How Iona and Cora Lynn celebrated the Armistice in 1918

The Bunyip and Garfield Express of December 13, 1918 published this account of the Armistice celebration at Cora Lynn and Iona -

Armistice celebration
Victory picnic by Iona and Cora Lynn Combined

The Committee of the 'Victory' picnic which was held on the 4th inst were fortunate as far as weather conditions were concerned and the ground selected - Robinson's Hill - was an ideal camping place.
The procession left the Iona State School about 12 noon, and the many various costumes were both artistic and original. Mr J. Donald, well mounted, acted as marshal and kept the procession well up to time. Mr G. Osborn, head teacher Cora Lynn, had charge of the children, and the manner in which he handled them was the subject of favourable comment. The Iona Brass Band, under the baton of Mr W. Legge had the pride of place and was followed by Mr D. Donald, a returned soldier, carrying the Flag. Then came 12 returned soldiers in uniform, followed by various dressed groups and beautifully decorated vehicles, the procession being over  a mile long.


Immediately on arrival at the grounds the judging was completed and the results announced, after which the vast crowds formed themselves into picnic groups, and those who failed to fetch hampers were quickly supplied with edibles. The following gentlemen worked hard to make the gathering a success - Crs Cunningham, Walsh, Dowd, Messrs Donald, Dessent,  Holian, Quigley, Reidy, Pitt and others.             

 Subjoined are the results: -

Best dressed vehicle - C.Pitt - 1 
Red Indian - Alan Murdoch  1
Purple Cross - Nellie Bellman and Mary Fitzgerald 1 and 2
Sundowner - Harry Schmutter
Milkmaids - Annie Leithead and Dolly Pitt 1 and 2
Red Cross nurses - Jean Murdoch and Ada Dessent
Japanese lady - Phyllis Winter
Newspaper boy - Billie Blake
Silver starch - Lily Murdoch
Dunces - Hazel Pitt and Rose Leithead
Salesgirls - Mary Stewart and Nellie Taylor
Ruination - Alice Burleigh
Peanuts - May Taylor
Fancy dressed bicycle - M. Fitzgerald
Boys Siamese race - M. and J. Cunningham,  T.Taylor and D. Dowd 2
Girls Siamese race - B. Cunningham and Irene Hart 1
Married men's race  - W. Hart 1, P. Cunningham 2
The school's relay race caused some excitement; 4 schools of 8 boys each competed and the event was won by the Iona Convent school, with the Cora Lynn Convent school second.
Tug of war - Iona schools combined defeated Cora Lynn schools combined.
Cutting of the Kaiser's head caused a lot of amusement, and a number of boys and girls races were also keenly competed.

Letters to Aunt Connie of the Weekly Times: Cora Lynn, Garfield, Tynong and Bunyip

The Weekly Times used to have a ‘Young Folks’ page, edited by ‘Aunt Connie’ and 'Uncle Ben' and children would write letters to them and have them published in the paper. In  this post we will find out how they described Garfield, Bunyip, Tynong and Cora Lynn. In another post we looked at what the children wrote about Koo Wee Rup, Lang Lang and Five Mile. I have researched some biographical information about the writers. 

Twelve year old Alice Greenham from Bunyip, wrote in October 1900  - 

I have a little duck of my own. I saved it from dying the other day. Mother is in town at present, with one of my sisters. I am 12 years old, and in the sixth standard. I received my certificate two years ago. My brother Bertie is a terrible boy for reading. Whenever he has a chance he gets a book and reads it through. It is a very bad winter this year, too wet. Bunyip is rather a small township. There are two hotels, one grocer, one baker, one butcher, one blacksmith, and a few other houses. Most of the people live at the Koo-wee-rup Swamp. We have to walk about four miles to school, but the creeks are up now, and we cannot cross. I have two sisters and one brother. My sister in town has two little girls,  May and Elsie. [Weekly Times, October 20, 1900, see here]

Alice was born in 1888 to Edward Langdon and Annie Maria (nee Baum) Greenham. They are listed in the Shire of Berwick Rate books for the year 1900/1901, rated for 458 acres and by 1903 they are in East Malvern. Alice married Otto Pump in 1909 and she died in 1961.

