Balwyn Historical Society

A Compilation of
Newsletter Articles

January December 2010







Table of Contents


(Click to access article)


Early Balwyn and Deepdene Churches ........................................................ 3
The Le Leu* Family Balwyn Timber Merchants and Builders ............... 5
Beautiful Balwyn .......................................................................................... 7
Sub-Dividing Deepdene and Balwyn after World War 1 ............................ 7
North Balwyn The Sleeping Giant ............................................................ 9
Pontefract and the Hordern Family ............................................................ 11
Vale St Gabriels 210 Whitehorse Road, 1934 - 2010 .......................... 13
Buildings of Interest 359 Whitehorse Road ............................................ 14
Professor David de Kretser, AC, Governor of Victoria............................. 16
Buildings of interest 361-363 Whitehorse Road .................................... 18
The Burke and Wills Expedition - 1860 .................................................... 19
The Sevenoaks Farmhouse ......................................................................... 20
Hidden Creeks and Gullies ........................................................................ 22



Early Balwyn and Deepdene Churches

A map of Boroondara in 1871 shows a new Congregational Church in Bulleen Road close to the
banks of Koonung Creek. This brick church erected in 1864 was a missionary offshoot of the Kew
Congregational Church. It was later closed because of a decrease in the areas population. In
1872 St Barnabas Anglican Church was erected in Balwyn Road. By the late 1890s the people of
Balwyn also had the choice of three other churches in Balwyn Road between Mont Albert and
Canterbury roads - a Congregational Church, a Wesleyan Methodist Church and a Baptist Church.

With the subdivision of land and increased population after 1920, additional churches appeared.
The 1950s saw some of these original churches replaced by more modern buildings. In the late
1970s Church Union between Congregational, Methodist and Presbyterian Churches led to the
formation of the Uniting Church. This resulted in name changes for some churches.

1872 - St Barnabas Anglican Church, Balwyn Road

The first service was held in the church in December
1872. For two years prior to that services had been held in
the Athenaum Hall. The church building was designed by
Charles Barrett and built by J. B. Maling. When first
erected the church had a wooden shingle roof. Further
generations of the Maling family worked on the building
as it was enlarged over the years. Additions were made
in1884, 1887 and 1930.

The first vicar was the Revd H. E. Taylor and the original
vicarage was moved to Port Fairy in 1993.






1909 - Deepdene Congregational Church

Rev. R. A. Betts conducted the first Congregational
service at Deepdene in November 1909 and the church,
built in Normanby Road (now Gordon Street) near King
Street was opened in August 1910. Between 1911 and
1915 the building also housed Deepdene State School. In
1915 the church building was moved in to the corner of
Whitehorse Road and Leonard Street. The wooden
building was replaced by a brick structure in 1959.
The church later became the Balwyn Gospel Church.


1910 - Balwyn Baptist Church , Corner Whitehorse &
Parring roads.

A small wooden church was built on the corner of Parring
Road in 1910. The first preacher was Mr. W. M. Nash.
The foundation stone of a new brick building was laid in
November 1937 and the new church costing 2,250 was
opened in 1938. The pastor at the time was Rev. E. R.
Thorne.



1916 -Deepdene Presbyterian Church, Burke Road
(The Frank Paton Memorial Uniting Church)

Land for a church was originally bought in 1910.
However, the first service was not held until 1915 - and
that was conducted in the vestibule of the new Deepdene
State School. Finally a small wooden church building was
opened in November 1916. In 1941 the present brick
church building replaced the original church. It was
named the Frank Paton Memorial Church to honour Frank
Paton for his work in Foreign Missions and in Deepdene.
After Church Union in 1977, the church became the Frank
Paton Memorial Uniting Church.


1922 - Our Lady of Good Counsel, Whitehorse Road

This was originally built as a Catholic church-school in
1922. The first parish priest was Father T. B. Walsh. For
many years the building served as both church and class
rooms. Sliding doors at the western end of the church
were used to divide that section into two classrooms
during the week. With the opening of the new church
building in 1959, the old church became part of the
school.


1922 - The Church of Christ, Whitehorse Road

Between July and October 1922 a tent mission was held
by the Church of Christ on the corner of Whitehorse Road
and Weir Street with meetings each Thursday and
Saturday. In September that year a call went out for
volunteer carpenters and painters to erect a new building.
The present church was quickly completed and opened on
8 October 1922. By 1925 it had a membership of 230 with
300 attending Bible school.


1930 - All Hallows Church, Brenbeal Street

In 1930 the new Catholic church-school was blessed by
the Archbishop, Rev. Dr. Daniel Mannix. The first parish
priest was Father D. Gleeson. The building was used
solely as a church until 1942 when the All Hallows School
was opened. The foundation stone for a new and enlarged
church was laid in November 1961. The original red-brick
church (pictured ) now serves as the school hall.


Sources Allen, J.A., A history of Camberwell
Church history booklets All Hallows, Balwyn ; The Frank Paton Memorial Uniting Church, Deepdene 1915-1990 Balwyn Church of Christ:
Seventy Not Out 1922-1992; St Barnabas: a Brief History: Our Lady of Good Counsel, Deepdene: Past and Present.
How the Congregational Witness came to North Balwyn (written notes)
Photos Joe Hopwood, Pat ODwyer

Jan-Feb 2010 Contents

The Le Leu* Family Balwyn Timber Merchants and Builders

Edwin Leleu (c1860-1938) and his wife Mary Leleu nee McPherson (c1862-1947) settled in
Balwyn around 1890. Their three sons were born in Balwyn Frederick James Le Leu (1891-
1974), Frank Norman Le Leu (1894-1957) and Roy William Le Leu (1896-1950). An infant
daughter, Ruby Marion died in 1889 before the Edwin and Mary arrived in Balwyn.

