‘I didn’t know that about Whitehorse’ -I came across this statement many times while researching the history of the significant people, houses and buildings on this website.
Many local residents did not know that the European history of Whitehorse began in 1837 (two years after Melbourne was founded) or the existence and location of heritage homes and precincts in Whitehorse or the existence, history and location of Schwerkolt Cottage and the Woodhouse Grove Chapel.
The lack of people’s awareness of our heritage inspired me to research people and other issues that were important in the early development of Whitehorse.
In this section I will periodically publish different interesting items I have come across in regards to the heritage of Whitehorse. The items such as people, places and events on the page will change over time when new information is found.
‘Land prices rose sharply after the first two sales in 1850 and 1851, and those who bought then for £1 or £2 an acre could afford to smile’, according to Andrew Lemons book Box Hill. John Dane almost immediately sold part of his Koonung Creek property (which he had bought in 1851) to Joseph Aspinall, for £7 an acre.
John Dane was born in 1810 in Killyhewlin Ireland; he was the son of Captain John Dane Snr. and Margaret Dane (Humphrys). Captain John Dane Snr. was stationed in Quebec with the 98th Regiment of Foot when he married Margaret in 1808. Margaret’s father was Captain Richard Humphrys who served as the Aide De Camp to the Duke of Gloucester.
In 1825 John Dane jnr was commissioned and served in a number of Regiments including the 28th (North Gloucestershire) Regiment of Foot, 37th (North Hampshire) Regiment of Foot, 62nd (Wiltshire) Regiment of Foot, the 98th Regiment of Foot, the 57th Regiment of Foot and the 53rd Regiment of Foot as Captain.
In 1834 John jnr married Mary Hayes while he was stationed in Madras, India. Mary Hayes was born in England in 1818; she was the daughter of John and Anne Hayes.
John jnr and Mary had three children - Juliana born in 1838 in Madras, India; Paul born in 1843 in Cornwall, England and Mary Jnr. born in 1852 in Melbourne. According to Burke's Irish Family Records they also had a son named John who died in 1860.
The Burke's Irish Family Records mentions that ‘He (John jnr) emigrated to Australia arriving on 1847 where he took a grant of land in Victoria’ and the Parliament of Victoria Member Biographies also mentions that John Jnr. ‘arrived Melbourne Aug. 1851, possibly for the second time’. It appears that John Jnr. may have sailed to Melbourne in 1847, returned to India to sell his commission and then returned to Melbourne in 1851, since according to Allen’s Indian Mail Gazette - John sold his commission to a ‘Lieut. William Payn, to be Capt. by purch. v. Dane, who retires. Date 14th March, 1851’.
In 1851 he bought 229 acres (Crown allotment 12) in the Nunawading District (Box Hill North) along the Koonung Creek, but he did not live there. By December, 1851 he was appointed Assistant Gold Commissioner of Bendigo.
After John Dane jnr sold part of his Koonung creek property which he had bought in 1851 to Joseph Aspinall. Aspinall named it Woodhouse Grove and he and his wife Jane were living there when their second child, Mary Jane, was born on 1 January 1852 (according to Andrew Lemons book Box Hill).
'The Aspinall’s had come to Melbourne in 1849. Joseph was alleged to have done very well for himself in a short time at the Ballarat gold diggings in 1851, and it was from the proceeds of this that he purchased the Nunawading land’ - according to Andrew Lemons book Box Hill.
Did John Dane jnr and Joseph Aspinall know each other from their time on the gold fields?
In February, 1852 John Dane jnr resigned from his position as Assistant Gold Commissioner and returned to Melbourne where he bought a 90 acre allotment in Eltham; an 18 and 15 acre allotment in the Parish of Prahran; two five acre allotments in the Parish of Buninyong and a 100 acre allotment again in the Nunawading District. This Nunawading allotment was on the southern side of Riversdale Rd near the corner of Station St in Box Hill South with Gardiners Creek running through it.
In 1853 he was elected to the Victorian Legislative Council for South Bourke, Evelyn and Mornington - a seat he held until resigning in November 1854. Also in 1853 he purchased land in Boroondara and had properties in Collingwood and South Melbourne.
In 1853 he was elected to the Victorian Legislative Council representing the electorate of South Bourke, Evelyn and Mornington but resigned in 1854.
In 1864 he was elected to the Victorian Legislative Assembly representing the electorate of Warnambool and served until 1865. He contested other seats including South Bourke in 1864, Evelyn in 1868 and the East Bourke Boroughs in 1874.
According to the ‘Biographical Register of the Victorian Parliament 1859-1900’ John Dane jnr was a Protectionist and was associated with the British Reform League 1865 and the Melbourne based National Reform and Protection League.
The Reform League was formed in England in 1865 to lobby the government for ‘universal male suffrage’ - a form of voting rights in which all adult male citizens within a political system are allowed to vote regardless of income, property, religion, race, or any other qualification.
Australia’s first mass political party, the National Reform and Protection League was founded by three time Victorian Premier Graham Berry in 1877. The party developed a network of more than 150 branches across Victoria. Its candidates were pre-selected prior to election with its parliamentary members meeting as a caucus and were expected to vote as a bloc.
Around 1878 John jnr lived on a 320 acre farm on the outskirts of Altmore near Warragul in the County of Buln Buln until 1882. In 1882 he moved to moved to Sydney to live with his daughter Mary Jnr. and her husband Wellington Carrington.
John Dane jnr died in 1882 in Campbelltown and his wife Mary in 1903 in St. Kilda.
The Dane family had many connections with significant families in the Colonies of New South Wales and New Zealand.
Mary Carrington (nee Dane) – Daughter of John Dane jnr
John and Mary’s daughter Mary Jnr. married Wellington Carrington in 1879 in Melbourne. Wellington was born in 1849 in Taranaki; New Zealand was the son of Augustus and Mary Carrington (nee Roberts). Augustus was a prominent Surveyor in the development of New Zealand being involved in surveying New Plymouth, Akaroa, Lyttelton, Waitara and Taranaki. His brother Frederick also a Surveyor is often referred to as the “the founder of Taranaki”.
Paul Dane – Son of John Dane jnr
Paul followed in his father’s footsteps into the military and travelled to England where he purchased a commission as Ensign in 1860 in the 45th Regiment of Foot - he later attained the rank of Lieutenant. The regiment was based in Nottinghamshire in England and was deployed to Gibraltar, Ethiopia, Nova Scotia, America and Austria.
In 1866 Paul was discharged from the army.
In 1867 Paul, his parents and sisters sailed from Plymouth to Melbourne onboard the sailing ship Somersetshire.
Paul later went into partnership with Edward Darvall. Edward Darvall was the son of Sir John Darvall who was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council, Legislative Assembly and also held the positions of Solicitor General and Attorney General at various times. Together Paul and Edward formed the brokerage firm of Dane and Darvall, but in 1873 the firm was dissolved by mutual consent.
Paul did not marry and died in Burnett St, St Kilda in 1879 aged 36 and left his estate to Richard Dane. In his Will Paul refer’s to Richard as ‘his brother’. I have not found any record of John Dane and Mary having a son named Richard. Yet Richard is also referred to in John Dane jnr’s 1882 Will as ‘his son Richard Dane’.
Richard Dane was born in Bengal in India in 1841 and later enlisted in the 58th Regiment of Foot in Bengal. In the 1861 British census he was with his regiment in Yorkshire and is listed aged twenty with the rank of Lieutenant.
In 1877 Richard sailed from London onboard the Lusitania to Melbourne and on the passenger list his occupation is listed as 'clerk'. In Melbourne he also lived in Burnett St in St Kilda. In the 1878 Victorian Government Gazette his occupation is listed as 'magistrate' in the Eastern Bailiwick of Buln Buln. Richard died in 1895 at the Melbourne Eastern Hospital.
