Category: SEHA News

This is a summary of some of the articles taken from the newsletters sent to the Secretary from SEHA Groups and Societies, November 2020. With Covid 19, our groups have had to close their Museums and Research rooms, and some have also stopped producing newsletters, but there are still some coming through. We are all doing the best we can under unusual circumstances. Let’s all hope we can get back to ‘normal’ in 2021 and re-open to the public and share our history in person again. Compiled by Heather Arnold.

Bass Valley
• The History of the Bass Valley area is recorded in the Western Port Times, a monthly on-line newsletter. You can access it through the Granville history website http://www.grantvillehistory.com.au/

Brighton Cemetorians   http://www.brightoncemetorians.org.au/
• The Cemetorian has many interesting articles on the people buried at the Brighton Cemetery. The September issue includes Sir Henry Cecil Colville (1891-1984), honorary paediatric surgeon at the Alfred Hospital, 1924-1951; Joseph Wolfenden (1850-1922) resident surgeon at the Dunolly hospital for 40 years and George Peter Desailly (1823-1876) Riverina pastoralist. The December issue includes John Plisch (1864-1933) Prahran baker; John Joseph Coffey (1871-1957), coachbuilder; Jan Learey (1820-1900) early East Brighton resident and Charles Brewer (1856-1925) Anglican Minister. All articles are written by Lois Comeadow.

City of Moorabbin Historical Society http://home.vicnet.net.au/~cmhsbcm/
• The Society turned 60 this year. Celebrations were limited due to the Covid 19 restrictions, but they had an interesting write-up in the Glen Eira News of October 2020. More information https://seha.org.au/moorabbin-historical-society-turns-60

Dandenong & District Historical Society http://ddhs.com.au/
• Their Annual report from 2019/2020 includes the following facts – their volunteers worked the equivalent of 253 days with 2,025 hours contributed by volunteers for the year. It would have been more, but the Research Room was closed from March 11, 2020 due to Covid 19 restrictions.

Friends of Cheltenham & Regional Cemeteries http://www.focrc.org/
• Raves from the Graves October 2020 includes more memories of Fairlie Taylor and life in Cheltenham and Beaumaris from early times. Sue Beazley has written an article on Charles William Morrison (1899-1943) a POW who died at the Hainan Island Prison Camp. He has a memorial plaque at the Cemetery. Sue has also written an article on Hector St Clair (1898-1932) English comedian, who died of consumption and is buried at the Cheltenham Pioneer Cemetery. Another comedian buried at Cheltenham is ‘Lucky’ Grills. His ashes were placed in his parent’s grave at the Cheltenham Memorial Cemetery.

Hastings Western Port Historical Society http://www.hwphs.org.au/
• The September 2020 newsletter has an article, by Linda Tredwell, on Dr Robert Dane, descended from a Tyabb family, who invented an unmanned surface vessel (USV) or sea-going drone. The drone is solar, wind and wave powered, and it can travel vast distances. His company, Ocius, was granted $5.5 million by the Australian Defence Department to test and develop a fleet of 6 USVs. This article is a reminder to us all that history is now, not just 100 years ago.

Heritage Hill, Dandenong
• Words of Wisdom Exhibition Curator’s Talk – this presentation explores the narratives of life as told and recorded through the printed word and features material from the City of Greater Dandenong Civic and Cultural Heritage Collection, Dandenong and District and Springvale and District historical society collections as well as private collections. You can view it on YouTube here https://youtu.be/ZlhVzhDCLnE

Koo Wee Rup Swamp Historical Society
• The September 2020 newsletter has part three of Henry Boxshall’s history of Yallock. It was written in 1957 and published in the Koo Wee Rup Sun in July 1968. The October newsletter takes a light-hearted look at the use of potatoes in health and beauty. The Koo Wee Rup Swamp used to be a major potato growing area. The November newsletter looks at Cora Lynn in 1907, the year the State School opened. It was written by Heather Arnold.

