Historical information

(Kangaroo Ground-St Andrews Road)
“Rymers” Corner – shifting Hawthorn hedges on Tompkins property
Council’s Drott 6
Woods Drott 9
August 1960
Showing hedge in rear already transported

EDHS_05569-55 (EDHS_05577-3/4) and EDHS_05569-56 (EDHS_05577-5/6) - Hawthorn Hedges, Kangaroo Ground

50-50
ELTHAM, CUT THE HEDGES!
While all of us are talking about the road toll, Eltham Council must have been in long recess. Around Kangaroo Ground are farmers’ hawthorn hedges shrouding dangerous corners on busy roads. If the council does not insist on their removal for a distance clear enough for safe driving, then it must be held culpable for the accidents that are bound to happen. – WAKE UP
(Melbourne)
ELTHAM, CUT THE HEDGES! 50-50 (1960, 6 January), The Sun
(News clipping held in SEA_74-1_007)

‘BAD HEDGES’ WILL GO
“We know there are some bad hedges on corners in the Kangaroo Ground area, but roadworks this year will eliminate them,” the Eltham Shire secretary, Mr Maxwell B. Watson, said yesterday.
A reader in 50-50 yesterday complained of farmers’ hawthorn hedges obscuring drivers’ views at bad corners on busy roads in the Kangaroo Ground district.
Mr Watson said the roadworks were deviations to remove the sharp turns, and the road would cut back into paddocks. The hedges would go at the same time.
Meanwhile, the shire had power to require owners to cut back hedges, and this would be done if specific instances were reported and found justifiable.
‘BAD HEDGES’ WILL GO (1960, January 7), The Sun
(News clipping held in SEA_74-1_007)

Significance

Record of various Shire of Eltham infrastructure works undertaken during the period of 1952-1962 involving bridge and road reconstruction projects, sometimes with Eltham Shire Council Project Reference numbers quoted. It was during this period that a number of significant improvements were made to roads and new bridges constructed within the shire that remain in place as of present day (2022). In many situations, the photos provide a tangible visible record of infrastructure that existed throughout the early days of the Shire. The album was put together by or under the direction of the Shire Engineer, J.A. McDonald.

Physical description

Medium format 120/Kodak 620 6x6 cm black and white negative (1 of 12) contained in envelope with various inscriptions and markings

Originally inserted loose with other processing envelopes of negatives and prints within a binder of 78 foolscap pages containing a sequence of photos, adhered via glue or sticky tape, with typed or handwritten headings and captions in pencil, contained in a green foolscap binder with spring clasp spine for retaining loose pages.