This is a summary of the articles and events taken from the newsletters sent to the Secretary from SEHA Groups and Societies. May 2018. Compiled by Heather Arnold.
Bass Valley Historical Society
• The Dinner meeting to be held on Sunday, June 3 will have Sam Gatto as the guest speaker. His topic will be ‘Wonthaggi at War’ All the details are here http://seha.org.au/event/bass-valley-historical-society-meeting
Brighton Cemetorians http://www.brightoncemetorians.org.au/
• The Brighton Cemetorians has the following upcoming tours: May 20 – Law Week tour http://seha.org.au/event/brighton-cemetery-walk-law-and-order-week
• July 1 2018 – a look at some of the entertainers buried at Brighton – http://seha.org.au/event/brighton-cemetery-walk-entertainers
Casey Cardinia Libraries https://www.cclc.vic.gov.au/browse/local-history/
• Over 300 people attended the Casey Cardinia Heritage Festival on May 6, 2018 at the Upper Beaconsfield Hall. The theme was 150 stories of our past as the festival celebrated the 150th anniversary of the Shire of Cranbourne and Shire of Berwick (both created in 1868). In the lead up to the Festival, 150 different stories connected to the history of people, places or events in the two Shires were written and they were all on display on the day.
Chelsea & District Historical Society
• The Annual Chicken and Champagne luncheon held on April 5 was very successful. At the April AGM Jenny Hartson was elected President; Leonie Taylor Secretary and Valerie Hambridge Treasurer. The Society laid a wreath at the Chelsea ANZAC day dawn service.
Dandenong & District Historical Society http://ddhs.com.au/
• The Annual luncheon is on June 16 at the Dandenong Club. The Guest speakers are Rosemary Reddick and Sue Beazley from the Friends of Cheltenham and Regional Cemeteries group. All the details are here http://seha.org.au/event/dandenong-district-historical-society-luncheon-cheltenham-pioneer-cemetery
• The April 2018 Gipps-Land Gate journal has an article by Carmen Powell on Gwen Robie (nee Cruickshank) who was born in Dandenong in 1933, grew up in Dandenong and married Alan Robie of Noble Park in 1955. A lovely history of life in Dandenong and Noble Park when they were both country towns. Carmen is Gwen’s younger sister.
Dromana & District Historical Society http://home.vicnet.net.au/~dromana/
• The Guest speaker at the meeting held on April 17 was Lance Hodgins, who spoke about the History of Mornington Peninsula Football.
Frankston Historical Society http://www.frankstonhs.org.au/
• The March AGM saw the following office bearers elected – Glenda Viner President; Marilyn Foster Vice President and Treasurer and Neil Jonas Secretary. The Society has just celebrated caring for Ballam Park homestead for 50 years – when they took an interest in the building in 1965 it was two weeks away from demolition and the next three years were spent fundraising to save the house and have it open to the public.
Friends of Cheltenham and Regional Cemeteries http://www.focrc.org/
• The March 2018 Raves from the Graves has a report on the deliberately lit on an open area behind the Cemetery. There was substantial damage to some graves due to burnt trees falling on them. The back fence was also damaged leading to unwelcome trespassers. Many graves are also smoke covered and hopefully this will be removed by rain. One of the issues is that graves are owned by the family not the Cemetery Trust, so unless a kind insurance company steps in and repairs the graves, the work will have to wait for the grave owners.
• There is an article by Rosemary Reddick on the O’Mara family – James and William drowned after a boating accident in 1901. In 1918 another brother, George, also lost his life in a boating accident. They are buried at Cheltenham. There is also an article on Lucy Eveline Wawn, who drowned at Mordialloc Sea Baths in 1894 at the age of 17.
• A tour of the Cheltenham Pioneer Cemetery will be held on May 27 – the theme is the Tragic 30s – all the details are here http://seha.org.au/event/cheltenham-pioneer-cemetery-tour-tragic-30s-tour
Hastings Western Port Historical Society http://www.hwphs.org.au/
• The March issue has articles on World War One nurses – Alice Bull of Bairnsdale and Clara Ross of French Island. The Society has started putting some of the queries they have received, but can’t answer, in the newsletter. One query was about native bees and if the Society could provide any evidence that they once occurred as far south as Western Port; Bega is now as far south as the native bees naturally appear.
