Mundaring and Hills Historical Society inc. | Community

Mundaring and Hills Historical Society inc.

Phone: +61 8 9295 0540

Address: 3060 Jacoby Street 6073 Mundaring, WA, Australia

Website: http://www.mhhs.org.au

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25.01.2022 Have you come to a standstill researching your family history? Some great advice is offered here as to where you might look next. We'd love to hear from you if you've successfully tracked down your ancestors (skeletons and all) especially if they lived in the Shire of Mundaring.

25.01.2022 How do you keep the buttons on your Army Service Dress Jacket nice and shiny? Why, with a New Pioneer Equipment Protector! It was important for soldiers to keep their uniform buttons shined but very difficult to avoid staining the surrounding fabric. What to do? What every soldier needed was the brass button polishing guard pictured here! Made by Frederick Narborough of Birmingham, the New Pioneer Equipment Protector, patented in 1918, replaced the Pioneer Equipment Protec...tor. It was still used in WW2. This particular guard was located by Rhys Hall at the site of the former Chidlow WW2 Army Camps and is part of our new exhibition at the Mundaring District Museum. Have a look at the other items in the same display case - can you work out what they all are? Make sure you visit the exhibition if you want to find out more. Heritage Detection Australia

24.01.2022 Volunteer Air Observers' Corp Update - Airflash Form Following on from yesterday's VAOC Post, Bob Sheppard sent through this Airflash Form, used by observers to write the details of what they had seen before phoning in the details to the control post. Bob found this in the Grisgson family shed at Jurien Bay. Stella Grigson was an air observer, along with her two sons.... You can see that this report is no. 1885. That is a lot of volunteer hours spent scanning the skies looking for enemy aircraft! Thank you Bob, and the Grigson Family.

24.01.2022 Mundaring District Museum is revving up again and getting ready to open its exhibition on Chidlow's WW2 Army Camps on the 8th of August. This is a joint exhibition with 'Friends of Chidlow WW2 Camps' and 'Heritage Detection Australia'. It recognises the joint efforts of these groups and the Mundaring & Hills Historical Society to preserve this significant heritage site. Hope to see you there!... Friends of the Chidlow WW2 Camps Heritage Detection Australia ABC Perth Shire of Mundaring Perth Hills Mundaring

24.01.2022 Make sure you have a look at this week's Echo - our thanks to Claire and the newspaper for promoting the MHHS and the work we are doing with the Friends of the Chidlow WW2 Camps. Friends of the Chidlow WW2 Camps

23.01.2022 WA Day This weekend we are celebrating our wonderful state. More specifically it celebrates the long history of our indigenous people and the far more recent history of European settlement. However, this bipartisan approach to the history of our state was only adopted in 2012. Western Australia was established as a British colony on 25 April 1829, following the arrival of Captain Fremantle on HMS Challenger off Garden Island. Captain Stirling, the states first governor, arr...ived slightly later on the evening of 31 May carrying the colonys first British settlers. It was Stirling who established Foundation Day in 1832. He decided that a special day commemorating the founding of the colony was needed to help unite the colonists. In their struggle for survival. He nominated 1 June as an annual event. For the indigenous peoples of our state this event didnt represent the founding of a colony but an invasion. Legislation to change the event to one of more inclusivity was passed in April 2012. It is during this long weekend that we recognise the achievements of our fellow Western Australians with the presentation of the Western Australian Award. There are seven categories: Aboriginal, Arts and Culture, Business, Community, Professionals, Sport and Youth. Prior to this the awards were known as the WA Citizen of the Year Awards which commenced in June 1973. So, over this long weekend whilst we remember where and when we came, we also celebrate our great state and acknowledge and embrace our diverse heritage. Shire of Mundaring Libraries Shire of Mundaring

23.01.2022 Today, we remember the many service personnel who have defended this Nation, today as well as in the past. Some have paid the ultimate price. In this short slideshow, we acknowledge 23 WW1 soldiers, linked to the Shire of Mundaring, who died whilst serving their country. While at least 78 men from the area died during WW1, we only have photographs of these 23. If you have photographs of soldiers not shown here we would like to hear from you. Shire of Mundaring... Perth Hills Mundaring See more

22.01.2022 Make sure you register now to get a first look at WAs new museum.

22.01.2022 Online submissions are now open! So get out your old photo albums, or borrow Grandma's, and enter your photographs ASAP.

