"Roughie" Peat at the Royal Hotel

Tom Peat, far right, at the bar of the Royal Hotel, Essendon, circa 1935.   Courtesy of Robert Hildebrandt.

Robert Hildebrandt shares with us the life of his grandfather, Thomas "Roughie" Peat, who in his younger days worked in timber camps as an axeman, and in later years as the strong arm of an SP bookie who operated in the lane behind the Royal Hotel. Robert's vivid collection of photos includes Tom Peat at work in timber camps, WW2 army camps, and of course the Royal Hotel. This kind of detail of the life of a labourer is not all that easy to find so we thank Robert for his lovely collection of photos.   See the Time Travellers website for more great photos, and the story of his grandfather Tom Peat.

Essendon Rail Bridge

Shirley Peat, circa 1948, courtesy of Robert Hildebrandt. 

This photo shows Shirley Peat standing next to Mt Alexander Rd, Essendon, outside her workplace.  The Essendon rail bridge is off to the right.  Click on the link to see a photo essay on the rail bridge and surrounds.  

For Wattle Day - A Spray of Wattle Blossom

Sisters Elsie and May Watkin operated a small school for girls called "Tweedside" in Robb St, Essendon from 1894 until 1905.   The address was variously given as No 7, 2 and 3, which probably does mean that they moved from house to house in Robb St.  The Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works shows that No 7 is now No 9, and 3 is now No 5.  

The sisters were part of a large Methodist family which produced several missionaries.  May wrote stories for the Methodist newspaper Spectator, winning a prize one Christmas. In 1908 May published a book called A Spray of Wattle Blossom, which was described as being four stories of Melbourne, Sydney and the Riverina.  

A search through Trove from 1901 will find a handful of stories written by May Watkin.  

The first suggestion for a Wattle Day occurred, co-incidentally to the publishing of May's book, in 1908.  In the early days of Federation there was a nation-wide search for a meaning for the nation, and for national symbols, and as the wattle occurred right round Australia, it was thought to be appropriate for a national flower.  

I believe it would make an appropriate date for Australia Day, without any political overtones but the first day of spring. 

Happy Wattle Day, everyone!

Essendon State School class photos, 1939 to 1943

Time Travellers can see a lovely new group of Essendon State School class photos from Grade 4 in 1939 to Grades 7 and 8 in 1943, courtesy of Robert Hildebrandt.  Go to the Time Travellers webpage for Essendon State School.   Please do let me know if you are able to identify any of the pupils in these, or any other photos on the website.

Bibliography update

I have just taken a few moments to trawl through the catalogues of the State Library of Victoria and the Sam Merrifield Library, looking for any recent publications which I hadn't yet included in my bibliography of Local and Family History Resources for Essendon,  Flemington and Keilor.  

I last updated the bibliography in 2017.  Among the books of local interest I saw the above Remarkable: the Good Guys Story, and also "Whose Little Cottage is This?" 33 Vida St, Essendon: a history, 1945-2014 by Grant and Steven Barlow.   

Some of the books I added have been recently published, others are a little older.  The additions are all highlighted in red.

The Good Guys story started in 1952, when Ian Muir withdraw all his savings to open a small shop in Essendon. Ian Muir had a vision of the future in the electrical appliances industry, and he showed that he could make his vision good.

Andersons of Horseshoe Bend Farm, Keilor

Aerial photo showing Horseshoe Bend Farm in 1951.  Author's collection.

The recent posting of the Montasell photos of Keilor prompted Christine Laskowski to pull out an article she wrote in 2006, based on an interview with Peter and Beryl Anderson of Horseshoe Bend Farm.  The Montasells and the Andersons were probably on Horseshoe Bend Farm at the same time during the 1940s.

The aerial image above is taken looking west.  The circle of trees to the east of  Horseshoe Bend is the Keilor Cemetery.

Peter had many cheerful stories to tell about growing up in Keilor, including a problem he had on Egg Day.  For those of you not familiar with the Egg Appeal, this little item from Trove will explain it all:

Egg Appeal
More than 250,000 eggs are consumed
at the Royal Melbourne Hospital every
year, and it requires thirty dozen eggs
to provide just one meal. As eggs form
a most important part of the invalid's
diet, an egg appeal is held each year.
This year's appeal will be held on October
10, and donations, however small, will be
gratefully received. They may be left
at the hospital, but if desired, a driver
will call, or freight will be paid on eggs
sent from the country or outer suburban
districts.
Egg Appeal (1939, October 5). The Age
(Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954), p. 3.
 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article206334990

For the full interview, go to the Time Travellers website

Photos of Montasell's farm, Keilor, 1940s

Photo by J Montasell, courtesy of Viv McComb.