Edwin Leleu, a builder and contractor, first established his business in Collins Street (later
Rochester Road) between Mont Albert and Vauxhall roads. As regular advertisements for his
business showed, Edwins timber yard dealt in a wide range of new and used building materials.



Source: Box Hill Reporter 16 Mar 1900

According to Sands & McDougall the Leleu/McPherson family lived in the brick cottages which
still stand in Rochester Road (nos. 112, 116-118). These cottages which date from c.1891were
possibly the first built houses by Edwin Leleu.(1)

In 1908 Edwin Leleu was a candidate for election to the Camberwell Town Council but was
unsuccessful. An advertisement placed on his behalf read:
Having been a resident for the past 20 years, a property owner, engaged in local business, employing
labour to a considerable extent, you will see at once the advantages of having a live, energetic man
to further your interests, and of the town in general(2)

He gave his address as Whitehorse Road. By 1909 Edwins business was on the corner of
Whitehorse Road and Mangan Street, with his timber yard at the rear.

Edwin Leleus application for his approval of his premises under the Factories Act was agreed to by
the Camberwell Town Council in 1913. Later that year Cr. Bowley reported to the council that in
connection with the proposed establishment of a local swimming pool he had received a letter from
Mr. Leleu in which he (Mr Leleu) stated:
that he was willing to cede the property (on the corner of Mont Albert and Rochester roads) to the
council on condition that the council undertake to convert it into public baths or a municipal reserve,
which he claimed would in no way be objectionable to the residents in that part.(3)

This property was most likely the site of the former Mont Albert Brickworks on which an old
excavated clay hole - called the blue hole by locals - was used by local lads as a swimming hole.
The council declined the offer. Edwin later erected houses on the property. Besides building
houses in Rochester Road, he also built houses in Mont Albert Road and other parts of Balwyn.

Edwins sons, Fred and Frank joined their father in the business c1915. In 1916, Fred and Frank Le
Leu are listed as timber merchants in Whitehorse Road. Their brother Roy Le Leu, also a builder,
saw active service in the Great War and his name is listed on the memorial in Beckett Park.


In March 1923 it was reported that:
Of the business firms established in Balwyn, Messers F.J. & F. N. Le Leu, timber merchants and
general merchantshave shown a most progressive spirit. At considerable outlay they have
launched upon the enlargement of their premises in Whitehorse RoadOne of the attractions will be
a showroom for mantelpieces, grates and other requisites of the homeMessers Le Leu are now
importing all their builders hardware direct, which enables them to sell at the lowest rateThey are
able to supply the city needs (and deal) with orders from such distant parts as Dandenong,
Bayswater, Belgrave, Burwood, Doncaster and Frankston. (4)

In August that year, barely six months later, a disastrous fire gutted the saw mill and timber yard. It
also destroyed a single storey building in Whitehorse Road and spread to three other shops owned
by the Le Leu family and occupied by Mr. A Day, jeweller, Mr. Harkness, florist and Mr. C.
Latters, fruiterer. At that time 30 people were employed at the saw mill, making the Le Leu family
arguably the largest employer in Balwyn. (5)

Over the next twelve months the site was redeveloped and in November 1924 seven new two-
storeyed shops were opened fronting Whitehorse Road and extending east from Mangan Street.
The Le Leus retained the ground floor of 395 Whitehorse Road for their hardware business, while
upstairs a public hall was made available for meetings, dances, card evening and other social
occasions. (This hall was later known as the Whitehorse Inn) The hardware shop was managed by
Frank Le Leu. Fred Le Leu managed the saw mill and timber yard. Many members remember the
timber yard whistle which blew punctually each morning at 8 am each working day, and which was
used by residents to check their timepieces. (During the 1940s this whistle was used as an air raid
siren.)

The Le Leu hardware and timber business was replaced by the Safeway store and car park c.1971.

Besides managing their timber businesses the Le Leu brothers also purchased land and built houses
in Balwyn and surrounding areas. One of their ventures, the clinker brick flats at 7 Mangan Street
(built in 1933) was possibly the first block of flats built in Balwyn.

The Le Leus were well known for their contribution to various aspects of Balwyns life. Edwin
Leleu was secretary of the Boroondara Progress Association and later vice-president of the Balwyn
Progress Association. He died at his house in Yerrin Street in 1938. Fred and Frank Le Leu were
involved with the Balwyn Ratepayers Association and both were keen members of the Balwyn
Cricket Club and the Balwyn Football Club. Fred Le Leu was vice-president of the Balwyn Brass
Band. Frank Le Leu also served as a Camberwell City Councillor from 1935-1948.

