Maffra and District Historical Society

Dairy Factories

2012-01-17T19:37:00.000-08:00

Boisdale Butter Factory

John, Linda and Spencer are back at it, and working on the history of dairy factories. We didn't realise there were so many! We are working on a book in time for Mardi Gras, so need some help. The full list appears below, but we need further information, especially about those that do not appear on this list.

Dairy factories can be cheese factories, creameries (where the butter was made elsewhere), butter factories or condensed milk factories. Or even milk factories.

Maffra
Maffra Cheese Company 1870 to 1878 (Photos needed)
Fresh Food and Frozen Storage creamery 1891-1896
Maffra Concentrated Milk Company, became Bacchus Marsh Concentrated Milk Company, and then Nestles
Maffra Co-operative Milk Company formed in 1919, still there in Murray Goulburn.
The Willsmere Milk Company Pty Ltd

Mewburn Park / Tinamba
Heyfield Co-operative Butter Factory operated creameries at Tinamba (1892 - ) and Mewburn Park ( -1910). There may have also been a small early private cheese factory at Mewburn Park ( -1874). (Photos needed)

Heyfield
The Heyfield Butter formed in 1891, with creameries at Tinamba, Glenmaggie, Dennison (photo needed), Mewburn Park and Maffra.

Glenmaggie
The Fresh Food and Frozen Storage Company opened a creamery in 1890 It was taken over in 1898 by the Heyfield Butter Factory and closed in 1907/1908.

Medowra
A small private cheese factory operated at Medowra, possibly in the 1870s/early 1880s, but re-opened by Tom Riggall in 1904 and operated until a short time after the start of World War I.

Newry/Upper Maffra
David Miller established a small private cheese factory on his property in 1873/1874, and replaced this with a large cheese factory in the town area in 1876 It was taken over by Fresh Food and Frozen Storage from Melbourne in 1889.
In 1904 the Upper Maffra Co-operative Butter Factory was formed, and built a large brick factory that was amalgamated with the Maffra Co-op in 1950

Boisdale
Operated as part of the Foster family subdivision, erected in 1903. In 1918 it was sold to the Bacchus Marsh Concentated Milk

Little Plain
John McDonald operated a cheese (later Butter) factory at Little Plain, at least 1889 to 1904. (Photo needed)

Valencia Creek
The Fresh Food and Frozen Storage Company established a creamery at Valencia Creek in 1894, and was purchased in 1910 by the syndicate that acquired the Bushy Park Estate. (Photo needed)

Briagolong
Built in 1873, it was still operating in 1904, and closed some time before 1910, when the buildings were sold for removal. (Photos needed)

There were a number of other small, family operated cheese factories. Details on these, especially photographs, would be most welcome.

Closed for Christmas

2011-12-14T13:54:00.000-08:00

The Research Team that meets on Mondays at the Maffra Library has now started Christmas holidays, and will be back in mid January - date to be confirmed, but probably 16 January.

The Museum will reopen in February.

Over Christmas, some of the Research Team will be working on a new set of notes, which will be on the Dairy Factories in the former Maffra Shire, and on a Biographical Database of early residents.

Stay tuned for further announcements.

But in the meantime, we wish everyone a Joyous and Safe Christmas, and hope that Santa fills your stocking with interesting facts about your own research into our local history.

Flo talks about Boisdale

2011-11-23T17:27:00.000-08:00

There is now an ABC interview with our doyen of historians, Flo Pearce, about the Centenary of Closer Settlement at Boisdale, online on the ABC Gippsland website. You can read, and hear, it HERE.

Baptisms by Rev John Roberts

2011-11-20T01:36:00.000-08:00

The Society has long held a copy of the baptismal register for the Rev John Roberts, who came to the Maffra Presbyterian Church in late 1865, later moving to Stratford. Overall, he spent fifty years ministering to the people of Gippsland from the two towns, carrying out 1,240 baptisms in the process.

The Rev Roberts often travelled to Lindenow and Bairnsdale, and occasionally to Tarraville. However the largest proportion of his baptisms are at Maffra, Little Plain, Valencia Creek and Upper Maffra.

The Rev Roberts was born in London in 1829, and arrived in Adelaide in 1849. He worked as a lay preacher in various Adelaide suburban missions, until being appointed to the new charge of Goolwa the following year. He remained there for ten years, but maintained strong links, often returning there for holidays. He was returning from a holiday there in December 1915, to celebrate his fifty years of continuous service to the Presbyterian Church in North Gippsland, when he died suddenly on the train at Camberwell. He had carried out two baptisms in South Australia several days previously.

After Goolwa he relocated to Melbourne, spending time at missions at Footscray and Maidstone, before moving to Stratford and Maffra in 1865. Ill-health forced his retirement from full-time ministry at Stratford in 1897, but he continued to baptise children, often the children of those he had first baptised many years before. In retirement, he lived in Maffra.

The records now held by the Society have been organised by surname, making it easy to check for those interested in their early family history. They will be added to the Society's resources in the Maffra Library in the near future.

Photos and Books in the Mail

2011-11-19T00:48:00.000-08:00

The Society has recently received a large parcel of photographs and local books in the mail. However it is unable to locate appropriate details in order to acknowledge the donation, which it sincerely wishes to do.

It is deeply appreciated. Thank You!

New (Reissued) Book

2011-11-19T00:44:00.001-08:00

Maffra and District Historical Society has reissued "Gippsland Estates 1882: A series of articles which appeared in The Gippsland Mercury from January to August 1882"

This updated edition is in a larger typeface, with the addition of seven photographs. properties described are:

Park House (photo)
Allerdale
Holey Plains
Riversdale
Mewburn Park (photo)
Spring Park (photo)
Powerscourt
Boisdale (photo)
Bushy Park (photo)
Llowalong (photo)
Inverbroom
Craigielee
Drayton
Williamsvale
The Airly Estate
Glencoe
The Heart
Newton
Cavan House
Clydebank
Maristow
Strathfieldsaye (photo)

Photographs from a similar time frame are sought for all properties not illustrated.

