Showing posts with label Tooradin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tooradin. Show all posts

Sunday, August 13, 2023

Tooradin Mechanics' Institute and Free Library

The Tooradin Mechanics' Institute was opened on Boxing Day in 1882. Local Historian, David Mickle (1), recorded the establishment of the building -
Tooradin had been in need of a meeting place for some time. It was on the 21st June, 1882 that a public meeting was held to form a committee and raise funds. Mr J.F. Rutter had offered a good site for the hall free of charge. Mr Jobson chaired the meeting and the following Trustees were appointed: J. F. Rutter, A. Dunlop, M. Evans, C. Moody, with J. Sill (Secretary) (2).  A vote of thanks was passed to Mr Rutter for his gift. The site is on part of William Lyall's Lot 9, Parish of Sherwood. (3) Mr Sill's request to the Council for a donation was refused, but undaunted, the committee had their Mechanics' Institute Hall and Free Library erected and ready for the Grand Opening on Boxing Day 1882. (4)

John Francis Rutter (1842-1906) was a local land owner, he had married Elizabeth Hemphill in 1877 and they had three sons Joseph Edward, John Hemphill and Hubert. The donation of land for the Mechanics' Institute, was not the only gift the Rutter family gave to the Tooradin township, In 1928, it was reported that Messrs. Rutter, of Tooradin, recently presented the Committee of the Tooradin Mechanics’ Institute with some blocks of land adjoining the hall. Later, the estate of John Hemphill  Rutter (who died 1944) donated land to the people of Tooradin for a park, known as the Rutter Memorial Park. (5)

Tenders were invited for the construction of the building in August 1882. 

Tender advertisement
South Bourke and Mornington Journal August 30, 1882 

The South Bourke and Mornington Journal reported on the opening of the Institute -
Tooradin Mechanics' Institute and Free Library
The opening of this new building took place on Boxing-day with a bazaar and concert. The attendance was far greater than the most sanguine anticipated, upwards of five hundred people being present. Mr Lyall had kindly consented to open the Hall, and much regret was expressed that owing to ill health he was unable to be present. A letter, however, expressing his interest in and good wishes for the success of the Institute was read and the Hall declared opened. Mr Gibb, M.L.A., was present, taking a lively interest in the proceedings. Too much praise cannot be given to the ladies for their exertions, both in sending fancy goods to and selling them at the bazaar the proceeds from which and from other sources amounted to nearly one hundred and twenty pounds.

A ball terminated the proceedings, and was so well attended that the building was quite crowded. The Hall was prettily decorated with evergreens and the stalls containing the fancy goods presented a most attractive appearance. The building, designed by Mr Crook, architect, of South Yarra, is an excellent and handsome wooden structure prettily situated in a slight rise by the side of the Inlet, overlooking the Bay and French Island. (6)


Advertisement for the opening
South Bourke and Mornington Journal December 20, 1882 

We will turn again to David Mickle to tell us of the early days of the Mechanics' Institute -
Mr Lyall was President and Mr Sill Secretary, there were Vice Presidents Messrs Moody and Timms, Mr Rutter, Treasurer and Messrs Dunlop, Evans and Lyne, Committee. (7) A small booklet printed by the Dandenong Advertiser outlined the 49 rules and regulations of the Institute and its objects which were for the moral and mental improvement and rational recreation of members. The means to be employed were: a Library of Reference and Circulation, the delivery of Lectures, Discussions, the formation of classes, but no political or religious controversy would be allowed. Membership was 2/6 per quarter. (8).  An old business partner of William Lyall, John Bakewell, then living in London, had donated 100 pounds to the building fund. (9).


The original Tooradin Mechanics' Institute
Image -  Mickle, David Tooradin: a history of a Sportsman's Paradise, 1875-1975  
(Tooradin 'Back to' Committee, 1975),

In the early days Mechanics' Institutes had to send in a return to the Government and these returns were published in the annual  Statistical Register for the Colony of Victoria compiled from official records in the office of the Government Statist. (10) Tooradin appears in the years 1884 until 1894, and here are some of the statistics - 


Source: Statistical Register for the Colony of Victoria compiled from official records in the office of the Government Statist

The Mechanics' Institute hosted the usual range of activities - meetings, dances, concerts as these few newspaper reports tell us -
From 1891 - A plain and fancy dress ball was hold on Friday last, June 26, at Tooradin, when the residents and their friends met at the local Mechanics' Institute, at the invitation of Mr. and Mrs. Basan. The hall was most tastefully decorated, and the dancing, which commenced shortly after 9 o'clock and continued until an early hour in the morning, was very enjoyable. (11) The Basans  owned the Tooradin Hotel.

From 1896 - On Wednesday, 4th March, the pretty seaside township of Tooradin was all excitement over a wedding solemnised in the Mechanics' Institute, which does duty as a church. The hall was very prettily decorated by friends of the bride. Over the bridal party was suspended a floral bicycle, from which hung a white floral bell. The interested parties were Miss Elizabeth Lyne, eldest daughter of Mr. Thomas Lyne, Westbourne, Tooradin, and Mr. Cole, third son of the late Rev. T. C. Cole, of St. George's Church Malvern. The ceremony look place at eleven o'clock, the officiating clergyman being the Rev. Alfred Cole, Drouin, Gippsland, a cousin of the bridegroom. (12)

From 1916 - A highly successful concert was given in the Mechanics' Institute on Friday, 14th July, by the Tooradin Minstrel Troupe, the proceeds of which want to aid the local Red Cross and Hall funds. Long before the performance was timed to commence, every available space was filled with patrons from the town and surrounding districts. The programme, which was a lengthy one, consisted of humorous songs, dialogues and step-dancing. All were rendered in a splendid manner by the company, and drew forth thunders of applause from the audience. The whole of the programme reflects great credit on the management and artists, which consisted entirely of local talent. The concert raised, after expenses, £9 17s 6d. (13)

Then disaster struck on June 17, 1937 - the hall burnt to the ground. The Age reported - 
Fire at Tooradin. Mechanics' Hall Destroyed.
The mechanics' institute hall and library were completely destroyed by fire early this morning. Erected in 1882, they were in splendid condition. It is understood the Royal Insurance Co. have the building and library covered for approximately £1150. Approximately 1500 books were lost in the fire. (14)

The Weekly Times also reported on the disaster -
Tooradin Library Destroyed.
Three thousand books, forming one of the most comprehensive country libraries in Victoria, were burnt in a fire which destroyed the 75-year-old Tooradin Mechanics' Institute building. Blazing fiercely when first discovered at 4.30 am., the fire quickly gutted the building, while townspeople looked on helplessly without any water supply, with which to combat it. Insured for £1000, the building contained the library, a hall and supper room. All the furniture, including a piano, was destroyed. At midnight, when members of the local table tennis club left the hall, everything appeared to be safe.

