News from the Newsletters – August 2024
This is a summary of some of the articles taken from the newsletters and other correspondence sent to the Secretary from SEHA Groups and Societies. Compiled by Heather Arnold.

Bass Valley Historical Society
• The Society has reprinted – A Guide to the History & Beauty of the Bass District and George Bass in Western Port incorporating George Bass and the Convicts.

Brighton Cemetorians https://www.brightoncemetorians.org.au/
• The Cemetorian has many interesting articles on the people buried at the Brighton Cemetery. The June 2024 edition includes Arthur and Clara (nee Simpson) McKenna who married in Leongatha in 1911 and eventually settled in Cheltenham; Charles Sweet (1873-1927), a bookmaker; John Watkins (1872-1942) Curator of the St Kilda Botanical Gardens; Joseph Deneys (1859-1924), store-keeper of Dimboola; Follet family members from Cheltenham; Frances Melville (1871-1930), head mistress of the Brighton Cooking Centre.
• The September Cemetorian has an obituary for Malcolm Gray, the President of the Cemetorians who passed away suddenly on July 17, 2024, aged 71. Malcolm, a barrister had been President since February 2019. Other profiles include Walter Bingle (1861-1928) Public Servant; Sarah Hyams (1861-1925) dancer and charity worker; William and Anna Illingworth, who both died in December 1937, aged 62, only ten hours apart. William died following an operation and his wife Anna died from the shock of her husband passing away.

Chelsea and District Historical Society
• The July 2024 newsletter contains short biographies of local sporting personalities – John Bertrand, the skipper of Australia II; Ray Rigby, who represented Australia in the 1968 Olympics in heavy-weight lifting; and Tony Marchant, who won a Gold Medal at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics as a member of the tandem cycling pair.

Dandenong and District Historical Society http://ddhs.com.au/
• Annual Luncheon was held on Saturday, July 20, 2024. Guest Speaker was Christine Ware – “The Netball Complex at Greaves Reserve is named after Gloria Pyke. Who was she?” As we found out, Gloria was Christine’s mother and she worked tirelessly to have netball facilities established in Dandenong.

Hastings – Western Port Historical Society https://www.hwphs.org.au/
• The June 2024 newsletter has an article on Bass Strait Oil rigs written by John Woolley. The industry started in 1965 with the Esso/BHP Billiton joint venture which drilled Australia’s first offshore well and discovered the Barracouta gas field in Bass Strait.
• The Society participated in the Mornington Peninsula Shire Heritage Festival held on May 18, 2024, at the Peninsula Community Theatre in Mornington. There were seven other societies represented along with the National Trust and the Mornington Peninsula Shire.

Koo Wee Rup Swamp Historical Society
• The June/July 2024 newsletter has a report of the successful annual luncheon where members of the local Italian community spoke about the life of their family in Italy and Koo Wee Rup. There is also a history of the E.S.& A./ ANZ Bank building in Koo Wee Rup and a short biography of William Lees McClure (1892-1917), a teller at the bank who was accidently shot on October 22, 1917 when the bank revolver discharged and who died as a result on November 6. The August newsletter has an obituary of Dr Ian Hewitt (1928-2024) who was the local doctor in Koo Wee Rup from 1955 until 1995; his father Dr Alan Hewitt had practiced in the town from 1925 until 1963.

Mordialloc & District Historical Society
• The June 2024 newsletter reports that Rob Linnell and Alan Opie were appointed joint managers of the Museum at a recent meeting. In October 2023, the Society received a gift of a doll’s house from Helen Duncan (nee Blanche). The doll’s house was made by Mrs Lorna Blanche in Mentone about 40 years ago, with help from a carpenter friend. The doll’s house, which has 14 rooms complete with furniture, furnishings and fittings, has been restored and is now on display. There is a transcript of a 2000 interview, conducted by Graham Whitehead, with local boat builder Jack Pompei. There is also an article on Violet and Bill Murrell, and her horse Garryowen written by Leo Gamble. The Murrells and Garryowen, died after a fire in their stables in 1934. The Garryowen trophy at the Royal Melbourne Show was established in their memory.

