Mrs Percival Crouch nee Salome Russell. Born in England and married Percival Crouch, a fruitgrower, in 1888. They lived on an orchard in Williamsons Road, Doncaster and later moved to Shepparton. They had three children. Salome Crouch died in 1950. DP0671
Shire councillors 1900 -1911. Collection of photographs supposed to be of councillors and officers of the Shire of Doncaster as well as a photograph of William Thomas, the Shire Secretary (pictured above). The photos were originally mounted together in a frame with the following lettering. "A Souvenir of the Coronation, June 22, 1911 [of] King George V and Queen Mary. Presented to the Doncaster Council by the President A. J. Zerbe, J.P." The photos were mounted on a rectangular piece of cardboard, with three oval-shaped cutouts for Crs Crouch, Tully and Clay on the top, three rectangular cutouts in the middle for Crs Cronan, Zerbe and Robinson, and three oval-shaped cutouts for the Council Officers namely Messrs Thomas, Demole, and Jenkins at the bottom. | The cardboard mount was brought to Schramms Cottage in July 2014 by Mrs Judith Leaney, and was recognised by Ken Smith as probably being the mount for the photos that had for some time been kept in a white Ilford photo box and labelled "Councillors of the Shire of Doncaster c1900." | NB. Although Tom Petty's photo was included in the box referred to above, it appears by reference to the History of Doncaster and Templestowe by E.G. Keogh, that Tom Petty was not a member of the Council of the Shire of Doncaster at this time.|Jamie Solo, records manager at City of Manningham Council, informed Ken Smith in 2014 that William Thomas was Secretary of the Shire of Doncaster from December 1900 to his resignation for health reasons in November 1917. | Crouch, Henry|Petty, Tom|Robinson, John Herbert|De Mole, [Treasurer, Shire of Doncaster]|Cronan, John|Tully, John|Clay, Henry John Crossman|Zerbe, August Johann|Jenkins, John Shanks [Engineer, Shire of Doncaster]|Thomas, William [Secretary, Shire of Donca | DP0765
Doncaster Primary School Rounders Team c1910. 6 seated and 6 at the back. Only seven out of the twelve have been identified by the donator of this photograph. The photographer was W. Edmends, 302 Edward Street, East Brunswick. | Doncaster Doncaster Primary School|Grade photographs|Whitten, Dulcie|Bloom, Gladys|Corbett, Adeline|Fahey, Monica|Crouch, Rita|Smith, Ollie (=Olive?)|McGahy, Ruby|Edmends, W.|Scanned images | Edmends, W. | DP0767
Doncaster Primary School Grades 5 and 6 c 1910. 4 rows and 12 girls and 14 boys, no teacher present. The photograph was taken by W. Edmends, 302 Edward Street, East Brunswick. | Doncaster Doncaster Primary School|Grade Photographs|Fahey, Monica|Corbett, Adeline|Whitten, Dulcie|Smith, Ollie|Lambert, Edie|Tully. Gertie|Neale, Clara|Crouch, Rita|Williams, Hugh|Hillman, Eric|Crossman, Len|Crossman, Norm|Bogle, Claude|Scanned images | Edmends, W., 302 Edward Street, East Brunswick | DP0768
Henry Crouch, orchardist, of Williamsons Road Doncaster. He was a son of Henry William Crouch who purchased a property in Doncaster about 1863 and settled there and became one of the earliest fruitgrowers in the district. Henry Crouch married Marion Longmuir and had a large family. He eventually owned 99 acres of orchard in Williamsons Road. | Crouch, Henry|Crouch, Henry William|Crouch, Marion|Longmuir, Marion|Williamsons Road|Scanned images | DP0825
Doncaster Central Cricket Team c.1930 at the start of the new season following its premiership in C Grade in the late 1920s. Mr Fred Zander, the only member of the team alive as of Nov 2007, states the photo was taken at the East Doncaster Cricket Ground in Andersons Creek Road [near Shafter's orchard]. Albert Fromhold was captain of the premiership team. On the day this photo was taken, Ron Cousins played for East Doncaster. Dave Heaphy was the son of the licensee of the Doncaster Hotel, and the rest of the team were from well-known local families, except Billy Willis who lived in Box Hill. | Fred Zander was born in 1912 and in this photo he appears to be about 18. | East Doncaster Cricket Ground,Andersons Creek Road Sports|Cricket|Cricket teams|Doncaster Central Cricket team|Zander, Frederick|Zander, Albert|Cousins, Ron|Clay, Vern|Petty, Clive|Miller, Albert|Craze, Harold|Fromhold, Albert ('Pat')|Willis, William ('Billy')|Heaphy, Dave|Crouch, Stanley|Scanned images | Darge Photographic Co., 360 William Street, Melbourne | DP0850