The book is A4, comb-bound, 65 pages, indexed for places and surnames. It is $12.00 plus postage, from P.O. Box 321, Maffra 3860.

Beet Book now Available Again

2011-11-07T20:14:00.000-08:00

Just reprinted. The book, previously known as Maffra Beet Sugar Industry, 1894 to 1948, has just been reprinted, with a photo supplement.

It is now $9.00, available from the museum, or $10.50 posted, from Box 321, Maffra, 3860.

It is 34 pages, a high-quality photo-copy, comb bound, A4

We will have it at the Centenary of Closer Settlement at Boisdale on 26 November.

Centenary of Boisdale Closer Settlement

2011-10-30T05:15:00.000-07:00

Centenary of Closer Settlement for Boisdale

Descendants of the original settlers of Boisdale and District, former residents and community members, join us for a weekend of celebrations to mark the
Centenary of Closer Settlement for our district.

Date: 26th and 27th November 2011

Saturday 26th
12 noon onwards at Boisdale Public Hall: BBQ lunch, displays, tours of significant areas and buildings, Devonshire tea.

8pm - Musical evening in the hall, homemade supper.

Sunday 27th
10-12 noon, memorabilia, brunch

2pm Church service at St George's, Boisdale (all welcome)

Bring any photos, memorabilia or family stories to be shared and recorded for the Boisdale History Archives.

The first selection of 57 blocks ranging from 39-50 acres was offered by the Department of Agriculture from the Boisdale Estate in August 2011. Blocks ranged from 22 to 26 pounds per acre, with successful applicants contracted to grow 10 acres of sugarbeet each year for ten years.

Some of the early settlers were:
Pearce, Bedggood, O'Connor, Phillips, Bourke, Rowley, Malcolm, Jorgensen, Fixter, McCarthy, Harvey, Kelly, Pettigrew, Rappard, Burgermeister, Timmins, Moir, Deary, Ridley, Brown, Soutar, Madsen, Webb, Slade, Bennett, Atkinson, McInnes, Moore, Jenkins, Sellings and Cannon.

Please contact organisers to assist with catering.
RSVP on 5145 4364

History Week

2011-09-30T00:29:00.000-07:00

We are participating in History Week.

Join the Maffra and District Historical Society and Wellington Library Service at the Maffra Library for a demonstration of the Maffra Spectator, now online through Trove from 1882 to 1920. Find out just how easy it is to research your family, organisation or locality. Pick up tips that also apply to hundreds of other local newspapers online from throughout Australia.

We will be there from 1pm to 3pm, Monday 24 October.

War Trophies

2011-09-22T22:50:00.000-07:00

The following, from a Gippsland Times report of the Maffra Shire Council meeting of 3 June 1920, is reproduced totally without comment,.

A letter was received from the Victorian State Trophy Committee. re distribution of war trophies. Boisdale to receive one machine gun; Maffra, one machine gun; Glenmaggie, one machine gun; Heyfield, one machine gun.

Cr. M'Adam said it was ridiculous allotting a machine gun to Maffra, considering the number of recruits that went from here. With one other place they were the only town in Victoria to send three platoons to the war. They should have something more than a machine gun to place in front of the Shire Hall. He moved that the Federal member be written to in the matter.

Cr. Chester seconded the motion, which was carried.

Cr. Tulloch: The smaller towns would gladly accept a machine gun each.

Cr. Noble: Can we get a rifle for Bushy Park?

Why We Have Street Lighting

2011-09-11T14:10:00.000-07:00

STREET LAMPS

TO THE EDITOR OF THE MAFFRA SPECTATOR

Sir, -- In your valuable columns allow me to vent my wrath, created by stumbling over a cow, which was lying stretched across the footpath in our main street on Thursday evening last ; the animal, although unconscious of the damage which it might have caused me, and the fright given, should not have been there, or at least some light might be given to show one such obstacles in the middle of the township. The footpaths are often the nightly resting place of cows and horses, and one is often in danger of running against an animal in the dark. I wish to suggest that a few lamps should be erected in the principal street by the Shire Council, in order to protect, as far as possible, some unfortunate from becoming the victim of any serious mishap.

I am, yours truly,

INJURED.

Maffra, 4th May, 1883.

Maffra Spectator online

2011-09-05T02:30:00.000-07:00

The Maffra Spectator is now online at Trove, from 1882 to 1920. You can access it HERE. Just put the word/s for which you area searching in the box at top right, and click on the "Limit to issues of this title" immediately below that box.

There are now a number of other Gippsland newspapers online - you can see the full list for Victoria HERE.

This is wonderful, wonderful news for local researchers.

Wonderful News

2011-08-09T17:23:00.000-07:00

The wonderful news is that the Maffra Spectator will be added to Trove in this financial year, from 1882 to 1920. This will allow searches online, all through those years.

A full list of the papers being added in this batch are HERE. The Gippsland Times is already available there.

School photos on facebook

2011-08-06T23:45:00.000-07:00

There is a new facebook group for school photos from Maffra Primary School and Maffra High School (later Maffra Secondary College). You can find it HERE.

Do you know anyone?

2011-08-06T02:33:00.001-07:00

Does anyone happen to know anyone in this Deb Set? It has come to us as a digital copy with others from the recent Maffra "Back To". But we are at a loss for names, or even a rough date.

HELP!!!!

There is a larger copy HERE.

(Linda suspects it is a Wain to the left of the lady in black, which would make it early 1950s. But she is just guessing)

Introducing the Opposition

2011-07-30T10:47:00.001-07:00

After carefully matching photographs, we can now announce that the group above appears to be the opposition to the female football team in the last post. If you dare, there is a larger photograph HERE.

Wonder who won?

And wonder if they can now be assigned a decade from the "fashions". We still don't know.

