Showing posts with label Railways. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Railways. Show all posts

Thursday, February 5, 2026

The destruction of the Glen Huntly Railway Station Garden in the 1920s.

This post is about the destruction of the Glen Huntly Railway Station Gardens in the 1920s. It is yet another example of the alienation of public land for private use and the destruction of a beloved green space in the name of progress. The Glen Huntly Railway Station is the first station past Caulfield on the Frankston line. The station opened on December 19, 1881 as the Glen Huntly Road station and was renamed Glen Huntly on September 1, 1882. (1)

In 1899 the Glen Huntly Station garden won an awardl it was reported in the Brighton Southern Cross  -
The annual awards for beautifying the various railway stations in Victoria have been made this week, the colony being divided into eight sections. The total prize-money amounted to £90. In the suburban districts, Sandringham obtained first-prize, and Glen Huntly was awarded a special prize of £10, for the excellent work done by the stationmaster and his staff. (2)


The Glen Huntly Railway Station and its prize winning garden.

This story of the destruction of the garden, begins in June 1923, with this article from The Age - 
Suburban Railway Reserves. Profit Earning Uses. Strong Complaints at Caulfield.
The new policy of the Railway Commissioners for increasing the department's revenue is to cut up station reserves into sites for the erection of business premises. It is not being put into operation without strong opposition from municipal councils and local progress associations, but in spite of all protests, the commissioners are carrying, and incidentally disfiguring, several fine station reserves - along the Frankston and Oakleigh lines in the process. After a sub-division, the land is leased to investors for the building of unsightly lock-up shops, which are then let. Portion of Murrumbeena station reserve has been despoiled in this manner, though Caulfield council offered, if the commissioners would stay their hands, to pay the whole cost of its maintenance as a garden reserve. Now it is proposed to erect shops along the Neerim-street frontage of this station as well, and the council has decided to make the strongest protest against this being done, as it would utterly spoil a scheme which the council has prepared for beautifying the approaches to the station. Carnegie, Glenhuntly and Ormond are other stations, which have suffered, or are about to suffer, by having their picturesque surroundings encroached upon. 

At Glen Huntly cultivated lawns, flower beds and sheltering trees have been ruthlessly abolished to make way for the erection of shops. It is now announced that the same policy is to be carried out in respect to the Ormond station; Caulfield council views with alarm these attacks on what have hitherto been regarded solely as areas for beautification purposes. While it was anticipated that portion of them might have to be used for future railway requirements, it was not contemplated that they would ever be built upon, and the council looked upon them as part of the public reserves of the city. The council is endeavoring to arrange for a deputation to the Commissioners in regard to the matter, and to urge that, even from a town-planning point of view, station approaches should not be constricted in this manner by the erection of adjacent buildings, especially in view of the rapid growth of the population of these centres. (3)

A letter to The Age in July 1923, pointed out the undesirability of allowing inappropriate development on the garden reserve at the Glen Huntly Railway Station -
Town Planning at Glen Huntly
Sir,- The railway authorities in recent years have destroyed the appearance of Glen Huntly railway station, which was at one time the prize station in Victoria for neatness and attractiveness. At present the remnants of the former pleasing garden reserve have been leased to speculators, and right up to the station door the flowers have been rooted out and the land scooped up in order that a billiard saloon and some more unnecessary lock-up shops may crowd the station entrance. Ladies and young children stepping out of the trains at Glen Huntly are to face, in the future a crowd of jockeys, stable lads and racecourse loafers hanging around this station billiard saloon now being erected on the premises of the railway station, and on land which in the end actually belongs to the public. It is essential that some public protest be made. The matter deserves Mr. Clapp's attention, as well as a full inquiry, in the interests of Glen Huntly residents and property owners.— Yours. &c., LOCAL RESIDENT (4)

Mr Clapp, as mentioned in the letter, above, is Sir Harold Clapp (1875-1952), Chairman of the Victorian Railways Commissioners. (5)  

Three years later, the issue returned to the pages of The Age with a series of letters to the editor. The following letters are from March 1926.
Glen Huntly Railway Station. 
Sir, - This station, with its beautiful lawns and ornamental trees and palms, was at one time the most picturesque of any of the suburban stations, and a credit to the Railway department. Many people, on seeing such a delightful spot, made up their minds to reside at Glen Huntly, but our Railway Commissioner some three or four years ago decided to lease these gardens, and bricks and mortar now stand where once beauty reigned. The Caulfield city council, by the way, and not forgetting the progress association and also the residents generally, allowed all this to happen without protest until it was too late. Now Mr. Clapp has gone further and built a poky little wooden tenement alongside the signal box, and at the entrance to the station, where fruit is sold, and the passengers to the train find difficulty in getting to the platform. Why have we not got a town-planning committee ? Who is going to be the big man to have this sort of thing stopped?            Yours, &c., INDIGNANT. 22nd March
(6) 

In response to this, the Glen Huntly Progress Association fought back, with this letter
Glen Huntly Railway Station. 
Sir, - The Glen Huntly Progress Association waited on Mr. Clapp some two months back with a request for improvements to the local station, including a subway. Mr. Clapp gave us his word that he would give our requests a fair consideration. Nothing really definite has been done, and when it was seen that a paltry shed was being erected we immediately sent in a letter of protest, which has not yet been replied to. If "Indignant" and others joined the local Progress Association, and kept in touch with matters undertaken by that association, there would be no need to upbraid us for apparently neglecting the interests of the district.
Yours, &c., H. J. LANDER, President. 23rd March. (7)

Mr Lander was Herbert Joseph Lander, who lived with his wife Mary at 137 Booran Road, Caulfield East. His occupation in the Electoral Roll was an Inspector. (8)

Two days later another letter was published, in support of the letter from 'Indignant.' -
Sir, - Your correspondent "Indignant" is justified in his wrath at the destruction of the railway lawn, ornamental trees and palms at Glen Huntly railway station. This station is now as ugly and cramped as the most unsightly timber-structures of stations on the Collingwood line. It was formerly the prize station for beauty in Victoria. Is our railway management so bad that we cannot afford to have decent railway stations? The evil work at Glen Huntly station began with the railway authorities permitting an estate agent and progress association orators to erect an office and shops on the Glen Huntly-road frontage, and to close the carriage entrance, leaving only a few feet for the pedestrians' track to the platform. The ugly fruit stall is now added. Glaring posters are being stuck up everywhere, extolling tea, booze, patent medicines, and also the progress association.

