Latest articles by Sylvia Black
The changing face of Darling Square
In the time before white settlement the area around what we know as Darling Square in East Melbourne was swampland and was a source of plentiful foodstuffs enjoyed by the local Wurundjeri people.
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Policing East Melbourne
In 1883 the Police Department rented a house on a wide block of land in Darling St, East Melbourne. This house would become the residence of the sergeant-in-charge of the new police station.
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James Sinclair and his cottage
In the centre of the Fitzroy Gardens is a cottage almost invisible behind its overgrown garden but it is an interesting little house and worth a more careful look.
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More than a kindergarten
An interesting sidelight on the changing demographic of Melbourne in the years after the Second World War was the decision to relocate the existing City Free Kindergarten in Exhibition St (on the corner of Little Lonsdale St) to Powlett Reserve in East Melbourne.
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Jolimont and repatriation
By 1917 it was apparent that repatriation services for returning service men and women were inadequate. Soldiers were arriving back in the country in large numbers, most of them damaged by illness or injury.
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Melbourne’s original aquarium destroyed by fire
Melbourne’s original aquarium was located in the Royal Exhibition Building in Carlton.
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The curious Mr Stanford: from East Melbourne to California
Thomas Welton Stanford arrived in Melbourne in 1860 to make money. He achieved this by quickly securing the sole licence to import Singer sewing machines. But it is not for his business success that he is primarily known.
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Pros and (mod) cons
So pronounced the Sun-News Pictorial of October 16, 1939 … “In aid of the Red Cross and War Comforts Funds Melbourne City Council has transformed the Treasury Gardens into a Garden City with an extensive lighting scheme.”
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Bedggood: friendly footwear
Daniel Bedggood arrived in Melbourne in 1854. Almost immediately he set up a boot and shoe factory in Richmond.
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Mary Gilbert: Melbourne’s first mother
There has been much publicity lately about the large imbalance in the numbers of statues of men as opposed to women in Melbourne.
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Smelling history
Smells trigger memory just as effectively as old photos or objects.
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Dr Julian Smith: surgeon and photographer
One of East Melbourne’s more notable residents was Dr Julian Smith; a remarkable man, famous in two very different fields, surgery and photography.
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Grand Hotel Cabman’s Shelter
Cabmen’s shelters had been a feature of London streets since 1875. These little buildings provided much needed shelter for cabmen while they waited for customers.
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The early days of women’s cricket
With the MCG within its boundaries, East Melbourne has more than its fair share of sporting stories. One that is probably not so widely known is the foundation of women’s cricket as an organised sport.
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Ormiston educational establishment for young ladies
East Melbourne from its earliest days was full of schools.
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Gone, but not forgotten
The Argus, on February 28, 1908, reported: “Some months ago the parks and gardens committee decided to make the Fitzroy Gardens more attractive by erecting a rustic kiosk, where tea, coffee and light refreshments might be dispensed …
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A tale of two sisters
Ball and Welch was once one of Melbourne’s landmark department stores, along with others such as Buckley and Nunn. History tells us that the store was founded by Charles Ball and his nephew, William Henry Welch. But perhaps there is more to the story …
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Old Men’s Shelter
We usually think of public buildings as large and imposing structures such as town halls or railway stations, but at Powlett Reserve in East Melbourne, there is situated possibly one of the smallest public buildings in Melbourne.
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Kalingra: a story of firsts
East Melbourne is rightfully known for its Victorian era streetscapes. However, between the wars it went through a period of redevelopment resulting in a scattering of buildings that are markedly different in style.
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Salad Days
In the Victorian era, when architectural style leaned heavily towards the Italianate, one East Melbourne house stood out. It was beautifully depicted by artist, William Tibbits, in 1879.
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