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, October 2022. Compiled by Heather Arnold.
Balnarring & District Historical Society
The August 2022 Snippets has an article on the small community of Tulum, thirteen families who lived permanently on the Balnarring Beach in the 1940s – the names were supplied by Bryan Francis. It also has an article on the Western Port Yacht Club Younger Set and the Gardens at Coolart homestead.
Bass Valley Historical Society
The guest speaker at the Bass Valley Historical Society meeting held on September 4, 2022 was Ron Payne from Active Images who has been in the photo restoration business for over 40 years. The town of Grantville has turned 150 and held celebrations on October 1, when a new book on the history of the town was launched.
Berwick-Pakenham Historical Society https://bphs.com.au/
The Society launched the book Pakenham: Then and Now by Audrey Dodson on August 21 at the Cardinia Cultural Centre
Brighton Cemetorians http://www.brightoncemetorians.org.au/
The Cemetorian has many interesting articles on the people buried at the Brighton Cemetery. The September 2022 issue includes George Hudson (1852-1926) Chairman of the Tariff Board; Percy Seyffarth (1880-1947), cricketer, baseballer and WW1 soldier; Gwendoline Gray (1894-1926) who tragically died at Mt Buffalo when she fell into a gorge and Mary Dean McAlpine (1885-1946), a teacher who was in charge of dressmaking at Echuca Technical School from 1925 until 1944. A Cemetery walk will be held on November 6 looking at the lives of eight service people.
Chelsea and District Historical Society
The August newsletter reports that the Society has moved to The Hub, Showers Avenue, Chelsea, where they can be visited on a Tuesday. They have a new email address – chelseadistricthistorical@gmail.com The August newsletter reports on the plaque installed to commemorate the centenary of the Chelsea Railway Station. It also has a history of the various picture theatres in Chelsea – the Fox Theatre, Mason’s Theatre and the Unity; and some memories of visits to the ‘flicks’
Cranbourne Shire Historical Society
Barry Freeman gave a talk on September 29 about his uncle, WW2 veteran Bill Graham. Bill served for 5 years with the Australian Army in Egypt, Greece, Crete, Palestine, Syria and New Guinea. He recorded his experiences on camera including photos of Horrie the Wog Dog.
Dromana & District Historical Society
Flyer re a talk on October 24, by Jamie Gregory showcasing his father’s photographs of the Dromana to Sorrento area from the 1940s to the 1980s. His father, Fred Gregory, had a pharmacy at Rosebud.
Friends of Cheltenham & Regional Cemeteries https://www.focrc.org/
Raves from the Graves September 2022 – the feature article is the Murder of Patrick Duff. Duff was shot by 17 year-old Ernie Dowling in 1921; apparently Ernie’s mother and Patrick Duff engaged in improper relations. Ernie was found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to twelve months in gaol and later to be detained in a Reformatory. The newsletter also includes more memories of by Mr W Bruton from his booklet – Carrum to Cheltenham. The foreword of this fascinating collection of memories reads as follows: “Recollections of places, and of those long ago passed away, and of incidents by-gone of Carrum, Mordialloc, Mentone, Spring-grove and Cheltenham, from the early fifties [1850s] to this century, by Mr. W. Bruton, whose life of 75 years has been spent in the district (practically blind during the last six of them) and whose relatives were first comers to the district.
Hastings Western Port Historical Society https://www.hwphs.org.au/
The September newsletter has an article by Linda Tredwell on Lennie Gwyther, the Leongatha lad who rode to Sydney to see the opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The Society is making plans to celebrate their 50th anniversary in 2023. There is also this report – On a very wet and cold Friday – 10 June, 2022, a group of us gathered at the Hastings Foreshore, just a few metres south of the Cenotaph, to witness the re-planting of a Commemorative Tree. A tree was originally planted in 2011 but had been damaged and then removed. The tree was planted to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the gazetting of the Tyabb Township, now called Hastings.
Koo Wee Rup Swamp Historical Society
The July newsletter has an article on Charles and Ellen (nee O’Shea) Rossiter, who held the Hawkesdale property at Yallock from 1873; the August newsletter has a history of the Grosby Shoe Factory which operated at Koo Wee Rup from 1947 until 1952. In the September newsletter there was a history of the Koo Wee Rup Brass Band, formed in 1919 and a report of a visit to the town of two Circus Groups in October 1952 – Bullen Bros & Hagens on Friday, October 3 and Wirth’s on Saturday, October 4. The October newsletter has letters written by local children to Aunt Connie, the editor of the Children’s pages in the Weekly Times. All the articles were written by Heather Arnold.
Lang Lang & District Historical Society http://www.langlang.net/historical.html
The Lang Lang AGM was held on October 18, 2022.
Mordialloc College Alumni Association (MCAA) http://mordialloccollegealumni.org/
The July 2022 Ventured features stories on past pupils. This issue looks at Lois Collings (nee Wood), she grew up in Aspendale with six siblings who all attended Edithvale Primary and Mordialloc High. Lois, who was at the school from 1945 to 1948, actually started High School at the age of 10½. Her four children also attended the School. There is also an interview with Lorraine Huddy, who attended the school from 1968 until 1973, and has had a stellar career, obtaining her PHD and becoming a Professor at a university in the United States.