Mornington Peninsula Family History Society https://www.mpfhs.org/
• The Peninsula Past Times newsletter of November 2020 includes pages of useful genealogical resources as well as an article by Mary Vanderfeen on Robert Smith, a convict sent to Van Diemen’s Land who later became a publican at Geelong.

Narre Warren & District Family History Group http://nwfhg.org.au/
• The November 2020 Spreading Branches has an article by Lynne Bradley on the fall of Rabaul and the sinking of the Montevideo Maru, our greatest maritime disaster when over 1,000 lives were lost in 1942. Marianne Rocke has written an article on some of the interesting facts she gleaned from the Berwick State School registers.

Phillip Island & District Genealogical Society   http://piadgs.org.au/
• In the August 2020 Reflections newsletter Duncan McPherson writes about the 1919 Spanish Influenza epidemic which took four members of his wife’s extended family – Ada Spink and three of her children, 16-year-old Ada, 14-year-old Joshua and 13-year-old Herbert. The family lived at Salford, near Manchester.

Rye Historical Society    http://ryehistoricalsociety.weebly.com/
• The Whitecliffs newsletter October – December has a history of the Rye jetty, first constructed in 1866, written by Noel Erbs. Noel has also written a history of the tea-rooms on the Rye foreshore.

Wonthaggi and District Historical Society http://www.wonthaggihistoricalsociety.org.au/
• The essay in the October 2020 Plod is titled Thoughts on the Origins of the Street Names in the Old Part of North Wonthaggi and is written by Sam Gatto. Sam writes that the ‘suburbs’ of North Wonthaggi, Edgartown, Dudley and Hicksborough were not part of the State Model Town project of 1909/1910. They were private subdivisions, outside the boundaries of the proposed State Model Town’. Interesting read. The essay in the November Plod is an account of life on the Powlett River coal field from The Argus, 31 December 1909

This is a summary of some of the articles taken from the newsletters sent to the Secretary from SEHA Groups and Societies. August 2020.

Bass Valley Historical Society   https://bassvalleyhistoricalsociety.com.au/
• The Bass Valley Historical Society is sad to share the news of Anwyn Martin, who passed away on July 23, 2020 at Banfields Aged Care in Cowes. Anwyn was a foundation member of the society and contributed in many ways from executive committee member, researcher and world class contributor to the knowledge of our area and the explorers and pioneers who made it. Her work on Matthew Flinders has been acknowledged worldwide. She will be farewelled in a private cremation service and a memorial service will be held at a later date.

Brighton Cemetorians     http://www.brightoncemetorians.org.au/
• The June The Cemetorian has interesting articles on the people buried at the Brighton Cemetery. This issue includes John Thomas Thynne (1889 -1945), Secretary to the Minister for Agriculture; Severino de Marco (1894 -1961), who operated De Marco Brothers terrazzo business in South Melbourne from 1936; Matthew Bennett (1862 -1951), M.L.A and Cranbourne Shire Councillor; Alice Lovell Clarke (1851 -1916), wife of the Archbishop of Melbourne; Torrington George Ellery (1872 -1923), Town Clerk of Melbourne.

Friends of Cheltenham & Regional Cemeteries   http://www.focrc.org/
• Raves from the Graves August 2020 reports on the update to the Cheltenham Railway Station which, for a time, prevented access to the Cemetery. There are memories of Fairlie Taylor of life in Cheltenham and Beaumaris from early times. Sue Beazley has written an article on Cr Edwin Thomas Penny J.P (1849 -1916) farmer and Moorabbin Shire Councillor. There is a push to have some of Cheltenham renamed Pennydale.
• Sue has also written an article on artist Clarice Marjoribanks Beckett (1887-1935). The City of Bayside have named one of their new Council Wards after her. You can see the others, here – https://www.bayside.vic.gov.au/news/new-wards-new-names The final article in the newsletter is on another artist, John Mather (1848 -1916), written by Travis M. Sellers and Sue Beazley. Mather was a contemporary of artists Fred McCubbin, Tom Roberts and Arthur Streeton.