By such means Glen Huntley has lost its attractiveness as a residential area. It cannot become a factory area within this generation. Its land agent may earn commissions in subdivisions and land booming, and they will control the Caulfield council and the so called progress association, and continue to do so in their own business interests until town planning is given over to men competent and acting in the interests of the public, and not for private gain. Your correspondent is right in blaming the Glen Huntly people themselves. Municipal politics are in the hands of the wrong class. The only thing is to give the Town Planning Commission complete control. - 
Yours, &c., GLEN HUNTLY RESIDENT. 24th March (9)

Mr Lander, of the Progress Association, again responded to the anonymous slur against the Progress Association, in this letter to the editor -
Glen Huntly Railway Station -
Sir, - In reply to the statement made by "Glen Huntly Resident" that Glen Huntly Progress Association orators erected an office and shops on the Glen Huntly-road frontage, I deny the charge. In the first place, the association has no funds for such a purpose; secondly, we already have a building for our meetings, and, most important of all, we do not want to see the place disfigured by buildings, preferring to see decent entrances to the station. As to the so-called ugly hoardings, our small notice board referred to is neatly painted in black and white, and is erected on a spot that is useless for a garden. Why does not "Glen Huntly Resident" sign his name and also join our association ? He may be able to influence the powers-that-be to better purpose than we can. - 
Yours, &c., H. J. LANDER, president Glen Huntly Progress Association. 25th March. (10)


Glen Huntly Railway Station, September 2008
Photographer: Michael Coley 

How much more pleasant it would have been for the people of Glen Huntly if the railway garden was not destroyed in the 1920s. The ground-level Glen Huntly Railway Station building was removed as part of the Level Crossing Removal project, and is now underground;  this new station opened in July 2023. Of course, the garden would not have survived this Level Crossing Removal mega-project, where much vegetation including nature trees were removed all over Melbourne (as well as historic railway buildings and infrastructure, but that's another story)  (11)

Footnotes
(2) Brighton Southern Cross, May 20, 1899, see here
(3) The Age, June 28, 1923, see here.
(4) The Age, July 17, 1923, see here.
(6) The Age, March 23, 1926, see here.
(7) The Age, March 24, 1926, see here.
(8) Harold Joseph Lander - Electoral Rolls on Ancestry.com


Harold Lander of the  Glen Huntly Progress Assocation, despatching a load of house hold items 
for people whose homes were burnt in recent bush fires.

(9) The Age, March 25, 1926, see here.
(10) The Age, March 26, 1926, see here.
(11) Date of opening of new station - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glen_Huntly_railway_station 
and here - 
https://bigbuild.vic.gov.au/library/level-crossing-removal-project/frankston/glen-huntly/fact-sheets/glen-huntly-date-palms-factsheet 

Friday, July 26, 2024

Coliban Viaduct at Malmsbury

The Coliban or Malmsbury Viaduct was part of the infrastructure on the Melbourne to Bendigo Railway line, officially known as the Melbourne, Mount Alexander and Murray River Railway (1) which opened in stages - Melbourne to Sunbury on February 10, 1859; Sunbury to Woodend on July 8, 1861, Woodend to Kyneton April 25, 1862; Kyneton to Bendigo, October 21, 1862 and two years later it was extended to the border at Echuca on September 19, 1864. (2)  The contractors for the viaduct and the first thirteen stages of the railway line were Cornish and Bruce, more of whom later.


Coliban Viaduct, 1860s. Also called the Malmsbury Railway Viaduct. 
Photographer: Alfred Morris. 
 State Library of Victoria image H3987

The viaduct was, I assume, designed by George Darbyshire, Chief Engineer of the Victorian Railways or William Hull, who was the Railways District Engineer in charge of the construction of Bendigo Railway line. 

George Christian Darbyshire (1820-1898)
George Christian Darbyshire had worked in railway construction in England from 1839 until 1851 (3) before he arrived in Victoria in 1853. On  May 1, 1856, he was appointed as the Chief Engineer on the newly created Victorian Railways Department of the Public Works Department. (4) His obituary tells us something of his life -
Coming to Australia in 1853, he accepted an appointment in the Lands department, and was for some time engaged in the Williamstown Survey District. In 1855 Legislative sanction was given for the preliminary railway surveys and in 1856 Captain Clarke, R.E. (now Sir Andrew Clarke, Acting Agent-General for Victoria), who was Surveyor-General, appointed Mr Darbyshire as the first Engineer-in-Chief to the railways. In this capacity he personally supervised the construction of the Bendigo line, and also the Geelong and Ballarat railway. On the retirement of Captain Clarke, Mr Darbyshire succeeded him as Surveyor-General of the colony, in addition to his position as Engineer-in-Chief. ....A strict disciplinarian, Mr Darbyshire was always noted for his impartiality, earning, in fact, with many of his subordinates the title of "Honest George." To many in the department he often proved himself a kindly, sympathetic friend in many ways. (5)

George was a  councillor for the Shire of Wyndham (later renamed the Shire of Werribee) and Shire President on two occasions. (6)  He died on March 15, 1898, aged 78, and was buried at the Werribee Cemetery, with his wife Maria, who had died in 1881. (7)  As was common in those days, there was a report of the contents of his will, which were interesting -  
By his will, which was made on 4th September, 1891, he left land in the parishes of Mambourim and Deutgam, together with his residence known as The Grange, to his trustees, for the purpose of founding or establishing in such manner as they may think proper, a home for deserving or destitute convalescent persons.  He also left a bequest to the widow of his brother, John, and to his housekeeper, Dora Furlong. (8)



William Bennett Hull (1821-1890)
William Bennett Hull was born in 1821 Bristol in England to William and Ann Hull; William was also a Civil Engineer.  In England he worked on the Western Railway and in 1851 married Charlotte Mitford. Some time after that, they migrated to Victoria. William was also appointed to the newly created  Railways Branch on May 1, 1856 as an Assistant Engineer and Surveyor, under George Derbyshire.  After his time with the Victorian Railways, he was appointed as a District Engineer with Railway branch of the New South Wales Railway Branch, the date of this appointment was April 9, 1866. Whilst in that State he worked on the Great Western Rail project. (9)

In the 1870s William was living and working in South Australia where in 1874  he was appointed Assistant-Engineer in the Engineer-in-Chief's department, having previously been the Superintendent of the Drainage Work. In 1881 he was assistant engineer in the Hydraulic Engineer's Department, however due to the South Australian Governments amalgamation of departments and  subsequent retrenchments he left his position at the end of 1881. Their house in Kensington, in Adelaide was sold and William and Charlotte moved back to Melbourne, living in Herbert Street, St Kilda. (10)

In December 1882 it was reported that - The ordinary meeting of the Victorian Institute of Architects was held at the Athenæum yesterday. Messrs. W. B. Hull and A. G. Hill, civil engineers, were elected honorary members of the Institute. (11)  William died on September 28, 1890, aged 69. (12)

