Post Card: Melton Railway Station 1909 Mattie to Fred My Dear Fred I received your letter and the L2 10/- I was very pleased to hear that I could write again. You say you will come home after the last shead. I should think so. I had a letter from E Jenkins so I am going down to see her next week we call the baby Fernie now I hope you will agree. Dear Fern has got the whooping cough. Written on the side: I suppose you will be away four weeks yet. Love from Mattie will write on Sunday. This letter appears to be connected with the post card Barwonleigh Saturday October 1908 handwriting My Dear Mattie I received your letter and was sorry to hear of our dear little babys misfortune how did it happen do you know what was the cause of it Mrs Watts must be a blind old fool not to have known what it was when you took him to her the first time poor dear you must be worried to death with all this trouble tell me what the doctor thinks of the rupture. I do hope dear he will get over this all right you must be nearly dead going without sleep for so long I had a bit of misfortune myself on Thursday the machine locked and jumped out of my hand and stuck in my bone I kept on working but it was very painful as all the holding is done with the..next page ..knee the boss also has been chipping a good deal this week he says the next time he has occasion to speak to me I will have to go he is very particular. I would like to go through if possible even if I do a lot less. I have about sixteen hundred done up to now and would get another nine hundred if I was let alone but I suppose we will live lovie even if I go do you know if they are full handed at Eynesbury if I thought I could get a week there I would cut myself out here quick. Well dear lovie I am sending you a couple of pounds as I suppose you will want it to get a truss. I don’t think they are very expensive and hope things will find this better with you. Well my dear love I must close with fond love for you and baby from your loving Husband Fred Post Card: 16 Aug 1909 - Mathoura The card depicts a small sailing boat laden with blue flowers. Well Dear Wife you see I have kept my promise. I rode all the way up here and also carried all my luggage with me it came in handy as I had to camp on the road last night between Rochester and Echuca surrounded by water. I had to walk all the way pretty well from Rochester to Echuca. I am now waiting for the train to Deniliquin. Love to you and my little son Fred. From you loving Husband Fred Written along the top and side of the card. what do you think if the card comes in all right as I have been wading through water all day yesterday and this might be …? will write when I get to the Station, don’t forget to look after the little Freddie and remember me to mother. Post Card: 1909 - view across the Flat from the Creek looking to the Presbyterian Church in the distance with some small dwellings in the foreground. To Mr Fred Myers Wandook Stn Denniliquin NSW Dear Fred, received your letter I am sorry to hear you are having such wet weather I will write a letter tomorrow baby is better With Love from M Post Card: 1910 Postmark Stamp 1d Aug 12 1910 Moama NSW Melton postmark stamped Aug 25? Hare Street, looking south Echuca Mrs F Myers, Melton P O Vic Dear Mattie, Just a line to let you know I got here all right I go to Pericotta tonight and to Cobran to morrow best love to all from yours Fred Letter Cobran Stn Via Deniliquin N.S.W. Sunday 21st Aug extract I am having a good time here, a good cook and the best of everything no fires to light or kettles to boil just get up and wire in… plenty hard work the sheep are pretty tough but much better than Wandook. I am well among them here we had a little rain on Friday but not enough to stop us so we have got one full week in .. the weather is lovely. I have been basking in the sunshine mainly in the morning and feel strong and fit a as fiddle, they are a grand lot of men here I only knew one out of the lots but know them all pretty well now, we have a bit of a concert here every nights almost there are a few good singers here and we also had a phonograph up from the station with all the latest records we have two dancers among ourselves very boisterous affairs indeed thy do make the dust fly. I have not ventured to take part in it and don’t think I will either. I get enough dancing all day long and besides I have to furnish the music you ought to see them going when I rattle up the concertina. Letter Cobran Stn via Deniliquin Thursday Sept 1st 1910 [abbreviated] My Dear Mattie, I received your welcome letter today. I though I was never going to get one as it was