Garfield Rifle club and other local Rifle clubs

The first Rifle Club was established in Victoria as early as 1860 and two years later the Club was holding inter-colonial matches against New South Wales. In 1876, an Australian Rifle Team officially represented Australia overseas, at competitions in Britain and the United States. This was the first team to represent Australia in any sport overseas.

Local Gun Clubs were established from 1891 when a mounted rifle corp was established in Cranbourne. The rifle range at Cranbourne opened in 1894. The Tooradin Rifle Club was established around 1900 and had a rifle range at what is now Rutter Reserve. This club eventually closed, date unknown. In January 1907, the Garfield Rifle Club was formed  - more on this below. A Lang Lang Gun Club was also established in 1907, in the April. The Lang Lang Guardian reported on their first Club activity which was held on May 15, 1907. A pipe, valued at less than £1, was a prize. That was a fairly substantial prize, as around this time the average weekly earnings of clothing factory workers was 1 pound, 2 shillings and for workers in a boot making factory it was 1 pound, 8 shillings. The Tooradin/Koo-Wee-Rup Rifle Club operated from June 1930 until October 1934. A report in the Koo-Wee-Rup Sun of June 12, 1930 reported that the Club had over 130 members.

The Lang Lang Guardian reported that the Garfield Rifle Club was established on Thursday, January 17 1907. The Club was formed with 36 members, with Frederick Edis, a farmer, appointed Secretary. George Ellis, who chaired the meeting, owned the Iona Hotel, where the meeting was held. James Shreive, a farmer of Garfield, moved the motion that the Club be established. That’s all I know about the Club, however Denise Nest, in her book Call of the Bunyip: a history of Bunyip, Iona and Tonimbuk, says that a Bunyip and Garfield Rifle Club was established on March 3, 1900, with E.C Hill as the Chairman (most likely Edward Hill, a farmer of Bunyip South); Captain A’Beckett as the Secretary (William Heywood A’Beckett, farmer of Bunyip) and a Committee consisting of ‘Messrs Archer, Kraft, Campigli, McMenamin and Roffey with 35 other intending members’. These men are George Archer, a storekeeper of Garfield; William George Kraft, owner of the Gippsland Hotel (Top Pub) at Bunyip; James Campigli, was the Station Master at Bunyip from February 1901 to May 1904 but the family had been in Bunyip earlier than that as his son, Donald, was born there in 1896; David McMenamin and John Roffey were both farmers from Bunyip.

Mrs Nest says that the Bunyip and Garfield Rifle Club established a rifle range ‘between Garfield and Bunyip on a closed and unused road with a hill at one end of it’. The book goes onto say that the first social function was held October 1901 and £2 was raised to purchase a Martini-Enfield rifle, which became a trophy for the club. The club was still operating in 1919 but disbanded a few years later. The late Bill Parish, who spent many years researching and writing about the history of Garfield (his papers are now held by the Berwick Pakenham Historical Society) wrote that there was a Rifle Range at Garfield ‘which started on Garfield Road opposite the old State School site extending 1,000 yards to the east across the now Jefferson road’.

Working on the premise that all this information is correct, was there a breakaway group from the Bunyip and Garfield Rifle Club which formed a rival gun club at Garfield in January 1907? Certainly the descriptions of the Rifle ranges seem to indicate that there were two different Ranges. The only other mention I can find (in The Argus) of the Garfield Rifle Club was that in November 1915 it needed to spend £20 in order to put the Range in proper order, however in the same year The Argus reported at least three times on events at the Bunyip Rifle Club, including a report in August about the Bunyip Club having the most successful year in its career. At the time the Club had a credit balance of £22. Apparently before Federation, Rifle clubs were civilian organisations but between 1901 and 1921 they came under Army control. There is a list of grants given to Rifle Clubs in The Argus of December 27, 1907. Each club was granted five shillings for each ‘rifleman qualified as efficient in the musketry course’. Bunyip had 35 members who qualified and so received a grant of 8 pounds 15 shillings. Garfield did not receive any grants.

