How things have changed

Discovered during the re-carpeting works at the Horsham Library, were some old photo prints. Unfortunately the backs of the prints were blank and they had no documentation with them – so no title, description or dates.

Some were reasonable easy to identify. One particularly interesting one was this.

It took a moment to orientate oneself to work out it would have been taken from the old Post Office tower looking east south-east to the old 298 School. Works out it was part of a larger panoramic of Firebrace Street looking south.

It is possibly easier to understand it as a ‘now and then’. The ‘now’ is a composite of two photos taken from in the State Government Offices (in 2016 as part of the Art Is tour, and why there is a bird-net over the images).

Here is another of the same panoramic scene from the Post Office tower, taken at a later date, spot the changes – the brick St Michael & St John, rooms & buildings added to the school, the Methodist Church is also brick and the Jubilee Hall has been built, and the Presbyterian Church has a tower.

Further investigation was needed to calculate a date, or range of dates for the old photograph, and to ascertain the fate of some of the buildings depicted.

The Water Tower

The brick tower in McLachlan Street was built in 1875 when Horsham’s water was pumped from the Wimmera River. The original steam boiler pumping station was at the end of Baillie Street and fed water up wood-staved pipes to the tower till 1911. In May 1933 Horsham’s water came from Lake Wartook via the Mount Zero station. The new gravity-fed supply did not require the tower to provide pressure, so the Council staff dismantled it. The tower was approximately 15m high.

From "The story of Horsham", with captions added

The current concrete water tower at the corner of Mill & Gertrude Streets was erected in 1956 as suburbia extended into the higher ground to the north & west.

In McLachlan Street showing the Water Tower, the State Government Offices & the Post Office

The Power Station

Prior to the SEC (State Electricity Commission) when Horsham generated its own electricity, the power station was next to the water tower. Power arrived in Horsham in 1955, and it was connected to the state grid in 1958. The SEC built their offices (now the CFA offices) on the power station site.

298 School

Horsham School No.298 began as a National School in January 1857, in a two-room dwelling previously used as a private school. Richard Spry built the new one-room school and four-room residence on a site on the west half of the block of land bounded by Wilson, Hamilton, Urquhart & McPherson Streets. In 1862 the Horsham National School became Common School No. 298, but the school buildings were overcrowded and dilapidated beyond repair. In 1874, 2 acres were reserved for a State School. In 1877 a new school was built on land enclosed by Roberts Avenue, Urquhart and McLachlan Streets, however the brick building of 2 large rooms was overcrowded from the outset. In 1878 a verandah was enclosed to make 2 extra classrooms. In 1880 a further 2 rooms were added, and another in 1890. In 1902 a dead-end corridor was enclosed as another room. In 1929 the school was remodelled and a new section constructed of Mt Gambier stone. A brick building (one of the 3 main buildings), which housed 3 grades, library and staffroom was demolished in 1966 and replaced by 4 prefabricated units. The Police acquired part of the 298 site in 1967. In 1970 there were 13 classrooms, library, art-craft room & remedial room. 298 was re-established on a site in Baillie St East at Sunnyside in 1975 when half the children were still taught at Urquhart Street.

298 looking from Urquhart Street, with the Court House in the background

The 298 school buildings were demolished and a new complex - Civic Centre (for both the City of Horsham & the Shire of Wimmera) and the Department of Education’s Regional Office – was erected on the old school site. The new Police Station & Commissioner’s Residence opened in May 1980, 2 months after the Civic Centre.

Wesleyan Methodist Church 

The weatherboard Methodist Church (Turner postcard)

The original 1876 weatherboard building was moved to the corner of Roberts Avenue (then Splatt Street) & Urquhart Street in 1882 by a team of 24 bullocks & 2 horses. A new timber building was erected in 1902. 

