January 2005 Newsletter
New Year
greetings to all our readers! We hope you will join us for this first meeting
in 2005. Visitors and friends are welcome! At 2.15, prior to the meeting, we
enjoy a cuppa and chat and view items on display. We then settle to a brief
business meeting which is followed by a talk from our speaker for the day. On
this occasion, Kevin O'Brian will speak on "Telephones". Kevin is a member
of the Australian Historical Telephone Society.
At our November meeting,
Janine McBurnie spoke about Anderson Inlet, using aerial photographs taken over
several years between 1951 and 1997. These illustrated changes that occurred on
tidal channels affected by wind, tides, erosion, the Tarwin River flood events
and sedimentation movements. A major flood occurred in 1934 and further ones in
1953, 1960, and 1974 and resulted in widening channels. Janine's studies
entitled "Shaping Anderson Inlet", covered how earth moves the landscape in
relation to river estuaries. Estuaries are very changeable and are called
dynamic environments as they are never still - fresh water river flow mixing
with tidal waters from marine environment and the movement of sediment.
Dredging the Inlet would be a continuous process. Spartina has had a major
impact on the Inlet. It was first introduced unsuccessfully in 1942. It was
reintroduced successfully in 1962. Spartina holds mud-flats tightly together;
it needs to be under water but can be exposed for short periods; it breaks off
and grows. It was planted for the purpose of land reclamation and to stop
erosion as it traps sediment. It readily spreads and takes over wading water
and mud-flats for migratory birds. There are now spartina meadows at Nolan's
Bluff and off Fishermen's Jetty (Venus Bay) and Split Islands. Spartina has had
a great impact on shaping the Inlet over the last 40 years. Thank you, Janine,
for your talk and presentation.
Result of our Christmas
Hamper Raffle
lst Prize: John Kent from
Inverloch; 2nd Prize Joe Griscti from Venus Bay. We thank all who supported
this project and to all who helped both in organising and purchasing tickets.
Descriptive markers have been placed at sites of the Baths near Bowling Club car
park and Abbott Street and at the site of the well and pump near the shelter in
The Glade.
We are
saddened by the passing of Mrs Mavis Penney (nee Darling). Mavis, a member of
the Society, grew up in Inverloch and later moved to Wonthaggi. Our sympathy is
extended to Jack and their family and her sister Ivy Yann. Vale Mavis!
Acquisitions
Thank you
to these donors!
Do you
remember back in the 1970s when Les Thompson was building his huge catamaran in
his garden at Inverloch? Many watched it grow and went to visit it and take
photographs during the 9 years it was under construction and when it was
launched at Mahers Landing. The Society has a number of photographs of it back
then. Mr Thompson was a teacher at Wonthaggi High School at that time. He has
now written a book, "Fire in my Belly", telling the story of his catamaran the "Llinase".
It is available from the Wonthaggi Newsagency.
Would you
like to become a member of the Society? We would welcome your support!!
This month our speaker will
be Ivan Fell who will talk about "Fell's Milk Bar"
and other memories of Inverloch days. Visitors and friends are welcome to
attend! At 2.15 pm, prior to the meeting, we enjoy a cuppa and chat and view
items on display. We then hold a brief business meeting which is followed by a
talk by our speaker.
Vale' Bill Grieve
It is with deep sadness
we report the passing, after a short illness, of our President Bill Grieve
on 2/2/2005. Bill had served on the Committee and, this year, as our
President. Over the years Bill and Kath Bendle have organised our
fundraising projects and have generously given of their time to further the
work of the Society. Bill's sincerity, quiet disposition and caring ways
endeared him to many. We will miss him. Sympathy was conveyed to his
family and Kath Bendle his friend.
Kevin O'Brien spoke on
"Telephones" at last month's meeting. As a boy, Kevin told of growing up in
Castlemaine where the family had three small farms. At school, when he was
about 12-13, they learnt about telephones and he got interested in them. He
connected the three farms, getting parts and doing his own lines so they could
ring each other. In 1963, Kevin joined the PMG and completed a Technicians
Course and then went on to teach telecommunications. Alexander Graham Bell
developed a workable telephone in 1876 - he was interested in the production of
speech and speech therapy. In 1976, to celebrate the centenary of Bell's
telephone, a group researched, compiled and published a book, "100 Years of the
Telephone 1876 - 1976". Following this the Australian Historical Telephone
Society was established. They hold bi-monthly meetings and displays in the
Hawthorn Telephone Exchange building. Many members have collections of
telephones; some collect various related parts. Kevin brought and showed five
telephones he has restored. He has about 120 at home and plans to house and
display them and include working models with ringer and dial tones. Kevin
reminded us of those past days when "party lines" operated and people
listened-in!! He spoke of the rapid development in telecommunications over
recent years, privatisation and the expansion of other companies in this field.