Koo Wee Rup Swamp Historical Society
• The March newsletter has a comprehensive list of people and objects associated with the Harewood House at Tooradin, complied by the owner of the property, Pat Macwhirter. Harewood House hosted Scots on the Swamp in March, celebrating 150 years of the Lyall family at Harewood and other Scottish cultural activities. The April newsletter has a history of the Police Force at Koo Wee Rup, written by Heather Arnold and the May newsletter a history of Early Swamp schools – Koo Wee Rup, Koo Wee Rup North and Iona schools, also written by Heather Arnold.
• Their Annual luncheon is on May 27 – the guest speakers are John and Jo Spencer, who spent 19 months travelling around Europe on a motorbike. Al the details are here http://seha.org.au/event/koo-wee-rup-swamp-historical-society-annual-luncheon-4
Lang Lang & District Historical Society http://www.langlang.net/historical.html
• Lang Lang held an open day to celebrate their 20th anniversary on April 29. Over summer the display centre was painted. It was a large job as everything had to be removed and then put back. The Spirit of Lang Lang booklet, published to celebrate the first 20 years of the Society, was successful. Each chapter covers 20 years of history with text and photos, starting with the history up to 1878 and then in twenty-year blocks.
Moorabbin Historical Society http://home.vicnet.net.au/~cmhsbcm/index.html
• Moorabbin Mirror February 2018 has an article in the origin of local street names – Higgins Road and Myrtle Street. There was an obituary of Laurie Lewis, whose grandfather, Abraham Lewis, started a timber business in Glen Huntly in 1905. Laurie was also very involved with the Historical Society and helped re-locate and renovate Box Cottage, one of the area’s earliest houses, dating from the 1850s.
Mornington and District Historical Society www.morningtondistricthistory.org.au
• The February newsletter reports on the annual Helen Broad History prizes awarded to students at the six local secondary schools. The students are selected by the school and the object is to encourage the study of history. The students are given a framed certificate and a copy of the book Mornington in the wake of Flinders by Leslie Moorhead.
Narre Warren and District Family History Group http://nwfhg.org.au/
• The May 2018 Spreading Branches reported on the successful World War One themed Cranbourne Cemetery walk held on April 22. There is a look at some significant historic trees in the local area including McMorrans Oak in Cranbourne, planted in the 1860s and the Coronation tree at Pioneer Park in Berwick, planted in 1953. These trees are recorded on http://www.caseycardiniaremembers.org.au/
Nepean Historical Society http://nepeanhistoricalsociety.asn.au/
• The March 2018 newsletter, The Nepean, has a report on the Shepherd’s Hut at Point Nepean, thought to date from the 1830s. In the 1850s, there was an addition to the building and it was used as a doctor’s dispensary and later as a store as part of the Quarantine Station.
Rye Historical Society http://ryehistoricalsociety.weebly.com/
• The Whitecliffs newsletter from April – June 2018 has an article on the White Cliffs store at Rye and a book review of Victoria and its Metropolis, Volume 2, published in 1888 which looks at the country areas of Victoria.
Somerville Tyabb & District Heritage Society http://home.vicnet.net.au/~stdhs/
• The March newsletter has some photos of and information on Jack Foster’s property in Somerville – an old dairy farm on Hastings-Somerville Road. Photos include the underground tank with a domed roof, the old cow shed and old house.
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 February 2018 The Plod is called ‘Let’s go out to the wreck’ by Joe and Lyn Chambers about childhood adventures swimming at Harmer’s Haven. The March Plod talks about some of the treasures in the Museum uncovered by curator, Mark Robertson. The April Plod has an article by Janet Edwards. Janet wrote the article in 1976 for the Wonthaggi Tech school magazine about the poor and non-existent toilet and shower facilities at the school. A protest rally, with over 500 people attending, was held which received media coverage and the Government was finally shamed into building a new toilet block with sewerage connected and separate staff toilets. ‘No Dunny aint funny’ was one of the placards made by the students. The May Plod has an article by Kit Sleeman entitled ‘Bowled by Lindsay Hassett’ reminiscences about cricket.