8:00 pm at The Museum
Speakers: Four of The Sorrento Museum’s Volunteers
Topic: Some of the interesting current projects they are working on.
From Joy Kitch, NHS President
The wide range of interesting and important projects and tasks undertaken by NHS volunteers in the Archives Room often goes unnoticed and unacknowledged. This month we heard 4 accounts each very different from the other –
Bergliot Dallas described her research into the real designer of our electric ball (see resulting story from The Nepean of June 2016 HERE),
Doreen Parker how NHS records are now available for public access (See below),
Maggie Broadhead her management of the enormous maritime photo collection recently bequeathed (See below),
Janet South gave us an insight into the process involved in investigating the history of a local house (See below).
The audience learnt a lot and really appreciated the speakers and their work.
As usual each month, the hard working Frank Hindley, Convenor of the Heritage & Planning Group, described the many planning issues facing the community. The heritage arguments around the proposed development of The Conti Hotel continue as do those for several other building developments in the Ocean Beach Road precinct.
The owners of Lot 5 on the Eastern Sister at the Collins Settlement Site have applied for an 2.6 metre high fence on the boundary shared with the Parks Victoria and Council land where the viewing platform is located. This would obstruct the public view of historic Sullivan Bay.
Public Access Catalogue
Doreen Parker
The database of the collection can now be searched by visitors to the Museum.
For some years volunteers have been entering details of items added to the Museum collection to a computer database. The Mornington Peninsula Shire has now developed software which will, at a later date, enable a regional catalogue of the collections of all historical societies on the Peninsula to be consulted via the internet.
As a first step, the NHS has made a Public Access Catalogue of its own collections available for use by visitors within the Sorrento Museum . The catalogues lists museum artefacts, photos, maps, books, documents and other materials. Many catalogue entries include a digital copy of the item which has been created by Murray Adams, the Shire Local History Digitisation Officer.
The Public Access Catalogue is located in the Heritage Gallery, together with instructions on its use.
Down to the Sea and Ships…..
Maggie Broadhead
Andrew Mackinnon was an avid ‘shippie’ -and the daily observation and photographing of vessels entering & leaving Port Phillip Bay became Andrew’s life long hobby.
Andrew Mackinnon photo by Bernie Poll
The son of Sorrento couta boat fishermanTed Mackinnon, Andrew grew up in a family devoted to sailing.His grandfather Charlie Mackinnon was the proud owner of an original couta boat, the Mermerus.
Sadly, in September 2015 Andrew lost his battle with cancer. He bequeathed his ‘ship’ collection to the Sorrento Museum. Among the items were 3 artworks, 35 folders of press cuttings, 181 photo albums, over 400 packets of photos, numerous boxes of photos,
CDs and 40 gigabytes of images.
His collection is a wonderful comprehensive record of the daily comings and goings of local & overseas shipping and NHS is proud to have been chosen to have the responsibility for its care and conservation.
Longford Cottage
Janet South
A chance meeting with Ted Montfort, whose family once owned it, led me to a four-month research into Longford Cottage and an associated adjacent property in Melbourne Road, Blairgowrie. I was astonished how much I was able to discover, mainly from our Society’s own indexes and archives, added to Montfort family lore and photos, and the internet.
Jack Ritchie’s notes and transcripts of talks, were very valuable, and First Freeholder and Rates and Cemetery records shed more light, though the usual odd murky patches refused to be explained …. but there lies the fun of research!
People of interest involved with the two Crown Allotments included Judge George Briscoe Kerferd, State Premier, Dr. Jean Günst, homeopathic doctor and a founder of the first Prince Henry’s Hospital, and Edith Coleman, a brilliant amateur botanist, who answered at least one question which had floored Darwin!
Some pics from the story of Longford Cottage
The Montforts are related to the infamous Simon de Montfort, and Montfort’s beach is named after the family.
Nepean Historical Society 