VX32317 Francis O Bryne was born in Horsham and enlisted into the AIF for service in WW2. This Certificate has been issued by the Shire of Wimmera to recognize the service of VX32317 F O Bryne who was a resident of this Shire.This is the original certificate that was issued to VX32317 Francis O Bryne,An oblong brown framed Certificate. White paper inscription by Shire of Wimmera.A presentation Certificate to VX32317 Francis O Bryne from the Shire of Wimmera.vx32317 francis o bryne, certificate of recognition, shire of wimmera

Article about Mr L.J. Blake (1971) who is a Nunawading author who has written a book titled 'Gold Escort' which tells the story of a group of troopers who conveyed millions of dollars worth of gold from Forest Creek diggings to Adelaide. He did 6 years of research on the book. He was a teacher and past president of the Royal Historical Society of Victoria and honorary historian for the Shire of Wimmera.Article about Mr L.J. Blake (1971) who is a Nunawading author who has written a book titled 'Gold Escort' . gold rush, blake, j. l., forest creek diggings, adelaide, shire of wimmera, gold escorts

Apsley is a small town in Victoria, Australia. It is on the Wimmera Highway, in the Shire of West Wimmera, 420 kilometres north-west of Melbourne, and 7 kilometres east of the South Australian border. Apsley Police Station opened on 29th November 1884 and was originally located in Wallace Street. It was staffed by one Foot Constable (motor cycle). The building was described, in 1930, as a four-roomed dwelling with an iron roof, set on a quarter of an acre of land. There was a bathroom, a WC, wash-house and a garage. An office adjoined the house and there was also a lockup. The station moved several times until the mid 1960s when a timber residence was moved onto land adjacent to the Post Office. The building is believed to have been transported from the Stawell area. Apsley is one of a handful of one-man police stations in Victoria and its current location, including residence, is at 19 Splatt Street. Apsley was in the Western District when it opened, then in "L" (Wimmera) District from January 1948 and "M" (Highlands/Wimmera) District from March 1990. 4 black & white photos, 1965 3 colour photos, 1987police stations; apsley police station