Other local Rifle Clubs included Nar Nar Goon which was established in 1901.  The article about the grants to rifle clubs also listed clubs at Drouin, Buln Buln and Warragul. It does seem amazing that both Bunyip and Garfield could support a Rifle Club; however in September 1916 Rifle Clubs throughout Australia had 104,184 members of whom at the time 14,499 had enlisted for active service. This meant that around five percent of the total male population of Australia belonged to a Rifle Club, so it was obviously a popular, and during World War One, a patriotic past time. In 1939, Victoria had 313 Rifle Clubs with over 12,200 members, but by then it appears that both the Garfield and Bunyip clubs had disbanded.

The Rouse family buys a car

The first car ever purchased by the Rouse family of Murray Road, Cora Lynn was an Austin A40 ute from Brenchley’s garage in Garfield. This was in 1948. It was dark blue with black guards. Previous to this, the family travelled in a jinker pulled by the ‘white horse’, apparently the only name the animal ever had, or else rode their bikes.  Part of the deal of buying the car was that Mrs Brenchley had to teach nineteen year old Dorothy and seventeen year old Jim how to drive. Frank, who was fifteen, taught himself to drive. Jim could get his licence at seventeen, but by the time Frank was that age, the law had changed so he had to wait until he was eighteen before he could get his licence in December 1951. However, the lack of a licence did not seem to be an obstacle to driving as he used to drive his parents, Joe and Eva, to the Dandenong market where they sold eggs, chooks and calves (all carried on the ute). He also used to drive his eldest sister, Nancy, out to Pakenham Upper on a Monday morning, when she was teaching at the school and pick her up on the Friday afternoon and bring her home.


According to Dad (Frank) the Rouse family were about the last in the area to get a car.  At the time neighbours, Joe and Stella Storey, had a 1930s 4 cylinder Dodge (we think)  with a cloth top; Bill and Rubina Vanstone had an American car, most likely a pre war De Soto, with a gas producer on the back. Dan McMillan had big Ford; Mrs King, who lived on Sinclair Road (as the northern part of Bennett Road used to be known) had a Standard. Dad’s uncle, Frank Weatherhead, who lived on Pitt Road, had an Armstrong Siddley and a 1920s Chev truck. Other cars that Dad remembers from his early years included Norman Kinsella’s 1938 Chev and Mrs Rita Simcock’s late 1940s Chev that she used to deliver the papers and the mail.  She later purchased a VW Beetle to do the mail run.

This ad is  from the Koo-Wee-Rup Sun of January 15, 1950.

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.

A festival in Koo Wee Rup to celebrate the Coronation in June 1953

These are photographs from the Koo Wee Rup Swamp Historical Society collection and show the street parade, which took place on June 2, 1953 to celebrate the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth.  

The programme for the day

Koo Wee Rup Sun, May 27 1953, p. 4

This is the intersection of Station Street and Rossiter Road. The Railway Station is on the left, you can see the elevated water tanks. The float is the Koo Wee Rup Building Trades, with the men all busily engaged on a fowl house converted into a would-be modern villa .

Looking west down Station Street, from its intersection with Rossiter Road. The band is the Coburg Ladies Pipe Band.  You can see the Union Jack flags on the parked cars. 

Rossiter Road - Phil Colvin is on the penny farthing bicycle. This must be taken from the Wattle Theatre.

The Koo Wee Rup Sun of June 3, 1953 reported on the day, and I have transcribed it below.

The Coronation Day celebrations

Koo Wee Rup Sun, June 3 1953 p 1

Kooweerup Goes Gay. 

Its Biggest Day In History

On Tuesday Kooweerup gaily celebrated Coronation Day under beautiful calm weather conditions, all were of the opinion that it was the most spectacular event ever witnesses in the tonwnship. With only one exception, all business houses, including Government and private offices (33 in all), had their premises gaily decorated with Union Jacks and Australian flags, red, white and blue streamers, with photos of the Queen, H.R.H, the Duke of Edinburgh and members of the Royal family prominently displayed. The houses of many residents were also bedecked with flags.