Ten year old Eva Siedeberg wrote to Aunt Connie in September 1903 -

My sister, and I both go to school at Garfield. Our head teacher is Mr Daly, and Miss Skinner is our sewing mistress. They are both very nice. I am in the fourth class, and Madoline, my sister, is in the fifth. Nearly all of the children have a garden each, and the big boys have a garden between them; they grow vegetables. We have a garden in the shape of Australia, and for the towns are cactus, and for the ranges are violets; the edge of it is made of bark. Mr Daly and the boys have planted a lot of pines and blue-gums, and other sorts of trees. We also have a library in our school, and there are many nice books in it. We live about three miles from Garfield, and about four from Bunyip. I have a nice little kitten, and it jumps if you put your hand out. My brothers have two dogs; they often go out hunting with them. The bigger dog's name is Captain, and Baden is the smaller. .. We had an arbor day at our school not long ago, and each child planted a pine. [Weekly Times, September 26, 1903, see here]

I don’t know much about Eva, apart from the fact that she was the daughter of Hugo and Mary Ann (nee Edge) Siedeberg and by 1909 they are listed in the Electoral Rolls at Prahran, so weren’t in Garfield that long. The only other thing I know was that, according to a report in the Sydney Morning Herald, she applied for a divorce from her husband, Austin Corcoran, on the grounds of desertion in October 1927. They had been married at Winton in Queensland in 1916.

In 1906, 14-year-old Inez Coombs wrote from Tynong - 

Christmas Day was hot, so stayed at home. On Boxing Day we went to the Nar-Nar-Goon sports, where I enjoyed myself. I went in a race but did not win. All the rest of the week I did not go anywhere very particular. On New Year's Day we had our school picnic. It was a lovely day. We got there early and had a few games; then we had dinner. After the races were run, I won two races and came second in two. After tea we had our photos taken. Then we went home and milked the cows and separated the milk. When we were done we got ready and went back to the hall, where we had a dance. We all enjoyed ourselves very much. There were crowds at the picnic, and nearly all stayed for the dance. Tynong is getting quite a nice little township. There is a store, school, and a good many houses. Most of the people have orchards and some have farms. We have a farm and an orchard, too. My father is making our farm very nice. He has a lot of stumps grubbed out and he has a lot of ground ploughed. We have a lot of potatoes, peas, pumpkins, melons, sunflowers, carrots and turnips in this year. [Weekly Times, February 3,  1906, see here]

Inez born January 1892 in Queensland, was the daughter of  Harry and Inez (nee Frost) Coombs. She married Arthur Weatherhead in 1915 and the couple lived in North Tynong. Inez died in 1952, predeceased by her husband Arthur, who died in 1945. 

Ethel Brent, 13 years 10 months wrote in October 1907 -

I live in Tynong which is situated 43 miles from Melbourne, on the main Gippsland line. I am going to tell you a little about this district, and also an account of a ramble in the bush. Tynong is a small township, consisting of two stores, a railway station, post office, hall, and a bank. The school is held at present in the hall, but a new school, which is being moved from Cardinia Creek, will be ready for occupation at the end of October. The town itself is on a flat, but hills rise towards the north. A vast swamp occupies the southern portion. To the east of Tynong is Garfield, and to the west Nar-Nar-Goon. The chief occupation of the residents is farming and dairying. The cream is sent to Melbourne to the butter factories to be made into butter. By the station is a sawmill, to which wood is sent to be cut into blocks. On 13th September our teacher took us for a ramble in the bush. We went up the Quarry Hill, which lies north of the school. The children collected nature study specimens and brought them to the teacher, who had a box to put them in. Several kinds of mosses were gathered, also a variety of orchids. We then journeyed on till we came to some large rocks, which are on the northern slope of the hill. The teacher sat on one large rock, and the children gathered around her to hear some of the letters of the Young Folks' Page read. We then visited an old quarry, which had been made some years ago. From here we saw Western Port in the distance. We then travelled on making observations as we went, till we reached the school, from which the children dispersed to their various homes. I am 13 years of age, and am in the upper sixth class at school. The school was opened two years ago last May. There are 32 children's names on the roll, and the average for last week was 27. We are going to have a concert to celebrate the opening of the new school.   [Weekly Times, October 26, 1907, see here]

Ethel was the daughter of Felix and Emma (nee Larcombe) Brent - Felix was a farmer.  Ethel married Geoff Bryant in 1921 and she died at the age of 44 in February 1938.

