Frank Wisewould of Pakenham Upper

Some years ago I read Dr Gweneth Wisewould's book, Outpost: a Doctor on the Divide (1) about her life as a doctor at Trentham. Dr Wisewould had sold her practice in Elwood as she felt that the changing nature of city practices meant doctors were becoming clearing houses for the specialists, and anything more serious than cut fingers and gravel rash were referred on. Dr Wisewould's first love was for the patient as a whole individual in a general practice (2) and she found this in her practice at Trentham, where she lived from 1938 until her death in 1972. It's a great book, written in 1971 and republished in 2019, well worth tracking down.

Dr Gweneth Wisewould, in 1972. 

A very practical, highly skilled, caring and hard working woman. 

Herald & Weekly Times collection, State Library of Victoria Image H38849/5818

Recently I came across a programme of events of the Field Naturalists' Club of Victoria for 1910-1911 (3). It was an extensive program and included such activities as a trip to Eltham to see the silver wattles, a trip to Croydon to study entomology and botany and a trip to Williamstown to study marine life. The President of the Field Naturalists' Club was a  Mr F. Wisewould. I put his name into Trove (4) and discovered amongst other things that he was Gweneth Wisewould's father and that he had a property at Pakenham Upper.

The Field Naturalists' Club programme from 1910/1911.

This is the story of Frank Wisewould and we can get an overview of his life from his obituary, which was published in The Argus on November 29, 1926 (5).
 
The many friends of Mr Frank Wisewould, who was for years one of the leading figure in legal circles in Melbourne, will learn with regret of his death, which took place in a private hospital on Saturday. Mr Wisewould became suddenly ill at his residence at Pakenham Upper early in the week, and was removed to Melbourne for treatment. He showed some improvement after an operation, and the fatal ending of his illness was not expected. Mr Frank Wisewould was the son of Mr James Wisewould, an English solicitor who came to Melbourne in 1853, and a year or two latter founded the legal firm of Wisewould and Gibbs which is now known as Wisewould, Duncan and Wisewould. Mr Frank Wisewould was born at Brighton in 1858 and was educated at Scotch College, being one of Dr. Morrison's early pupils. He entered his father's office at the age of 15 years and subsequently became a partner in the firm. He retired in 1922, after having been connected with the firm for 49 years. He then purchased a property at Pakenham Upper, where he engaged in country pursuits until his death. Mr Wisewould was an ardent nature student and was one of the original founders of the Field Naturalists' Society, of which he was made a life member in recognition of his services. He was instrumental in inaugurating the wildflower show which has now become an annual fixture and was always one of its leading exhibitors. A keen interest was taken by Mr Wisewould in the Royal Society of Victoria of which he had been president, and at the time of his death he was a member of the council. While in practice he acted as honorary solicitor for the Melbourne Athenaeum and the Eye and Ear Hospital. He leaves a widow and one daughter, Dr. Gweneth Wisewould.

I will look at a few aspects of Frank's life that were mentioned in his obituary. Firstly the Field Naturalists' Society or Club. The Field Naturalists' Club was formed in 1880 for the purpose of  affording observers and lovers of Natural History regular and frequent opportunities for discussing those special subjects in which they are mutually interested (6).  During the meetings, members read papers on topics that they were interested in and could display nature specimens. In April 1882, Frank displayed Snakes, also opossums in various stages of growth in spirits (7).  In December 1882, he displayed an English Viper and also snakes from the  Darling River (8). Frank read a paper in July 1885 on a visit to Chudleigh Caves in Tasmania (9). In 1887 he displayed some carnelian from Tasmania (10).  Frank clearly had an interest in snakes and in science more broadly as he was also a member of the Royal Society of Victoria and President from 1922-1923. The Royal Society was formed in 1854 for the promotion of science for the benefit of the community.

This photo from the Field Naturalists' Club photo album is of the Cardinia Creek bridge at Berwick, taken 1887. The album has been digitised by the State Library of Victoria. Did Frank go on this excursion?