Do You know these Women?

2011-07-12T14:57:00.000-07:00

Is there anyone out there who can identify any of these women? Who are at the Maffra Showgrounds, wearing Maffra Rovers Football Club jumpers, some time after 1952. A better date would be good, too.

There is a larger copy HERE.

We wonder who they were they playing? Is this an early WAGS (Wives and Girlfriends) of the footballers of the time, playing a rival team's WAGs?

We have a number of photographs such as this in the collection, where with a bit of time some of the members of our community should be able to identify them. On Monday 25 July we will have a photo afternoon at the Maffra Library, 1pm to 3pm - everyone welcome to come along and see if you can spot people you know in our photographs.

Happy New Cataloguing Year

2011-07-02T23:29:00.000-07:00

Happy new Cataloguing Year. We are currently cataloguing photographs, and this is one of the latest to take our attention.

The inscription reads:

"Taken after 1892 (I think) in Shepparton.
Grandpa Anderson (in centre)
Uncle Edmund HAWKINS (once of Maffra)
Uncle Ted MILLIGAN (of Waterloo near Ballarat)
Douglas HAWKINS (also standing)
Sitting (left to right) Stanley HAWKINS (grandpa), Aunt Bessie (Mrs Edmund HAWKINS), Garfield HAWKINS and dog (General Buller).

All three boys were born in Maffra where Uncle Edmund worked in a draper's shop prior to approx 1895, when they went to Shepparton. Stanley died of the influenza epidemic after 1st World War. Doug and Gar went to the war and were both in France - Gar as a 2nd Lieutenant, Doug (?). Gar was killed in action in France. Doug died later (at home) of war injuries. No descendants at all - family wiped out by war 1914-1918"

We are having a bit of a problem working out who is who in the adult males, but the sad part to the story is that all boys die - one in the war, one after the war from injuries, and one from the influenza outbreak immediately after. And don't we all wish this sort of detail was on the back of photographs coming into the collection.

I don't know that we have reported our cataloguing stats here before, but as of 30 June 2011, we had 3659 items in our catalogue. Of those, 1,128 had attached photographs (402 are scans of archived photos, 206 are photographs where we hold them as a digital copy only).

Gippsland and Northern

2011-06-24T15:45:00.001-07:00

Our friends over at From Farm to Factory have been speculating on the history of Gippsland and Northern, better known locally as G&N.

The little bit I have been able to dig up, it seems they grew out of the Gippsland Co-operative Selling Company (formed 1905) to be the Gippsland and Northern Co-operative Selling Company by 1910. I know John Rahilly of Glenmaggie was a founding director, through his directorship of the Heyfield Co-operative.

And that we have a few milking machine parts:

This is the tag on one of them, at the Robotic Dairy Centre at Winnindoo.

And we have a file I am yet to examine about their acquisition of Thomas Standing and Co from Newmarket.

Does anyone know anything else of their history?

Johnson Street Walk

2011-04-30T21:06:00.000-07:00

We are hard at work on our presentation on the buildings in Johnson Street - can anyone help with any information about the buildings shown on the left in this photograph of the Macalister Hotel?

The Powerpoint can be seen if you drop into the Museum - we are open on the first Saturday of the month.

Christmas Closure

2010-12-04T23:20:00.000-08:00

Maffra and District Historical Society (and the Sugar Beet Museum) are now closed for the Christmas break.

Museum openings will resume on the first Sunday of the month in February, 10am to 2pm to coincide with the market.

The research crew will be back at the Maffra Library from 1pm to 3pm on Mondays from 17 January, staff permitting.

However if you are traveling some distance to Maffra over the holidays, you can contact us to make an appointment. e-mail kapana[at]netspace.net.au or ring 0418 573 828.

It is actually worth contacting us at any time of the year if you are visiting from a distance - you cannot always rely on the member best-suited to your enquiry being available on the day, and you never know what you will find out if you give us some notice.

We hope everyone has a Peaceful and Joyous Christmas. if you are on the roads, please take care.

Publicans' Licences

2010-12-04T00:08:00.000-08:00

We have been cataloguing a group of Publican's Licenses held for all hotels in the Maffra Shire 1882/1883. In many ways these raise more questions than they answer. No-one knows where the Cricketers Arms was at Briagolong, but a lack of a license is this group for the current hotel suggests it was an alternate name for that hotel.

And did everyone realise there were this many hotels then around Donnellys Creek/Store Point/Brunton's Bridge? Especially that there was a hotel on the Seaton side of the bridge?

The licenses held are:

William Kiss of the Macalister Hotel Maffra for the Riversdale races, 1882.
William Kiss of the Macalister Hotel in Maffra, 1882.
William Bannister of Camden Hotel, Maffra 1882.
James Knox for Metropolitan Hotel at Maffra, 1882.

John Michael Curtain for unnamed hotel at Glenmaggie, 1882.
Margaret Ryan of Glenmaggie for the Glenmaggie Hotel, 1882.

Jane Crooks of the Thomson Hotel in Heyfield, 1882.
Jane Crooks of Heyfield for the Heyfield Races March 1883.
Robert Templeton of Heyfield for the Commercial Hotel, 1882.

Alexander McKenzie of Briagolong for the Cricketers Arms Hotel, 1882.

Alfred William Morgan of Bundalaguah Hotel, 1882.

Mary Ann Rawlings of Newry for the Farmers Arms Hotel, 1882.

William Watson of Tinamba for an un-named hotel, 1882.

Margaret O'Reilley of Glenmaggie for the Seaton Hotel, 1882. (NB see below re Carl Rumpff).
Carl Rumpff of Seaton for the Seaton Hotel. (NB see above re Margaret O'Reilley) 1882.
So, did they get the name wrong for one hotel? Both were issued on the same date.