Sunday fortnight when I wrote to you but we only the mail here twice a week so it takes a long time to write and get an answer. I also got a reply from Eynesbury and a favourable reply it starts on the 13th Oct. …. I have 800 sheep shorn up to date and am fifth among about 30 men. I am sending two more [Ls] this time which I drew on Saturday. I don’t like sending too much more this time as there is a chance of it going astray and it is not very easily earned…. Things must be humming in Melton with all them babies coming and people getting married… I suppose we will be having new neighbours soon. If Mr Watts is selling out he was getting more property then he could keep. I hope you will soon have rain…. you will have to watch our little boy the dear little rascal he must be getting very cute opening the gates he will be tumbling into the tank …. I love to think of the happy times we have had together and hope that we will love one another to the end .. the mail will not leave here until Monday Love to you dear wife and baby Fred Post Card: – I Cling to you like Ivy Cobran September 18th 1910 Fred awaits a letter from Mattie I still have three weeks here yet.. I am sending L2 tell if you got the other 1L 1911 Letters Fred to Mattie October Spring Plains Oct 1911 Mia Mia Post Office I had a great job to catch the train at Diggers Rest as after I turned off the Keilor Rd it was very way and muddy and I had to walk a lot of the way and got there just in time. I came right into Redesdale by the train and stopped there last night… they had heavy rain on thursday up here and a tremendous fall of hail which covered the ground over a foot deep. There are only 4 shearers here yet.. I saw some of the sheep they look very rough and big so there will be no big tallies done, the men are saying he is giving 2s per hundred extra, so that will help a little. We are going to start Cobran via Deniliquin. Post Card: three scenes of Mathoura 10/9/1914 EB on a photo copy 10/9/12 ? Mathoura Thursday Dear Mattie, Just a line to let you know I got up here all right. I rode the seat out of my trousers. I have done 100 miles on the bike. I met none of the old hands this time so will go out on my own… Your loving husband Fred, did Marjie miss me at all. Post Card: Cobran 15th Sept 1912 Hearts and intertwined flowers and little envelope he has written Marjorie …just a line to let you know I will cut out here Friday next in find, we have had two falls of rain since I wrote and it has bean blowing a hurricane for couple of days and may blow up again however if we are delayed I will send you a card Wednesday I am longing to see you and the two little kiddies again…. Fred Copy only Golf Hill Sep 26th Cut out 31 Oct Total 2332 1913 Post Card: Scene View Street, Bendigo August 1913 Mathoura Tuesday My Dear Mattie Just a line to let you know I got up here all right. Teddy Ginger and another couple of chaps on the way ……. Letter Cobran Sunday Aug 7th 1913 My Dear Mattie Just a line to let you know that weather permitting we will cut out here about Thursday morning….I have not got any more shearing here. I have not heard from the other place…. Expect me about Friday …. I suppose Freddie and Marjie will be glad to see me, Marjie will climb all over me. I will be glad to se you all again you will have a fortnight before Golf Hill starts. I see in the Express you sent that Annie McPherson of (Dunvegan) is engaged to Len Farrell, she appears to be going to take no risks with him she wont let him slip through her hands like the banker did…… Fred Post Card: 1914 Garland of roses Warrambeen Stn Shelford PO October 14th 1914 Birthday wishes. Post Card: Love’s Golden Chain Golf Hill Tuesday Oct 17 1914 Birthday wishes [ this one might be a different year] Letter Cobran Wed 2nd Sept 1914 My Dear Mattie, I received your welcome letter today and also the papers which were very acceptable as we don’t get many papers here we only get see one at odd times as we get none for the hut this year.. I have not seen a bit of butter since I left home as it is too dear for us for sinners here. Poor Marjie had a cold.. so the little kid wants to go to the war, she must think it is good like a picnic. We had light rain on Monday as usual only half a day’s shearing in the shed so that is all we done this week, we took a vote 9 to 6 no shearing so nothing till to morrow morning Thursday so there is still a good fortnights shearing to do, will do nothing Saturday polling day as we have to go 13 miles is near Services where I was last year so we will want the full day 50 men to vote and some will probably have to walk to get there, all solid for