Bridge over Kardinia Ck. [i.e. Cardinia Creek], Berwick. State Library of Victoria Image  H2012.114/1

The obituary mentions that Frank Wisewould purchased his property at Pakenham Upper, after his retirement. However, the Shire of Berwick Rate books show that he purchased his property of 317 acres in 1894/1895. It was Allotment 17h, Parish of Nar Nar Goon, his land is bordered to the south by Army Settlement Road and Gordon Road to the west. The property was called Mona and I wonder if Frank kept all his specimens at the Pakenham Upper house or his house in Melbourne. It is likely that many of the wildflowers that Frank exhibited at the annual wildflower show came from his Pakenham Upper property.

Mr Wisewould took an active role in community life at Pakenham Upper - he was the legal advisor to the Pakenham Upper Fruit Company (11). He was a member of the Progress Association where at one meeting in 1914 he spoke of the advantages of forming a debating society (12). He was also the chair of various functions such as the Pakenham Upper Red Cross concert (13). Perhaps his greatest honour was that he was selected to unveil the Pakenham Upper Roll of Honour at a Red Cross concert on September 22, 1917, due to the absence of the local member, Mr Keast (14).  He speech was reported in the Pakenham Gazette (15).

Mr Wisewould spoke of the bravery and unselfishness of the men who had gone. They did not go for gain, and if it was to be that they might not be spared to come back they gave their lives, counting it nothing more than their duty to die for their country. The imperishable bravery of our lads at the landing on Gallipoli had been re-enacted on the bloody fields of Pozieres and Ypres. They were sons worthy of the fathers who had begotten them and the mothers who had nurtured them and their names and gallant deeds would be handed down to their children and their children's children to posterity.

You can read about the Pakenham Upper Honor Board on Patrick Ferry's website A Century After the Guns Fell Silent: Remembering the Pakenham District's WWI Diggers 1914- 1918   https://www.pakenhamww1.com/   Three of Frank's nephews are listed in Patrick's website - Albert, Frank and Harold Wisewould. They are the sons of Edward and Elizabeth Wisewould and appear on the Pakenham State School Honor Board.

Frank, was the son of  James and Sophia (nee Drewitt) Wisewould. He married Isabel Alice Field in Westbury in Tasmania on March 28, 1883. It was two years after his marriage that Frank presented his report on the Chudleigh Caves in Tasmania to the Field Naturalists Club. The caves are about 35 kilometres from Westbury - did Frank visit the caves when he was in Tasmania courting Isabel or did he take a trip to Tasmania to see the caves and when he was there he met Isabel, perhaps through mutual friends or was she on the cave expedition as well?  I cannot tell you, but I rather like the idea that they met and fell in love amongst the stalactites at Chudleigh Caves. Isabel was the daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth (nee Lindsay) Field. Thomas was a member of the Tasmanian Parliament, you can read his obituary here.  Frank and Isabel had the one child, Gweneth who was born in Brighton, in Melbourne, on August 30, 1884. Frank died on November 27, 1926 and Isabel on October 27, 1928 and they are both buried at the Brighton Cemetery (16).

....................................................................................................

Footnotes
(1) Wisewould, Gweneth Outpost: a Doctor on the Divide (Lowden Publishing, 1971)
(2) Wisewould, op. cit., p. 1.
(3) When I say I came across it, actually my research colleague, Isaac Hermann, who found it for sale on EBay.
(4) Trove https://trove.nla.gov.au/
(5) The Argus, November 29, 1926, see here.
(6) Field Naturalists' Club programme from 1910/1911, back page.
(7) The Age, April 27, 1882, see here.
(8) The Age, December 19, 1882, see here.
(9) The Age, July 14, 1885, see here.
(10) The Herald, January 24, 1887, see here.
(11) Pakenham Gazette, November 8, 1918, see here.
(12) Dandenong Advertiser, February 26, 1914, see here.
(13) Pakenham Gazette, August 30, 1918, see here.
(14) Willian Stephen Keast (1866-1927). Member of the Legislative Assembly from 1900 to 1917 https://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/about/people-in-parliament/re-member/details/24/1328
(15) Pakenham Gazette, September 28, 1917, see here.
(16) Family information comes from the Victorian Index to the Births, Deaths and Marriages, see here; the Tasmanian Archives, see here; and Birth and Death notices in the newspapers on Trove

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Mr Clark's dairy farm at Hallam Valley

The Weekly Times of March 29, 1930 had an interview with Mr Norman Clark, a settler on the Hallam Valley Estate at Berwick. His property, Allotment 5, Section 4 was on the corner of Berwick-Clyde Road and Greaves Road.