Henry William Crouch
My great-grandfather, Henry William Crouch, came to Doncaster in 1863. He was one of the main people who started the Church of Christ in Doncaster. For years there was this old photo of him with a big bushy beard in the old church hall, which was the original church building, and if anybody new came to Sunday School or church Fd say, “That’s my great grandfather”. I was always proud of this man with his big bushy beard’. Henry Crouch was also the patriarch of one of Doncaster’s pioneer orcharding families who continued to work as orchardists in the district through several generations, and the Church of Christ remained a focus of family and community alike: 'We had Harvest Thanksgiving at the church and the orchardists would give boxes of beautiful fruit to be displayed. There was a prayer of thanks giving for the fruit harvest and on the way home we’d hear Mum and Dad talking about the various fruits on display. Of course we always thought Dads fruit was the best fruit there, because they always gave their best fruit. It was a bit o f a sacrifice for the orchardists because they didn’t have a lot of money, but the fruit used to be donated to very poor families in Melbourne’.Henry William Crouch
Pruning
As a child Olive Crouch-Napier helped out at pruning time. She sometimes used to gather up the cuttings from hundreds and hundreds of trees that had to be pruned and put the sticks into a heap. Then, as an adult, Olive and her brother Harry, and sometimes even their fiances, would be coopted to help protect the cherry crop from birds: cOn the back hill we had cherries, you see, so there’d always have to be somebody looking after the cherries. Dad had a thing that you pulled up and down - it was a funny old car horn - and we’d run this horn and frighten the birds away. We really had to keep the birds off the cherries or they’d eat and ruin the crop in no time.’Cool Store
Olive Crouch-Napier recalls her childhood impressions of the cool store: £I remember they had big trolleys and the cases of fruit would be put on the big trolleys and would be wheeled in and they had their allotted place where they kept apples or whatev er until there was a better price at the market perhaps. It would be so cold for kids. Our noses and our hands would get so cold we’d have to go outside even in the colder weather. Oh, it was lovely and warm when you came outside.’
Olive Crouch-Napier, interview, 5 June 2001. Olive Crouch-Napier, interview, 5 June 2001 quoted in Pertzel, Barbara & Walters, Fiona 2001, Manningham : from country to city, Arcadia, Melbourne
Another orchard at 180 Williamsons Road, Doncaster, still actively being farmed by the Morrison-Crouch family in the early 1990s, is now subdivided and mostly built on.
Context, City of Doncaster and Templestowe Heritage Study p66; updated information courtesy Eric Collyer, personal communication, 4 June 2001 quoted in Pertzel, Barbara & Walters, Fiona 2001, Manningham : from country to city, Arcadia, Melbourne p70
Dulcie Crouch also vividly remembers the events of Black Friday: 'When the 1939 bush fire went through Warrandyte our fruit was ruined, the house was alight three times. The phone lines were down but J.J. Tully and his nephew Bunty arrived at 3 a.m., the earliest they could get through, as J.J. was concerned about us and wanted to make sure we were all right.’
Dulcie Crouch (nee Adams), questionnaire, 7 June 2001 quoted in Pertzel, Barbara & Walters, Fiona 2001, Manningham : from country to city, Arcadia, Melbourne p89
One of the busiest and most successful of the first gardeners, Henry Crouch, had to build his house at night because he couldn’t afford the time during the day. His son Henry held a lamp for him to work by. Needless to say, the boy kept going to sleep...
Green, Irvine & Doncaster-Templestowe Historical Society 1985, The orchards of Doncaster and Templestowe, Doncaster-Templestowe Historical Society, Vic 64p, p17
Miss Irene Crouch - Through Shadowed vale
Members of our Society will be saddened to learn of the death on Friday, 1st July, of Miss Irene Crouch.Rene, as she was affectionately known to her many relatives and friends, was a member of a well-known and greatly respected pioneer family of this district.
