When I arrived in Tullamarine in 1971, I soon became friendly with a terrific fellow named Leo Caton. He took me to my first Tullamarine Progress Association meeting and before it ended, I was the editor of the Sonic,a monthly community newsletter which contained news from the progress association, youth club, little aths. and many other organisations, and had been started by (who else?)Leo Dineen. If anything was needed for the hall, Leo,a trade teacher, was the one to ask and I was his apprentice.He'd pick up the keys from Rhonda Lilley who lived at 16 Broadmeadows Rd and we'd install the drapes, badminton-net sockets and so on.

I played badminton and if anyone ever played minton badly, I was the one! Rhonda introduced me to Ruth and they both tried to explain that the little feathery thing took a little longer to get there than a tennis ball. I was on the hall committee with Leo, Rhonda and Ruth so I got to know the two gal-pals fairly well. Not knowing that I'd start writing Tullamarine's history in 1988 or that Ruth had been in the area for so long, I missed the chance to get her story of early suburban Tullamarine. However, her son,Michael, has contacted me thanks to family tree circles and supplied the attached photo which was taken from the top of the drive-in screen.

Michael had written several details, which will be added to this journal soon, and has undertaken to name the owners of the houses shown in the photo. His sister, whom I apparently coached in Little Aths., has much to tell.

My journal, THE SUBURB OF TULLAMARINE outlines the transition of Tullamarine from farmland to suburbia, but I will give a brief chronology here. The area between Melrose Drive and Broadmeadows Rd had originally been part of E.E.Kenny's Camp Hill but was sold in parcels of 11 (shop area), 52, and 26 (fronting Sharps Rd) acres. These were consolidated by Sam Mansfield and became known as Mansfield's Triangle. The 400 acres between Sharps Rd and the Catherine Ave houses, part of William Foster's grant,was sold to the Kilburns who called it Fairfield. Much later they sold to James Harrick (whose restored cottage near Keilor Park is now the Keilor Historical Society museum) and in about 1910,it was sold in two 200 acre parts. The western part, between Fisher Grove houses and the end of Sharps Rd, became Brightview, owned by Michael Reddan and the Doyles and is now industrial. George Mansfield bought the western half (Dalkeith) and built the homestead in 1910.

Tommy Loft, who had been farming at Greenvale and incredibly, the residential area of Moonah Links Golf Course in 1920, soon after bought Dalkeith and subdivided the area between Broadmeadows Rd and Eumarella St; the land bisected by Gordon St followed soon afterwards, as his son,Ray's,Californian Bungalow was built in 1927. Gordon St was named after Ray's son. The blocks sold like melted ice creams and most were owned by Tommy's daughters and their husbands (Scoones, Exel.)The Lloyd Brothers were the first longtime residents on Tommy's subdivision. The next owner of Dalkeith was Leslie King Dawson, and in 1951, Moorooduc storekeeper and postmaster, Percy Hurren became the last to farm Dalkeith. John Petersen (east side of Dawson St Kindergarten)at one time had the most northerly and westerly house on Dalkeith and had to discourage Percy's cows from eating his garden. (The Petersens were soon heavily involved in Little Aths.) The Drive-in opened in 1956 and the photo taken from the top of its screen indicates that subdivision on Dalkeith had not commenced.

Mansfield's Triangle, now called the Triangular Estate was underway by the 1950's, water being obtained from a standpipe across Lancefield Road (Melrose Drive.) Sid Hedger helped the residents to obtain less primitive conditions. In about 1956, Henderson Rd was made, requiring demolition of the post office, and Mrs Watson relocated to the present liquor store. Leo Dineen, who settled on the triangular Estate, wrote some memories of Tullamarine in 1960:
? A milk bar/ garage (Green?s Corner) at the corner of Mickleham and Bulla Road.
? Housing only as far west as Gordon St. and Christopher Crescent, with other houses past Tadstan Dr. and on the Triangle Estate.
? Unmade streets on the Triangle with stagnant water in poorly drained gutters.
? One small Infant Welfare Centre off Carol Grove.
? No Broadmeadows Rd. School as the old school (S.S.2613) was in its last year of operation at the Conders Lane corner. (Nth. Corner of Link Rd. and Melrose Dr.)
? NO hall, tennis courts,kindergarten,doctor, chemist, sporting teams, youth club or sewerage and only a couple of shops.



KELLY GANG MEMORIES.
I asked Michael if his father, Frank,was related to Ben Kelly, a Progress Association stalwart who lived on the north corner of Tadstan Drive and could out-row men half his age. Elayne is Elayne Whatman of the Broadmeadows Historical Society.
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Carolyn told me recently that she went to a square dance in a shed or something on Hurren's farm, which was a short distance north along Broadmeadows Rd from us. You can see it in the photo on the other side of the road from us at 76. Dawson St was put in in the early 60's after Hurrens sold up and moved out. The house would have been a little bit north of where Dawson St is now.

No, dad wasn't related to Ben. His family came from Bendigo. He was born in Redesdale near Kyneton and also lived in Goornong north of Bendigo.

I'll send an email to Elayne re the photo at some stage and copy you in - re the people living in the houses in the photo - eg Harold and Ruby Green lived at 78 Broadmeadows Rd. They were related to the Greens of Greens corner. My brother was pally with Terry Green who I think was a nephew of Harold and Ruby.

My younger sister Barbara remembers you. She was involved in Little Athletics. I captained what I think was Tulla's first cricket team, the Under 14's, coached by John Pearson and Ken Davies at about the same time.
Michael

My family lived at 76 Broadmeadows Rd from 1953 till the 80's or later. My mother Ruth Kelly was involved with the Tullamarine Progress Association for a long time. There was a thermometer in the window of Garner's newsagency for quite a while showing how much money had been raised to build the community hall.

My father, Frank Kelly, ran a welding shop behind the service station at the corner of Bulla and Mickleham Rd's in the 50's and early 60's. I believe the original service station was the same building that used to be the old pub which, legend has it, was once frequented by Squizzy Taylor.

I can remember picnicing by the creek when the western side of Broadmeadows Rd was largely farmland. There used to be a nice spot where it ran under Sharps Rd and there was a stand of large pine trees providing shade. It's just a dip in the road now.