Koo-Wee-Rup police are investigating the fire, the cause of which is unknown. As the institute was 50 yards from the nearest building, other premises were not endangered.
(15)

It is interesting that the two reports of the fire have such a large  discrepancy  in the number of  books - three thousand in one, 1500 in the other and both figures still much larger than the number reported in 1894, which was 622.

The locals acted quickly to have a new hall built and less than a year after it was destroyed the replacement building was opened on March 16, 1938.


Advertisement for the opening of new hall
Koo Wee Rup Sun, March 3, 1938 p. 1

The Koo Wee Rup Sun had a comprehensive report of the opening -
New Tooradin Hall. Opened by Mr. A.J. Kirton, M.L.A.
Wednesday, 16th inst., proved to be quite a gala night at Tooradin, when the opening of a new public hall to replace the old edifice destroyed by fire in June last year was the principal attraction. Mr A.J. Kirton, M.L.A., for Mornington, had the honor of performing the opening ceremony, and with the interior brightly lit by powerful electric light globes and enhanced by varied colored and pretty dresses of the ladies the scene was one of beauty and one long to be remembered by justly proud residents, who are now the custodians of the largest public hall in the shire. Dance music was rendered by the Rhythm Swingers’ Orchestra of four players, and things were kept merrily going until close on milking or, should we say, fishing time. Close on 300 persons sat down to a much appreciated supper, catered for by Mr J.H. Scott of Kooweerup.

The builder was Mr. L.C. Williams, of Balwyn, the outside walls being of wood and fibro plaster with iron roof, and the interior white plaster sheets with a six foot three-ply dado round walls. The dimensions of the various rooms are as follows: - Dance hall, 36 ft. x 56ft.; stage 20ft. x 9ft.; passage, 5ft. wide, 23 ft. long; entrance hall, 12 ft. x 12 ft.; gents room, 10 ft. x 8 ft.; ladies’ room, 14 ft. by 8ft.; library, 12 ft. by 8ft.; supper room, 22 ft. by 28 ft.; kitchen, 12 ft. x 8 ft.

On behalf of the Trustees, committee and residents of Tooradin, Mr. D. Henderson, president of the committee, extended a hearty welcome to Mr A.J. Kirton, M.L.A., and thanked all those who had assisted in connection with the erection of the hall.

Mr Kirton said he felt highly honored on being asked to perform the opening ceremony, and he heartily congratulated the committee and management on the success achieved, the building being a credit to Tooradin. Such works showed the progress of a district. The new hall had been erected on the old hall site, which had cherished memories dating back 56 years. This site had been presented to residents by the late Mr J.F. Rutter. The old hall had cost £280 to erect and when completed with a free library £540. In the June fire of last year many valuable books had been destroyed. The Royal Insurance Company had held the fire insurance policy for 55 years. Mr G. Egerton was the oldest trustee alive. The present building had cost a little over £1000, and he congratulated the committee and residents on their enterprise, adding that same was fitting to such an ideal holiday resort as Tooradin, and if developed further, would become a tourist resort. He was confident that Tooradin had a future, and he had pleasure in dedicating the hall to the public for future use.

On the motion of President Henderson, a hearty vote of thanks to Mr. Kirton for his attendance was carried by acclamation.
(16).

The report tells us that the building had  a room for  a Library. It does not appear that a library was installed as in 1943 the Dandenong Journal reported -
Tooradin - Prior to the destruction by fire of the old Mechanics’ Hall, local folk enjoyed the benefit of a circulating library of 1300 books. Owing to the dearth of funds at the erection of present hall, no provision was made to recover some semblance of a nucleus of a library. Some action should be taken by the hall management committee to bridge this disability, by application to the Government and the Carnegie Institute. (17) Notice this article states that the amount of books held by the old Mechanics' Institute is now 1300.

Two years later in November 1945, the Dandenong Journal reported on an update on the Library issue
£100 Grant For Tooradin Library - Mr. J. D. Singleton, J.P., (18) has been advised by Mr. A. J. Kirton, M.L.A., that his application for a grant for the erection of a library at the Mechanics’ Hall, Tooradin, has been acceded to. A cheque for £l00 will be sent on in a few days, and handed to the Hall Committee. Good work! (19) Was this mis-reporting that a new library would be built, or was the grant actually for book stock? 

It does appear that it was for both the collection and a building as the aforementioned Mr Singleton wrote the following letter to the Dandenong Journal  in April 1946 -
Library Wanted at Tooradin - The Government is ready to assist Tooradin on a basis of £2 for £1 to re-establish the burnt out library lost some years ago with the destruction of the old hall. The present Hall Committee are anxious to facilitate the earliest completion of a Public Library and help with £50 donation. I suggest the public will generously respond if appealed to, when the proposed library is made one of a memorial character as a first objective (a very practical form to remember the great deeds of our gallant lads); and as a No. 2 objective, a Youth Movement, to provide physical and mental
uplift, occupation, and entertainment in pleasant surroundings, instead of allowing the drift of wasted leisure, so soul-destroying in most small country centres, now enforced on youth - a neglect, that has tragedy stamped in every link for some unfortunate lads in later life. A fresh committee will be elected by public meeting on May 6th. At that meeting the public could be invited to co-operate with the Hall Committee and endorse a Memorial Library and Youth Movement, and launch an organising committee and plan accordingly. J.D. Singleton, J.P. (Tooradin) (20)

The Memorial Library was never established, however the Hall remains and is well-used by the community.