Application for renewal, Thomson Bridge Hotel, Walhalla Road via Toongabbie, from John C. Buchanan, Dec 1882.
John C. Buchanan of Thomson bridge for the Thomson Bridge Hotel, 1882. (Magistrate sitting at Walhalla), 1884.

Robert Stack of Donnelly's Creek for the Donnelly's Creek Hotel, 1883 (Magistrate sitting at Walhalla).

Timothy O'Sullivan of Donnelly's Creek for the Store Point Hotel, 1884.

More Elephants

2010-11-29T13:59:00.000-08:00

We have been out trying to show the Wirths Circus elephants in their original context. It's a bit hard to do, as we think the original photographer was working with a wide-angle lens. I mean, how else do you photograph five elephants in a row?

Spencer tells us the circus used to arrive on its own special train. In this case, the elephants will have got off the train, headed down the road and hung a rightie to go past the factory. Where they were photographed.

If you drop over to the flickr page for this photo, you can see links in the ABC Open project to other elephants. Including these ones in far north Queensland.

Elephants in the Landscape

2010-11-13T16:16:00.000-08:00

Every now and then, the subject of elephants rears its heads. Usually it is someone asking exactly where the elephant was buried near the viaduct near Stratford. No-one knows exactly. Then someone else comes out with all their Gippsland Elephants stories.

But this one came out of no-where (or, to be more exact, the back of the Cannon album we were cataloguing).

Unfortunately the light got into the film, so it is not perfect. But you can just see the Cir-Cus truck in the background. We don't know where this was, but we know they did come to Maffra in times past. You can see them HERE.

You can see the larger version of ours HERE.

St David's Hospital

2010-10-27T22:20:00.000-07:00

We only have two photographs of St David's Hospital in Maffra - this one, and another almost exactly the same, taken at the same time.

Hundreds of local babies were born there - surely someone out there has a better photograph? If you do, we would really appreciate a copy.

It was demolished many years ago.

Looking at Johnson Street

2010-10-22T15:34:00.000-07:00

We have been beavering away on a Powerpoint presentation (that is, showing photographs on computer screens), to show some images of how Johnson Street in Maffra was over the years. We have plenty of buildings such as the Post Office, above, before it was demolished, but are always looking for more of other areas of the street.

We have to have the presentation at the Museum tomorrow, Sunday, while the vintage cars are in town. And at the museum at various times after that. So if you have old photographs of Johnson Street that you would allow us to copy, we would really like to have a look at them.

Show us your Centrifuges!

2010-08-26T14:16:00.000-07:00

There is a great post over on From Farm to Factory, which coindcidentally shows what we think are three Herd Testing Centrifuges on a bottom shelf. We love shots of other collections, as you spot all sorts of things like this.

The one in the middle looks like this one, that we have out at our dairy display at Winnindoo. It is a Wizard Tester, from the USA, and is water-powered. Although it has a 1904 prize-date on it, we know it was in use in the 1940s at Mewburn Park.

There are other centrifuges around - the earliest one we have seen is a Babcock at Stratford, and another similar, but probably later one at Old Gippstown. Plus a box at Old Gippstown - anyone else got one?

We've shown you ours - anyone else able to post one?

Dairying Equipment

2010-07-09T03:09:00.000-07:00

The Powerhouse Object of the Week blog has an excellent post on dairying equipment in museums on the NSW south coast - and points to a new blog on this dairying equipment - from farm to factory.

Fascinating stuff, especially as we have both a dairying collection at Winnindoo, and cheese factory items in storage in the shed.

Maffra Memorial Hall

2010-06-28T14:20:00.000-07:00

In a recent comment, Lenore of The Empire Called blog asked for more about the Maffra Memorial Hall. So when we spotted this photograph during cataloging yesterday, we thought it ideal for a post.

This shows the hall, not long after construction, with the original Mechanics' Institute, on the left. Although there is also a suggestion that was the first shire hall, before the shire moved down the street, and it then became the mechanics'.

However .......

What took our eye was that there is something missing from the early photograph, that can clearly be seen today in the modern building. It is now the library.

So, just in case you cannot see it:

The granite pillars, mentioned on the optus sectile honour board inside as part of the memorial, were not added during the construction of the hall, but later.

The foundation stones were laid in 1922, so the early photograph would have been taken around 1923-1924.

Wonder if there are any similar memorial halls around, either with pillars at the entrance, or where space was left for pillars, but none were put in place.

Talking Museums on Facebook

2010-06-21T18:18:00.000-07:00

If you are reading this blog because you are involved in a volunteer-operated museum in Australia, there is a new Facebook page for you. Loretta from the Farmer's Arms Hotel Museum at Euroa has started a Facebook page Volunteer run Australian Museums.

Do drop over - it is spot for a chat about whatever comes to your mind about volunteer-operated museums, and hopefully will be a good place to pick up ideas.

We have posted a picture there of our museum - which at the minute looks just like the picture below. But more people over there to tell us about their own museum would be good.

Melbourne Teacher's College Board

2010-06-12T12:40:00.000-07:00

The indefatigable Lenore has pointed me to a link to the Melbourne Teacher's College Honour Boards, which also appear to be by Brooks Robinson, and include photographs.

The memorial consists of three windows and two tablets. The tablets appear to be opus sectile similar to Maffra's, with multiple sepia photographs inserted.

Thanks Lenore!

More of the Opus Sectile

2010-06-11T20:59:00.000-07:00

Here are two more views of the Opus Sectile memorials in the Maffra Library, discussed in the last post. They give a much better idea of the size and context.

Opus Sectile Honour Boards

2010-06-06T16:49:00.000-07:00

Your correspondent has been over looking at one of her favourite blogs, The Empire Called and I Answered, where Lenore Frost is attempting to track down the honour rolls that include men who enlisted from Essendon and the surrounding area in WWI. A fascinating one is the Melbourne and Metropolitan Tramways Board roll, which is on some form of pressed metal.

