Moonee Valley Family & Local History Blog

You may have noticed that over the last few weeks most Mondays on this blog we post about a local mystery. We call it History Mystery Monday. The mysteries we'd most like to answer are Moonee Valley History Mysteries, particularly the mysteries members of our community might have been wondering about, as I explain in this short video. So send us your #MooneeValleyHistoryMysteries (posted to comments below, emailed to librarian@mvcc.vic.gov.au or shared on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. And perhaps get ready to help solve some mysteries too.

Last year a new local history group specifically focused on the local history of Airport West launched. They will be meeting regularly at the Bowes Avenue Community Centre, as well as sharing a newsletter with members. Get involved by attending the next meeting: Tuesday 4 th February at 1.45pm, at Bowes Avenue Community Centre, 27-32 Bowes Avenue Airport West. For more information contact the group via email to: oneonone79@gmail.com Photo of Westfield Airport West, 1977 ( https://twitter.com/oldshopsoz/status/1054680262137663493 , originally posted by Westfield Airport West on Facebook)

As part of the upcoming Seniors' Month Festival we're hosting an event to collect stories and reminiscences about the local area. Have you lived in Moonee Valley for a long time, or do you know someone who has? Do you remember milk being delivered by horse and cart in Essendon? Or have interesting reminiscences of your primary school in Niddrie? Was your street completely different, and maybe you have some photos you could share with us? Or perhaps you want to tell us about your Mum and Dad, and what life was like for them back when you were just a kid? Whatever your story, if you think it adds to a picture of the history of Moonee Valley we would love to hear it - and perhaps even record it to be added to our collection for use by researchers of the future. Bring along your stories, reminiscences, photos or souvenirs - and and appetite for afternoon tea. Plus we'll have some interesting items from the library's Community Heritage collection to share with you too. M...

A library visitor has told us that the couple in these unidentified wedding pictures might be Fred and Ann (or Anne) Dundas of Wellington Street, Flemington. I've been able to find out a little about the Dundas family. They lived in a grand house on Wellington Street named "Misteria" in the 1890s. Frederich was born in Mansfield in 1855, and became a wool and skin trader. Fred and Ann/e married relatively late, and had about three children. Ann/e is believed to have outlived Fred, living into her 90s. I haven't been able to find is any pictures of Fred and Ann/e to confirm it they really are the couple in our photos. If there is anyone out there who could confirm that this is (or isn't) Fred and Ann/e Dundas, please contact the library . And please, if you know anyone who maybe knew the Dundases, please share this post! Also, if you'd like to see more of the "unidentified photos" in our collection, and perhaps help identify some of the peop...

This image shows the Moonee Ponds Methodist Football Club of 1914. Two players, Sid Latimer and Cecil Seccombe, have been identified , but Lenore Frost is trying to identify the rest of the players, particularly any who may have enlisted in the First World War, for her database of local volunteers, The Empire Called and I Answered . The team were most likely drawn from the congregation of the Moonee Ponds Methodist Church, (formerly the Wesleyan Church) of Gladstone Street, pictured below. Picture from The Building and Engineering Journal , November 22, 1890. Julia

Do you remember milk being delivered by horse and cart? If you've lived in Essendon awhile, it's not unlikely that you do. Remarkably, the Tighe family who ran the Lincoln Park Dairy, were still making milk deliveries in Essendon with a Clydesdale driven cart until 1987, decades after horse-drawn deliveries had ended in most suburbs! The National Museum are now preparing an exhibition about horses in Australia that will feature the Tighe's yellow cart. And Essendon Historical Society members provided information and memories about the Tighe family milk delivery service that Museum staff found so fascinating they decided to make a documentary featuring them which will be part of the show. Painting of Princess and Pat Tighe delivering milk in Essendon, by Susan Dowling, ( from the Magic1278 blog ). You can read more about this story, and see a wonderful image of the Tighe's horse and cart, in the Moonee Valley Leader of 27th January 2014 (page 11). Congratulat...