The Day’s Activities
At 9.30 a.m. a special Mass for England and the Queen was conducted b the Rev. Father J. Opie at St. John’s Church before an overflowing congregation.

At 11.00 a.m 16 members of the Coburg Ladies Pipe Band, with Mrs Amy Parsons as drum major arrived. At noon the ladies’ committee entertained the band at a very nice luncheon in the Memorial Hall, the supper room being well decorated with flags and bunting.

At 1 p.m an impressive civic Coronation service was held in the Wattle Theatre, where a very large congregation assembled, the number being 550. Members of the pipe band also attended. The stage was beautifully decorated with flowers, gum tips and photos of the Queen and Royal family. Mr W. Hubbard officiated as organist and Cr. L.J. Cochrane, M.L.A., as chairman. The latter warmly welcomed all present on such an auspicious occasion. It being the Queen’s Coronation Day, he said, they had gathered together to dedicate themselves to serve her and join with all her other loyal subjects throughout the Empire in wishing her a long, happy and peaceful reign. Following the singing of the National Anthem, the service took the form issued by the British Council of Churches, with the approval of the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland and Assemblies of Free Churches. The clergymen taking past were the Rev. M.F. Green (Anglican), M.S. Campbell (Presbyterian), and Pastor V. C. Jones (Methodist).

Following the service, the band assembled outside the theatre and played and marched to the local hospital, where they rendered several items for the benefit of the inmates prior to heading a procession which started from the corner of John and Station street and proceeded up Station street to Rossiter’s road, thence up Rossiter’s road to the Recreation Reserve via Denham’s road, the streets being lined with people and cars enroute. The procession included no less than 14 gaily decorated floats, and also a dozen decorated bicycles, three prams, one child’s turnout on wheels, and not forgetting an old penny farthing cycle ridden by Phil Colvin bedecked in a brightly coloured red, white and blue vest, long-tailed black flogger, black hat and black and red socks and disguised by an extra long flowing back moustache.

Another attractive and amusing entry was that staged by the local cricket club, comprising four men on bicycles, two on each side, bearing a miniature cricket pitch and attired in pyjama coats and white pants. The procession was ably marshalled by Mr. L.C. Walker, and the following floats took part:- Kooweerup Fire Brigade, conveying members in uniform, reel and fire-fighting equipment. Kooweerup branch, I.O.O.F., with its motto, Friendship, Love and Truth, vividly displayed. Bayles Dairy Co and V.D.A., with coloured streamers and various manufactured dairy products. Westernport Memorial Hospital, displaying a plan of a typical Trusteel hospital. Church of England Fellowship in red, white and blue streamers, with its motto, Endaevour, Courage and Faith. Kooweerup Sub-branch R.S.L., with a uniformed soldier, sailor and airman appearing behind a 6ft. high wooden carved league badge. The brightly shined war medals on the soldier (Cec Donnelly) were most dazzling. Holden car drawn by an Holden utility. Kooweerup Anglers’ Club and Buffaloes Club, conveying a 14 ft. fishing boat, with Sailorman Bill Myall standing ready to board same. Kooweerup Building Trades, the representatives being Messrs S.L. Cochrane (carpenter), A.E. McKay (electrician), E. Wealands (plumber); all busily engaged on a fowl house converted into a would-be modern villa. Dalmore Progress Association, bearing a monster crown and conveying a queen and four young ladies in waiting dressed in white. The float was completely covered in red, white and blue streamers and the Australian flag. Kooweerup Boy Scouts, Cubs and Cub Mistresses, with a big membership seated at a camp surrounded by gum trees. Kooweerup Mothers’ Club, nicely decorated with numerous autumn toned paper flowers and streamers and conveying a brightly gilded crown. The mottos We Serve the Queen and We Serve the Children were neatly woven in the coloured paper rosettes. Kooweerup Basketball Club, with black and white bunting and playing equipment . Presbyterian Sunday School portraying a wedding with a large congregation. The officiating minister being John Laurence; bride Heather Harris; groom Billy Jeffrey; best man Robert Marshall; bridesmaid Christine Laidlaw. No more solemn and serious looking parson could be located within the Empire. A couple of privately decorated cars also joined in the procession.

