WAKE UP AUSTRALIA!
itellya
Compared with England, most European countries, Egypt and so on,Australia is a very young country. There are a great many reminders of this fact in England, France,Italy, Greece,Egypt and along the great rivers of Europe etc. where there are many buildings older than our country. Many Australians spend considerable amounts of money visiting these countries to see history such as castles, houses in which famous people lived, the Colosseum,the Parthenon, and the Pyramids. They come together every year on January 26 and April 25 to celebrate significant parts of Australian history. Many Australians are engaged in researching their own families' histories.
But they are missing out on a great love affair. They get up in the morning to go to work or school and then come home to their enclosures like prisoners in a low security prison where they are allowed into the community to perform work or play footy at weekends. They might be lucky enough to have good neighbours with whom they enjoy life but they don't really LOVE THEIR COMMUNITY!
It is probable that residents of Melbourne's leafy eastern suburbs love their communities more than most,partly because they are beautiful but also because of the prestige and snob value they present. The opposition to the Camberwell Station development is a good example of a community coming together. What about the other suburbs? Is there no reason to love them? Are the residents of Broadmeadows and Frankston going to put up with Sam Newman's put downs of such suburbs in the street talk segments on the Footy Show. I wonder if Eddie Maguire, a Broady boy, agreed with such nonsense in the early years of the show. Shane Crawford feels no need to demean suburbs when he replaces Sam on street talk.
Tommy Lahiff loved his Port Melbourne but he could not understand it when Yuppies started paying big money for its humble dwellings. (This was decades before big developments such as Docklands.) Kensington was a similar suburb,whose house values increased dramatically a few decades ago. Why? Proximity to the city,certainly,but also humble but pretty cottages which have been beautifully restored.
Some of the yuppies may have explored the history of these suburbs but many would probably not know the name of the street at the next corner. If they wanted to find some information or if a professional historian was conducting a heritage study on a house,a suburb or an entire municipality, where would they turn? The local historical society of course!
Churches are dying with most members of congregations well over even Joe Hockey's suggested retirement age. Here's why Australia needs to wake up,because historical societies are in exactly the same boat. The members were much younger when they preserved the historic houses for our friends,the yuppies. Why does Anzac Day draw countless thousands, including very young children, to ceremonies all over Australia every year? Our much maligned schools are partly responsible but it is the parents who actually take their youngsters to the ceremonies.
People at the ceremonies do not ask the marchers to continue their sacrifice but are quite content to let others of the same age, members of historical societies, continue their sacrifice of time and energy to preserve and make accessible the heritage of (in total)this great nation. This is often continued despite severe handicaps which I don't think I could overcome. For example,Jenny Nixon of the Nepean Historical Society is almost blind and Margot Hitchcock of the Blackwood Historical Society has suffered a stroke which has affected the left side of her body.
You cannot imagine how much museum volunteers appreciate visitors with whom they can share their LOVE OF THEIR COMMUNITY! My fellow Australians,all I'm asking you to do is to take your family to your local museum so they can have this opportunity. There is no longer a Rosebud Historical Society and within a decade its demise will be shared by many others unless you WAKE UP, AUSTRALIA. You will learn to love your community and show your appreciation of the historical society members who ask only for your interest.
Elayne Whatman of the Broadmeadows Historical Society prompted this journal when she sent me a flyer.(Below.)
Elayne Whatman
Hon. Secretary
Broadmeadows Historical
Society Inc. & Museum
Phone:
Museum: 9302 1456
Mobile: 0487 371 543
THE BROADMEADOWS HISTORICAL
SOCIETY INC and MUSEUM
(Broadmeadows Town Park, Pearcedale Parade)
(Melway Map 6 G7-8)
NOBODY SEEMS INTERESTED IN THE HISTORY OF BROADMEADOWS, SO WE MEMBERS AND VOLUNTEERS WONDER IF IT IS WORTH KEEPING THE MUSEUM OPEN.
WE HOLD PHOTOS, MEMORABILIA, WRITTEN INFORMATION BUT NO ONE SEEMS TO WANT TO SEE IT. WHY?
ALTHOUGH OUR OPEN DAYS ARE MONDAY, TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY 10:00AM TO 3:00PM, IT DOES NOT MEAN WE CANNOT OPEN ON A WEEKEND.
MOB: 0405 371 543
by itellya
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Itellya is researching local history on the Mornington Peninsula and is willing to help family historians with information about the area between Somerville and Blairgowrie. He has extensive information about Henry Gomm of Somerville, Joseph Porta (Victoria's first bellows manufacturer) and Captain Adams of Rosebud.
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itellya on 2014-04-26 22:07:56"THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!" AS SHANE CRAWFORD WOULD SAY.
