Debutantes and partners at Mayoral Ball, Box Hill Town Hall; the Mayor, William Hosie, and his wife Ivy are also pictured. 1961. Debutants: Barbara Millard, Janice Johnston, Kaye Tindal, Faye Turner, Barbara Farrar, Lorraine Burls, Wendy Creek, Hope Peers, Joan Little, Louise Ellsworth, Marion Jeffrey & Rae Jeffrey. Details from Age newspaper articleB&w photomayoral balls, dances and balls, debutantes, box hill town hall, hosie> william (cr.), hosie> ivy (mrs.), 1961, millard> barbara, johnston> janice, tindal> kaye, turner> faye, farrar> barbara, burls> lorraine, creek> wendy, peers> hope, little> joan, ellsworth> louise, jeffrey> marion, jeffrey> rae

Contents: • With a little help from our friends by Jim Connor • Annual General Meeting - Wednesday 12th April 2017 • May Excursion - Eltham South Ramble • Don't Forget • Audrey Josephine Cahn by Richard Pinn • Eltham District Historical Society: Stanley Simpson Addison • . . . . the story continues! by Jim Connor • The Christmas Hills Motorcycle Scramble Track by Jim Allen • What Were They Like? by Joan Castledine • Annual General Meeting (Notice and Agenda) • Contacts for the Eltham District Historical Society The Shire of Eltham Historical Society was formed in October 1967. The first newsletter of the Society was issued May 1978 and has been published continuously ever since on a bi-monthly basis. With the cessation of the Shire of Eltham in late 1994, the Society's name was revised to Eltham District Historical Society and this name first appeared with issue No. 103, July 1995. The collection of the Society's newsletters provides a valuable resource on the history of the Society's activities, office bearers and committee members, guest speakers and subjects of historical interest pertinent to the former Shire of Eltham and the Eltham District.A4 photocopied newsletter distributed to membersnewsletter, eltham district historical society, shire of eltham historical society

BHS CollectionGreen cover book of musical sheets titled "Rosie's 8th Dance Album" containing: Toy city barn dance, Holly Berries mazurka, Glen Rosa schottische, Coronation Day polka, Darby and Joan waltz, Babes in the wood polka, Little blue eyes waltz, Baby's birthday waltz. The London Music Publishing Stores. On the inside cover there is a black and white pencil drawing by George Harris of a landscape signed by the author and dated '19. Aileen and John Ellison Collection.music, dance music

Bendigo Operatic Society ''The Geisha'' at the Capital Theatre, View Street, Bendigo for Five Nights Commencing 21st June 1968. Producer: Mr. Cid Ellwood - Musical Director: Max O'Loghlen - Assistant Producer, Ballet and Wardrobe Mistress: Madge Welch - Society Pianist: Gwen Grose. Cast in Order of Appearance: Peg Green as O Kiku San (Chrysanthemum Geisha) - Maria Cariddi as O Hana San (Blossom Geisha) - Margery reed as O Kinkoto San (Golden harp Geisha) - Patricia Lyon as Komurasaki (Little Violet Geisha) - Ferd Lorenz as Wun Hi - John Boquest as Lt. Reginald Fairfax - John Cannon as Lt. Bronville - Max Rule as Lt. Cunningham - Peter Lelean as Lt. Grimston - Ian Unmack as Mr. Midshipman Stanley - Carol Mils as Juliette - Henry Johnson as Takemini - Bert Donovan as The Marquis Imari - Joan Crane as Lady Constance Wynne - Rhonda Osborne as Miss Ethel Hurst - Ann Ball as Miss Marie Worthington - Carol Crane as Miss Mabel Grant - Valerie Broad as O Mimosa San - Bill Craddock as Lt. Katana - Patricia McCracken as Miss Molly Seamore - Pauline Speedy as Namiprogram, theatre, bendigo operatic society

Congues and Mowlam families Images of two families who lived in Cruikshank Street from the 1930s to 1950s. .14 - St Joseph's debutants 1947 Left to right from rear (little girls not included) Shirley Payne, Pat Mowlam, ??, Mary Dawson, Carmel Mills, ??, Norma Davis, Pat Ryan, ??, Shirley Mallet, Joan Bath, ??, Lorraine Murphyfamilies, congues family, mowlam family, barbara gardiner nee hegarty, pat frisby nee mowlam, joan bath, lorraine murphy, shirley mallet, pat ryan, mary dawson, shirley payne, norma davis, religion - roman catholic church (st josephs)