21.01.2022 Saluting Their Service Grant - $5000 We have just heard from our local MP, Ken Wyatt, that the MHHS's application for a grant to research, write and publish a history of one of the Chidlow Army Camps has been successful. YAY! This means we'll be able to find out more about these fellas - waving goodbye to the Chidlow Camps on the 20 July 1943.... Many thanks to the Department of Veterans' Affairs for the grant. Shire of Mundaring Ken Wyatt Friends of the Chidlow WW2 Camps

20.01.2022 Remember your walking shoes! Hope you can join the Mundaring & Hills Historical Society this Saturday 19 September for a guided tour of the Depression era Sustenance Camp in Hovea. Please meet at 10am at the intersection of Wedgetail Circle and Boronia Way, Parkerville. Your wet weather gear might also be necessary!... For more info contact the MHHS on (08)9295 0540.

20.01.2022 International Museum Week starts today! With museums around the world closed, including Mundarings, the arts community will be celebrating all our wonderful museums with 7 days of themed social media posts. Todays theme is HEROES and what better heroes do we have at present than our amazing medical workers. ... Medical staff have always been on the frontline - caring for the sick and injured. So, the MHHSs chosen HERO for today is Matron Irene Dunne (c.1875 - 1950) who devoted her life to caring for people in both England and Western Australia. Her life and career included travelling from WA to England in December 1914 to become a volunteer nurse during WW1, the torpedoing by a German submarine of the ship on which she was returning to Australia, and a long career as Matron at Wooroloos Sanatorium, 1920 to 1940, caring for Tuberculosis (TB) patients. Until the mid 20th century many people died from TB, an infectious bacterial disease primarily of the lungs that flourished amongst the poor in overcrowded cities. It is possible that 25 % of all deaths in Europe in the late 1800s were caused by TB. Nurses caring for TB patients, therefore, put themselves at risk of contracting this highly infectious disease.The development of the antibiotic streptomycin in the 1940s as well a higher standard of living in the 20th century helped reduce deaths from TB. Matron Dunne played a significant role in the WA community, caring for Wooroloos TB patients. On her retirement she continued her association with the Mundaring area, living on Old York Road in Greenmount. #museumweek #HeroesMW Australian Museums and Galleries Association Western Australia

19.01.2022 Many thanks to everyone who entered, or who voted in, the MHHSs and Shire of Mundaring Libraries historic photo competition. Congratulations as well to the winners!

18.01.2022 Great to see this 1968 photo of the interior of the Mundaring Library. Do you have similar photos of the Shire of Mundaring hidden away in old photo albums? If so we would love to see them in our current historic photograph competition.

18.01.2022 On this day, 105 years ago, this postcard from Ernest Hunt of the 28th Battalion AIF arrived at the Australian Intermediate Base Post Office. It was sent onto his sister, Alice Roberts, who lived at the Mundaring Station Master's House, where her husband Frank was the Station Master. This intriguing postcard was sent by Ernest when he was in Egypt - and announces his safe arrival after a lovely trip. He was soon sent onto Gallipoli. Unfortunately, Ernest's pleasant experien...ces soon ended and like many other soldiers, he suffered from bouts of dysentery and diarrhoea. He was hospitalised in Malta for severe jaundice in January 1916 before returning to duty in Egypt in March. He rejoined his unit in France in June 1916. Ernest Hunt was killed on the 29 July 1916 whilst on active service in Pozieres, France. He was 23 years old. This postcard still resides in the Mundaring Station Master's House - as part of our Collection. It is a poignant reminder of the many WA families affected by war over the last 106 years.

17.01.2022 Make sure you vote in SNAPPED - the Shire of Mundaring Libraries & MHHS's photo competition. All you need to do is click on 'Snapped: Historic Photo Competition', and then 'like' your favourite photo. You have until Friday 7 August to vote.

