Mrs Nesta Drew is a longtime resident of Tawonga having operated a dairy farm with her family on the Kiewa Valley Highway in Tawonga. She grew up in the area and attending local schools and raised her own family there, until selling up the family home and moving into an aged care facility in recent years. Some of her family still reside in the local area. Mrs Drew is a well known community figure in the Tawonga area with links to many social and family groups. She has a very strong historical connection to Tawonga and has been a reliable source of anecdotal local historical knowledge. Colour photograph of Mrs Nesta Drew visiting her former teacher Miss Edna Jenkins. Explanation of photograph handwritten on the back by Mrs Drew (see photograph above)

The Mt Beauty Wine and Dine club existed during the construction of the Kiewa Hydro Electric Scheme as part of the social life. These cards were owned by Nesta Drew nee Cooper. The Celebrity Concert dated 20th April 1956 was held at the Community Centre Mt Beauty during the construction of the KHES.A good example of social activities partaken during the 1950s in the Upper Kiewa Valley during the construction of the KHES. Nesta Drew lived on a farm in the Kiewa Valley.1. Buff coloured cardboard hand-made Christmas card sent to Richard Nicholson from the Mt Beauty Wine and Dine Club. Xmas 1954. and 2. Pale purple cardboard cover with cream paper centre. It includes sponsors advertisements and has the programme in the centre. Celebrity Concert run by the Lodge of Beauty Masonic Lodge No. 658.nesta drew, beauty maonic lodge, mt beauty wine and dine club

Three early to mid 20th century baby's nighties, purported to have been worn by Nesta Drew nee Cooper. The Cooper family lived in Tawonga for three generations.The nighties were hand-made in the 1920s when clothing was usually hand made especially in the Kiewa Valley where access to shops was limited. The Cooper family were farmers in Tawonga.Three Vyella (brushed cotton) baby's nighties. White vyella fabric with silk thread embroidery. Very well home-sewn items, with cotton lace trimming.1920s.Home-made so no marking or brandingbaby nighties, nesta drew, cooper family of tawonga

This copy of an original photograph created in the early 1900s details the "horse and cart" era when the normal transportation of the day was, in this rural setting, exclusively by horse and cart. The importance of this particular photograph to the subjects can be seen by the formal suits worn by both subjects.The natural bush and grassed backdrop have not been "touched up". The dray behind the horses is barely visible (fog like aperture). The lad , John Cooper was 14 years old when this photograph was taken. Both were in the process of harnessing four horses to "hook up" on the dray behind them. From their attire it looks like a trip to town or "the church".This photograph of life on a rural property in the early 1900 shows the rough and hard (physically) life in rural areas before great mechanical revolution/evolution post World War II. This was a time in the Kiewa Valley when most transportation was by horse drawn carriages and transportation routes where dirt roads with potholes. The significance of a local pioneer "family" encapsulated by this photograph cannot be reproduced as effectively in any other form. This digitised scanned copy of an original photograph of four work horses is on 200gms Fujicolor (Fujifilm) Crystal Archive paper has a silver side on which the image has been printed and a matt reverse side.The darker slightly "blurred" image has had a white frame placed over it at the time of encapsulation to provide the finished photo with a frame. This method highlights and focuses the view into the photograph. It is a clever way to permit the eyes to focus into the image to give it a greater third dimensional aspect. on the reverse side hand written(in pencil) "John Cooper & Paddy Cullen (itinerant worker) on grandfathers place (opposite Nesta Drews place) (orange Grove). "Grandfather emigrated from England with Ryders""orange grove " property, early tawonga life style, john cooper, paddy cullen, harnessing working horses