Yellow card, folded. Bendigo North Primary School Children's Ball held at the White Hills Technical School on Thursday 16th August, 1984. Front page has a large spider web with a big spider and printed over the web is 'Come to our ball'. Written in the bottom right corner is Ellis reserved. On the inside is the list of Ballroom, Colonial and Folk Dances and the grades performing them. Also included was a playet (sic) titled The Spirit of the Tree and a Special Item titled Charlotte's Web. The back page has the Acknowledgements to: Neil Ross, Merilyn Tatt, Heather & Noel Ridge, Greg Kaska, Brian Hillman, Lloyd George, Graham Balam, Maree Murrell, Mark Walters, Ken McKindlay, Lexie Ottrey, Peter Ellis, Faye McCaig, Viv MacDonald, Val Lee, Lesley Campbell, Margaret Gilbee, Ruth Sloan, Kaye Trimble,Jennette Price, Joy Miles, Janet Holland, Liz Rowell, Anne Gibson, Joan McColl, Joy Daniel, Elaine Carmichael, Evelyn Bruhn, Sandra Kaska, Olga Chafer, Lyn Craig, Gail Kingdom, Maureen Warren, Jenny Mollison, Coral McClure, Robyn Murphy, Helen Penna, Dale Little, John Shiel, Sandra Kaska, Glynis Goulter, Margaret Walker, Maree Walker, Bill Garvin, Stan Doye, Robyn Wetzig, Jim Lawson, Rodger O'Hara, Sue Treloar, Margaret Gregson and Di Milich.Bendigo North Primaryentertainment, dance, ball, peter ellis collection, bendigo north primary schol, white hills technical school, brenda coulter, neil ross, merilyn tatt, heather & noel ridge, greg kaska, brian hillman, lloyd george, graham balam, maree murrell, mark walters, ken mckindlay, lexie ottrey, peter ellis, faye mccaig, viv macdonald, val lee, lesley campbell, margaret gilbee, ruth sloan, kaye trimble, jennette price, joy miles, janet holland, liz rowell, anne gibson, joan mccoll, joy daniel, elaine carmichael, evelyn bruhn, sandra kaska, olga chafer, lyn craig, gail kingdom, maureen warren, jenny mollison, coral mcclure, robyn murphy, helen penna, dale little, john shiel, sandra kaska, glynis goulter, margaret walker, maree walker, bill garvin, stan doye, robyn wetzig, jim lawson, rodger o'hara, sue treloar, margaret gregson, di milich

