I started in the “pink” era, the furniture was pink, shelves, desks and even some walls. We only had about 8 public pc’s, and of course, this was the pre –internet era. There was a community language collection, but as Lalor always had a large migrant population, we had the largest and most diverse collection […]
Writing the War Exhibition
Throughout August 2016 Yarra Plenty Regional Library hosted the Writing the War travelling exhibition from State Library Victoria at Eltham Library. The exhibition traces WWI through personal accounts from seven Australians. Nurse, bank clerk, farmer, sports master, journalist, artist, and activist and included archived diaries, letters, artefacts and visual materials relating to World War One. […]
Migration story – recent arrival
Madiha arrived in Australia in 2013 from Pakistan with her husband and two children. Initially they settled in Glenroy with family and then moved to Fawkner. Madiha is a qualified doctor in Pakistan and worked in a hospital and clinic. Her qualifications are not recognised in Australia so she would need to undertake more study. […]
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 […]
Whittlesea War Memorial
BROWN, Donald – Pte 6971 14 Bn.AIF ` Died: 26 September 1917 – Belgium BUTLER, Henry – Pte 2941 8 Reinforcements, 22 Bn. AIF Died: 14 July 1915 CHETTLE, Thomas – Pte 1581 14 Bn. AIF Died: 7 August 1915 – Dardenelles COOK, Phillip Edward – Cpl 4470 46 Bn. […]
Albert Street Milkbar
The Albert Street Milkbar on Albert Street in Brunswick was located opposite the East Brunswick High School and down the road from the Kortex Knitwear factory. We bought the milkbar business when we moved back from the USA in 1978. We opened the shop every morning at 7.30am and closed at 11pm every night. The […]
James McKinley
James McKinley was born in Dublin, Ireland and migrated to Australia in the mid-1860s with his father James (a publisher), mother, Mary (nee Loughey) and brother, Alexander, and the pair became leading newspaper proprietors of the latter half of the 19th century. After originally managing the modest Talbot Leader from 1869 to late in 1871, […]
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 […]
The Title Fight
In the Argus, 22nd November 1886. Assault by a Pugilist.— W. Farnan, a prizefighter, appeared on summons on Thursday at the District Court, on the complaint of Robert E. Rowley, whom he was said to have assaulted at Bevan’s iron works, Latrobe- street west. Complainant was accused by deFix this textfendant of supplanting him in […]
Northumberland Road Footbridge
Until the mid 60s, Northumberland Road was in two parts. In the middle over Westbreen Creek was a small foorbridge. I used to go there often and watch the water flow and whatever flowed in it and on the surface. The council decided that progress must be made. The footbridge was removed, the creek flow […]