Lots of Rubbish by Jim Connor (EDHS Newsletter No. 252, June 2020 History is often about change and we experience this all around us, even with such basic services about how our rubbish is collected and even how our streets are cleaned. Many people will remember putting out the sometimes battered steel or plastic rubbish bin to be collected by the ‘garbos’ as they rushed down the street and at times precariously hung off the back of a Council truck. They often seemed to be in a hurry as they grabbed a bin, tossed the contents into the truck and then went off on their merry way. Now, we need to decide which large coloured plastic ‘wheely’ bin to put out to be picked up by a mechanical arm extending from the truck, while the driver is ensconced in his cabin. Today they rarely handle the bins. Large street sweeper trucks clean the streets, often while we sleep, whereas in the past it was indeed very different. When Montmorency was part of the Shire of Eltham, prior to the municipal restructure in 1994, there was one Council employee who was particularly well known in the area. This was Joe Buhagier, a unique and interesting sight, who with his trusty horse walked and cleaned the local streets. Lyn and Graeme Hardiman remember him as a private person and Lyn would often talk with him each time he came along Rattray Road. One day he reluctantly agreed to have his photograph taken with their daughter Danielle, who was about 5 years old at the time, though he was a little embarrassed about all the fuss. Joe features in the Were Street footpath mosaics showing some of the well-known local Montmorency characters.council staff, danielle hardiman, eltham shire council, garbage collection, graeme hardiman collection, joe buhagiar, montmorency, horse, horse drawn vehicles, lyn dodkins, mosaics, were street, rattray road