School Council, Members of Staff, Magazine Committee, List of Full Course Students 1938, Full Course Commercial Students, Editorial, Personal Column, Obituary - Roy S. Hall - F. J. Martell, S.M.B Old Boys' Association, The Literary Society, Centenary Jottings, Fumes from the Lab, Broken Hill, News from Papua, Sidelights on the B.H.P. Cadet Training Scheme, Arts & Crafts Gossip, Sport, Commercial Notes, The Junior Techs, Junior Technical SportingBlack soft covered magazine with yellow font, green and white images. 64 pages including advertisements. Artworks * Lino cut - By Maureen McRae * Lino Cut - By B. Delima * Lino Cut - By Bessie Martin * The dog you's like to kick - By Gordon Yorke * Harry - By Ernest Gribble * Digger - By Ernest Gribble * Lino cut - By Gordon Yorke * Our little girl - By Dorothy Woolcock * Miss W - By Ernest Gribble * Joan - By Ernest Gribble * Roma - By Gladys Bilney * Doing art for t'arts sake - By Gilda Gude * Una - By Dorothy Woolcock * My Bill - By Dorothy Woolcock * The Sec. - By Ernest Gribble * Hassell - By Dorothy Woolcock * Chief Engineer - By Dorothy Woolcock * Rusty - By Ernest Gribble * Lino Cut - By Jeff Wilkinson * Dick - By Dorothy Woolcock * Goosey - By Ernest Gribble * Pen Drawing - By Dorothy Woolcock * Parking 1 - By Max Coward * Miss King - By Dorothy Woolcock * Goal Umpire - By Ernest Gribble * To Prep Girls - Joe - By Ernest Gribble * Dreamy Dolan - By Ernest Gribble * Lino Cut - By Max Coward * Norma - By Dorothy Woolcock * Lino Cut - By A. Janetski * Dorothy - By Patsy Walsh * Jean - By Dorothy Woolcock * Lino Cut - By Joy Martin * Lino Cut - By Max Coward and A.2., * Ben - By Bob McHutchison * Polly - By Ernest Gribble * Dobber - By Ernest Gribble * Francies - By Ernest Gribble * Ad a line not a bite - By Dorothy Woolcock * Dulcie - By Dorothy Woolcock * Joan - By Ernest Gribble * Kitty - By Bob McHutchison * Stumpy - By Elva Brimacombe * Pegleg - By Dorothy Woolcock * Fat - By Gladys Bilney * Dawn - By Dorothy Woolcock * Joy - By Ernest Gribble * Nipper - By Ernest Gribble * Mac - By Ernest Gribble * Puss - By Bob McHutchison * Tinted Lino Cut - By W. Edward * Lino Cut by G.Day ballarat school of mines, magazine, maureen mcrae, b. delima, j. woolcock, herbert j. trevenan, n. palmer, olwyn williams, gordon yorke, bob mchutchinson, w. edward, keith heriot, sylvia wyres, jeff wilkinson, peter richards, d. gordon, f. morris, mr proctor, ernest gribble, dr. j. r. pound, muriel boyd, george downing, roy s. hall, f. j. martell, d. v. shore, ken wilkie, eoin macdonald, g. berriman, dorothy woolcock, russell h. s. ewins, v. e. greenhalgh, max coward, shelia moss, frank t. jelbart, neil crouch, graham white, mr cornell, francis hollioke, k. vaughan, david j. jelbart, arthur g. veale, bill walters, richard menhennett, james redford, w. monteith, mr hillman, john t. graham, james w. thomas, keith. walter, james m. martin, lyle s. dimsey, jean birch, margaret turner, lesley stapleton, marjorie day, una kersey, jean lonie, coral robertson, norma rowe, jean bridges, jean cox, a. janetski, d. ditchfield, j. harrison, gladys james, j. brimacombe, sheila moss, r. mathews, joy martin, joan ellsworth, e. salter, a. spence, m. may, f. coulson, i. clow, h. tonkin, l. taylor, s. harris, k. gingell, g. jones, william t. paterson, f. harland, w. harrison, j. pike, a. mcmillan, m. lee, e. mccann, j. harris, a. clack, f. osborne, e. stephens, s. nicol, d. eltringham, j. hosie, v. burt, w. rowe, wm. c. edward, j. donald, m. cox, n. dalton, gladys bilney, gilda gude, patsy walsh, elva brimacombe, g. day, francis hollyoake, centenary, betty brown, alan nye, victor greenhalgh, alan gilpin, george edward, e.h. schache, john dulfer, max bayley, eric rumpff, henry kum yuen, fred j. martell, old boys' association, literary society, j.a. wilkie, cyril callister, g. yorke, broken hill, papua, e. macdonald, j. wilkinson, bhp cadet training scheme, g.r. crouch, salt lake city, utah, photography, photographic class, r.h.e. ewins, f. jelbart, n. crouch, g. white, f. hollioake, p. richards, d. jelbart, a. veale, w. walters, e. gribble, r. mchutchison, r. menhennett, i. redford, k. heriot, j. graham, j. thomas, r. ewins, k. waller, j. martin, j. king, bena lamb, j. birch, m. turner, l. stapleton, m. day, u. kersey, j. lonie, c. robertson, n. rowe, j. bridges, m. mcrae, o. williams, j. cox, g. james, s. moss, b. martin, junior technical school old boys' association, des marks, cornell's little liver pills, ballarat wattle tea rooms, the modern dairy

Soft covered book with picture on the front cover of the "Images of St.Albans" mural.non-fictionThis book is about the history of St. Albans as told by its residents. From pioneer selectors of the 1800s to the depression years of the 1930s, the incoming settlers first established their sleepy little village within a small farming community on the Keilor Plains. Then from the 1950s there was an unprecedented population growth as the European immigrants came in their thousands and helped formed a thriving, cosmopolitan community.st. albans, antonia bruns, lorna cameron, edna cooper, maree williams, elfie haggblom, doug boyce, olwen ford, joan carstairs, mary smith, linda watkinson, bev smith, bev godfrey, garry cameron, jean cameron, louise byrne, sue lookwood, roy cameron

Reproduced with photo "a memento of the Nettlefolds Social Club's Dance Sunhine 17/8/36" On the back a substantial list of names.nettlefolds, ballarat road, sunshine north, employee