Part of the Eumemmerring Parish Plan, showing the Hallam Valley Estate.

We can learn something of Norman's life from the interview but here is some additional information. Norman Oakley Clark was born in 1886, the son of Robert and Louisa (nee Oakley) Clark. Norman married Clara Maud Rogers on January 6, 1914 at the home of her parents, Mr and Mrs Noah Rogers of Brim. The Warracknabeal Herald reported on the quiet but pretty wedding. The bride looked charming in white silk; the bridesmaid, Ivy Rogers, wore a stylish gown. After the wedding breakfast the couple left by the midday train for Ballarat and  thence to Doncaster, their future home. They were the recipients of a number of useful and costly presents. You can read the wedding report, here.

Norman served in the First World War and had enlisted in the A.I.F on May 1, 1916. His Service number was 5982. He was sent overseas, but then repatriated back to Australia and discharged from the Army on medical grounds due to 'defective vision' on September 6, 1917. Norman and Clara had six children - James born 1915 at Warracknabeal; Gladys Clara, born 1918 at Swan Hill; Donald Norman born 1920 at Swan Hill; Noah born 1923 at Swan Hill; Albert Allen born 1925 at Werribee and Peter, who died in 1929 at seven days old. The four surviving sons served in World War Two - James (V367614) in the Army; Donald (V101737, W2790) in both the Army and the Navy; Noah (VX106242) in the Army and Albert (146886) in the Air Force. It must have been a worrying time for Norman and Clara to have four sons serving.

The Death notice of Norman and Clara's eldest son, James, at only 36 years of age.

The Age, October 4, 1951 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article205325645

The Shire of Berwick Rate books list Norma and Clara at Berwick until 1938 and then they are in the 1942 and subsequent Electoral Rolls at 29 Willesden Road, Oakleigh. Norman died at Oakleigh in October 1954, aged 68 and Clara died in June 1989, aged 95. They were both cremated at Springvale Botanical Cemetery.

Norman and Clara's entry in 1936 Electoral Roll, Electorate of Flinders. 

Their address is interesting. The Electoral Rolls are available on Ancestry.

This is the article from the Weekly Times of March 29, 1930. It is transcribed below, and you can read it here. 

Soldier Settler's Fine Dairying Scheme At Hallam

Milk for the City Trade

By "Casein"

Among many fine examples of initiative and well-directed effort which have characterised the work of returned soldiers in different parts of the State, that of Mr Norman Clark, on a small block in the Hallam Valley settlement, near the town of Berwick, is of special interest.

Less than three years ago he went to the locality to grow vegetables under a scheme devised by the Water Commission. After two seasons, however, he came to the conclusion that the results did not justify a continuance of that branch of primary production, and decided to engage in dairying. A start was made in May of last year with five cows. At the same time Mr Clark arranged with an adjoining landowner (Mr C. F. Greaves) to take over 150 acres of pasture property on which 35 cows were being grazed and milked, under a satisfactory share agreement.

Varied Experiences
When Mr Clark was invalided home in 1917 he settled on an irrigation block at Woorinen; near Swan Hill, and planted a vineyard for the production of sultanas, currants and raisins. The results exceeded expectations, but the climate did not suit his health or that of his family, and the property was sold at a price which left a substantial profit. From Woorinen Mr Clark went to a 40 acre lucerne block at Werribee. The conditions there were not so satisfactory as had been expected, and three years later he sold out at a loss with the object of market gardening at Hallam.

Prior to the war Mr Clark, who was a native of Warrnambool, had been associated with general farming pursuits and the dried fruits industry at Mildura. After having acquired a block of 19½ acres at Hallam, on the conditional purchase terms of £37 an acre, he found that the production of vegetables needed more cultural skill than he possessed. About the time he decided to engage in dairying a block of 21½ acres was abandoned by another settler, who had not been able to make a success of market gardening, and Mr Clark acquired it.