* Edwin Leleus sons spelt their surname not as Leleu but as Le Leu.
1. McWilliam, Gwen & Bremmer, Hamish, Heritage Walk Balwyn, 1992
2. Box Hill Reporter, 21 August 1908
3. Box Hill Reporter, 17 October 1913
4. Box Hill Reporter, 10 August 1923
5. Box Hill Reporter, 10 August 1923

With thanks to Ken Lyall for material for this article. (Patricia ODwyer March 2010)

Contents

Beautiful Balwyn


(Letter to the Editor Box Hill Reporter 12 May 1922)

Sir, - I think Balwyn an ideal residential area, and I have no doubt that in the near future it will be
a great shopping centre as well. Having traveled in many parts of the world, I feel quite safe in
saying that it would be hard indeed to find a more beautiful place of residence. The panoramic
view obtained from Balwyn is truly magnificent. During the day one can stand on one of the many
hills and obtain an uninterrupted view of the surrounding country, which must prove very restful to
the tired eyes of the city man; and at night, the adjacent cities, with their millions of lights, gives a
truly wonderful spectacle. The pity of it is, or appears to be, the want of building regulations. I
notice that many cheap cottages are being erected, many with skillion roofs and on small blocks.*
On the northern side of White Horse road, also, one cannot fail to wonder at the unmade roads and
the insufficient lighting of the streets. I have recently acquired a property in this lovely district,
and I cannot help feeling that when one has a good substantial rate to pay, surely he has a right to
expect something for his money. I always understood that the payment of rates was for the upkeep
of the street, or road, in which a person has a property, and for the lighting of the locality. I may,
however, be wrong in my deductions. If so, will some kind person put me right? I should say that
if the authorities expect Balwyn to be the health and pleasure resort it should be, more interest
must be taken in the welfare of the people, who are desirous to make their homes in Balwyn. The
Progress Association should persevere with their work for the improvement of the conditions
generally.

Yours (signed) PROGRESS.
May 1, 1922. (Thanks to Ken Lyall for this article)

*Editors note
In 1921 the minimum size of a new house was fixed at ten squares after complaints to the Council of poor houses
being built near the corner of Burke and Doncaster Roads. Further council regulations in 1926 decreed that the
smallest allotments be at least 50 feet by 140 feet, with no house exceeding fifteen squares unless the frontage was 55
feet. (Geoffrey Blainey - A History of Camberwell 1964 (p.87)


Sub-Dividing Deepdene and Balwyn after World War 1

A large part of the area north of Whitehorse Road, between Burke Road and Balwyn Road was sub-
divided in the years between 1919 and 1925. Until that time much of the area had been used for
orchards, market gardens and dairying, with one farm also being a piggery. However, by this time
transport was available in the area with the tram along Whitehorse Road and the Outer Circle
Railway station at Deepdene. World War 1 veterans had returned home with some looking to build
new homes. In 1922 the Council had also passed new regulations regarding municipal taxation
whereby land was taxed rather than the buildings on the land. Some large landowners were then
prepared (or forced) to sell their land for new housing estates.

When advertising the new estates, agents emphasised the areas proximity to transport, the rich soil
for flower, vegetable and fruit-growing, and its suitability for raising poultry. The agents selling the
Tramway Heights Estate (which included the southern half of Elliott and Monash Avenues) also
targeted returned soldiers as purchasers. Like a number of other estates, the names chosen for these
streets were those of well known generals from World War 1.


The area already had a Kitchener Street. Now with the new sub-divisions other well-known
military leaders were recognized. Some of these officers not only served in the WW1 but, like
Kitchener, had seen service in the Boer War. Some also went on to serve in WW2.

The following street names have associations with the 1
st
World War.

A.I.F Street Australian Imperial Forces

Bennett Street Lieutenant General Henry Gordon Bennett (Born Balwyn - 1887-
1962). Second in command of 6
th
Battalion at Gallipoli. From 1916 he
alternated as battalion and acting brigade commander in France.

Birdwood Street Field Marshall William Riddell Birdwood (1st. Baron Birdwood of
Anzac and Totnes) (1865-1951). Second in command under
Hamilton at Gallipoli. Formally given command of the AIF in 1916.

Elliott Avenue Major General Harold Edward Pompey Elliott (1878-1931).
Commander of the 7
th
Battalion at Gallipoli. From 1916 brigade
commander of the 15
th
Brigade in France.

Haig Street Field Marshall Douglas Haig (1st Earl Haig) (1861-1928)
Commanded the British Expeditionary Force from 1915 to end of war

Ian Street General Sir Ian Standish Monteith Hamilton (1853-1947).
Hamilton Street British general in command of Gallipoli operation.

Kitchener Street Horatio Herbert Kitchener (1
st
Earl Kitchener) (1850-1916).
Career soldier. 1914 appointed British Secretary of State for War.

Monash Avenue General Sir John Monash (1865-1931). Commander of 4
th
Brigade at
Gallipoli. In command of the Australian army in France, 1918.

Tivey Parade General Edwin Tivey (1866-1947). Commander of the A.I.Fs 8
th

Brigade. 1917-1918 acting commander of the 5
th
Division.

Sources: Blainey, Geoffrey - A History of Camberwell 1964
Land sale advertisement, Tramway Heights Estate, 1921
www.adfa.edu.au/~mallett/Generals
www.adbonline.anu.edu.au
(Patricia ODwyer April 2010)

Contents



North Balwyn The Sleeping Giant
by Ken Lyall

In 1901 the area north of Belmore Road represented 28 per cent of the land in Camberwell but only
1 per cent of the population. While the area was seen as part of the Township of Balwyn in the
Sands & McDougall directories of the 1880s, at Camberwell Council meetings during the 1920s, it
was still often referred to as North Camberwell.