Labour. I have just had an interval for lunch, pudding, yeast buns and rock cakes… We are doing nothing but eating and sleeping this week. Fred I am sending L1 in this which will do you till I come back if I keep drawing up I will have none when I finish so make the most of it. Post Card: Two doves with violets 1915 Cobran Wed 18th Sept [could be 1912] Sorry to tell you we are delayed with rain so will not be home till next week… only 3 days of shearing to do…. expect me about the middle of next week….I wish I was with you now and the dear little ones Fred Post Card: Iris Flowers Barwonleigh Stn Tuesday Oct 14th 1918 Happy birthday greetings from Fred Post Card: Irrigation channel Swan Hill 5 Year not shown Swan Hill Tuesday night Just a few lines to let you know I got this far all right. I had to walk nearly all the way to Gisborne and got there last night and took the train here today. It has been raining all the way between Gisborne and here. Moulamein tomorrow. I think it will be another case of walking as it is wet here no metal roads all mud. best love to yourself and the little ones and also mother. will write Sunday Post Card: The White Man’s Burden.The writing on the back rubbed out Mattie has written, I was weighed and I am 8 stone 10 pounds. 14 Post Cards, some have the original dates, others have the date added later by Martha. Two envelopes, one with addressed to Melton postmark Moule, stamp torn off, the other Cards from my dear Fred. The letters and the notebooks can be cross checked according the their contents. Italics show the dates added by Mattie local identities

The Dunolly World War One Memorial Pillar, located in front of the Town Hall on Broadway Street, and was unveiled on November 18th 1921. The pillar is topped by an urn and rests on a square concrete plinth, which lists the names ninety-four locals who died serving during the First World War. On Friday afternoon the Premier, accompanied by Messrs. Pennington and Groves, M's.L.A., visited Dunolly, and unveiled a soldiers' memorial — a polished granite column on a square base, erected by the residents at a cost of £300. It bears the names of 94 district soldiers who were killed in action. The Premier, who is a native of Dunolly, referred to his early associations with the town and district. Speaking of the valiant service rendered by the Australian soldiers in the great war, he paid a tribute to those who enlisted from the country districts. He was not one of those who would withhold national memorials to the fallen because provision had not been made for all who had returned. It was right and proper to have these memorials as silent reminders of the great sacrifice made by the many as a lasting tribute to their memory. Messrs. Groves and Pennington and local clergymen also spoke. The school children sang O God, Our Help in Ages Past, and a bugler sounded the Last Post after the unveiling. The shire president entertained the visitors and committee at dinner. The Age (Melbourne), 19 November 1921. Colour photograph of the Dunolly War Memorial. Front Inscription "Erected by the Shire of Bet Bet and Dunolly Borough To the memory of the brave and noble men who fought and died for the Empire and our freedom in the Great War 1914 - 1918. Pass not this stone in sorrow but in pride, and may you live as nobly as they died." "Private L. Polinelli has written several letters to his mother at Dunolly, dated from from Tel el Kebir from January 13th till the 22nd. He had written every day or two, and this example, is a very fine one. He explains why there was an interval some weeks during which he sent no letters. This was just before the evacuation of Gallipoli, and no-one was permitted to send letters at such a critical time, as there were fears that carefully arranged plans might leak out in some way. Gallipoli had been evacuated on the 19th December, which happened to be Private Polinelli's 24th birthday, and he has cause, he says, to remember that birthday particularly, when this important movement, in which he participated, was so success-fully carried out. He was in the best of health. They had been on Lemnos Island for two weeks after leaving Galilipoli, and while there they got billeted and numerous gifts from Australia, which gave great delight. He (Private Polinelli) had got a big mail - 35 letters and a number of parcels. Both Norman Watson and himself were feeling well, although they had a pretty rough time at the front, but they were feeling better every day. Further letters speak of the arrival in Egypt and the Australian being encamped at Tel el Kebir, 40 miles from Cairo. He states that W. Lyndon had