Arriving at the Recreation Reserve, the encircling fence of which had been decorated with gum tree limbs by embers of the cricket club, the procession paraded around the arena for the benefit of the judges (Mesdames W. Plowright and Fordham, of Melbourne). Afternoon tea was in the hands of the Kooweerup Football Club Ladies’ Committee, and they with the publican’s booth recorded good business. The pipe band again rendered much appreciated items. So numerous were the cars that they were parked right around the arena. In a tarpaulin collection the nice sum of £39/2/2 was collected in aid of the local hospital.  In a football match, married v. single, Phil Colvin officiated as umpire, but what rules he adjudicated under no one knew, and as there were neither goal umpires or time keepers the result of the game was unobtainable. Fortunately there was only one casualty, viz., that of the oldest Kooweerup footballer, Jim Shelton, who had to leave the field owing to a dickey leg or cold striking a bald top patch!

Prize Winners were as follow:- Child’s decorated bicycle: Robert Dusting. Juvenile turnout: Peter Cougle and Dianne Crameri 1, Peter and Annette Gane 2: consolation, cricket club; honorary mention P. Colvin. Decorated float: Dalmore Progress Association 1, Kooweerup Mothers’Club 2, Kooweerup Hospital and Kooweerup Builders (equal) 3, Kooweerup R,S,L honorary mention. The prizes were presented to the successful competitors by Cr. L.J. Cochrane, M.L.A.

At 5.45 p.m. the pipe band partook of a sumptous tea in the hall, and at 7 p.m nicely played and perfectly marched to the Railway Reserve, followed by an enormous band of juveniles. Rossiter’s road and Station street were brightly lighted, also the various business premises, and thousands of people had already gathered to witness same. By 8 p.m. cars were parked bumper to bumper along each side of Rossiter’s road from the hall to Sybella avenue and down Station street as far as the Royal Hotel.

At 7.30 p.m. a large bonfire erected on the reserve, comprising logs of wood, ti-tree, motor tyres etc. was set alight. Being a frosty night, this was greatly appreciated. Costly fireworks, similar to those exploded at St Kilda the previous Saturday night, brilliantly illuminated the sky and could be seen for many miles away. Music and dancing by the pipe band, were again greatly appreciated up to its departure at 8 p.m. Square dancing was held in Grosby’s vacated factory, which had been especially lighted and powered by the local S.E.C gang. The caller was Mr Phil Colvin. Butcher the Butcher and his assistant underwent a strenuous ordeal in dealing out frankfurts on a 6ft. griller at 3d. a piece, and the Boy Scouts done a thriving business in disposing of hot dogs at 6d. each.

Mr S.L. Cochrane as secretary of a hard working committee comprising ladies and gents is to be congratulated on his untiring effort. 

Thus ended at a late hour the biggest gala day ever held in the Cranbourne Shire.

Garfield Picture Theatre

The Garfield Picture Theatre opened with a Grand Ball on Monday, December 22 1924. An advertisement in the Pakenham Gazette advertised the ball (see left), which was free to all and it also advertised Pictures every Saturday night and dancing every Friday night. One of the first films shown was Where the North Begins, a Rin Tin Tin movie. (1)

The Argus of December 30, 1924 reported on the opening –
The Garfield Picture Theatre was opened on Monday night. lt is one of the finest theatres outside the suburban area, and cost Mr. M. O'Donohue more than £5,000 to erect. In addition an electric-lighting plant, costing £1,000, has been installed. Mr. Meagher, of Collins street, was the architect, and the builders were Messrs. Rose and Wales, of Melbourne. The opening ceremony was performed by Councillor Dowd, and short addresses were delivered by Messrs. H. Coombs, H. Gardner, R. James, and H. Hourigan. Councillor P. Walsh occupied the chair. Mr. O'Donohue afterwards entertained about 700 guests, who enjoyed dancing and supper. The theatre will seat about 800 people. (2)

