Reg Lindsay was one of the first foresters to graduate from the Victorian School of Forestry at Creswick in 1912. He was also a member of the famous Creswick artist family and brother of Norman Lindsay, the author of The Magic Pudding. Sadly, Reg was killed instantly in France with four other soldiers while queuingContinue reading “Reginald Graham Lindsay.“
Category Archives: People
Norman Leonard Boston.
Norman Boston was one of the first to attend the Victorian School of Forestry at Creswick in 1912 as nursery staff. He was born in Daylesford and enlisted in the 59 Battalion AIF (#2578) in 1916, at a relatively senior age of 38 and 7 months. He embarked on the Shropshire in September 1916 andContinue reading “Norman Leonard Boston.”
Frederick Anderson.
Frederick Anderson was born on 15th July 1893 in Buangor, which is between Ballarat and Stawell. He enlisted for military service with the 14th battalion on 14th September 1914 and remained until 10th May 1919. He was one of the first to join up and his service number was 545. His occupation before enlistment wasContinue reading “Frederick Anderson.”
Reginald Ingle.
Reg was born at Beechworth in 1899 and entered the forestry school at Creswick in 1915. It’s reported that he, along with many others, struggled with his subjects and was required to sit supplementary exams. At the time, nearly half of the intake failed. The Board blamed students and the staff for the poor results.Continue reading “Reginald Ingle.”
Frederick Conrad Weickhardt.
Frederick Conrad Weickhardt was born in Clunes in February 1899. Con as he was known to his family, was one of nine candidates to pass the entrance exam into Victorian School of Forestry (VSF) at Creswick in April 1913. Like another of his fellow students who went off to the war, David Kennedy Galbraith, FrederickContinue reading “Frederick Conrad Weickhardt.”
Charles William Watson.
Charles was born in Majorca near Maryborough in 1895 and entered the Victorian School of Forestry (VSF) in 1913 as one of the first student intakes. He was also a member of the Creswick 71st company militia. Charles graduated in 1915, and in February 1916, he enlisted in the 59th Battalion (#1769) aged 20. CharlesContinue reading “Charles William Watson.”
James Lees Shaw.
James joined the 29th Battalion on 12 July 1915 at a relatively senior age of 44 and embarked from Melbourne aboard HMAT Ascanius on 10 November 1915. A native of Stawell, he lived at Brimpaen and worked as a forest officer in the Wartook and Murra Murra state forests on the western side of theContinue reading “James Lees Shaw.”
David Kennedy Galbraith.
David Kennedy Tener Galbraith was born in Bendigo in October 1896. He was living in Heathcote when he was one of nine candidates to pass the entrance exam into Victorian School of Forestry (VSF) at Creswick in April 1913. David is not listed as having graduated from the school, but his name is on theContinue reading “David Kennedy Galbraith.”
William Ritchie.
William Ritchie was a from a forestry family. His father, James Stewart Ritchie, trained as a crown land bailiff in the 1890s at Creswick under the now famous John la Gerche. William was born at Glen Park near Ballarat in 1895 and was one of the first students to enter the Victorian School of Forestry (VSF)Continue reading “William Ritchie.“
Robert John Leslie Kerr.
Robert Kerr was born in 1885 as the eldest son of Robert Kerr (senior), the assistant head teacher at the Prince of Wales State School in Northcote. Kerr later gained both First and Second Certificates from the Teacher Training College and was appointed junior teacher at Victoria Park in Collingwood, later becoming assistant at Armadale.Continue reading “Robert John Leslie Kerr.”
Reginald Dennis Hall
Reginald was born on 12 February 1900 at Heathcote. He joined the Forests Commission when he was 16 and transferred to Ferntree Gully. On 25 April 1917, when he was only 17 and 3 months, he enlisted with the 23 Battalion of the AIF (# 6866A) by forging his father’s signature because he was stillContinue reading “Reginald Dennis Hall”
Albert Jacka VC.
Perhaps Australia’s finest fighting soldier, Albert Jacka has the honour of being the first Australian to be awarded the Victoria Cross during WW1, the highest decoration for gallantry in the face of the enemy. Albert Jacka is also one of twenty employees displayed on the Forests Department’s Roll of Honour that hangs at the BeechworthContinue reading “Albert Jacka VC.“
Remembrance.
Friday 11 November is Poppy Day. Over the next week or so I shall post short stories about some of the men from the State Forests Department* and the Victorian School of Forestry that served. I can find some of their military records in the National Archives and the Australian War Memorial, but there areContinue reading “Remembrance.”
Russell Grimwade Prize for Forestry.
Wilfrid Russell Grimwade was born in 1879, knighted in 1950 and died in 1955. He led a remarkable and diverse life by any measure. He was a chemist, botanist, industrialist and philanthropist. He also had a passion for science, appreciation of art and sense of obligation to the community. An early motoring enthusiast he wasContinue reading “Russell Grimwade Prize for Forestry.”
Donald Stewart Thomson.
Is Don… Is Wood… Don to many, and Thommo to just about everyone else, Don Thomson was a timber man, and a legendary forester’s forester. Thommo was born in Lilydale on 25 March 1942 and his earliest years were spent with his grandmother on a poultry farm in Bayswater, while his father Norm served inContinue reading “Donald Stewart Thomson.”
Greendale – 1983.
Des Collins & Alan Lynch. Between 1979 and 1983 almost all eastern Australia was affected by a major drought. Throughout Victoria, in the 12 months prior to January 1983, rainfall was less than 70 % of the long-term average. The summer of 1982-83 is best remembered for the Melbourne dust storm on 8 February, followedContinue reading “Greendale – 1983.”
Lost Children’s Tree.
On Sunday morning, 30 June 1867, a group of young children from Connells Gully near Daylesford wandered into the bush past familiar shallow gold diggings to look for wild goats. William Graham, aged 6½, his brother Thomas, 4 years 3 months, and Alfred Burman aged 5, crossed Wombat Creek and headed towards Muskvale. But whenContinue reading “Lost Children’s Tree.”
A. W. Howitt.
Alfred William Howitt (1830-1908) had an impressive and many faceted résumé as expert bushman, explorer, natural scientist, geologist, botanist, public servant and pioneer authority on Aboriginal culture and social organisation. Like thousands of others, Howitt arrived in 1852 to make his fortune in the Victorian gold fields, with modest success. But it was here thatContinue reading “A. W. Howitt.”
Victoria’s Forests & Bushfire Heritage 