returned from England and was with them. He (W. Lyndon) looks splendid and had had a splendid time in England and Scotland. He saw Jack Lewis in England, and thinks he was to return to Australia. Reference is made to the Rev. Father Goidanich who was with their brigade, and who had been wounded at the front, but was all right again. Father Goidanich is well-known in this district. The letters were written in good spirits and many references were made to friends in Dunolly and district. A friend in Dunolly has received a letter from Private L. Polinelli, which is dated February 3rd, and written 'from the Arabian Desert.' This covers a vast extent of country, so that there is no use in speculating as to the locality, and portions of the letter which possibly would have given some indication have bean 'censored.' Private Polinelli wrote that Norman Watson and Himself were in the best of health and have stook the life well. They are right out of civilisation at time of writing. He referred to their Dtsojourns at Lemoos Island, where Christmas was spent, and where the billies and puddings assisted much in their enjoyment. But they were glad to leave Lemnos Island. After being in camp at Tel el E-bir for two weeks they were sent to where they were at the time of writing, all being in good xxxx and the open country suiting them well. He speaks with admiration of the desert work done by the camels so very largely used. The censoring was very strict so that he could not give much news. After alluding to the return to splendid health of W. Lyndon from England, he says he saw a lot of others from round Dunolly on returning to Egypt, including Tom Fishlock, R. Johnson, and J. Taylor, and some others from Betley, and all looked well. He had also seen Erie Williamson a few times, and he looked splendid. He concludes with remembrances to friends, and from himself and Norman Watson to the Loyal Prince Alfred Lodge." (Dunolly and Betbetshire Express and County of Gladstone Advertiser, Tue 14 Mar 1916) "SOLDIER'S LETTERS PRIVATE L. POLINELLI A friend in Dunolly has received another interesting letter from Private L Polinelli, son of Mrs J Davis, South Dunolly. It is from "Somewhere in France," and is dated July 23rd. He remarks with regret that a good deal of the soldiers' mail from Australia went down in the Arabia, and then goes on to say:- "Norman is back here with us again now and looking well. He had a splendid time over in England after he was able to get out of bed. It was two years on the 18th of this month (January) since Norman and I enlisted, and we celebrated the occasion by having a bit of an evening out. I am very pleased that he is back; we spend most of our time together. We are at present out of the line having a spell in a village, so we are not having a bad time just now but we will soon be going into the trenches again. I met Wally Bell a few days ago; they were going into the line to relieve our brigade. We did not have time to have a long talk. He looks rather thin, but he was always that way. He is feeling well, and wishes to be remembered to his friends in Dunolly. I also met C. Game the same day; he looked well but, as he was also going into the line, we could not have much of a talk J. Hughes and C. Atherton are also over here now; I often see them. W. Lyndon and T. Miles are well ; I was speaking to them yesterday. We are having very bad weather over here now ; it is either raining or snowing every day. The snow was about a fool deep a few days ago. When the rain comes after it, it makes things muddy, The mud is very bad over here; it takes us all our time to struggle through it in places. We will all be very glad when the winter is over. I was over in England on furlough last month, and had a splendid time. The people over there do all they can to give us a good time. I had several invitations to visit different people, and those that we did visit gave us a splendid time. At the place where I was staying they always had a guide waiting of a morning to show us any place of interest that we wanted to see. There was also always a supply of free tickets to the different theatres if we wanted them ; so you see that they go to some expense to give ns a good time. When they know yon are from France you are sure of a hearty welcome. was up in Scotland, and spent five days in Edinburgh. It is a very pretty place, especially when it is seen from Edinburgh Castle, which is on a high bill overlooking the place. We veil through the Castle; also Holyrood Palace. There are a lot of interesting things to be seen in the two places connected with the history of Scotland. It was snowing very