Henry Brouard Grut
Henry was the eldest surviving child of Peter and Elizabeth Grut née Bichard. He was born on the island of Guernsey in 1853. The family migrated to the colony of Victoria in 1855. The family lived and prospered in Port Melbourne for many years. Henry lived with his family in ‘Guernsey House’, 232 Esplanade East.
Guernsey House courtesy of…
Allan Whittaker Commemoration 2017
Former Supreme Court judge Frank Vincent offered these reflections at the Allan Whittaker commemoration held on Princes Pier on Thursday 2 November. The gatehouse on Princes Pier has now been named the Allan Whittaker Gatehouse after sustained advocacy by the Whittaker Memorial Committee.
Port Melbourne at that time was a very poor working class suburb. It was made…

Olive's corner was officially so named on 7 December 2001 as a tribute to the life and values of Olive Zakharov - humanist and Federal Senator 1929 – 1995
Olive Zakharov was born at home in Kew on 19 March 1929.
Olive was educated at Ruyton Girls' School, the University of Melbourne, Melbourne Secondary College and R.M.I.T.
Olive worked at Watsonia High School…
Margaret Bride writes of the stories locked up in this handsome clock on the wall of her dining room.
I inherited this clock from my mother. It hangs on the wall of our dining room and is constantly referred to when we want to time ourselves. It is a source of pleasure to all our family but it is also…
W.F.E. Liardet Surveyor Darke's camp, Sandridge State Library of Victoria
Leonard Storey was an interesting character, not so much for what we know of his life, but for what we don’t know. This enlivens our imagination into contemplating just where he originally came from and where he disappeared to. His known history spans just four years, from 1837 to 1841.
His…

Mr Webster's Brother
Margaret Bride writes
Our house in Evans Street was built by John Webster in 1886. He and his wife Mary lived there until his death in 1916. John Webster was a carpenter, working on the docks and at sea.
This is a photo of his younger brother whose name we do not know. He was a friend of Emily Lock’s…

William Cann (centre) with his soldier son Harry sitting to his right c 1915-19. Courtesy Geoff Lister.
Feeding the hungry children of Nott Street School in the 1930’s was a far cry from William Cann’s former life as a British soldier who had served in both the Zulu and Boer Wars. However, he did know what it was like to be…
Legacy of 1928
On a (rare) sunny evening, former Supreme Court judge Frank Vincent offered these reflections on the legacy of 1928 at the Allan Whittaker commemoration held on Princes Pier on Friday 28 October. He spoke without notes.
"The question I was going to pose is 'What is the thread that joins Bernie Sanders, Donald Trump, Pauline Hanson and Boris Johnson?'
And…

Joan Dawson with her Graham Street School Grade Prep class, 1939.
Young Teacher Graham Street Port Melbourne 1939
My mum was just 18 when she began to teach this class at the Graham Street School.
She lived nearby at 174 Buckhurst Street. Her father was a carter and they lived in a double fronted timber home with stables at the back where…

Aanensen Family Portrait taken in early 1904.
Rear (L-R) Alfred Adolf (b 1890), Stanley George (b 1888), Marie Louisa (b 1893)
Middle (L-R) Albert Edward (b 1901) (being held), Bernt Andreas (b 1865) (father),
Andreas Thomas (b 1903) (being held), Edith Ann (b 1867) (mother);
Front (L-R) Aanen Harold (b 1897), Victor Bernt (b 1895),
William Ernst (b 1899).
The photo predates the birth of…