Historical information

Information from the donor, Natale Cerini's daughter: He was a retired accountant who commenced the Surrey Hills Observer, one of the early free local papers, in about 1933 at the request of the Surrey Hills Progress Association of which he was a member. He regarded his solo effort in creating, editing and publishing the paper as a community service for which he received no remuneration. The Observer was self-funding through its advertisements which Mr Cerini personally collected throughout the area. The Observer was issued fort-nightly and printed by the Johnson family at the Triumph Press in Sunbury Crescent until about 1946 when Mr Cerini relinquished it to one of the newly-established post-war local papers.
Photo thought to have been taken in 1936 when Mr Natale would have been 69, as he retired in 1932 at 65 years of age.
Electoral rolls give the following addresses:
1919: 293 Dandenong Road (accountant) and 1919 Boondara, Croydon (accountant); both with Ethel May also listed.
1924: 167 Union Road, Surrey Hills (accountant)
1931 and 1943: 215 Union Road, Surrey Hills (accountant).
Marriage: Natale Benjamin Cerini; Spouse Name: May Ethel Swan; Marriage Place: Victoria; Registration Place: Victoria;Registration Year: 1918; Registration number: 5787.
Ethel May Cerini: Death Place: S Hills, Victoria; Age: 69; Father's Name: Ernest Harrison; Mother's Name: Frances Ann Clark; Registration Year: 1951; Registration Place: Victoria; Registration number: 10736; Estimated Birth Year: abt 1882.
Natale Benjamin Cerini: Death Place: Glen, Victoria; Age: 89; Father's Name: Joseph Natale; Mother's Name: Sarah Cooke; Registration Year: 1954; Registration Place: Victoria; Registration number: 10612; Estimated Birth Year: abt 1865.

Physical description

Black and white photo of a hatted gentleman with a walking cane and a pipe and wearing glasses. He has a rosette in his suit buttonhole and a ribbon on his lapel. The background is blurred but is reliably identified as the Surrey Gardens during Empire Day celebrations.

Inscriptions & markings

SH368 on rear in pencil