Joan Mary Bray was born 6/9/1915 in Brisbane, the daughter of Herbert Edward Bray and his wife Grace (nee Shepherd) who married in Wisbech, Cambridge in 1892. The family lived at 5 Barton Street from the late 1920s. She completed her primary schooling at Auburn Primary by travelling there by the little black bus along Canterbury Road. She then went on to Mont Albert Central School and Melbourne Girls High. Locally she belonged to the 1st Surrey Hills Girl Guide Company at Holy Trinity Church. She trained as a nurse at Epworth Hospital and in 1941 served with the army at Gaza Hospital in the Middle East, then in New Guinea. From 1944 until the end of the war she was in Bougainville. Her mother died in Surrey Hills 29/9/1945 and her father moved to Hawthorn; he died in 1955. She had 3 older sisters: Eveline Grace (1893-1978) m Eric Benson; Violet Constance (1894-1983 - ? Sister Constance in mother’s death notice); Dorothy Maud (1896 - ? Sister Ursula in mother’s death notice). After the war she was a RSSL nurse, Matron of St Gabriel’s Baby Home in Balwyn, then Director of Nursing at the Royal Eye and Ear Hospital, East Melbourne. She resigned to be married. [No success in locating her marriage, presumed to be to UNKNOWN Wicks.]Black and white head and shoulders portrait of Joan Bray. She is wearing a plain shirt or jacket.barton street, mont albert central school, auburn primary school, melbourne girls high school, girl guides, 1st surrey hills girl guide company, nurses, nursing, hospitals, health services, australian army nursing service, world wars, 1939-1945, epworth hospital, st gabriel's baby home, eye and ear hospital, (miss) joan mary bray, matron joan bray, (mrs) joan wicks

Program showing songs and performers of the 1982 Carols by Candlelight, televised by Channel 9.1 volume with colour illustrationsroyal victorian institute for the blind, carols by candlelight, normie rowe, colette mann, gaye macfarlane, little river band, simon gallaher, john diedrich, robert colman, richard casey, joan carden, jim watsford, colin woods, graeme lyall, david johnston, janet perkins, tony borg, blair edgar

The crowds and performers at the 1982 Carols by Candlelight performanceCol. photographs of negatives taken at Carols by Candlelightcarols by candlelight, colette mann, little river band, normie rowe, richard casey, john diedrich, gaye macfarlane, joan carden, robert colman, simon gallaher

Performers at the 1982 Carols by Candlelight concert.14 x col. photographs of the 1982 Carols by Candlelight performance82265-2A, 82265-11A, 82266-5, 822678-16A, 82266-34, 82265-9A, 82267-19A, 82266-22, 82265-32A, 82267-25A, 82265-31A, 82265-35A, 82266-13, 82266-1carols by candlelight, richard casey, john diedrich, colette mann, joan carden, simon gallaher, gaye macfarlane, robert colman, normie rowe, little river band

The Herald on 10 August described the Festival offerings as: "Varied 10-Day Programme For Kew Arts Festival Opened last night, the Kew Arts Festival in the Recreation Hall, Wellington Street, provides an interesting and varied programme for the next 10 days. Today at 8.15 p.m. Mr George Bell and Mr Colin Badger will have a public discussion on "What Is Modern Art?" The Vice-chancellor of the Melbourne University of Melbourne (Mr JDG Medley) will preside. Tomorrow at 10.30 a.m. Junior students of the Methodist Ladies College, directed by Dorothy Dwyer. will show how they learn to speak and move on the stage, and will present three short plays. Tomorrow night Elise Steele and Violet Ewart (violin and piano) Beryl Batten (songs) and Edith Parnell (accompanist) will give a concert. Paintings and other works of art will be on show from 2.30 to 5.30 p.m. on Sunday. On Monday night. Mr Colin Badger will speak on "Dead Wood and Green Shoot: Australian Literature Today" and on Tuesday night there will be "Ballet in Story and Action"— the story told by Norman Macgeorge, with Joan Burnett as ballerina and Fred Manners-Sutton at the piano. Wednesday night will have an illustrated lecture "Contemporary Art Education." by John Bechervaise. Remaining nights will be taken up with a performance of Somerset Maugham's "The Circle" presented by the Little Theatre, a youth concert, and another concert with songs and piano. On Saturday morning, August 18, there will be a special concert for young people. The festival will end on Sunday week with a chamber music programme in the afternoon."Important local arts festival initiated during the Second World War and continuing till the early 1950s. The souvenir programmes produced for successive festivals are historically and artistically significant records of visual and performing arts practice in Melbourne during this period.11 page souvenir program for the Kew Arts Festival, held in the Recreation Hall, Wellington Street, Kew from the 9th to the 19th August 1945. The content of the program can be viewed through the image carousel.kew arts festival - 1945, visual arts - kew (vic), performing arts - kew (vic)

