A single railway line between Caulfield and Mordialloc was completed in 1881 but local business men argued that the line needed to be duplicated. Some land speculators were part of a very active group advocating this cause. By 1889 the duplication was completed but agitation continue for other improvements.
Patterson Lakes Development and Alfred Priestly written by Ron Jacobs expresses his view that the original creating of the Patterson Lakes suburb can be traced to the work of Alfred Priestly. It was Priestly who first developed ramps for launching boats into the Patterson River and created two marinas for the mooring of fishing boats and pleasure crafts. Priestly saw the potential of the Patterson River.
The Moorabbin Football Club, a foundation member of the Federal League and a winning premiership club, joins the Victorian Football Association with continuing success. But trouble emerges when the Moorabbin Council is successful in its desire to attract a Victorian Football League team to the municipality. St Kilda Football Club takes over the Linton Street Ground and Moorabbin Club fails to find an alternative ground.
Tony Mussert writes of the efforts of his mother, Gwen Mussert, to care for and help TB patients, dependant elderly people in need, and young unmarried pregnant girls in the 1940s and later. Merriegum was closed and bulldozed in the mid-1960s.
The Bicentennial Park began as a tip where the refuse of Chelsea residents was deposited. The stench from decaying waste was the subject of complaints from close neighbours and from firemen who were called to fight fires powered by escaping gas. Today the site is an award winning, professionally designed community asset.
Tom Sheehy, the history officer for the City of Moorabbin, wrote in 1979 about grape growing in the 1850s. At one time, the Parish of Moorabbin and the neighbouring Parish of Prahran produced 157,000 pounds of grapes between them. The vines were producing table grapes, raisons, and grapes for wine making. A few years later the vines were destroyed with a disease and the land reverted to market gardening.
In 1971, the Chelsea Council decided to join the Mordialloc Council in providing a library service to residents. As part of this agreement was the implementation of a mobile library to reach ‘outlying settlements’. A special vehicle was designed and staffed with a route including stops at Aspendale, Edithvale, Chelsea, Bon Beach and Carrum. The communities in North Mordialloc, East Beaumaris, and East Parkdale were also to benefit.
Latrobe Street, Mentone, was named over one hundred and fifty years ago when it was little more than a track. Much later it became the border of two municipalities, Moorabbin and Mordialloc/Mentone. When the time came to construct the road in the 1950s, local residents argued it was a government or public road therefore they did not have to pay the cost. Ultimately the councils disagreed, and the residents lost the debate.
Geoff Stratford continues his story about his Recollections of Robins Stores Mentone. In this addition, he writes of the Produce Store that was part of the business. Geoff also provides useful information about the term bushel and the difference among the standard bushel weights of the various grains sold.
Geoff Stratford, author of Robins Store in Mentone, has fond memories of playing in its storerooms and the people who worked at the store. He recalls features of the old grocery shop which sharply contrast with shopping at the big supermarket stores today. Do you recall the broken biscuit tin, the self-service honey container, the stacking of shelves with heavy canned items on the lower levels, home delivery and the grocer behind the counter waiting to serve you dressed in a long white apron? There is much more here to stir the memory of how it was more than fifty years ago.