In 1923 the Camberwell Council acquired 38 acres in Belmore Road which it named Myrtle Park
(later changed to Macleay Park). For some years Balwyn United (a soccer club) had its home at the
park. A cricket club established there in 1927 only became the North Balwyn Cricket Club in 1938.

North Balwyn first appears as a postal district in the Sands & McDougall directory in 1929. Its
boundaries were Koonung Creek, Winfield Road, Belmore Road and the east side of Burke Road.

For many years there had been bickering between councils, local railway leagues, tramway leagues
and progress associations about the need for transport in this northern area. A railway from
Camberwell via Balwyn to Doncaster was considered at a public meeting in Balwyn in December
1887. Shortly after in March 1888, at a public meeting in Kew, a rival proposal was put forward for
a rail link between Kew and Doncaster. These proposals led land speculators to buy up tracts of
land as they became available. However, the depression of the 1890s and then World War 1
precluded the chance of any form of transport through to Doncaster becoming a reality.

During the 1920s the matter of transport was again vigorously pursued. In 1928 the Railways
Standing Committee decided in favour of an extension from Kew Railway Station to Doncaster
(near Shoppingtown) with stations at Balwyn and Greythorn roads which would see 71 train
services running each weekday, 70 on Saturday and 30 on Sundays. This decision was reversed in
1930. But from that time on the greater part of North Balwyn was subdivided. Blocks of land were
eagerly bought despite the fact that there were no roads or services in most cases.

It was to be an extension of the tramway, not a new railway, which was to bring real development
to North Balwyn. In January 1925 the tram line was extended from the Harp of Erin in East Kew to
Burke Road. In 1937 a further extension took the tram to Bulleen Road,. Then in 1938 the line was
finally extended to Balwyn Road. Considerable housing development took part along the route.
Cream brick veneer buildings were prominent and the houses, in general, were more substantial
than those in neighbouring Balwyn and so the name Little Toorak was bestowed on the area.

Building came to a standstill with the advent of World War 2 and disgruntled speculators saw
blocks selling for as little as 100 during the war years. When building resumed in the late 1940s
and 1950s many Balwyn residents gave the area a new nickname - Mortgage Hill.

My Memories of North Balwyn in the 1940s.

I lived in Rochester Road and attended Balwyn State School from 1935 until 1942, and together
with my schoolmates I wandered far and wide at weekends and during holidays. Around 1940 my
mates and I became very familiar with the North Balwyn area. We were Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry
Finn and Jungle Jim explorers and adventurers.

Our first discovery was Glass Creek in what is now the Gordon Barnard Reserve near where the
Balwyn pool was built in 1962. We wondered how the creek got its name. It was only years later
that we learnt it was named after Hugh Glass, an early pastoralist. We followed the creek to

Macleay/Myrtle Park . The creek bed was almost devoid of water and strewn with all sorts of
rubbish. Later the creek was barrelled and the area used as a rubbish dump before being
transformed into the parkland it is today.

Greythorn Road had been made in 1938 and the Wild Life Sanctuary opened about 1939. This was
another favourite excursion. We passed the violet farm on the corner of Belmore and Greythorn
roads that was for girls and mothers. Sometimes we stopped at a dam near Glenthorn Avenue
where we occasionally caught yabbies. We never used meat on a piece of string as some did. We
found it quicker to enter the squelchy water in bare feet, wait until a yabby nipped bare flesh, pick it
up and put it in a jam tin filled with water. We didnt pay to enter the Wild Life Sanctuary. Instead
we climbed the pine trees on the north side that had obviously been planted as a wind break by John
Towt and dropped over the fence.

Sometimes we saw the drag that carried visitors to the Sanctuary from the Mont Albert Terminus.
A Balwyn friend, Lloyd Hollyoak, and his mates would sometimes hire horses from McColls
Riding School, don cowboy hats and tie handkerchiefs over their faces. Brandishing toy pistols,
they would hold up the drag on its way to the terminus much to the delight of the passengers.

McColls Riding School was situated in Brenbeal Street, Balwyn in the early 1940s. Later it was
moved to Kennys Paddock which was bounded by Caravan Street, Belmore Road and Union Road.
The School hired horses by the hour and also conducted trail rides which followed a course along
McShane Street, then Walnut Road, eventually terminating at the Yarra River near Bulleen Road.
Mrs. McColl, driving a jinker, would follow the group with afternoon tea.

We heard stories from older boys at school about orchardists firing saltpetre at intruders. However,
our problem was finding an orchard that contained fruit to our taste. At the back of the Wild Life
Sanctuary was Fingers lemon orchard. Another citrus orchard was near the corner of Greythorn
Road and Sweyn Street. The streets on that property are now Lemon, Lime and Citrus streets.
Eventually we found an apple orchard in Doncaster Road. With our shirts solidly anchored by our
trouser belts, we could carry a good number home in our shirts. We were never challenged. Apples
in some instances lay rotting on the ground. I have since discovered that when war broke out in
1939 Australia lost 95 per cent of its fruit export market.

On other occasions we made our way to the Koonong Creek via paddocks in Hedderwick and
Clifton Streets and were puzzled by the small wooden pegs among the grass. Of course, we later
found out that they were put there by surveyors during the 1920s. On the Doncaster side of the
creek were the remains of the Morning Star Hotel (delicensed in 1917). The roof was gone but the
walls were quite solid and there was an old horsehair divan in one of the rooms. The Morning Star
Foundry was built on the site in the late 1940s.

