Merri Creek Oral History Project

The Merri Creek flows through Melbourne's northern suburbs through the Cities of Moreland, Whittlesea and Darebin.   The Friends of Merri Creek (Inc.) is a community group working to support the creek since 1988. They are represented on the Merri Creek Management Committee along with council representatives and organise regular clean-ups and activities.

Des and Ruth Shiel are members of the Friends group and between 2012 and 2014 they undertook the Merri Creek Oral History Project, interviewing residents who have lived on the Creek before 1970. The transcriptions of nine of these interviews together with some photographs have recently been added to Wikinorthia. The site publishes personal reminiscences and more reflecting life in Melbourne's north. Leave a comment and add your own memories. 

Residents often grew up near the creek and tell stories of a wild inaccessible waterway, pretty much ignored by everybody including the local council.  But it was a place to play and explore, catch eels or see snakes and frogs:

"..We spent our life down the Creek.  Some of the more vivid things would be finding places where we made our cubby houses, we would go out and do things like camping or parasailing, or what we called parasailing.  What looked like huge cliffs back then, were only about two or three meters high, we would be throwing ropes up, pretending we were climbing over it and doing silly things like that.  Huge areas of box thorn, we would cut out tunnels and an opening in the middle that were like super cubby houses.  We would catch  yabbies,  couple of guys liked to get down there yabbying.  All sorts of mischief.  I have a scar on my hand from grabbing some corrugated iron, I was sliding down the hill on some corrugated iron, stuff like that.  Riding bikes along the paths, always down there on a bike as well..." - Georgio De Nola

Interviews can be accessed by searching the tag "merri creek oral history project".  Leave a comment and add your own memories.

Book Launch: Migration stories from Banyule

MIGRATION-Stories from Banyule reveals fourteen personal journeys of migration by and about people originally from the Aeolian islands, England, the Greek islands, Italy, Malta, Slovenia and Poland who came to Australia by ship, disembarked at Port Melbourne, and now call Australia Home. 

Watsonia Library is pleased to host the launch of this publication as part of Yarra Plenty Regional Library's Local History Month program on Saturday 7 October 2.00pm - 4.00pm.

This publication can be viewed as a vessel for transporting previously untold, unwritten and unheard family journeys. And while a great deal remains to be told, each story is significant, not simply because some of the Memory Keepers started life as young immigrants who experienced long, perilous and circuitous sea journeys before reaching Australia; or whose mother tongue belonged to ‘a language other than English’; whose parents would have been regarded ‘working class’; and who in a single generation, broke barriers of adversity and flourished as highly respected members of the community, as artists, politicians, business operators, volunteers and thinkers. But essentially because each family narrative found between the pages of Migration- Stories from Banyule introduces us to each other, reveals the story behind the story of who we are, where we came from, and why we call Australia home.

Call for Toorourrong Stories

A working group has been formed as part of the Whittlesea Bushfire Memorial Group to source photos, information and stories concerning the Toorourrong Reservoir from its inception in the 1860’s to the present day, including the devastating 2009 bushfires. 

The rotunda at Toorourrong that was situated near the carpark, surprisingly was one of the few structures that survived the bushfire and is to be refurbished and will contain the story of the reservoir, the park, the people who maintained it, the community who enjoyed it and the volunteers and emergency services who assisted on Black Saturday.

An afternoon will be held at Whittlesea Masonic Lodge, Beech Street, Whittlesea on Sunday, 29th June, 2014 from 2pm to 4pm for anyone who may have photos and stories to share. 

Further information please contact Jan Hyndman on 9464 0001 or Fay Zanatta on 9716 2236.

We would also appreciate any donations or recollections for the local history collection at Mill Park Library. Please contact the Local History Librarian

Heidelberg Town Hall Reminising at the Banyule Boomers Over 50s Lifestyle Expo

Yarra Plenty Regional Library are taking part in the Banyule Boomers Festival, Over 50s Lifestyle Expo. We will be hosting two sessions inviting people to join us to share memories of the local community. Remember the Saturday Night dances at "The Burg"? Since opening in 1937 this local landmark has been the centre for many community celebrations, share your photos, memorabilia and memories with others.
Sessions 12.00 - 1.00 and 2.00 - 3.00.
Visit us at Stand 23

Tuesday 13 October 2009
Great Hall, The Centre Ivanhoe, 275 Upper Heidelberg Road, Ivanhoe

Documenting the worst bushfires in Australia's history

Residents of Whittlesea, Banyule and Nillumbik, Darebin and Moreland are encouraged to memoralise the recent tragedy online via Wikinorthia, along with personal reminiscences in whatever way the fires may have touched you. You can place these under the disasters (events) and reminiscences (people) subcategories. Wikinorthia uses wiki technology similiar to Wikipedia where individuals are able to add and edit their own content. Wikipedia already has an article about Black Saturday with a number of links.

Please contact your local library if you need assistance with uploading your article. YPRL will be having workshops later in the year which you will also be able to attend.

Picture Australia is also asking for contributions, via their Flickr project. Details about how to go about this are here.

ABC Online is also collecting, stories, photos and videos.