In November 1907,  Arthur Murdoch, aged 10 years 3 months, wrote from Cora Lynn - 

I go to school every day, and I am in the second class. I have two miles to walk to school. We have a football at school, and we have great fun with it. My father is getting a new store built in Cora Lynn. It will only be about two chains from the school. We are having lovely weather here now. The grass is looking beautiful in the paddocks. My sister has a little pet lamb. There are a good many hares about here. My father shot one yesterday. There are a great many snakes here this season. I killed a small one last week.   [Weekly Times, November 16, 1907, see here]

Arthur was the son of George and Emma Rose (nee Parker) Murdoch who owned the Cora Lynn store from 1907 to 1922. Arthur (Service Number 2636) served in the First World War; he enlisted at the age of 19 in October 1917. His name is on the Cora Lynn War Memorial and he died in 1984.

In June 1911, Selyna Ida Juers, aged 10 years, 11 months wrote - 

Garfield is a small town. It consists of three stores, one hotel, two blacksmith's shops, one post-office, one butcher's shop, a hall, a State school, a bank, and a lot of private houses. The farmers around here are growing potatoes, onions, and fruit. We are having very wet weather this year. I go to school. I am in the second class at school. I have one sister and two brothers. My sister and one brother go to school. [Weekly Times, June 3, 1911, see here]

Selyna was the daughter of Herman and Elizabeth (nee Starrick) Juers of Garfield. She married Alfred Bull in 1920 and died in 1990 aged 89. 

Dorothe Nelson, 14 years old, from Bunyip, wrote in October 1915 - 

Bunyip is a very small but picturesque township. It is situated on a hill overlooking an extensive and promising plain. Bunyip has a background of a small forest of eucalyptus (generally called gum-trees), which extends back about 20 miles. The population of Bunyip is nearly 500. It is increasing every month, as many people are buying and settling on the swamp, because the land is very fertile owing to a river, known as the Bunyip River, flowing through it down to Westernport. Potato crops are just showing above the earth now, and the orchards are a mass of pink and white blossom. Of course, crops and orchards are not grown and kept in the township, but on the plain which Bunyip overlooks. [Weekly Times, October 30, 1915, see here]

Dorothe (sometimes listed as Dorothy) was the daughter of Albert Horatio and Ada (nee Pendleton) Nelson. Albert was a farmer, and by 1916, according to the Electoral Roll they had moved to Croydon. Dorothy married Charles Hancy in 1925 and she died in 1984.

In November 1915, 14 year old Eva Weatherhead, of Tynong, wrote to Aunt Connie -   

Tynong is a small country township situated on the main Gippsland line. In it are two stores, a boarding-house, post office, station, school and some very nice private residences. We live over five miles from Tynong. There are some pretty fern gullies. They are made beautiful by different sorts of ferns and shrubs, with creepers climbing everywhere. Some of the ferns grow to a great height—30 feet and 35 feet. A very good view can be obtained from the mountains, and on clear days one can easily see the sea. Tynong is on the edge of Kooweerup Swamp. The people around here make a living by farming, dairying, and fruit growing principally. There are many wild flowers out now. Some are very pretty. Kangaroos, wallabies, rabbits, foxes, wild dogs, and wombats frequent the bush. We have a pony which I ride and drive. I have two soldier brothers. One is at Seymour and the other at the front. I have three cousins at the front. One was killed, and another wounded. [Weekly Times, November 6, 1915, see here]

Eva was the daughter of Horatio and Eleanor (nee Hunt) Weatherhead and married Joe Rouse in 1922 and they lived at Cora Lynn. She’s my grandma and died in 1982.

Marion McDonald, 11 years 11 months, wrote to Aunt Connie in April 1924 about Cora Lynn -

I have 3 brothers and 2 sisters, one sister is staying in Queensland with my auntie and uncle, so she is a long way away, isn't she? We live on a farm of 80 acres three miles from the township of Cora Lynn. There is a State school, 2 shops, a bank, a hall and a cheese factory in the township of Cora Lynn. We go to church in the hall, and we also go to the Cora Lynn school. [Weekly Times, April 12, 1924, see here]

Marion was the daughter of John James and Marion Leslie (nee Wilson) McDonald. He was a carpenter and coincidently built my grandparents house - Joe and Eva Rouse, see above - when they married in 1922. Marion married William Rodber in 1935 and she died in Queensland in 2009.