heavily while v« were in Scotland, and we bad some fine snowballing with the Scotch people. I greatly enjoyed the trip to Scotland. It would take a very long time to see all round London. I saw a lot of the old historical places there, which were very interesting. The fogs are very bad in London. I had an experience of a London fog one day; it was the heaviest they experienced for a number of years. We could only see a few yards ahead of us. Nearly everyone carried torches; it looked very funny. . . . There are nearly always as many women drinking in the bars as men; it struck me as being very strange, a bit different to what we are used to in Australia, a trip through some parts of London is a real eye-opener to us. It is interesting to watch the traffic in some of the business parts of London it moves along in one big mass. It is a wonder that a lot more accidents do not happen. I saw Australia House, where the High Commissioner has his office, in the Strand. It is not yet finished. It looks a very fine place, and when completed will be 'some' place. Both Norman and I are well, and send remembrances to friends." (Since this letter was written we have had the sad news of the death from wounds of Privates Atherton and Hughes, and that Sergeant Miles and Corporal Norman Watson have been wounded.) (Dunolly and Betbetshire Express and County of Gladstone Advertiser , Friday 13 April 1917, page 2) "Private L Polinelli, from some of whose previous letters we have published interesting extracts, has written to a friend in Dunolly, the letter being from France, and dated April 28th. Private Polinelli says among other things, "I am pleased to say that, Norman (Watson), Les (Anderson) and myself are in the best of health. We now have been in France some time. It is a terrible place for rain ; It has been raining all the time we have been here. It has also been very cold, snowing at times, but it is starting to "fine up" now, and the last few days have been splendid. I hope it keeps like that for a while, as it makes things very miserable in the trenches when it is so wet. We get a few days spell out of the trenches every now and again; so things are not as bad here as they were at Gallipoli. It is not so lively here so far as it was over there either. I am sorry to say that Jack Sanderson, who had been Will Lyndon's mate since they joined the forces, got killed during a bombardment last night. He was terribly knocked about with a shell. I saw W. Lyndon to-day and he was telling me all about it. He seemed terribly cut up over it, and so am I, as I was with Jack a lot over at Gallipoli after Will got sent away sick. He was always bright and cheerful, always had a smile up whenever I met him. I feel very sad about it. We will do all we can to make the Germans pay for it. You will most likely know him, as be used to live in Dunolly before going to Bendigo. Will Lyndon had a narrow escape also, as he was not very far from where the shell burst. He escaped with a bit of a shock, otherwise he is in the best of health. We have a good time among the French people when we are out of the trenches. They do all they can to make us feel at home. I am getting quite expert at speaking French. They smile at us a treat trying to speak French, but we generally make ourselves understood and have a good time among them. It is very rarely we see a young Frenchman, they being all away fighting. The women do all the work on the farms themselves, and deserve every credit for it. . . . I was sorry to hear about the death of Nurse M'Mahon; she was a grand old nurse. I heard that her daughter Nelly was nurse in a hospital on Lemnos Island, and when we were there I went to two of the hospitals to try to see her, but she did not happen to be at either, and I had no time to visit any of the others, so I did not see her. I was also sorry to hear about Mrs Rokahr, as she has left so many little ones behind. (Reference is made to other happenings in Dunolly.) So far I am pleased to say Norman and I have had the luck not to have had a day's illness; I think we are very fortunate, as such a lot get sent to the hospital ill. We are also lucky to have escaped the bullets and shells so far. I hope that luck sticks to us. I am sorry that, owing to the censorship, I cannot give you any interesting news of our trip over to France and the places we have seen. I will have to keep that till I get back to Dunolly again. . . . I have just heard that the battalion that Teddy Game is in has arrived, so I am going to look him up first chance I get." (The letter concludes with remembrances to members of the Lodge and other friends.) (Dunolly