Mornington & District Historical Society https://morningtondistricthistory.org.au/
• The May 2024 newsletter reports on the bus trip enjoyed by members to the Red Hill Railway and Flinders Cargo shed. There is also a feature on the Bay Steamers including the Ozone, Hygeia and Weerona. The August 2024 issue contains an interesting article about a rare book. In 1973, a Mornington resident, Arthur Darby, donated The Shepheards Calender, by the Renaissance poet, Edmund Spenser, to the Mornington Historical Society. It had been published in 1617 and was purchased by Mr Darby’s grandfather in 1868. As it was it was outside the Society’s focus on local history it primarily remained in safe storage, in the Old Post Office’s safe. It was then packed up with the rest of the collection to allow the Shire to paint the interior of the Museum and was recently re-discovered during the unpacking. The decision was made to donate the book to the State Library of Victoria who were happy to accept this rare volume.

Mornington Peninsula Family History Society https://www.mpfhs.org/
• Peninsula Past Times August 2024 – has part one of article on the early days of Hastings, looking at the lives of the owners of the first allotments in the township. It is written by Lance Hodgins. A regular feature of the newsletter is a list of all the updates to Ancestry and Find My Past, compiled by Pam Norman.

Narre Warren & District Family History Group http://nwfhg.org.au/
• The May 2024 Spreading Branches reports on their move from Cranbourne to 110 High Street, Berwick. The move is a result of the City of Casey’s plans to decommission the Cranbourne building. Marianne Rocke has written a history of the allotment in Berwick where their new home is – it was originally part of the large land holdings of Captain Robert Gardiner (1812-1889). There is also a report of the 35th Anniversary celebrations of the Group, held on May 18. It was a well attended function and an opportunity to celebrate their many achievements and to catch up with past and current members; sadly, it was one of the last functions held by the Group at Cranbourne.

Phillip Island & District Historical Society https://phillipislandhistory.org.au/
• The August 2024 newsletter reports on the good news that the Society has had 15 new members join recently. Past President and Life Member of the Society, John Jansson, has been honoured with a Life Membership by the National Trust of Australia (Victoria). An article entitled Reminiscences of my holidays in Cowes by Gaye McLeod begins – In 1951, we didn’t have a car, so my father had to drag a large suitcase packed with everything needed for our two-week holiday at Cowes. We walked to Bentleigh Railway Station with excitement and then boarded a train to Frankston. As we rattled along the rails toward our destination, Stony Point on Western Port, the train’s warning horn sounded regularly. The journey, which took about 45 minutes, was a thrilling experience for me as a young child. The next leg of our journey to Phillip Island was a 40-minute ferry ride to Cowes.
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Rye Historical Society https://ryehistoricalsociety.au/
• White Cliffs April-June 2024 newsletter has an article on Lila Mary Rowley, a WW2 Army Nurse, who went to school in Rye; her name appears on the Rye State School Honour Board displayed at the Museum. The Society has a lovely photograph of Lila in their collection. Members of the Society also visited the Flinders Cargo Shed. This shed has been the subject of a recent publication – Flinders Cargo Shed: Heritage and Environs written by the Flinders District Historical Society. It was the winner of the 2023 Victorian Community History Awards category Small Publications.

Somerville, Tyabb & District Heritage Society https://home.vicnet.net.au/~stdhs/
• The June 2024 newsletter reports that the Mechanics’ Hall, where the Society is located, was due to be re-opened in May after renovations, but is now closed until the end of August as white ants were discovered, thus the floor had to be taken up and replaced. Recent additions to their collection include a photograph of the Baxter family and information and photographs of the Heywood family who arrived in Somerville in the 1910

Wonthaggi and District Historical Society http://www.wonthaggihistoricalsociety.org.au/
• The June 2024 Plod essay entitled Between two worlds: An Italian Childhood in Wonthaggi are the memories of Adelino ‘Lino’ Cuman. Lino’s father arrived in Melbourne in 1925 and after a short stint working at the Maroondah Reservoir, obtained a job at the Wonthaggi mine in August 1925 and worked there until he retired in 1956. Lino also writes about what life was like in Wonthaggi during WW2 for the Italian community, when the Italy was the enemy. The July Plod essay is the history of the Wonthaggi Railway line, written by C.R. Landon. The August Plod essay, written by Sam Gatto, is part one of the history of the Wonthaggi Coursing Club and Greyhound racing in the town. The race track site is now occupied by the Bunnings store.