17.01.2022 SNAPPED! You could win $100. Have you submitted your old Shire of Mundaring photo to our competition yet? Entries close at 11.59pm next Friday - 3 July.... To find out more visit https://www.mundaring.wa.gov.au/YourCommunity/ShireLibraries . This recently donated photo of Dorothy Brown was taken in late 1960 outside the Mundaring Weir Hotel - or Goldfields Weir Hotel as it was known then. Dorothy took a road trip from NSW to WA with a friend - we assume in the VW Beetle we can see in the photo. What a journey that would have been! If you have similar photos we would love to see them in the competition. Shire of Mundaring Libraries Shire of Mundaring Perth Hills Mundaring Mundaring Weir Hotel

16.01.2022 Mundaring Weir SNAPPED! Mundaring Weir with its beautiful bush surroundings and elegant copper-roofed Valve Tower must be one of the most photographed locations in WA. This fascination with the Weir started when it was first built at the beginning of the 20th century and continues today. The MHHS Collection has an amazing array of family photos of the Weir Wall and Walkway, as you can see here, but we would love more!... If you have an old family photo of Mundaring Weir we would love to see it in SNAPPED. Our historic photo competition closes this Friday 24 July at 11.59PM. For details go to https://www.mundaring.wa.gov.au/YourCommunity/ShireLibraries . Shire of Mundaring Libraries Shire of Mundaring Perth Hills Mundaring

15.01.2022 Many thanks to everyone who entered, or who voted in, the MHHS's and Shire of Mundaring Libraries' historic photo competition. Congratulations as well to the winners!

15.01.2022 The MHHS is out and about this weekend. Come and say hello. You can visit us at the Church of the Epiphany Community Fair on Saturday 7 November (9am to 1pm), or drop by the verandah of the Mundaring Station Master's House for Sunday's Rotary Markets ( morning). See you there!

15.01.2022 Volunteer Air Observers Corp Update - Airflash Form Following on from yesterdays VAOC Post, Bob Sheppard sent through this Airflash Form, used by observers to write the details of what they had seen before phoning in the details to the control post. Bob found this in the Grisgson family shed at Jurien Bay. Stella Grigson was an air observer, along with her two sons.... You can see that this report is no. 1885. That is a lot of volunteer hours spent scanning the skies looking for enemy aircraft! Thank you Bob, and the Grigson Family.

14.01.2022 Make sure you have a look at this weeks Echo - our thanks to Claire and the newspaper for promoting the MHHS and the work we are doing with the Friends of the Chidlow WW2 Camps. Friends of the Chidlow WW2 Camps

14.01.2022 Saluting Their Service Grant - $5000 We have just heard from our local MP, Ken Wyatt, that the MHHSs application for a grant to research, write and publish a history of one of the Chidlow Army Camps has been successful. YAY! This means well be able to find out more about these fellas - waving goodbye to the Chidlow Camps on the 20 July 1943.... Many thanks to the Department of Veterans Affairs for the grant. Shire of Mundaring Ken Wyatt Friends of the Chidlow WW2 Camps

14.01.2022 Many thanks to Mundaring Community Bank Branch for not only helping the MHHS buy new blinds for the Mundaring District Museum, but for also spreading the word about our new exhibition, 'Head for the Hills: Chidlow's World War 2 Army Camps'. The exhibition is a joint project with 'Friends of the Chidlow WW2 Camps', and 'Heritage Detection Australia'. The MHHS is very fortunate to have the support of so many community organisations and businesses - thank you one and all! Mun...daring Community Bank Branch Shire of Mundaring Heritage Detection Australia Mundaring Chamber Of Commerce See more

13.01.2022 Today marks 75 years since the end of WW2. The names of WW2 soldiers listed on the Mundaring War Memorial, remind of us the ultimate sacrifice of a number of men from the Shire of Mundaring. Many local men joined the 2/4th Machine Gun Battalion in the early days of WW2 and were captured by the Japanese Army following the fall of Singapore. At least two of these men died whilst Prisoners of War, and their names are inscribed on the Mundaring War Memorial: Arnold Cousins and A...lexander Colquhoun. Both Colquhoun and Cousins died in September 1944 following the torpedoing by an American submarine of the Japanese ship on which they were being transported. While some on board were rescued by American and Japanese ships, many more drowned. The stories of the local men who served with the the 2/4th Machine Gun Battalion are remembered at a wonderful website; http://2nd4thmgb.com.au//wooroloo-mundaring-mt-helena-saw/ . These personal stories remind us of what so many young men endured during the course of WW2. Lest We Forget. Shire of Mundaring RSLWA

