Garfield Picture Theatre

Newly renovated Garfield Picture Theatre (2021), Garfield Picture Theatre.

Situated on the Main Street of Garfield, the Garfield Picture Theatre has served the local community for almost a hundred years, providing an entertainment hub, and essential amenities to a rapidly developing corridor in regional Victoria.  

    Garfield, formally Cannibal Creek, underwent a change of name in honour of the late President of the United States of America, James Garfield in 1887. The Railway station in the town has had many names; originally Hopetoun, then Cannibal Creek, before the town was finally surveyed and proclaimed as Garfield in 1891.  

Listed on the local heritage register in 1996, the site is estimated to be one of the earliest examples of a purpose-built theatre facility in Gippsland. The theatre is one of the few picture theatres remaining in the Cardinia region and dates to the cinema boom of the 1920s which saw the number of theatres across the state skyrocket. 

Negative of Garfield Picture Theatre (c.1930s), The Biggest Family Album in Australia Collection, item ID: MM 5484, Museums Victoria.

The Crowning of the Queen of Garfield and Iona (1937, March 29), courtesy of Fred Perez and Sue McMahon, private collection.

    The brick building with a partial cement exterior and galvanised iron roof consists of three floors. The lowest at the rear of the building consists of storage and dressing rooms situated underneath the stage which were once repurposed and used as two-bedroomed living quarters. The ground floor includes the spacious theatre with an elevated stage, remote controlled front-of-house curtains, framed by the proscenium (the part of the stage that is in front of the main stage curtain) curtains with a double staircase leading up to the stage on either side. 

Newly renovated Garfield Picture Theatre (2021), Garfield Picture Theatre.

    The theatre space with original floorboards backs onto a hallway, leading to what is now the kitchen, toilet facilities, and the tripartite (having three parts) main entrance. The two side rooms also provide access to the street front with a pressed metal ceilinged veranda. The left-hand exterior of the building is encompassed by another balcony area. 

    The left-hand room at the front of the building was once a sweets shop, where theatre goers could purchase treats, and the room on the right acted as a ticket box/engine room, providing access to an office space and the bio box above the entrance which were reachable by a trap door. A ‘bio box’ was reserved for operating audio and visual equipment and derives from one of the first film projectors; the ‘Biograph.’ The original ‘bio-box’ space is now used as private apartments. 

    In the main theatre area, an imperial staircase leads to the top floor. The gabled roof with exposed steel-trusses provides the open-concept mezzanine with an unobstructed view of the floor below. The mezzanine leads to an apartment space with views of Main Street from where the original ‘Garfield Picture Theatre’ cement lettering is emblazoned.  

    The property has changed hands many times in its almost 100-year history. Built in 1924 for a cost of over £4,000 by the proprietor, Mr. Martin O’Donohue, the building could once house up to 800 people. The theatre opened on December 22, 1924, to much fanfare with a free Grand Ball on 22nd December 1924. Regular dances were held on Friday evenings, and Saturday nights were reserved for picture showings. Pictures shown included Where the North Begins, Girl Shy, Beloved Bachelor and The Wizard of Oz. A Molly O’Brien was known to play the piano at the theatre during its earliest years. 

    Writing of growing up in Garfield during the 1930s and 1940s, Jim Connelly reminisces, “There were films every Saturday night, and everybody seemed to go. Sometimes Noel and I went without any money. Noel was adept at attaching himself to a large family party and walking in undetected… The first [film] I remember seeing, was ‘The Wizard of Oz.’”  

    The theatre was also integral in providing services beyond dances, pictures, and functions. The site was home to the first generator in Garfield, connecting the township to electricity with a 230-volt power supply until around the late 1920s. J. Taylor leased the building from O’Donohue and in 1931, the property was sold to Walter Anderson Lawson and Roy Everard Ross. By 1931, talking pictures could be seen at Garfield Theatre. 

    The property was to be sold once again in 1953 to a James Murphy. Murphy would retain ownership until the theatre closed around 1962 or 1963. The theatre partially reopened on weekends under Dennis Grigg from 1970-1971, before being used as a furniture shop by Simcocks and in the 1980s the building became the Garfield Trading Centre.

Before and during renovations of the Garfield Picture Theatre (c.2001). Pictured in second image is Fred Perez (right) and Joey the dog (centre) with unknown man (left), courtesy of Fred Perez and Sue McMahon, private collection.

