I believe it likely that my great- grandmother, Mrs. Annie Lade, (nee McConchie) with her son Norman Leslie (Les), and daughter Mary (Maimie) lived at Edendale farm for a period in 1910. I base this on family stories and some minor but incomplete research.
1910, Annie Lade with Les and Maimie, moved from” The Pines”, Strath Creek to allow her newlywed son Edward and his bride Alice to move into the family home. They rented a property in Eltham before moving to Warrandyte Rd Ringwood where Les had purchased property.
My Aunt Marjorie Lade told me that her grandmother rented from a Mr. and Mrs. Cool “as in real cool”, and that the property was over the railway line near the creek. She had this information from her aunt, Mary Lade. As Mr. and Mrs. Cool owned Edendale, and the description of the location fits that property, it is possible that this is where the Lades lived.
I have read that Mr. Thomas Cool built Edendale as a retreat, and know from the electoral role of 1909 that he was enrolled at Balaclava, sub district Brighton, so was not living at Edendale at the time.
My grandfather, David J Lade told my father, David Lade, that he helped move the furniture on the horse and cart, from Strath Creek to Eltham. They stayed overnight at Tommy’s Hut, which, according to my father was the earlier name for Kinglake West. So far I am not aware of any documents or photographs from this period.
Rosemary Lade, annabelle452@hotmail.com June 2010
Edendale Farm is situated in Gastons Road, running off Wattletree Road between the Eltham North bridge and the railway crossing (Melway ref. 22 A2) Edendale Farm now operates as Nillumbik Council’s environmental centre. The historic farmhouse has undergone recent restoration works. The house and gateway sculpture “The Fences Act” are included in the Heritage Overlay in the Nillumbik Planning Scheme. – From Edendale Farm Eltham District Historical Society Newsletter No 192 May 2010
Visit: https://www.edendale.vic.gov.au/Home
Photo: Liz Pidgeon October 2019