Which had me thinking about the Honour Rolls and photographs in the Maffra Library, inherited from when the RSL occupied that space.

The main board, which is an opus sectile work (literally "segemented work"), is similar to work by Brooks Robinson Pty Ltd, a Melbourne firm that advertised extensively in Anglican newsletters. From memory, there is a similar board in St John's Anglican Church in Bairnsdale, and small pieces in St John's Anglican Church at Maffra.

This board (below), is accompanied by two smaller works, both including photographs of local women. The one above, to Louie Riggall, was erected by her family when the Shire Committee refused to include her on the shire roll, as they did not believe, being a British VAD, that she fulfilled the enlistment criteria. Louie died of fever while working in the British Army Hospital in Rouen, where she was in charge of of the stores.

When the community lost Sister Irene Singleton as a prisoner of war on Banka Island in World War II, the community erected a matching memorial to her.

The larger WWI board can be viewed at all times the library is open, and the two mosaic portraits are in the same room. The Shire rolls claims to be a full roll, but casualties from Glenmaggie, for example, were not included for some reason. There is a full-sized version HERE

A full listing of those who served from all known areas in the former Maffra Shire can be found HERE.

Lieutenant Rupert Vance Moon VC

2010-06-05T16:14:00.000-07:00

Lieutenant Rupert Vance Moon VC often appears on honour rolls in Maffra as, some time prior to his enlistment in 1914, he worked at the National Bank in the town. For example, he is included on the Honour Roll in St John's Anglican Church.

Lieut. Moon joined as a private, but was promoted through the ranks (at one time being a Sgt-Trumpeter). He served at Gallipoli, but won his Victoria Cross at Bullecourt in 1917. His entry, from the National Bank Record of Service, published in 1921, appears below.

The Avenue of Honour at his birthplace in Bacchus Marsh includes Moon Reserve. This Avenue of Honour is under threat from road extensions.

The Hammond Negatives

2010-06-01T12:31:00.000-07:00

On and off, the Monday Afternoon Cataloguing Team (MACT) that works at the Library, has been working on the H.B. Hammond plate glass negatives. Harrie Beaumont (Hal) Hammond was a photographer in Maffra from 1907 until his death in 1948. And he was an exceptionally good one.

Over that career he would have taken thousands of photographs, and many were published in Melbourne papers. he kept meticulous scrapbooks of these, and we hold all bar one of them, covering a period of 1907 to 1933.

However almost all of his negatives went to the tip, apart from 61 that were saved, and are now much-treasured by the Historical Society. Theya re full-plate glass negatives, of exceptional quality and include views such as this:

We have prints of all except one of the negatives, so do not allow them to be accessed at all, and they are very safely stored away. We are now in the process of working our way through them, and hoping to identify people (although most are of scenes), such as this Scout or Leader:

The Clippings Books have been indexed, with the indexes included in our catalogue. So hopefully, in the near future, we will be able to link families with their photographs.

And maybe even find out where that haystack is.

Items uploaded to CAN

2010-05-11T01:14:00.000-07:00

We have just been advised that we have been successful in loading a small number of items from our catalogue to CAN (Collections Australia Network).

It is only a sample of the most significant items from our collection - but you can go to the CAN catalogue and search by "Maffra", and most of them come up. Plus items from elsewhere about Maffra.

Sarah Rhodes, the CAN outreach officer, also took the time to discuss our online strategy (which we share with Stratford and Old Gippstown), and her report on that can be found on the CAN Outreach blog.

Okay, members reading this - what other items should we list? What items do you consider important? Heck, why restrict it to members - what does anyone think we should upload?

The Shed

2010-05-01T03:24:00.000-07:00

Thinking of visiting Maffra? Don't forget that as well as the Sugarbeet Museum, there is also The Gippsland Vehicle Collection - affectionately known locally as "The Shed"

It is in the former WWII Dehydration Factory, near the original Sugarbeet Factory site, and has a changing display of veteran and classic vehicles and other automobilearaila (is that the right word?)

Allister Garside's photos

2010-04-26T14:57:00.000-07:00

We are slowly working our way through a small box of photos that came to use several years ago from Allister Garside. The three girls above, who are possibly two Cannon sisters either side, with Allister's sister Laura in the centre, were possibly photographed at Seaspray.

Laura Garside was born 1911, so the guess for this photo is mid-1920s. The handwriting is sometimes difficult to decipher:

No births can be found in CANNON, GANNON or CAMM that exactly fit the sisters.

A larger print is HERE. If anyone definitely identify the two sisters, it would be appreciated.

It is a fascinating collection. The box appears to be an early chocolate box, and photos have come from a number of sources. There are some from the Wilson family (Allister married Caroline Wilson), and many from the Kings - his mother's family. Associated names are McCamey, Tuhan, Bartlett, Ware and Caldwell.

The photographs are a mixture of photographs of babies and children, inscribed and sometimes dated on the back, addressed to various aunts and uncles. Then, there are the snapshots, which Allister and possibly others, have named in later life.

Another of the photos from the collection can be found HERE.

The Society would welcome contact from any of the associated families, in an attempt to identify further photographs. Details and names are so far held for about forty of them.

Complete List of Factory Books

2010-04-04T00:34:00.000-07:00

We have finally finished sorting the Butter and Cheese Factory books that are held at the Museum. For the record, the complete list appears below. These can only be viewed on the first Sunday of the month, and having the reference numbers with you that appear on the end of the line will make sure that no matter who is on duty, they can be found.