The brick & timber buildings (Williams postcard)

A new brick building opened in 1912 and the old weatherboard building was turned to face Roberts Avenue. In 1924 the Church celebrated its Jubilee with the opening of a new Sunday School Hall. In 1936-41 the front of the Church was rebuilt, the chapel enlarged & new porches added. It joined the Uniting Church in 1976, but services were still held there in the 1980s. It became the Wesley Performing Arts Centre who added a new foyer & kitchenette to the facade.

The brick church & Jubilee Hall (Palamountain postcard)

St Andrews Presbyterian Church 

The Presbyterian Church prior to the tower (Rose postcard)

A small brick church was erected in 1860 at the corner of Pynsent & Urquhart Streets. In 1874 the building was condemned & demolished. A new McKenzie Creek stone church & manse were built in 1875. It was enlarged in 1928 with a tower & porch added. 

The church with its tower & the Masonic Temple behind (Valentine postcard)

The stone church building was demolished in 1962 and the current building opened in Nov 1963 utilising the original stone on all exposed walls. 

St Michael and St John's Catholic Church

The first Catholic Church was wooden structure, erected in 1876. It was situated in the middle of the block bordered by McLachlan Street and Splatt Street. It was placed across the block running east to west. In 1913 a new red brick Church facing Roberts Avenue was opened and the old church building became the school. The current church was opened in 1987, and again the old building was used by the school, till it was demolished in 1997. 

S.S. Michael & John's Church with the Presbytery to the left & the Convent on the right (Rose postcard) 

The Court House 

The Court House & Police Station to the left (George Ryan postcard)

The first Court House was in Darlot Street in 1849. It then moved to a timber building in Splatt Street (Roberts Avenue) in 1860-62. The timber building was replaced by the colonial-style two-storey building in 1879. 

The Police Station with a front verandah, the Court House & 298 school (Real Photograhic Postcards)

In turn this was demolished and the current building erected on the site in 1967. 

 Court House from '"Horsham in focus"

So when was the mystery photograph taken? We can narrow it down to between 1902 and 1912.

It all comes down to the Methodist Church. The timber church building is in Splatt Street, and is yet to be moved and replaced by the brick building.

We welcome any further information on the buildings or dates, in the Comments section.

Sources: “The story of Horsham” by Brian Brooke & Alan Finch;  “Horsham in Focus: 1849-1999” by Noelene Jenkinson;  Australian Christian Church Histories (https://www.churchhistories.net.au);   “Greetings from Horsham: Picture Postcards from the Past” (http://greetingsfromhorsham.au);  Trove newspapers.

Home in the Glen

"Former restaurant and residence in Horsham 'Glen Logan' on the market

If you head along Dooen Road in Horsham, there's an imposing two storey red-roofed homestead that will probably catch your eye.

That's Glen Logan, a historic house which has been a major landmark in the city's east for almost one hundred years.

It has connections to several prominent Wimmera families (the Boltons, Langlands and Cranages) and has recently been put on the market.

The agent in charge of the sale, Gerry Smith, told ABC presenter Rebekah Lowe about the history of Glen Logan."

Article and audio from ABC Wimmera Radio.  Audio here

Photos from HRE Horsham Real Estate

Have seen some beautiful wedding photographs taken at Glen Logan back when the front facade of the building was covered in Boston ivy. 

Have been to functions, even presented functions there - Glen Logan is an institution in Horsham, and hopefully it will get a buyer with plans to continue the tradition.

Nigh on the end

Another local landmark building sold recently - the Ni Ni Well Lutheran school/church. This one comes with a video and a chance to see what the inside of the building is like.

A Beautiful Historic Canvas

This property is situated on 2 lots being approximately 3.78 acres in total and is set amongst a picturesque rural tall timber setting.
Lot 1 features the stately Ni Ni Well School which is a once in a life time opportunity to purchase a prestigious property which oozes rich history and character commencing from approximately 1893. The standing school which is a substantial concrete building with stunning pioneer features and character from yesteryear was founded on 15th July 1923. Inside the building offers formal entry room including authentic air vent shutters to cool the building on summer days. The main class room is vast in size boasting large blackboard, open fire place, 2nd entry/exit door, alluring timber ceiling and an abundance of windows. There is also a concrete smaller hut located on the property in need of repair.
Lot 2 is the site of the Ni Ni Well Lutheran Church from circa 1883 and all that remains today is a monument and sign. The property was sold in Sep 2022.