An article in the Sunday Herald Sun today (P. 28-9,27-4-2014) entitled PAVEMENT TO THE PAST,illustrates perfectly the great work done by members of historical societies many decades ago, many of whom are continuing their efforts as volunteers who staff museums so that people can learn to love their community.
It starts:" SUBURBAN ROAD A TIME CAPSULE. Mailing Rd,Canterbury could easily be renamed Memory Lane. The remarkably well-preserved shopping village in the eastern suburbs offers an insight into how retail has changed over the past century. Most of the shops in Mailing Rd date to the early 1900s and the heritage draws thousands of visitors a year...... While the original streetscape is pretty much intact,the mix of shops has certainly changed, as revealed in the Canterbury History Group book VISIONS OF A VILLAGE....History group secretary Frances Barrett said local activists had saved the shopping strip from being demolished in the 1970's."
As YELLOW TAXI states, you don't know what you've got till it's gone.
While there are councillors who wish to steal part of Rosebud's precious foreshore to build a swimming pool (which could be built on several other council-owned sites),and state that the choice of this site has little to do with history (see below*), it is important for ratepayers to appreciate their area's heritage and insist that it be preserved. The first step of course is to visit your local museum and read some of the wonderful information published on the internet by such as the CRAIGIEBURN HISTORICAL INTEREST GROUP.
*The sarcasm of Cr Garnock (whose main pledge was consultation) was in reference to my detail about Keilor Park becoming a COMMUNITY, rather than a bunch of houses, as a result of GENUINE CONSULTATION (a public meeting that I called) and the J.H.Allan Reserve being kept as architects such as Burley Griffin intended, rather than becoming a soccer stadium.
Wow?? all those magnificent wins you achieved single-handedly in your previous ?brief stint with Keilor Council in 1974-5?! Truly amazing! As I?ve only been a Councillor for 15 months, I really appreciate the sage advice of such a ?seasoned professional? like you. And thank you for giving me the benefit of your obviously extensive knowledge of the history of the Rosebud area since 1872 too. Whilst I doubt that much of it is of any great relevance to the situation we?re now facing, it is reassuring to note that many Councils in the past (like this one now) have, after weighing up all options, allowed some public amenities to be built on the foreshore. And, lo & behold, the traditional visitors to this magnificent coastline continued to come and enjoy it (in ever-increasing numbers) despite finding sparsely scattered infrastructure on it.
Here's a little bit of history from 2007 that shows why they're still coming (from the SAVE ROSEBUD FORESHORE Facebook page.) 100% of cycling foreshore campers are angry and flabbergasted that 6 out of the 11 councillors would even consider building a pool on the foreshore.
- McCrae to Rye
Postby ghostgum ? Tue 23 Jan 2007, 10:02 am
I was camping down on the Rosebud foreshore recently, and discovered that a recreational shared path ran from the southern end of Dromana through to Rye, meandering through the foreshore. It's not a fast route, but I saw lots of family groups riding through, right down to those still on training wheels. This off road path is in addition to the bicycle lane on Point Nepean Rd.
Unfortunately we didn't take any bikes, but if we camp there again we will take bikes. My 6yo son is very close to riding a bicycle, and this sort of environment would have been ideal for learning.
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ghostgum
earl ? Tue 23 Jan 2007, 10:20 am
Yep, it's a great trail, meandering in and out of the trees along the foreshore, and you can push on to Mt Martha although you do need to go onto the road part of the way.
Or going the other direction, you can ride on to Portsea, but on the road once you reach the lime burner site.
There are some other great rides in the area too, especially if you head to the back beaches.
Life is too short to bother with idiots
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earl
CICLI Pina ? Tue 23 Jan 2007, 12:57 pm
I was down there on the weekend and enjoyed the trail with my 2 six y.o's who have just recently learnt to ride (without trainers). It's a great spot to learn to ride but also to learn basic traffic rules without the vehicle traffic. Looking forward to many more rides in the near future.
Joy ? Wed 24 Jan 2007, 11:31 am
I agree, the foreshore is a terrific ride. A great stopping off place is the New Blue Mini Cafe on the corner of Nepean Highway and Boneo road. It is the (Good) brainchild of a couple of our squash club members, and I do recommend it, they also have ample bike space so you can keep an eye on your trusty machine. ...................Joy.
Joy
Postby gozzo ? Wed 24 Jan 2007, 12:36 pm
mmmm, Joy, must admit I haven't been there.
But I promise to rectify this oversight...fancy that, a bike friendly stopping place on my doorstep that I haven't tried???
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gozzo
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YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'VE GOT TILL IT'S GONE!