The Garfield Picture Theatre was one of the many cinemas constructed during the Australia wide boom in cinema building in the 1920s. In December 1925, The Argus could report the following interesting statistics regarding cinemas in Victoria -
Including the new theatres there are now 87 picture theatres in the suburbs. In the country the number is 242 of which 45 are of modern construction. In addition there are 170 touring shows, this including public halls and small places where pictures are exhibited only occasionally. There is scarcely a village without some sort of picture entertainment and the number is constantly being added to. As far as the suburbs are concerned a warning note has become necessary. Many are already fully supplied; some suburbs already count three or four cinemas, and in such cases there should be strict investigation before adding to their number.....The cinema attendances on an ordinary Saturday in the city including those at the continuous shows number approximately 32,000 while the 87 suburban cinemas, whose holding capacity is approximately (including afternoon exhibitions) 120,000 are all generally crowded. At a conservative estimate the Saturday and holiday attendances, under favourable climatic conditions number 150,000. (3)

The Garfield Picture Theatre

Image: Koo Wee Rup Swamp Historical Society 

The Garfield theatre was built by Martin O’Donohue. It had a power house at the rear and a 230 volt generator (4) and was thus the first source of electricity in Garfield. This was an interesting situation and in January 1925 the Shire of Berwick received a letter from Martin O’Donohue asking for particulars of size of poles required for street lighting. (5) The Theatre supplied Garfield with power until SEC power arrived in conjunction with the power supplied to the Tynong Quarry, towards the end of 1929. (6)

As recorded in the Shire of Berwick Rate Books of 1924/25, Martin O’Donohue, whose occupation was listed as Hotel keeper, jointly paid the rates on the Garfield Hotel with Margaret and Daniel O’Donohue. Thomas O’Donohue was listed as owning the Hotel. Martin also owned sale yards and the Picture Theatre. Martin and Margaret also owned two other Garfield lots. Eileen O’Donohue paid rates on a Garage, owned by Thomas. Thomas also owned a saddlers shop, a confectionary shop, two lots in the Tynong township and 155 acres. I am unsure how all these O’Donohues are related, however I believe Martin and Thomas were brothers. A later source connects Martin O’Donohue to the Club Hotel at Warragul, and by all accounts they were an entrepreneurial family. (7)

J.Taylor initially leased the theatre from Martin O’Donohue. In February, 1925 the magazine Everyones: the Motion Picture Authority reported that   

Mr. Taylor, the proprietor of the new show at Garfield, was also a visitor to see us last week. Mr. Taylor informed us  that business was fair. Fox and  Universal were screened. A Hahn-Goerz projector and two Universal sets were giving excellent results. (8) 

In 1929, Mr Tomlinson took over the lease, and this was also reported on in  Everyones, whose edition of August 21, 1929 had this colourful report -

Garfield, where it rains every second day in the winter, and potatoes grow in abundance in the spring, is now controlled by Mr. Tomlinson, of Lang Lang, as far as picture interests are concerned. For some years Mr. Tomlinson has run successfully at Lang Lang, and the Garfield proposition has only recently been acquired. Quite a number of exhibitors have had a lease of the cosy little Garfield Theatre, but none have come out very successfully. The theatre is a bit ahead of the town, where the population diminishes to a mere 300 souls in the winter and increases a bit in the potato season. However, with a careful showman like Mr. Tomlinson, income should exceed the expenses nicely. (9)

Garfield Picture Theatre, March 1932

Image: Museums Victoria https://collections.museumsvictoria.com.au/items/770388

The Shire of Berwick Rate Books indicate that in 1931 the theatre was sold to Walter Anderson Lawson and Roy Everard Ross of Warragul. They closed the theatre for two weeks in March 1932 to install new sound equipment, renovate and redecorate. In April 1932, Everyones magazine could report that R. E. Ross and W. E. Lawson opened up very successfully with their new enterprise at Garfield. Their theatre is equipped with Raycophone, and results are said to be very satisfactory. They sold it to James Murphy in 1953. Mr Murphy owned the theatre until it closed in the early 1960s. (10)

Theatre reopens after renovations.