Hastings Western Port Historical Society http://www.hwphs.org.au/
• The June 2020 newsletter has a story by Shirley Davies, Found Dead, about Peter Orsini, found shot dead in July 1868. Peter was a 24-year-old fisherman from Hastings. The inquest verdict was that it was an accidental death but was there more to the death – was he actually murdered and was the Mafia involved?
• The porch from the old Hastings Reorganised Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-Day Saints (built in 1887) is being re-erected in the Museum gardens; after many months, the Council has finally approved the paperwork, so the work can commence.

Koo Wee Rup Swamp Historical Society
• The June 2020 newsletter has an article by Heather Arnold on Matthew Bennett, M.L.A. It’s the same article which was published in the Brighton Cemetorians newsletter. The July and August newsletters have parts one and two of Henry Boxshall’s three-part history of Yallock. It was written in 1957 and published in the Koo Wee Rup Sun in June 1968.

Mornington and District Historical Society www.morningtondistricthistory.org.au
• The May newsletter has an article on the Society’s trip to the Emerald Museum and Nobelius Heritage Park in February. You can read all about the Emerald Museum and Park here, https://www.emeraldmuseum.org.au/ There is also an interesting article by Malcolm Rosier on Roman Numerals and Clocks. The number four in Roman numerals is written as IV, but on clocks it is always IIII. Why? Two theories – Jupiter, the Roman supreme deity was spelt as IVPPITER in Latin and thus it was considered to be disrespectful to have part of his name on a clock. The other theory is that it looks more symmetrical to have IIII opposite the eight, VIII. Interestingly, Big Ben has the four as IV.

Mornington Peninsula Family History Society https://www.mpfhs.org/
• The Peninsula Past Times newsletter of August 2020 includes an article, by Leonie Marshall and Pam Norman, on Thomas Rennison – Carpenter, Hotelier, Huntsman and Horse Trainer. He operated the Schnapper Point Hotel in Mornington and later the Mordialloc Hotel. He was also a Shire of Mornington Councillor. He died in 1905, aged 81.
• There are articles on family history websites you can access from home and Irish Records. It is a myth, says the writer Mary Vanderfeen, that all Irish records were destroyed in the fire of 1922.

Narre Warren & District Family History Group http://nwfhg.org.au/
• The August 2020 Spreading Branches has an article on Officer by Ray Welsford, whose mother was a Tivendale, an early family in the area. There is the second part of the story on Lieutenant Charles George de Beauvoir Tupper, by Lynne Bradley. There are also two articles connected to Harkaway, written by Barbara Sharp – one is on her father, Ron Wanke and the other on her great, great grandmother Caroline Charlotte Aurisch, nee Tschirner.

Rye Historical Society http://ryehistoricalsociety.weebly.com/
• The Whitecliffs newsletter July – September 2020 has a history of the Tyrone Homestead at Rye. It was built in the 1850s by Owen and Sarah Cain. One hundred years later it was the club house at a golf course, which was later sub-divided. Fortunately, the homestead still remains and is now a private home. Owen and Sarah Cain’s son, John, was a councillor for 34 years with the Flinders & Kangerong Shire. John Hazledine has written an article on Early mail services to Rye and John Bertacco on the use of drones in historical research.

Wonthaggi and District Historical Society http://www.wonthaggihistoricalsociety.org.au/
• The essay in the June 2020 Plod is called Wild Times in a Mining town, based on interviews conducted by Joe Chambers in 1983 with ‘old timers’ Alan Bremner and Harry Haddow. They covered the 1934 strike, weekend entertainment, the two-up school, street fighting and fights down the mine.

Australia: land of milk and politics by Bill Pyle, with Kevin Carmody
• This book was sent to the SEHA from Russell Broadbent, M.H.R for Monash. Bill Pyle was the President of the United Dairyfarmers of Victoria, after it was established in 1976. Bill, born in 1934, grew up on a dairy farm at Cranbourne. The family later moved to Gainsborough (south of Warragul). Bill and his wife Bev bought a farm in the same area where they raised their family of seven children. The book is about both his farming life and his political life with his involvement with the UDV.