Henry Christian (c.1809-91), the grandfather of the photographer, was one of the first settlers in Kew. He arrived in Victoria with his wife Agnes and son Orlando in 1855 on the Gypsy Queen. He established a rope-making business in Bulleen Road by 1858 but was declared insolvent two years later. In his final years, he was celebrated as one of the oldest living settlers of the district. His son, Orlando Henry Beater Christian (c.1853-1930) became a member of the Hawthorn Band and a foundation member of the Willsmere Swimming Club. Orlando and his wife Elizabeth had four children of which Henry Beater Christian (1886-1962) was the eldest.An item from an outstanding and diverse photographic collection, assembled by members of the Christian family of Pakington Street, Kew, comprising professional and amateur photography, depicting individuals, natural and settled environments and the interactions between these worlds. Many of the photographs vividly capture the worlds of three generations of men - Henry Christian, his son Orlando Henry Beater Christian, and his grandson of Henry Christian. The most important photographer was the youngest, Henry Christian, who was a keen explorer, not just of his immediate environment but also of the Victorian wilderness. His major opus is contained in two albums in which he records, sometimes in majestic detail and on other occasions the intimate features of the natural world. His photographic travels during the 1920s, often in solitary ramblings but on other occasions with companions, recall the heroic landscape photography of an earlier era, pioneered by Nicholas Caire. In addition to their aesthetic value, the albums are historically significant records within the State of Victoria, of what is now a distant point in time, and of places that have become radically altered through human intervention.Black and white photo of the rear view of a man in a hat standing under a tree on a hill looking across the Yarra River (unseen) towards Melbourne. The exhibition building and the spires of St Patrick’s Cathedral can be seen on the skyline. The man may be Orlando Henry Beater Christian. If all the spires are intact it must postdate 1939 when work begun in the early 1930s on the spires began. He may be standing on the edge of the Yarra Boulevard.melbourne skyline - 1930s, yarra boulevard -- kew (vic.), christian-washfold collection

MEYER COLLECTION - FALLS CREEK PHOTOS In 1947 a determined group of like-minded State Electricity Commission (SEC) staff including Ray Meyer, the chief surveyor of the Kiewa Hydro-Electric Scheme, had a common interest that revolved around the skiing potential of the snow-covered high plains which included what is now the resort of Falls Creek. The six SEC employees, Toni St Elmo, Ray Meyer, Jack Minogue, Lloyd Dunn, Adrian Ruffenacht and Dave Gibson (together with their families) banded together to secretly build a 'hut' that was the first ski lodge at Falls Creek. Using a road built in 1930s to gain access to Falls Creek, their hut project was carried out in secret as efforts by other skiers were blocked by H.H.C. Williams – the engineer in charge of the Hydro Scheme. In 1946 Ray Meyer made a trip to the Lands Office in Melbourne. He came away with a 99-year lease on three acres that was ideally suited for a hut designed by Lloyd Dunn. Adrian Ruffenacht (Design Engineer for the KHS) had suggested where the group should build because of easy access to a spring for water. Much of the building material required was scavenged from derelict huts on the high plains. Due to the need for secrecy, the determined group worked on the hut in the evenings and weekends to avoid detection. During the building period the group had met at Echidna Rock (now known as Eagle Rock) where Skippy St Elmo announced, "This is my favourite ‘Skyline’.” And so the first lodge in the area at Falls Creek Ski Resort came into existence. With the development of the International Poma in the 1970s, the Skyline Lodge, which was sited between the ski-lift’s pole one and pole two, was demolished. However, the legacy of Ray Meyer, Toni St Elmo, Jack Minogue, Lloyd Dunn, Adrian Ruffenacht and Dave Gibson and Skyline lives on in the vibrant atmosphere of Falls Creek Resort. The MEYER COLLECTION documents developments on the Kiewa Hydro Scheme and their life at Falls Creek from the mid 1930s to 1960s.This image is significant because it documents life in the early years of development of the Bogong High Plains, Victoria.A black and white image of pupils and teacher at Bogong School. Teacher Beverley Hayward. This photo is a newspaper photo published in a Melbourne newspaper at the time (c1949). John Meyer is child third to the right of the teacher.bogong primary school, john meyer

Rose Series postcard No. P 1518, titled "Collins Street Melbourne", with the nearly completed Manchester Unity Building 1932 dominating the skyline behind the Town Hall on the corner of Swanston Street. On the left is the Regent Theater and "Misses Mooney" a famous ladies fashion label of 189 Collins Street for decades, run by Nell & Ida Mooney. Yields information about Collins St mid 1930s.Postcard - printed real photograph with Rose Stereograph Co. name on the rear.tramways, trams, collins st

Rose Series postcard No. P4731 titled "The City skyline from St Kilda Road Melbourne". Photo looking north from the intersection Alexandra Ave, along St Kilda Road. In the view is W2 class tram No. 600? (St Kilda Beach route 17). In the background are two other W2 class trams. A policeman is on point duty with all the southbound motor cars stopped in a line. The tram stop on the light standard in the middle of the road is also visible. See item 8037 for a similar view.Yields information about St. Kilda Road and Swanston Street mid 1930s.Postcard - printed real photograph with Rose Stereograph Co. name on the rear. Two copies held.Second copy has "From D J Harrington" in ink on the rear.tramways, trams, st kilda road, alexandra ave, tram 600, route 17, w2 class, swanston st