Heyfield Co-operative Butter Factory

Share Register OR, 1916-1921 (00705, AB004)
Share Register NL No 1, 1920-1930 (00704, AB004)
Share Register NL No 2, 1930-1955 (00702, AB004)
Share Register, not dated, but transfers in 1940s/1950s. (00720, AB005)

Minute Books (3) 1892-1935 (00719, AB005)
Minute Book 1935-1954 (00708, AB004)
Minute Book 1954-1960 (00707, AB004)

Debenture Index, 1955-1968 (00709, AB004)

Maffra Co-operative Butter Factory

Share Register 1920-1923 (00706, AB004)
Preference Share Register, 1925 (00715, AB005)
Financial Journal 1922-1928 (00716, AB005)

Sale Co-operative Butter Factory

Ledger 1942-1948 (00702, next to AB004)

Upper Maffra [Newry] Co-operative Butter and Cheese Factory

Share Register 1920-1950 (00711, AB005)

Unknown Factory

Account and Contra Book, 1914-1924. (00721, AB005)

Maffra Sugarbeet Factory

2010-03-27T17:21:00.000-07:00

We are beavering our way through the photographs, cataloguing them to our database. This is the 2210th to go into the system. It shows the Maffra Sugarbeet factory some time after the Sugar Store was added in the 1920s, the section on the left. Our museum building was originally off to the left, out of this photograph.

However what really caught out eye, was the group of four beet drays in front. All are identical, and only one appears to have a driver. There is a faint smudge where another could have been - the whole four are out of focus as they were obviously moving. Did the drivers walk? were they a bit like packhorses and one was trained to follow another, or hitched to the one in front? Although what chance is there that struggling beet farmers would own more than one dray?

There is a bigger copy of the photo HERE.

The Sugar Store, the section on the left, is all that remains today, clearly in view on the right as the road heads off to Sale.

Italian Prisoners of War

2010-03-17T22:54:00.000-07:00

We have been asked if we know anything about the housing supplied to the Italian Prisoners of War who worked in the Maffra district during WWII.

In particular, the enquirer is wondering if there was a prefabricated hut that was supplied, as several that are similar have been located on local farms, and it suggested this was their origin.

Jim Fairchild supplied us with details of his memories in Bulletin #79 in 1993, but there is not a lot to help there. There was an office in Maffra that allocated the prisoners, and we know they used to be allowed to go to church in Maffra on Sundays, and would then hide under the bridge to catch up with each other, as they were not allowed to congregate with each other - but we do not know anything about their living quarters.

We also know they were in Briagolong, as they were remembered for walking around the district singing.

There is also an article on the Italian Prisoners of War in the Yarram district in Gippsland Heritage Journal # 13 (now out of print, but available in local libraries).

Here is a little of what Jim Fairchild wrote - does anyone know anything else, especially about their huts?

I was seven when Cedrick set up one of our employees, Wallace Knight, on a farm of his own and, with no other labour available, we were allocated an Italian P.O.W. in his place. Vincenzo Esposito arrived on Tuesday, October 13th, 1944. I can remember to the nearest foot where he was standing when I first met him, and that his only word of English was "Yes". Dad soon set out to remedy that and taught Vince to read and write English too by going down to the men's rooms each night with one of my books, Buzzywing, a story about a bee, in big print and small words. Vince had only one Italian book with him and Dad soon learned some Italian.

I don't know how apprehensive my mother was about the arrival of 'the enemy', for Vince had his meals in our kitchen as did the other farm workers, but I expect she probably mothered him just as she did every new farm lad. He enjoyed the homely atmosphere and was very good to Mum. Once a fortnight an Army van called and prisoners were able to buy provisions from the meagre pay they were allowed, things like 'Coo-ee' tobacco and coloured silks and raffia. Vince wove gifts for Mum from raffia wrapped in cellophane, and one of our prized possessions today is a tablecloth into one corner of which he had woven in silk a picture, taken from one of my cowboy books, of a cowgirl on a rearing horse. He was going to weave a picture in each corner for her, but he was taken away before he could do so.

The prisoners were allowed to go to Mass each Sunday and Vince was given the farm bike to ride the seven miles to Maffra. Regulations required him to wear his heavy maroon uniform, but Dad felt this was ridiculous in the summer heat and gave him some light fawn trousers. We promptly had a visit from the Captain in charge (I think it was Charlie Donahoe) to say he would be taken away from us if seen dressed that way again.

Getting Interactive

2010-03-07T18:23:00.001-08:00

Yesterday was a busy day at the Maffra Sugarbeet Museum. We are currently opening only on the first Sunday of the month, at 10am to coincide with the town market. It works well, and we pick up a lot of visitors.

We have been exercising our minds how we can better involve the younger visitors, and yesterday brought in three young men from Maffra (read aged about eight to twelve, at a guess), who gave us some really good ideas.

Firstly, we already have a Beet Lifter in the middle of the main room, that has been set up so it can be lifted to show how heavy it was, and how hard the work was, guiding it behind a horse. They liked that.

Then we thought - they might like a look in our storeroom, which used to be The Vault. So in we went. First step was in through the rather inconspicuous door in the wall. Big, heavy and hard to swing.

Once in there, this was the view

So we thought - why not show them some the things stored in the cupboard? (Although most of them were full of documents, books and copies of photos for display, there was one interesting cupboard)

(Note, several of the pictures above are AFTER we re-presented things a bit better, once we got some ideas from them. But just wait until we really have a go at things!)

They especially liked the Cow Horn Ornament - something that would be hard to display in our main exhibition, but fitting in quite well into what is becoming a "Discovery Expedition into The Vault".

Then, there were the Seal presses in there, that we needed to sort out anyway. So out they came, onto a table in the second room, where we mount temporary exhibitions. And we carefully pressed away, working out which one was which.

These are, from left to right, the Briagolong Cheese Factory, two milk factories (one in Sale, the other possibly in Maffra), the Maffra Shire original seal, and a small one that just presses "Maffra". Some quick cutting up of a manilla folder gave them seals to take home with them. On reflection, we think it will be safe to leave the first three out for use under guidance, and put the shire one away, as the finish on it is still quite good, and it helps better explain why we do not handle some items. And how there are all sorts of dairy factories that have disappeared. And the little Maffra one is a bit hard to operate, and doesn't have a story attached to it. Lots more that we can do with these.