These images capture for all time Light Horsemen travelling through Geelong on their way to camp at Torquay for the last Group meeting in Australia . information following - details obtained from .........https://torquayhistory.com/light-horse-brigade/ On Australia Day, 1997, Sir John Young unveiled this plaque on Point Danger, Torquay. Torquay history, Light Horse Training Camp, WW2 Plaque at Pt. Danger Note----- (See images to view plaque) The plaque identifies a significant event in Torquay’s history and the sentiments of ‘change’ for the Light Horse Brigade – from horses to machines. In 1940 the four Light Horse Regiments (4th, 8th, 13th and 20th), some 5000 Light Horse and 2000 horses camped and trained at Torquay. Three other regiments, formerly mounted on horses, were also at Torquay ‘mounted’ on privately owned trucks and cars. Division troops included Artillery, Engineers, Signals, Field Ambulance and other branches of the Army necessary to enable a Division to function. It wasn’t just the sheer numbers of men coming to this little town that made the event significant, it was also the fact that the men of the Light Horse were dramatic, almost glamorous figures and it is easy to see their exploits as some splendid adventure. Horses have played a special role in the story of Australia. They were the only means of transport across this huge country, so it was necessary for everyone to have the ability to ride a horse. When war broke out in 1899 between Britain and the Boers of South Africa (“Boer” was Dutch for “farmer”) Australia sent troops to fight. At first Britain was wary of using untried, unprofessional colonial cavalrymen but soon saw that the slouch-hatted Australian “bushmen” were a match for the fast-moving and unconventional mounted commandos of the Boers. The Australians proved themselves to be expert rough-riding horsemen and good shots. Bush life had hardened them to go for long periods with little food and water. They also showed remarkable ability to find their way in a strange country and use its features for cover, in both attack and defence. By 1914, when Australia joined the war against Germany, there were 23 Light Horse regiments of militia volunteers. Many men from these units joined the Light Horse regiments of the Australian Imperial Force (AIF). Men were given remounts (if not using their own horses) – army horses bought by Commonwealth purchasing officers from graziers and breeders. These were called “walers” because they were a New South Wales stockhorse type – strong, great-hearted animals with the strains of the thoroughbred and semi-draught to give them speed, strength and stamina. On 1st November, 1914, Australia’s First Infantry Division and the first four Light Horse regiments sailed for England in a fleet of transport ships. The first of the Light Horse arrived at Gallipoli in May without their horses. Back with their horses after Gallipoli, they were formidable combatants across the Sinai and Palestine. Some British commanders observed that the light horseman moved with a “lazy, slouching gait, like that of a sleepy tiger” but described how the promise of battle “changes that careless gait, into a live athletic swing that takes him over the ground much quicker than other troops”. They had Light Horse, Torquay, training campdeveloped a reputation as formidable infantrymen. The Turks called them “the White Ghurkas” – a reference to their deadly skill with the bayonet. The Arabs called them “The Kings of the Feathers”. The plume had originally been a battle honour of the Queensland Mounted Infantry for their work in the shearer’s strike of 1891. During WW1 it was adopted by almost all the Light Horse Regiments. It was the proud badge of the light horseman. The most famous of their battles was the attack on Beersheba- the charge of the 4th Light Horse Brigade. Mounted infantrymen and their superb walers had carried out one of the most successful cavalry charges in history – against what seemed impossible odds. They surprised the Turks by charging cavalry-style, when they would normally have ridden close to an objective then dismounted to fight. The fall of Beersheba swung the battle tide against the Turks in Palestine; and changed the history of the Middle East. While 19 men from the Surf Coast Shire served with the 4th Light Horse over the course of WW1, only four were involved in the charge of Beersheba- John GAYLARD, Philip QUINN.(Winchelsea); Wallace FINDLAY (Anglesea); Harry TRIGG (Bambra). After the war, Light Horse units played a key role in the Australian Government’s compulsory military training programme. The Citizen Military Forces (C.M.F.) thrived on the glamour of the wartime Light Horse tradition, ignoring the possibility that motor vehicles would soon replace the horses. When training was no longer compulsory, the C.M.F. regiments declined and horses became more of a luxury during the 1930s depression years of poverty and unemployment. Some regiments were motorised. Then, in 1939, Australia joined Britain in another world war. Training was increased for the militia at both home bases and regional training camps. The camp at Torquay in 1940, commanded by Major General Rankin, was at Divisional strength. By the end of the camp some felt that the Division was ready for active service. Gradually, over the next four years, the Australian Light Horse units were mounted on wheels and tracks and the horses were retired. Six men enlisted at the Torquay camp and another 57 men and women enlisted at Torquay for service in WW2. Those who served in the Militia provided valuable Officers and NCOs and men for the armed services during the war. Each infantry division of the 2nd AIF had a Light Horse regiment attached to it. But the day of the Australian mounted soldier hadn’t quite passed. During World War II, Australia’s 6th Cavalry Regiment formed a mounted unit they called “The Kelly Gang” which did valuable scouting work. In New Guinea, a mounted Light Horse Troop did patrol duty and helped carry supplies. Some fully equipped walers were flown into Borneo for reconnaissance in rugged mountain country. But by the end of the war, in 1945, the horse had disappeared from the Australian Army. References: Australian Light Horse Association www.lighthorse.org.au National Australia Archives Australian War Memorial Surf Coast Shire WW1 memorials www.togethertheyserved.com The Light horse- a Cavalry under Canvas Light Horse, Training Camp, Torquay, WW2 Late in 1939 it was decided to set up a Lighthorse training camp in Torquay to train both men and horses for the battles of the Second World War. Horses, men and equipment came on special trains from all over Victoria and NSW, and as you would expect horseman came from areas such as Omeo and Sale, the Wimmera and the Western District. They arrived at the Geelong racecourse for watering in the Barwon River and then were ridden across the ford at the breakwater and began their 11 mile trek to Torquay. Light Horse, Training Camp, Torquay, WW2 Tent city By the end of January 1940 the camp at Torquay accommodated some 5000 men and 2500 horses of the Second Cavalry Division. The rows of horses, tents and huts near Blackgate Road were quite a sight. While the cavalrymen engaged in exercises on the land and on the beaches, many of the troops took over the Torquay School for special training of men and officers. Mr Bob Pettit local farmer and Councillor for the Barrabool Shire, wrote about the Light horse in the Surf Coast Community News in 1985 saying “They used to travel about the district riding four abreast in one long convoy. To my annoyance they went through my property and shut all the gates behind them. I had certain gates open to let stock in to the water holes and it would take me three -quarters of an hour to follow the horsemen up and put all the gates right again” he continued “the men from the Light Horse were here when the fire went through in March 1940. He recalled an incident when early one morning, as some one blew the bugle, a soldier putting a white sheet on the line frightened the horses. They panicked and ran off in all directions. Six went over the cliff near Bird Rock, five were never found, and the rest were gathered up after nearly a fortnight in the bush around Addiscott and Anglesea" Light Horse, Training Camp, Torquay, WW2, Geelong Parade Geelong parade The training camp culminated in a parade through the streets of Geelong on March 12th 1940. The salute was given at the Town Hall and the troops continued on a route to the You Yang’s for a training exercise. Note-----(see media section for photograph) The Camp was abandoned in mid 1940 as it was deemed unsuitable for training during winter and the cost of a permanent camp could not be justified if it could not be used all year. Historic.......Rare,,,Interpretive.Sepia photographs.set of four ....post card size ....Horses &LighthorsemenNo 1, Lighthorsemen Regiment Geelong 1940......No 2 Light Horse at Breakwater Geelong 1938 to 1940....No 3 Light Horse at Breakwater Geelong 1938 to 1940.....No 4 Light Horse crossing Breakwater camped at Geelong Showgrounds. These markings are on reverse of photographs.light horsemengeelong 1940., world war 2