Returns From Milk
With the two blocks he estimated that he would be able to keep up a regular supply of fresh milk for the city trade from a herd of 20 cows. The results during the last eight months have confirmed that belief, and there are indications that the feeding capacity of the comparatively small area can be increased substantially, if not doubled, with special fodder crops and permanent pasturage in paddocks not exceeding three acres. It was, of course, fortunate that circumstances permitted Mr Clark to take advantage of the offer of Mr Greaves for an extension of the scheme at an opportune time. Apart from that, however, the settler is convinced that with the irrigable area of 42 acres he would have been able to establish a profitable scheme of dairying.

With nine cows selected and purchased by himself, and 35 belonging to Mr Greaves, he is of the opinion that he will be able to have an average of between 30 and 35 milking in each of the seasons. At the present time 38 are being milked twice a day for an output of 60 gallons. Since the beginning of summer the supply has been purchased by a city distributing firm at the rate of 1/- a gallon, less 1½d. a gallon for the cartage of the milk to the depot at Collingwood. The transport waggon calls twice a day at the dairy, and the service is satisfactory.

The Clark house on the Hallam Valley Estate at Berwick (not Hallam as the head-line says).

The Weekly Times, March 29, 1930 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/page/23974951

Assisted by his wife and son, Mr Clark does all the work on the farm. From the cows the milk passes through a pasteuriser, for which a special cold water service has been established through the medium of a brick and cemented underground tank, and reduced in temperature to between 55 and 60 degrees Fah. Clearances of the supply are made each day before 10 o'clock in the morning, and about 6 o'clock in the evening.

The gross return from the milk during the last two months has been approximately £20 a week, and it is not likely to go below that amount. During the spring period the milk yield is considerably larger than in the other seasons. Mr Clark realises that unless a fairly regular supply is maintained throughout the year the industry will not be as profitable as it should be. The regulation of the cows in regard to their freshening periods is, therefore, a matter of paramount importance.

A pure-bred Ayrshire bull is mated with specially selected grade Ayrshire and Jersey cows. It is intended to establish a pure-bred herd of Ayrshires or Jerseys, but action in that direction will not be taken until arrangements have been completed for the subdivision of the property so that fodders and the best kinds of grasses can be grown. Plans have been made for the cows to freshen at varying times from the beginning of the year until July and August. Some of them already have calved.

Under the existing conditions the cows have an extensive grazing area in the dry paddocks owned by Mr Greaves. The fodder they gather there is supplemented by the green herbage which grows luxuriantly in the irrigated portion of Mr Clark's land. All the animals are in excellent condition. While he does not contend that the conditions in the Hallam Valley settlement are unsuitable for successful market gardening Mr Clark has no hesitation in asserting that the land in blocks of from 40 to 50 acres can be put to more profitable use by utilising it for dairying. The area in the settlement, he points out is sufficiently large to enable dairying to be carried on in conjunction with the production of vegetables. Some of the blocks, he points out, are not so suitable as others for market gardening, and are admirably adapted for dairying on a small scale.

In the recent season Mr Clark obtained 20 tons of excellent hay from six acres. This will be fed to the cows during winter. Maize and Japanese millet make exceptionally quick growth with the assistance of irrigation, and there now is sufficient green fodder in several of the small paddocks to keep the cows in prime condition until the beginning of winter. Through the cold months a ration of hay and bran will be used. From the sections which were seeded last season with Subterranean clover and rye grass the results exceeded expectations, and provided abundance of rich milk producing food for the herd from the early part of spring, until summer was well advanced.

Mr Clark is satisfied that he will have no difficulty in keeping a herd of 20 cows in full milking condition throughout the year on the 40 acre area. The beneficial effect of bran has been noticed, and the cows receive not less than 2lb. a day even when the grasses and summer fodders are at their best. Since the beginning of the year it has taken nearly two tons of bran a month to meet the requirements but Mr Clark is convinced that the outlay on the concentrate is money well expended.

Shelter belts have been planted around the paddocks, and the eucalypts have made such vigorous growth that it will not be more than five or six years before these weather screens will give additional value to Mr Clark's dairying scheme and make it go effective that the capacity of the place may be raised to nearly a cow to the acre.