I still remember sitting with my friends in Greythorn Road, looking to the east, and saying, One
day Im going to live there. In 1955 my wife, Lorraine, and I moved into our new house in
Hedderwick Street and have lived there ever since.

Sources: Argus, 15 Dec.1887, Argus, 13 Mar. 1888, Sun News-Pictorial, 14 Dec. 1928,Box Hill Reporter, 12 Dec. 1930

(Thanks to Ken Lyall for this article) May 2010 Contents




Pontefract and the Hordern Family


Pontefract (under construction)


Pontefract (completed)

Pontefract, on the corner of Hardwicke Street and Whitehorse Road, was designed for Lebbeus
Hordern by the architect, Mr H. J. Prockter. The 11 roomed house was designed with Marseilles
pattern roofing tiles, large verandahs, and gables with Tudor detailing which were associated with
the Queen Anne style of British housing.

Pontefract was built c.1891 on the western side of an allotment of land which comprised nine
suburban lots. Sited on the brow of a hill it had superb views west across the Deepdene dip to
Burke Road, north to the Great Dividing Range and east to the Dandenongs. Together with the
Reid house Belmont, which was diagonally opposite on Whitehorse Road, Pontefract would have
been a significant landmark for anyone travelling from Kew to Balwyn and beyond.

Between the house and Percy Street were paddocks where the Horderns horses and cow grazed.
The coach house and stables, with drivers quarters above, were located north of the house.

Louisa Hamilton, granddaughter of Lebbeus and Louisa Hordern, remembers her visits to
Pontefract which she recalls as being light and airy - not at all like those Victorian houses with
their dark and heavy furniture. Lebbeus and Louisa purchased much of the house furnishings when
on an extended overseas trip in 1887. Louisa also remembers the large conservatory on the
northern side of the house, her grandfathers photographic dark room beneath the dining room, and
playing hide-and-seek in the extensive cellars under the house.

Lebbeus Hordern died in 1931. A few years after his death his widow, Louisa, sold the house and
land to the Church of England. Louisa expected the house to become a babies home. She was
disappointed when the house was stuccoed, the slates removed, an additional wing added and the
building converted into six apartments named Chaddesley Flats. (The extensions were possibly
undertaken by Mr. F. W. Le Leu in 1934). About 1953 the flats became the Mon Repose Flats.

In 1934 the land to the east of the house was used by the Church of England to build St. Gabriels
Babies Home which was officially opened in February1935. (Demolished May 2010)

After the sale of the flats in the 1980s, the new owners, Gerd and Pam Kratzer, began renovating
and reconverting the building to a single house. They also restored the name, Pontefract.
Subsequent owners continued with the renovations and reconversion. While the front section of the
outside of the house approximates the original house, the interior now bears no relationship to the
original layout.
The Hordern Family of Pontefract


Lebbeus Hordern


Louisa Hordern & daughters
L-R Marjory, Gwyneth, Louisa, Doris & Mabel
Lebbeus Hordern was born in Hawthorn in 1865 to William Hordern and Cicelia Hordern nee
Monger. In 1881 he was left a large fortune by a Sydney uncle, also named Lebbeus
Hordern.

Lebbeus Hordern married Louisa Dewson Smith in 1887 and four daughters and a son were
born to the couple Mabel Louise (1888-1965), Doris Amelia (1889-1970), Marjorie Cecilia
(1891-1980), Gwyneth Marjory (Molly) (1894-1931) and Bruce Lebbeus Doughty (1908-
1979). Lebbeus, Louisa, Mabel, Doris and Marjorie moved into Pontefract c 1892. Lebbeus
worked as a real estate agent and auctioneer. He enjoyed photography and was known locally
for his skill with animals. He was also Master of the Lilydale Hunt and Louisa often rode to
hounds with him. Their fox-hunting activities led their daughter, Doris, to refuse to wear
anything made with fur.

Lebbeus had an adventurous streak. After the Second Boer War broke out in South Africa in
1899, he enlisted in the Natal Carbineers in March 1900, then in the 2
nd
Brabants Horse from
Nov. 1900 May 1901. In July 1901 he enlisted in the Bushveldt Carbineers and was
eventually discharged from the Pietersburg Light Horse in June 1902. Meanwhile Lebbeus
wife and family were left in Balwyn in somewhat straitened circumstances. After Lebbeus
death in 1931, Louisa remained living at Pontefract for a few years until she sold it and
moved to Kew. She died in 1951.

The four girls were educated by governesses and at local schools, including Genazzano in
Kew and Carisbrook College in Canterbury. Doris finished her schooling at Hessle Ladies
College, a progressive school run by Miss Ada Gresham in Prospect Hill Road, Camberwell.
Mabel married Sydney Capper. Gwyneth (Molly) died in 1931. Marjorie worked for many
years at the Government Serum Laboratories. Bruce married Edna Teele and was head of the
accountancy firm Flack & Flack before becoming a manager at Price Waterhouse when the
firms merged.

Doris Amelia Blackburn nee Hordern (1889 -1970)
Before her marriage to Maurice McCrae Blackburn in 1914, Doris Amelia Hordern worked
as a campaign secretary for Vida Goldstein when Vida stood for a seat in Federal Parliament.
Together with her husband, Doris campaigned vigorously against conscription in 1916-17.
After the war she continued her involvement in a number of groups pressing for reform. She
was president of the Womens International League for Peace and Freedom from 1928-30.
After her husbands death in 1946, she stood as an independent Labor member and won the
Federal seat of Bourke, which had formally been held by her husband. In the 1960s she co-
founded the Aborigines Advancement League and the Federal Council for Aboriginal
Advancement.