After I did all the research, above I found an obituary of William in the Kyneton Observer, which provides some additional information -
DEATH OF MR W. B. HULL. - The death of Mr W. B. Hull, C.E., an old and much respected colonist is announced. He was born at Bristol, England, in the year 1821 and came out to Adelaide in 1852, accompanied by his brother, the late Mr Frederick Hull. He came on to Melbourne in 1853, and assisted the late Mr Chancer, C.E., in the survey of the Melbourne and Sandridge railway. He entered the Lands and Survey Department in 1854, and was transferred to the Railway Department in 1856. After having conducted several railway surveys and superintended the construction of the main line from Malmsbury to Castlemaine, he severed his connection with the Railway Department of Victoria, and was appointed engineer in charge of the construction of the Zig-zag railway over the Blue Mountains, in New South Wales. Subsequently he held the position of engineer of harbours, etc., in Adelaide until the office was abolished, since which time he has been engaged in railway work in Tasmania and Melbourne, until failing health compelled him to retire from active work a few months ago. He left a widow, but no children. (13)

William left an estate of £7,100 and directed that all assets be sold, the proceeds invested and the income to be distributed to his wife, and after her death to his brother John Murvell Hull. Charlotte died June 17, 1896 and was buried with her husband and his mother, Ann, at the Boroondara Cemetery. (14)


Rail Bridge, Malmsbury, 1870.
Public Records Office of Victoria, Railway Negatives VPRS 12800 image H3418.

The Coliban Viaduct
Because I rather like bluestone structures and bridges I was taken by the Coliban Viaduct - it is a piece of skilled engineering, showcases the art of the stone masons and is very aesthetically pleasing or as one correspondent wrote in 1860 to the Mount Alexander Mail For simplicity of design, boldness of execution, and neatness of finish, it will surpass all others of the sort. (15)

In May 1859, an unnamed journalist in the Kyneton Observer wrote this account of the soon to be erected viaduct, and because I especially like the first paragraph and all the statistics, it is published here in full - 
Among the many evidences of civilization in a country, railways appear the most prominent; but it is not the mere forming a level surface of earth with rails laid thereon, to enable carriages to move with less friction that upon the common road; nor is it owing to the ingenuity, skill, and contrivance in adapting steam power to the locomotive, which when harnessed to the carriages, carries them away at so great a speed; but it is to the many impediments met with in the construction of these railways, owing to the diversities of the earth's surface, over which hills, valleys, plains, streams, rivers, lakes and even aims of the sea itself. These modern roads are carried in spite of those apparent insurmountable obstacles, which to an untutored mind could never be overcome. In constructing bridges, viaducts, and other gigantic works in connection with railways, mathematical science in all its dignity is exercised: the field of geometry and the mazes of analysis are ranged through with the most enthusiastic emotions by scientific minds, who commanding much well-regulated labour, are enabled to complete structures which at once involve the contemplative mind in extreme astonishment, and proclaims the fact that the society in which such works are accomplished must be far advanced in civilization and progress. 

Such thoughts as these occupied my mind while inspecting the elevation, and other drawings for the railway viaduct, shortly to be constructed across the river Coliban at Malmsbury, and having examined the same with considerable attention, I am now enabled to give the result thereof for the benefit of all.

 At the point where the viaduct crosses the river, the levels of the "line" is 7 ft. 6 in above its bed, which to that point will be its height. Above this, however, a parapet of 4 ft. 6 in. will be carried up. The main portion of the viaduct will consist of three arches, each having a 60 ft. span, their figure being that of a segment of a circle; their rise from the base line to the crown being 66 ft. Between these arches will be two piers, each 12 ft. in width, on the face of which are pilasters with moulded cap, &c., in the Grecian order of architecture. Each pier, including the cutwater at the base, is 54 ft. in length. At either end are abutments, each 78 ft. long, these will be arched over in the inside. The whole width of the structure over the parapet is 21 ft., over the pilasters, 37 ft., and at the base over the cutwater 54 ft. 

The total length of this immense pier of masonry over all is 360 ft., and will be built entirely of the blue-stone, now being quarried from the immediate vicinity of its construction. The first two courses for the foundations will consist wholly of blocks, each of not less than a ton, and many as much as 2½  tons in weight. The quantity of earth required to fill up the level of the line to the abutments is 30,000 cubic yards. The total cost of the whole work will be upwards of £40,000. In order to the safe construction of the work, and for raising and lifting up the immense blocks of stone, what is called an "erecter" must be prepared. This will consist of longitudinal and horizontal beams of Baltic timber, running the entire length of the work for the support, &c., of cranes. The cost of this work alone will be upwards of £1500.

Besides this, there must be the centres for the arches, pieces of work of no small magnitude. The mode of their construction, or their probable expense, however, is not yet ascertained, as a plan of the same must first be prepared and submitted for the approval of the Engineer in Chief. It is expected the first stone of this viaduct will be laid in about six weeks, from which period to its completion will occupy from a year and a half to two years. In furnishing this report I have to acknowledge the kindness and great courtesy shown me by Mr Alexander Kerr the superintendent of the works, who submitted plans to my inspection, and gave me every information he was enable to do.
(16)

Just a note that other newspaper reports sometimes published different measurements of the various components of the viaduct, but essentially you can understand the size of the structure from the figures above. 

The foundation stone of the viaduct was laid on October 25, 1859. The Mount Alexander Mail reported on the event -
Yesterday, the foundation stone of this viaduct was laid by the Hon. G. W. S. Horne, Commissioner of Public Works, in the presence of about 500 spectators, including a party of guests who had been specially invited from Melbourne. Among the latter were the Dr. Macadam, M.L.A., Mr. Sinclair, M.L.A., Mr. Derbyshire, Engineer-in-Chief, and Messrs. Green, Lord, Smith, Superintendent of Police Kent Hall, Throckmorton, Wilkinson, Mitchell (of De Pass Brothers.) and J. Watson, J. P., Messrs. Bruce, Urquhart (District Surveyor), Hull (District Engineer), Zeal (17) and Finlay were also present. The children of the National School marched in procession to the spot, proceeded by a flag on which were the words "Advance Malmsbury," and the utmost enthusiasm pervaded the large assemblage collected by the interesting nature of the proceedings. (18)

The report continued with a description of the foundation stone -
The stone, an enormous block of bluestone, weighing about two tons and a half, was then lowered over the hole, in which a bottle containing copies of the 'Mail' and 'Advertiser' had been deposited. A brass plate bore the following inscription - "Sir Henry Barkly, Governor. This foundation stone of the Coliban Viaduct was laid by the Hon. G. S. W. Horne, Commissioner of Public Works, the 25th Oct, 1859. G.C. Darbyshire, Esq., C. E. Engineer-in-chief of Victorian Railways, W. B. Hull, Esq., C. E., District EngineerCornish and Bruce, contractors." (19)  C.E is short for Civil Engineer.