Koo Wee Rup Sun, March 17, 1932, p.4.

An article by Gerry Kennedy in Cinema Record, Volume 1, January 1994 (the newsletter of CATHS, the Cinema and Theatre Historical Society www.caths.org .au) has some technical details about the theatre - the bio box was built above the entrance vestibule. To the left of the bio box was the rectifier room and, to the right, the winding room, both with ports to the auditorium. Apparently when the theatre was constructed there was no ceiling which interfered with sound quality and caneite panels were fitted to the walls in the 1950s to improve the sound. A 30 foot wide cinemascope screen was installed and the theatre was equipped with R.C.A Star Projectors. Kennedy also writes that the Garfield Theatre re-opened at weekends from 1970 to 1971 and was operated by Dennis Grigg. (11)

Garfield Picture Theatre, late 1970s/early 1980s.

Shire of Pakenham photographer

In the 1980s the Theatre was used as a second-hand furniture and antiques shop. In 2016, after many years of renovations, it was opened as an entertainment venue by the current owners, Fred and Susan Perez. The Theatre today, can honestly be described as the hub of entertainment for the area. (12)

Two other Picture Theatres were also built in the 1920s in the area. The Wattle Theatre at Koo Wee Rup opened with a grand ball in July 1927 and King’s Picture Theatre at Pakenham opened on September 7, 1927. However even earlier, local residents had been able to view movies at the Pakenham Mechanics’ Institute. Harrington’s Electra Pictures had been shown at the Garfield Hall and Colvin’s Pictures began weekly screenings in September 1922 at the Memorial Hall in Koo Wee Rup. (13)

Of the three purpose built theatres the Garfield Theatre was by far the most substantial building being constructed of brick. Koo Wee Rup has external walls of corrugated iron and Pakenham (which was located roughly opposite the Uniting Church in Main Street and demolished in the 1990s) was made of asbestos cement sheet. Apart from these venues, films were shown at Tynong - there is still a bio box or projection room, which is currently inaccessible, at the Hall. They were also shown at the Bunyip Hall and when the original 1906 Hall was burnt down in March 1940, a ‘picture plant’ was also destroyed. (14)

Garfield Picture Theatre was a great source of entertainment for not only Garfield locals but those further afield. As noted by David Mickle in his book More Mickle Memories of Koo-Wee-Rup the Garfield, Pakenham and Koo Wee Rup theatres were in keen competition to provide Saturday night entertainment (15) and issues of the Koo Wee Rup Sun in the late 1930s have advertisements for the three theatres. Mr Mickle also wrote that the ‘talkies’ had arrived at the Garfield Picture Theatre by May 1931, a few months earlier than Koo Wee Rup (16)

Koo Wee Rup Sun, July 6, 1939, p.1

My father, Frank Rouse (1933-2020), remembers that at its peak, the Garfield Picture Theatre had shows on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturday nights. Simcock’s Bedford bus used to travel out to Murray Road, Cora Lynn and surrounding areas on a Saturday night and pick up theatre goers and return them after the show. There was always a rush to get served at Simcock’s milk bar during the intermission. 

Footnotes

(1) First film shown was listed in Bill Parish's notes on the history of Garfield, held by the Berwick Pakenham Historical Society.

(2) The Argus, December 30, 1924, see here.

(3) The Argus, December 17, 1925, see here.

(4) Bill Parish's notes on the history of Garfield, held by the Berwick Pakenham Historical Society.