Footnotes
(1) David Mickle  (1904-1997). The author of  Mickle Memories of Koo Wee Rup: for young and old - to 1927 (The Author, 1983) and More Mickle memories of Koo Wee Rup: chronicles of a prosperous district once known as the Great Swamp, 1928-1940  (The Author, 1987), and Tooradin: a history of a sportsman's paradise and the first 100 years of State School No. 1503 compiled by D.J. Mickle and the Tooradin "Back to" Committee (Tooradin 'Back to' Committee, 1975).  His great-grandfather, Alexander Mickle had come to Australia to manage the Yallock and Monomeith properties for Alexander's brother, John Mickle. John Mickle had a partnership with William Lyall and John Bakewell - read more here   https://kooweerupswamphistory.blogspot.com/2017/08/mickle-bakewell-and-lyall.html
(2) Henry Jobson - The Reader at the Cranbourne Anglican Parish (The Church of England Messenger, May 2 1881, see here)
John Francis  Rutter (1842-1906) local land owner.
 Alexander Dunlop - of Harewood Mains, Tooradin - dairy farmer and cheese maker; died 1902, aged 74.
John Sill -  possibly the John Sill who died in Heidelberg in 1903, aged 49. See short obituary in The Argus of June 2, 1903, here; and father's death notice in The Argus, November 7, 1885, here, linking John to Koo Wee Rup.
(4) Tooradin: a history of a sportsman's paradise and the first 100 years of State School No. 1503 compiled by D.J. Mickle and the Tooradin "Back to" Committee (Tooradin 'Back to' Committee, 1975), pp 32-33. Meeting also reported in the South Bourke & Mornington Journal of June 21, 1882, see here.
(5) Tooradin: a history of a sportsman's paradise and the first 100 years of State School No. 1503, op. cit, p. 50.; Donation of land - Dandenong Journal, August 2, 1928, see here.
(6) South Bourke and Mornington Journal, January 3, 1883, see here.
(7) William Lyall - see footnote 3; John Sill,  Christopher Moody, Alexander Dunlop, Matthew Evans - see footnote 2; John Rutter - see above.
Robert Oliphant Timms - married William Lyall's daughter, Margaret on March 29, 1876, see report in The Argus, April 1, 1876  here; died in 1915, aged 68.
Thomas Charles Lyne - local landowner, source of the name Lynes Road in Tooradin. Died in 1908, aged 76, read a short obituary in The Age, January 8, 1908, see here.
(8) Tooradin: a history of a sportsman's paradise and the first 100 years of State School No. 1503, op. cit, pp. 32-33.
(10) Statistical Registers - available here on the Victorian Government Library Service website
(11) Table Talk, July 3, 1891, see here.
(12) Punch, March 19, 1896, see here; Cole family - more information here - https://victoriaspast.blogspot.com/2023/05/william-bailey-orchardist-of-malvern.html
(13) Dandenong Advertiser, July 27, 1916, see here.
(14) The Age, June 15, 1937, see here
(15) Weekly Times, June 19, 1937, see here.
(16) Koo Wee Rup Sun, March 24, 1938 p. 1
(17) Dandenong Journal, September 1, 1943, see here.
(18) John Dudley Singleton, died in 1951, aged 68. Built the Stella Maris guesthouse in 1925, The Advocate, February 5, 1925, see here; Obituary Dandenong Journal, September 19, 1951,  see here.
(19) Dandenong Journal, April 7, 1945, see here.
(20) Dandenong Journal, April 24, 1946, see here.

Monday, February 21, 2022

Tooradin - a short history

This is  a short history of  Tooradin and the Sherwood Hotel,  which was located near the corner of the South Gippsland Highway and Tooradin Tyabb Road.

Some of the earliest Europeans who passed through Tooradin were Samuel Rawson and Robert Jamieson. They took up the Yallock Run, at the northern end of Western Port, in November 1839. They over-landed their cattle and goods to Tooradin from Melbourne and were then blocked by the undrained Koo Wee Rup Swamp, so used Sawtell’s Inlet at Tooradin as their port and continued on by boat (1). For the same reason, other land owners from further around Western Port Bay at Red Bluff, Grantville, Queensferry and Corinella also used Tooradin until the Western Port Road (South Gippsland Highway) was built around 1860 (2).  

The Tooradin area was part of the Toorodan Run of 16,000 acres (6,475 hectares) taken up by Frederick and Charles Manton in 1840. Edwin Sawtell, a Melbourne merchant, had an interest in this run, before the Manton Brothers took it over (3). He is the source of the name of Sawtell’s Inlet. Sawtell died at the age of 95 in 1892 (4). The town took its name from Manton’s Toorodan run  and is an Aboriginal word for  “swamp monster” or “bunyip”


The Squatting Runs, Western Port showing Toorodun, Mantons, Yallock runs etc. 
Click on image to enlarge it.
Squatting Runs, Western Port
Image: The Good Country: Cranbourne Shire by Niel Gunson (Cheshire, 1968), p.50.

1851 saw the arrival of Mickle, Bakewell and Lyall in the area. John Mickle (1814-1885) and John Bakewell (1807-1888) were business partners in Melbourne from 1847 and they were soon joined by William Lyall (1821-1888) whose sister Margaret was married to John Mickle. They had numerous runs in the Western district and in 1851, they acquired the leases of the Yallock and Tobin Yallock and Red Bluff Stations; in 1852 Manton’s Toorodan run and in 1854 they acquired the Great Swamp run,  all in all about 27,000 acres, which they collectively called their Western Port runs (5). I have written about Mickle, Bakewell and Lyall, here.

After the partnership split, the land was divided between the three partners with  Lyall receiving part of Yallock Station. Lyall and his wife, Annabella, built Harewood house, just out of Tooradin, on this property.  The construction of Harewood started around 1857 and the property remained in the Lyall family until the 1960sHarewood is of State significance and is on the Victorian Heritage Database (6).  Mickle, Bakewell and Lyall and their descendants are remembered in Tooradin, Cranbourne and Koo Wee Rup where streets are named in their honour.


Tooradin - Looking across Sawtell's Inlet from 
to the Fishermans Cottage and other houses on the foreshore c. 1900
Image: Cranbourne Shire Historical Society (I think)

Early land sales in the township of Tooradin took place in 1869, but it wasn’t until the 1870s that the township took off. In January 1870, John Steer applied for a Beer Licence for his Bridge Inn. John Steer died in May 1876 and the Hotel was taken over by Matthew Evans in 1877. Later publicans included Larry Basan who took over the licence in 1888 and rebuilt the hotel in 1895 (7). The hotel was demolished in 2016.  The other Tooradin Hotel, the Sherwood Hotel, which was closer towards Cranbourne, had opened in 1869 - more on the Sherwood later. Most of the Tooradin township lots were sold in the 1880s.