She was the eldest daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Bob Crouch, and lived all her life in East Doncaster. Her mother, Laura Crouch (nee Beale), was a member of another well-known and highly respected Templestowe family.
Rene attended the East Doncaster State School and was closely associated with the Back-to-School celebrations held in 1973. She worked hard to raise funds for the building of the East Doncaster Hall in 1932. In recognition of her dedicated work for the Doncaster Auxiliary of the Box Hill and District Hospital she was made a life member in 1972.
p186 community Ref
Rene joined our Society in 1970 and served for a time as a member of the Committee. "She took a keen interest in the work of the Society generally, and we are most grateful for the valuable information and photographs given to us by her family.
We remember Rene, also, for her wonderful sense of humour. Our sympathy goes out at this time to Vi and other members of her family.
1897 08 DTHS Newsletter
Mr. H. Crouch claims to have grown the first beans. For these he found a ready sale, at a time when vegetables were very scarce in Melbourne. He also gives a description of a load of market produce taken in by him. On top of a load of sawn timber (worth 10 pence per cwt.), he carried 150 gallons of milk, 1 gin case of butter (40 lbs.), 1 kerosene case of eggs, and sometimes half a pig.
1968 05 DTHS Newsletter Extracts from Miss Serpell's history, written in 1930
Among the early settlers discussed was Henry William Crouch, who settled at Doncaster in 1862 after having previously resided in Richmond. Henry and his wife, Sarah, came to Australia in 1852 under the Caroline Chisholm scheme in the ship "Scindian" for £14/5/-. Mrs. Menkhorst, their grand-daughter, showed a receipt, 118 years old, for the fare.
Mary Stace writing in 1970 04 DTHS Newsletter
Henry Crouch used to be away from school for four, and later, six months each year. By the time he was sixteen and a useful worker, he was kept away from school for nine months.
The Story of Education - Pt3 in 1973 08 DTHS Newsletter
When two Crouch boys on a walk borrowed Councillor Angela Booth's boat without asking permission, she sent one of her men to bring it back leaving the boys on the opposite bank.
Muriel Green writing in 1973 11 DTHS Newsletter
There was a problem with schools in farming areas. Many families needed their children to help in the home or farm and during fruit picking time so many children were away that sometimes classes were held in the evening. In 1870, Schramm reported that Ida Whittig, age 13, had been absent for 18 months; Mary Anne Pentland, age 15, had been absent for 4 years; and Henry Crouch, age 16, had been away for 6 months.
Irvine Green writing in 1991 12 DTHS Newsletter
W J H Read and Elva J. Read, 326 Church Road Templestowe 3106 writing for the 1979 02 DTHS Newsletter on 1/71978
....a rose taken from the original plant 7 brought out from England in the 1850's by the Speers family and given to the satiety by Miss Violet Crouch.
1979 08 DTHS Newsletter
Mrs Enid Menkhorst - Through Shadowed Vale
Mrs Enid Menkhorst, who died recently at the age of 85 years, was a life member of our Society. Born at Doncaster in 1892, she was the daughter of Percy and Salome Crouch and grew up on the family orchard in Williamsons Road at a time when fruit growing was well established in the district.
Mrs. Menkhorst attended both Doncaster and Templestowe State Schools, and after her marriage lived at Shepparton where she was actively involved in the work of the Country Women's Association for many years. She was a person who was endowed with particular gifts and abilities in the realm of handcrafts. She joined the Doncaster and Templestowe Historical Society in 1967 and as a foundation member was very actively involved until advancing years made it impossible for her to continue to attend meetings.
Mrs Menkhorst wrote an account of her childhood years at Doncaster in which she recalled not only much of the happiness and joy of those days but also something of the difficulties and hardships. For such records as these, our Society is indeed grateful.
1977 11 DTHS Newsletter
In 1863, Bro. H. W. Crouch, of the Carlton Church of Christ, settled in Doncaster and was keen to form a Church of Christ. He obtained a list of names of Baptists, and among the names was that of James Read. The first meeting of the Doncaster Church of Christ was held on the 30th August, 1863, at Bro. Porter's home, and those present were: Bro. H. W. Crouch, Bro. and Sister Porter, Bro. R. Taylor, Bro. J. Read, Sisters Jane and Sarah Lawford, and Bro. J. W. Webb.
Old Scholars Reunion - 1904
Many people have asked about the old photograph in Schramm's Cottage of a dinner in the Athenaeum Hall, Doncaster. A large cake on the main table gives the impression of a wedding reception.
