Under this Scheme, all workers had to be married, accept a block of land up to 20 acres, and spend a fortnight working on the drains for wages and a fortnight improving their block and maintaining adjoining drains. The villages were Koo Wee Rup, Five Mile (Koo Wee Rup North) Vervale, Iona and Yallock (1). Cora Lynn was not, however, part of this Village Settlement Scheme - the original block sizes along the drain near Cora Lynn were not twenty acres but, according to the Parish Plans, sixty acres to the west of Cora Lynn and from 40 acres to 80 acres to the east. They were taken up from around the mid 1890s. In the township of Cora Lynn, the first blocks were purchased in 1904. Other land sales took place in 1909 (2).
The Cora Lynn State School opened in January 1907 and was originally called Koo Wee Rup Central (3). The Cora Lynn store was opened by George Petrie Murdoch in 1907 (4) and a post office opened on July 1,1907 and this prompted the Cora Lynn Progress Association to request a name change for the area, and thus Cora Lynn was adopted, after the Cora Lynn gorge on the North Esk River near Launceston (5). The opening of the Post Office also meant there was a daily mail service, as the South Bourke & Mornington Journal of July 17, 1907 reported - the Cora-Lynn folks are quite jubilant at having a daily mail running from Garfield. The time, I think, is not far distant when there will be a quite a little township at that place (6).
This began a period of growth for the town. The community soon held social activities, such as dances, in the shelter shed at the school. This was obviously inadequate and in April 1910 a meeting was held for the purpose of establishing a Mechanics’ Institute and Library at Cora Lynn. At the same time euchre parties and dances were held to raise money to clear the recreation reserve - in July 1910 over 100 people attended such a function (7). In November 1911, the Cora Lynn Cheese factory opened. A branch of the London Bank (later taken over by the E.S & A bank) opened in a small building next to the General Store around January 1911. (8)
However, all this progress had a downside as the South Bourke and Mornington Journal of August 24, 1910, reported – the Cora Lynn Progress Association has complained of the excessive speed at which motor cars and bicycles are being driven through the shire on the narrow roads and several persons had experienced very narrow escapes from accidents (9).
By 1910, the School numbers had increased so much that students had to be taught in the shelter shed. Cora Lynn led the way in February 1911 when the parents of the school had the distinction of appointing the first School Committee in the State. This was reported on in The Argus of February 10, 1911 - The parents of children at the Cora Lynn State School, in Gippsland, have secured the distinction of appointing the first school committee in Victoria under the new Education Act passed last year which provides for the constitution of such committees in place of the old boards of advice. The Minister for Education (Mr A. A. Billson) says that, though the regulations governing the selection of committees have not yet been gazetted, he appreciates the enterprise of these parents in seeking to avoid delay. In announcing its appointment the committee has forwarded to the department a report on the school containing information which the Minister says will be of great value to the officials. Mr Billson considers this report to be much superior to the general run of communications regarding State Schools previously submitted by boards of advice, and he says that if other committees formed subsequently come up to the standard set by Cora Lynn the change from the old boards to the new parent's committees will prove a wise and beneficial policy (10).
The Cora Lynn hall, called Keast Hall, was named after William Keast (1866-1927). Keast was the Member of the Legislative Assembly for the area from 1900 to 1917. This hall was to have been opened on June 13, 1911, but the official opening was delayed due to the fact that three feet of water was running through the hall, one of the many floods to hit Cora Lynn (11). The Hall was opened in early August 1911 - there was a short report in The Argus of August 9 - There was a large attendance at a concert on the occasion of the opening of Keast-hall, Cora Lynn. Councillor W. Carney presided, and Mr. W. S. Keast, M.L.A., and Mrs. Keast were present. Mr. Keast give £10 to the building fund. (12).
Cora Lynn - possibly the 1911 flood.
The Cora Lynn store is the centre building and the building on the right is the Bank.
