owned Hancock Victorian Plantations (HVP).Large office sign. Hand painted in traditional FCV mission brown and gold colour scheme.forests commission victoria (fcv), forest signs

The wooden mould was originally made in the early 1980s by one of the crew in his spare time in East Gippsland (Bairnsdale maybe). It was passed it on to Ian Long and then Barrie Marsden at Altona. It was not made for any particular purpose other than just a copy of the iconic FCV logo. It sat in the office at Altona for a little while until one day Barry thought it could be used to cast a solid replica. The wooden mould was taken to a foundry in North Melbourne and three bronze replicas were cast and polished. One was used when the Chief Fire Officer, Bary Johnson, was retiring More were cast in brass and the plaques became a standard presentation item for retiring FCV personnel. The wooden mould eventually cracked and can no longer be used. Hand madeWooden mould and presentation plaqueforests commission victoria (fcv), forest signs

Bushfire awareness gallows signs were common features during the summer fire season and hung outside both FCV offices and on major roadways These six large metal signs have different text on each side and the message and lettering is simple enough to be read from a moving vehicle Metal Fire awareness gallows signsforests commission victoria (fcv), bushfire, forest signs

Signs used to identify roles at bushfires These roles and titles were used prior to 1984 and the introduction of the AIIMS control system Signs used to identify people and roles as bushfire incidentsforests commission victoria (fcv), bushfire, forest signs

The Forests Commission once had a flotilla of small fire boats on the Gippsland Lakes, Lake Eildon and the Murray River which were used for fire patrol and suppression.Fire patrol launch signforests commission victoria (fcv), bushfire, forest signs

Forestry House was the fist time that Forests Commission Head office staff had been housed in a purpose built building in Melbourne 601 Bourke street is on the corner of Bourke and King streets The building opened in the late 1970s but staff relocated in the late 1980s after the formation of the Department of Conservation Forests and Lands (CFL)Large wooden sigh from outside Forestry House at 601 Bourke Streetforests commission victoria (fcv), forest signs

Thought to have come from the old Newport workshopsStandard issue Public Service wall clockforests commission victoria (fcv), forest signs

Receipt written on a piece of paper and dated August 24 1865. Received from Bro G J Murray £2 on behalf of Court King of the Forest. Signed Wilhelm Schlemme.societies, aof, correspondence, ancient order of foresters no. 3770 collection - correspondence, g j murray, court king of the forest, wilhelm schlemme

A.O.F. Bendigo United District blue receipt No. 30 dated 7th May 1864 for £3-2-6 for Special Levy. Received from Court King of the Forest. Signed by ? Madely.societies, aof, correspondence, ancient order of foresters no. 3770 collection - receipt, a.o.f. bendigo united district, court king of the forest, ? madely

Receipt written on a piece of paper, dated Sep 2/71. Received from W. B. Evans the sum of 8 shillings on Acct of Ct. King of the Forest. Signed Paid William Mann.societies, aof, correspondence, ancient order of foresters no. 3770 collection - correspondence, w b evans, william mann

Receipt , dated 9/?/1872. Recd from Mr. John Miller the sum of two pounds ? (2£) being donation from Court King of the Forest. Signed this 9th day of ? 1872 Joseph French.societies, aof, correspondence, ancient order of foresters no. 3770 collection - correspondence, john miller, court king of the forest, joseph french

Note written on paper with Bendigo Hospital heading and dated 12 Sept 1872. Recd from Mr John Miller one pound stg. Being donation from Court King of the Forest. Signed Joseph French?societies, aof, correspondence, ancient order of foresters no. 3770 collection - correspondence, bendigo hospital, court king of the forest, joseph french

.1 -No. 35, outbound to Sebastopol with the Southern Cross Hotel in the background. Has signs for Fosters Larger, Carlton Draught and Victoria Bitter. Has a number of passengers boarding the tram. .2 - at Hospital corner with the signal system control box for the Forest City signals in the foreground on a pole. Has marking for Sebastopol, Sturt St West and Drummond St North? written on the box. Above this is a sign advising passengers that trams depart this point for The Gardens, View Point and Sebastopol. In the background is J. A. Malpass Hairdresser shop. See item 8900 for the actual switch. .3 - No. 35 turning into Drummond St south with the bottle shop on the south east corner in the background.Yields information about Hospital corner and the switch for the Forest City signalling system controls.Set of three 35mm slides - AGFA dark blue / white plastic mounts of trams in Sturt St near Hospital Corner. tramways, trams, sturt st, hotels, hospital corner, forest city signals, signs, tram 35