Sources: Birth, Death & Marriages records, Butler, Graeme, Camberwell Conservation Study 1991,
Vol. 4
http://adbonline.anu.edu.au/adbonline.htm Sands & McDougall Directories
13
Woolmore, William, The Bushveldt CarbineersMcCrae, Slouch Hat Pub., 2002
Interview with BHS member, Louisa Hamilton, daughter of Doris & Maurice Blackburn &
granddaughter of Lebbeus and Louisa Hordern. Photos courtesy of Louisa Hamilton.

(Patricia ODwyer) June 2010 Contents


Vale St Gabriels 210 Whitehorse Road, 1934 - 2010


Photo Fay Mills 2004


Photo Steve McLean 2008


1934 Original building erected for the
Mission of St. James and St. John.

1935 St Gabriels Babies Home officially
opened

1938 Home registered as a Mothercraft
Training School

1962 Matron Brenda Smith commenced at St
Gabriels and oversaw extensive renovations.

1969 New additions and Minna Johnson
Toddlers Cottage opened.
1974 St Gabriels Babies Home closed

1975 c2008
In the years 1935 1945, 800 babies were looked after at St
Gabriels. Of these 300 were adopted out.

Babies not adopted were generally moved to other mission homes
eg. St Lukes in Bendigo or were fostered out. Some returned to
their families when family circumstances permitted.

With the opening of the Minna Johnson Toddlers Cottage (1969)
some older children were cared for in their own cottage with
cottage parents.

Quote from Matron Brenda Smith This I think is our greatest
challenge; that we give these babies sufficient love and individual
attention and mothering so that their developing personalities
may be undamaged and whole

(One of the two cherubs which were either side of the front
entrance)

14

Photo Eric Humphris 2010

Source of information: Fay Mills, Deborah Martin July 2010 Contents

Buildings of Interest 359 Whitehorse Road
(now the National Bank of Australia).


This building was originally built for the English, Scottish & Australian Bank Ltd. It was
designed by the architects Twentyman & Askew and built by the building firm Hansen &
Yuncken in 1930.
The ES&A bank which had been established in 1852 was absorbed into the ANZ in 1970.
However, this branch had already been taken over by the National Bank of Australia c1947.

In the Camberwell Conservation Study I991 it is described as follows:

Single storey, cement-rendered and neoclassical in style, the banks conservative image was
maintained by its stylistic references and smooth rusticated finish. Composed in three bays
under a broad pedimented parapet, the style used for the elevation is Neo-Grec (sic) or Greek
1974 St Gabriels Babies Home closed.

The building was sold to the Victorian
Government Mental Health Authority

For some years it was used to provide respite
care for families.

It was most recently operated by the
Department of Human Services. As the
Balwyn Centre it provided community care.

May 2010 The building was demolished
15
revival, as commonly seen in commercial buildings of the mid to late 1920sDoric columns
support plain entablatures over the side opening while glazed areas have borders and the main
doors appear original.

The study also states that the building is generally original, except for the probable reglazing
of the lower parts of the two windows and removal of glazing bars.

(Patricia ODwyer)
July 2010

Source: Butler, Graeme, Camberwell Conservation Study 1991, Vol. 4, p.316.
Photo: P. ODwyer 2009
Contents


16
Recent speaker:
Professor David de Kretser, AC, Governor of Victoria


The Governor & Mrs de Kretser arriving at the Evergreen
Centre. Photo: Gillian Roebuck


L-R Mrs de Kretser, the Governor, Peter Prideaux,
Robin Kelly Photo: Gillian Roebuck


The Governor addressing the BHS audience.
Photo: Tony Michael
We were recently honoured to have the
Governor of Victoria address our
meeting.

The Governor is Patron of Guide Dogs
Victoria and he and Mrs de Kretser
were accompanied on their visit by
their Ambassador guide dog, Astro.

The Governor spoke about his familys
arrival in Australia from Sri Lanka
when he was nine years old and his
childhood growing up in Ropley
Avenue and Metung Street, Deepdene.
Ropley Avenue at the time of his
arrival was a muddy unmade road and
the de Kretser house was yet to be
connected to electricity. At that time
householders had to buy their own
electricity pole.

The creek that once flowed between
King Street and Ropley Avenue played
an important part in the lives of and the
neighbourhood children the
Piddingtons, Deebles, Duncans,
Knowles and Vanderluys. Its tall banks
and the open paddocks surrounding it
provided them with much of their
entertainment including yabbying in
the ponds and exploring the barrel
drain which led from the creek under
Gordon Street.

Billy cart races down Gordon Street,
building local bonfires and setting them
alight for Empire Day and Guy Fawkes
night, and the odd dare to pick the fruit
in King Street gardens were all part of
the Governors memories.

