J. Gordon, Greensborough, was born in Scotland in 1819, and came out to Australia in 1847, landing at Port Adelaide, S.A. from which he came over to Melbourne and was for seven years in the employment of E. Johnston and Co., grocers and spirit merchant, by whom he was presented on leaving with a substantial […]
Arriving at Heidelberg
About 1913 Bonnie (Yvonne) Davies moved from St Kilda to Rosanna where her father (W. C. Davies) had a house built on 13 acres on the ‘corner of Rosanna and Plenty Roads, Heidelberg’. She remembers: Rosanna in those days was considered to be out in the never-never. No motor cars, only horse drawn cabs, jinkers, […]
George Gordon
George Gordon of Bundoora was born at Carmill, Forfarshire, Scotland, on 2nd December 1830, and arrived at Sydney, N.S.W. 23rd June 1858.He was at Bathurst for three and a-half years, and went thence to the Lachlan diggings, after which he was for two years on a farm, and afterwards teaming on the roads. Mr. Gordon […]
John Gibson
John Gibson, Whitttlesea, was born in Ireland, and landed from the ship William Stuart in May 1848, at the age of sixteen years. In 1851 he was at the Ballarat and Bendigo goldfields, and in 1852 purchased the section of land at Whittlesea which he has since farmed. In 1860 he married Margaret Johnston, and […]
Mary Garead
Mary Garead, Yarra Flats, was born in Ireland, and came to Australia in 1853. On her arrival in Melbourne, she went to live near Heidelberg, and shortly afterwards married the late Mr. Samuel Trier, who resided at Kangaroo Ground. On his death there, in 1863, she moved to Yarra Flats and selected 80 acres on […]
Thomas Embling
Dr Thomas Embling was associated with the Austin Hospital, Heidelberg. Embling, Kew, was born in 1814, in Oxford, England, and left London for Australia in October 1850. He spent Black Thursday in Adelaide, S.A., reached Melbourne towards the end of the month, February 1851, and going at once up into the bush, remained there until driven downwards […]
How Libraries change lives
In the 1950s when I was growing up in the Housing Commission area of West Ivanhoe we received most of our services in place. There was the horse drawn bread cart which daily promised fresh warm crusts for the sibling who could get to the driver first. Vegetables came each Thursday on Joe’s canvas enclosed […]
Forgotten market gardens of the Coburg Municipal Baths
Many people are aware of the Chinese who came to Victoria in search of gold from 1851 to the late 1860s. What happened to this large migrant community when the quantity of gold diminished? Many Chinese stayed to take on other occupations that contributed to the local economy and wider society. These jobs included laundrymen, […]
Feature artist: Suzi Duncan
Suzi is a local artist in the City of Whittlesea. Her incredible life experiences have informed her photography, art making and her commitment to working with the community. “As a local community worker and artist, I have found that art, in the broadest context helps break down barriers. It is a great education tool and is […]
Thomas Freeman
Thomas Freeman of Janefield, was born in Berkshire, England in 1824 and came to Victoria in 1853. After ten years to Castle Hill Estate, Yan Yean, Freeman manged Mr Bear’s vineyard for sixteen years. He then held the vineyard for some years on his own account, during which he planted 25 acres of vines and […]