Anzac Day 2018

Australians recognise 25 April as a day of national remembrance. It is a time when we reflect on the many different meanings of war. Yarra Plenty Regional Library is acknowledging Anzac Day through a series of exhibitions and presentations.  Throughout April, Eltham Library are featuring objects from the memorabilia collection of the Eltham Montmorency RSL sub branch.  Watsonia Library has a small display with a nod to the great work our community has done in contributing to the 5000 Poppies Project.  

Whittlesea Library will be hosting Vietnam Veterans and members of the Whittlesea RSL sub branch as they share stories of their experience 50 years ago.  Join them on Monday 16 April at 2.00 pm.  Retired Lieutenant Colonel Peter Gurney will discuss the Origins of the Dawn Service and the importance of this annual tradition of remembering all wars at Eltham Library on Thursday 19 April at 7.00pm.  Local and Family History researchers can receive tips on researching Anzacs on Trove at Mill Park Library, Friday 20 April at 10 am. Dr Janine Rizetti, from Heidelberg Historical Society will discuss the 1917 Conscription Campaign through the eyes of local City of Banyule residents at Rosanna Library on Tuesday 24 April at 2.00 pm.

2018 marks the final year of the Anzac Centenary. State Library Victoria shares Victorian stories via its World War One centenary portal

Check out new reading list for Anzac Day: Vietnam Veterans

Westgarthtown and World War One

Friends of Westgarthtown recently launched their documentary “Westgarthtown and World War One”. This documentary juxtaposes the treatment of citizens of German descent living in Westgarthtown with the experiences of their relatives who were fighting and dying for Australia during World War One. Almost 70 descendants of the German settlers of Westgarthtown fought on all battlefronts; some being decorated, others losing their lives, whilst others returned to Australia. Back at Westgarthtown, their relatives were viewed by their neighbours with suspicion. Instead of seeing fellow citizens some saw the enemy.
Shortly after the beginning of World War One, soldiers from the nearby Broadmeadows army camp regularly trained in the Thomastown area, including Westgarthtown. George Wuchatsh’s 9th Light Horse Regiment rode along German Lane (now Gardenia Road) and he visited Wuchatsch’s Farmhouse, then owned by his uncle Charles Wuchatsch. Regimental Sergeant Major George Wuchatsch was awarded a Military Medal for bravery in the Middle East in 1918.
Mr. Andrew Giles member for Scullin officially launched the documentary. He later posted on his Facebook page “ Today I was honoured to launch a fantastic video, telling important stories about the experiences of the German-Australians of Germantown (now Thomastown and Lalor).
Leon Borrack, John Fry and the Friends of Westgarthtown have done a wonderful job, bringing contemporary resonance to their film.”

The project was funded under the Australian Government's Anzac Centenary Local Grants Program.
View the film here
Source: Whitttesea Cultural Heritage Program 2016
Andrew Giles MP Facebook page May 1 2016

Epping Anzac Commemorations

Epping RSL will host their Centenary of Anzac Memorial March on Sunday 19th April 2015.  Assemble at 9.45 am at the corner of High and Coulstock Street, Epping and the march will lead off at 10.30 am.  The March will be followed by refreshments at Epping RSL with guest speaker Mr Lambis Englezos AM.

The Epping RSL Anzac Centenary dawn service will take place on Saturday 25th April at the Epping RSL Harvest Home Road Epping.  Please assemble at 4.45 am, the prelude ceremony will commence at 5.00 am with the service commencing at 6.00 am.  This will be followed by a gunfire breakfast via a gold coin donation.

The service will be broadcast live on 88.6 Plenty Valley FM.

Poppies Display

As part of the 2015 Anzac Commemoration, the 5000 Poppies project will be “planting” a field of more than 66,000 poppies in Federation Square Melbourne as a visual tribute to Australian servicemen and women for more than a century of service in all wars, conflicts and peacekeeping operations. 

YPRL was the first Victorian public library to register every library as a collection point in March 2014.  Local crafters have contributed hundreds of hand- made poppies and some dedications to the project by joining a library craft group or dropping in the home made poppies to their local library.  Staff at the City of Whittlesea (from people also involved in the yarn bombing in front of Mill Park Library), members of the Plenty Craft Group, St Andrews Queenstown Historical Society and in particular Living and Learning Nillumbik have also partnered with the library culminating in displays at Mill Park, Lalor, Diamond Valley and Eltham Libraries. The Heidelberg Leader promoted the displays in a feature article and photograph on November 11 2014.

See over 650 poppies currently on display at Mill Park Library through to the New Year.

Photo: Eltham Library display around the local history collection in November.

Nillumbik Council welcomes veterans affairs grants

Minister for Veterans’ Affairs, Hon. Damian Drum joined with Mayor, Cr Michael Young, Cr

Bronnie Hattam and Cr Meralyn Klein recently at Wingrove Park Eltham to announce that

Council has been awarded two grants.

Mr Drum said, “The grant of $11,050 will go towards improving the Eltham Avenue of

Honour and installing an interpretative bronze plaque dedicated to those who served in

World War 1. Council will also get $1050 for a memorial plaque at the Hurstbridge Avenue

of Honour.

The grants have been funded by the Victorian Government Department of Veterans Affairs,

from the ‘Restoring Community War Memorials’ fund.

The original Eltham Avenue of Honour had 113 plane trees, one to commemorate every

Eltham resident who served in World War 1. Each tree had a plaque with the name of an

enlistee on the Avenue which ran from the junction of Mount Pleasant and Main Roads,

continuing along Main Road, ending at the junction of Pitt Street.

Due to road widening, disease, storms, accidents and the installation of cabling and pipes,

many of the original trees have disappeared. In the past twenty years the Shire of

Nillumbik has replanted plane trees at a further distance from the road, but only 15 of the

original trees remain, scarred from successive and necessary pruning by the power

companies, stunted by their struggle to gain sustenance from Eltham’s famously shallow

soil.

It is much the same story for the Hurstbridge Avenue of Honour which originally had 50

elm trees along what is now named Anzac Avenue. With only 3 of the original trees

remaining this grant will help restore the Avenue to life.

Cr Young said, “We are delighted to receive this funding which will go toward the creation

of commemorative plaques and signage for future generations to come. As we move

toward the Centenary of the Anzac it is important that our Nillumbik Anzac story is

preserved and enhanced through our Avenues of Honour at Eltham and Hurstbridge.

Thank you goes to the Nillumbik Memorials Advisory Committee, chaired by Cr Meralyn

Klein, the Eltham-Montmorency RSL, Eltham District Historical Society, Hurstbridge RSL,

Hurstbridge Traders Association and the Hurstbridge Historical Group.

Source of news article: Eltham and Whittlesea Shires Advertiser and Diamond Creek Valley Advocate 19 September 1919 via Trove