The Frank Paton Memorial Church also
played a large part in the de Kretsers
life.
17

Ropley Ave Bonfire
Back Row L-R David de Kretser, Joan Duncan, Judith Wood,
Leslie Vandersluys Middle Row Peter Piddington
Front Row: (Second from left) Robin Vandersluys (Kelly)
Photo Robin Kelly


Photo: Tony Michael



Photo: Tony Michael


(Patricia ODwyer) August 2010 Contents



The Governor spoke very fondly of his
years in Grades 5 and 6 at Deepdene
State School and his later school years
at Camberwell Grammar School, which
was then a small school that offered its
students great opportunities for
leadership. He was involved in a
number of sporting teams and the
school cadets. His reminiscences
included cadets practising their rifle
skills with live ammunition on the
school rifle range that then backed on
to Highton Grove, mortars being fired
from the school oval, cadet camps and
cycling home with a rifle over his
shoulder.

In concluding his speech, the Governor
reflected on the fact that children
growing up in the 1940s and 1950s led
a much freer, less regulated, existence
than children today - with freedom to
explore the outdoors, take their time
cycling or walking to and from school,
and sometimes to indulge in risk taking
activities. He also commented on the
greater stability in families and
institutions at that time

The Governor then answered a number
of questions from our very large
audience.

After his address and question time, the
Governor and Mrs de Kretser stayed to
join members and visitors for supper.
Among those who spoke to him were
many who remembered him from his
Deepdene days and school days.
18
Buildings of interest 361-363 Whitehorse Road


This building was erected c1933. Architecturally, it is in marked contrast to the bank building next
door which is of similar age.

No 361 was originally a confectionery shop run by Miss Ethel A Grigg. A very faded
advertisement for the confectionary business can still be glimpsed high up on the western wall. In
the 1940s the shop became the Whitehorse Caf, operated first by Miss M. W. Brown, then by
Donald Kenyon and later by D. F. Fraser. About 1952 it became a milk bar. Mr Jackson was
proprietor was a short time before the milk bar passed to S. E. Cooper who conducted business
there for the next twenty years - possibly longer.

No 363 was the dental surgery of Oswald Amos for over twenty years until about 1954 when M. J.
Young then Woolley & Baron, dentists took over. During the 1960s a number of businesses
including accountants, solicitors and an estate agency occupied the premises.

In the Camberwell Conservation Study 1991 the building is described as follows:

Old English or neo Tudor in style, the building possesses the distinctive black and white
half-timbering of the time, with stained timbers set against white painted cement sheet. The
ground level has blended clinker heeler size brickwork and metal-framed shop fronts, with
shop entries set on the splay of a recess and the roof is clad with terra-cotta shingles which
complement the earthy display of materials elsewhere.

The study also states that architecturally the building is a near intact example of a rare style for
commercial buildings

Sources: Butler, Graeme, Camberwell Conservation Study 1991, Vol. 4, pp. 316-317:
Sand & McDougall Directories

(Patricia ODwyer)

September 2010 Contents



19
The Burke and Wills Expedition - 1860

This year marks the 150
th
anniversary of the Burke and Wills expedition. On 20 August 1860, the
Burke and Wills expedition, under the leadership of Robert O'Hara Burke, left Melbourne in an
attempt to cross the continent from south to north. The expedition consisted of 18 men, 27 camels,
23 horses, 34 bullocks and tons of supplies.

In August the expedition reached Menindee. Here Burke established a depot and left behind some
of the men and equipment. With seven men and 15 camels, he set out for Cooper Creek which they
reached on 11 November. On 16 December, despite the summer heat, Burke decided to push on.
He left William Brahe in charge of the Cooper Creek depot.

Robert Burke, William Wills, John King and Charles Gray, together with 6 camels, a horse and 12
weeks provisions made their way north, arriving at mangrove swamps at the mouth of the Flinders
River in Queensland late March in 1861.

Charles Gray died on their return trip. Physically exhausted from their journey, Burke, Wills and
King arrived at the Cooper Creek camp only to find it deserted. Brahe and the others had waited for
four months one month longer than requested. They had set off south just seven hours before the
three men arrived. On finding the provisions buried by Brahe, Burke left a letter and covered in the
hole. Rather than follow Brahe south, he decided to make for Mount Hopeless relying on the
Cooper Creek for water.

Despite offers of help from local Aboriginals, Burke and Wills died on Cooper Creek in June 1861.
The only person to survive was John King who was looked after by a local Aboriginal tribe until he
was found in September by a search party sent from Melbourne.




Source: Google Maps


Several suburbs have streets named Burke and Wills. We have an explorers corner.
20

Land in the Belmore Park Estate was advertised in the Argus in 1884 and 1888. An auctioneers
plan of the this estate (1888), shows the western border as Burke Road, with the following new
streets Wills Street, King Street, Grey Street, Eyre Street and Sturt Street (possibly the
present Gordon Street).

While Burke, Wills, King and Gray were members of the 1860 expedition, Edward John Eyre and
Charles Sturt were earlier explorers. After expeditions in New South Wales and Western Australia,
Eyre led an expedition north from Adelaide in 1839 which reached as far as Lake Torrens and Lake
Eyre. He later explored the Eyre Peninsula and in 1840/41 crossed the Nullabor Plain to Albany,
Western Australia.

On his early expeditions Sturt explored the Murray, Murrumbidgee and Darling rivers. On a later
expedition, hoping to find an inland sea, he located Lake Eyre and crossed the Diamantina River in
1845. Rather than finding an inland sea, he discovered miles of stony dessert which is now called
the Sturt Stony Desert.

