World War 1 conscription at Heidelberg

Heidelberg Historical Society Inc. presents "The World War 1 conscription plebiscites: Heidelberg”

Dr Janine Rizzetti will mark the 100^th anniversary of the second referendum by reviewing the campaigns through the eyes and ears of residents in the Heidelberg and Ivanhoe areas.

WHEN:    Tuesday 12 December 2017 at 8 pm

WHERE:  Uniting Church Community Centre, Seddon Street, Ivanhoe. To be followed by supper.

To learn more about the issue see The War at Home

Eltham Memorials Walk

Over the the past two years the Eltham District Historical Society along with other similar  organizations has participated in the commemoration of the centenary of the First World War. Their next heritage excursion on Saturday 7th May is a further event in that commemoration.
Within the local area many memorials, honour boards and the like were installed after that war. New memorials and additions to the earlier ones were established after the Second World War and there have been subsequent conflicts that are also commemorated.
Within Eltham there are a number of memorials dedicated to locals who served Australia in times
of war. This walk will visit a number of memorials along Main Road, Eltham starting with the heritage listed Avenue of Honour. Along the way there will be stories of some of those who are honoured on the memorials. It will include a visit to the EDHS Local History Centre where there will be a display featuring memorials beyond the area of the walk.

Visitors are welcome to attend this excursion, which is about 2 km in length and will take 2 to 2.5 hours. It will start at 2pm at the car park in Wingrove Park near the intersection of Main and Mount Pleasant Roads. (Melway ref.21 J8). This is a one-­way walk finishing at the Eltham shopping centre.
Private arrangements are required to return to the start, such as bus or a return walk.
This free walk is open to the general public as well as Society members.
Dogs are not permitted on Society excursions.

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

The Great War and its impact on Heidelberg

The next meeting for Heidelberg Historical Society will be presented by Dr. Rosalie Triolo.  Senior Lecturer in History Education, Monash University who will speak on the rarely considered impact on the communities and in particular daily school life of students and teachers, caused from the death and wounding of people they knew within the Heidelberg Shire, as a result of the Great War.

This free talk will be held at Uniting Church Community Centre, Seddon Street, Ivanhoe on Tuesday 12 April 2016 at 8 pm.

Pack up your troubles: Music and the Great War

The current exhibition running at the University of Melbourne’s Grainger Museum: “Pack Up Your Troubles : Musiic and the Great War”, highlights the music and musicians of the First World War. Among the ‘exhibits’ are items once belonging to a 21st Battalion bandsman from Diamond Creek, Herbert Godber. There’s his tiny diary, photos of the band in France and a Christmas card sent to his fiancee Ivy Partington back in Greensborough. Herbert Godber (1892-1980) enlisted in 1915 and returned to Diamond Creek in 1919. Listen to the sounds of the brass as you view the memorabilia, loaned by descendants of the Godber family.  The exhibition is on till December 23.  Visit  Grainger Museum at the University of Melbourne to learn more.

Eltham Commemorative Service

A commemorative service to mark the centenary of the August offensive, that includes the Battles of Lone Pine, The Nek and Hill 60 will be held at the St Margaret’s Church, Pitt Street, Eltham on Saturday 1 August at 2.00pm.
The service will remember the supreme sacrifice of Geoffrey Treacher Grant who was killed in action in the Battle of the Nek on the 7 August 1915.
Geoffrey Grant is one of the enlistees on the Eltham Honour Roll which hangs on the south wall at the back of St Margaret’s Church.
The Montmorency / Eltham RSL will be providing a display of World War One memorabilia. The new renovated church and hall will be open from 1.00 pm. All welcome.

Yarra Plenty Regional Library continues to gather local Anzac stories for publication in 2016. Contact the Local and Family History Librarian for details.