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Ranulph Dacre was a contributor to the early development of Whitehorse, Sydney, New Zealand and the South Pacific but he seems to have been overshadowed by his business partner Henry Elgar.
The following extract is from the essay Ranulph Dacre and Patuone’s top knot which was written by New Zealand historian Frank Rogers -
‘Ranulph Dacre’s career as an entrepreneur covers the pre – colonial periods of Pacific trade. He was a pioneer of maritime-merchant enterprise based firstly in New South Wales and then in New Zealand when it was desirable to have a number of skills in addition to commercial expertise and organisational ability to embark on Maori – Pakeha trading – knowledge of the language, seamanship appropriate to maritime trade, command of resources, and the temperament to have mana among the Maori’.
Ranulph was born in London in 1797; he was the son of George and Julia Dacre of Marwell Hall, Hampshire. His father was a colonel of the Hampshire Militia and a sheriff of the county in 1790. Ranulph’s occupations included Naval Officer, Sea Captain, Merchant and Agent.
In 1810 Ranulph entered the navy as a midshipman and served during the Napoleonic Wars. From 1812 to 1813 he served in the American war on a frigate blockading the Atlantic ports. By 1816 he gained the rank of Lieutenant, resigned his commission and became Captain of merchant ship trading with the West Indies for Robert Brooks of London.
In 1823 he visited New South Wales for the first time as commander of the sailing ship Elizabeth. He then became part owner of the schooner Endeavour and conducted trade with the Society Islands and New Zealand. Between 1825 and 1831 he traded along the east coast of Australia, to New Zealand, and made two more voyages between London and Sydney.
Around 1830 he sold his property in England and applied for a grant of land in New South Wales but his application was refused.
In 1831 he settled in Sydney and married Margaret Sea.
Margaret Sea was born in 1809 in Kent, England; Margaret’s parents were Henry and Elizabeth Sea (nee Peppercorne). Her father, Henry Sea was a merchant in Sydney.
Also in 1831, Ranulph won a contract to supply masts to the British Admiralty. Two attempts at setting up logging camps in New Zealand failed due to attacks by the Maoris and then a competitor stealing his logs.
In 1835 Ranulph Dacre went into partnership with William Wilks and set up a mercantile and shipping agency in Sydney which traded in whale oil, sandalwood, kauri timber, greenstone and flax. In 1838 the agency was dissolved but Ranulph continued the business alone.
Between 1838 and 1839 Ranulph bought land (Lot 78) in between Johnson St and the Yarra River in Collingwood in Melbourne (then part of the Colony of New South Wales). He was appointed an Assessor (Cost Assessor) of the Supreme Court in Sydney and he also organised the first expedition with Richard Jones and Henry Elgar to the Isle of Pines to set up a trading post dealing in Sandalwood.
By 1840 he owned a wharf in Sydney, was a director of the Union Bank of Australia and the Sydney Alliance Assurance Co and he was appointed a Magistrate.
His businesses extended to Hawaii and to South Seas whaling. He was the owner of several ships, including the Julia, the Diana, and the Wave and, with Alexander Fotheringham, the whaler Porteous.
In 1841 Ranulph, John Jones, Harriet Sea and Henry Elgar formed a consortium and purchased 5,120 acres in a Special survey in the Boroondara and Nunawading district. The special survey was named the ‘Boroondara Estate’ but it was later referred to as ‘Elgar’s Special Survey’; Elgar Road was named after Henry Elgar. The area of land covered by Special survey was bordered by Elgar Rd in the east, Burke Rd in the west, Canterbury Rd in the south and the Koonung Creek in the north.
In 1843, Ranulph and Henry Elgar hired surveyor Frederick Peppercorne to mark Balwyn and Union Roads on the map. Frederick Peppercorne was Ranulph’s cousin in law.
An 1845 survey map of the Boroondara Estate has the land subdivided into 27 lots –
Henry Elgar
According to historian Bob Kerr ‘In July 1840 he (Henry Elgar) travelled with his wife and a servant to the Port Phillip District of New South Wales from Manila, arriving in September 1840, and after a brief stay they sailed to Sydney arriving on 5th October, 1840. In total he was in Australia for sixteen months and during that time his wife Ana gave birth to a daughter, who died aged 3 months. Also, Elgar purchased a Special Survey. At the age of 25 it is unlikely he had the means to finance such a venture on his own. He did borrow two thousand pounds from Alexander Dyce in 1841 in Sydney, and more from him in 1842 in Manila’.
‘Elgar made several trips to Port Phillip before they left Sydney on the 4th January 1842 and he never visited Australia again’.
‘Dyce owed the merchant company he worked for - Martin, Dyce & Co. - about ten thousand pounds. His estate included land titles for parts of Elgar's survey, which Elgar had given him as part repayment of the loan of two thousand pounds mentioned above. In 1850 the sale of nine sections of land brought in five thousand pounds which was not enough to pay back his creditors. In the 1860s, land titles moved from 'old' law to 'new' and questions arose about the validity of sale procedures for land in Elgar's Survey’.
‘In the 1844 marriage record of his (Henry Elgar’s) sister Margaret to Alexander Dyce in Manila, Henry Elgar signed his name 'H. Elgar.' His signature never appears on any other document’.
Harriet Sea (Ranulph’s sister in law)
Harriet is of interest to Whitehorse in that she owned one lot in Elgar’s Special Survey, but her brother Henry Sea is also an interesting person. He had strong connections with Hawaii which was an area in which Ranulph Dacre also had trading connections and interests.
Henry Sea sailed from London to Sydney in 1837 on board the Achilles. He later sailed to Tahiti where he served as Secretary to the British Consulate.
In 1842 he sailed to Honolulu, Hawaii where he served as Secretary to the British Commission and later to the Consul General.
In 1845 he was appointed Marshall of the Hawaiian Islands. In 1846 Henry married Maria
L Kauapi'iokamaka'ala Sumner the daughter of Captain William Sumner and High Chiefess Keakua'aihue Kanealai Hua. Captain Sumner was an early Hawaiian pioneer.
In an interesting aside - in the 1845 Boroondara Estate survey map shows two dwellings referred to as ‘shanty’ located near the intersection of the Bushy and Koonung Creek’s. Could these dwellings be the first European structures to be built in Whitehorse?
During the Depression of 1842-1844 Ranulph Dacre lost all his businesses. He travelled to New Zealand, the Society Islands and then to Hawaii to collect debts and wind up his affairs.
In 1844 after settling his claim to the spar (ships mast) business in New Zealand he began to prosper again as a merchant and ship owner. In 1859 after many years of travelling between Sydney and Auckland he and his family moved to Auckland and became one of its well known and respected residents.
In 1878 Ranulph and Margaret Dacre returned to England where Ranulph died in Surrey in 1884 and Margaret in Wandsworth in 1885.
'He lived to survive a series of changes. As a seaman he participated in the transition from wooden ship to iron vessels, and from sail to steam; to see trading by barter with Maori evolve into a money and market economy. He observed the consequences of the Treaty of Waitangi, the establishment of British government, Land wars and their inconclusive settlement, and the development of a vigorous pastoral economy in which his merchant firm was able to flourish’
Source: Ranulph Dacre and Patuone’s top knot, 1995
It seems that there is no information in or around the City of Whitehorse about Ranulph Dacre and John Dane’s contributions to our early heritage, even though they were the first Europeans to buy land in what would become the City of Whitehorse.
Whitehorse Council and others interested in our heritage should implement strategies to inform local residents and visitors of the contributions Ranulph Dacre and John Dane made to our early heritage.
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©Whitehorse Heritage
Also known as the Box Hill RSL Memorial Hall – 1920 to 1951 and as the Box Hill City Library – 1951 to 1973.
During WW1 there were a number of organisations in Box Hill that assisted returned serviceman with financial support and finding work. These organisations included the Box Hill Ladies Patriotic League, Box Hill Australian Natives Association and the Box Hill Sailors and Soldiers League.
