News from the Newsletters – February 2018

This is a summary of the articles and events taken from the newsletters sent to the Secretary from SEHA Groups and Societies. February 2018

Bass Valley Historical Society

Brighton Cemetorians 

  • The December Cemetorian includes biographies of Helen Ogilvie (1902 – 1993), painter and print maker and Francine McNiff (1948 – 2015) a lawyer, academic and magistrate. Francine left $4 million to Melbourne University to fund a Chair in Criminology and a Chair in Human Rights and $3.8 million to Monash University who established the Francine McNiff Chair in Criminal Jurisprudence; and Thomas Coverdale (1854 – 1920) who lived at Bena and was a member of the South Gippsland Pioneer’s Association.
  • The March Cemetorian includes a biography of Maria Robinson Allen (1821 – 1883) The family lived at Hobart and Flinders Island and then moved to Victoria when her father George Augustus Robinson became the Chief Protector at Port Phillip. Accompanying the family to Victoria was Truganini.  Maria married Dr James Allen in 1842 who was violent towards her and they later moved to Clarke Island in Tasmania. Maria ended her days in Victoria at Spring Villa in Cranbourne with her son, Edward. Maria and Truganini – opposite sides of the first contact between the Indigenous people and European settlers.

Chelsea & District Historical Society

  • Work on restoring the Court House Museums is ongoing and the tender for the major works has been awarded to Ducon P/L and will start in March 2018. The windows have been restored and this was a mammoth effort as three different types of timber had to be sourced to match the original work.

Dandenong & District Historical Society   http://ddhs.com.au/

  • The Society now hold all their meetings at 39 Clow Street and no longer meet at the Dandenong Showgrounds.

Dromana & District Historical Society  http://home.vicnet.net.au/~dromana/

Frankston Historical Society     http://www.frankstonhs.org.au/

  • Ballam Park is a popular wedding venue. They had a visit from Lorna and Roslyn Johnston, direct descendants of Frederick and Annie Liardet, the original owners of Ballam Park. The floor of the buggy shed will be concreted this year after consultation with Heritage Victoria.

Friends of Cheltenham and Regional Cemeteries  http://www.focrc.org/

  • The December Raves from the Graves has a biography on Cleveland Cole. In 1933 Cleveland and Roy Weston produced a reliable map of Mt Bogong and then set up two overnight huts for walkers or skiers. Sadly, and ironically, in August 1936 Cleveland died of hypothermia after being caught in a blizzard whilst climbing Mt Bogong. There is also a biography of Molly Hill a member of Melbourne Women’s Walking Club, formed in 1922, and a keen skier. In 1932 Molly had a skiing accident at the age of 32, the first fatal skiing accident on Victoria.

Hastings Western Port Historical Society     http://www.hwphs.org.au/

  • The December issue has a history of the Battle of Beersheba which took place in October 1917.  There is an obituary of Dennis Lothian, a descendent of Hastings pioneer, Thomas Lothian, who came to Hastings in 1869 as a fisherman. The family lived in Skinner Street in Hastings and some family members lived for a time on French Island.

Heritage Hill Dandenong   http://www.greaterdandenong.com/section/306/heritage-hill

  • There are two exhibitions at Laurel Lodge, Heritage Hill – ‘Teatime: a celebration of the Australian Culture of afternoon tea’ and ‘A celebration of Xuzhou and Greater Dandenong’. All the details are here http://seha.org.au/whats-on-at-heritage-hill-dandenong

Koo-Wee-Rup Swamp Historical Society

  • The December newsletter has some photos of Koo Wee Rup in the 1934 flood taken by The Herald newspaper. The February newsletter has an article by Heather Arnold on ‘What happened in Koo Wee Rup in 1918’

Lang Lang & District Historical Society   http://www.langlang.net/historical.html

  • Lang Lang has published a booklet to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Society. Each chapter covers 20 years of history with text and photos, starting with the history up to 1878 and then in twenty-year blocks. The publication was sponsored by the Lang Lang Hall Committee Opportunity Shop.

Mornington and District Historical Society     www.morningtondistricthistory.org.au

  • The November newsletter has a report on the Fossil Beach Interest Group. The Fossil Beach Historic Area has the remnants of the 1862 Patent Septaria Cement Company works and natural features including 15 million-year-old Balcombe Clay fossiliferous outcrop and Aboriginal shell middens.

Narre Warren and District Family History Group    http://nwfhg.org.au/

  • The December 2017 newsletter reported on the official launch of the Group’s move to the Cranbourne Library Complex, the Colac Family History Group expo and some of the memorials at the Berwick RSL. The February 2018 newsletter has a report on the new War Memorial at Lyndhurst – which lists only 8 soldiers (two from World War One and six from World War Two). Many of us feel that it was a missed opportunity that could have honoured all the soldiers connected to Lyndhurst (there were at least 21 WW1 soldiers with a Lyndhurst connection). There is an article on David Jones, a sea captain, who acquired 140 acres in Narre Warren North in 1897

Nepean Historical Society          http://nepeanhistoricalsociety.asn.au/

  • The December newsletter lists a number of concerning planning applications. There is an obituary for Professor Weston Bate who passed away October 31, 2017. There is also an eye witness account by Alan Wragge of the search for the Australian Prime Minister, Harold Holt, who disappeared off Cheviot Beach on December 17, 1967.

Rye Historical Society       http://ryehistoricalsociety.weebly.com/

  • The Whitecliffs newsletter from January-March 2018 has an article on Parish Plans and how they were produced by lithograph in the early days by John Bertacco. There is also an article by Noel Erbs on Telegraph Services on the Peninsula.

Somerville Tyabb & District Heritage Society      http://home.vicnet.net.au/~stdhs/

  • The December newsletter had an account from the Mornington Standard of June 15, 1893 about an investigation into the beating of a school boy by Mrs Carter, the School Mistress. The boy claimed he was beaten50 times, the teacher denied it. Interesting account of life at school in the ‘good old days’ when corporal punishment was often the first resort for transgressions. You can read the full article on Trove here http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article65809512

Springvale & District Historical Society

  • The Society has temporarily moved to 11 Morwell Parade, Springvale, 3171. (Address all correspondence to 35 Stuart Street, Noble Park, 3174) They expect to remain at Morwell Parade until 2020 when the ‘Springvale Library and Community hub’ opens and they will have a space in the new building. Telephone: 03 9548 2732.

Wonthaggi and District Historical Society      http://www.wonthaggihistoricalsociety.org.au/

  • The essay in the November 2017 Plod, written by C. Landon, is about Italians and food, ‘Italians bring their food culture to Wonthaggi’

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