By 1910, the School numbers had increased so much that students had to be taught in the shelter shed. Cora Lynn led the way in February 1911 when the parents of the school had the distinction of appointing the first School Committee in the State. This was reported on in The Argus of February 10, 1911 - The parents of children at the Cora Lynn State School, in Gippsland, have secured the distinction of appointing the first school committee in Victoria under the new Education Act passed last year which provides for the constitution of such committees in place of the old boards of advice. The Minister for Education (Mr A. A. Billson) says that, though the regulations governing the selection of committees have not yet been gazetted, he appreciates the enterprise of these parents in seeking to avoid delay. In announcing its appointment the committee has forwarded to the department a report on the school containing information which the Minister says will be of great value to the officials. Mr Billson considers this report to be much superior to the general run of communications regarding State Schools previously submitted by boards of advice, and he says that if other committees formed subsequently come up to the standard set by Cora Lynn the change from the old boards to the new parent's committees will prove a wise and beneficial policy (10).
The Cora Lynn hall, called Keast Hall, was named after William Keast (1866-1927). Keast was the Member of the Legislative Assembly for the area from 1900 to 1917. This hall was to have been opened on June 13, 1911, but the official opening was delayed due to the fact that three feet of water was running through the hall, one of the many floods to hit Cora Lynn (11). The Hall was opened in early August 1911 - there was a short report in The Argus of August 9 - There was a large attendance at a concert on the occasion of the opening of Keast-hall, Cora Lynn. Councillor W. Carney presided, and Mr. W. S. Keast, M.L.A., and Mrs. Keast were present. Mr. Keast give £10 to the building fund. (12).
The original building must have been fairly basic as a concert organised by Mrs Keast was held in June 1917 to raise money to line the walls of the hall. The community had held various functions over the years for the hall including a roller skating night in July 1914 (13).
Other town activities included sports gatherings held on the newly cleared recreation reserve and in January 1915 a Cora Lynn branch of the Victorian Potato Growers Association was formed (14). On April 15, 1916 the first Cora Lynn Horticultural show was held. It was opened by Mr Keast, who was introduced by the Show President, Mr W. J Johnston, and the event was held in his ‘own’ hall. Mr Keast said the show was a natural display of the fertility of the district and the industry of the tillers of the soil. The report in the South Bourke and Mornington Journal of April 27, 1916 said the display of goods was highly creditable..... the ladies, without whom a exhibition would be a failure, pleased the eye by their gorgeous display of fancy work and literally caused the mouth to water by the appearance of preserves, confectionary and the many tempting objects they alone know how to produce (15).
Note: This post was originally written in 2013, it was updated in August 2021
Footnotes
(1) I have written more on the drainage of the Koo Wee Rup Swamp here http://carlocatani.blogspot.com/2018/10/koo-wee-rup-swamp.html
(3) Vision and Realisation: a centenary history of State Education in Victoria, edited by L.J. Blake. (Education Department of Victoria, 1973)
(4) Letter to the Advocate from Eileen Fitzpatrick, October 5, 1907, see here; Letter to the Weekly Times from Arthur Murdoch, November 16, 1907, see here. See also here https://kooweerupswamphistory.blogspot.com/2013/01/cora-lynn-store.html
(5) From information provided by Des Dineen, held by Koo Wee Rup Swamp Historical
Society.
(6) South Bourke & Mornington Journal, July 17, 1907, see here.
(7) The Argus, April 25, 1910, see here - see under Bunyip; The Argus, July 2, 1910, see here - see under Bunyip.
(8) https://kooweerupswamphistory.blogspot.com/2013/01/cora-lynn-cheese-factory.html; The E.S. & A. Bank, The Argus, January 31, 1911, see here.
(9) South Bourke & Mornington Journal, August 24, 1910, see here.
(10) The Argus, February 10, 1911, see here.
(11) The Argus, June 14, 1911, see here.
(12) Hall opening - The Argus, August 9, 1911, see here.
(13) Concert report: Dandenong Advertiser, July 26, 1917. see here. Skating: Bunyip Free Press, July 23, 1914, see here.
(14) Dandenong Advertiser, January 14, 1915, see here.
(15) Dandenong Advertiser, April 27, 1916, see here.