Then, they discovered a Mrs Potts iron, out holding down the visitor's book in the wind, with its handle beside it. And wanted to know how it worked. Quick as a flash, we found a second iron, and had them changing them around on the "stove" (desk), to "iron" (on the visitor's book, which now looks a bit rusty), until it "got cold" and had to go and be swapped on the "stove". They had a ball.

So these young guys gave us heaps of ideas of things we can do when people like them come into the museum. We swapped a few things around and had a think about what else we can get out of boxes to put on the discovery shelves with the other items. To go with the Refractometer and the other piece of equally complex milk-testing equipment from the 1940s that we have just realised is not catalogued.

One thing leads to another - and we cannot wait for our next open Sunday. Anyone out there want to come along and join us, and see how we do it, and join us so we can open a little more often?

Glenmaggie Weir, 1925

2010-03-07T00:33:00.000-08:00

We have just finished relocating this rather impressive montage of photographs of Genmaggie Weir construction in 1925. It is now in our smaller, exhibitions rooms, as we have not had a chance to have a good look at it recently. There is a larger copy HERE.

At first glance, we thought this was the work of local photographer, H.B. Hammond, who took many photographs of the weir during its construction. But we find it is by Krantz and Drill, photographers. We do not know them, so assume they must be from outside the area.

Which makes this photograph even more interesting. Most of Hammond's photographs are known to us, as they turn up so often. This group includes many we have not seen before, such as the ones of the school, and the engineering staff, below.

The larger copies are HERE and HERE.

If anyone knows anything about Krantz and Drill, we would be interested to hear from them. Or if anyone can name any of the people in the photographs.

Who is Bill?

2010-02-20T15:25:00.000-08:00

The cataloguing team are currently considering this snapshot of three young men thinning beet near Heyfield, in 1923. All three are holding the short-handled thinning hoes, with Alister Garside on the left, demonstrating the back-breaking nature of the work.

Alister has named his companions on the reverse of the photograph, thus:

We are reasonably confident that the one on the left is George King, who is possibly Alister's cousin, but we are having trouble understanding Bill's name, the one in the middle. Is it Doll? Or Poll? Or a mis-spelling of Pohl?

George Alister Garside was born in 1907 in Port Melbourne, the son of George Garside and Ellen King. So we can assume Bill is a similar age. The surname Doll appears then only at Terang, and there is no William/Bill. The name Pohl is in small numbers in Victoria, but no Bill/William fits.

Alister will have been the one to name the photograph, but late in life, and he may have been unsure of Bill's name.

Any suggestions, anyone?

Lottie Jackson's Cookbook

2010-02-01T23:03:00.000-08:00

One of Maffra's icons is Lottie Jackson's Victory Cook Book. This was first produced in the 1940s to raise funds for the troops, again in the 1950s to raise funds for the ambulance, in the 1960s for the Swimming Pool (see below), and possibly again in the 1970s. A couple of years ago it was yet again reprinted.

The Society has one copy, probably from the early 1960s, in its possession. This is the title page:

Also in our collection, we have this photograph of Mrs Jackson and an unknown Ambulance officer from Maffra. It is probably from the 1950s, and he appears to be a returned soldier, but we do not know his name. If anyone can help with that, we would deeply appreciate it.

The early 1960s book we have if full of recipes contributed by various Maffra people. And from all over Gippsland. So if you happen to find your grandmother in there, you can have a good idea of her recipes. Sago Souffle, anyone?

There are also the obligatory "Handy Hints". here is a short selection:

If anyone can assist with further memories of Mrs Jackson, or her cook book, we would be glad to hear about them.

Teaching Cows to eat Sugar Beet

2009-12-06T02:18:00.000-08:00

Now, you would think it would not take much to get cows to eat Sugar Beet. Above is the famous photograph of a cow in Johnson Street, Maffra (the main street), having a good feed on some that had fallen off on their way to the factory.

And the pulp that was a residue of the process was a favourite stock food, taken home by the cart load by farmers.

So maybe it is not a case of teaching them to eat it, but studying it as a stock food. You wouldn't think there would be much to it.

Today, as we were working at the museum, we came upon this book for cataloguing. All 390 pages of it: Cattle Feeding with Sugar Beets, Sugar, Molasses and Sugar Beet Residuum. Wow! Published in America in 1902.

We have recently been looking at what books we do hold, and they are a mixed lot. Apart from the various published government reports, they are mainly from America, whereas now we tend to talk in terms of it being mainly a European crop. Just for starters, here are some of the titles we hold:

A practical handbook on the distillation of alcohol from farm products, 1918

Field Manual for Sugar Beet Growers, 1913 (There were 61 Sugar Beet mills in America at that stage)

Sugar Beet Seed: History and Development, 1918 (120 pages, just on the seed)

Beet-Sugar Making and its Chemical Control, 1909 (354 pages. It is a complex chemical process - you don't just squeeze the beet, and out comes the sugar)

Principal Insect Enemies of the Sugar Beet, 1920

The Technology of Sugar, 1916 (526 pages)

Beet-Sugar Manufacture, 1910

Condensed Description of the Manufacture of Beet Sugar, 1920

These books, mostly from the private library of one of the factory managers, show just how important an industry this was, especially in America. Whereas we only had the one Beet Sugar Mill in the Southern Hemisphere.

In Maffra.

Museum Victoria Online

2009-11-29T03:17:00.000-08:00

How do people test out new databases? I tend to type in places I know, and see what comes up.

So, with Museum Victoria's new Collections Online Database, I typed in "Maffra"

And up came this pair of boots. I'm off to try a few more places.

HINT - there are two search boxes on the screen for the first link above. Use the box at top right - it returns a heck of a lot more results.