    After purchasing the property in 1999, Fred Perez and Sue McMahon began renovations on the site in 2001, affectionately naming the theatre Lucy Bricks, due to the large number of loose bricks, which have since been restored. On the 3rd of July 2016, the theatre once again opened its doors to the public for events, dances, shows, seating up to 250 guests, as well as Bed and Breakfast accommodation on site. If you would like to learn more about current events, check out the Garfield Theatre website here.

Written by Brooke Pickering

Bibliography:

Connelly, J. (2021). Growing Up in Garfield. 

Heritage Council Victoria (2022), Garfield Picture Theatre, https://vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/places/30018#additional-desc-1 

Roe, K. (2018). Garfield Picture Theatre, Cinema Treasures, http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/57084 

Garfield Picture Theatre (2021). Garfield Picture Theatre History. https://www.garfieldpicturetheatre.com.au/gallery?lightbox=dataItem-jccbmb3b 

Arnold, H. (2014, March 2). Garfield Picture Theatre. http://kooweerupswamphistory.blogspot.com/2014/03/garfield-picture-theatre.html  

Kennedy, G. (1994, January). Garfield Picture Theatre, no.1, Cinemarecord, Cinema and Theatre Historical Society of Australia Inc., https://www.cinemarecord.org.au/read/cr01/mobile/index.html 

Mickle, D.J. (1987). More Mickle Memories of Koo-Wee-Rup (vol. 2). The Pakenham Gazette. 

The Argus (1924, August 25), OTHER DISTRICTS, The Argus, p.11, https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/4161400?searchTerm=garfield%20theatre%20under%20construction 

Images: 

Museums Victoria. (c.1930s). Negative of Garfield Picture Theatre, https://collections.museumsvictoria.com.au/items/770388 

Perez, F. & McMahon, S. (2001 - 2022). Collection of private photographs.  

Garfield Picture Theatre. (2021). https://www.garfieldpicturetheatre.com.au/ 

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Lysterfield Reservoir - Turned Park!

Written by Kate Davis. 

Lysterfield Lake Park is a serene place full of wildlife and picturesque views. However, the site did not begin as a park, only becoming one after a rocky reservoir project ended. The site officially began as the Lysterfield Reservoir in 1929. Undertaken by the State Rivers and Water Supply Commission, the reservoir was designed to have a depth of 120 feet and the capacity to hold 15000 million gallons of water. It would be filled by the Bunyip Main Race and would then provide water to the Mornington Peninsula region, and later to the Dandenong, Hallam, Beaconsfield and Berwick areas.

Construction began in the area – a section of Eumemmerring Creek, around 6 kilometres north-east of Dandenong – in 1929. Approximately 120 men were employed and 100 horses used to build the reservoir by 1930; engaging in the likely grueling work of levelling the land by horse scoops.

In early January of 1931, workers arrived for their first day back on the job after the Christmas holiday period, only to find they’d lost their jobs. As written in the articles below, between 200 and 300 men were working on the reservoir when construction stopped, all of whom lost their jobs immediately. It seemed that the State Rivers and Water Supply Commission needed to perform a test on the reservoir in its incomplete state, to see if the capacity would be sufficient for the need. As indicated in the article below, speculation that the project had run out of necessary funds was rife.

Days later, representations were made to the Premier of Victoria and the chairman of the State Rivers and Water Supply Commission on behalf of those who’d lost their jobs; 100 of whom were local. 6 days later, workers were assured they would either re-start their job working on the reservoir or would be assisted to find alternative employment on other projects. However, the answer from the Commission and government as to whether the work would be resumed remained indefinite. At this time, the capacity of the reservoir had only reached approximately 924 million gallons; far less than the 15000 initially planned.

Work, it seemed, would not resume until the early 1940s. When it did the Commission recommended to government that an area of 3000 acres be purchased as water catchment lands, to ensure adequate water supply to the Peninsula. Community uproar was high, as you would expect, considering the catchment would include 30 residences and 8 farms – 2000 acres of which was being used for agriculture – alongside the Church of England Boys Society Training Farm. Purchase of the land was designed to prevent pollution and siltation of the reservoir and would ensure water supply to Mornington Peninsula could keep up with the predicted growth of the region.

The manager of the Church of England Boys Society Training Farm appealed directly to the state government on this matter. The farm had been training 67 boys in the preceding year and had received a grant to extend their buildings; the potential for their land to be bought out from underneath them overshadowed this.

3 months later, discussions were still occurring. The Commission had now asserted that purchase of the lands would increase the runoff into the reservoir by 10-15%; effectively 90,000,000 gallons; quite a considerable amount.