...............................................................................................................

Sources: The information about the Clark family comes from various sources - 

Indexes to the Victorian Births, Deaths and Marriages https://www.bdm.vic.gov.au/research-and-family-history/search-your-family-history

Norman's WWI enlistment papers are at the National Archives of Australia 

https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=1967599

The dates of birth and military details of the sons comes from the WW2 Nominal Rolls 

https://nominal-rolls.dva.gov.au/ww2

Some information comes from newspaper reports and announcements on Trove

https://trove.nla.gov.au/

Casey Cardinia Libraries hold the Shire of Berwick and Shire of Cranbourne Rate books; the Electoral Rolls from 1903-1980 are available on Ancestry. The death dates of Norman and Clara are from the Springvale Botanical Cemetery records - part of Southern Metropolitan Cemetery Trust - https://smct.org.au/deceased-search

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Land sales in the new township of Beaconsfield

On November 3, 1879 G. W. Robinson, C.E., Surveyor completed this plan of a subdivision of land owned by Charles Souter of the Gipplsland Hotel, for the new township of Beaconsfield. 

Advertising poster for the land sale at Beaconsfield on May 14, 1881. 

The map is signed by G. W. Robinson and dated November 3, 1879.

State Library of Victoria,  http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/165479

The sale was scheduled to take place on December 6, 1879. It included the Gippsland Hotel and 44 acres, plus 36 allotments of land varying in size from half an acre to 2 acres, near the new railway station; 10 allotments of two to five acres and one block of 35 acres and one of 60 acres. For some reason this sale did not take place and another sale was scheduled for January 10, 1880.

The first advertised sale of Charles Souter's land in East Berwick, as Beaconsfield was known at the time. The sale was scheduled for December 6, 1879.

South Bourke and Mornington Journal November 26, 1879. 

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/70012545#

The land was advertised again this time the auction was to be held on January 10, 1880. An almost identical advertisement as the one above, appeared in the papers, including the South Bourke and Mornington  Journal of January 7, 1880, which you can see here. 

Advertising poster for the land sale in township of Beaconsfield or East Berwick. 

The sale was scheduled for December 6, 1879 and this was crossed out and January 10, 1880 written in pencil, see detail below.

State Library of Victoria http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/160198

Detail of the plan, immediately above.

State Library of Victoria http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/160198

I am unsure if the January 1880 sale took place and only some blocks were sold, or if the sale did not take place.  However, Mr Robinson's subdivision plan did not go to waste and the land was advertised again to be auctioned on May 14, 1881 and as we saw, his 1879 plan was used in the advertising poster.

Part of the 1881 advertising flyer for the land sale at Beaconsfield on May 14, 1881. 

State Library of Victoria,  http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/165479

The May 14, 1881 auction used the original 1879 plan (the plan at the top of this post) which  has 38 small blocks facing Woods Street and the Highway and 23 blocks east of what became Railway Avenue.This does not tally with the 1879 advertisement or the 1881 advertisement (below) which advertised the Hotel on 44 acres; 13 allotments of one half to 2 acres and 22 allotments of three to five acres. I feel that we can conclude that some of the block were sold in January 1880 and the May 1881 was held to sell the remaining allotments. 

Advertisement for the May 14, 1881 auction of land in the new township of Beaconsfield.

The Argus May 3, 1881 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article5969338

A report of the sale in the South Bourke and Mornington Journal of May 18, 1881,  read it here, said that the auction sale by Mr J. B. Patterson at, Beaconsfield on Saturday was fairly successful, and altogether fifteen township lots in Beaconsfield close to the railway station were disposed of at satisfactory prices. The attendance at the sale was good, but was composed chiefly of local people, who did not seem disposed to buy, the purchasers being principally city people. There is little doubt but that, had a special train been chartered from Melbourne, it would have induced a large number of people to visit the locality, and, very likely, to become owners of some of the blocks offered. The lots varied in size from half-an-acre to one acre, and realised from £23 to £50 per block, or about £46 per acre. A genuine offer of £1750 was made for the Gippsland hotel, with paddocks, &c., adjoining, but was not accepted.