The secretary of the reunion was Mrs. Laurie Smith and the committee consisted of J. Aspinal, B. Toogood, E. Thiele, J. Whitten, E. Lawford, P. Crouch, A. Zerbe, H. Crouch and H. Thiele.
1979 05 DTHS Newsletter
....a rose taken from the original plant 7 brought out from England in the 1850's by the Speers family and given to the satiety by Miss Violet Crouch.
1979 08 DTHS Newsletter
The Avenue of Honour
In 1920 right through the suburbs of Melbourne, War Memorials were being built. Honour Rolls being erected and Avenues of Honour planted.
Among the children who took part in the ceremony in 1920 were Beatty Beavis, Doris, Jack & Ron Burrows, Rupert Zerbe, Vic Crouch, Emmy Daws, Cliff Forest and Ida Sell. Beatty Beavis planted a tree for Henry McKinley and the name on tree guard in the picture is Malcolm S. Kennedy.
1986 09 DTHS Newsletter
During the first years, when land had to be cleared so that farms and orchards could be planted, firewood saved the settlers, for sales of wood provided their only income. In the early years, wood carting became a general industry with as many as eighty loads of firewood leaving the district each day. Some of it was sold privately at Kew or Melbourne, but most went to the Fitzroy wood market. Prices varied from four pence to one shilling per hundredweight.
They would set off from Doncaster in the morning for the long trip. After climbing two steep hills they reached Kew, the horses ready for a rest, the men ready for refreshment at Pickerings restaurant. It was evening by the time the men returned. The drivers grouped the carts together for company passing the time by singing such songs as "Annie Laurie", "Kathleen Mavourneen", "Little Brown Jug" and "Bonnie Noon". Among the noted singers were Edwin Nilson, Henry Crouch, Frank Smedley and George Holden.
The firewood industry declined by the end of the century for the land had all been cleared.
1988 09 DTHS Newsletter
When the early pioneers first came to Doncaster, their initial activity was to carve a space out of the timber on which to erect their humble homes. Practically the whole of the district was heavily timbered with stringybark, messmate, appletree, yellow, grey and red box, peppermint, wattle, white gum and a few sheoaks. Naturally, wood carting soon became a general industry, and as many as eighty loads of wood a day left the district, drawn by one, two and three-horse teams, and carrying up to three tons in weight. Some of it was sold privately, but the great bulk found its way to the Fitzroy wood market. Prices obtained varied from 4d. to 1/1 per cwt. Kew was then a half-way resting place for man and beast. The evenings were enlivened by the rattle of returning drays and the singing voices of the drivers, for they were a happy band, such favourites as "Annie Laurie," "Ben Bolt," "Kathleen Mavourneen," "Little Brown Jug" and "Bonnie Moon" being popular songs of the period. Among the noted songsters were Edwin Wilson, H. Crouch, F. Smedley and L. Holden.
Tully, J., 1934. Doncaster's history / compiled [i.e. written] by John Tully., Box Hill., Vic.: Reporter Print. Download from: http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/182952 August 2018
Ruffey Creek Park. The land had been owned by three families; the Thiele's east of Church Road and west of Church Road, the northern section by the Williamsons, the southern, the Crouchs and Gersch.
Irvine Green and Eric Collyer writing in 1993 03 DTHS Newsletter
When the Crouch family purchased the land, bullock wagons went through on the way to the gold fields at Warrandyte. Knowledge of the route they took and the track they formed has been passed down in the family.
Passing Church Road Doncaster, the land was part of the Crouch orchard, a slope falls away in a valley with a small tributary of Ruffey Creek fed by the Roseland Grove drain. Once there had been a large dam in the valley.
Irvine Green writing in 1994 06 DTHS Newsletter
The Doncaster police proceeded against Henry Crouch for not having his child vaccinated, and he was fined 10s.
1889 'BOX HILL POLICE COURT.', Reporter (Box Hill, Vic. : 1889 - 1918), 12 September, p. 3. , viewed 11 Sep 2017, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article93195220
Orchard of Memories - Olive Crouch-Napier 1996 - Doncaster in the 30's and 40's
HelperSteD: Locate Olive or copyright holder and ask re. scanning and adding to archives (including website)
Crouch Family Genealogy written by Lynton Clay (Nov2023)
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