(from the RealEstate.Com people)

Looking south-west from in the main room (RealEstate.com)

At the main entry, to the schoolroom, space between the 2 is for the wall vents (RE.C)

A video of the property from WestTech AG

Ni Ni Well the Lutheran congregation was organised in 1873. The Zion Lutheran Church 1883-1973 opened in a buloke & mud building which was dedicated in November 1886, and rebuilt and enlarged in 1889. A weatherboard church was built in 1906 and the Lutheran School moved into the old church building. The concrete building was erected in 1923 and opened as the school in 1924. Church services moved to St Paul's Church at Woorak, till it closed in March 2022.

Ni Ni Well Lutheran Day School No. 805 opened in a room of the teacher’s residence across the road from the church in 1893. When the new church opened in 1906, the school moved into the old buloke & mud church building. A new concrete school building was erected in 1923. The Lutheran school closed at the end of 1929.

The schools plaque

Ni Ni Well State School No. 4500 opened in 1932 in the former Lutheran Private School, as the old Lutheran School building was closed, and leased by the Department on 17.5.1932, the adjacent residence was also leased. Blackboards came from the closed Angip School in April 1948. A shelter shed was built in 1943. Owing to a small enrolment, the teacher was transferred to No. 2541 in May 1952 and it was unstaffed from February 1953, and the school officially closed in April 1955. The furniture was moved to Woorak No. 2246. The lease with the Lutheran Church Trust was terminated in May 1955. 

Court adjorned

The old Lillimur Courthouse building has been up for sale for some time, and now according to Domain has been sold.

The Court of Petty Sessions first met in June 1884 in the Mechanics Institute. The Courthouse was built in 1887 and used as a courthouse till June 1892 when the Attorney-General closed the court permanently due to insufficient transactions and sessions were then held at Kaniva. In 1913 the building was utilised as the Lillimur Post Office when the Post Master General transferred its 'semi-official' post office to the courthouse, rather than construct a new building. The Post Office function closed after 1980.

Lillimur Post Office & Courthouse building (Domain 2022)

Property Description

Situated in the township of Lillimur along the Western Highway, and on the edge of the SA border is this quaint building with rich history in need of major restoration. Located on a spacious block measuring approximately 1037m2 is the Old Lillimur Post Office and Courthouse. Requiring a mammoth amount of repair, this unique building has striking character features making the property instantly recognisable and the dwelling has been restumped. The interior walls have numerous amounts of graffiti and majority of the window glass is broken. The property currently has no kitchen or bathroom facilities and no services connected and is zoned farming.

Inside has been heavily graffitied and majority of it has been blurred in the photos as some may find it offensive. Westech Real Estate accept no liability for individuals who access the property on their own accord with the risk of injury that may occur if care is not taken. There are also signs of termite damage, it is recommended buyers conduct their own due diligence.

Property History

Sold in April 2000 for unknown price. Sold in Sep 2017 again for unknown price. Sold in Jul 2022 for $29,000. Now in Jan 2023 sold for $40,000.

Lillimur Courthouse & Public Hall (SLV)

Domain states:

A dilapidated property has fetched $40,000 from a stoic buyer, after a campaign that urged potential buyers to do their own “due diligence”.