Of interest is the fact that sometime between January 1880 and May 1881 the name of the town changed from East Berwick (I have also seen it referred to as Little Berwick and Lower Beaconsfield) and became Beaconsfield, named for  Benjamin Disraeli, the Earl of Beaconsfield. Disraeli was the British Prime Minister on two occasions in 1868 and from 1874 to 1880. On the subject of names it is also interesting that Souter Street on the subdivision plan is now called Beaconsfield Avenue. Beaconsfield Avenue was proclaimed on July 30, 1888 (1). The unnamed road next to Woods Street is  Railway Avenue. A new Souter Street, which is to the right of Railway Avenue, was created at some later time, I presume in 1921 when the Beaconsfield Station Estate was sold (2). 

Charles Souter, who owned the land that became the new township of Beaconsfield took over the Gippsland Hotel from the Bowman family, who had established the Hotel in 1855.  The earliest date I can find of his ownership of the Hotel is 1869 (3). After he left the hotel he moved to Frankston. During his time there Charles became involved with the  Community - he was elected to the Frankston Council and took an interest in the Mechanics' Institute, the Anglican Church and was also the Worshipful Master at the Frankston Masonic Lodge. The Souters left Frankston in November 1891 and at a farewell function held at the Pier Hotel, he was presented with a handsome illuminated address from the residents (4).  Charles returned to the Beaconsfield region and lived at Norwood in Gembrook (5) where he died on July 9, 1895 at only 65 years of age (6). His wife Sophie (nee Newland) died at Berwick on August 15, 1937 at the age of  96 (7). 

G. W. Washington's signature on the Beacosnfield subdivison plan

State Library of Victoria,  http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/165479

G. W. Washington, C.E., Surveyor, who drew the plan was George Washington Robinson (1843 - 1928) He came to Narre Warren North in 1856 with his mother, Hannah, who had purchased 107 acres. George later named the property, Hillsley. George was a Civil Engineer and Surveyor and was the Shire Engineer and Secretary at the Shire of Berwick from 1876 to 1890 and then the Shire Engineer from 1894 to 1904 (8). He married Eliza Walton in 1867 and they had six children (9). Eliza's parents, Thomas and Eliza Walton, moved to Narre Warren in 1852 and built Holly Green. This property was sold to Sidney Webb in 1880, it was later renamed Brechin and is  now the site of the Fountain Gate Shopping Centre (10). 

Notes:

(1) Beaconsfield Avenue was proclaimed July 30, 1888.

State Government Gazette August 3, 1888 page 2472, see here.

(2) Beaconsfield Station Estate sale was held on Saturday, April 30, 1921. The land had frontages to three main roads - Main Gippsland, Beaconsfield Avenue and Woods Street - all made roads. The other streets were Souter Street, Railway Avenue, Horner Street and Goff Street.

Beaconsfield Station Estate advertisement 

The Argus April 30, 1921 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article1752395

(3) I have written about the Bowmans and the Gippsland Hotel, here.

(4) The report of Charles Souter's farewell at the Pier Hotel in Frankston in 1891 can  be read in the Mornington Standard of November 5, 1891, see here. 

(5) Norwood  was listed as Gembrook in Charles' death notice. Charles' Will had Norwood at Upper Beaconsfield.

(6) Charles' death notice was in The Argus, July 10, 1895, see here.

(7) Sophie Souter's death notice was in The Age, August 16, 1937, see here. Her age is listed as 94. On the Victoria Index to Births, Deaths and Marriages her age is listed as 96.

(8)  In the Wake of the Pack Tracks: a history of the Shire of Berwick, now the City of Berwick and the Shire of Pakenham, published by the Berwick Pakenham Historical Society in 1982. 

(9) The information about G. W. Washington's arrival in the area and his marriage and children comes from Early settlers of the Casey-Cardinia district published by the Narre Warren & District Family History Group in 2010 and Early days of Berwick and its surrounding districts - Beaconsfield, Upper Beaconsfield, Harkaway, Narre Warren and Narre Warren North, complied by Norman Beaumont, James Curran and R.H Hughes (Berwick Pakenham Historical Society).