and Betbetshire Express and County of Gladstone Advertiser, Tuesday 13 June 1916, page 3) "PRIVATE L POLINELLI Another very interesting letter has been received by a friend in Dunolly from Private L. Polinelli, from France dated May 4th, 1916- Private Polinelli says-" I was glad that you got the letter I wrote from the Arabian Desert. The Censor must have crossed a good deal of it out. They seem to cross out a lot more than is really necessary. We left out there all of a sudden, and in a very short while found ourselves over here. It does not take them very long to make a move. I was saying in the last letter that I was going to try and find " Teddy " Game. I met him a few days ago and had a good yarn with him; he looks real well. I also met S. Prew, and "Ted" Smyth and his son Ernie. They all looked splendid, and are in the same battalion. "Ted" Smyth sticks to it well, and looks better than he ever looked. They will be under fire for the first time in a few days. S. Prew was hit in the landing at Gallipoli, but be is quite well now. W. Smythe, who is in our brigade is well ; I see him very often. " Les " Peart is not with us now; he has joined a Pioneer battalion, and I have not seen him since he joined it. I gave all the Dunolly boys your best wishes and they all wish to be remembered to you— also the same remembrance from Dave Millar, who used to play football for Dunolly from Moliagul. He is in our battalion, having come over with reinforcements. I see him every day and he wished to be remembered to you. A brother of Mr A. J. Williamson, manager of the Bank of Victoria, Dunolly, is also in this battalion. He is a great friend of mine ; we often have a talk about Dunolly. He was not well a little while ago, having to go into a hospital, but is all right again and is back with me. Eric Williamson, son of Mr A. J. Williamson is over here ; Norman (Watson) saw him a few days ago and said he looked well. Norman has been a corporal for some time. I was also offered stripes lately, but preferred to remain a private. There is a lot of worry and running about when you are an N.C.O., so I think I will remain as I am. ... So football is about done this season. I don't think they should cut it right out. I suppose some of them have to stay at home, so they ought to have some amusement. I would very much like to have a game, but I think I would just about forget how to play now. It is very amusing for us to read some of the soldiers letters in the Australian papers. . . l told you in the last letter about xxx young "Jack "Sanderson ; I was terribly sorry about him." Private Polinelli mentions in a letter to his sister in Dunolly that he happened to be beach at Gallipoli where the late Lord Kitchener was xxxxx addressed the' soldiers and' xxxxxx to them the message from the King. Private Polinelli states that he was very proud to have been one of those addressed by the great man. He and Norman Watson have never been a day out of the lines since arriving first in Egypt. It is intended to grant special leave to all those who have been kept so close to their posts xxx three months, and they are looking forward to this relaxation with keen anticipation, hoping to visit England and Scotland. (Dunolly and Betbetshire Express and County of Gladstone Advertiser, Tue 27 Jun 1916) "SOLDIER'S LETTERS. CORPORAL L. POLINELLI. Two letters have been received by Mrs J. Davis, South Dunolly, from her son, Corporal L. Polinelli, both written subsequent to the time when he was wounded, as reported when word was received at the time. Corporal Polinelli writes from No. 12 General Hospital, Rouen, France, and his first letter is dated 7th May. He stated that he was in hospital, he having been wounded in the arm and shoulder on 3rd May. He continued— " It is not a bad wound, and will not take long to heal up, as it is a clean wound. I was very lucky to get out of the fight alive, as I was buried by a shell explosion about an hour before I was wounded. It was very rough, and the noise of all the shells was terrible. Four men were killed by the same shell that wounded me, so I was fortunate. I am feeling a bit " shook up," and my head is aching from the concussion of the shells, but after a few days' spell in bed here I will be feeling just the thing again. So you need not worry about me ; a week or two will see me quite right again. We are having very nice warm weather just now-pleasant change after all the bad weather we have had." The second letter is dated May 12, Corporal Polinelli saying— "I am getting along splendidly ; the wound is healing up fast, so it will not be very long before I am quite