On November 11,1918 the Armistice was signed between the Allies and Germany to end the First World War.
In March 1919 at a meeting of the Nunawading Council the Box Hill Wattle Club suggested that a plan for converting the Box Hill State School on Whitehorse Rd into a technical school include a Memorial Hall. The suggestion was not implemented.
The Returned Soldiers and Sailors Imperial League of Australia (R.S.S.I.L.A) - Box Hill sub branch was formed in September 1919 and was declared open in October by Brigadier General Lloyd.
In October 1919 the renowned Australian architect Harold Desbrowe Annear submitted a proposed design to the Nunawading Shire Council for a combination memorial hall and triumphal arch in Box Hill at a cost of £4000 (equivalent to $332,000 today). This proposal did not get built. In Steven Cooke’s book ‘One Hundred years in the making, Box Hill RSL 1920 -2020’ he mentions: ‘Too triumphalist, and perhaps more importantly, too expensive, the shire would have a separate memorial and more modest meeting spaces’.
It appears that the journey of getting a Memorial Hall built in Box Hill got off to a rocky start. By December 1919 various locations for a Memorial Hall were being discussed by a number of organisations such as the ‘Welcome Home League’ and these included the local M.L.A and a number of Nunawading Shire councillors, but no decision could be reached.
At a council meeting in January 1920 and reported in The Reporter Box Hill, Cr Ellingworth stated ‘Any appeal for a memorial hall to the council would have his strongest opposition’. It appears Cr Ellingworth later changed his mind and was in favour of building the Memorial Hall.
A design for the Memorial Hall was submitted at a Nunawading Council meeting by the Box Hill Memorial Club Rooms Citizens Committee and the local branch of the Returned Soldiers’ League in May 1920 and was reported in an article in The Reporter Box Hill on May 21, 1920 mentioning that:
‘A rough plan had been prepared of a building in brick, and it would look very nice on that particular spot. Erected on an octagonal design, it would not be an eyesore, but an ornament to the place’.
In the book Box Hill by Andrew Lemon in regard to the Memorial Hall mentions: ‘in the meantime, with the consent of the Council, the R.S.L. built a memorial hall and club room in the eastern most reserve in the centre of White Horse Road. It was described as a ‘unique and substantial design’ – an eight-sided red brick building in the shape of a field tent’.
The proposed location was in the central reserve in Whitehorse Rd. to the north of the Box Hill Town Hall and directly south of Court St. Box Hill.
During 1920 there were a number of council and public meetings to discuss the issue of building a Memorial Hall in Box Hill. Eventually at a council meeting in May 1920 the Nunawading Shire Council granted permission to the R.S.L. to use the land on Whitehorse Rd as the site for the Memorial Hall. At the meeting Cnr Young stated ‘They could not get this land as a gift, as it would always belong to the council or the government. The argument had been used that there would be no soldiers in five or ten years’ time, but if they then wished to give the building up it would revert back to the council, which would also have a big say in its management. The league would have no objection to the president and councillors being trustees of the property'.
Cr Ellingworth also stated ‘it was not possible to select a better position for the purpose intended, but they could not possible transfer or sell a portion of the road. Trustees would have to be elected in a satisfactory manner, and the building vested in the shire. The council would then be responsible for its proper upkeep and control’.
In June 1920 the Nunawading Shire Council granted approval for the construction of the Memorial Hall. The Reporter Box Hill on July 9, 1920 that Council continues to deliberate the proposed Memorial ‘That £10001be placed on estimate of expenditure for next municipal year for erection of proposed Returned Sailors’ and Soldiers’ memorial at Box Hill, and council appoint a committee to consider and report on matter of details for carrying out of work. – The president, and Crs. Young, Husband, Stevens, Hurter and Garrett were appointed’. 1Equivalent to $83,000 today.
On August 28th1920 the foundation stone for the Memorial Hall was laid by Ella Mates ‘on behalf of the Committee of Citizens of Box Hill’. Ella Mates was the daughter of Thomas Mates a prominent Box Hill businessman who donated £2002to the Memorial Hall building fund and had built the ‘New Theatre’ near the corner of Whitehorse Rd and Watts St. Ella later married Councillor William Boyland. 2Equivalent to $16,600 today
Then on September 3, 1920 it is reported ‘The shire solicitors forwarded a draft suggestion for the soldiers’ memorial at Box Hill. Referred to Public Works committee’.
And two weeks later on September 17, 1920 The Reporter Box Hill says ‘That draft of agreement in reference to Returned Sailors’ and Soldiers’ club-rooms be adopted and sent along to Box Hill sub-branch Returned Sailors’ and Soldiers’ Imperial League for consideration’.
In October 1920 in The Argus newspaper states that the Shire of Nunawading ran a competition for ‘Designs for a Sailors and Soldiers Memorial at Box Hill are invited’. The ‘Closing date for submission of designs, 15th November, 1920’. Yet, it is reported on November 12, 1920 ‘The Nunawading (late Box Hill) branch of the Returned Sailors and Soldiers Imperial League suggested that a conference be held between the council’s Public Works committee and the branch in connection with a permissive occupancy over certain land for the erection of a memorial hall in Box Hill’. – conference to be held at the next committee meeting, with power to act’.
‘Mr Boyland explained that in the course of a few weeks the Sailors and Soldiers Memorial Hall in Box Hill would be opened’.
The closing date for the design competition for the Memorial Hall was November 15,1920 yet the building seems to be already under construction and nearing completion.
Then on November 26,1920 The Reporter Box Hill announces ‘The erection of the new sailors and soldiers memorial rooms in the ovals in White Horse- road, Box Hill, has been completed’.
Three days later The Reporter Box Hill mentioned on November 29,1920 that ‘The Returned Soldiers’ Memorial Club rooms opened at Box Hill have been handed over to the local branch free of debt, the whole cost of £1200 for the erection of the building having been subscribed by the public. Funds are being raised in order to furnish the hall for the soldiers’
The RSL Memorial Hall was a busy social hub for many years and hosted events including Horticultural Shows, charity fundraising, Billiard’s tournaments and Golf Gymkhana’s during WW2 to assist the war fund, the annual Returned Soldiers Ball and was temporally used as Baby Health Care Centre in the mid 1920’s. The ‘Box Hill Diggers Cricket Club’ and the ‘Box Hill Diggers Football Club’ were also created in the early 1920’s.
For 31 years the Memorial Hall continued to operate from Whitehorse Rd until the RSL purchased Upton House on Thames St, Box Hill in August 1950 after it ‘was passed in at £7,5003 or £1000 short of the reserve’, the RSL then moved to Upton House. In the book ‘One Hundred Years in the Making Box Hill RSL 1920 – 2020’ by Steven Cooke mentions: ‘By August 1951 work on Upton House had commenced supported by £2,500 from the local council in return for quitting the Memorial Hall on Whitehorse Road’. 3 Equivalent to $460,885.71 today.
The Memorial Hall was refurbished and in October 1951 it was reopened as the Box Hill City Library. This highly valued community asset of a unique design, successfully operated as a library for 22 years until in June 1973 the Box Hill Council decided to demolish the Memorial Hall/Box Hill City Library.
The campaign to save the Memorial Hall/Library
There was a public backlash against the council’s decision. A protest petition and many letters of protest were sent to the council and a 150 people attended a council meeting in an attempt to get the decision to demolished the former Memorial Hall/Library overturned.
In an article published in the Box Hill Gazette in May 1973 mentions:
Pupils want a coffee shop
TUG-O-WAR ON LIBRARY
‘Students from seven Box Hill schools have mounted a big campaign to obtain use of the old library building in Whitehorse Road. Last week, students, headed by Louis Vangytenbeek, 17, of the Box Hill High School, and Elisabeth Curtis, submitted a 1,897 signature petition to council.