Advertisement for land sales in Tooradin, December 1889
Source: State Library of Victoria - click here to see a high-res version http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/157740

A tender to construct the Tooradin State School was accepted in October 1874 and the School officially opened on April 12, 1875 with Mrs Adelaide Dredge as the teacher. John Woodfield Thrupp opened a store around 1875. The Post Office and a store  operated by Mr F.M  Woolley opened in August 1877. He only lasted a year and the Store was taken over by Mr G. Walker, and in 1898 by Frederick Atyeo. Two years later, his son George, took over and added a coffee palace.  To meet the spiritual needs of the residents, Anglican Church services were held from 1875, most likely in the School, and from 1883 in the Hall until the Christ Church was built in 1900. The Catholic Church, St Peters, was built in 1922, services also having been previously held in the Mechanics’ Institute (8). The Church is now part of St Peters College at Cranbourne.


The original Tooradin Mechanics' Institute
Image -  Mickle, David (complier)  Tooradin: a history of a Sportsman's Paradise, 1875-1975  
(Tooradin 'Back to' Committee, 1975),

The Tooradin Mechanics’ Institute (pictured above) had officially opened on Boxing Day, 1882. The current Hall was built in 1938, having replaced the original hall, which burnt down the previous year (9). Another boost to Tooradin was the construction of the Great Southern Railway, which reached Tooradin in October 1888. It was extended from Tooradin to Loch in November 1890. The Station was a few kilometres north of the town and the source of the road name Tooradin Station Road (10).

As the town developed community groups were established – in the 1920s a Country Women's Association; the Fire Brigade started in 1945;  the Infant Welfare Centre opened in 1949 and ten years later the Kindergarten; the Scout Group was established in 1964. The Tooradin Dalmore Football Club started in  in 1919 and the  Netball Club in 1954.  The Avenue of Honour to commemorate the World War One soldiers was planted in 1922, unusually it consists of flowering gums (11).


A map of an early land subdivision at Tooradin. Evans owned all of Allotment 5 and subdivided these fifteen blocks in 1887 or 1888. You can see Steer's property where the Bridge Hotel was located. 
The '1 chain road' is now Mickle Street.
Source: Casey Cardinia Libraries Archive

Matthew Evans (1836-1909) was an early resident of Tooradin. He had purchased land in 1869 and built Bay View house in the early 1870s. He also purchased other blocks in Tooradin, some of which he sub-divided and sold around 1887 or 1888, see map above. Evans, as we saw before, was the owner of  the Bridge Inn for  a time and was a Cranbourne Shire Councillor from 1879 to 1881, a trustee of the Mechanics' Institute and donated the land for the Anglican Church. Evans built Isles View,  c. 1898 and it is thought that Bay View house was shifted to form part of this new house. The Isle to which the name refers to is French Island (12).


Isles View - this photograph shows the weatherboard section which is believed to be Matthew Evan's original 1869 house, Bay View.
Image: Heritage of the City of Casey: Historic sites in the former City of Casey, by Graeme Butler and Associates, 1996. Casey Cardinia Libraries Archive

Mr Evans is the source of the name of Evans Road. Matthew married Harriet Swalling in 1860 and she sadly died at the age of 21 in 1862. He then married Fanny Sweetnam in 1865 and they had ten children - Arthur Ernest (b. 1865), Herbert Hill (1868), Lance Hill (1870), Frank Austin (1871), Walter Matthew (1875), Florence Fanny (1877), Nellie Banks (1879), Lena Bessie (1880), Rose Alice (1884) Leslie Rubin (1887). Fanny died in 1931, aged 87 (13). 

A fleet of fishing boats were also based at the Tooradin and some of the earliest settlers were fishermen. David Mickle  writes that George Casey was the first fisherman and settler, followed by Jimmy Miles and  then in 1876 Henry Forman Kernot and his wife, Elizabeth (nee McNaughton)  came over from Hastings (14). Henry and Elizabeth had married in 1861 and their children were Charles Edward (b. 1861, married Annie Collins), Henry William (1863, married Sarah Winchester), Clara Johanna (1865, married Gilbert Kerr), Amelia Eliza (1867, married Henry Alexander Mundy),  Caroline Jessie (1869, married Peter Peterson), Charlotte (1871, married William Mentiplay), Georgina Alice (1873, married Alexander Greive), Isabella Lucretia (1874, married Frederick George Seymour Poole), Thomas James (1876, married Elsie May Lee), Maria Martha (1877, married Frederick Rawlings), Mary Adeline (1880, married Thomas Henderson) and George Robert (1881, married Mabel Robertson) (15).  Amelia and Henry Mundy's son served in World War One and he is listed on the Tooradin State Honour Board, see here

Isabella Kernot Poole owned the Fishermans Cottage, on the Foreshore, from 1910 to 1949. It is now the home of the Cranbourne Shire Historical Society. The Cottage is one of the few remaining examples of the fishermen’s houses that originally dotted both sides of Sawtell’s Inlet in the nineteenth century and early twentieth century. This house is thought to have been built by Matthews Evans and some sources date it's construction to c. 1873 even though the land was part of the 1887 subdivision (16).

The last of the professional fishermen, Henry Kernot and Arthur Johnstone (son of Ted Johnstone and Hilda Kernot (the daughter of Henry and Sarah (nee Winchester) Kernot listed above), surrendered their licence in 1999 (17).


Fisherman's Cottage. This house is thought to have been built by Matthews Evans and some sources date it's construction to c. 1873 even though the land was part of the 1887 subdivision as shown in the map above.
Image: Heather Arnold

Tooradin attracted not only the professional fisherman but the sports fisherman as well. The fishing, plus quail shooting on Quail Island, deer shooting, cycling club and other typical pursuits of the time gave Tooradin a reputation as a 'Sportsman’s Paradise'. This reputation was fostered by the publication of the booklet Around Tooradin : the Sportsman's Paradise by Hawkeye. It was published, in serial form, in late 1888 and early 1889 to promote the sale of land in the area (18).  Today Tooradin is still a haven for recreational fishing, is the service centre for the coastal towns of Cannons Creek, Warneet and Blind Bight. It’s natural landscape of tidal flats and mangroves are a haven for bird and marine life. When I was growing up at Cora Lynn (in the 1960s and 70s)  we always went to Tooradin to the beach - my parents used to water ski and we’ll have a swim or just go over and get fish and chips and eat them on the beach. In fact, Tooradin fish and chips seem to be fondly remembered by many people.