13.01.2022 Can you identify these old Mundaring houses? These 2 pen and ink drawings are the work of Roy Weston, the well-known real estate agent, who lived on Coolgardie Street Mundaring in the latter part of his life. Along with real estate, Roy was a talented artist and Arabian horse breeder. According to his wife, Patricia Weston, Roy used to go out for the day sketching and painting and would come home with a collection of sketches, drawings and paintings from various locations ar...ound the area. Following Roy's death in 2010, his family donated some of these artworks to the MHHS. While many of the artworks are of well-known Mundaring buildings there are a couple of buildings that have stumped us. We need your help! The first drawing shows an 'Old Stone Home on Mundaring Weir Road, Mundaring', and the second an 'Old Weatherboard Cottage on Jacoby Street'? If you have any ideas please get in touch! Shire of Mundaring

12.01.2022 Thanks for sharing! The Midland & Districts Historical Society has very generously passed onto the MHHS an enormous bundle of Valuer General's Office/Landgate maps relating to the Shire of Mundaring from the 1930s onwards. Originally from Real Estate Plus in Midland, these maps are a rich historical resource and show how much different parts of the Shire have changed over time. Our members and volunteers are going to have a wonderful time poring over these maps in coming wee...ks. Thankyou Midland & Districts Historical Society!!! Midland and Districts Historical Society Inc. Shire of Mundaring

11.01.2022 Our thanks to Darlington History Group for posting this fascinating film footage from 1926, showing one of the special excursion trains that used to travel from Perth to Mundaring Weir on weekends. You can see just how popular this journey was, with hundreds of visitors enjoying the overflow at the Weir, a scramble over the rocks, and a cup of tea! Shire of Mundaring Shire of Mundaring Libraries Perth Hills Mundaring

11.01.2022 Our exhibition is finally up - yay! Many thanks to Bob Sheppard, Rhys Hall, and Bill Scrivener for your expertise and input over the last few months, and also to all the volunteers who have worked on this project. Great effort everyone!! We look forward to a post-COVID 'second' opening, when more than 19 people are allowed into the museum at any one time. Shire of Mundaring... Shire of Mundaring Libraries Perth Hills Mundaring Chidlow, Western Australia See more

10.01.2022 How lucky are we! The Australian Army Museum of WA is a great supporter of local museums - always willing to lend fascinating items for exhibitions. So, when we were putting together 'Head for the Hills: Chidlow's WW2 Army Camps' - which opens THIS Saturday - we asked if we could borrow a couple of WW2 uniforms. Not a problem, they said. We have LOTS of uniforms.... How lucky were we, therefore, to borrow this particular uniform which had the name of the soldier who wore it written inside. Turns out Lieutenant Jack Stuart Pearce (WX25293) of the 2/7 Australian Field Regiment was stationed at Chidlow Camp 4 from July to August 1942 and then again in September 1943. It is very likely this jacket was worn at the Chidlow Camps. What is more, we have a photo of Pearce taken in Borneo in July 1945, following the Battle of Tarakan. We'd love know more about Jack Pearce. If you have any info please get in touch. Heritage Detection Australia

09.01.2022 A Memorial and a Mystery. Unlike the Shires Honour Boards, Mundarings War Memorial only records the names of those who died during WW1 and WW2. The memorial is located on the corner of Nichol Street and Great Eastern Highway Mundaring, next to the Mundaring District Museum and Visitor Centre. It is at this site that Anzac Day services are usually held each year. In 1921, residents of the Shire began fundraising to erect a memorial that would commemorate those who had died ...during WW1. By the 6 May 1923, sufficient funds had been received to erect a granite obelisk that was unveiled by Archbishop Riley. Fundraising continued in order to purchase two marble plaques that carried the names of the fallen. Riley once again turned up, on 14 March 1926, to unveil the plaques that carried 46 names. A plaque bearing the names of the 24 who died during WW2 was not unveiled until the 1949 Anzac Day service. And the mystery? Well, it has long been thought that the rose garden that lies to the north of the War Memorial was established in the late 1930s, with roses donated by well-known Mundaring local, A.C. McCallum. However, archival research by the MHHS suggests that the rose garden was planted in the late 1940s or early 1950s, following a suggestion by the National Rose Society that Civic Rose Gardens be planted around WW1 memorials to honour WW2 service personnel who had died. Certainly, there is no documented reference to a rose garden around the War Memorial prior to the early 1950s. Today the memorial sits in a paved area with garden beds containing roses set to the north and east of the memorial. The memorial and rose garden were upgraded by the Shire in 1995. This led to the creation of an additional rose bed on the eastern side of the memorial. If you have any knowledge of the original rose garden, and when it was planted, please let us know! Shire of Mundaring Shire of Mundaring Libraries Perth Hills Mundaring