Sr. Tarn is based at the RDNS Heidelberg Centre and is wearing her RDNS uniform of a royal blue V neck tunic style frock over a white short sleeve blouse, and her uniform royal blue peaked cap with the central attached RDNS insignia. The photograph is taken at two year old Lynette Singh's home. Gradually over the years, Melbourne District Nursing Service (MDNS), later known as Royal District Nursing Service (RDNS) from 1966 when they received Royal patronage, opened Centres throughout the Melbourne Metropolitan area and outer suburbs with Heidelberg Centre opening in 1971. Their Trained nurses (Sisters) left from these Centres each morning to carry out their nursing visits in a specific area (district), taking any sterilized equipment needed with them. They returned at the end of the day to write up their patients nursing histories, clean and reset any equipment used ready for re-sterilization, and contact other medical and community personal as necessary. The Trained nurses (Nurses) of the Melbourne District Nursing Society (MDNS), later known as Royal District Nursing Service (RDNS), visited patients in their home and gave best practice care in many fields of nursing, and to people of many cultures, throughout its 130 years of expansion. Initial visits not only assessed the specific nursing situation but the situation as a whole. Their patients ranged in age from babes, children, adults to the elderly and referrals were taken from Hospitals, General Practitioners and allied Health facilities. Some of the care their Trained nurses (Sisters) provided is as follows: – Post-Natal care given to mother and babe, Wound Care following various types of surgery, accidents, burns, cancer, leg ulcers etc. Supervising and teaching Diabetic Care, including teaching and supervising people with Diabetes to administer their own Insulin, and administering Insulin to those unable to give their own injections. Administering other injections and setting up weekly medication boxes. The Sisters performed Catheterizations on adults suffering from conditions such as Quadriplegia, Paraplegia, Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Motor Neurone Disease (MND) and Guillan-Barre Syndrome, and when required at school on children for e.g. those with Spina Bifida. The Sisters visited those requiring Cystic Fibrosis support and care; those requiring Haemo-Oncology care, including visiting children at school; those requiring Home Enteral Feeding care, and those requiring IV therapy at home and home Dialysis. Palliative Care was given including pain relief with the use of syringe drivers, personal care as needed, and advice and support to both patient and family. The Sisters provided Stoma management to those needing Urostomy, Ileostomy and Colostomy care and those requiring Continence care. HIV/AIDS nursing care was provided; visits to Homeless Persons were made. Personal care was given to patients ranging in age and with varying mobility problems, such as those with MS, MND, Guillan-Barre Syndrome, Poliomyelitis, Quadriplegia, Paraplegia, Acquired Brain Injury, to those following a Cerebrovascular Accident (Stroke), those with severe Arthritis and those with a form of Dementia. When necessary the elderly were assisted with personal care and advice given on safety factors with the use of hand rails, bath or shower seats, and hand showers. Rehabilitation with an aim towards independence remained at the forefront of the Sister’s minds and when possible using aids and instruction on safe techniques enabled the person to become fully independent. All care included giving advice and support to the patient and their Carers. The Sisters liaised with the persons Doctor, Hospital and allied Health personal when necessary.Black and white photograph of Sister (Sr.) Joan Tarn of Royal District Nursing Service (RDNS), holding little Lynette Singh in her arms. On the left of the photograph is the upper view of Sr. Tarn who is slightly turned to her left, and has her left arm under Lynette supporting her, and her right hand is on the upper area of Lynette's left arm . She is smiling as she holds Lynette who has a round visage; is looking to her left and her dark curled hair is against Sr. Tarn's left cheek; her left arm is extended over Sr. Tarn's right shoulder. She is wearing a frock with a white background and dark poker dot top section and a darker patterned skirt. Sr. Tarn is wearing her RDNS uniform of a dark V neck tunic style frock over a white short sleeve blouse. Her uniform peaked cap with the central RDNS insignia is worn over her dark curled short hair. In the background the weatherboards of Lynette's home can be seen with a short curtain covering part of a window.Photographer stamp. Quote No. LF 88royal district nursing service, rdns, sister joan tarn, lynette singh

One sheet program for Jacqueline Dark"... with a little help from my firends!" A Sensational celebration of song Jacqui Dark, Teresa la Rocca, Tanya Christensen, Michael Black, Andrew Wilson, Kanen Breen, Catherine Carby, Tom Moran, Juan Jackson From classical to cabaret, Sondheim to swing Anything Goes as this exceptional cast perform their favourites! Sunday, October 24th, 4pm Joan Sutherland Studio The Opera Centre, 480 Elizabeth St, Surry Hillsjacqueline dark, opera, jacqui dark, teresa la rocca, tanya christensen, michael black, andrew wilson, kanen breen, catherine carby, tom moran, juan jackson

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