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.

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