Interesting fact - Tooradin was the birthplace of the Royal Automobile Club of Victoria in 1903.  Susan Priestley, in her book The Crown of the road: the story of the RACV (19), tells us of the formation of the RACV - On  a fine weekend late in September 1903, a dozen of Melbourne's more prominent wheelmen, who were also proud owners of the new motorized cycles, took their machines on a very pleasant outing to the flat reaches of Tooradin on Westernport Bay...The outing was reported in the Australian Cyclist... and the next issue of the journal featured a prominent article on the very singular lack of a motor club in Melbourne. The writer of the article was probably Sydney Day  described by Mrs Priestley as a printer by trade but  a cyclist and cycling writer at heart . Mrs Priestley says that he was one of the three like-minded friends who claimed to have hatched plans for  a motoring club while on that trip to Tooradin.  The other members of the trio were James Coleman (manager of a Cycle business) and Henry (Harry) Barton James, advertising manager of Dunlop Pneumatic Tyre Company.

Just north of Tooradin was the Sherwood Hotel, in Tooradin, near the corner of the South Gippsland Highway and Tooradin Tyabb Road. It was also known as the Robin Hood Hotel. It was built around 1869 on land owned by Matthew Stevens, who is listed in the Shire of Cranbourne Ratebooks from 1867An early publican was John Wilson from 1873-1874 (20). The Sherwood Hotel and 258 acres were put up for a mortgagee auction on March 14, 1878. The advertisement (reproduced below) lists the auction on behalf of the late John Strudwick, and it is thought that the Poole family purchased the hotel at this time. George Poole became publican at the Sherwood in December 1888 (21).


Auction of the Sherwood Hotel in March 1878
The Argus Thursday March 7 1878  http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article5924137

The Poole brothers, Frederic (1826-1894), George (1827-1909), and Thomas (1837-1906) were early settlers in the Cranbourne area. Frederick was elected to the Cranbourne Road District Board, which became the Shire of Cranbourne in 1868, from 1865 to 1872, 1873 to 1874 and 1885 to 1893. He was Shire President in 1887-88. Frederick lived at Triuna, Lyndhurst. Thomas lived at Lang Lang. George Poole was bootmaker in Cranbourne, in the 1860s. He was elected to the Cranbourne Road District Board in 1866, and remained a Councillor until 1893. He was Shire President on three occasions. George Poole was described as one of the most forceful personalities in the district (22).

We have a first hand report of George and the Sherwood Hotel from a booklet we mentioned before Around Tooradin : the Sportsman's Paradise by Hawkeye. Hawkeye described the journey to Tooradin by train, the fishing, local hospitality. He described the Sherwood Hotel as like an old farm house, with a big dash of liberality and kindliness about it. The front portion is brick, and new weatherboard rooms have just been added. It is built just on the crest of a hill, and is in every respect a most comfortable house to stop at. Hawkeye describes George Poole as a fine specimen of a true Saxon. Big of limb, deep of chest, clear eyed, strong and powerful throughout, he reminds you more of the days when there were giants in the land than of a prosperous publican….. In his early days he visited America and became imbued with a touch of American smartness – with a knowledge of how to be cute and make money. On his return to England he was the first to start a real American bar where the thirsty Britain could obtain any drink from a mint julep to a cocktail. George then decided to try his luck in Australia. Hawkeye goes on to say that in Australia George had settled down quietly and his heart appears to be centered in his farming. George does not like the public house life, he hates drinking and talks of going into the coffee line. "Coffee is the thing", he says, "nothing like coffee, I think I’ll build a coffee palace" (23). 

The ground of the Sherwood Hotel had a large stable, a diary and milking shed. The Pooles milked forty cows. George also constructed a race course and bred horses. When the Melbourne Coach refused to stop at his hotel, he built himself a Coach, which met the Cranbourne train and travelled on to Grantville (24).

We do not know much about Mrs Poole, Hawkeye says she is a most obliging and attentive hostess and that she makes beautiful butter. I had assumed that the obliging Mrs Poole was George's wife, Ann (nee Seymour) whom he married in 1864. They had three children Ann, born 1865, who married William Hardy; Maria, born 1867, who married James Facey and Frederick, born 1870 who married Isabella Kernot. Ann died in 1916, aged 85. Ann had previously been married to Magnus Peterson, who had been born in Sweden. There were two children from this marriage Thomas, b. 1854 and Peter, born 1860. Peter was married to Caroline Kernot, Isabella's sister. Magnus died in 1861 (25).

As I said, I had initially assumed that George Poole's  obliging and attentive hostess  was his wife Ann, however, George had an on-going relationship with Mary Catherine (nee George) the widow of John Legge Strudwicke. Mary had married John Legge Strudwicke in 1871 and had two children Albert (b. 1871) and Louisa (b. 1875) and then John died in 1877.  John had been the owner of the Sherwood Hotel until his death, when the Poole family took it over. Mary's relationship with George Poole produced four children - Kate Poole Strudwicke (b. c. 1881), Richard Poole (b.c. 1882), George Poole Strudwicke (b. 1887) and Amy Poole Strudwicke (b. 1895) (so George was 54 when the first one was born and 68 when the last one was born). I can't find Kate and Richard's birth registration and George and Amy are registered twice, under both Strudwicke and George,  but have no father listed. However, both Kate and Amy have George Poole listed as their father in the Victorian Death Indexes (26). So the most obliging Mrs Poole referred to by Hawkeye is actually Mary, not Ann. I wonder what Ann thought of this - was she humiliated by George living openly with and having a family with another woman or was she glad to be rid of him and happy to live her own life or was it an amicable split that suited both of them?  George and Mary's son, young George, served in World War One and is listed on the Tooradin State School Honour Board, see here


The Sherwood Hotel, 1907. The Licensee, whose name is listed over the door, is John Lambell.
Image: Cranbourne Shire Historical Society

George Poole had left the Hotel around 1906 and there were a series of Licensees from 1906 - John Lambell, Robert Porter, James Donohue, David McDonald, Mary Clapperton, Frank Gibbons, Florence Johnson and finally John Hopkins.  The Sherwood Hotel was deprived of its licence on December 31 1917, after a Deprivation Sitting of the Licenses Reduction Board (27). A amendment to the Liquor Licenses Act of 1906 allowed the Board to systematically reduce the number of Victualler's licences in Victoria, taking into account public convenience and number of other Hotels in the area. I do not know when it was demolished.