Book. ALEC H CHISHOLM COLLECTION. 233 hardcover book on the history of the Wimmera township of Donald, Victoria. Written by C. E. Sayers. Published in 1963 as part of the centenary of Donald by the Shire of Donald. Illustrated with B&W photos of the town and people. Printed by W & K Purbrick Pty Ltd, Melbourne. Catalogue sticker ''2230 SAY'' on spine. Handwritten in ink on the flyleaf ''A.H.C. From C.E.S. Sincerely September 1963'' On a loose page inside the front cover handwritten in ink ''Dear Chis Here it is for what it's worth I trust that the acknowledgement to R.A.H.S. Is considered O.K. Sincerely C.E.S. FirstPublished1963 (RAHS = Royal Australian Historical Society)C. E. Sayersbooks, collections, history, alec h chisholm collection, c.e.sayers, donald, wimmera

Newly built Campbell’s Bridge over the Wimmera River. Built by Redman Bros. Opened in 1961.stawell shire

Wooden Bridge - Joel Joel (Wimmera River) stawell shire

Old Wooden Bridge - Joel Joel (Wimmera River) 1951 being surveyed by Allan Rowe for new bridgestawell shire

Old Campbells Bridge over Wimmera Riverstawell shire

History of the Weights and Measures in Stawell from 1863 to 1991. The Physical Weights are on display in the MuseumLight Yellow paper cover with Victorian coat of arms and black print. with yellow tape on the spine.Victoria Coat of Arms VICTORIA The rest is undelined: A Brief History of Imperial Weights and Measures Equipment of Wimmera weights and Measures Union Donated to Stawell Historical Society Inc. by Former Shire of Stawell 26 July 1991stawell

Wimmera Falls Glenorchy. Part of a collection of Photographs by Mr. O.G. Armstrong as commissioned by the Shire of Stawell for the Inter-colonial and Paris Exhibition in Melbourne in 1866. The fact that there was ever a natural waterfall in the Wimmer River would probably be a surprise to anyone who has known the river at all. There are many man-made weirs across it in several places today, one of them at Glenorchy is thought to hide the original falls. A Stawell Paper dated 21st August 1888, refers to them being a mile below the Township. View of river amongst gum trees with shallow falls at centre of photograph.stawell

Glenorchy Bridge Wimmera River. Part of a collection of Photographs by Mr. O.G. Armstrong as commissioned by the Shire of Stawell for the Inter-colonial and Paris Exhibition in Melbourne in 1866. Prior to the construction of this bridge in 1860, there existed two forwards across the Wimmer River at Glenorchy. One was 2 miles on the Stawell side of Glenorchy and 500 metres from the present railway bridge. It was well made, stone floor and can be seen today. The second was located 800 metres downstream of the town and was known as Stuart’s Crossing. These Fords were popular crossing spots for Bullock Drays which were delayed for days during floods before the bridge was built. The original Bridge was built near the site of the present ‘old’ bridge. stawell

Joel Joel Bridge Traction Engine Accident. Set of three photographs. C1922 Wimmera Bridge on Stawell Road. For information on accident see third SheetThree B/W photos of an accident on a bridge. A Traction engine broke through the surface of the bridge whilst towing a trailer full of lumber. the top photo is a close up of the tractor ashowing the rear wheel still on the bridge. The Second Photo shows the tractor and trailer from left rear, while the last phot shows the Secen from the right front.shire, archie slorach, joel area, john frampton