Exactly one year later on October 25, 1860, Dr. Greeves, who was the newly appointed Commissioner of Lands and Survey,  performed  the ceremony of placing the keystone to the arch in the Coliban viaduct, (20) whilst in February 1861 the last stone was laid on the 27th of February, by a humble individual and without any demonstration (21) and the Viaduct was completed. 

 A year later, there was still some major work to be done on the line before it could be opened, as The Argus reported -
Only three obstacles of any importance now remain to the immediate connection of Kyneton (and of course Melbourne) with Castlemaine and Sandhurst, by a single line of rail. These are the heavy embankment at Malmesbury bridge over the Coliban, the Taradale viaduct, and the embankment at Castlemaine. (22)

The railway was opened to Castlemaine on October 15, 1862 and six days later to Bendigo (Sandhurst), on both occasions by the Governor, Sir Henry Barkly. To add to the festivities of the day, triumphal arches were erected on the Coliban and Taradale viaducts and the Elphinstone tunnel.  The cost estimate of the Viaduct in 1859 was £40,000, however a report in March 1861, noted the cost as £65,000. (23)

In August 1864, The Australian News for Home Readers would report -
this viaduct is one of the finest pieces of work along the whole extent of this line, about 100 miles, and as will be seen, it was designed strictly with a view to stability and strength, and but little architectural decoration has been bestowed in the finish of it. (24)  It also published the engraving below, based on a photograph of Alfred Morris, who took the photograph at the top of this post.



Engraving of the Coliban Viaduct, from a photograph by A. Morris.
The Australian News for Home Readers, August 25, 1864  https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/63170444/6162875


The Contractors
The contractors for the Viaduct and the railway line were the firm of Cornish and Bruce.- William Crocker Cornish and John Vans Agnew Bruce.  It was a massive project as these statistics provided by Cornish and Bruce attest, and these figures only relate to the work undertaken up to two years before completion  -
The Melbourne and River Murray Railway. - Statement of Work Performed to Date 25th October, 1859.- Cornish and Bruce, Contractors.
We have removed and deposited in embankment one million five hundred and ten thousand and sixteen (1,510,016) cubic yards of earth and rock ; we have provided two hundred and seventy-six thousand six hundred and forty-nine (276,649) cubic yards of ballast. We have set two hundred and twenty-four thousand five hundred and eight-nine (224,589) cubic feet of ashlar masonry ; likewise sixteen thousand seven hundred and thirty-four (16,734) cubic yards of rubble masonry. We have erected one hundred and twenty-five thousand six hundred and seventy (125,670) lineal yards of post and rail fencing. We have laid seventy-seven thousand four hundred and forty (77,440) lineal yards of permanent railway, weighing fifteen thousand four hundred and eighty (15,480) tons. We have removed and transported to place since the commencement of the works two million nine hundred and seventy thousand and twenty-five (2,970,025) tons of material, a distance averaging twelve hundred and sixty-one (1261 yards.) We employ four thousand three hundred and eighty-one (4,381) excavators and labourers ; four hundred and twenty-two (422) stone-cutters and masons ; one hundred and twenty-four (124) smiths and fitters ; and one hundred and eighty-nine (189) carpenters.; seven hundred and eighty-two (782) horses, three hundred and fifty (350) of which belong to the firm; likewise two hundred and twenty (220) bullocks for the cartage of timber ; and we have belonging to us, and in daily use, thirty-three (33) miles of temporary rails, upon which are worked five hundred and sixty-four (564) earth waggons. (25)

William Crocker Cornish (1815-1859)
William Crocker Cornish was born in Cornwall in 1815 and arrived in Melbourne in September 1852. In 1850s Cornish built a number of public buildings including the Melbourne Post Office in 1853; the Geelong Post Office and Customs House in 1855,  Parliament House in 1856 and Castlemaine Gaol in 1857.  In June 1858, he began the major work of his career. He had formed a partnership with John Bruce to tender for constructing the Melbourne to River Murray and the Geelong to Ballarat railways. The partners won the contract for the first thirteen sections of the Melbourne-Murray railway, to be built at a cost of some £3,357,000. (26)

Sadly, William died at the age of  44 on March 31, 1859, so he did not see the railway completed. The Age announced his death - 
We regret to have to announce the death of W. C. Cornish, Esq., of the firm of Cornish and Bruce. Mr Cornish has for a long time been suffering from a disease of the heart, which had latterly presented more serious and alarming symptoms, and yesterday, about half past five p.m., terminated fatally. (27) He left behind his wife, Jane, and six of their seven children. (28)

His funeral was reported on in great detail in The Age  -
The mortal remains of the late William Crocker Cornish were conveyed to their last resting place, in
the Melbourne General Cemetery, yesterday afternoon. The body was enclosed in three coffins. The inner one, made of wood, was lined with flannel and trimmed with satin ; the second coffin was composed of lead; and the third, or outer one, of cedar. It was covered with superfine black cloth and superbly mounted. The breastplate, of solid brass, contained the following inscription : - 
WILLIAM CROCKER CORNISH,
Died 31st March, 1859,
Aged 44 Years.
The procession moved from the late residence of the deceased at Brighton, at a quarter past one
o'clock, in the following order : -
Carriage containing Dr. Ford and the Rev. Mr Chase
Carriage containing Drs. Motherwell and Brownless.
Undertaker and Assistant.
Four Mutes.
Hearse and plumes, drawn by four horses.
Deceased's private carriage with closed windows, and the horses clothed with black trappings.
Four Mourning Coaches.
Mr Bruce's private Carriage ; the horses clothed with black trappings.
About Fifty Workmen on Foot.
About Fifty Carriages.
FĂ­fteen Persons on Horseback.
On arriving at the Cemetery the remains were conveyed to the grave, the procession observing the
following order : - The undertaker, followed by the Rev Mr Chase, the officiating clergyman, and Drs Ford, Motherwell, and Brownless. Next came four mutes, who were followed by the coffin. The following gentleman acted as pall bearers: Daniel Cleal, Esq.; -  Burgoyne, Esq.; J. Bignell, Esq.; - Stoddart, Esq.; - Darbysbire, Esq.; - Malleson, Esq.; - Mackenzie, Esq.; Jacob Cleal, Esq. The chief mourners were the deceased's three sons and Mr. Bruce. The coffin having been lowered into the brick vault prepared for its reception, the sublime service of the Church of England was pronounced over the dead by the Rev Mr Chase, and the mourners departed. The whole of the arrangements, under the superintendance of Mr John Sleight, of Collins street, were carried out in a manner befitting the importance and solemnity of the occasion. (29)

