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!

Nothing but Fun at the Moonee Ponds Meths!

Moonee Ponds Methodist Church, circa 1916.  Courtesy of the McDonald family.

This photo shows the vista along Pratt Street of the Moonee Ponds Methodist Church which the Victoria Heritage Register considered so significant it made up part of the statement of significance for the church.    The Moonee Valley Council, which doesn't pay any attention to heritage significance, has reduced this vista to a shadow of its former self.  Let's remember that when we vote in the next Council election.

This church was the centre of a busy social scene in the early 20th Century which is amply illustrated by the McDonald family photo collection which we are now privileged to see.  The photos cover the Moonee Ponds Methodist Debating Society,  the Moonee Ponds Methodist Cricket Club,  the Wattle Club for boys, and various Sunday School picnics and tennis parties. If you go to the Time Travellers Church webpage, you will find a list of pages associated with the church.  Many of the group photos have unknown faces in them, so if your relatives attended this church between 1916 and 1925 you might help us with identifying them.  

The McDonald brothers Bert and Harold attended Essendon State School so there are now additional class photos, from 1902 to 1908, to the one mentioned in the post  last Wednesday.  The brothers played cricket for the Moonee Ponds Methodist church, but in the 1920s played in a premiership team for the North Essendon Methodist Church Cricket Club.

The elder brother Bert McDonald joined the AIF in 1917, but was discharged for medical reasons before embarkation.   Several of his friends from the Wattle Club joined up, and the McDonald photo collection contains a handful of snaps of those young men, in particular Arthur Hutchison who played in the North Essendon Methodist Cricket Club; and Alec Hosking and Bill Heathershaw.  Other friends who joined up are included in the photo of the the Moonee Ponds Methodist premiership cricket  team of 1912-1913. Some of these have been identified, but others not.

The junior Wattle Club, circa 1916.