Footnotes
(1) Gunson, Niel The Good Country: Cranbourne Shire (Cheshire, 1968), p. 21
(2) See my history of the Western Port Road (South Gippsland Highway), here.
(3) Mickle, David (complier) Tooradin: a history of a Sportsman's Paradise, 1875-1975 ( Tooradin 'Back to' Committee, 1975), pp. 9-11.
(4) Edwin Sawtell died April 29, 1892. His death notice in The Argus of May 14, 1892 (see here) said he was a Colonist of 56 years.
(5) Read about Mickle, Bakewell and Lyall in Niel Gunson's book - Chapter V - Victorian Lairds.
(6) Harewood property - https://vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/places/1157 and https://vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/places/30287
(7) Mickle, op. cit., 11-12; and
Tooradin: 125 years of coastal history - Blind Bight, Cannon's Creek, Sherwood, Tooradin North, Warneet 1875-2000 State school No. 1503 compiled by John Wells and the 'Tooradin Celebrates Together 125 Years of Education Committee' (The Committee, 2001) has a list of publicans of the Bridge Hotel, p. 27.
(8) Tooradin: 125 years of coastal history, op. cit., passim.
(9) https://kooweerupswamphistory.blogspot.com/2023/08/tooradin-mechanics-institute-and-free.html
(10) I have written about the railway line, here.
(11) Tooradin: 125 years of coastal history, op. cit., passim.
(12) Mickle, op. cit., 11-12; Gunson, op. cit., has a list of Cranbourne Shire Councillors to 1968. Information on Bay View and Isles View is from Heritage of the City of Casey: Historic sites in the former Cranbourne Shire by Graeme Butler & Associates (City of Casey, 1996)
(13) Indexes to Victorian Births, Deaths and Marriages.
(14) Mickle, op. cit., pp17-18.
(15) Indexes to Victorian Births, Deaths and Marriages.
(16) Heritage of the City of Casey: Historic sites in the former Cranbourne Shire, op. cit.
(17) Tooradin: 125 years of coastal history, op. cit., p. 25.
(18) It has been republished in Tooradin: 125 years of coastal history.
(19) Priestley, Susan The Crown of the Road: the story of the RACV (McMillan, 1983).
(20) Mickle, op. cit., p.22. and Cranbourne Shire Rate Books
(21) Information in this paragraph - Mickle, op. cit., p.22
(22) Information in this paragraph - Gunson, op. cit., passim. It was Dr Gunson who described George Poole as one of the most forceful personalities (p. 92).
(23) Tooradin: 125 years of coastal history, op. cit., p. 105
(24) Tooradin: 125 years of coastal history, op. cit., p. 105 and Gunson, op, cit., p. 161.
(25) Indexes to Victorian Births, Deaths and Marriages.
(26) Indexes to Victorian Births, Deaths and Marriages.
(27) Mickle, op. cit., p.27


Parts of this post, all of which I wrote and researched, originally appeared on my work blog, Casey Cardinia Links to our Past.  This is a revised version.

Tooradin State School Honour Roll

The Tooradin State School Honor Board is displayed at the Fishermans Cottage Museum, on the foreshore at Tooradin. The Museum is operated by the Cranbourne Shire Historical Society. They also have the Cranbourne Presbyterian Church Honour Board, I have written about this here.  


Tooradin State School Honour Board.

The Tooradin State School, No. 1503, was opened in 1875. The Honor Board was unveiled on April 27, 1922 by Inspector Henderson of the Education Department.

Advert in the public notices of the The Age


Report of the unveiling of the Honor Board.
Koo Wee Rup Sun May 4, 1922

The Honor Board lists the names of men from Tooradin who served in the Great War who had an association with the Tooradin State School. Here are the soldiers, who are listed on the Board.  I have listed their Service Numbers (SN) so you can look up their full record on the National Archives of Australia www.naa.gov.au  

I have used the book Tooradin: 125 years of coastal history - Blind Bight, Cannon's Creek, Sherwood, Tooradin North, Warneet 1875-2000 State school No. 1503 (1) which has  a list of students who attended the school, for some of the family information.

Alford, J   There was a  Joe Alford was at the Tooradin school around 1908 - 1910, so you would have to assume that this is J. Alford listed on the Honour Board. The 1908, 1909 Electoral Roll has a William Alford listed at Tooradin, so that fits in with Joe's commencement date at the School. There is a funeral notice in The Argus on March 23, 1909 for Annie Alford, 'late of Tooradin' this was most likely Ann Eliza Alford (nee Rogers) whose death was registered at Cranbourne - she was 72 years old. She was married to a William Alford, but at that age clearly was not the mother of a school age Joe, but possibly the grandmother. There are a number of Joseph Alfords who enlisted but none that I can find with a connection to Tooradin. Even allowing for the fact that the Joe Alford listed as a pupil in the book is a red herring, I still cannot find a J. Alford with a local connection.

Amos, Victor Anthony (SN 2868) Victor and his siblings, Cyril and Daisy enrolled at the school in 1893. Their brother, Eric,  started in 1900. Victor enlisted on June 13, 1916 at the age of 32. He was  a farmer and his next of kin was his wife, Margaret, and they were living at Leongatha. Victor Returned to Australia May 6, 1919. Victor was granted a Soldier Settlement farm, you can read his file, here, on the Battle to farm website.

Cole, William Preston (SN 3629)   William, a clerk,  enlisted on July 19, 1915 at the age of 25. William Returned to Australia May 8, 1919. William was the son of William and Charlotte Catherine Cole. His father was a Police Constable. Constable Cole was stationed at Tooradin from 1890 until 1910, when he was transferred to the  newly established Police Station at Lang Lang (2).  William was granted a Soldier Settlement farm, you can read his file, here, on the Battle to Farm website.