John Vans Agnew Bruce (1822-1863)
It was left to John Vans Agnew Bruce to complete the railway, after the death of William Cornish. John was born in 1822 in Edinburgh and arrived in Victoria in 1854 and started work in road construction. In 1858, as we saw, he won the contract for the River Murray Railway with his new partner William Cornish. John also died young, at only 41 on April 5, 1863, only six months after his work on the railway line was completed. He left behind his wife Margaret and four children. (30)


John Vans Agnew Bruce, 1863. 
 Incorrectly called Charles on the photo label.
Photographer: Batchelder & O'Neill. State Library of Victoria image H6059

John's obituary, with again comprehensive details of his funeral, appeared in The Age, and, again,  because I am fascinated by all these details, it is published here in full- 
MR. BRUCE'S FUNERAL.
The funeral of the late Mr Bruce, whose sudden demise, on Sunday morning last, caused such a painful sensation amongst his large circle of friends and acquaintances, look place yesterday. As might be expected, from the somewhat public position which Mr Bruce held, as the representative of the firm who had undertaken, and nearly carried out, one of the largest railway contracts in Victoria, and his private character as a man of generous sentiments, his funeral was one of the largest - if not the largest -and most influentially attended of any, being that of a private citizen, that has hitherto taken place in this colony. Members of the Ministry, of both branches of the Legislature, of the Civil Service, of the mercantile and trading community, and others, attended to pay their last tribute to the memory of one who had been so suddenly removed from a sphere of usefulness. 

On account of the large number of friends Mr Bruce was happy enough to possess, and the impossibility of sending invitations to all, it was wisely determined to dispense with that formality, and a general invitation through the newspapers was all that was given. The funeral cortege was appointed to leave the residence of the deceased at two o'clock yesterday, and before that hour a number of the deceased's most intimate friends assembled there. Mr Bruce belonged to the Established Church of Scotland, and the Rev. Irving Hetherington was the officiating minister. Before the corpse was removed from the deceased's residence, a funeral service was performed by that gentleman, and the coffin was then placed in a hearse, which was drawn by four horses, caparisoned in black cloth. The funeral procession was then formed, and proceeded on its way towards Melbourne. Many who had not been able to reach Essendon before the departure fell in on the way, and before the outskirts of Melbourne leading to the Cemetery were reached, there were no less than eighty eight carriages in the procession, and about a score more joined it afterwards. As Mr Bruce was a freemason, a number of the members of that body, in all about fifty, attended the funeral, and joined the procession at Parkside.

The following was the order of the procession :-
Freemasons representing the Lodges under the English, Irish, and Scotch Constitutions, dressed
in masonic costume.
Medical gentlemen.
Undertaker and assistant.
Four mutes.
Hearse and plumes, drawn by four horses, with head plumes and trappings.
The carriage of the deceased, closed.
Four mourning coaches.
About one hundred private carriages.
Gentlemen on horseback.
In the first mourning coach were the Rev. Mr Hetherington and the eldest son of the deceased, and following them, in carriages, were the Chief Secretary, the Attorney-General, Mr Hugh Glass, the Surveyor-General, Mr Stodart, Mr David Wilkie, M.L.C., Mr John Watson, Mr Zeal, and Mr
Septimus Martin. Mr Hummfray, Mr Frazer, Mr J. T. Smith, and Mr Edwards, M.L.A.'s, were also
amongst those present; Mr Smith as provincial grand master of the freemasons, under the Irish
Constitution, walking on foot with the rest of that body, and bearing the insignia of office. We noticed present, also, representatives of the Melbourne Corporation, the Sandhurst, Castlemaine and Essendon Municipal Councils, and of several Road Boards and other public bodies. The procession arrived at the gate of the Cemetery at about four o'clock, and, of course, but a small portion of those who composed it could gain admission, for while the first portion was within the grounds, the rear was a mile off. 

On arriving at the gate, the masons ranged on each side of the walk, and the hearse and mourning coaches passed through, and halted near the Presbyterian burial ground, where a grave had been dug, and a vault was in the course of preparation. The coffin was then removed from the hearse, covered with a pall of black velvet, and carried to the place where it was to be finally deposited. The pall-bearers wore the eldest son of the deceased, John Macfarlane, Esq., the hon. the Chief Secretary, the hon. the Attorney-General, the Surveyor General, Hugh Glass, Esq., J.P., John Watson, Esq., J.P., and James Stodart, Esq. Crowds of persons had gained admission to the Cemetery, and the way to the grave was thronged. 

On arriving there, the coffin was deposited in the grave, and Mr Hetherington delivered a simple and impressive prayer. On the rev. gentleman concluding, Mr J. T. Smith, P.G.M., read the masonic ritual over the grave, and the service then terminated. The inscription plate on the coffin bore the following : 
JOHN VANS AGNEW BRUCE,
DIED 5TH APRIL, 1863,
Aged 41 Years.
Part of the masonic formula was the placing of the deceased's apron on the top of the coffin, and that portion of the vault was then closed in with stone slabs. The remains of the deceased were in three coffins, the inner one being stuffed throughout with, horsehair, and trimmed with satin ; the second one being of lead, and the outer one of 1½-inch wood covered with black cloth, highly mounted. There has been no funeral - being that of a private citizen - which has caused so deep and wide-spread a sensation as that of John Vans Agnew Bruce. Even to those who knew him not in friendship, his name was so well known in his public capacity as the great railway contractor, that it is not to be wondered at that his funeral should have attracted so many spectators as it did yesterday ; and the large number of his friends who attended as silent mourners was a befitting testimony of their respect for the deceased's memory. (31)



Bridge at Malmsbury.
Image undated. 
Public Records Office of Victoria, Railway Negatives VPRS 12800 image H4211.


Malmsbury Viaduct, East Side, November 1, 1945
Public Records Office of Victoria, Railway Negatives VPRS 12800 image H3894

This is the story of the construction of the Coliban Viaduct and a look at the lives of the engineers, George Darbyshire and William Hull, who likely designed the structure and William Cornish and John Bruce, whose company was responsible for its construction. The Coliban Viaduct at Malmsbury is still standing and still part of the rail network.

Trove list - I have created a list of articles on the construction of the Coliban Viaduct and the men involved - George Darbyshire, William Hull, William Cornish and John Bruce. Access it here.

