Category: Society News

This is a summary of the articles and events taken from the newsletters sent to the Secretary from SEHA Groups and Societies. February 2020. Compiled by Heather Arnold.

Brighton Cemetorians    http://www.brightoncemetorians.org.au/
• The December The Cemetorian has interesting articles on the people buried at the Brighton Cemetery. This issue includes Lieutenant Julius Saulwick (1925-1945) Killed in Action and remembered on the family headstone; Kevin Wallace (1915-1953) founder of the Catholic Worker publication; Eliza Ralph (1874-1920) a nice little story written by Eliza’s great-granddaughter, Vicki Callanan. There is also an article on merchant Thomas Roxburgh (1851-1931) who was also the first person to grow asparagus commercially on the Koo Wee Rup Swamp, written by Heather Arnold.

Chelsea & District Historical Society
• The November newsletter reports on their successful fashion parade held last year. The Society is back in the Chelsea Court House, which has been extensively renovated by the City of Kingston. The February newsletter announces that they will no longer hold luncheons due to lack of volunteers and this same issue impacts on their ability to hold exhibitions as they cannot always get two people to staff the exhibition. There was also a short history of the Patterson Lakes development written by Ron Jacobs. In the 1950s Carrum farmer, Alf Priestly, built a boat ramp on the Patterson River, then added boat storage and two marinas, including the Inner Harbour one. It wasn’t until 1974 that the Patterson Lakes housing estate on canals was established, inspired by Alf’s boating facilities says Ron Jacobs.

Frankston Historical Society     http://www.frankstonhs.org.au/
• The November / December newsletter reports that Alan Ireson who hired out surfboards at Frankston beach from 1958 to 1974 has donated two of the original hire paddle boards and oars to the Society.

Friends of Cheltenham & Regional Cemeteries      http://www.focrc.org/
• Raves from the Graves December 2019 reports on their October Cemetery tour – Streets where we live – looking at cemetery ‘residents’ whose families have had streets named after them. There is Part Two on the article on Michael ‘Mick’ Ward, World War One veteran, who passed away in 1962. When his wife died in 1986, their belongings went to members of her family. Amongst their possessions was a suitcase of memorabilia from Mick’s time at the War and on his return to Australia in 1918. The suitcase was acquired by Museums Victoria in 2016. There is also an article on the Beaumaris Churchyard Cemetery, written by Sue Beazley. There were 125 settlers in the cemetery in the grounds of the Beaumaris Methodist Church and in 1954 the Moorabbin Council allowed the church to subdivide and houses were built over the graves – the new street was called Bickford Court, named for James Bickford Moysey. The cemetery operated from 1855 to 1866. There is a memorial at the Cheltenham Pioneer Cemetery listing those who were buried at Beaumaris.

Hastings Western Port Historical Society    http://www.hwphs.org.au/
• The December 2019 newsletter is their 100th newsletter. It has an article about Christmas at Castle Howard in Yorkshire. It is elaborately decorated and attracts 40,000 visitors to the Estate. In the look back ‘100 years ago’ there is an obituary of Joseph Haddock of Hastings who died aged 75 years of age. He was a builder and built the original Hastings Public Hall and Catholic Church.
• There is a Back-to Hastings on Saturday, March 21, 2020. Venue is the Hastings Club from 2.00pm. If you grew up in Hastings from the 1940s to the 1960s then this is for you. Register or more information from Glynn Staggard glynnstaggard@gmail.com

Koo Wee Rup Swamp Historical Society
• The December 2019 newsletter has an article about Frank McNamara, V.C. taken from the Department of Education’s Record of War Service, 1914-1919 book. Frank McNamara taught for a time at Koo Wee Rup North State School. The February 2020 newsletter has an article by Heather Arnold, looking back 100 years at what happened in Koo Wee Rup and surrounds in 1920.

Mordialloc College Alumni Association (MCAA) http://mordialloccollegealumni.org/
• The September 2019 edition of Ventured has a history of the MCAA, which is five years old. There is an article on Tony Edwards who attended the College in 1956 (and then the family moved to Sydney) – it is interesting and nostalgic. Tony became a cartoonist, illustrator with Fairfax newspapers, where he won a Walkley award, and an artist. The December Ventured had a story on past student, Bob Cumberlidge, who left the school in 1949 and became a civil engineer and later a director of various companies including the Adelaide Steamship company and SPC.

Mornington and District Historical Society   www.morningtondistricthistory.org.au
• The November 2019 newsletter has a photo of their past president, Dianne White, receiving her Order of Australia medal from the Governor of Victoria, Linda Dessau. There is also an article on the Moorooduc Quarry, which commenced operations in 1887.

Narre Warren & District Family History Group    http://nwfhg.org.au/
• The February 2020 Spreading Branches reports on the re-organisation of the Lorraine Taylor Research Room at the Cranbourne Library. It’s very spacious now. There is an article on Charles George de Beauvoir Tupper (1872-1893) written by Lynn Bradley. The article was prompted by a photo of George, given to the Group by member Val Holland, who had found it in her in-laws garage. Charles served in the Navy and was killed by the explosion of a powder magazine in Brazil. His connection to Melbourne will be the subject of another story.