George Denham's Royal Navy enlistment paper
Australian War Memorial awm.gov.au/collection/R1427719

Denham, George Dunlop. George was a stoker in the Royal Navy, he enlisted on April 1, 1908 at the age of 20.
Denham, Robert Alexander (SN 392) Robert was born in Koo Wee Rup and was living in Carlton and he was a fireman when he enlisted at the age of 28 on February 17, 1915 (that's the date according to the Embarkation roll and July 17, 1915 is the date according to the Enlistment papers). His next of kin was his friend Annie Ritchie. Robert Returned to Australia July 10 1916 and was discharged on medical grounds due to a form of rheumatism.
George and Robert were the sons of John and Janet Denham. John Denham was the Cranbourne Shire Secretary from 1909 to 1911 and the Rate collector for nine years, he also had a store at Yallock and a dairy farm at Koo Wee Rup. Janet's father, Alexander Dunlop, had the Harewood Mains property at Tooradin and had a successful cheese making business (3).

Duff, Charles Alexander (SN 859 and 237) Charles enlisted on May 31, 1915 at the age of 19, then returned to Australia because of illness and the enlisted again May 16, 1916 when he was 20. Charles was Killed in Action in Belgium June 8, 1917. Charles was the son of William Tucker Duff and the grandly named, Alice Laura Constance Beauchamp Hobart. He was also the grandson of the Reverend Alexander Duff. 
Duff, T - I can't find a T. Duff with a connection to Tooradin. Charles' brother, William Vere Hobart Duff (SN 860) enlisted on January 6, 1916 aged 23. His next of kin was his wife, Brenda, of East Malvern. William Returned to Australia on January 10, 1918.
Cardinia State School established a tree plantation in honour of local soldiers in July 1917 and both Charles and William were honoured with a tree, so he is a likely candidate to also be on the Tooradin Honor Roll. You can read about the Cardinia plantation and the Reverend Duff, here.

Evans, Matthew Lance (SN 7006) Matthew was 21 when he enlisted on October 27, 1916. He was a picture framer and his next of kin was his father, Lance, of South Melbourne. Matthew was Killed in Action in France on September 18, 1918. Matthew was the son of Lance and Mary (nee Petch) Evans and the grandson of Matthew Evans. Matthew Evans (1836-1909) was an early resident of Tooradin.  You can read more about Matthew Evans, here. 

Hardy,  Horace Robert (SN 19995)   Horace enlisted on June 20, 1917 at the age of 21. He was born at Clyde and was a farmer. He Returned to Australia July 13, 1919. Horace was the son of William John Hardy (c. 1855 - 1940) and  Sophia Wells Cadd (1856 - 1919) of Dalmore. His paternal grandparents, Emling and Emily (nee Gregory) Hardy took up land at Clyde North in 1856 - Hardy Road is named after the family. His maternal grandparents were Thomas and Sarah (nee Wells) Cadd who took up land at Clyde in 1862 (4). Horace also has a tree planted in his honour in the Memorial Grove at Cardinia State School, see here.

Henderson, Leslie Rupert (SN 369) I presume that as this man is listed as R. L Henderson that he was known as Rupert, so I will call him that. Rupert enlisted on September 15, 1914. He was a 27 year old tram conductor. His was born in Tooradin and his next of kin was his mother, Mrs D.M Henderson (Mrs David Metcalf Henderson, nee Christina McKay) of Tooradin.  Rupert Returned to Australia November 15, 1918.   

Irvine, H.R You would think this would be easy to find but I cannot find  a H.R Irvine or H.R Irving who enlisted; there are no Irvines/Irvings listed in Tooradin: 125 years of Coastal History and I can't find an Irvine/Irving in the Electoral Rolls, so I am not sure who this is.

Lewitzka, Herbert John (SN  28415) Herbert was 18, a student,  when he enlisted on May 11, 1916. He was born in Beulah and his mother, Mary Schneider of Murrayville,  was his next of kin. Herbert Returned to Australia July 1, 1919. What was his connection to Tooradin? There are only two Lewitzkas who enlisted in the War, the other is his brother, Frederick James (SN 32297) who was a 24 year old farmer when he enlisted in September 1916. Mary Schneider was born Mary Jane Jeffrey and married Frederick Lewitzka in 1891, they were divorced in 1903 on the grounds of his 'habitual drunkedness' and she then married Johann August Schneider also in 1903.  Mary and Johann (or John as he was listed) are in the 1909 Electoral Roll at Tooradin, with his occupation as storekeeper (5).

McCulloch, David Stuart (SN 2107) David, who was born in Melbourne, was a 22 year old farmer from Parkes in New South Wales when he enlisted on June 26, 1917. His next of kin was his father, David, of Tralee, Parkes. David Returned to Australia May 11, 1919.  David McCulloch senior purchased the Tooradin Estate in 1880 and built the existing brick house, he was married to Janet Margaret McDonald Craik, the daughter of  Mr George Craik, owner of Kincraik in Beaconsfield Upper. Kincraik, opened in 1888, was a 32 room guest house, which had views to Western Port and the Morningon Peninsula.  The name was changed to Salisbury House in 1896 and after various changes of ownership it became a nursing home in 1989 (6). You can read an account of their wedding in the South Bourke and Mornington Journal of August 13, 1890, here

The obituary of David McCulloch senior, which lists his extensive land holdings including
Tooradin Estate and Tralee, Parkes.

Milburn, John (SN 966) John was born in Tooradin and his next of kin was his mother, Emily, whose address was State School, Tooradin.  John's father, William, was the Head Teacher at Tooradin from 1886 to 1917.  John enlisted on May 6, 1915. He was a 23 year old sleeper hewer. John suffered a severe bullet wound to the right arm in September 1918, recuperated in hospital in England and Returned to Australia March 31, 1919.

Moore, C Not sure who this is. There was a Cornelius and a Richard Moore at the school in 1893, but I cannot find a Cornelius who enlisted. There is a Thomas and Mary Moore listed in the Electoral Rolls at Sherwood (which is in the region of where the Tooradin-Baxter Road intersects with the South Gippsland Highway and along to Fisheries Road) in 1905 and 1906, so this person may be connected to them.

