Golding Albert

In about 1955 Mr. Albert Golding of Heany Park Road wrote the following notes about Rowville’s history for the benefit of Helen Coulson who was collecting material on which she based her book ‘Story of the Dandenongs’

Albert Golding came to Rowville in 1918 at the age of about 18 after he and his younger brother William had saved enough money to put a deposit on a twenty acre block of land in Heany Park Road. Albert and William brought sheets of corrugated iron from Dandenong and with these constructed a makeshift shelter against a tree. They lived in this for some time before building a weatherboard hut in which they lived for seven years. With a borrowed plough they began to work the soil to turn the 20 acres into a productive market garden.

Albert’s story was told in the article ‘Jean Dunscombe Remembers’ published in the May and June 1991 editions of the News. (Jean was Albert’s niece.)

Albert apparently wrote at least seven pages of notes but only pages 3, 4 and 7 have survived. I have made some amendments and added several footnotes to make Albert’s notes more understandable.
Bryan Power
The Dandenong and Middle Creeks

The Dandenong and Middle Creeks was the then boundary to a big portion of ‘Kilcatten Park'[1]. Across the creek on the west side is Mulgrave. In those days of the early 1900s it was a great pleasure spot for Picnics as they used to come in Horse drawn Vans and Drags from the nearby suburbs as Prahran. The creek itself was more in its natural state than what it is now, the Silver Wattle and the ti-tree grew to the water’s edge. Also the fish seemed to be plentiful – blackfish, speckled trout, eels.

Early names I remember in Rowville

The Rowville corner[2] – Nicholas Bergin he was the blacksmith for the shoeing of the horses and a great meeting place for the district. Opposite lived his brother Matthew Bergin and his sons Nick and Ned – they did contract work for the then Council such as carting of metal for the roads. There was a soft metal quarry on ‘Kilcatten Park’ (present day where the old Rowville Camp[3] was held). Another quarry in those days was at the foot of the hills on ‘Wakool'[4]. It was a blue metal quarry (present day Mr. Durant’s property adjoining Heany Park). I may mention Heany Park later. A blue metal (quarry) was begun in a corner of the then old Police Paddocks about 1912 or 13 for the Shire of Dandenong, A tramline was built to Stud Road on which horses pulled the trucks into the quarry and out and finally the metal reached Dandenong by traction engine. Eventually the metal proved to be unsuitable and was closed down to reopen at Ferntree Gully, an old landmark to be seen today.

Going back to some more of the early identities. Michael Sutton on Stud Road (now Mr. Exner’s[5]), the Gill family, Taylors, Stewarts, Fred Hill, Jim Neylan, Edsall Hibbeard and the Sealys of then ‘Hynam Park’ (now ‘The Pines’, Mr. Hicks’ property[6]). A Public School was erected on Hynam Park by Mrs. Sealy about 1907. It was the Lysterfield School. A good many children attended the School for some years and finally it was burnt down about 1914. Adjoining ‘Hynam Park’ was ‘Lightwood Park’ or the ‘Triangle'[7]. Opposite was the Barry’s Hills[8] and Barry’s Cutting. Nearby today Mr. Ron Stewart’s quarry is situated.

Heany Park and the Lysterfield Pipe Line

It being the Town of Dandenong Water supply before the Lysterfield Bunyip scheme came into use about 1933 or 34. The old Belgrave Reservoir and the one at Rowville and the pipeline must have been laid down in the early 1880, it being sufficient for the Town of Dandenong in that time. In about 1913 a 12 1/2acre site was purchased from the Stewarts, Andrew and William, as they owned the property the price being about 120 pounds for the 12 1/2 acres to build a reservoir – a third reservoir on the pipeline for the Dandenong Water Trust[9]. The building of the Dam took about 6 months to complete it being dug out by horses and scoops. It gave the Town a better supply and pressure for many years. Then it came under the Water Commission. Eventually the water was classed as irrigation and stock use only. About 1939 it was taken over by the Shire Council[10] to be retained in the District. From then the Reservoir and reserve became known as Heany Park[11]’ and became a very popular picnic ground and Swimming Pool of which I have been caretaker for the Shire Council past 14 years. In all I have seen its many changes.

A. A. Golding
1. ‘Kilcatten Park’ was located south of Wellington Road and extended to the creek. The land was first owned by a wealthy cigar merchant, Julius Politz. who grew tobacco on the property. Albert’s father and grandfather worked on Kilcatten Park.

2. Nick Bergin’s blacksmith’s forge was at the southeast corner of Stud and Wellington Roads.

3. This was the Military Camp (1942-43) and later the POW Camp (1943-46) located on the southwest corner of Stud and Wellington Roads.

4 ‘Wakool’ was so named by its previous owner, Sir William Angliss. The property before that had been called ‘Mountain Gap’ when owned by Edward Barry.

5. Ehrenfried Exner’s property is now the site of the Stud Park Shopping Centre

6. ‘The Pines’ extended over much of what is now the Silkwood Rise Estate and the Palms Estate

7. The triangular area presently bounded by Wellington, Kelletts and Napoleon Roads.

8. Now known as the Lysterfield Hills. Edward Barry was the first settler in the Lysterfield district. He purchased 440 acres from the Crown in 1856.

9. The land was bought by the Dandenong Water Trust in 1892.

10. The Ferntree Gully Shire Council.

11 Named for Tom Heany, the FTG Council shire engineer.

PHOTOS

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 From Edward novotny (17 Oct 2004)

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