The land was eventually acquired by the Commission for the Lysterfield Reservoir catchment area. The boys farm moved to Yering in 1945, so presumably the land was purchased in very late 1944 to early 1945. 30 years later in 1974, the Lysterfield Reservoir, alongside the Beaconsfield Reservoir, was decommissioned as a water supply source after the opening of the Cardinia Reservoir. The site was then acquired and turned into the Lysterfield Park, during 1981. 

Lysterfield Park is now part of the Lysterfield and Churchill State Park, managed by Parks Victoria. There are a wide range of walking, running and biking trails, alongside birdwatching, swimming and picnic spots. Few remnants of the Church of England Boys Society Training Farm remain in the park, which is now listed as a local heritage site by Yarra Ranges Council. There are some artefacts from the site held in the visitor centre within the park. Take a look at an older visitor information guide below - I'm not sure what year this is from, so if anyone knows I'd love to find out! 

Interested to know more about the history of Lysterfield prior to the reservoir? Read our blog post on Lysterfield here.



References

Arnold, Heather. (2014). Lysterfield – a short history. Casey Cardinia – links to our past [blog]. https://caseycardinialinkstoourpast.blogspot.com/2014/03/lysterfield-short-history.html 
City of Casey. (2022). Lysterfield National Park. City of Casey [website]. https://www.casey.vic.gov.au/lysterfield-national-park 
The Gipps-Land Gate. (July – September 1984). The building of the Lysterfield Reservoir. The Gipps-Land Gate [newspaper]. Page 42-43. Accessed from the Casey Cardinia Library Local History Archive.
Victorian Places. (2015). Lysterfield and Lysterfield South. Victorian Places [website]. https://www.victorianplaces.com.au/lysterfield-and-lysterfield-south
Yarra Ranges Council. (2015). Church of England Boys Training Farm. Yarra Ranges Heritage Database [online database]. http://vhd.heritage.vic.gov.au/yarraranges/result_details/115223

Images – in order of appearance:

Mornington water supply. (1931). The Age (Melbourne, Vic.:1854 - 1954), p. 7. Trove [online database]. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article203339702
Work suspended on Lysterfield dam. (1931). The Herald (Melbourne, Vic.: 1861 - 1954), p. 14. Trove [online database]. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article242889094
Lysterfield Reservoir (1931). The Age (Melbourne, Vic.:1854 - 1954), p. 7. Trove [online database] http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article203334108
Lysterfield Reservoir (1931). The Dandenong Journal (Vic.:1927 - 1954), p. 6. Trove [online database]. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article201082337
Water plan affects farm sites (1944). The Herald (Melbourne, Vic.:1861 - 1954), p. 6. Trove [online database]. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article241301021
Pollution of water (1944). The Age (Melbourne, Vic.:1854 - 1954), p. 3. Trove [online database]. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article205997540
Lysterfield boys’ farm wants to know its fate (1944). The Dandenong Journal (Vic.:1927 - 1954), p. 3. Trove [online database]. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article214166477
State rivers’ official explains benefits of Lysterfield resumption (1944). The Dandenong Journal (Vic.:1927 - 1954), p. 7. Trove [online database]. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article214168055

Department of Conservation Forests & Lands. (n.d.). Lysterfield Lake Park. Accessed from the Casey Cardinia Library Local History Archive. 

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Cranbourne Botanic Gardens: A Friendly Affair!

The Cranbourne Royal Botanic Gardens boast an amazing Australian bushland experience, with over 10kms of walking trails, and over 100,000 plants from 1,900 varieties (450 of which are Indigenous plants.) Setting it apart from all the other Royal Botanic Gardens is the fact that Cranbourne Gardens is on land that was never cleared of its indigenous vegetation.

Once known as the Cranbourne Reserve, owned by the Australian Army, and utilised for Light Horse training, parts of the area had been quarried for sand and topsoil. However, there were large areas that had remained untouched. This made the location perfect for a Royal Botanic Park focused on native plant species and landscapes. The area, over 475 acres, was acquired in 1969 using funds from the Maud Gibson Trust. Then, work began!

The gardens opened in 1989 and were an immediate success. During development, the main goal had been to create an area of sanctuary for the largest colony of Southern Brown Bandicoots in Victoria, living in our region, and a space welcoming to community. This goal was most definitely accomplished!

The overwhelming success of the gardens meant that the need for a Friends Group of volunteers to care for the space was pressing. Flyers went out to the community in 1991, and on its first founding meeting more than 200 community members were in attendance and became involved.

Now, a new publication, ‘Of Friends & Gardens: A History of the Cranbourne Friends of Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria,’ by Carolyn Landon (author and member of the group) explores the history of the Cranbourne Friends of the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria.