Mundy, William James  (SN 1637)  William was a 21 year old carpenter when he enlisted on May 8, 1916. His next of kin was his wife, Jessie, of Dandenong.  William was wounded in action - gun shot wound to the neck -  in September 1918 and after a period of time in hospital in England he Returned to Australia April 19, 1919. William was born in Hastings and he was the son of Henry and Amelia (nee Kernot) Mundy. Henry Mundy was a professional fisherman at Tooradin as were members of the Kernot family. You can read more about the Kernot family, here.

Porter, J.C.  Another mystery - I cannot find a J.C Porter who enlisted with any local connections, they are not in Tooradin: 125 years of Coastal History and no local Porters on the Electoral Roll.

Robins, Arthur Welsley Underwood (SN 35 and 2271) Arthur was a 19 year old sawmiller when he enlisted on October 5, 1914. He fought at Gallipoli, was shot in the left arm and sent back to Australia and was discharged on medical grounds on April 28, 1916. Arthur then enlisted again on May 31, 1917, serving with the Flying Corps and Returned to Australia January 24, 1919.
Robins, Rufus Roy (SN 64558) Roy, is what he seems to have been known as, enlisted on June 25, 1918. He was 20 years old and an orchardist. He was sent overseas in September 1918 and Returned to Australia July 10, 1919.
Arthur and Roy were the sons of Edwin and Alice (nee Underwood) Robins. Edwin was the licensee of the Bridge Hotel at Tooradin from 1909 to 1917. When Roy enlisted in 1918 the family were living in Glen Waverley. The Robins' had another son who went to war, Henry Albert (SN 5185), he was 28, an engine driver, when he enlisted in January 1916, so too old to have attended the Tooradin State School in the time frame the family was there. Henry was wounded in action - gun shot wounds to left arm and left thigh and Returned to Australia August 1917 and was medically discharged. Bit of family history: Edwin and Alice had sixteen children between 1879 and 1905. Arthur and Roy were born in Barramunga, in the Otway Ranges, south of Forrest, and Henry was born in Sale, so the family shifted around a fair bit. Another son, Charles, married Molly Milburn in 1912, the sister of John Milburn, listed above (7).


Report on the Robins Brothers
Dandenong Advertiser June 13, 1918 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article88816834


Stredwick, Ralph Edmund (SN 35910) Ralph was 22 when he enlisted on September 25, 1916. He was a labourer. Ralph Returned to Australia February 28, 1919. You can read a letter that Ralph sent back to his parents in 1918, published in the Benalla Independent on March 29, 1918, here.
Stredwick, Roger Charles (SN 218) Roger was a 21 year old dentist when he enlisted on August 19, 1914. Roger Returned to Australia July 7, 1916 and was discharged on medical grounds in February 1917 (Malaria). It appears that becoming a dentist at that time was done as an apprenticeship as Roger was listed as an apprentice to Dr Vandenberg of Benalla.
Roger and Ralph, both born at Beechworth, were the sons of William Stredwick and Ada Mary Walter, who operated the Tooradin Store from 1906 to 1909, but were living in Benalla when the boys enlisted. Roger was born in 1893 so was his stated age of 21 when he enlisted, however Ralph was born in 1898, so was actually only 18 when he enlisted, not 22 like he claimed. 

Strudwicke, George Poole (SN 7305) Surname is listed as Stredwick on the Honor Board. George was a 29 year old farmer when he enlisted on October 7, 1916. He was born in Tooradin and his next of kin was his mother, Catherine Strudwicke, of Lang Lang. George was wounded in action and had his left leg amputated and was in hospital in England for over a year before he Returned to Australia December 13, 1918. George was the son of Mary Catherine Strudwicke (nee George) and her 'partner' George Poole. George Poole was the licensee of the Sherwood Hotel, just north of Tooradin, until 1906. You can read more about the Pooles and the Sherwood Hotel, here.

Is there a connection between the Stredwick boys and George Strudwicke? They are both unusual surnames and perhaps one branch of the family changed the spelling. 

Warnes, William Edward (SN 505) William enlisted at the age of 24 on September 14, 1914. His next of kin was his mother, Elizabeth, of Cranbourne. William enrolled at Tooradin State School in 1900.  William Died of Wounds, whilst a Prisoner of War, on the Gallipoli Peninsula on August 8, 1915. 

Letter from William Warnes' kind mother, who adopted him
National Archives of Australia www.naa.gov.au   
First Australian Imperial Force Personnel Dossiers, 1914-1920

William Warnes was the adopted son of Elizabeth Warnes. She wrote this letter to the Army in August 1920 and she said, in part,  the Neglected Childrens Department at Royal Park handed him to my care at the age of about sight months and when he was seven years old I adopted him and he lived me with me and my family until he enlisted and went to the War.


A touching letter written by William's friend James Pasmore to Mrs Warnes about William's death. James Pasmore (SN 486) enlisted on September 14, 1914 and Returned to Australia in February 1919.
National Archives of Australia www.naa.gov.au
First Australian Imperial Force Personnel Dossiers, 1914-1920

Footnotes
(1) Tooradin: 125 years of coastal history - Blind Bight, Cannon's Creek, Sherwood, Tooradin North, Warneet 1875-2000 State school No. 1503 compiled by John Wells and the 'Tooradin Celebrates Together 125 Years of Education Committee', published by the Committee in 2001. The book has a list of students who attended Dalmore, Tooradin and Tooradin North State Schools.
(2) Tooradin: 125 years of coastal history, op. cit., says he was transferred in 1909, as the Tooradin Police Station was closed. Protector's Plains: history of Lang Lang Primary School No.2899, 1888-1988 and district compiled by Barbara Coghlan (C.B.C. Publishing, 1988) says the Lang Lang Police Station opened in 191o. It moved because Lang Lang was closer to the McLeod Prison Farm on French Island.
(3) Gunson, Niel The Good Country: Cranbourne Shire (Cheshire, 1968)
(4) Campbell John A Clyde History: Public Hall and Mechanics'   Institute Jubilee (Back to Clyde Committee, 1978)
(5) Report of Divorce hearing - The Herald, May 15 1903, see here
(7) Victorian Indexes to Births, Deaths and Marriages.

A version of this post, which I wrote and researched, has appeared on my work blog, Casey Cardinia Commemorates: Our War Years.

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

100 years ago this week - the Bunyip

This interesting account of  a Bunyip appeared in the South Bourke and Mornington Journal, 100 years ago, in February 1913.


South Bourke and Mornington Journal Thursday 20 February 1913, page 2.