Olive’s story: women were there too – Olive Haynes (Dooley) By Liz Pidgeon ‘I am so glad I brought my gramophone that was given to me. The men simply love it, and I have to promise it days ahead to the different huts and tents. They start it going the minute they awake, and never stop until they have to. […]
Category: Banyule
Memories of the Great War
by Susan Webster The Heidelberg Voice, August 1, 1979 page 6 Modern memory encompasses two world wars. In those two battles we saw the shift from the importance of armed men to military machines. Yet in any war, no matter how much technology is deployed, the human element of man fighting man will still be […]
A Devotion to Duty
“For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. This officer rendered valuable service throughout three days’ operations. The information furnished by his reconnaissance was invaluable, and helped greatly to the success of two advances. He showed marked ability in adapting captured machine guns for use against the enemy, instructing the gunners and helping them in every way. He led a […]
Heidelberg in World War 1
Based on a talk by Cyril Cummins and published as “Heidelberg in World War 1 and II in the Heidelberg Historian No 138 June 1990 Living in Heidelberg during the years of World War I and World War II was one of great contrast to other years in its history. When World War I broke […]
A Gift from Egypt
In 1917, a young soldier on leave took a day trip down Port Phillip Bay in the excursion steamer Reliance. On the return trip, while there was a “sing-song” around the piano, he was joined where he was sitting apart, by a young girl to whom he’d been introduced earlier, “and we talked.” Sam continued, […]
World War 1 : Sister Olive Lilian Creswell Haynes
The discovery of Sister Olive Haynes’ post-war connection is largely based on Women Were There, Too, one of the contributions written by Liz Pidgeon for “Fine Spirit and Pluck”, an anthology of WW1 stories from Banyule, Nillumbik and Whittlesea, published 2016 by Yarra Plenty Regional Library). Sister Haynes re-entered the spotlight as a result of […]
Adeline’s World War One Story
My grandmother’s ring was very large indeed, so big it hung loosely on my mother’s thumb when she wore it to the jewelers to have it resized. The jeweler was intrigued but didn’t ask questions. My grandmother told me the story in her tiny, crowded kitchen many, many years ago when I innocently asked her why her left ring finger was always bent […]
First World War and education
An Education Department 1920 publication commemorating teachers and staff that had served in the First World War had appendices showing how much each school had raised for the Department’s War Relief Fund. This was Metropolitan District Area 4; the complete list is given as an indication of the schools and their approximate size during the […]
Frederick Charles Sweeney 1st AIF
Age 17, Fred enlisted in the AIF and was posted to France with the medical corps. He returned home to marry and settle in Macleod where he was very active in the local sporting community and local RSL 10/12/1901 to 30/7/72. Fred Sweeney was born in Bendigo, where he attended school and later worked in […]
Memories of Montmorency State School
I attended Montmorency State School in the years 1942-46 from 4th Grade to 7th Grade. Our school grades covered 1st to 8th year. Although ‘Mont’ school (the ‘y’ was not added until recent years) was fairly close to Melbourne, it was considered a rural school. I well remember coming from a large inner city blue […]