Mornington & District Historical Society https://morningtondistricthistory.org.au/
The August 2022 newsletter notes the donation of items to the Society by Mrs Pat Wallis (nee Pelling) whose father had a bicycle shop in Mornington from the 1920s. There is also the continuation of a story by J.V. Simpson about their life in England during WW2. A tour of the Mornington Cemetery will be held on October 29 at 1.15pm.
Mornington Peninsula Family History Society https://www.mpfhs.org/
The August 2022 Past Times has a report on the talk which Patrick Ferry, Victorian manager of the National Archives, gave to the Society on defence records at the NAA. There is also an interesting story about the death of a swagman, Alexander Shepherd, found dead in Mornington around the vicinity of modern-day Stones Lane; his body was discovered by 12 year-old Leslie Stone. The day before the Stone family had provided the swagman with a billy of tea.
Narre Warren & District Family History Group http://nwfhg.org.au/
The August 2022 Spreading Branches has a report of the recent AGM; a book review of the three volume Vision & Realisation: a Centenary History of State Education and what you can find in it to help with your family and local history research. This was written by Eileen Durdin. Jane Rivett-Carnac has written an article, Mothercraft Nurses and the Beaconsfield Babies Home. It operated from 1914 until 1946 and was an off-shoot of the Berry Street Babies Home in East Melbourne.
Phillip Island & District Genealogical Society http://piadgs.org.au
In Reflections August 2022 the feature article is by Pamela Rothfield on the naming of Forrest Caves on Phillip Island. Brothers, Matthew and Thomas Forrest, had purchased land on Phillip Island in February 1869
Phillip Island & District Historical Society https://pidhs.org.au/
- The July newsletter has a report on Maureen Matthews talk on the botanical illustrator, Euphemia Henderson. The August newsletter, has an article by Pamela Rothfield on the origin of the name Rose Avenue in Cowes. Phillip Rose and his daughters Lucy (1858-1940), Margaret and Laura lived in a large house on the Cowes foreshore and as Pamela writes about the naming of the street – I would like to think that, more specifically, [it was named] after Lucy Rose, a very special member of that family. Lucy lived on Phillip Island for some 20 years. She was the organist and a great benefactor for St. Philips Anglican Church as well as being a devoted worker for the Church and the local community and is remembered as a kind and loving soul…… Lucy Rose continued to reside in her family home in Cowes and work for the local community through her church. Before she left Australia to return to her sisters in England, she donated a large stained-glass window to the St. Philip Parish Church in Cowes in memory of her father and two brothers, which was installed in 1912. This window exists today in the western wall of St. Philips Church. Aside from the beautiful stained-glass window she donated, Lucy also donated her Rose family home on the foreshore in Cowes (now known as Stradbroke Avenue), to the Anglican Diocese of Melbourne, fully furnished.
- The September newsletter has a report of the talk by Elly Berryman on her family – early settlers, George and Catherin Smith, and their daughter (her great-grandmother), Lottie Smith, who was the housekeeper to the Anderson family of Netherwood at San Remo.
Rye Historical Society https://ryehistoricalsociety.au/
Whitecliffs July-September 2022 has a very comprehensive article by Noel and Ann Erbs on the Fertilizer Works at Tootgarook, established in 1924. Whitecliffs October-December 2022 includes an article by John Hazledine about his great, great-aunt, Sarah Ann Cain, who as a small child went missing from the family farm at Rye in the 1840s. Noel Erbs continues his history of Tootgarook, this time looking at the period from the 1920s until 1951.
Somerville Tyabb & District Historical Society http://home.vicnet.net.au/~stdhs/
The August 2022 newsletter has an article Thomas Ward White (1868-1947) and his family. Thomas’ parents settled in Somerville in the late 1870s; which was close to his uncle, William Ward, a fisherman living in Hastings. Thomas was a Frankston and Hastings Shire Councillor. There are also photos of ‘The Fernery’ at Frankston, a popular venue for weddings from the 1910s to the 1960s.
Wonthaggi and District Historical Society http://www.wonthaggihistoricalsociety.org.au/
- The June Plod essay is by Frank Coldabella, Frank’s Summer Job or Frank Learns Life’s Lessons. The July Plod continues with Franks memories, his essay The Coast Dwellers, looks at life on the beaches south of Wonthaggi in the 1970s. The August Plod essay is by Carol Cox on the Wonthaggi’s Leek Club, which started in 1927 and ran until World War Two. Carol writes – The Club was a Geordie institution devoted initially to the growing of huge leeks, a custom that had its beginning in the north-east mining towns of England, where most members of the Wonthaggi Leek Club had originated. In theSeptember Plod the essay, again by Carol Cox, is about the Dad’s Association which provided assistance to returned soldiers. The October Plod essay looks at some of Noel Counihnan’s linocuts of and inspired by Wonthaggi Miners.
- Annual Memorial Dinner is on Friday November 25, 2022 at 6.00pm at the Wonthaggi Workmens Club, 75 Graham Street, Wonthaggi. Theme: Celebrating 100 Years of Wonthaggi Miners Friendly Societies’ Dispensary. Guest Speakers will present a brief history of Committee, Pharmacists, Shop Assistants and Change; Open Microphone one minute shared stories Details here https://seha.org.au/event/wonthaggi-district-historical-society-annual-memorial-dinner