(10)  You can read more about Holly Green, the Waltons and the Webbs, here.

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St Paul's Anglican Church in Clyde

The Clyde (1) area was until a few years ago a strictly rural area and in common with most country areas the significant community buildings consisted of the School, the Hall and Churches. This post looks at the history of St Paul's Anglican Church. Most of the early history comes from A Clyde History website (see here). The Church was located on the east side of Berwick-Clyde Road, between Patterson's Road and Hardy's Road (2), on land donated by the Ridgway family (3). The early history is a bit hazy - Anglican services were held in either the School or an earlier building on the site (4).  There is evidence that the early church was called St John's (5). A new Church was erected in 1887 and officially opened on May 1, 1887 (6) and as 1887 was the Golden Jubilee year of Queen Victoria's reign the Church was called St Paul's Jubilee Church (7). 

The building was destroyed by a bush fire on February 21, 1906. This was a devastating loss to the community but they were fortunate that the fire did not cross the road and burn down the school which was sheltering 50 children.

Report of the fire that destroyed the Church

The Age February 22, 1906 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/196315900#

The people of Clyde worked quickly to replace the building and the new Church was opened by the Archbishop of Melbourne, the Reverend Henry Lowther Clarke on December 15, 1906 (8). The Church served the people of Clyde for many more decades - not only Church Services and Sunday School but a venue for the milestones of life - weddings and funerals. I have included two reports below.

Report of the wedding of Lorna Collins of Clyde to Jack Duncan of Cardinia at St Paul's, Clyde.

Dandenong Journal, October 21, 1945 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/214333655#

Obituary of Mrs Ann Hardy (nee Poole) of Clyde North. Her funeral was at St Paul's.

Dandenong Journal, April 8, 1953 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/215818398#

Times changed and the Church closed. In 1999 (9) it was relocated to Beaconhills College in Pakenham. These photos show the Church shortly before it was relocated. They are part of the Casey Cardinia Libraries collection.

St Paul's Anglican Church, Clyde, c. 1999.

St Paul's Anglican Church, Clyde, c. 1999.

St Paul's Anglican Church, Clyde, c. 1999.

Gone! Site of  St Paul's Anglican Church, Clyde, c. 1999.

Trove List 

I have created a short list on Trove of newspapers articles connected to St Paul's at Clyde, access the list here. All articles referred to here are on the list.

Notes

(1) This is an explanation about the naming of Clyde and Clyde North. It was named after the River Clyde in Scotland. The name was originally given to a watercourse that divided the Mayune and the Garem Gun runs. Apparently, a shepherd named James McKay, who worked for Alexander Cameron (1813 -1896) had cut the name on a tree whilst watering sheep, the name was then used for the creek and then the town. Clyde was initially based north of the existing town along Berwick Road, basically between Patterson Road and Hardy’s Road. When the railway went through in 1888, the town which developed around the railway station became known as Clyde and the original town was called Clyde. http://seha.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Place-names-and-their-meanings-by-Heather-Arnold-July-2020.pdf

(2) This early history of the Church comes from Campbell, John A Clyde History: Public Hall and Mechanics’ Institute Jubilee (Back to Clyde Committee, 1978. John Campbell's book forms the basis of some of the material on the Clyde History website which is researched and maintained by Joan Vanderhorn. Joan and John are siblings. See the website here https://clydehistory.000webhostapp.com/.   You can read the full entry on St Paul's here - https://clydehistory.000webhostapp.com/html/0503chpauls.html The location of the Church comes from this map from the website https://app.box.com/s/234lb7txspov3z5k488c

(3)  Campbell, John A Clyde History: Public Hall and Mechanics’ Institute Jubilee (Back to Clyde Committee, 1978) The pages are not numbered.

(4) Campbell, op. cit.

(5) Two examples of the use of St Johns - South Bourke & Mornington Journal November 16, 1881, see here  and  South Bourke & Mornington Journal May 30, 1883, see here.

(6) Campbell, op. cit.

(7) Campbell, op. cit.

(8) Campbell, op. cit.

(9) The date of the removal of the Church comes from the website. You can read the full entry on St Paul's here - https://clydehistory.000webhostapp.com/html/0503chpauls.html

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