It follows the site from its earliest inception, including the many successes of the group; establishing nurseries, as well as the Maud Gibson room and library (for use by members and staff.) The group now boasts 600 members and several special interest groups, including illustration, craft, photography and growing. Exhibitions and presentations are frequently held in the gardens, and the group publishes a seasonal newsletter for those passionate about Australian plants and wildlife.

The history and images contained within the pages of this book are stunning- almost every page is adorned with a new photograph. The book is available to borrow from our library – just click here.

Search the Cranbourne Friends of the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria website for more information!

 
(Cranbourne Run, 1996. Botanic Gardens middle of image.)

References
Carolyn Landon. (2021). Of friends and gardens: A history of the Cranbourne friends of Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. Hardie Grant Media.

Cranbourne Friends, Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria Inc. (2018). Cranbourne Friends, Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. Website. https://rbgfriendscranbourne.org.au/

Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. (n.d.). Cranbourne Gardens. Website. https://www.rbg.vic.gov.au/cranbourne-gardens/

Images
City of Casey. (1996). 1996 Cranbourne Run 000 N9933. Image. https://cclc.libsvic.ent.sirsidynix.net.au/client/en_AU/search/asset/267423/0

Carolyn Landon. (2021). Of friends and gardens: A history of the Cranbourne friends of Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. Hardie Grant Media.

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Elephant Rock

 

Image credits: Department of Crown Land and Surveys (24/2/2019)

A unique natural landform and a community hub, Elephant Rock has served the local community for decades, with records dating back to the 1970s. The huge granite rock, shaped like the animal whom it is named after, is located on Beaconsfield – Emerald Road, Dewhurst. Regularly painted by professional painters and muralists including the likes of Ted VanGo and Katherine Brandenberger, as well as members of the public, the rock is sure to change with every drive by.

Announcements for births, deaths, marriages and other events allow the community to come together and celebrate the important moments in life, as well as the memories of loved ones.

    Louise Quinn-Watson, administrator for the Elephant Rock Facebook page, believes “Elephant Rock has been an important landmark of the area for many years. Most everyone has a memory or a story about it even if they’ve not painted it themselves.”

    The site allowed Louise and her family to commemorate and share their story with the community. “When my baby goddaughter [Ruby May Simmonds] passed away in 2017, my family and I painted the rock with Ruby’s name as a way of sharing her name with the world around us.”

Image credits: Elephant Rock Facebook Group (2/10/2021)

    During the Reservoir construction from 1970 to 1973, the original road to Emerald was to be abandoned, and the newly proposed road would run through where Elephant Rock was located, on the Bimbimbe property. At the time, construction workers believed the rock to be a fraction of the size. Upon digging, they discovered the rock would be far to difficult to remove. This lead to a problem; the new road would need to run right through the site. It was decided the rock would remain, and the road was constructed around it. Now a permanent fixture in many local lives, the rock is easily accessible via a public car park, offering views overlooking the Cardinia Reservoir. 

Image credits: Elephant Rock Facebook Group (24/2/2019)

    If you would like to follow the announcements made at Elephant Rock, follow Elephant Rock’s Facebook page.

 

Written by Brooke Pickering

References:

Jenny Pritchard, J. (2022, June), Landscaping at Elephant Rock. Upper Beaconsfield Village Bell. https://www.upperbeaconsfield.org.au/wp-content/uploads/upperbeac/Village-Bell-2022-228-Jun.pdf

Quinn-Watson, L. [@ElephantRock]. (2022, August 8), Elephant Rock [Facebook], https://www.facebook.com/TheElephantRock/

Pave Festival (2021), Elephant Rock Painting. Pave Festival. https://www.pavefestival.org.au/elephant-rock-painting/

Upper Beaconsfield History. (2022). History of Upper Beaconsfield. https://upperbeaconsfieldhistory.au 

Images:

Department of Crown Lands and Survey. (1971). Elephant Rock [Photograph]. Provided by Upper Beaconsfield History. Department of Crown Lands and Survey. (1971). Elephant Rock [Photograph]. Provided by Upper Beaconsfield History. Residents of Upper Beaconsfield and surrounding areas - Main Page (upperbeaconsfieldhistory.org.au)

Elephant Rock. [@ElephantRock]. (2011, 2 October). Elephant Rock [Photo]. Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/TheElephantRock/

Elephant Rock. [@ElephantRock]. (2019, 24 February). Elephant Rock [Photo]. Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/TheElephantRock/

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