The students strongly oppose the defeated Chamber of Commerce suggestion that the building be demolished to make way for a car park.
The chamber had described the 53-year-old building as an unaesthetic mass of mortar.
Council has also heard pleas from people who regard the building as one of Box Hill’s historical landmarks.
A Croydon resident Mrs A. B. Ives wrote to council last month that she and other residents of Croydon had been distressed to learn of the chamber’s suggestion, which she described as ‘callous’ and ‘short - sighted’.
‘Mrs Ives suggested the building could continue as a theatre, arts and crafts centre, or a historical gallery.
But pupils have a different role for the building after the library moves to its new $600,000 premises. They want to run a coffee shop “so that the young people of Box Hill will have somewhere to go”.
Another article published in the Box Hill Gazette in August 1973 mentions:
Landmark is going
‘Council decided on demolition after it was told by its consultants, architects Graeme M. McDonald and Associates, that the restoration of the building would cost $14,000’. The architects report points to extensive cracks in footings, inner and outer walls, sagging rafters and the need to rebuild the entire roof’.
In an article published in the Box Hill Gazette on September 12, 1973 mentions:
Bid to save old library
‘Cr Ron Thomson last week gave notice he would move at the next council meeting to rescind a motion to demolish the building’.
‘Cr Stan Dwyer was overseas at the time. Since his return, he told a council meeting he felt the council had decided to demolish an historic building which, “with its unique design, has no equal in Melbourne”.
‘Former councillor Mr Alan Broadhead, who opposed Cr Dewar on the grounds that the building had been certified unsafe, said he would like council to consider building a similar one in another part of Box Hill’.
In an article published in the Whitehorse Standard on September 25, 1973 it mentions:
Library will fall after 11th hour bid
‘An 11th hour bid to save the old Box Hill library on Whitehorse Rd. has failed. In a final council decision, the library will be demolished. This follows the defeat of a motion to rescind council’s previous decision to pull it down. The estimated 150 persons in the gallery and adjoining passages – an unusually large crowd for Box Hill – were obviously disappointed at the result. Three local organisations and six private citizens had asked that the building be retained for use as a museum, for meeting and cultural purposes’.
In October 1973 the Memorial Hall/Library was demolished.
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©Whitehorse Heritage
The story of the manmade Blackburn Lake is one of lost opportunities, corporate greed, foresight and a lasting built legacy left by the Blackburn residents George A. Goodwin and Thomas R. B. Morton.
The geography of the area before the lake was created is described in an article from Victoria's Resources' Dec 1970 - Feb 1971 titled Blackburn Lake: a unique natural sanctuary and field study centre,1970 by Jean F. Field:
The reservoir was sited near the head of a tributary of Gardiner’s Creek, where the tributary had commenced to cut a deep, narrow valley at the edge of the plateau residual. This ‘deep, narrow valley’ may have taken thousands of years to form.
In 1855 the Victorian State government conducted the first sale of Crown lands in the part of the Nunawading District (City of Whitehorse) now known as Blackburn. John Woods (sometimes spelt Wood) purchased allotments 79,80,81,90,91 and 92. His allotments were bordered by Canterbury Rd in the south, Whitehorse Rd in the north, Florence St in the east and Main St in the west totalling 489 acres. Allotments 79,80 and 81 would eventually be where the Blackburn Lake was created. In the early years of his ownership, John had two tenants on his land who are mentioned in an 1856 advertisement in The Argus newspaper - 'Legislative Assembly. Supplementary List John Wood, Collingwood, builder, freehold, Bourke District Land, Nunawading, tenants, White and McGregor.'
In 1882 the Blackburn Railway station was opened and in the same year Melbourne businessman and M.L.A Mathew Davies founded the Freehold Investment and Banking Company Limited (F.I.B.C.L). The board of the company was made up of Melbourne businessmen including as Managing Director his brother Joseph B Davies and as Directors James Balfour, M.L.C., Charles Henry James and James Moodie. By c1884 Thomas R. B. Morton joined the company as Secretary.
Prior to joining the F.I.B.C.L Thomas R. B. Morton was appointed as the Government Auditor of ‘municipal accounts’ of various local councils. Thomas R. B. Morton lived in Blackburn from c1890 where he built the now council heritage protected house at 2 Gordon Crescent (named Clonmore) and later ran a well-known real estate business in the area and in Melbourne for many years. His house Clonmore was designed by A. E. Clarke who also designed the heritage listed house at what is now 87 Dorking Rd, Box Hill North for Mr. William H. Thodey.
You can read about William H. Thodey and A. E. Clarke on the McCook House page of the Whitehorse Heritage website here: McCook house Dorking Rd
Also, in 1882 John Woods sold allotments 79,80 and 81 to Edwin and Frederick Purches who then sold it to George S Coppin who then sold it to the Freehold Investment and Banking Company Limited but the final payment was not made to George Coppin until 1886. In the Crown grants, Parish of Nunawading, County of Bourke records states 13 May 1886, £9668.50 paid by Freehold Investment Co. to G.C... George S Coppin was a famous Melbourne businessman, theatrical entrepreneur, politician and philanthropist in the late 19th century. You can read about George S Coppin on the Royal Historical Society of Victoria website here: Cremorne Gardens & George Coppin - Royal Historical Society of Victoria
In 1885 The Blackburn Brick Works was opened in Alfred St close to the newly opened Blackburn railway station. In the book Blackburn – a Picturesque History, 1978 by Robin De Costa she mentions:
‘The first bricks of the Blackburn Brick Works were made by hand about 1885. The pits were originally opened by C.G. Miller, T.R.B Morton and E.W Parry, to provide clay for brick making. Initially the bricks were used to construct two square kilns and essential buildings. They erected a Hoffman kiln and up to 1895, when work ceased they produce about 150,000 bricks per year’.
In 1887 the Freehold Investment and Banking Company Limited bought an additional 1000 acres of land in Blackburn and transferred the title of the land to their subsidiary the Blackburn Company. The land was purchased to create the township of Blackburn with a lake used as a selling point as well as being its main attraction.
In the book Blackburn – a Picturesque History, 1978 by Robin De Costa she mentions:
First of all, the Freehold Investment and Banking Company of Australia Ltd., together with the Freehold Bank bought out a number of local land -owners, including John Quinlan, Alfred Rawlings, Furzer and Watt, W. Collis (who had a brickworks on his land), John Paton, H.R. Kerford, G.A. Gardiner, J.H. Watts and G.A. Goodwin.
In 1893 the renowned Australian artist Frederick McCubbin and his family were living at what is now 7 Wolseley Cres, Blackburn. In the same year he painted the famous Bush Idyll with the Blackburn Lake in the background and Feeding Time.
Thomas R.B. Morton
By 1888 T.R.B Morton was the Secretary of the Blackburn Company and the Freehold Investment and Banking Company Limited and also at one time the Manager of the Freehold Bank. In the same year he was elected as a councillor in the Nunawading Shire Council and went on to serve as president from 1891 to 1892 before retiring in 1897. He then came out of retirement and was re-elected in 1899 becoming president again in 1900. He obviously like being on the Council and went on to serve a further two terms with a third term in 1909 to 1910 and finally a fourth term from 1918 to 1919.
Also, in 1888 the Blackburn Company built an embankment made up of handmade bricks (from the Blackburn Brick Works) on the Gardiner’s Creek (originally known as Kooyongkoot Creek) to create the Blackburn Lake. In a study titled Blackburn Lake: a unique natural sanctuary and field study centre,1970 by Jean F. Field’ mentions:
The embankment was raised effectively to the level of the gently undulating land into which the steep valley was incised, so that the level of the resulting reservoir, and of the present lake, blended smoothly in a natural manner into the surrounding landscape.
