Mayblooms and Cherrybobs Oral History Project: Spanish Flu Pandemic
City of Boroondara Heritage Collection
Release Date: 07/21/2023
Glenferrie Sounds
City of Boroondara Heritage Collection
'Glenferrie Sounds' was compiled for the new Hawthorn 'Open Space', 2024. It is a collaboration between Boroondara Library Service and Boroondara Capital Projects. The Oral History excerpts were taken from interviews by the Hawthorn City Library Oral History Project "Mayblooms & Cherrybobs" conducted in 1985. The Oral History archive is housed within the Boroondara Library Service Heritage Collection. Oral History Interviewers: Rene Pappas Maryanne Pearce Oral History Interviewees: Emma Overton Frank Ireland Ernest Dixon Vincent Greaves William Wallace George Martin...
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Mayblooms and Cherrybobs Oral History Project: Air Raids and the War Years
City of Boroondara Heritage Collection
Air Raids and the War Years The shock of the First World War impelled Hawthorn’s residents to join forces and prepare for the worst together. Amidst rationing and suburb-wide blackouts, the community united with the Red Cross to help the war efforts - knitting socks, sending parcels, and constructing splints in the basement of the Hawthorn Town Hall. Listen to the residents' stories as they reflect on the sentiment of the time during the World Wars and the Hawthorn Town Hall's role in uniting a community together. Participants Ernest Dixon Mabel Holzer Walter Jona Archibald...
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Mayblooms and Cherrybobs Oral History Project: Memories of the Glenferrie Junction
City of Boroondara Heritage Collection
Memories of the Glenferrie Junction The junction at Glenferrie and Burwood Road has historically remained a bustling thoroughfare, with bicycle stores lining the shopping strip and horse-drawn vehicles populating the roads delivering the necessary goods and services to families at home. Listen to the residents' stories as they reflect on growing up around the junction and hear how they playfully interacted with the Hawthorn Town Hall. ParticipantsWalter Jona Frank Ireland George Martin Violet Turner Eva Martin Gordon O'Neill Mabel Holzer Lorna Lewis Kitt Rowe Vincent Greaves Ernest Dixon...
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Mayblooms and Cherrybobs Oral History Project: Events At The Town Hall
City of Boroondara Heritage Collection
Events at the Hawthorn Town Hall Over the decades, the Hawthorn Town Hall hosted various events to entertain, delight and celebrate. From formal piano concerts to Friday night community singing, Saturday Vaudeville days and fancy-dress parties, the Town Hall has attracted many eager crowds. Listen to the resident’s fond memories of visiting the Town Hall and enjoying cultural festivities. ParticipantsViolet Turner Walter Jona Esther Rofe Eva Martin Mabel Holzer Frank Ireland George Martin Lorna Lewis Kit Rowe Vincent Greaves Ernest Dixon InterviewersJohn Hill Rene Papas Marianne Pierce...
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Mayblooms and Cherrybobs Oral History Project: Spanish Flu Pandemic
City of Boroondara Heritage Collection
Spanish Flu and Hawthorn When the Spanish Flu pandemic reached Australia’s shores in early 1919, it became rapidly apparent to the population how swift and severe the outbreak would be. In Hawthorn, residents experienced the loss of neighbours, friends and loved ones to pneumonic influenza. Schools closed for months, and the community donned masks with concoctions of eucalyptus and menthol to combat the spread of disease. Listen to the resident’s stories to understand how the Hawthorn Town Hall played an essential role in keeping the community safe throughout the Spanish Flu pandemic....
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Mayblooms and Cherrybobs Oral History Project: The Great Depression Years
City of Boroondara Heritage Collection
The Great Depression Years The Great Depression was a period of hardship and suffering for many throughout Hawthorn. Widespread unemployment and lack of work left families in financial strife. Soup kitchens were set up to feed those in need, and welfare payments of seven shillings and sixpence were distributed from the Hawthorn Town Hall. Listen to the resident’s stories to hear what it was like to live throughout the Great Depression and how the Hawthorn Town Hall played a significant role in supporting the community. Participants William Wallace Max Yunghanns Walter Jona Esther Rofe...
info_outlineSpanish Flu and Hawthorn
When the Spanish Flu pandemic reached Australia’s shores in early 1919, it became rapidly apparent to the population how swift and severe the outbreak would be. In Hawthorn, residents experienced the loss of neighbours, friends and loved ones to pneumonic influenza. Schools closed for months, and the community donned masks with concoctions of eucalyptus and menthol to combat the spread of disease.
Listen to the resident’s stories to understand how the Hawthorn Town Hall played an essential role in keeping the community safe throughout the Spanish Flu pandemic.
Participants
Mabel Holzer
Lorna Lewis
Roy Tabe
Gina Triaca
Mary Sutherland
Arthur Rowe
Helena Wilson
Ernest Dixon
Esther Rofe
Interviewers
John Hill
Rene Papas
Marianne Pierce
Please consider the conversations in these recordings are of the time. Parental guidance is recommended for those 12 years and under.
Image- V.A.D.s at Heidelberg Military Hospital, 1942.
Members of the Voluntary Aid Detachment. Meryl Merchant, past Vice President of the Hawthorn Historical Society, is on the left of this group, and Lyn Gibson on the right.
Copied from the collection of Mrs Meryl Merchant