RUDDUCK MEANS RED DUCK.
"The fourth of the Rudduck family who came to Australia, the Rev. Joseph Rudduck, had married James Hudson's sister, Hannah, and they brought their five children to Melbourne. It was his son Harold, who, having graduated from the Melbourne Science College, was a pioneer in the manufacture of veterinary medicines in Victoria. The trademark was a red duck and the factory was near Nepean Highway in Moorabbin." (P. 62, A DREAMTIME OF DROMANA".)

I have an impressive collection of local histories, most of the books tokens of appreciation from the Broadmeadows, Keilor and Essendon Historical Societies, Friends of the Will Will Rook Cemetery, Neil Mansfield, and Stephen, Helen, Barry and Bettyanne, who first knew me as itellya, in regard to Peninsula history. Janilye, a fellow member of family tree circles has also given me two histories, and the one I received two days ago courtesy of her daughter who teaches at Mornington Park Primary School, is BATTLERS TAMED A SANDBELT, Tom Sheehy's book about the first 50 years of the City of Moorabbin.

The day after I received the book, my mate was attending the funeral of a lady, Elsie Ruby Lilian Wishart, nee White, who died at the remarkable age of 105, having been born in 1912 and wed to William James Wishart in 1940. Her parents and those of her husband had been competitors in the same trade at Moorabbin in its early days. It was Cr. Wishart who suggested a Back to Moorabbin in 1934 when Moorabbin was becoming a city!

When I came to page 39, I was blown away by the actual site of the Rudduck Veterinarian facility at Moorabbin and what was proposed to be built next door. Nelson Rudduck would probably have been involved in the protest apart from one minor detail . But before I get onto that, here's how the press regarded the veterinary station.
HAROLD RUDDUCK

P. 39, BATTLERS TAMED A SANDBELT.
"Rudducks bought land at the corner of Nepean Highway and Dane Road in 1935 for the purpose of moving their veterinary hospital from Flinders Lane to that site but protests were made regarding their close proximity to the Worthing Road State School 1111, and almost a year passed by the time they were given the green light for the project. Next door to Rudducks and just as the veterinarian hospital was being prepared for its opening date in May 1936, surveyors began to lay pegs* in connection with the establishment of the English firm of W. and A. Gilbey Limited's first Australian distillery.
(* Council had approved Gilbeys plans on June 1 1935. P. 40 of above book.)

"Now the Gilbey's project came under fire from nearby residents" (and various organisations such as the Independent Order of Rechabites.)

The strange thing was that there was no similar protest when the Moorabbin Hotel opened in 1934. Was Harold Rudduck a fervent fighter for temperance like Dromana's Nelson Rudduck* who would have been rallying the Moorabbin I.O.R. members, had he not died in 1935.
* RECHABITES' CENTENARY.
The Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954) Saturday 23 March 1935 p 5
Almost lifelong service was rendered to tho organisation by Mr. Nelson Rudduck, of Dromana, who died a few weeks ago.

The protests had no effect and the 1-6-1935 resolution was confirmed by council on 9-7-1935.

Graham Whitehead, the City of Kingston's historian, who used my research in THE MYSTERIOUS HENRY GOMM to write an article entitled TWO DISTINCT GOMM FAMILIES, has written an excellent article about the Gilbey's Gin plant and pinpoints its location being north of Rudducks land (fronting the highway and Dane Rd) as Gilbey's fronted Exley Rd.
GILBEYS AT MOORABBIN

It would appear that Tom Sheehy had the wrong year regarding the original approval and confirmation thereof being in 1935, based on the following paragraph in Graham's article. The official opening was on Wednesday, 3-11-1937.
"The Moorabbin Shire Council was interested in attracting industry to the municipality because industry provided employment opportunities for a growing population and strengthened the financial basis of the Council through the rates it paid. At the meeting of Council on May 18, 1936, F. N. Collins, the solicitor representing Gilbey’s, explained that the company had obtained an option to purchase land on the corner of Point Nepean Road and Exley Road and it was there the company intended to build a modern distillery. However, before committing themselves to the project they required the Council to rezone the land from its classification of residential to industrial."

It would appear from the photos in the article that the Gilbey's chimney has been demolished but every time I'm driving through Melway 77 E6, Dane Rd. will remind me of Harold Rudduck and Exley Rd of Gilbey's Gin.