In January 1925, 12 year old Jean Chilcott wrote to Aunt Connie with this description of Tynong - 

Tynong is 42 miles from Melbourne. Tynong is a very small township. There are two grocers, two butchers, two fruit shops, two blacksmiths, one draper, and one dressmaker's shop, and also one post-office. The school is about a quarter of a mile from the township. Our teacher is Mr Giles. There are about 50 children going to Tvnong school. Our school is called the State School. The number is 2854. We are about three-quarters of a mile from the station.  [Weekly Times, January 31, 1925, see here]

Jean was the daughter of William Henry and Gertrude (nee Cubit) Chillcott.  William was a farmer. By 1928 William and Gertrude are in Tasmania, according to the Electoral Rolls. Jean married Reg Diprose of Yolla, in Tasmania, in 1939 and she died in 1954, aged 42.

In  this post looks at how children described Garfield, Bunyip, Tynong and Cora Lynn in their letters to Aunt Connie. In another post we looked at what the children wrote about Koo Wee Rup, Lang Lang and Five Mile.

Cora Lynn Church

The Presbyterian Church and the Methodist Church used to hold services at the Cora Lynn Hall from around the 1920s to 1960.  Most people attended every Sunday regardless of which religion they were. The average congregation was around 25.  Sunday School started first at 1.30pm and Church was at 2.30pm.

Dad and his sisters and brother all went to Sunday School and Church at Cora Lynn, initially driven by horse and jinker, until the family got their first car in 1948. 

  

Cora Lynn Sunday School 1948

Back row - Fourth from left is Frank Rouse, far right is Nancy Rouse, to her left is her sister Dorothy and in front of her is another sister, Daphne. Do you recognize anyone?

Apart from Cora Lynn there was a Methodist Church at Five Mile and one at Garfield and Modella. Garfield and Modella were serviced by the Drouin Minister and Cora Lynn and Five Mile by the Koo-Wee-Rup Minister. The only Methodist Ministers Mum and Dad can remember is a Mr Rosewarne and the Rev Blainey - the father of historian Geoffrey Blainey. There was also a Presbyterian Church at Iona and Bunyip.

The Presbyterian Minister from around 1953 was the Reverend Quentin Huckson. He lived in Bunyip with his wife Peggy and their four children - Judith, John, Peter and Andrew.  Rev Huckson had a service at Bunyip every week; then went to Iona which was an 11.30am service then alternate weeks did Cora Lynn and Longwarry at 2.30pm. He also conducted a monthly service at Tonimbuk and a service at Longwarry North. He drove to these services in a Peugot 203 and Dad said he was happy to talk about his car for hours. It was an unusual car in this area as it was the first foreign car they had seen in the district.

The Reverend Huckson left the Parish on August 25 1957 but the week before he left on August 18 Mum says he ‘rounded up’ all the babies in the area that were due to be christened and did a ‘mass baptism’ of about 12 babies all at once at Iona, including my sister Megan and our cousin Bruce Forte.

Before the next Presbyterian Minister came there was a period of about 16 months where retired ministers filled in. They often came by train the night before and then on the Sunday had at least three services to conduct. The next minister was the Reverend Ron Traill who came around the end of 1958 and almost immediately closed down Tonimbuk and Longwarry North Churches, but Cora Lynn lasted a bit longer and closed at the end of 1960.

Getting back to Cora Lynn - the big occasions at Cora Lynn were the Harvest Festival and the Sunday School picnic. The Harvest Festival would receive two to three tons of potatoes, onions, pumpkins etc that would all be taken to the Presbyterian Kildonan or Canterbury Babies Home or similar Methodist Homes. The Sunday School picnic was held at Glen Cromie and many of the children got there on the back of a truck owned by Ern Wilkinson.

This brings us to the Cora Lynn congregation - here is a list of people that Dad and Mum remembers attending the Cora Lynn Church. Ern and Elsie Wilkinson and their son Keith; Jim and Mabel MacDonald and their children Lorna, Jack, Bob and Joyce; Mrs Whitta and her son Donald; Mrs Julia Clapperton and her son Keith; Dan and Corrie Kinsella; Norman and Lorna Kinsella; Mrs Aileen Higgins of Toner Road - she had 5 or 6 children including Merna, Maurice, Ron, Joy and Wayne; Mrs Jocie Clay who lived on the Nine Mile and had young children; Mrs Nell Leamon, the wife of Clarrie the Scout Master. After Mr Leamon passed away she married Cr Dick Wakenshaw, the father of Bob and Don; the Slater family - the children were Euan and twins Andrew and Mary; Jack and Grace Huntingford and children Garry, Pam and Gwenda; Harry and Florence Huntingford and children Elaine and Jim; Mrs Harker and her children Frank and Joyce; Mrs Pearl Townley, Mrs McKenzie (wife of Les), Alan and Audrey Reid and Win Reid, who was the Sunday school teacher. Win was a cousin of Alan and Audrey.  Sorry, we don’t know all the first names.