The property at 31 Commercial Road in the rural town of Lillimur in Victoria had an asking price of $49,000 and requires a “mammoth amount of repair”, the listing says.
Pricefinder data shows the home was snatched up just shy of price hopes on January 10.
Listed by Westech Real Estate, the two-bedroom, one-bathroom property was formerly the Old Lillimur Post Office and Courthouse and it is one of Australia’s cheapest houses on the market.
Agents Joanne Perkins and Sophie Pritchard have been very honest in the listing, warning potential buyers that they “accept no liability” for those who view the property on their own volition, as there is a risk of injury “if care is not taken”.
The exterior needs major work with rotting wood, termite damage and broken windows, and the interiors aren’t any better.
Walls feature copious amounts of graffiti with “offensive language” blurred out in the photos by the agents, as well as loose floorboards and lone bricks.
The property is also uninhabitable in its current state with no kitchen or bathroom. There is also no power.

In fact the uninhabitable/dilapidated building has been tidied up from an earlier neglected state.

Side view, Jan 2008

Same view 2022, Domain

With ivy in 2008                                       Ivy removed, Domain

The 3-room building with its central chimney has been restumped & the worst of the weatherboards removed. There is still heaps of work to be done by the new owner regardless of the use they intend to make of it.

Thankfully it has been saved from possible demolition.

Location, location

A short film by Matthew Bird has captured a number local iconic locations around the Wimmera and Mallee.
'Parallaxis' is an abstract 16-minute psychological sci-fi film, with 2 'future characters' (played by Ashleigh McLellan and Lilian Steiner) who move across the landscape pushing & controlling large cylindrical instruments that survey & map the terrain.

Bosisto's Eucalyptus Distillery ruins

The terrain in question is recognisable as the site of Bosisto's eucalyptus distillery at Antwerp, the wind farm at Murra Warra, the Stick Shed at Murtoa, and Lake Tyrrell at Sea Lake.

Passageway, Stick Shed

The film follows two augmented humans as they "investigate their possible archaic genealogy in a Wimmera past. Arriving temporarily and somewhat unexpectedly in the now, the inquisitive duo put their surveillance face-halos to work: observing, recording, archiving ephemeral moments and navigational discoveries as they speed through the landscape. Their biomechanically engineered apparatus are cross-fed into the telemetry of the full-body gyrocompass each visitor operates. Systems in systems, wheels within wheels, spin-axis atop spin-axis, each revolution another attempt to locate and momentarily fix a collective bearing in space and time".

'Our Free Library"

Neilson biography by Hugh Anderson & Les Blake

The Minimay Hall Committee is organising John Shaw Neilson commemorative events for the 19^th October. There will be poetry readings by school children and members of the John Shaw Neilson Society, and an official dinner in the Soldiers Memorial Hall, with the unveiling of a Neilson portrait by Ron Penrose.
John Shaw Neilson was born on 22 February 1872 at Penola, South Australia, eldest son of Scottish-born John Neilson bush-worker and selector, and his wife Margaret, née McKinnon. Known as Jock, he attended the local school for less than two years and as a small child worked as a farm labourer for his father.

The Neilson's cottage originally at Penola, now re-constructed at Nhill

In 1881 John Neilson senior and his half-brother Dave Shaw joined the South Australian farmers making the long trek by wagon over the border to take up selections under the Victorian Land Act and were each allotted 320 acres north of Lake Minimay.
In the first year on their Minimay selection, the Neilsons cleared 6 acres and ploughed, sowed and harvested by hand, but after deducting the money owed to the storekeeper found they had made £7 from the crop. Impoverished and bankrupt, they were forced to seek station work to exist, and only devoted their spare time to the selection where the family lived in a crude mud-plastered house for eight years. Neilson Senior asked for extensions to pay the annual rent year after year, until in 1888 the storekeeper foreclosed.