Footnotes
(1) Harrigan, Leo J. Victorian Railways to '62 (Victorian Railways, 1962)
(2) Harrigan, op. cit., p. 283.
(3) Weekly Times, March 12, 1898, see here.
(4) Harrigan, op. cit., p. 14.
(5) Weekly Times, March 12, 1898, see here.
(6) Werribee: the first one hundred years edited by K.N. James (Werribee District Historical Society, 1985)
(7) The Argus, March 7, 1898, see here.
(8) The Age, March 31, 1898, see here. Darbyshire had actually sold The Grange to Captain Percy Chirnside in 1895; the Chirnsides demolished the house and built a new house, Werribee Manor. The house site overlooked the Werribee River. I don't know what effect that had on the Will, but the thought was there on George's part. 
(9) Sources on Ancestry.com - Bristol, England, Church of England Baptisms, 1813-1922; England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1837-1915; New South Wales, Australia, Public Service Lists, 1858-1960. Sydney Morning Herald, March 25, 1868, see here. Harrigan, op. cit., p. 14.
(10) Border Watch, March 25, 1874, see here; South Australian Register, May 25, 1881, see here; The Express and Telegraph, November 1, 1881, see here.
(11) The Age, December 19, 1882, see here.
(12) Death Notice - The Argus, September 29, 1890, see here.
(13) Kyneton Observer, September 30, 1890, see here.
(14) Melbourne Punch, November 6, 1890, see here; Ancestry.com - Victoria, Australia, Cemetery Records and Headstone Transcriptions, 1844-1997  for Boroondara Cemetery.
(15) Mount Alexander Mail, August 30, 1860, see here.
(16) Kyneton Observer, May 28, 1859, see here.
(17) William Austin Zeal - like William Hull, also appointed to the newly created  Railways Branch on May 1, 1856 as an Assistant Engineer and Surveyor, under George Derbyshire. He later became a member of the Victorian Parliament - https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/zeal-sir-william-austin-1073
(18) Mount Alexander Mail, October 26, 1859, see here.
(19) Ibid.
(20) The Age, October 25, 1860, see here.
(21) Mount Alexander Mail, March 20, 1861, see here.
(22) The Argus, April 29, 1862, see here.
(23) The Herald, October 16, 1862, see hereMount Alexander Mail, March 20, 1861, see here.
(24) The Australian News for Home Readers, August 25, 1864, see here
(25) Mount Alexander Mail, October 26, 1859, see here.
(26) Maxwell, John  Cornish, William Crocker (1815–1859), Australian Dictionary of Biography  https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/cornish-william-crocker-3263
(27) The Age, April 1, 1859, see here.
(28) Maxwell, John  Cornish, William Crocker (1815–1859),  op. cit.
(29) The Age, April 5, 1859, see here.
(30) Maxwell, John  Bruce, John Vans Agnew (1822–1863),  Australian Dictionary of Biography  https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/bruce-john-vans-agnew-3094
(31) The Age, April 9, 1863, see here.

Wednesday, August 30, 2023

The Hunt Train and the Melbourne Hunt Club

 In 1850, George John Watson, the founder and first Master of the Hounds of the Melbourne Hunt Club arrived in Melbourne (1). His father, John, was the Master of the Carlow Hounds in Ireland from 1808 until 1869. George also bought with him from Ireland a few couples of fox hounds from his father's kennels. In 1853, George acquired the best of the hounds from the disbanded Werribee and Corio Hunts and the Melbourne Hunt Club was established. The hounds were kept at Kirk's Bazaar (2). Kirk's Bazaar was a horse bazaar (or sale yard) in Bourke Street, between Queen and Elizabeth Streets. It was established in 1840 by James Kirk, and later taken over by Watson. George Watson, also owned the I.Y.U estate on the Toomuc Creek at Pakenham from 1866 until 1884 (3).

In the late 1850s George moved the hounds to East St Kilda, initially in Dandenong Road and then to Alma Road (4). The Club later moved to Neerim Road in Caulfield, then in 1885 to Mount Derrimut or Deer Park. In 1897 the Club again moved, this time to Oakleigh, on land between North Road and Centre Road. It was at Oakleigh until 1929, when it relocated to Cranbourne (5).  

In April 1929, The Herald reported -
The Melbourne Hunt Club has purchased the Fenwick estate at Cranbourne and intends to keep the kennels there. The estate was formerly owned by Mr A. T. Creswick, master of the hounds, and is considered an ideal site. The surrounding country is suitable for hunting. There are large paddocks of cleared land. (6).  By the September the Dandenong Journal noted that  the Melbourne Hunt Club has installed its hounds in the new kennels, at Cranbourne, and the “music of the pack” is now a feature of the locality. (7)


Melbourne Hunt Club at Dingley 
Having made the Cranbourne district its new headquarters, the Melbourne Hunt Club met yesterday at the picturesque old church at Dingley, five miles from Dandenong, for another trial run with the young hounds. In the foreground with the pack is the huntsman (Mr. Norman Wood). 

The Club were forced to move from one location to another due to development - the empty paddocks of St Kilda, then Caulfield, then Oakleigh became housing estates and this was the eventual fate of the Cranbourne land. In 1996 the Hunt Club buildings at Cranbourne were demolished or removed  -  two buildings are now in Modella and being used as a private house (8) - and the area is now also covered in houses.


The Melbourne Hunt Club at Cranbourne, November 26, 1980. 
It was located on the east side of  Narre Warren-Cranbourne Road (Cameron Street) and the north side Berwick-Cranbourne Road (Sladen Street extension). The railway line bi-sects the photo.
Image: Casey Cardinia Libraries


The Hunt Club at Cranbourne.
Image: Casey Cardinia Libraries

The Melbourne Hunt Club, when it was located in Cranbourne, played a large role in the social and community life of Cranbourne and the surrounding area. As historian Claire Turner noted - 
A curious and compatible relationship developed between the local Cranbourne community and the
patrons of hunting who travelled up from Melbourne. They shared a love of the country and of sport. Horse people and other locals from surrounding properties joined in the club activities, rubbing shoulders with prominent politicians, visiting dignitaries and wealthy business people from the city.....The Club was a very established part of Cranbourne’s identity. There are many memories held by locals who had various involvements with the club, either as members of the Hunt, workers at the hunt complex or as children. Children from nearby properties loved to play at the grounds.
(9)


Window in the Oaklands Hunt Club building at Somerton.
Photo: Heather Arnold, November 2016

The Melbourne Hunt Club was one of four clubs operating in Melbourne at this time - there was also the Findon Harriers, the Oaklands Hunt and the Yarra Glen and Lilydale  Hunt (10). The Oaklands Hunt Club building, in Somerton, is now a reception centre. It consists of a mid 1870s homestead, Sherwood and a 1938 Tudor Revival style hall with six interesting etched glass windows with hunting motifs, including one of a fox with a hunting horn and a border which includes acorns. It is shown above.