Phillip Island & District Historical Society       https://pidhs.org.au/
• The November 2019 newsletter had an article on the proposed Cultural and Community Centre which will include a Library, theatre, galley and space for the Museum. They also have a new Facebook page. The December newsletter reminded us that if you are searching for information on Port Phillip then there are over 50 essays and talks on-line on the website, click on left hand side under ‘Essays and Talks’.

Rye Historical Society   http://ryehistoricalsociety.weebly.com/
• The Whitecliffs newsletter from January-March 2020 has an article on the new interpretive signs in Rye. There eleven signs around the town, showing ‘before’ photos. There is also an article on the Lady Nelson which explored the Victorian coast in 1801/1802 and was the first known boat to have entered Port Phillip Bay. The Rye Historical Society turns 20 in May 2020 and a timeline of significant events of the first ten years of their history is included.

Wonthaggi and District Historical Society   http://www.wonthaggihistoricalsociety.org.au/
• The essay in the November Plod is about Wonthaggi Technical School, which opened in February 1922 with 110 students. A new book has just been published on the school, Deserve Success: the story of the Wonthaggi Technical School by Glenn Sullivan, who was both a student and a teacher at the school. It is available from the Historical Society.

This is a summary of the articles and events taken from the newsletters sent to the Secretary from SEHA Groups and Societies. November 2019. Compiled by Heather Arnold.

Bass Valley Historical Society    https://bassvalleyhistoricalsociety.com.au/
• Dinner Meeting Friday, December 13, 2019. Guest speaker is Tony Hughes: Two Rivers Run – The Andersons of Western Port revisited. All the details are here https://seha.org.au/event/bass-valley-historical-society-dinner-meeting-10

Berwick Pakenham Historical Society
• They now have a website – https://bphs.com.au/

Brighton Cemetorians          http://www.brightoncemetorians.org.au/
• The September The Cemetorian has interesting articles on the people buried at the Brighton Cemetery. This issue includes Philomena McKenna (1912-1932) who drowned at Yarrawonga with Ellen and Nancy Naughtin; Robert Gray Ford (1833-1891) blacksmith, engineer and inventor; Harry Browse Gibbs (1858-1918), Architect; Thomas Edward King (1867-1918), Barrister; Ernest Petherick, Presbyterian Minister and Army Chaplain (1879-1956) and David Tully (1857-1909), pastoralist.

Chelsea & District Historical Society
• The August newsletter has a look back to 1959 – a new pavilion was built at the Chelsea Football Club at a cost of £4,000; Aspendale Technical school opened. There are obituaries of Frederick Frewin, who arrived in Chelsea in 1913 and died in 1947; and George Gilding, who came to Chelsea in 1927 as a policeman and remained at the Chelsea Police Station until his death in 1945.

Dandenong & District Historical Society     http://ddhs.com.au/
• The October 2019 Gipps-Land Gate has a comprehensive history of Dandenong High School, which is celebrating its centenary this year. There is also an article on Alf Goldburg, Dandenong local, who received an Order of Australia medal in the 2019 Queen’s Birthday Honours list. The Annual report has many interesting statistics including the fact that volunteers contributed 3,284 hours of their time in carrying out all the functions and activities of the Society.

Friends of Cheltenham & Regional Cemeteries   http://www.focrc.org/
• Raves from the Graves September 2019 has an article on Michael ‘Mick’ Ward, World War One veteran, who passed away in 1962. When his wife died in 1986, their belongings went to members of her family. Amongst their possessions was a suitcase of memorabilia from Mick’s time at the War and on his return to Australia in 1918. The suitcase was acquired by Museums Victoria in 2016 and this is the first part of a two-part story on the contents of that suitcase. There is also an article on Catherine Childerhouse, who died in 1923 at the age of 105.

Hastings Western Port Historical Society   http://www.hwphs.org.au/
• The September 2019 newsletter has an article on the 75th anniversary of the Cowra Breakout and an article on Shirley Davies, who received an Order of Australia medal in the 2019 Queen’s Birthday Honours list. Shirley was the President of the Western Port Historical Society for many years and their SEHA delegate. Also mentioned in the article is Dianne White, past president of the Mornington & District Historical Society, who also received an OAM.
• The next morning coffee is on November 14, 2019 at 10.15am. Guest speaker: Ian Thompson on Paddle steamers of Port Phillip Bay. All the details are here https://seha.org.au/event/hastings-western-port-historical-society-morning-coffee-4

Heritage Hill, Dandenong
• Join the Dandenong and District Historical Society to hear enthralling tales of the characters who lived or were associated with Laurel Lodge, November 14, 2019 at 1.30pm. All the details are here https://seha.org.au/event/the-characters-of-laurel-lodge

Koo Wee Rup Swamp Historical Society
• The August 2019 newsletter has an article from The Argus on the train accident at Koo Wee Rup, which occurred on December 24, 1928. 54 people were injured. The September newsletter has an article on William Lyall and the Acclimitisation Society by Heather Arnold. The October newsletter has an article by Henry Boxshall, Families at Yallock, transcribed from the book The Good Country: Cranbourne Shire by Niel Gunson. The November newsletter has some photos of the Monomeith Railway Station in the mid-1960s showing the train that transported 760 head of cattle from Lismore in NSW on account of Hughie Bourke, of Monomeith.