The John Shaw Neilson monument at Dow Well

By June 1889 they had shifted to Dow Well, a few miles west of Nhill. Although he did his share of clearing and working the land, Neilson found time to wander the swamps and woodlands as a keen observer of nature, gathering eggs and listening to birdsongs, foraging for mushrooms, and tracking wild bees, and for some months went to school at Dow Well/Tarranginnie East State School in 1885-86, leaving when he turned 14.
Neilson and his father generally worked as farm-hands, timber-cutters, or roadmaking workers for the Lowan Shire council, but were also staunch unionists when shearing. Both belonged to the local literary society, and both won prizes for verse in the Australian Natives' Association competitions in 1893. Neilson Senior was a published bush poet, who appears to have started writing verse when he was about 30, and contributed to local newspapers and Adelaide Punch. He won another prize for verse in 1897, but achieved his widest popularity in outback shearing sheds with a song, 'Waiting for the Rain'. Although he lacked 'the outstanding poetical genius of his son', he was a writer of some achievement in the face of a lifelong bitter struggle for existence and little schooling; his verse was issued in book form, The Men of the Fifties, in 1938.
John Shaw Neilson wrote the poem 'Our fee library' about the Nhill Library.
Frank Shann, editor of the Nhill Mail, printed verse by Neilson for some years. Most was conventional and undistinguished. The family moved into Nhill in mid-1893, still deep in poverty and existing on municipal contracts and farm work, but by May 1895 they were on the road again travelling north to take up a scrub-covered Mallee selection near Lake Tyrrell, which had to be rolled and burned and grubbed before ploughing and sowing.
With poor health from heavy labouring work and failing eyesight Neilson moved to Melbourne, where he was employed by the CRB (Country Roads Board) in 1928.
John Shaw Neilson died on 12^th May 1942 in Melbourne.

The Minimay Hall Committee is encouraging former school students to attend the celebrations. For more information and/or to book contact members: Geoff Carracher (53866261), Jenny Chenhall (0416264113) or Dick Smith (53866241).

Melbourne comes to Stawell

All images by Abandoned Melbourne

At the beginning of the month Abandoned Melbourne, (a Facebook page who visit & photograph derelict buildings & sites of general public interest, and share the images so you don't have to take the risks going to these places) obtained permission to record at Pleasant Creek in Stawell. Here are a sample of their images, and their history of the site.

Their images have created a time capsule of the site after its closure and before any re-development.

In 1861, the Pleasant Creek Hospital opened as a medical facility for the population of Stawell and district. The Syme Ward building for convalescent patients was added in 1904.

In 1933, the facility was replaced by a newly-built hospital in the town of Stawell. In 1934, the Mental Hygiene Department acquired the old Pleasant Creek Hospital site and converted it to accommodate children with disabilities, which became Pleasant Creek Special School. 

The first residents (18 boys) were admitted in 1937 from Royal Park Depot.

At the end of 1937, there were 98 children living at Pleasant Creek. In 1968 it was renamed Pleasant Creek Training Centre, caring for people with intellectual disabilities.

From the 1950s to the 1980s, there were several building developments:

1957, Lonsdale Unit expanded capacity to 113
1969, Bellfield and Fyans Units increased numbers to 196
1977, Alexandra Unit converted to recreational and lecture room facility.
1977, Day Centre, Nurses' Home and Clinical Services Administration buildings
1985, Nara Unit closed for renovations and residents moved to the previous staff living quarters.

Interior of the Lonsdale/Bellfield/Fyans unit.

During the 1980's, Pleasant Creek Training Centre housed up to 140 male and female residents, aged 10 to 45 with mild to profound levels of intellectual disability, in five residential units and four on-site houses. Services were aimed towards community repatriation. The Centre provided respite care to residents from the local community and used generic services from recreational to medical.

The Concert Hall

The Intellectually Disabled Persons' Services Act 1986 abandoned the previous ‘medical model’ that defined disabilities as illnesses, for a ‘care model’ based on the philosophy that the disabled should not be ‘warehoused’ in institutions, and care of intellectually disabled persons was reallocated to the Community Welfare Services Department.

In 1986, the Centre had about 160 residents, each client now had to be given opportunities to realise his or her full potential. General and individual service plans were created to direct each person’s development. 