This sign had been hanging outside the front door of the Benalla Forest District Office but was removed after amalgamation of government departments. It was salvaged from being thrown out in about 1987. The sign features a pine tree (so probably made before the 1956 restructure). In 1956, the new Chairman of the Forests Commission, Alf Lawrence, introduced a major restructure of the organisation to create 56 Forest Districts. The process included amalgamating the plantations and hardwood divisions, which had been separate and rival entities up to that time. Things remained largely unchanged for the next three decades until the early 1980s. The iconic Forests Commission Victoria (FCV) “two-tree” logo was designed in the early 1960s by graphic artist, Alan Rawady.Benalla Forest District Office Sign

Diggers & Mining. Gold. ''Mount Macedon from the Black Forest 1855'' shows. Writing on picture Mount Macedon from the Black Forest. Signed James ? Depicts Black? Store with travellers many of them Chinese. The slide has blue pen markings on it. Markings: 7 994.GOL. Used as a teaching aid.hanimounteducation, tertiary, goldfields

Black and white photograph of a garage sale in Forest Hill. Sale sign, mattress and lounge suite in foregroundgarage sales

Receipt written on a piece of cream paper from H. L. Atkinson saying he received £117 from Court King of the Forest. June & July. Signed H L Atkinson.societies, aof, correspondence, ancient order of foresters no 3770 collection, - receipt, court king of the forest, h l atkinson

Notes on the Ballarat Tramways overhead, the Sebastopol tramcars axle boxes, double ended sidings at Victoria St and Lydiard St North, possible track extensions, Viewpoint terminus, Forest City signs, View Point Loop and Bridge St relaying in 1957. Contained within Reg Item 5507 - Foolscap binder with green covers, black binding edge and metal clips.Yields information about the Ballarat overhead, track layouts, terminals and the Sebastopol type cars.Three hand written foolscap pages.overhead, terminus, view point, signals, sebastopol type

School closed , demolished and land sold for housing .Coloured Photo of sign on Forest Hill State School No. 4251 Springvale Road, Forest Hill, Victoria. Since demolished. Part of a group of 24 schools closed around 1993.forest hill state school. no. 4251

Blue coupon dated June 30 1875 to Mr W Philpot asking him to pay Dr. H. L. Atkinson One Hundred and Seventeen Pounds for Medical Services on account of Court King of the Forest, No. 3770. Signed by C. Slo??, C.R. and W. B. ? Secretary.societies, aof, correspondence, ancient order of foresters no 3770 collection - to pay, w philpot, h l atkinson, c slo??, w b ?

The Garratts were approaching 35 years of age and needed constant repairs to keep them in service, the other rolling stock was between 45 and 60 years old, the track was generally in poor condition, and the amount of traffic offering was only a faction of that carried previously and came from one station, Beech Forest. A further sign of decay was in the transfer of goods between the gauges. Where eight or nine men had worked full-time transferring between gauges only one man was seen by 1960, with several other men hired on the basis of '$2 a truck', assuming they could be found. In 1961 VR announced its intention to close the line which it did on 30 June 1962. Colour. On 9 August 1961 a G42 locomotive and goods train departing for Colac with the coal stage on the left, the saw mill and Gangers Shed on the right, and houses in the right background.. beech forest; railways;

An early black and white photograph of a sample acre of tall trees near Marysville in Victoria.An early black and white photograph of a sample acre of tall trees near Marysville in Victoria. After the devastating 1939 ‘Black Friday’ bushfires, Victoria’s tallest known trees were to be found in the Cumberland scenic reserve, 20 km north-east of Marysville. This stand of trees was set aside in the 1920s to preserve a ‘sample acre’ of tall trees. It originally contained 27 trees, the tallest of which was said to be 92 m, whilst the average height was 81 m. A severe wind storm in 1959 blew down 13 trees and left the ‘tall tree’ at a reduced 84 m (Munro 1992). An examination of the crown of this tree by arborist Tom Greenwood (Tom Greenwood pers. comm. 2001) suggested that it was unlikely that it ever reached the original figure of 92 m; the current height is 81.5 m, a figure used as the starting point for this search for Victoria’s tallest trees. This postcard was published by the Valentine Publishing Co. Pty. Ltd. as a souvenir of Marysville.Cumberland 1952sample acre, tall trees, marysville, victoria, cumberland valley, postcard, valentine publishing co, souvenir, 1939 bushfires, cumberland scenic reserve