The Hunt Train at Berwick Railway Station, July 11, 1927.
A2.800 on Hunt train at Berwick. Victorian Railways, photographer.
State Library of Victoria Image H1077

Before everyone had a car and a horse float participants in Hunts in the greater Melbourne area took the Hunt Train to the locations and I came across this photo (above) of the Hunt Train at Berwick in 1927. The Hunt Train not only took passengers but their horses and the hounds as well.


Notice of the Hunt train timetable

The earliest reports of Hunt Train which I can find is from 1883 (11). There was this interesting report from 1909, below, about this train holding up the regular trains on the Whittlesea line, on a Friday.


A complaint about the Hunt train

The Melbourne Hunt Club frequented Shires of Berwick and Cranbourne, even when they were based at Oakleigh. In July 1913, the Melbourne Hunt Club meet was held at Tooradin and Punch (12) had a page of photographs of the event (see them here and three are below)As there are photographs at both Clyde and Tooradin Railway Stations, the Hunt Train must have dropped their passengers - human and animal - at one town and picked them up at the other.  There were some high-profile participants including His Excellency Lord Denham, who was the Governor General of Australia from 1911 until 1914;  Sir Walter Barttelote and Lord Richard Nevill.  The Australasian reported on the tragic fate of Sir Walter Barttelot, who in October 1918, was cruelly assassinated at Teheran, while on special service as military attached to the British Legation in Persia. Sir Walter did fine service in France, whence he went to Gallipoli and Mesopotamia. He was the owner of Stopham House, near Pulborough, in Sussex, and is succeeded by his eldest son Walter, a lad of 14. When Lord Denman was Governor-General of Australia, Sir Walter was a member of the staff, as military secretary and with Lady Barttelot. (13)


The sartorially splendid Sir Walter Barttelote and Lord Richard Nevill, about to board the train, possibly at Flinders Street, for the Melbourne Hunt Club meet at Tooradin.
Photographer: J.E. Barnes. Punch, July 10, 1913 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article176547827

Lord Richard Nevill, who died in 1939, aged 75 was -
The fifth son of the first Marquis of Abergavenny, Lord Richard Nevill was private secretary to the Lord President, of the Council, the Earl of Cranbrook. Subsequently he was private secretary to the Governors of South Australia and Victoria, chamberlain to successive Governors-General of Australia, and controller of the household of the Duke of Connaught and the Duke of Devonshire, Governors-General of Canada. As a member of Victorian and Commonwealth vice-regal households, Lord Richard Nevill, tall and immaculately dressed, was an outstanding figure in the social life of the country for many years. He was educated at Eton and Magdalene College, Cambridge, and was a keen hunter and golfer. (14)


Members of the Melbourne Hunt Club at Clyde Railway Station, including Lord Denham, the Governor General of Australia.
Photographer: J.E. Barnes. Punch, July 10, 1913 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article176547827


The Melbourne Hunt Club leaving Tooradin Railway Station
Photographer: J.E. Barnes. Punch, July 10, 1913 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article176547827

The Herald reported on the Club in 1924 - It hunts over the wide-stretch of country lying between Beaconsfield and Clyde, and meets are hold regularly twice a week during the season - this year probably on Tuesdays and Thursdays. On an average some fifty members attend on each day, and many citizens of Oaklelgh have witnessed the picturesque scene when the hunt train draws in, and the clamoring, eager hounds are placed aboard by the huntsman and his assistants. It is the hounds, with their expressive faces and beautiful eyes, that usually attract the greater attention by the way, though fleeting glances are also thrown at the scarlet clad human beings (15). 

There was another report of a hunt in September 1927 in The Australasian, which started at Andrew Chirnside's property, Edrington at Berwick. It went from Berwick to Beaconsfield to Officer and if you know where Brunt Road and Rix Road is, it will give you some idea of the route taken by the Hunt -
Hounds were then taken on to the Cardinia Creek, which was worked from Lecky's crossing. Hounds found a fox in Abbott's, and pushed him through the timber into Marsden's, over Pound road, to Boag's. Here bounds took some little time to bustle their fox through the thick tea-tree, but at last got him away to the open on the Berwick side. Leaving the creek hounds ran through Boag's into Nixon's and May's, but here the fox turned back and crossed the Cardinia Creek to the sand pits. The pack ran up-stream for about a mile, then swung right-banded through the pipe works into Stevens's, where they turned in the cultivation and beaded for Brunt's. Travelling at a great pace hounds streamed across Brunt's flat into Jones's, where they crossed a lane into Rix's, and headed for Officer station. Heavy rain began to fall, and as hounds ran through a mob of cattle, they were at fault. Swinging on their own cast they hit off the line once more, and rattled through Rix's up to Officer road into C. Greaves's, where they were again in trouble in the crop. The heavy rain seemed to wash away all traces of scent (16).

On May 28, 1928, the Melbourne Hunt Club was at Berwick, and The Australasian had the following photographs, including the chaotic scene at the Berwick Railway Station.


Melbourne Hunt Club at Berwick 
The Australasian, June 2, 1928 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article140811089


The Hunt Special, c. 1920s.
Image: Mrs G. Moore's collection from Hounds are Running: a history of the Melbourne Hunt by Heather B. Ronald (Lowden Publishing Company, 1970)

The fact that they hunted during week days meant that the average working person could not participate as they were at work. Hunting was an activity for the well off. The same Herald article from 1924, referred to above itemised the costs involved in hunting -
The average citizen knows comparatively little of this "Sport of Kings' - which is not at all surprising, in view of the fact that the average income is strictly limited. To hunt regularly during the season will cost a man at the very least £5 per week, and this is doing it cheaply. There is no difficulty in spending twice or thrice that sum if desired, and a fairly heavy investment of capital is required at the start. A suitable horse, for instance, may cost anything from £50 and upwards - often upwards. There are, indeed, a few "one-horse men," but the average hunting follower keeps two animals, and there are some even who use five or six. In addition, there is the hunting kit to be purchased - no small item, so that the would-be fox hunter must be prepared for a big outlay.

In any of the good stables the horse will cost about £3/3/ a week for keep, and to this the expense of taking it on the train to the various meets has to be added. Furthermore, the hunt club subscription, may be £10/10/, for the season, and there are sundry incidentals to be paid for, so that, taking it all round, hunting is not a cheap pastime; but it is a fascinating one, and the delights of an eight to fifteen miles run in the keen winter air across open country have been sung by poets and described by writers innumerable....the value of the hounds at Oaklelgh varies from £35 to £100 per animal
(17).

