Rosedale & District Historical Society Inc.


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Publications

The following books are available for purchase from us at competitive prices. We offer a generous discount for the purchase of two or more books on the same order. Contact Us for further details and a competitive price.

The Rosedale Story Vol 1

A detailed history of Rosedale, its settlement and growth. Covers its schools, churches, hotels and inns, farming and families. Index of names. Index of births by surname. Index of place and property names. Index of interesting facts about Rosedale and Gippsland. Maps and black and white photographs.

The Rosedale Story volume one covers a broad history of the town from the discovery of Gippsland to the squatting era, and from then on each of the three churches, and three hotels until 1942, the Mechanics Institute, education and the Post Office, also to 1942; the cemetery and all deaths and burials until 1913, the cemetery trustees to 1988 and all births recorded in Rosedale until 1936. Topics covered include land selection, shops, churches, hotels, post office, law, mechanics, the Common, Shire, the railways, sports, wars, births, deaths and marriages, schools, industry, so the list goes on.

Author: Macreadie, Don. Published by Author, Cowwarr, Vic., 1989. 358 p. : ill., ports, maps, charts, maps on lining papers; 23 cm. ISBN: 9780731648597.

The Rosedale Story Vol 2: The Rosedale Shire from inauguration to annihilation

A continuation of the first volume published in 1989, this work concentrates on the activities of the Rosedale Shire Council during its existence from 1868 to 1994. Short biographies and photos of each of the 139 councillors are included.

Part 1 covers the origin of local government in Gippsland, the formation of the Roads Boards which became shires, the boundaries, and changes to the boundaries, and all the changes or attempted changes over the years. It concludes by documenting some of the issues that council had to deal with, including finances, the shire offices, bridges, roads, boundaries and laws.

Part 2 contains a biography on each of the 133 men and six women who served as councillors over years.

Author: Macreadie, Don. Published by Author, Cowwarr, Vic., 2009. 292 p. : ill., facsims., map, ports.; 21 cm. ISBN: 9780646515786.

Rosedale Story Vol 111: Land selection & the land laws

The selection of land within the former Shire of Rosedale and the always-altering Land Laws—the Dummy Court, Land Board Scandal, Land for sale ads, a humorous incident. A history of land selection in Victoria, and how the various land laws applied to selection in the former shire, and particularly within the parishes of Rosedale, Winnindoo, Denison, Toongabbie South, Toongabbie North, Loy Yang, Woundellah, Wurruk Wurruk, Holey Plain, Tong Bong, Willung, Stradbroke and Coolungoolun. This book details chronologically the various Land Acts that came into operation during the latter half of the nineteenth century, and includes some of the major players in the Victorian land selection process during that time period.

Author: Macreadie, Don. Published by Author, Cowwarr, Vic., 2017. 90 p. : ill., facsims., map, ports.; 29.5 cm.

The First Cattle King : Tyson

A story of James Tyson (1819—1898), pastoralist, cattle king and a man of notable character. He was the son of a farming father and convict mother. He was brought up without means and became Australia's first millionaire, aquiring over five million pounds in assets during his lifetime. Tyson held freehold stations across large areas of Queensland and New South Wales, and the Heyfield station in Gippsland. This history covers the life of Tyson, his family and other people who were influencial in Tyson's life.

Author: Macreadie, Don. Published by Rosedale & District Historical Society, Rosedale, Vic., 2018. 43 p. : ill., facsims., ports.; 29.5 cm.

Don Macreadie

Don Macreadie was born at Ewington Private Hospital in Traralgon in 1931, one of five children of William Macreadie and Mary Clarke. The family farm was located on the Princes Highway between Traralgon and Flynn, three miles from Rosedale. Don started school at Flynnstead walking across the paddocks, and 18 months later he transferred to Rosedale after he learned to ride a pony.

Don worked on the family farm and life was difficult during the depression and the Second World War. Don milked cows and was shearing large quantities of sheep when 14 years of age. He ploughed the farm with horse teams, sowed millet, cut oats, made chaff out of hay and mixed the chaff with salt, molasses and water which was fed to the cows at milking time.

During their school days the Macreadie family regularly attended St Mark’s Sunday School at Rosedale. Don became more and more involved in the Anglican Church and by 1950 it was thought he might become a minister in the church, much against his father’s wishes. With the church in mind Don enrolled at the Sale High School to study for his leaving certificate. He then obtained his Lay Readers Certificate and conducted services in Rosedale, Gormandale, Willung South, Carrajung and Yinnar South. As the years passed the idea of entering the church faded.

About this time Don was also renting a 900 acre property with his brother Arthur. The property had no improvements and only a boundary fence. Don also worked as a shearer for the farmers in the district.

In 1959 Don became the mail contractor and delivered the morning papers and mail to everyone east of Traralgon. He travelled to Lakes Entrance daily, and on the return journey he delivered milk to schools such as Metung, Hillside, Lindenow and Lindenow South.

In 1958 Don married Wendy Jennings and they took on two foster daughters. They then had four children of their own. In December 1965 Don and Wendy moved to undeveloped land five miles from Cowwarr. Soon after they purchased the shop and Post Office in Cowwarr where Don was the Post Master for ten years. In 1972 Don married Glad Allman nee Smith, a mother of six children, and they had two children of their own. During this time Glad took over running the shop and Don worked for the Rosedale shire.

Don was interested in history and genealogy for a long time and was a member of a number of historical societies and family history groups for many years. In 1980 he produced his first history, Willung 1844—1980, and then in 1989 The Rosedale Story Vol 1 was launched. Twenty years later in 2009 The Rosedale Story Vol 2 was published as well as other books along the way. Don did a lot of genealogical research on his own family and the ancestors of his children who were descendents of district pioneering families.

Don was involved in a number of “back to” celebrations, and organised family reunions. He was also secretary of the Rosedale Cemetery Trust and started a unique process of using a plough to scratch away surface soil to locate a different soil consistency to find long lost graves of Rosedale pioneers. On Don’s initiative the Rosedale Cemetery Trust obtained a grant to build the octagon shaped gazebo which has boards with section plans of the cemetery cross-referenced with lists of burials showing their location on a map.

Don and Glad had many trips overseas doing research in libraries, archives and reading rooms. From this research Don created a large archive of his own which he used as a resource for his many books. Those archives are now stored at the Rosedale and District Historical Society rooms. Don held many committee positions in the historical societies and family history groups in which he was involved over the years and he is greatly missed by all. Don was Research Officer for the Rosedale and District Historical Society for many years and a life member.

Don also had a great love and passion for nature. He and Glad were members of the Field Naturalist Club and travelled all over Australia attending field trips and other events.

Don died on 1st July 2018, aged 87, after many years of poor health. He published his last book The First Cattle King about James Tyson two months earlier in May and he had other books in various stages of production.