Lang Lang & District Historical Society http://www.langlang.net/historical.html
• The November newsletter has an article on Allan Robert Eden, from Caldermeade. Allan went Missing in Action in World War Two in February 1942, his body was never found and he was declared ‘Presumed Dead’ in April 1946. There is also an article from the Lang Lang Guardian of 1909 on A.T. Priestley’s model dairy farm at Yannathan, where he employed 18 people and could milk 50 cows an hour in his modern dairy.

Mordialloc College Alumni Association (MCAA) http://mordialloccollegealumni.org/
• We have received three of their newsletters which contain, amongst other things, stories of past students – the December 2018 issue has a story on Marjorie Kean (nee George) who started at Mordialloc-Chelsea High School in 1939; Marjorie was the first secretary of the ex-students association which started in the 1940s after the War. The March 2019 issue reports that the MCAA have been given access, by the City of Kingston, to the former Parkdale Infant Welfare centre for their meetings. Tony Palmer, Executive Designer at Penguin Random House, shares his memories of the school from the 1970s. In the June 2019 issue Stan Alves, AFL coach, talks about his time at the school, he started in 1963. Alumni Historian, Paula McCarthy, was nominated for the City of Kingston, Woman of the Year. Paula also runs the Edithvale-Aspendale History group on Facebook.

Mornington and District Historical Society www.morningtondistricthistory.org.au
• The August 2019 newsletter has an article on their past president, Dianne White, who received an Order of Australia medal in the 2019 Queen’s Birthday Honours list. There is also a short biography, by Val Wilson, of Herbert Dyce Murphy, Mornington Shire Councillor and President and a member of Sir Douglas Mawson’s 1912 Antarctic Expedition.

Narre Warren & District Family History Group http://nwfhg.org.au/
• The August 2019 Spreading Branches has an article on Member of the Year, Barbara Sharp. Barbara received the Award at the August AGM. There is an article by Eileen Durdin on haystacks, illustrated with photographs from the Max Thomson collection. Max also donated a number of photos to the State Library of Victoria, just use his name as a search term if you are interested in finding them. There is an article, written by Jane Rivett-Carnac, on Sister Madeline Kirkpatrick, who has a tree in the Cranbourne WW1 Avenue of Honor. The Casey Cardinia Combined Index is 15 years old. Members of the Family History Group have indexed over 140 publications with a Casey Cardinia connection and there are now 134,000 names on the Index, a valuable resource for researchers looking for information on their ancestors. The Index can be accessed in the Group’s Research Room at the Cranbourne Library Complex. The November Spreading Branches has a report on the Bunyip Cemetery tour, that took place on October 27. Eileen Durdin has another article, also illustrated with Max Thomson photographs, on local roads. Barbara Sharp has an article on Bayview Park, a new park in Narre Warren on the old Bayview Quarry. The land was originally owned by the Aurisch family.

Rye Historical Society http://ryehistoricalsociety.weebly.com/
• The Whitecliffs newsletter from October-December 2019 has an article on the horse trough that was in front of the Gracefield Hotel and later the Rye Hotel. There was some thought it may be a Bills trough, but as it was installed in 1926, it can’t be. George Bills, who left the money for horse troughs, died in 1927. There is also some information about Bills’ troughs. Noel and Ann Erbs have written an article on Anders and Martha Andersen of the Rye General store. They operated a store in Rye from around 1881 until 1911.

Somerville Tyabb & District Heritage Society http://home.vicnet.net.au/~stdhs/
• The September newsletter reprints an article from the Mornington Standard of March 29, 1902 of a case heard at Frankston Court of five youths from Somerville, who behaved in a ‘riotous manner’ – sand throwing, quarrelling, fighting and disturbing the peace. The chaps had attended a ‘tin potting” or welcome home and had a few drinks. They were all fined £2 with 3s in costs. ‘Tin potting’ appears to be beating cans or tins to make a noise. There are also some illustrations of Charles Hammond, who in 1893 drew some local scenes at Langwarrin and Hastings. Finally, the newsletter reproduces Dick Ovenden’s caricatures of local Somerville and Tyabb men, as published in the Weekly Times in 1949.

Wonthaggi and District Historical Society http://www.wonthaggihistoricalsociety.org.au/
• The essay in the August 2019 Plod is about Llewellyn Rhun Davies-Griffith, the first European settler in the Wonthaggi area. He arrived in 1878. The September Plod essay looks at some of the members of the Society and their special personal items. The October Plod essay is on the Wonthaggi and District Post-War Reconstruction Plan written by the Wonthaggi District Trades and Labour Council around 1945.
• The Annual Dinner will be held on November 29, 2019 at 6.00pm. All the details are here https://seha.org.au/event/wonthaggi-historical-society-annual-dinner