(Tony Michael/Patricia ODwyer)

Refs: Argus 13 August 1844, 16 June 1888, Map collection State Library of Victoria

October 2010 Contents



The Sevenoaks Farmhouse

14 Sevenoaks Street, Balwyn - 2005


John Jeffries purchased 33 acres of land
fronting Gordon Street in 1895. This land
had previously been owned by Zilpha Small.
Jefferies named his farm after Sevenoaks in
21
Kent, England. The farmhouse, originally
called St. Johns according to the Camberwell
rate books, was said to have had a driveway
from Gordon Street (then Normanby Road)
which was hedged with blackberry bushes.

Around 1907 the farm was purchased by Mr
William Freeman Nott and for a number of
years it became Notts Piggery and then
Notts Dairy.

William Freeman Nott was born in South
Australia and as a young man he worked with
the Commercial Bank of South Australia.
When he moved to Melbourne he took up a
position as an accountant with the Colonial
Bank in Elizabeth Street, Melbourne. Over
the years he rose to be the Inspector of
Branches and finally Chief Inspector of
Branches.

William Freeman Nott served as the Secretary
of the Melbourne Chamber of Commerce for
many years. He was also a Camberwell
Councillor, Justice of the Peace and President
of the Balwyn Progress Association. He died
on 25 February 1921 leaving a widow, Isabel
Freeman Nott.

After Notts death in 1921 the farm was sub-
divided and in September 1922 it was
advertised for sale as the Sevenoaks Estate.
The sub-division included the following new
streets Sevenoaks Street, Hilda Street,
Henley Street, Freeman Street and Nott
Street.

Advertising for the sale noted that the land
was close to transport with the tram running
along Whitehorse Road - the cost to the city
being 5 pence ( approx. 5 cents). Mention
was also made of a Tramways Board proposal
for an electric tramway to pass along Belmore
Road which never eventuated.

In 1927 the farmhouse and seven adjacent
allotments in Sevenoaks Street were again
offered for sale. The house was described as
a Good Substantial Brick Villa of eight fine
rooms with a spacious verandah on three
sides. A number of families lived in the
farmhouse in the following years, including
the Bennetts, Tozers, Ungars and Crundels.
c1966 the farmhouse became a kindergarten
and extensive alterations were made to the
interior.

When it once again became a private
residence the then owner, David Ward, set
about reversing the alterations and restoring
the interior of the house to its late Victorian
origins. The house was most recently sold in
2005. It remains one of the few examples of
an early Balwyn farmhouse and is a property
of local historical significance.

Sources:
Argus, 26 August 1921, 19 February, 1927
Camberwell City Council, Rate Books
Da Costa, Robin, Sevenoaks Park, Melb., 1980
Sands & McDougall Directories
Photos: P. ODwyer

(Patricia ODwyer) November 2010 Contents

22

The farmhouse entrance facing Gordon Street - 2005.





Hidden Creeks and Gullies

Many Balwyn and North Balwyn parks
contain a secret. Beneath their grassy
surfaces lie the remains of the creek systems
which once openly flowed to the Yarra.
Koonung Creek, Glasss Creek and W Creek
together with their tributaries would have
been sources of fresh water for the
Aboriginals who once inhabited the area and
for the early European settlers who took up
land in the middle of the nineteenth century.


Some members will remember sections of this
creek system. While barrelling of W Creek
started as early as 1889, other sections of the
system remain un-barrelled until the 1950s.
Once barrelled, the creek beds were often
filled with building rubble and used as
rubbish tips before being transformed into the
parks we know them as today.


23


.Gullies

24
Koonung Creek

The northern-most creek of the area. This
originates near Springvale Road in
Nunawading. Several gullies in North
Balwyn feed into this creek. However, the
construction of the Eastern Freeway brought
about the loss of the creek which is now
barrelled beneath the parklands running along
the side of the freeway.

Glasss Creek (later Glass Creek)

This creek named after Thomas Glass, an
early settler, originates near Minifie Park on
the corner of Belmore and Narrak Roads. The
course of the creek can be traced through the
Gordon Barnard Reserve, Hislop Park,
Macleay Park and Myrtle Park.

After crossing Burke Road into Kew it flows
through the parkland west of Kew High
School, then to Hays Paddock (where a small
vestige of the creek still remains un-barrelled)
and into the Yarra.

Several tributary gullies flow into Glass
Creek. One gully from near Balwyn Road cut
across the eastern end of Gordon Street. The
Hilda Street Reserve marks an area where
water flowing down this gully once formed a
number of reedy, swampy ponds. Two other
tributaries join up in the Ropley Avenue
playground. One of these tributaries flows
beneath the Gordon Street Park and along
Gordon Street. The other crosses Whitehorse
Road near Pretoria Street and wends it way
between Bennett Street and Wolseley
Crescent to Gordon Street, then into the park.
The tributary creeks meandering course can
then be followed through the parklands to
Belmore Road and across Burke Road.

W Creek Tributary

A tributary of W Creek originates near
Scheele Street. It flows west parallel with
Whitehorse Road to Talbot Avenue before
turning south through the John August
Reserve to join with W Creek near
Canterbury Road. The small lake in the
Balwyn Community Centre grounds is a
remnant of this creek. Water flowing south
from the high side of Whitehorse Road once
turned the then Main Gipps Land Road into a
boggy morass which the locals called the Bay
of Biscay.

Source of information and map: Singleton, Colin, The Invisible Creeks of Camberwell, Camberwell City News, 1991

(Patricia ODwyer) December 2010

Contents