In 1988, the report commissioned on Intellectual Disability Services recommended the dismantling of institutions for the disabled, to be replaced by smaller facilities. It recommended that Pleasant Creek be closed by 1993, which did not eventuate.

In 1990, an independent inquiry was ordered into allegations of sexual assault at Pleasant Creek. In response to the “Jude Wallace Report” (as it was known), Community Services Victoria and Pleasant Creek Training Centre developed mechanisms which lead to improved systems for the reporting of incidents & improved standards of service delivery.

 From 1990, Pleasant Creek provided residence, education and training facilities for 113 intellectually disabled people of varying ages from late teens to mid 50's.

In 1996, the Victorian government announced the impending closure of Pleasant Creek, in favour of 'community living' options for its residents, and the facility closed in 1999.

Thank you to Pleasant Creek for letting Abandoned Melbourne freely explore the hospital, and thanks too to Abandoned Melbourne for the visual record. Follow along on Pleasant Creek’s Facebook page to see the works being done and future dates for tours.The buildings are currently being cleaned up to be a business & tourism hub.

Then check out Abandoned Melbourne’s Facebook page, there are many more photographs on their Page, and they don’t just limit themselves to Melbourne (the Profile pic is at the Sister Rocks near Stawell).

Butter factory spreads

Back in July 1893, the Horsham Town Hall was the venue for a meeting calling for the establishment of a shareholder butter factory in Horsham.

Following the promise of milk from 300 cows, cream from a Natimuk factory, and Burnt Creek and Green Lake district support for the supply of cream, the dream was realised.

On 11th October 1894 the Horsham Butter Factory was officially opened by the Mayor Cr W.F. Osborn. Built for £1,350 a “commodious, sightly and highly convenient building” was erected on the corner of Hillary and Urquhart Streets.

As a butter factory, milk arrived in cans on suppliers’ carts, it was hoisted to the upper storey, weighed, and run into a large receiving tank. The milk was then conveyed to the separator for the cream and buttermilk (the buttermilk was pumped by centrifugal pump to tanks at the rear of the building for sale or return to suppliers). The cream went to a large Cherry churn, where salt was added, then it was washed and pressed into pats. The factory’s power came from a Tangye vertical engine.

The Opening ended with 3 rousing cheers for the Horsham Butter Factory.

Move on many years and diary and butter production has declined across the region, and the factory building becomes the Horsham Italian Social Club. In the post war years the building was a centre for many migrant Italian families. About 120 families were involved with the club at its peak. The building was important for the Italian community who migrated to the Wimmera in the 1970s and 1980s.Members of the Italian community would come together to play cards and socialise, but now many have passed on or moved away. The building was used for weddings, birthday parties and other functions.

Now, the property includes a large building with a formal entrance that leads to a hall. The building has a commercial-grade kitchen, bar and restrooms. And the Club felt that the time had come to sell the building and to donate the money from the property’s sale to charity.

From Wimmera Mail Times: Former Horsham Italian Club treasurer Lorenzo Manserra Photo: Elijah Macchia

On 20th April the building went to auction, and in negotiations afterwards it was revealed that the Horsham Table Tennis Association has found a new home.

After years of searching for a permanent place and playing out of the Maydale Pavilion at the Showgrounds, the Association has purchased the building, for an undisclosed price.

The Association’s president Leon Forrest said the purchase was a big move forward in helping grow the association’s numbers and viability, as it had grown out of the facilities at the Maydale Pavilion.

 “We want the place to be for the community. We cover all age groups, from juniors to seniors, and we want to provide a hub for enjoyment.”

“The place will be used for our tournaments, think seven to eight tables can fit in. The dance studio currently uses the building, but they are looking at other options for what the space could be used for, eg. other community clubs that want to hire or rent it.
The Association are holding a Community Open Day on Sunday 24th from 2pm to 4pm.

So the Butter Factory gets another lease on life.