I have just added a page of terrific photos of the Montasell farm in Keilor, and surrounds, taken in the 1940s. Antonio Montasell was a Catalan (Spanish) farmer, who leased a farm at Keilor for 10 years before moving to Deer Park and buying his own place.  The photo above, not actually on the farm, is of the Keilor Lagoon.  

Midwives of Essendon and Flemington update 2019

Lucy Knight, in nurse's uniform with Una Knight, in front of St Mary's,

Lake Bolac, circa 1910 State Library of Victoria Collection, H2002.18/61.

I have updated the list of midwives who operated in Essendon, Ascot Vale, Moonee Ponds, Flemington and Kensington, from certificates sighted over a period of years.  The list will tell you the years and suburbs they worked in, and the names of the doctors they worked with. 

You can find the list of Midwives and also an updated list of Doctors on the Time Travellers website.

Percy H Judd, House and Land Agent, Ascot Vale

Source: State Library of Victoria, 'Cheltenham Cycle Club Outings, ca 1897'. 

Actual date closer to 1906-07. Photo by T J A Tinker, Moonee Ponds.  

 http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/295597

The State Library of Victoria has two photographs relating to the business of Percy H Judd, House and Land Agent, which I have investigated, with some further assistance from Alex Bragiola, to establish the location of each of the buildings - one 'Opposite Station' Ascot Vale, and the other in Union Rd, Ascot Vale.  I have created a page on the website to reveal what I learnt.

Another interesting feature of those two photos is the previously unknown photographer, T J A Tinker.  There is a further webpage about T J A Tinker and his activities.

New School Photos for Time Travellers

We have some new school photos on the Time Travellers website, including the above class photo from Aberfeldie State School, Grade 1E, 1949.   Further Aberfeldie photos are now on the website, as well as another for Ascot Vale State School and the Flemington State School.  Click here to go to the Time Travellers'  website.

A glimpse of Little Zion, Flemington

Little Zion Chapel in its original location near the creek, 1866. Original held by the Essendon Historical Society.

The above image of Little Zion is a detail from an 1866 photograph taken by Nettleton from the Moonee Ponds Creek, looking north. The chapel is identifiable by the rounded windows along its side wall. During flooding of the creek, the chapel was subject to inundation, and in time it was put on wheels and moved up the hill in Mt Alexander Rd to a position behind the Wesleyan Church.  The original location of the chapel was described as on the corner of Pitt St and Flemington Rd, though by Flemington Rd most likely Mt Alexander Rd was meant.

Detail of MMBW plan from 1900 showing Pitt St on the right and Mt Alexander Rd on the left.  In this plan Pitt St continued right through Debney's Park until it met up with Mt Alexander Rd. Moonee Ponds Creek ran just below this part of the plan. State Library of Victoria, MMBW plan, 1900.    http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/121268

Little Zion chapel.  Source: The Newsletter, Essendon Historical Society, Issue 179, page 8, Jun-Jul 2005.

Marked on the map detail above is the approximate location of the children when the photo was taken, looking to the right.  Behind them is the school building.  The Sunday School building is seen over their left shoulder.  Little Zion sits between the Church and the Sunday School, with perhaps only a bump of the roof visible in the photo of the children.   State Library of Victoria, MMBW plan 1900,   http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/121252

Photo: courtesy of Warren Delbridge.

A Training School is one which takes student teachers for training (as opposed to a Teachers' College) and they get to train on real pupils.   The girl on the right of the photo is Grace Adams, who was born in 1915, grand-daughter of the Morgans of the Cross Keys Hotel, Essendon.  In this photo Grace appears to be eight or nine, which would make the date of the photo about 1923-24.  This photo depicts the grounds of the older Flemington school on the west side of the road, where the Mt Alexander College is currently situated. The new Flemington school was officially opened in November 1923.
(FLEMINGTON STATE SCHOOL. (1923, November 24). The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), p. 27.  http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article1991151)

The young scout standing at the back on the right may have belonged to the 6th Melbourne Scouts, if his scarf is anything to go by.  If you know any of these young people, please let us know.

On the left is the Flemington school building, on the right is the Sunday School, and somewhere in the centre is the Little Zion Chapel. The building in the background to the right is the Sunday School, erected facing Bignell St at the rear of the Wesleyan Church on Mt Alexander Rd, Flemington.
 

From the above aerial photo taken in 1945, Little Zion appears to have been moved for a second time to make room for a new building of a similar size beside it.  Courtesy of Alex Bragiola.

The Wesleyan Sunday School, facing Bignell St, Flemington. Source: Souvenir of the Flemington Methodist Sunday School Centenary Celebrations, 1858-1958.

At the back of the school, looking east. The children were photographed standing in front of the section on the left.  Courtesy:   Alex Bragiola