Thank you, Kevin for your interesting presentation and for donating a copy of
the book to our Society.
The photographic display
held at the Angling Club Market on 2/1/2005 created much interest and was well
attended. Town walks to historic sites were also held on 2 & 3 January and we
thank Eulalie Brewster for giving the commentaries on places we visited.
Preliminary Notices
In March, when we receive
advice on tides, we will probably walk to the wreck of the "Magnat", located at
Venus Bay beach. Watch our display board in the Arcade for this. In May, we
plan to hold a bus outing to neighbouring districts, in lieu of our normal
meeting. When arrangements are finalised we will advise of details.
In Search of George Wrigley
The search for George
Wrigley continues, albeit slowly! We reported that Mrs Wrigley and Mrs Laycock
were sisters – Eliza and Anne Borthistle. Brian Borthistle of Queensland
learned of our search from our website and supplied the following information:
Eliza and Anne's family emigrated from Ireland to Melbourne in 1866, i.e. 6
years after the girls. The family consisted of father, mother, 3 girls and 3
boys and a male cousin. The youngest boy died on the voyage to Australia.
After 12 months the family moved to Sydney. The information opens up a new line
of inquiry as to what may have happened to Eliza Wrigley and her son, George.
We hope that one day we will hear from relatives of Eliza's daughter Lucy
McClure who died in Malvern in 1923. Our last reference was Newsletter No-72.
Contributed by Ken Howsam.
The speaker
this month will be Les James, a resident of Inverloch for many years and a
member of Inverloch's 2nd Progress Association.
Visitors and friends are welcome to attend. At 2.15 pm, prior to the meeting,
we enjoy a cuppa and chat and view items on display. A brief business meeting is
held followed by the speaker.
Ivan Fell spoke
at last month's meeting. Born in Nyah West, Ivan's first job was on Saturday
mornings when he worked as a baker's boy from 4 am to 4 pm for 2/‑. Later he
was apprenticed as a tool maker to Ruskin Motor Body Works who were tool makers
to Rugby, Hudsons and Austin car companies and he served out his apprenticeship
on aircraft work. After WWII finished, his brother, Bob, was discharged from
the Army. Bob was a pastrycook and he opened a cake shop at West Preston and
Ivan began helping him. They opened other shops, including one at Cranbourne -
it was here he met and married Faye and they made their first home there. They
moved to Casterton where their two sons were born. The business was very
successful. Ivan mentioned other towns where, at various times, they had opened
cake shops. Later on Bob decided to retire to Inverloch; he leased motels and
did some relieving work at Warragul and Leongatha. Ivan and Bob decided that
they would go into partnership and they opened Fell's Milk Bar in Ramsay
Boulevarde. They employed 12 part-time staff in two shifts, 7am to l pm and 1
to 9 pm, with Linda Connell full-time. It was a very busy shop! One previous
owner commented that over the summer holidays it could have been open 24 hours a
day. Ian Metherall and the Dicker family had owned this business in previous
years. Ivan, now in retirement, pursues his hobbies of painting and writing,
belonging to the Bass Coast Writers Group in Inverloch. Ivan was asked about
the Rotary Club of Inverloch, of which he is a Foundation Member. This Club
received its Charter in 1986 with some twenty members present. Ivan mentioned
some of the work Rotary has done in the town - improvements to the Cemetery
which included a roadway with gutters, upgrading the Scout Hall, the town clock,
the Rotary barbecue and rotunda on the foreshore. Ivan has been in Rotary some
43 years and has been made a Paul Harris Fellow. Well done! We appreciated
your talk and thank you Ivan.
Preliminary Notices
At our meeting
on 27 April, John Cocking of Meeniyan, a collector, will speak on postcards. On
25th May, in lieu of our normal meeting, a bus trip to Mirboo North is planned.
Details will be available next month.
Library
We have had a
new listing of our books printed and this will now be displayed at our
meetings. We will also have several books there available for loan.
Acquisitions