(5) Pakenham Gazette, January 16, 1925, p. 3

(6) I have discussed this in my post on the history of Tynong - https://kooweerupswamphistory.blogspot.com/2023/02/tynong-short-history.html

(7) Martin O'Donohue - died in May 1941. His family had a long connection to Buckhurst Street in South Melbourne. A short obituary in the Emerald Hill Record, of May 31, 1941, here; His daughter Annie, married Bart Kavanagh of Garfield, her short obituary is in the Emerald Hill Record on November 7, 1942, here; Reference to the Club Hotel in Warragul, Gippsland Times, June 1, 1939, see here. I will do more research into the family one day.

(8) I don't have any other information about Mr J. Taylor. Everyones: the Motion Picture Authority, February 18, 1925, p. 10 on Trove http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-558649466

(9) Everyones: the Motion Picture Authority of August 21, 1929, p. 46 on Trove- http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-566229515

(10) Koo Wee Rup Sun, March 17, 1932, p.4; Everyones: The Motion Picture Authority,  April 6, 1932, p. 20 http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-546318882; Cinema Record, Issue 1, January 1994, published by the Cinema and Theatre Historical Society. 

(11) Kennedy, Gerry The Garfield Picture Theatre in Cinema Record, Issue 1, January 1994, published by the Cinema and Theatre Historical Society. 

(12) https://www.garfieldpicturetheatre.com.au/

(13) Various advertisements in the Koo Wee Rup Sun; Cardinia Shire Heritage Study, volume 3: Heritage Places by Graeme Butler & Associates (Cardinia Shire, 1996), pp 229-231.

(14) Cardinia Shire Heritage Study, volume 3: Heritage Places by Graeme Butler & Associates (Cardinia Shire, 1996), pp 229-231; https://kooweerupswamphistory.blogspot.com/2023/02/tynong-mechanics-institute.html; Nest, Denise Bunyip Mechanics' Institute Hall 1906-2009 (The Author, 2006)

(15) Mickle, David More Mickle Memories of Koo Wee Rup (The Author, 1982), p. 159

(16) Ibid, p. 55 & 56

I first wrote this post in 2014, but substantially updated it in October 2024.

100 years ago this week - Gay life at Garfield

100 years ago this week - from the Bunyip Free Press of February 14 1914 comes the following report. The headline indicates how the meaning of word gay has changed over the years. 

Gay Life at Garfield.

Two Men and a Woman.

On Saturday the Bunyip police got word that two men and a woman of the nomad travelling class, all under the influence of liquor, were behaving in a disgraceful manner in Garfield township. Constables Anstee and Phillips proceeded to Garfield, and a short investigation convinced them that the report was only too true. They arrested John Fitzgerald, Elizabeth Fitzgerald, and A. Moss. Two vehicles were chartered, and the unsavoury cargo was landed in the Bunyip look-up. On Monday the trio were brought before Mr. C. Pearson, J.P., when the two men were each fined £5, in default one month in gaol; while the "wife" was fined £2, or a fortnight imprisonment. None of the fines were paid, and Constables Anstee and Phillips escorted the trio to his Majesty's hominy factory in Melbourne.

 I had never come across the term hominy factory before; it means prison as apparently hominy is a slang word for prison food; hominy being a thin gruel or porridge made from cornmeal.

Gay life at Garfield

Bunyip Free Press, February 14, 1914, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article129628335

100 years ago this week - British Association Football

100 years ago this week - on February 4 1914, the Lang Lang Guardian published this article about forming a league for British Association Football or 'soccer'.  Mr Frank Garwood of Modella wanted to start the League which would cover the area between the two Railway lines - Koo-Wee-Rup to Lang Lang and Garfield to Longwarry.  There was already at least one team practically formed at Modella. Mr Garwood urged anyone interested in playing the English soccer game (NOT rugby) to contact him. 

I have no idea how it went, but I suspect that it was not successful.

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

In February 1914 Frank Garwood was appointed the Secretary of the Modella Cricket Club and at the Presentation night on April 15, 1914 he came second in the batting averages. I don't know anything else about him.