There was also the Cora Lynn Combined Church Ladies Guild which continued on for several years after the services were stopped at Cora Lynn.

This is the Cora-Lynn Combined Churches Ladies Guild c.1965

Left to Right - Mabel McDonald (nee Wilkinson), Elsie Wilkinson, Rene Huntingford (nee Stephenson), Mrs Benham, Pearl Townley, Audrey Reid, Nell Wakenshaw, Mrs McKenzie, Grace Huntingford, Corrie Kinsella and Eva Rouse (nee Weatherhead, my grandma).

I am indebted to Bruce Stephenson for identifying Rene Huntingford, as we had her listed as unknown.

100 years ago this week - Cora Lynn Ball

This report of one of the best balls ever held in Cora Lynn comes from the Bunyip Free Press of March 11, 1915.

Bunyip Free Press March 11, 1915

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-page14855670

Cora Lynn Races - March 28 1932

Here's the  programme from the Cora Lynn Race meeting held on March 28, 1932.

100 years ago this week - Roller Skating

Roller Skating was a popular winter past-time 100 years ago - these advertisements for skating at the Bunyip Mechanics' Institute and the Nar Nar Goon Public Hall appeared in the Bunyip Free Press of July 2, 1914.

Skating at Bunyip and Nar Nar Goon

Bunyip Free Press July 2, 1914  http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article129629166

A Skating Carnival was held at Keast Hall (the public hall) on July 17, 1914. The Bunyip Free Press reported that In spite of the unpromising night and the state of the canal, which was running a banker, the local people turned out well and a vey enjoyable evening was spent. 

Report of Skating Carnival at Cora Lynn.

Bunyip Free Press July 23, 1914  http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article129629268

The E.S. & A / ANZ Bank at Garfield

One of the prominent buildings in Main Street of Garfield is the old ANZ Bank building. The bank was built as an E.S. & A. bank and is actually one of the three old E. S & A. banks on the Cardinia Shire Heritage Study. The other two are at Koo Wee Rup (built 1919) and Lang Lang (built 1929).   The Garfield Bank is thought to have been designed by Twentyman & Askew, the same Architects as the Lang Lang bank.

The 1996 Cardinia Shire Heritage Study, which was undertaken by Graeme Butler & Associates, describes the building as a two storey clinker brick and stucco building...with Greek/Georgian revival stylistic treatment including the hipped and tiled roof, Doric order colonettes at the main window opening, saltire cross glazing mullions, expressed voussoirs over the two doorways, smooth rustication in the central window, the 8-panel door pair, the bayed symmetrical elevation and the multi pane glazing. [A saltire cross is an x shaped cross and a voussoir is a wedge-shaped or tapered stone used to construct an arch]

The Bank in 1962. Photograph taken from the Back to Garfield booklet. The back-to was held June 1-4, 1962.

Banking services began in Garfield in 1905 when the London Bank of Australia opened an Agency of the Warragul Branch. This Agency was converted to a Branch soon after. The first manager was Clarence Adeney. So successful was this Branch that in February 1906 an Agency had been established at Koo Wee Rup and by the next year there were Agencies at Iona and Tynong. In July 1908, the Bank began the construction of new premises, which would be the first brick building in the town. This building is now a private house on the corner of Railway Avenue and Garfield Road. The next Manager was Edward Hattersley who was there in 1909, but had left by 1913. William Rupert Aspinall was the next Manager and he left around August 1917, having been shifted to Moama. Hugh Gardner is the next Manager I can trace and he was in Garfield in 1918. Gardner was the manager in 1921 when the London Bank of Australia was taken over by the English, Scottish & Australian Bank Ltd and I believe they used the London Bank premises until the new building was built.

When was this building built? The Heritage Study lists the build date of the bank as 1925, but I am not convinced this is correct and I believe it was more likely around 1931. Firstly, the Shire of Berwick Rate Books had listed the building through the 1920s under the Managers name and then in 1931 it changed to Arthur Nutting, who was shop keeper and also owned other property in the area, so I believe this was the time they built the new premises and sold off their superfluous old premises. Secondly, Bill Parish in his history of Garfield, published in the 1962 ‘back to’ souvenir book says the building was erected in the 1930s.

