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Here are the reports from the May 2018 meeting which was hosted by the Chelsea and District Historical Society

SEHA reports May 2018

The content of these reports are the sole responsibility of each individual Society and do not necessarily reflect the views of the South Eastern Historical Association. In future, if you do not want your report posted on our website then please notify the Secretary

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 https://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 https://seha.org.au/event/brighton-cemetery-walk-law-and-order-week
• July 1 2018 – a look at some of the entertainers buried at Brighton – https://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 https://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   https://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 https://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.

Here are the reports from the February 2018 meeting which was hosted by the Berwick Mechanics’ Institute.

SEHA reports Feb 2018

The content of these reports are the sole responsibility of each individual Society and do not necessarily reflect the views of the South Eastern Historical Association. In future, if you do not want your report posted on our website then please notify the Secretary

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

• The Dinner meeting to be held on March 2 will have Jane Hendtlass as the guest speaker. Her topic is ‘Dead Man’s Penny’ https://seha.org.au/event/bass-valley-historical-society-dinner-5

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/

• The Guest speaker at the meeting to be held on February 20 is Gerry Shepherd, talking about the Early Peninsula and Life of a sailor. https://seha.org.au/event/gerry-shepherd-on-early-peninsula-and-life-of-a-sailor-dromana-district-historical-society

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 https://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 20^th 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’