Phyllis Bromby.

Phyllis Bromby was born on 10 April 1888 in Armadale as the daughter of Edward Hippius Bromby and Jane Nodin.

The Bromby’s were a well-educated, middle-class family living in early colonial Melbourne which brought many important social and professional connections. Her father was the first librarian of the University of Melbourne, and her grandfather, The Rev. John Bromby, was the founding Headmaster of Melbourne Grammar.

Sadly, Edward’s wife Jane, and their ten-year-old daughter Dorothea, both died within six months of each other in 1888. So, at the age of 41, Edward became a widowed father with two sons and a baby daughter, Phyllis.

However, his appointed at Melbourne University brought stability into Edward’s life and he later remarried Edith Browne in 1892 and moved to Heidelberg.

The prominent Melbourne landscape artist Walter Withers and his family also settled in Heidelberg and his daughters, Gladys and Margery, became close friends with Phyllis, a keen photographer who documented family life.

Earlier in about 1874 Edward had taken up a selection of land at Gembrook, which served as a retreat for his family. They also had the means to travel, and Phyllis continued to photograph her many adventures including forest scenes in the Dandenong Ranges. Some of her famous photos are in the State Library.

Phyllis died on 16 July 1978 in East Malvern, aged 90.

Photos: State Library of Victoria.