In an article in July 1889 in The Reporter – Box Hill in regard to the purchase, preparation and the creation of the land for the building of the township of Blackburn it is mentioned:
‘one of the principal attractions which the town possesses is a lake, the greater part of which is natural, the only artificial work being a ponderous earth embankment, which, besides banking up the water, answers the purpose of a bridge along the route of Canterbury road. In some parts of the lake the water is fully 50 feet deep, and when the water rises to a certain height it runs into a bi-wash, thence into the bed of the lake, and eventually finds its way to the sea. The scenery around the lake is romantic, and when ones in the centre of the bank and casts his eye up the lake he is able to revel in the beauties of nature’.
‘a company which was well known as the ‘’Blackburn Company’’, purchased a large area of land on both sides of the railway for the purpose of establishing and forming a new township in close proximity to the Blackburn railway station. The management of the estate was entrusted to the care of Mr. G.A. Goodwin, who selected the land and made the purchase on behalf of the company. Though only some two years have passed since the land was bought by the company, the substantial improvements in the way of street formation, and the erection of pretty and substantial buildings is surprising and incredible.’
‘in preparing this site for a township Mr. Goodwin had first to remove the timber, and he has done so in such a manner that the place will always present a park like and romantic appearance’.
‘this is a very great improvement to the place, and shows that Mr. Goodwin has acted with care and discretion in carrying out the work allocated to him. It is the intention of the company to bring the estate under the Transfer of Land Statute, and at the present time proceedings are being taken to effect this desirable end’.
In 1888 George A. Goodwin and Thomas R. B. Morton were listed in advertisements as the representatives to contact to purchase land in the Blackburn Park subdivision.
By December 1889 the Blackburn Company had transferred the land to the Freehold Investment and Banking Company Limitedas an article in December 1889 in The Reporter – Box Hill mentions:
The directors of the Freehold Investment and Banking Company of Australia Lmtd., engaged a special train on Saturday, 29th November, and Conveyed about 200 ladies and gentlemen to their estate at Blackburn. At this time the subdivision was known as Blackburn Park and later as the Blackburn Township Estate.
In 1891 the Blackburn & Tunstall Property Co. Ltd was created to sell the subdivision. The book Blackburn – A Picturesque History by Robyn Da Costa mentions:
‘The following year a new company, of which Morton was a director, Blackburn & Tunstall Property Co., took over the Nunawading land of Freehold Investment and Banking Company. Some of the shareholders were connected with the earlier company and one or two were Blackburn residents. The value of the lands was nearly £250,000*, but the new company failed to raise enough money to pay for them, and as the Land Boom burst it was unable to sell land to meet its obligations’. * equivalent to $43,000,000 today.
‘It’s main shareholders were: ……..The only local shareholders were ……G.A. Goodwin, 50 shares…Mrs A. Goodwin 25 shares……T.R.B. Morton,250 shares’.
In October 1891 after posting an eight percent dividend the Freehold Banking and Investment Company went into liquidation. In February 1892 at a meeting of Freehold Investment and Banking Company shareholders Thomas R.B. Morton, C.G Miller, J.M. Gillespie and J.B. Davies the Managing Director were appointed liquidators of the company. It appears that after a number of unsuccessful attempts to restructure the company it was wound up in c1895.
George A. Goodwin
George A Goodwin’s involvement in the Nunawading District (City of Whitehorse) began in 1873 as The Age newspaper mentions: 'Mr. G. A. Goodwin informs us that he is coming out for South Bourke'. The electoral district of South Bourke ran from Templestowe to Dandenong and from Hawthorn to Vermont. George was unsuccessful in being nominated as a candidate.
In 1875 George’s occupation was listed as ‘Crown Land’s Agent’, but in the same year The Argus newspaper in regard to the local council elections mentions:
‘Shire of Nunawading – There will be contest in each of the ridings of this shire. The following are the nominations…. ‘Centre riding …. George A. Goodwin…...
There was one vacancy in the Central Riding for the position of ‘councillor’ with the Shire of Nunawading. Four candidates ran for election – George A Goodwin, John Keogh, J.C.M. Fisher, and Samuel Collier. George A Goodwin came fourth and therefore he was not elected.
In September 1877 George in conjunction with Ernest J Petherick held the first of their monthly auctions of farm animals at the Doncaster Hotel on the corner of Blackburn and Doncaster Rd’s.
According to Title records in 1877, George bought 25 acres of land in the Nunawading District in L.L. Vale at what is now 142 Boronia Rd, Vermont. At this time the Dandenong Creek ran along the eastern side of the property.
An advertisement in 1879 in The Argus newspaper placed by George Goodwin regarding the sale of the farm house/land mentions:
‘A Beautiful Situation, nice RESIDENCE,14 miles east of Melbourne, 26 acres, stream of water, fruit flower garden, cultivation paddock. Goodwin, 22 Swanston – street north’.
This above advertisement seems to indicate that the farm house/residence was built between 1877 and 1879.
By c1881 George and Annie may have been living in Blackburn as their children were born in Box Hill - Lottie in 1881, Ernest in 1883 and Frederick in 1885.
George was very busy in the real estate business as in 1880 he was operating a real estate business in Swanston St, Melbourne and by 1882 he was also operating a real estate business in Blackburn. An advertisement in The Age newspaper in December 1882 mentions:
‘At Box Hill, Blackburn, Emery’s-hill, Ringwood, Lilydale, - Land, all sizes and prices. Address Miller & Goodwin, land agents, Blackburn’.
It appears that the farm house/land in Vermont did not sell in 1879 as in 1882 George places an advertisement in The Age newspaper for the sale of the same farm house/land again:
‘A very choice spot, Land; fine fruit garden; commodious house; water frontage. Address Goodwin,
L. L. Vale’.
If you are interested in reading further about Goodwins farm house in Vermont you can read about it on the Vermont – A story of a community website here: Weston Favell (Greenways)
– it is an interesting story.
By 1886 George was conducting monthly auctions at Downing’s Travellers Rest Hotel in Blackburn -now the Blackburn Hotel.
1887 was a busy year for George as he was running monthly auctions at Downing's Travellers Rest Hotel as well as on site auctions of farms and homes. He was also appointed as land selector and developer by the Blackburn Company and was responsible for preparing the company’s land for the building of the new township of Blackburn. In the same year he placed advertisements in The Age newspaper for tenders for ‘sinking shaft’, ‘road making’, ‘clearing and grubbing 60 chains road’, ‘fencing’ and ‘supply 200,000 bricks’ and in 1888 ‘pump wanted, immediately, suitable draw water 300ft’.
In 1889 The Reporter mentions the number of people working on the Blackburn site: We believe we are correct in stating that there are 100 men employed upon the estate.
In 1890 George purchased land bordered by Chapel St, Whitehorse Rd and Railway Pde in Blackburn and in 1891 he built his home near the corner of Whitehorse Rd and Railway Pde, the area was later known as ‘Goodwins Corner’ for many years. He later built a small office on Railway Pde near Whitehorse Rd (near the pedestrian overpass) where he operated his auction business from.
As a result of the 1890’s Depression, land in the Blackburn Township Estate did not sell and it took many years for all of the land to be sold.
As already mentioned in the book Blackburn – A Picturesque History by Robyn Da Costa, George Goodwin and his family’s involvement is mentioned:
The company directors then formed a new Blackburn & Tunstall Property Co. Ltd to buy, sub divide and sell the Blackburn Township Estate. It’s main shareholders were: ……..The only local shareholders were ……G.A. Goodwin, 50 shares…Mrs A. Goodwin 25 shares……T.R.B. Morton,250 shares.
In 1891 George Goodwin, Thomas R. B. Morton, Captain Hanby and S. Collier ran as candidates in the Nunawading Shire Council elections for the Blackburn Riding, Thomas R. B. Morton was elected.
It appears that George and Thomas R. B. Morton continued to work together occasionally as they are listed as co-agents in selling properties.
George was very active in the community and in 1910 he was elected as the President of the Blackburn Progress Association, served as Chairman of the Blackburn State School committee, Secretary of the Blackburn Gymnasium Club and was the Vice president of the Blackburn Sports Club.