The Hunts were an activity in which many women participated with the men. The names of the participants of the 1927 Hunt from Edrington at Berwick was listed in the report and there were 32 men listed and 23 women - Misses Moira Pennefather, on Phillip; Geraldine Pennefather, Dell; Daisy Farrell, Menander; Hylda McCardel,Clark's Chance; Ursula Syme, Red Harry; Fairlie Hagenauer, Little Rocket; Marie McKinnon, Simon; Betty Bayles, Snip: Margot Anderson, Albury; Violet Farmer, Rubicon Lad; Jess Mackenzie, Jemba; Gwen Johnston, Rocket; Fairlie Lyon, Harmony; Noel Lyon, Ansaldo; Lorna Embling, Delteetim; V. Jordan, Refrain; Violet Turner, Bonnie Lass; Jean Demergue, Redcap; Joan Sewell, Judy; Betty Sewell, Hazel; Suzanne Sewell, Sam; Edith Churchill, Greygown; Violet Richardson, St. Leonard (18).



These women are off to the Hunt, organised by the Findon Harriers. The photo gives you an idea of the outfits which were required to be worn.
Original caption: Misses L. Warner, D. Foster and D. Clarke arriving at Spencer Street station to catch the special hunt train to attend today's meet of the Findon Harriers at Epping.


Hunting also appeared to be an activity enjoyed by young and old. There was a report in The Herald in June 1933 of a meeting of the Findon Warriors -
Foremost among the riders was one of the oldest huntsmen in Victoria. Mr H. C. Pennyfather, riding Bogie, is more than 70, but had travelled from Berwick for the day's sport. Little Isabel Bunting, aged 5, was the youngest follower. On a shaggy pony she had ridden four miles with her father to the meet (19). It would be unlikely that it would be accepted that a five year child should ride with a hunt these days, as the whole aim is to chase down and kill a fox, however these were different times. Mr Pennyfather was Hugh Claude Pennefather of Ardsley, Clyde Road in Berwick, he died in February 1951 at the age of 87 (20).

 

The Whip and the Hounds: Mr Jack Snowden, the Whip of the Melbourne Hounds, waiting for the special hunt train which left Oakleigh today for Pakenham.

The last report I can find of a Hunt train was in 1936 (21). By then, more people would have had cars and it appears by the mid 1930s horse floats became more common (22). So the sight of horses and hounds waiting at railway stations for the Hunt Train became a thing of the past.


The Melbourne Hounds met at Lyndhurst on June 11. The Master (Mr A.T. Creswick) and the Secretary (Mr Norman Wood) are here seen waiting with the hounds for the train at Oakleigh.
The Australasian, June 16, 1923 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article140745736


Trove lists
I have created a list of articles on Trove on the Hunt Train, access it here; as well, I have created a short list of articles about the establishment of the Melbourne Hunt Club at Cranbourne in 1929, access it here.

Footnotes

(1) There are various dates reported as to Watson's date of arrival in Melbourne and also his year of birth. His obituary in The Leader of July, 14, 1906, see here, says he arrived in 1851 and that he was born in 1831. His obituary in The Herald of July 11, 1906, see here, says he arrived in 1851 and had been born in 1828. His Australian Dictionary of Biography entry, see here, says he was born 1829 in Ballydarton, County Carlow, Ireland, and arrived in Melbourne in March 1850. Watson died July 11, 1906 and his death certificate, under George John Watson, records that he was 80, which makes him born in 1826 and had been in Victoria for 55 years, which means he arrived about 1851. His death certificate also said he was married at the age of 24, to Sarah Jane. I have a marriage certificate of a John Watson to a Sarah Jane Townsend - the marriage took place on August 20, 1850 at St James Church of England in Melbourne. James' death certificate lists eleven children.
(2) This information about the Melbourne Hunt Club and George Watson comes from Hounds are Running: a history of the Melbourne Hunt by Heather B. Ronald (Lowden Publishing Company, 1970). The direct quote about the fox hounds coming from Ireland is on page 6. Interesting book and well indexed, the book is worth tracking down if you have an interest in hunting.
(3) Read George Watson's Australian Dictionary of Biography entry, here. The author says that he owned I.Y. U from 1872 until 1884. I believe he purchased it 1866, see this article in The Herald, April 6, 1866, here and The Leader of April 7, 1866, here. He certainly owned it in 1867, Ovens & Murray Advertiser, July 25, 1867, see here. I.Y. U. was sold to the Staughton Brothers in 1884 (Weekly Times, August 23, 1884, see here.)
(4) Mrs Ronald writes on page 6 of Hounds are Running - that They firstly moved to a site in Dandenong Road near the junction with Wattletree Road, where the low-roofed sheds which housed them were a land-mark known as the 'old kennels' long after the Melbourne Hounds moved to new quarters. The new kennels were built in Alma Road East St Kilda about 1859 on land purchased from John Callow. They were situated on the south side of the road, on the face of the hill, east of St Kilda Cemetery, between what is now Alexander Street and Lansdown Road, and extending back to Inkerman Road. On the four and half acres of land was a small wooden house, stables and kennels. The boys school 'Cumloden' was afterwards built on the site. which is now covered by blocks of modern flats.
(5) Hounds are Running: a history of the Melbourne Hunt by Heather B. Ronald (Lowden Publishing Company, 1970).
(6) The Herald, April 23, 1929, see here.
(7) Dandenong Journal, September 26, 1929, see here.
(8) 1996 date - Claire Turner - see Footnote 7; Hunt buildings removed to Modella - Information from Mavis Martin, Modella resident; https://www.realestate.com.au/sold/property-acreage+semi-rural-vic-modella-132870694
(9) Cranbourne: a town with a history published by the City of Casey in 2001. Access it on-line here https://www.casey.vic.gov.au/historical-publications  The section written by Claire Turner (now Sandell) starts on page 8.7 of the Recreation chapter; Graham Facey has also written his memories of the Hunt Club at Cranbourne, starts on page 10.6 of the Appendixes and on page 10.14 is a list of the Masters of the Hunt Club.
(10) The Herald, May 10, 1924, see here.
(11) See my Hunt Train Trove list, here.
(12) Punch, July 10, 1913, see here
(13)  Lord Denham - Burnie Advocate, June 26 1954, see here. Sir Walter Barttelotte - The Australasian, January 11, 1919, see here.
(14) The Age, December 4, 1939, see here.
(15) The Herald, May 10, 1924, see here.
(16) The Australasian, September 3, 1927, see here.
(17) The Herald, May 10, 1924, see here.
(18) The Australasian, September 3, 1927, see here.
(19) The Herald, June 9, 1933. see here.
(20) Mr Pennefather's obituary was in the Dandenong Journal of February 21, 1951, see here.
(21) See my Hunt TrainTrove list, here.
(22) Shepparton Advertiser, June 6, 1935. Interesting article which starts with the transport of racehorses by motor horse boxes has now become a specialised business in most of the leading centres of the world. Read it here.

This is an expanded version of a post, which I wrote and researched, which appears on my work blog, Casey Cardinia Links to our Past