right. The doc-tor, the other day said it would be better not to take the piece of shell out of my shoulder yet, and that it would not interfere with me in any way ; so perhaps l will always carry it about with me. He feared lest taking it out at that time would interfere with an artery. Rouen, where the hospital is, is a very pretty city. They give us leave to visit all the places when we are well enough. It is a nice spell here, away from the firing line. We have nothing to trouble us at all, so I will soon be just the thing again. When I got buried by a shell it shook me up a good deal. I felt it far more than the wound I got after; but it has not done me any harm, as I feel hardly any effects now. My good luck sticks to me in getting out of it so lightly. I hope you are not worrying at all about me, as I am all right. We are having beautiful weather over here— sunny days just like the Australian spring. . . . The sisters in the hospital are very nice, and treat us well. They have a lot of work to do, as a good few men have been wounded lately. I would have liked to have been sent over to England, but they are not sending many over there now. They treat as many as they can in France on account of attacks on hospital ships. I would have been able to have a good time with Norman (Watson) had l got over. He was just about all right when I heard from him last." Corporal Polinelli sends kind remembrances to friends." (Dunolly and Betbetshire Express and County of Gladstone Advertiser, Friday 6 July 1917, page 2) "SOLDIERS' LETTERS. CORPORAL L. POLINELLI. The following letter, dated from London on December 27; has been received by a friend in Dunolly from Corporal L. Polinelli (son of Mrs J. Davis, South Donolly), who, at the time of writing, after long and hard service at the front, was on furlough in England. After an introduction he says:— I am having a very good time. I went over to Ireland for five days, spending the most of the time in Dublin. I like the place very much. War appearances are not so conspicuous in Ireland as in England. The hotels are open all day, and a good meal can be obtained anywhere, which is more than can be got in England. The war seems to be making things very bad in England. It is very hard to get a good meal in London ; everything is so restricted. The only way to get a good meal is to go into two places. The people have to line up outside the shops for hours to get sugar, tea, and butter, and then they sometimes fail to get any. So many of our boats getting sunk is the cause of it. If things continue to go on in this way I am afraid that there is a very hard time in store for the people in England. Several people that I have spoken to say that they are just beginning to feel the pinch now. I was in London while an air raid was on a few days ago; it caused a lot of excitement among the people. Ten were killed and 70 wounded in the raid. I was about half a mile from where the bombs fell, so I was pretty right. I thought I had left the war behind in France, but it seems to be on over here at times also. I spent Christmas day with a family at Grantham, a town between London and Newcastle; they were very nice people. I had a very enjoyable time with them. I went to a dance in the evening and enjoyed it very much. It was a bit strange for a start, as it is the first dance I have been to since Norman and I had the send off at Dunolly in January, 1915. They do the dances a bit different over here to what they are done in Australia, and that made it worse still. I went through Guinness's Brewery while I was in Dublin. It is a wonderful place, and covers 55 acres of ground. I got a great surprise when I was starting on my leave in France. We were taken to the station we had to start from in a motor lorry, and who should the driver of the lorry be but Syd. Richards (son of Mr W. Richards, South Dunolly), who used to work at the Post Office in Dunolly. I rode on the front with him, so we had a good yarn. I did not know that be had joined, so was surprised to see him. He has grown a lot since I saw him last, and is looking well. Norman and Bill Lyndon were both well when I left France. We had been having a good spell near Messines, in Flanders, but they will be in the trenches by now. We have been round about Ypres for this last four months, and had some pretty rough times there. dunolly, dunolly war memorial, l. polinelli, bet bet, world war one, world war two, j. deledio, b. battilana, c. fitzgerald, f.s. kendall, j.h. hogan, p. zampatti, louisa davis, louisa gervasoni, bill lyndon, norman lyndon, sydney lindsay

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