E.S & A bank advertisement  from the Back to Garfield booklet.

Mr Gardner was at Garfield until around July 1926 when he was promoted to Cheltenham. The staff at the bank presented him with a gold wrist watch and at a ‘public send-off by citizens’ he was presented with a cheque, and gold sovereign case. His wife, Florence, and his two daughters were also presented with gold wrist watches, an extraordinary set of gifts which shows the esteem that Bank Managers were once held in.  His replacement John Jessup only lasted a few years before he was transferred to Dunolly in 1928. The ‘women of Garfield’ presented Mrs Jessup with a handbag as a departure gift.

Mr Jessup’s replacement was Stanley Howell, who was at Garfield until 1935 when he was transferred to Burwood. When Stanley and Margret Howell left Garfield they ‘were entertained and presented with wallet of notes’. Other known staff in the early days was a Mr L.G Evans, accountant, who transferred to Garfield from Dunolly in 1927. Perhaps Mr Evans extolled the virtues of Dunolly to Mr Jessup and that’s why he moved there. Other accountants at the branch were Mr E. Judge who left Garfield for Warragul in 1924. His successor was Mr Pask.

The E.S & A. Bank Ltd merged with the ANZ Bank in 1970. There was an E.S & A. Agency at Cora Lynn, which was staffed about a morning a week and closed in the early 1960s.

The little building to the right of the bridge is the old E.S & A Bank at Cora Lynn, taken October 20, 1937 (State Rivers & Water Supply Commission photograph)

Cora Lynn Telephone Exchange

From the Koo-Wee-Rup Sun of June 16, 1954 comes this report about the extended opening hours of the Cora Lynn telephone exchange. No doubt some young people would be surprised to know that you can exist without 24 hours access to phones.

100 years ago this week - Bunyip Court

One hundred years ago, this week in January 1914,  the Bunyip Court had to deal with this case of  bicycle theft. A seventeen year old, William Ayres, was found guilty of stealing a bike from Michael Dineen, of Cora Lynn. He was sentenced to three months in gaol, an extraordinary sentence compared to what he would have got today and, of course, today his name would not be published as he is under 18. 

Bunyip Free Press Jan 8, 1914  

trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper

This article  made me wonder when the Bunyip Court first started - I found this article (below)  in the South Bourke and Mornington Journal of March 22, 1905. The Court first sat in Kraft's Hall, I'm not sure where that was, William Kraft  owned the Gippsland Hotel (the Top Pub) so it may have been connected with that.

South Bourke and Mornington Journal March 22, 1905.

The first sitting of the Bunyip Court was held on March 15 1905. The bench consisted of Mr Cresswell, the Presiding magistrate, and two Justices of the Peace, Ramage and A'Beckett. The first case concerned Myrtle Morris who was charged with having no visible means of support. Myrtle was remanded to Prahran for a further hearing.  The second case involved a twelve year old, John Mannix, who was charged with endangering property by setting fire to some scrub, which destroyed gates and fences.  He was released into the care of his father who entered a recognizance for the boy's future good behaviour. Once again, this article shows how the legal system has changed (for better or worse depending on your view point) a 12 year old would never have his name mentioned in relation to a legal trial today.

You can read more about the Bunyip Court here.

Cora Lynn - the early years

Cora Lynn is nine miles from the start of the Main Drain at Western Port Bay. Some of the towns along the drain were settled as part of the Public Works Department Village Settlement scheme. The 1890s was a time of economic depression in Australia and various Government Schemes were implemented to provide employment and to stop the drift of the unemployed to the city. One of these schemes was the Village Settlement Scheme. The aim was for the settlers to find employment outside the city and to boost their income from the sale of produce from their farms. It was in this context that the Village Settlement Scheme was implemented on the Swamp. 

 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 either December 1910 or January 1911 the Cora Lynn Cheese factory opened (8). 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 this time (likely in response to the establishment of the Cheese Factory).

Cora Lynn - possibly the 1911 flood.

The Cora Lynn store is the centre building and the building on the right is the Bank.

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). 

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

(2)  https://kooweerupswamphistory.blogspot.com/2013/01/cora-lynn-township-plan-and-early-land.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

(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.