08.01.2022 Mundaring & Hills Historical Society members are out and about TALKING about history! July has turned into a busy month with MHHS members talking in all sorts of places about all sorts of topics. Last week our President, Dr Fiona Bush, spoke at the Royal West Australian Historical Society, about the Watheroo Observatory. Tomorrow, Wednesday 22 July, our very knowledgeable member and former Curator, Ruth McWIlliams, will talk with Jenny Seaton on Curtin FM about the history... of Wooroloo. Meanwhile on Thursday, 23 July, Bob Sheppard from the Friends of the Chidlow WW2 Camps has a sell-out audience at the Boya Community Centre for his talk on the Chidlow camps - an event co-hosted by the Shire of Mundaring Libraries and the MHHS. Great to see so many people taking an interest in our fascinating local history. Thank you Fiona, Ruth and Bob for sharing your knowledge. Shire of Mundaring Libraries Shire of Mundaring Heritage Detection Australia

08.01.2022 International Museum Week starts today! With museums around the world closed, including Mundaring's, the arts community will be celebrating all our wonderful museums with 7 days of themed social media posts. Today's theme is HEROES and what better heroes do we have at present than our amazing medical workers. ... Medical staff have always been on the frontline - caring for the sick and injured. So, the MHHS's chosen HERO for today is Matron Irene Dunne (c.1875 - 1950) who devoted her life to caring for people in both England and Western Australia. Her life and career included travelling from WA to England in December 1914 to become a volunteer nurse during WW1, the torpedoing by a German submarine of the ship on which she was returning to Australia, and a long career as Matron at Wooroloo's Sanatorium, 1920 to 1940, caring for Tuberculosis (TB) patients. Until the mid 20th century many people died from TB, an infectious bacterial disease primarily of the lungs that flourished amongst the poor in overcrowded cities. It is possible that 25 % of all deaths in Europe in the late 1800s were caused by TB. Nurses caring for TB patients, therefore, put themselves at risk of contracting this highly infectious disease.The development of the antibiotic streptomycin in the 1940s as well a higher standard of living in the 20th century helped reduce deaths from TB. Matron Dunne played a significant role in the WA community, caring for Wooroloo's TB patients. On her retirement she continued her association with the Mundaring area, living on Old York Road in Greenmount. #museumweek #HeroesMW Australian Museums and Galleries Association Western Australia

07.01.2022 Can anyone help Roxy and Bill?

07.01.2022 Mundaring local Bob Sheppard, with a fascinating story about Mooras Volunteer Defence Corps. Mundaring also had a Volunteer Defence Corps during WW2. Great work Bob!

07.01.2022 Happy Mother's Day! This lovely card from our Collection was sent by Irma Waite to her mother Alice Rose Waite (nee Byfield). Alice was born in Northam in 1885, married John Henry Waite in 1905, and died in Mundaring in 1972. Alice and John, who died in 1955, are buried in the Guildford Cemetery. The image on the card looks a little Christmassy (European) - but the words within are a lovely dedication to all mothers.

07.01.2022 Do you remember the days when the local shop used to print a calendar as a free giveaway? Great advertising - although the picture on the calendar generally had very little to do with what the shop sold. We have some fascinating calendars in our collection - including this one from Stribling's General Store on Jacoby Street in Mundaring. Reginald and Vira Stribling took over the store from the Wells family c. 1958. This represented the end of an era as a couple of generations of the Wells family had run the store since 1911. We have calendars from other local stores such as Errington's Drapery (1978) on Great Eastern Highway, K.J. Byrne Quality Meats (1964) on Nichol Street, and Mundaring Hardware (1964). They are a useful historical record of the various shops located in the Shire of Mundaring.