George A Goodwin died at his home Ferney on Whitehorse Rd, Blackburn in October 1916.
The meeting minutes of the Nunawading Shire Council were reported in the Camberwell and Hawthorn Advertiser in November 1916 and mentions:
Goodwin had interested himself in the early advancement of Blackburn, and practically at his instigation and enterprise was the formation of the Blackburn Lake; also in conjunction with Cr Morton and others was a member of the Company that built the hall; and he was likewise prominent in securing the beautiful grounds they have had there.
In 1908 the Adult Deaf and Blind Society bought 75 acres on the northern side of the lake including the Refreshment Rooms/Cottage, four row boats and a jetty that was built by the Freehold Investment and Banking Company Limited c1889. The society built a Federation/Queen Anne style home (opposite Gwenda Ave) that was opened in 1909 as the Home for Aged and Infirm and Training Farm for Feeble-Minded Deaf Mutes which was later renamed the Adult Deaf Society. Fourteen acres of the land around the main building were used to grow a variety of flowers including roses, carnations, chrysanthemums, dahlias, daffodils, violets and gladioli which were sold locally as cut flowers to hotels, boarding houses and markets in Melbourne for many years. This provided work for the residents and funding for the Society.
A wonderful film of the Adult Deaf Society home includes footage of the buildings, the lake, Blackburn station and the flower farm from c1912 as well as a garden Party from c1926 can be viewed here: Vicdeaf History 02 - Home Wings for the Deaf & Flower Farm in Blackburn
In 1910 at a meeting to form the Blackburn Swimming Club was mentioned in The Reporter newspaper:
‘the chairman, Mr E J D Abraham stated in opening the meeting, that he will do all in his power to make the club a success, but he reminded the young people that its ultimate success would depend to a great extent upon themselves. It was unanimously decided to form a swimming club’.
E J D Abraham was also the Superintendent of the Home for Aged and Infirm and Training Farm for Feeble-Minded Deaf Mutes. He was also active in promoting the lake as a place for picnicking and day trippers. In a c1912 promotional brochure for the lake mentions:
‘All descriptions of Picnic requisites may be obtained at the Refreshment Cottage in the park. Hot water, milk, summer drinks of all kinds, lollies, tea, sandwiches, scones, etc. etc., at Moderate Prices. Cold water’. Swings, bats, balls, etc., provided without charge. Boats on hire by the hour or half hour. Ample provision for erection of Marquees, boiling of water, etc’.
The swimming club ran for a number of years, but in Robin Da Costa's book Blackburn: a picturesque history in regard to the Swimming Club she mentions:
The Club was forced to disband in 1931 owing to the ravages of vandals.
In 1954 the Melbourne University Film Society sponsored the University Experimental Film Unit to make a fictional film at the Blackburn Lake called The Wheel. The film is about a boy who runs away from home when he learns he is to be sent to an institution and eventually finds happiness with another family on a farm.
The film was directed by Gilbert Brealy and the cameraman were John Anderson and Lindsay Tassie. The actors were John Storey as the boy, Malcolm Powell from the Mitcham Repertory Company as the convict boy, John Beresford as ‘old Jim’, Margaret Henderson as the mother, Norma Dickason as the farmer’s wife, Eva Strasser as the milk maid and Beth Brown as the nurse. It was first screened at the Union Theatre, University of Melbourne in May 1954.
After searching for a few months, I managed to find the only copy in existence at the National Film and Sound Archives in Canberra. The film has not been digitised but it ‘will eventually be digitized and preserved for future generations’ and therefore it is currently not available to view online or in person at the National Film and Sound Archives in Canberra.
THE BLACKBURN LAKE SANCTUARY
Edna Walling
The renowned Melbourne landscape designer Edna Walling was invited by the Nunawading Council to attend a meeting in regard to the Blackburn Lake and surrounding vegetation.
In the Nunawading Council meeting minutes for June 1962 a report was compiled and submitted by Cr F. H. Burns and Cr K. Satchwell by in regard to a meeting earlier that month at Blackburn Lake mentions:
‘Report on meeting with M.M.B.W. representatives at Blackburn Lake on Thursday, 7 June 1962: Present: Mr K. Ussher, Planning & Highways Branch M.M.B.W. Mr Hughe, Mr Neale, Mr Smith – Drainage Branch M.M.B.W. Miss Edna Walling, Landscape Consultant invited by Nunawading City Council. Cr.F. Burns and Cr. K Satchwell.’
In an article from Victoria's Resources' Dec 1970 - Feb 1971 titled Blackburn Lake: a unique natural sanctuary and field study centre,1970 by Jean F. Field mentions the involvement of the renowned garden designer Edna Walling:
‘In 1962 the Metropolitan Board of Works, which owns the water, decided to deepen the lake to form a ponding basin to stop flash flooding in the lower reaches of Gardiner’s Creek after heavy rains. This would have meant complete destruction of the natural lake concept, and many conservationists urged Council to discuss with the Board an alternate plan. The Nunawading Council ultimately invited Miss Edna Walling, well known landscape architect, to give an opinion on the lake’s potential, and she ranked the lake area with the Botanic Gardens of Melbourne. Miss Walling’s findings were accepted by Council, and later a plan was drawn up to build a wall at the southern end of the lake and to construct its outlet in such a way as to maintain its existing water level for most of the time, allowing temporary flooding of a small area of the eastern bank on its perimeter. This would in no way damage the bordering fine stand of Melaleuca ericifolia, which can tolerate inundation at times without damage’.
In c1963 Melbourne Metropolitan Board of Works (MMBW) upgraded the existing lake wall and built a small ‘glory hole spillway’ that flows under Lake Rd so that flooding downstream could be mitigated. As a part of this upgrade, the 1888 built bridge was demolished and the gap replaced with piping under the newly built section of the lake wall and road.
Robyn Da Costa in the book Blackburn – A Picturesque History in regard to the land around the lake mentions:
‘In 1964 the Nunawading Council purchased sixteen acres of the Adult Deaf Society land surrounding the lake the fifteen acres of Lake, at a cost of $182,000*. Camberwell Grammar School purchased sixteen acres of the south-eastern corner, and this has remained completely undeveloped. The Council’s acquisition of sixteen acres at that time was a notable achievement’. * equivalent to $3,000,000 today.
‘The Adult Deaf Society built a new complex on their land at the corner of Central Road and Lake Road, and in 1972 the original home and additional outbuildings were demolished’.
‘The land was then available for sale, and its ‘Residential C’ zoning made the likelihood of a housing estate an immediate threat to the survival of the Lake area. However, widespread support from groups and individuals encouraged the Nunawading Council to purchase the fourteen acres from the Adult Deaf Society. This was achieved in 1975, at a cost of $850,000 (the Australian Government contributed $260,000 from the National Estate, the Nunawading Council $450,000, and the State Government $140,000). The Lake Sanctuary today supports a wealth of native flora and fauna and is beyond doubt one of the best, if not the best, bird localities within the metropolitan area’.
In the research paper by Blackburn resident Tony Kjar titled Blackburn Bushland Corridor,2019 he mentions:
In 1975/76 the City of Nunawading, with the support of some community donations, purchased 5.8ha from Camberwell Grammar plus 13.4 ha from the MMBW.
In 1976 the National Trust of Australia (Victoria) awarded a Landscape Classification to Blackburn Lake. The citation states:
‘those parts of the physical environment, both natural and man-made, which in the Trust’s view are essential to the heritage of Australia and which must be preserved ……. the area is an oasis in suburbia which it is now engulfed. The lake and its environs remain largely in their natural condition, providing a haven for many bird species’. ‘The importance of the environmental values provides a major link between residents and has led to greater social cohesiveness’.
