Volunteers working on sections:
July2023: DN2023-05-28B-02 p037-049 Seppings BrianRosamondProofReading1
July 2023: DN2023-05-28B-02 p050-099 Seppings LuuProofreading1
July 2023: DN2023-05-28B-02 p100-149 Seppings BrianRosamondProofReading2
July 2023: DN2023-05-28B-02 p150-169 Seppings SadabProofreading1
July 2023: DN2023-05-28B-02 p170-189 Seppings HalahProofreading1
1981-02-04 Back to Beginnings ByWays DoncasterMirror
BYWAYS OF LOCAL HISTORY
by JOAN SEPPINGS WEBSTER
THIS week The Mirror presents the first in a series on the history of Doncaster - Templestowe by Joan Seppings Webster.
The series will concentrate on cameo pictures of the early days which so influence the present.
Joan, who has been interested in local history for many years, instigated the historical society and served on the committee for many years. She has also written extensively on local history.
This issue, she writes on the origin of street names. Future articles will deal with fruits developed in Doncaster that became household names, and the first infant welfare sister, who travelled on a bike.
Back to the beginnings
THE street where you live may have been named merely to satisfy a subdivider's whim, or it may be a signpost pointing back to the beginnings of the com- munity.
Many of Doncaster's itreets and landmarks bear the names of pioneering families.
The 1880 voters roll for the Shire of Bulleen (it embraced Doncaster then) contained 100 naines.
To that "old 100" the following streets bear Witness: Anderson's Creek Rd, Aumann Court, just over the Box Hill border, Clancy's Lane, Bullen St., D'Arcy St., Denhert St., Firth St., Franklin Rd., Fromhold Drive, Ireland Av., Knees Rd.; Lawford St., Lyon Rd., Mays Rd., Petty's Lane, Reynolds Rd., Serpells Rd., Thiele St., Whittens
Lane, Williamsons Rd., Wilson St., and Zander Av., up near Nunawading,
Log School Rd. was probably named for the mall log cabin school conducted in 1860 by the Misses Ann and Robina Wilson, daughters of the irst licensee of the Don- caster Inn, Robert Wilson, vho lived in Wilson's Rd.
I will write more about hese pioneering families Ifter whom streets are
amed, in later articles.
Schramm's and Zerbe's leserves are on land owned y these early settlers.
Weatfield Corner, atop oncaster hill, has had any names. It was first ully's Corner after Thomas ully, whose land was djacent then Lauer's orner, when Mr A. Lauer uilt his bakery on the orth-west corner and kept e toll gate on the south- est corner.
Richard Serpell in 1890 ilt the two-storey brick op, which stood there fore Westfield Shopping entre, and for 40 years it
s Serpell's Corner.
This ambitious venture s intended to capitalise custom brought by the ncaster-Box Hill tram, ened the previous year.
Mr White bought the
www
GOOD
Bismark St., Doncaster (now Victoria St.), as it was in 1907, looking south towards the Lutheran Church, from near where Schramm's Cottage and historical
shop in 1930, giving it the name of White's Corner, un- til recently familiar. It has no connection with the early pioneer Henry White, of East Doncaster and Deep Creek fame, whose old homestead has recently stirred up a historical conservation controversy.
Some street names have
Copyright
museum now is.
been changed over the years, losing their old associations. In 1916, all German-sounding names were altered, following a petition to council led by Mr F. Zerbe, a Lutheran pioneer, who wanted to prove his allegiance to the British Crown.
Bismark St. became Vic-
Joan Seppings Webster
toria St., Wilhelm St. became King St., and Waldau Lane was renamed George St.
The big hill leading from the Koonung Creek up Don- caster Rd. was Smedley's Hill sometimes called Clay Hill or Long Hill. Some say the name Clay Hill came from the pioneer Clay
family and others because of the sticky clay in which drays often became bogged.
Smedley, Doncaster's first blacksmith, had his forge at the foot of the long hill by the Koonung Creek
Doncater Rd. "bridge opposite what is now the junction of High St. and Doncaster Rd.
Feb. 4, 1981
No comments:
Post a Comment