The Nar Nar Goon to Mirboo railway line

The Argus, October 17, 1911.

http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper

I came across this the other day. I can tell you that the Railway line never eventuated, but it would have been interesting if it had. Cora Lynn never got  a railway station - the closest stations were Tynong and Garfield on the Gippsland line and the Bayles and Catani Railway Stations on the Koo-Wee-Rup to Strezelecki line. This line opened on June 29, 1922 and closed in stages with the Catani station closing in April 1950 and Bayles in February 1959.

Here's what it says:

Railways Standing Committee

Nar Nar Goon to Mirboo

Cora Lynn, Monday – the Railways Standing Committee visited Cora Lynn today, and took evidence in the public hall in regard to the proposed railway route from Nar Nar Goon to Mirboo, via Cora Lynn and Modella. Over 100 persons were present.

Mr Melville, M.L.C., presided, and Messrs Billson and Warde were also present.

Evidence was given by Messrs Kinsella, Porter, Murdock and Dyer in favour of the proposed line, and all favoured it going through Cora Lynn, in order to tap land to the south of that township. Messrs Chambers and Schmutter (Modella League) favoured the same route, provided the line was carried through Modella.

 The Committee also took evidence at Nar Nar Goon and Messrs Reid and Latta were examined in regard to the proposed route. The latter gentleman said that he had been 29 (?) years on 700 acres of land and after that time his land was only now in a fit state to produce crops which would be valuable to him.

Cora Lynn October 20, 1937

These are State River and Water Supply Commission photographs taken on October 20, 1937 during the flood, at Cora Lynn.

State Rivers & Water Supply Commission photograph KD 0438

This shows the Cora Lynn Hall, Keast Hall, named after William Keast (1866-1927). Keast was the Member of the Legislative Assembly for the area from 1900 to 1917.  It was to have been officially opened on June 13, 1911 however it had three feet of water through it, according to an article in The Argus of June 14, 1911 (see below). The Hall was then officially opened in early August. The Hall closed in the 1980s.

Report of the abandoned opening.

The Argus June 14, 1911  https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/10909711

The Cora Lynn Cheese factory

State Rivers & Water Supply Commission photograph KD 0436

State Rivers & Water Supply Commission photograph KD 0439

 The Cora Lynn Store and the E.S.& A Bank. I am not sure when the Bank opened. There was a London Bank (later taken over by the E.S & A bank) in Garfield from 1905 and by 1908 there were Agencies at Koo-Wee-Rup, Iona and Tynong, so I suspect it was around this time. In the 1950s it was staffed about a morning a week and closed in the early 1960s. The Cora Lynn State School, No. 3502,  is in the background, at the right. It opened January 1, 1907 and closed on May 29, 1951. The students and building were transferred to the Pakenham Consolidated school.

Cora Lynn General Store

The Cora Lynn was opened in 1907 by George Petrie Murdoch.  As we saw in the last post George and his father, George Petrie Murdoch Senior (1851-1934), were some of the earliest owners of township allotments in Cora Lynn. George Petrie Murdoch, junior, was born in Bunyinong in 1872 to George and Alice (nee Dean) Murdoch. He married Emma Rose Parker in Balranald in NSW in 1897 and they had the following children  - 

Arthur Charles (born 1897, birth registered at Bunyip South, alter called Iona.  Arthur served in World War One and is listed on the Cora Lynn War Memorial, here and the Iona Honour Board, here)

Mary Ellen (1899, Bunyip South)

Baby girl (1900, Bunyip South, died one day old)

Hugh James (1902, Balranald)

Allan John (1904, Bunyip South)

Lily (1906, Bunyip South)

Stanley (1907, Bunyip South)

Archibald William (1909, Dandenong. See an example of his poetry, here)

Alice Jean (1911, Bunyip South)

Emma Murdoch died in March 1920 aged only 39 years old and is buried at the Bunyip Cemetery. George married Mary Jane Whitta in 1921 and they lived in Bayles, where they had opened the Bayles General Store in January 1921 (read about this here.) They were still in Bayles in 1963 according to the Electoral rolls, but the 1967 Electoral roll lists him at Booran Road, Caulfield South. Mary Jane died 1963, aged 86 and George died on Christmas Day, 1971, aged 99 in Glenhuntly.  

Cora Lynn store, c.1910. 