To view a drone’s eye view of Blackburn Lake please click here:
Blackburn Lake Sanctuary in Melbourne by Drone [2.7K 60fps]
The future for the City of Whitehorse
Since the early 1850’s the land around what became known as the Blackburn Lake has been used for farmland, mining, a flower farm and orchards and since its creation in 1888 it has been used as a source of irrigation water, recreation, diving and swimming competitions, concerts, boating, film production and by schools for swimming lessons.
In 1965 the lake was declared a sanctuary and continues to be enjoyed by locals today but without the variety and number of community and other events that used to take place there.
Recognition of the work done by Blackburn residents George A. Goodwin and Thomas R.B Morton in creating the Blackburn Lake should be acknowledged. More information such as pamphlets and heritage interpretation panels should be available to visitors and local residents about how and when the manmade lake was created and its relationship to surrounding housing developments since the late 1880’s.
The Whitehorse council and those interested in preserving our heritage should consider ways of recognising George A. Goodwin and Thomas R.B Morton’s contributions and legacy.
Sources:
©Whitehorse Heritage
The Britnell family
The story of the Britnell family and their home Mount View at what is now 220 Middleborough Rd, Blackburn South is part of the early development of Box Hill and Blackburn South.
Jonah Britnell was born in Bledlow, England in 1806, he was the son of John and Charlotte Britnell (nee Rush).
In 1826 Jonah Britnell and Mary Ann Green were married in Buckinghamshire, England. Jonah and Mary had six children – James, Caroline, Jonah jnr, Sophia, Emma and John who died in infancy.
In the 1841 England Census Jonah’s occupation is listed as ‘publican’.
In November 1849 Jonah, Mary and their five children travelled from Plymouth to Melbourne onboard the sailing ship Statesman which arrived in Melbourne in March 1850. A year after arriving in Melbourne they moved to Darebin Creek Village (now known as Epping) where Mary gave birth to their sixth child Mary Ann jnr. At this time Jonah’s occupation is listed as ‘cooper’.
By c1855 the family had moved to Greensborough where Jonah snr had bought approximately 160 acres of land on which he developed as an orchard. On his land he built the family home which is still there at 38 Hailes St, Greensborough. The Banyule Heritage Review, 2012 mentions:
‘38 Hailes Street is an early Greensborough residence, constructed from hand-made local bricks. The sandstone foundations were dug from a small quarry on the west side of Diamond Creek Road, opposite St Helena Road. Its original owner is believed to be Jonah Britnell’.
By c1858 Jonah snr and his family were living on a 200-acre farm in Box Hill but his eldest son Jonah jnr continued to live and run the family’s farm in Greensborough. At this time Middleborough Rd was known as Britnell’s Rd. In the book titled Suburban Heartland – A History of the City of Whitehorse, 2010 by Lesley Alves, she mentions:
‘Patrick Riley sold one of his allotments - 200 acres on the south east corner of Middleborough and Delaney’s (Canterbury) roads – to Jonah Britnell for £400’.
At this time Patrick Riley was a large land owner in the Nunawading District.
Jonah snr’s son, James A Britnell was born in Winnall, England in 1848 and as a 2-year-old child had travelled with his family from Plymouth to Melbourne onboard the sailing ship Statesman. In the early 1850’s he lived at Darebin Creek Village, later on the family farm in Greensborough and then in c1858 was living on their new farm in Box Hill (now Blackburn South).
In 1867 James A Britnell and Catherine Wright were married at St John’s in Camberwell. James and Catherine had twelve children – Mary, Emma, Mary, Florence, Minnie, George, James, Cecil, Percy, Edgar, James jnr and Annie who died in infancy.
In 1872 Jonah Britnell died leaving his son James A Britnell ‘one hundred and seventy acres and half and on which is erected a four room Brick Cottage’. In Jonah’s Will, his occupation is listed as ‘farmer’. The Probate on the Jonah’s Will was not granted until 1879.
In 1887 James Britnell sold 150 acres of the original property whilst retaining 28 acres.
James later sold a further 10 acres and retained the last 18 acres south of the ‘brick cottage’ – here he built a large house in the ‘Italianate’ style between 1880 and 1890 which he named Mount View.
James Britnell died in 1908 at their new family home in Nelson Rd, Box Hill and he is buried in the Box Hill Cemetery. After her husband’s death, Catherine continued to live at the Nelson Rd home with some of her children. In James’s 1908 Will states that he owned a number of properties around Box Hill - 3 double storey shops and house in Rutland Rd, a weatherboard house in Nelson Rd and a weatherboard house in Station St. There is no mention of the Mount View/ Middleborough Rd property in his Will. In James’ Will, his occupation is listed as ‘farmer’.
The Stewart family
About 1910 George Stewart jnr bought Mount View and renamed it Lumeah after their former family home in Parkside St, Malvern. George jnr and his wife Nina lived there with their daughters Beryl, Nina jnr and Edna.
George Stewart jnr was born in Goulburn in 1846 to George and Eliza Stewart (nee Gore). Nina Stewart was born in Sydney in 1869 to Frederick and Caroline Manton (nee Stuart). Nina’s father Frederick Manton was a ‘landed proprietor’ and member of the NSW Legislative Assembly.
George jnr began his career as a ‘clerk’ with the Bank of Victoria in the 1860’s eventually working his way to the position of ‘general manager’ of the bank.
George Stewart died in January 1916 and was buried at the Box Hill Cemetery.
In March Nina Stewart put Lumeah up for sale. A description of the house/land in an advertisement for the sale of the house in May 1916 in The Argus newspaper mentions:
‘Very comfortable and commodious W.B. residence with slate roof and verandah three sided, and containing 8 rooms, bathroom, and kitchen. The house is fitted with air gas plant throughout, including cooking stove. The outbuildings comprise commodious dairy, stabling, buggy shed, man’s room, with bathroom, barns, 4 piggeries, fowl yards, cow bails, fernery, gas house, towl-house, &c There is an abundant supply of water from windmill and bore, underground tank, and 8 iron tanks. Land 18 acres and 10 perches of really good soil with one acre in orchard of 4 year old trees, also nice flower garden and drive’.
An interesting historic family connection is that George Stewart’s uncle was Lieutenant Graham Gore who was a Commander in the 1845 expedition led by notable polar explorer Rear Admiral Sir John Franklin to find the North West Passage through Canada to the Pacific Ocean. In 1847 H.M.S Erebus and H.M.S Terror with all 129 crew members and officers perished under mysterious circumstances.
Sir John Franklin joined the Royal Navy in 1800 and from 1801 – 1804 he was a midshipman on the H.M.S. Investigator accompanying Matthew Flinders on his exploratory voyage around Australia.
George Stewarts maternal great grandfather was Captain John Gore who around 1776 accompanied Captain James Cook in his discoveries in the Pacific Ocean.
Edna Lois Stewart also known as Lois Atock – a trail blazer in animal welfare
Edna Stewart was born in 1893 in Brunswick and from c1910 she lived with her parents at Lumeah (Mount View). After her father’s death in 1916 her mother (Nina) sold the house and by 1917 Edna was living in Sandringham where her occupation is listed as ‘bank clerk’.
But by 1919 she was living in Sydney (as her son James Kenneth Atock was born there) and she was working as an ‘actress’ for the theatrical company of J. C. Williamson.
In 1921 Edna L Stewart and Vivian H E Atock were married in Sydney, but her new husband Vivian disappeared under mysterious circumstances a few days after their wedding. Edna was granted a divorce in 1927.
In an article in 1927 in The Daily telegraph in regard to Edna’s application for a divorce mentions:
‘Mrs. Atock explained to Mr. Justice Davidson in the Divorce Court during the hearing of a petition by her for a divorce on the ground of her husband’s desertion, that, when they were married, it was arranged they should remain in Sydney for three days until her husband had fixed up some business. Then they were to go to Melbourne for their honeymoon’.
Apparently, the honeymoon did not happen and she had not seen Vivian since.
