Sister Emma Argyle CUTHBERT (R.R.C) Address : c-o Mrs BORTHWICK, ‘Malwa’, Main Street, Heidelberg Next of Kin : mother, Mrs Emma Argyle Cuthbert, King Street, Sydney (later South Yarra), Father Robert (late) Emma Cuthbert was shown c-o Mrs Borthwick, “Malwa”, Main Street, Heidelberg when she embarked; her mother was given as next of kin in […]
Women were there too
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. […]
Private John Valentine Wilson
19 October 1914, Port Melbourne Pier. Men of the 2nd Australian Infantry Brigade board the HMAT Benalla (right) for service overseas. Amongst them was a young Christmas Hills farmer Private John Valentine Wilson, son of David and Elizabeth Wilson. Just eight months later on 3 June 1915 Private Wilson aged 25 was killed in action […]
He Answered his Country’s Call
By Liz Pidgeon Outside the French village of Bullecourt, a bronze statue The Bullecourt Digger stands in the Australian Memorial Park. It reminds visitors of the role our Anzacs played in the Battle of Bullecourt under the British command in early April 1917. Over 3,000 Australians were wounded or killed in the First Bullecourt Battle […]
Searching for the Searcher
Often when searching history you learn about the people involved, their personalities, likes, dislikes and life achievements, other times just about the achievements. In researching the life of Stanley Simpson Addison it was somewhat easier to find out about his achievements than Stanley, the person. Whilst born into a modest farming family at Aldinga, near […]
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 […]
Lock Out the Landlords : Proletarian Hall and Unemployed Organising in Brunswick
By Iain McIntyre. The Communist Party affiliated Proletarian Hall operated in Lydia Street during the 1930s providing a soup kitchen as well as a base for unemployed organizing. A number of unemployed organizations sprang up around the country in the early period of the Depression. With governments floundering in response to mass poverty many were […]
Lock Out the Landlords : Brunswick Town Hall
By Iain McIntyre As most people would be aware the collapse of the New York Stock market in October 1929 led to a devastating global economic downturn. Reliant on overseas exports and heavily indebted to European and American banks, Australia was hit particularly hard. Unsurprisingly not everyone was equally affected by the economic crunch and […]
Lock Out the Landlords : The Barkly Street Commune
By Iain McIntyre. In late 1930 a number of single unemployed men set up what were essentially communal households in Barkly Street. These households formed the backbone of many of the militant demonstrations and anti-eviction actions that took place in the area. As a result they were placed under regular police surveillance. Most of the […]
Lock Out the Landlords : Eviction showdown, July 1930
By Iain McIntyre. Evictions were a major problem for the unemployed during the Depression. Between 1930 and 1933 11,000 warrants were served in the Melbourne Court of Petty Sessions and over 5000 evictions carried out. This only accounts for a fraction of the actual number of people put on the street however as thousands more […]