Added to the Catalogue this Week

2009-11-25T02:59:00.000-08:00

We probably won't be reporting every week as to the exact items added to the catalogue, but these three are interesting:

00709 Debenture Index Heyfield and District Co-operative Dairy Company Limited, 1955-1968. Gives names of people, number of shares, year and address. Contains many loose sheets of paper that appear to be uncollected Debenture Certificates from South Eastern Milk Products

00710 Letterbook, apparently from licensed surveyor Daniel Bateman Sellars, for 1908-1909 (not full, ends 14 July). Appears to be surveying around Wagga Wagga, Tumut, "Tummbarimba", Yarramgobilly, (p184, 223) NSW etc. Also appears used by L.S. Sellars. D.B. Sellars died suddenly at Maffra aged 70, in 1919, while carrying out a surveying commission. We do not currently know of any other connection to Maffra, so if anyone can assist with further information, it would be appreciated.

00711 Share Register of the Upper Maffra Co-operative Butter and Cheese Factory Company Limited, from 1920 to 1950. Includes affidavit in front for amalgamation 20 September 1950 with Maffra Co-operative Milk Products Company Limited.

These items are available for consultation at the Museum on the first Sunday of the month, or by appointment.

Presentation Trowel

2009-11-21T01:33:00.001-08:00

This is being posted for Neville Gibbons, who is chasing all over Wellington Shire recording War Memorials. This trowel is in our collection.

It reads: Presented by Tinamba Church People to Mrs John Mills, who laid the foundation stone of St Matthew's Soldiers Memorial Church, Tinamba, ANZAC Day 1923.

If you have any Honour Boards that you think Neville may not have recorded (in small halls, churches, schools etc), you can drop us a note and we will pass it along.

Research Mondays

2009-11-18T00:45:00.000-08:00

There is a committed crew working at the moment on Mondays at the Maffra Library, from 1pm to 3pm. Photos are catalogued, letterhead is sorted and books are indexed.

Here Ruth is working on letterhead while Carol, the Library Manager, is checking our database.

Now we know it is near Christmas, and Carol is an Angel, but we should point out that it is flash glare above her head, not a halo!

At the moment we are researching G.T. (George Thomas) Jones, Secretary of the Shire of Maffra from c.1882 to 1895. Before coming to Maffra he was a surveyor (working with Angus McMillan on the Alpine Track), and then Secretary of the Shire of Rosedale.

Jones was also an early photographer at Lucknow, involved in the discovery of the Yarra Track, and a shareholder in the Pioneer Claim as a result of the Alpine Track expedition. After leaving Maffra he went to administer a Shire near Ballarat. In his time in central Gippsland he designed the first Newry / Upper Maffra Mechanics' Institute, the pavilion at the Maffra Shwogrounds, and part of the Maffra Mechanics' Institute.

If anyone knows anything else about him - we would be interested to hear from you.

Sorting things out

2009-11-13T16:28:00.000-08:00

Jeremy has just finished a much-needed refit of the Strong Room at the Museum, so we are finally able to sort out some of the boxes of "stuff" awaiting attention.

These include a series of records, just catalogued:

00702 Ledgers of the Sale Co-operative Butter Factory, 1942-1948, showing amounts paid to local businesses.

00703 Share Register, Heyfield Co-operative Butter Factory and Electricity Supply Company 1930-1955, giving name and address of shareholder, number of shares, and often details of transfer on death, bankruptcy etc.

00704 Share Register, Heyfield Co-op (as above), 1920-1930

00705 Share Register, Heyfield Co-op (as above), 1916-1921

00706 Share Register, Maffra Co-operative Butter Factory (similar to above), 1920-1943

00707 Minute Book, Heyfield Co-operative Butter Factory, 1954 - 1960 (when it was amalgamated with other factories)

00708 Minute Book, Heyfield Co-op, 1935-1954

These can be inspected on the first Sunday of the month at the Museum, 10am to 2pm, or by appointment. An out-of-hours opening fee applies. Lookups can be provided from these records, in return for a research fee. Please see our website for research fees.

While we were at it, we have brought the 1966 aerial photograph of Maffra, and mounted it on the wall in the second room. It is amazing the change that has occurred over those 43 years.

Significance Assessment

2009-11-07T02:30:00.000-08:00

The Maffra Sugar Beet Museum collection is currently having an assessment of the significance of its collection carried out. It was funded by Heritage Victoria, and the consultant is Emma Russell.

The final report has not yet come in, but we do know that one of the items that Emma was quite interested in is this illuminated address - presented to Robert Herkes of Newry on his retirement in 1900 as secretary of the Maffra Agricultural Society.

This photograph is of a copy - the original is in a rather nice gold frame.

We also have another in the collection, unframed. This was presented to Fritz Horstman of Upper Maffra in 1885, on his retirement from council. This one is more amateur in commission, but signed on behalf of many people in the community.

We having been looking around for other addresses - maybe we will be able to have an exhibition of them next year. Stay tuned.

Sorting Photos

2009-11-03T14:22:00.000-08:00

We have been doing some sorting at the Museum. Last Sunday, inspired by Jeremy's work fitting the shelves in the strong room (hard to photograph, but will try soon), we got out all the photographs from our Centenary of Federation Exhibition, and tried to sort them into groups. These are the photographs of various Maffra groups - both historical and modern, which form a wonderful snapshot of 2001.

But there are a lot of them - so we used them to "populate" the chairs in the small room, and are now busy working out which ones will form temporary exhibitions in the future. And writing names on the reverse in soft lead pencil - which is quite safe, as all are block mounted for display.

Then we will catalogue them ......

Welcome

2009-11-02T03:58:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the Maffra and District Historical Society blog. This is where you will find quick updates on our activities, and our cataloguing finds.

We currently meet between 1pm and 3pm every Monday in the Maffra Library to work on the collection. New members are always most welcome.

The Museum is currently open the first Sunday of the month (to coincide with the market), from 10am to 3pm-ish. Or by appointment.

So, for the start of this blog, here is the start of the museum in the early 1980s.

Back very soon with some news.