McPhersons of Yarra Glen

"The McPhersons of Yarra Glen" by Muriel Watson is a key contribution to the story of European settlement in the Kangaroo Ground-Yarra Glen area. A large number of local families appear in the work which is indexed. This book is now in the Eltham local history collection.

Melbourne's biggest family album project

Melbourne Museum invites you to share your family photographs (prior to 1980). The Album will be published on the Museum's website and some of the copied photographs will be shown in an exhibition due to open at the Melbourne Museum in 2008. A number of public libraries have been designated as places where photographs can be digitally copied on selected days (and times) - Beaumaris Library, Box Hill Library, The Age Library (Broadmeadows) and Footscray Library as well as the Museum itself.

Heidelberg in 1932

A wonderful addition to the Ivanhoe local history includes a DVD of footage taken of the Yarra River and the Austin Hospital in 1932.

History of Janefield

Some donations have recently been received for the local history collection at Mill Park. These include documents relating to the Janefield Farm and later colony for the intellectually disabled.

Banyule City Plan

Ivanhoe library now holds the Banyule City Plans for 2004-2008 and 2006-2010 in the local history collection.

Greensborough Cemetery

An updated listing of Greensborough Cemetery has been updated by Noel Withers. Copies are now available in the Diamond Valley, Eltham, Ivanhoe and Mill Park local history collections.

Women's stories of the City of Whittlesea

Gwen Hawke and Maureen Doyle are writing a book about "The Quiet achievers: women of the City of Whittlesea" up to 1945. Although they are members of the Whittlesea Historical Society this is a private venture. They commenced researchng the book in late 1997 and have found that, as they researched, the topics and the information grew and grew. They have completed many of the chapters, but because of the extent of the coverage, some are still being written. Some of the themes covered include: doctors, nurses, midwives, irish orphan girls, women and the law, artists and of course farmers.

One of the major stories already completed in that of the Chinese market gardeners at Whittlesea. This had its orignin long before the commencement of the book. In 1984 when Gwen was researching properties for the Society's book "Historic Buildings of the Shire of Whittlesea" by Robert Wuchatsch and John Waghorn (published in 1985) she interviewed an old resident of Whittlesea who, in additon, told her various stories about the Chinese and thier garden near the Whittlesea showgrounds. She kept these notes over the years, continued her research and interest in the topic.

Sadly, many of those interviwed over the past eighteen years have now died. Gwen and Maureen would like to tell their families, and others who have helped contribute to the rersearch with thier stories, know that that the book will be completed in the next two years.

Heidelberg Historic Estates

Banyule councillors will adopt a report by Lovell Chen Architects that recommends the Glenard and Mount Eagle estates in Eaglemont be added to the Heritage Register. The council will submit the report in support of their application. This report will soon be available in the Local History collection at Ivanhoe library.

45 years of the Greensborough Baseball Club

45 Years of the Greensborough Baseball Club edited by Bill Davey and compiled by the history committee of the club in 2000 has been added to the Local history collections at Diamond Valley and Mill Park Libraries. Peter Greenshields a member of the history committee featured in the Whittlesea Sporting History Heroes project which can be viewed online at www.whittleseasportinghistory.info

Writing Art - Nillumbik Art collection

"Writing Art" is a publication from Nillumbik Council which has just been released in conjunction with the current display of recent acquisitions in the foyer of Eltham library. The publication is a series of essays on the Nillumbik Art Collection. Copies will be available in the local history collections and for loan at most branches of YPRL.