Peter Corcoran standing in front with bicycle.
(Photograph from the Berwick Pakenham Historical Society collection)

The Weekly Times of November  16, 1907 published a letter to Uncle Ben, one of the editor's of the children's pages about Cora Lynn and the store his father was building -

Arthur Murdoch's letter

Weekly Times of November  16, 1907 

 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/222777407#

Cora Lynn, 7th October.— Dear Uncle Ben,

This is the first time I have written to you. I would very much like to see my letter published in "The Weekly Times." I go to school every day, and I am in the second class. I have two miles to walk to school. We have a football at school, and we have great fun with it. My father is getting a new store

built in Cora Lynn. It will only be about two chains from the school. We are having lovely weather here now. The grass is looking beautiful in the paddocks. My sister has a little pet lamb. There are a good many hares about here. My father shot one yesterday. There are a great many snakes here this season. I killed a small one last week. With love to yourself, Aunt Connie and the little children in the cots - I remain your loving friend, ARTHUR MURDOCH, aged 10 years and 3 months.

Cora Lynn, possibly 1911. The building on the right is the E.S.& A. Bank, 

and the store is next.

This was a postcard my grandfather sent, read the story here. 

George Murdoch opened a store in Bayles in 1921 (see here) and operated the Cora Lynn store until 1922 when Alexander and Elizabeth Beatrice Chisholm took over. The Electoral rolls list her as Elizabeth Beatrice, but her death notice as Beatrice Elizabeth, so I will call her Beatrice.  Alex had married Beatrice Knox in 1920 and they had a daughter Jean, who was born in December 1921. Jean attended Cora Lynn State School in 1926 and 1927. I haven't found anything much about their time in Cora Lynn, they left in 1927, but in the 1931 and 1937 Electoral Rolls the are at 158 Victoria Street, Richmond and his occupation is Postmaster. In the 1943 and 1949 Electoral Rolls, they are at 3 Wishart Street, Kew, and again his occupation is that of Postmaster.  Elizabeth died in March 1953, aged 68,  at 21 Church Street in Abbotsford. Her death notice in The Argus,  lists  Alex and Jean as well as Jean's husband, Phil, and their daughter, Susan. Alex was in the 1954 Electoral Roll at 21 Church Street, occupation Postmaster; then in the 1958 to 1967 Electoral Rolls he was living with his daughter, Jean and her family in Hortense Street, Burwood. He died in 1968

Death notice of Beatrice Chisholm

The Age, March 16, 1953  https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/23233441

Death notice of Alexander Chisholm

The Age, April 16, 1968, p. 14

The Chisholms had the Cora Lynn store until 1927, when Edwin Ernest and Sophia (nee McMahon) Dillon took over. The couple had married in 1910  in Woods Point and Edwin (known as Ted) at first supported the family by gold mining, but then decided to go into the hotel business in various country towns. Before they arrived in Cora Lynn they operated the store at Woods Point. 

'

Mr Chisholm leaves the Cora Lynn store and Mr Dillon arrives.

The Argus, June 25, 1927  http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article3862859

Ted and Sophia had six children Doreen (born 1911), Phillip (1914), Molly (1918), Eddie (1920), Joyce (1925) and June (1930). Sadly,  Ted died August 7, 1932, aged only 49, clearly a shock to the family and the community.  Doreen and Phillip then helped their mother run the store and they were assisted by Elva Watson and Frank Hester.

The death of Edwin Dillon

Koo Wee Rup Sun August 11, 1932 p. 1

Dillon's Store, c. 1930s

Image courtesy of Des Dineen.

Dillon's Store, c. 1950s.

Image courtesy of Val Slade.

As the years went by the children married - Doreen married local farmer Harry Dineen in 1938; Phil married Aileen McGrath in 1939 and they lived at the store with Sophia, until she retired to Warragul in 1950, where she died March 25, 1968. Joyce married Raymond Jarred in 1946. In 1950, Eddie married Mary Egan, whose grandparents had arrived on the Swamp in 1893; Molly married Ray Hammond in 1954 and June married George Krygger, who worked at the store. 

The Cora Lynn store, known far and wide as Dillon's Store, was run by Phil and Eddie until Eddie left about 1960 to take up farming. Phillip and Aileen then operated the store until they retired in 1973. This ended  46 years of ownership, of the store but not the Dillon connection to the community, especially the football club and Mary Dillon's noteworthy contribution as the long-term Secretary of the Koo wee Rup Potato Festival Committee. The store was then operated by the van den Berghes, then Norm and Kim Dalziel, then the Simons and it closed in 1999. 

Acknowledgement

The Dillon family information comes from a short history of the family supplied to me by Val Slade; she received the information from Helen Uren (nee Dillon). I am unsure if Helen wrote the history or it was another family member; if so happy to acknowledge the author.