07.01.2022 Mount Helena blocks for sale - containing Good Swamp Land! This fascinating document advertising land for sale in Mount Helena was recently donated to the MHHS by the family of Gerard van Didden, a long-time, and greatly missed, member of the Society who passed away in 2019. Weve spent some time trying to determine the documents date and believe this land was advertised for sale some time in the 1930s. The main clue to the date is the name of the surveyor, Lewis Steffan...oni, who died in 1938. The Estate sits to the north-west of the Mount Helena Townsite and while some of the street names on the map are still the same what is called Government Road on the western boundary is now known as Stoneville Road. Looking at a 2020 map of the area, the general outline of the 1930s estate can still be seen, although many of the blocks have been subdivided into 5 acre lots. We wonder where the good swamp land is located? Many thanks to Gerards family for donating this item to the Society. Shire of Mundaring Shire of Mundaring Libraries Mount Helena, Western Australia, Australia

06.01.2022 Go on - have a go at something different this Thursday! Thanks Bob for setting this up. If you aren't a member of the MHHS contact us on 9295 0540 and we can sign you up! Friends of the Chidlow WW2 Camps... Shire of Mundaring Chidlow, Western Australia See more

06.01.2022 Mundaring local Bob Sheppard, with a fascinating story about Moora's Volunteer Defence Corps. Mundaring also had a Volunteer Defence Corps during WW2. Great work Bob!

05.01.2022 Make sure you register now to get a first look at WA's new museum.

05.01.2022 These intrepid walkers braved the rain last Saturday and joined the MHHS for a guided tour of the Depression era Sustenance Camp in Hovea. Great to hear about the connections a couple of our walkers have to Hovea Station Masters - so I've addded a photo of the Hovea Station Master's House in 1918! James Howe was the Station Master at the time and is shown here with his wife Annie and grandson, Ivan. What a small world it is!

04.01.2022 Remembrance Day 2020: Remembering Engineer Sub Lieutenant Frederick Schoch. On 11 September 1941, the light cruiser HMAS Sydney left Fremantle on escort duties, meeting up with HMS Dunbar in Sunda Strait, before heading back to port. However, on 19 November 1941, Sydney was attacked and sunk off the coast of Carnarvon by the German raider 'Kormoran', with the loss of all 645 crew. While 'Kormoran' was abandoned and later scuttled by its crew, 318 of the 399 personnel on boa...rd survived to become prisoners-of-war in Australia. For many years futile attempts were made to locate both ships. Sydney carried a complement of 90 Western Australians. Of the 42 officers, three were from WA, one of these was local boy, Frederick Schoch. Frederick Harold Schoch was born in Geraldton in September 1918, the eldest son of schoolteacher Frederick Arthur and his wife Merle. Frederick senior became Parkerville Primary School’s teacher in 1934. By that time Frederick and Merle had four children and lived in Parkerville on what is now known as Schoch Road. Frederick Harold, who trained as an engineer, joined the Royal Australian Naval Reserve in October 1940 with the rank of Engineer Sub Lieutenant. He then joined the crew of HMAS Sydney in June 1941. When Frederick junior first enlisted, he named his father as next of kin, but by 1941 this was changed to his wife, Betty. Sometime in 1941, Frederick married Mary Elizabeth (Betty) Ross. Frederick Schoch’s name was added to Mundaring’s War Memorial in the 1950s and in November 2001, 60 years after both ships sank, a memorial to HMAS Sydney was erected in Geraldton. Betty Schoch remarried and became Betty Bell. She was an advocate for locating the HMAS Sydney. Betty died in June 2007, a few months before the HMAS Sydney was found in March 2008. Charles (Allan) Ayres from Stoneville also served on HMAS Sydney. However, he transferred to the naval base, HMAS Cerberus V in March 1940 and survived the war. The MHHS is very fortunate to have Allan's hatband from HMAS Sydney in its collection. Lest We Forget. Shire of Mundaring

03.01.2022 Great to see Hugo Throssell remembered by the Australian War Memorial, 105 years on. Following WW1 Hugo lived in Greenmount with his wife Katharine Susannah Prichard. Shire of Mundaring Shire of Mundaring Libraries KSP Writers' Centre

03.01.2022 Happy Mothers Day! This lovely card from our Collection was sent by Irma Waite to her mother Alice Rose Waite (nee Byfield). Alice was born in Northam in 1885, married John Henry Waite in 1905, and died in Mundaring in 1972. Alice and John, who died in 1955, are buried in the Guildford Cemetery. The image on the card looks a little Christmassy (European) - but the words within are a lovely dedication to all mothers.

03.01.2022 Things are hotting up in the Mundaring District Museum as we get ready for our next exhibition, starting 8 August. This is one of our display objects, all wrapped up for safe transportation to the museum. . . we think we know what it is. . . do you? Shire of Mundaring... Perth Hills Mundaring See more

03.01.2022 Make sure you vote in SNAPPED - the Shire of Mundaring Libraries & MHHSs photo competition. All you need to do is click on Snapped: Historic Photo Competition, and then like your favourite photo. You have until Friday 7 August to vote.

