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

Victorian Heritage Register Places and Objects Fund

Applications are now open for the Victorian Heritage Register Places and Objects Fund.

On Friday 22 November 2013 the Minister for Planning Matthew Guy MP announced a new grants program, the Victorian Heritage Register Places and Objects Fund. The Victorian Government has provided funding for 2013-2015 of up to $2.7 million for grants which will be delivered by Victoria’s Heritage Restoration Fund (VHRF).

In support of this, VHRF has launched their new ebsite www.vhrf.com.au , an online portal where you can find out information about the various grants available, and how to make an application.

Victoria’s Heritage Restoration Fund is a partnership between the City of Melbourne, the Department of Transport, Planning and Local Infrastructure (the Department), and the National Trust of Australia (Victoria). The Fund is administered by the National Trust of Australia (Victoria).

VHRF offers grants to restore eligible heritage places and objects. The grants are disbursed from a series of funds managed by VHRF, including: Melbourne Heritage Restoration Fund, Yarra Heritage Restoration Fund, and the Victorian Heritage Register Places and Objects Fund.

The funds are overseen by a Committee of Management comprising representatives of the City of Melbourne, the Department of Transport, Planning and Local Infrastructure, the Municipal Association of Victoria and the National Trust of Australia (Victoria). VHRF was formerly known as the Melbourne Heritage Restoration Fund, which has successfully operated in Melbourne since 1988.

Publicly accessible places and objects included in the Victorian Heritage Register and owned/managed by community organisations and local governments can apply for a Victorian Heritage Register Places and Objects Fund grant. Grants ranging from $20,000 – $200,000 are available for heritage places and $5,000 – $20,000 for heritage objects.

For more information, or to make an application, visit the Victoria’s Heritage Restoration Fund www.vhrf.com.au

(Source: Royal Historical Society of Victoria – email 6 December 2013 - reprinted in Federation of Australian Historical Societies Inc Newsletter December 22 2013)

Funding available for heritage projects

The Federal Government has recently promised $60 million in heritage funding as part of its $650 million jobs fund project. The heritage funding will provide support for projects to protect, conserve and promote Australia’s National Heritage Listed places, National Trust properties, community heritage including locally significant places and natural heritage. Grant applications are being encouraged, please not the required criteria. More information can be found at

Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts.

Community Heritage Grants

The next round of the Community Heritage Grants is now open. National Library of Australia has full details including application form.
Applications close 5pm 5th June.

The Community Heritage Grants (CHG) program aims to preserve and provide access to nationally significant, Australian cultural heritage material held by community groups across the country. Grants of up to $15,000 are available for preservation projects and training through community based workshops.

Community organisations such as historical societies, museums, public libraries, archives, Indigenous and migrant community groups which collect and provide public access to their cultural heritage collections are eligible to apply.

A wide range of activities may qualify for grants, including:

• Significance assessments of collections
• Preservation needs assessments of collections
• Purchase of archival quality storage materials
• Conservation activities including cleaning, conservation treatment or rebinding
• Purchase and installation of environmental control and monitoring equipment
• Copying of material once originals have been preserved
• Cataloguing or collection management software
• Training projects.