Moonee Valley Family & Local History Blog

The Moonee Valley Library Service has a new biography Grand Obsessions : the life and work of Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin. Walter Burley Griffin won an International competition to design the nation's capitol Canberra. The book investigates their early life in the United States and the influence of American architect Frank Lloyd Wright in developing their philosophy on the role of the environment in their architectural practice, their time spent in Canberra and the challenges of taking creative ideas and a vision into the reality of a built environment. Walter Burley Griffin's experiences in Australia have striking similarities to another architect Jorn Utzon who also won an International competition for the design of the new opera house in Sydney in 1957.

Communication between families and friends prior to the telephone, telegrams and the internet was in the form of letterwriting, Australia Post has selected 200 significant letters that reflect what life was like for Australians from 1809 to 2009, this is part of their bicentenary activities in celebration of Australia Post. The letters have been collected from cupboards and files from all over the country and brought together in an interactive timeline and archive. You can view the Top 200 Letters and the Letters Archive of letter submissions, some of these letters are from prominent Australians of the past such as the artist Arthur Streeton to a more recent request in February 2009 from a year 6 student at Eagle Junction State School in Queensland for merchandise from Australia Post and lots of letters from soldiers at war. Searches can be made by categories from Friendship/Marriage/Romance, Migration, War, Science/Technology/Research/Innovation and lots more. If you are interested i...

The topic for the next Australian Institute of Genealogical Studies Inc. meeting will be "Indexing Your Family History" speaker Mary Russell. The venue is the Moonee Ponds Courthouse, Kellaway Avenue, Moonee Ponds commencing at 8pm. A.I.G.S. members - free; Visitors - $3.00, light refreshments served where you can discuss family history. Any queries phone Terry A.H. 9376 7637 or jump on the website for the A.I.G.S.

Wills, which were proved in the Welsh ecclesiastical courts before the introduction of Civil Probate on 11th January 1858 have been deposited in the National Library of Wales . Over 190,000 Welsh wills have been digitised and are now available on the Library's website or direct on our online catalogue and are free to view.