By c1930 Edna and her son James (also known as Ken) had moved back to Melbourne and were living in Camberwell with her occupation at this time is listed as ‘home duties’. James later enrolled at Camberwell Grammar School.
In 1939 her son James Atock enlisted in the army at the start of WW2, his occupation at this time is listed as ‘newspaper compositor’ for The Argus newspaper. In 1940 he was assigned to the ‘specialised group 2 (intelligence)’ of the 2/7th Battalion, 6th. Division, Second AIF and went to the Middle East Theatre. Whilst in Egypt he was detached to the HQ 6th Division and on 9 April 1941 went to Greece before being evacuated to Crete.
Edna was appointed the first female ‘animal keeper’ at the Melbourne Zoo in 1941 and on 9 June 1941 she received the terrible news by Telegram that her son James (Ken) was ‘Missing in Action’. It was later established that he had been killed trying to escape from a POW camp in Chania, Crete. On 9 May 1944 ‘James Kenneth (Ken) Atock, VX-5403 of the 2/7th. Infantry Battalion, 6th. Division AIF was awarded with “Mentioned-in-Despatches” approved by King George VI in recognition of his gallant and distinguished service in the field’.
Ken Atock at the age of 15 had been a pioneer in building and flying rockets in Australia in the 1930’s. You can read about Ken’s pioneering work here: Gallery of Achievement Inductees | Old Camberwell Grammarian's Association
In 1947 Edna appears to have had a strong sense of empathy and nurturing as she resigned from her position at the Melbourne Zoo ‘in protest’ over the bad treatment of two Tiger cubs that were in her care. In an article in 1947 in the Herald newspaper in regard to Edna’s resignation mentions:
‘The director of the Animal Welfare League (Mrs Lort Smith) said today that she was very sorry Mrs Atock was leaving the Zoo’.
Edna must have been very well thought of and respected as by 1948 she was appointed to the position of ‘director’ of the animal sanctuary at the Fern Tree Gully National Park - becoming the first woman in Australia to be appointed to this type of position.
In an article in 1948 in the Sun News Pictorial newspaper in regard to Edna’s appointment it is mentioned:
‘Mrs. Atock has been particularly successful in the rearing of young animals who have been lost, orphaned or separated from their mothers.
Animals at Ferntree Gully will be cared for under the new woman director. Mrs Atock is a true animal lover; one of those rare human beings who will make a personal sacrifice for an animal’.
Later in 1948 she moved to Healesville where she worked as a ‘keeper and hostess’ at the Sir Colin Mckenzie Sanctuary - later known as the Healesville Sanctuary. During WW2 the sanctuary had been very busy due to the visits by the American soldiers who were stationed/transiting through Melbourne, but appears to have been neglected after the war.
In an article in The Herald newspaper in 1948 the Director mentions Edna’s dedication to the sanctuary:
‘I have had to make a lot of alterations to try to balance the budget. You’ve no idea what has happened here. At the moment I’ve actually got a staff of two. The others are ill or away.
My right-hand, Mrs Lois Atock, who has put her whole soul into the place, worked so hard that she is now ill. I myself am working half the night – it sometimes seems like 25 hours a day.
A report on the Sir Colin Mckenzie native fauna sanctuary at Healesville will be called for by the Premier (Mr Hollway), following questions asked yesterday by Mr David Fleay. Mr Hollway said the Healesville sanctuary was known all over the world, and was too important a feature from a naturalist point of view to be allowed to deteriorate’.
By c1958 Edna was living in Croydon where she later opened a pet shop at 10 Croydon Rd, Croydon that operated for many years.
Edna died in Croydon in 1975.
In 1977 the Ken Atock Memorial Scholarship for Science was established at Camberwell Grammar School by a bequest from Edna Atock in memory of her son who had been a past student.
The Salvation army
In 1917 the Salvation Army bought Lumeah and its 18 acres of land and the following year they built new groups of accommodation and dining hall buildings to both the north and south of the main house.
In 1919 the site was renamed the Salvation Army Aged Men’s Retreat which later became the Men’s Eventide Home and continued to operate for many years as a farm producing food.
In 1926 a much admired resident Sergeant-Major Robert Gamble affectionately known as ‘Old Hundred’ of the Salvation Army Aged Men’s Retreat died and was reported upon in the Chronicle newspaper as follows:
106 YEARS OLD. A CRIMEAN VETERAN DIES.
After contracting a chill when attending the Anzac Day celebrations last month, Sergeant-Major Gamble, who fought in the Crimean War, the Indian Mutiny, and the Zulu War, died on Wednesday at the Salvation Army Men's Retreat. Melbourne. He was 106 years old. His father fought at Waterloo. Two of his four sons who served in the Great War were killed.
Sergeant-Major Gamble was born in 1820, in the barracks of the Black Watch, at Paisley, in Scotland. He was a drummer when he was old enough to hold the sticks. His first battle was at the Crimea, and he carried a Crimean bullet in his body to the end of his days. He left for Australia on Christmas Day.
in 1860 but went to the Zulu War, and rejoined his regiment in 1870. He fought in the Indian Mutiny, and wrote a story of it in 400 pages of manuscript.
Two years ago he had an illness, and it was thought he would not recover. He was told that he must go to the Retreat and rest, but he laughed and went out every day. He would start in the morning and walk from Box Hill to Melbourne, and back again in the evening. He went to every big cricket match and sports meeting that was held. The gatekeepers knew him and let him pass. Photographers
Were always on the look out for him.
His funeral, which was attended ' with full military honors, was arranged by the Army and Navy Veterans' League’.
You can read more about the fascinating story of Sergeant-Major Robert Gamble in a 1924 article in The Herald newspaper here: 12 Jan 1924 - ACTIVE AT 103 - Trove
In 1937 the world famous Viennese Soprano Madame Lotte Lehmann performed at the Melbourne Town Hall as part of her Australian Tour that was organised by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). During her visit she was invited by the Mayor of Box Hill Councillor W. F. Young to visit the Salvation Army Aged Men’s Retreat and the new Box Hill Town Hall.
The residents of the Salvation Army Aged Men’s Retreat must have made quite an impression on Madame Lotte Lehmann as an article in December 1937 in The Argus newspaper mentions:
‘Madame Lotte Lehmann, the Viennese singer who visited Australia this year has not forgotten the inmates of the Salvation Army Aged Men’s Retreat at Box Hill. They will each receive from her an autographed Christmas card and gifts of tobacco and chocolates’.
‘When she was in Melbourne she visited the retreat and expressed her admiration of the work of the Salvation Army. She sent from 12 to 15 tickets for her performances to the retreat each day’.
‘When the men were told today of Madame Lehmann’s generosity they decided to cable her their thanks’.
You can read the fascinating story of Madame Lotte Lehmann here:
About Lotte Lehmann | Lotte Lehmann League
For many years the residents of the Salvation Army Aged Men’s Retreat (AMR) were involved in local community events such as Sunday School student awards nights, Harvest Festivals and competitions with the Box Hill and Blackburn Bowling Club’s as well as with other teams.
By the late 1930’s the Salvation Army Aged Men’s Retreat had changed its name to the Salvation Army Men’s Eventide Home.
In 1955 plans were drawn up for Nurses quarters to be built at the home and the following year advertisements were placed in The Argus newspaper for a ‘live in Nursing Aid and Nursing Sister’ at the home.
A new retirement home was built to the north east of the original home which was demolished between 1963 and 1970. This new retirement home was renamed Inala Village, was open to all genders and is still operating today as the Regis Inala Village.
In the book titled Southern, Soup, Soap and Salvation, 2003 by Lt. Col John Kirkham, he mentions:
‘The Box Hill AMR was never an elaborate facility, but it provided adequately for the needs of its residents for almost 50 years until it was transformed into Inala Village in 1965’.
Sources:
©Whitehorse Heritage