03.01.2022 Hold your horses!! The closing date for entries to SNAPPED has been extended to the 24 July. The MHHS and Shire of Mundaring Libraries have extended the closing date for their historic photo competition so you don't need to gallop around over the next couple of days looking for your favourite old photo. For competition details go to https://www.mundaring.wa.gov.au/YourCommunity/ShireLibraries .... And the gorgeous horse? A recent donation to the MHHS. Many thanks Maggie for leaving your wonderful souvenir from El Caballo Blanco's early days in our tender care. Shire of Mundaring Shire of Mundaring Libraries Perth Hills Mundaring

02.01.2022 Mundaring District Museum is revving up again and getting ready to open its exhibition on Chidlows WW2 Army Camps on the 8th of August. This is a joint exhibition with Friends of Chidlow WW2 Camps and Heritage Detection Australia. It recognises the joint efforts of these groups and the Mundaring & Hills Historical Society to preserve this significant heritage site. Hope to see you there!... Friends of the Chidlow WW2 Camps Heritage Detection Australia ABC Perth Shire of Mundaring Perth Hills Mundaring

01.01.2022 Online submissions are now open! So get out your old photo albums, or borrow Grandmas, and enter your photographs ASAP.

01.01.2022 National Volunteer Week, 18 May -24 May 2020. WW2 Volunteer Plane Spotters in the Perth Hills. The MHHS has numerous photos in its Collection showing the many ways, past and present, that volunteers have contributed not only to the local area but also to the State and the Nation. The Volunteer Air Observers Corps (VAOC) was one such group, active in the Perth Hills during World War 2.... Following Japans entry into WW2 in December 1942, the Federal Government established the VAOC to scan the skies looking for enemy aircraft. Posts were especially important in areas outside the cities so that early warning could be given of an impending air raid. VAOC volunteers came from all walks of life, with good eyesight and hearing the essential attributes for participation. Mundaring had an Air Observation Post on Jacoby Street, on a property close to the current Shire Offices. Volunteers included Ray Wells, owner of the General Store, who did the 4am to 7am shift at the observation post before then going off to work. Rays VAOC badge and a certificate of appreciation are part of the MHHSs Collection. Jack Puzey, a teenager during WW2, was also a member of the VAOC. When interviewed in 2012 he commented, We used to go to the spotting post maybe one evening a week. Of course we had to learn how to use the phone (we had none at home ) to communicate with the command post. We had a manual of sorts and had to learn the shapes of all planes likely to be spotted. This, as well as making supper for ourselves, helped to fill in the time there. I seem to remember that we had to complete a session report on paper or over the phone. Unfortunately, we never got the chance to report any enemy aircraft. I dont even remember a friendly aircraft. Dad may have picked us up sometimes but I think we usually rode our bikes home as we did from Scouts with our generator lights to follow the corrugated gravel road. I think I got a fancy coloured spotters badge from the air-force at the end of the war. Thankyou to all the wonderful people, like Jack Puzey and Ray Wells in WW2, who volunteer in our community today. Numerous organisations depend upon volunteers to provide a myriad of services the Mundaring & Hills Historical Society is one such group, so a big THANKYOU to all our fantastic volunteers. Shire of Mundaring Shire of Mundaring Libraries Perth Hills Mundaring

01.01.2022 Mount Helena blocks for sale - containing 'Good Swamp Land'! This fascinating document advertising land for sale in Mount Helena was recently donated to the MHHS by the family of Gerard van Didden, a long-time, and greatly missed, member of the Society who passed away in 2019. We've spent some time trying to determine the document's date and believe this land was advertised for sale some time in the 1930s. The main clue to the date is the name of the surveyor, Lewis Steffan...oni, who died in 1938. The 'Estate' sits to the north-west of the Mount Helena Townsite and while some of the street names on the map are still the same what is called Government Road on the western boundary is now known as Stoneville Road. Looking at a 2020 map of the area, the general outline of the 1930s estate can still be seen, although many of the blocks have been subdivided into 5 acre lots. We wonder where the 'good swamp land' is located? Many thanks to Gerard's family for donating this item to the Society. Shire of Mundaring Shire of Mundaring Libraries Mount Helena, Western Australia, Australia