Poppy Project in Moonee Valley - Updated

The Moonee Valley Library Service will be have a launch for our Poppy making campaign at Sam Merrifield Library on Wednesday 6 August at 2pm. This will include a talk by Lynn Berry who created the Poppies Project, and then a craft workshop. 

Niddrie Library will also have a Poppy making workshop which will be on Wednesday 13 August at 11am.

Pop this in your diary now so you don't forget.

UPDATE: Here is a link to some Poppy Patterns.

Coconut Lancers in New Guinea, 1914

Staff of the Royal Australian Naval Brigade, AN&MEF, after the operations against the Germans,  September 1914. (AWM A04003).

Robert Curwen was one of the Victorian Contingent of the Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force which left for New Guinea shortly after the outbreak of the war, involved in securing the various German radio stations and bases in that area.  Rod Martin has explored Curwen's interesting naval and military experiences, and what he did after the war.   And explains just who the Coconut Lancers were.

5000 Poppies

This post is a little late for Anzac Day, but I first came upon the 5000 Poppies project via the Exploring Military History Blog.  The displays made for Anzac Day with the knitted poppies are fantastic.

Moonee Ponds Methodist Football Club, 1914

Recruiting agents typically aimed at young sportsmen to fill their quota, and at least two of these young footballers joined up, and probably others.  If you can identify any of the faces in this photo, please get in touch.  You can see the present identifications here

Australian Red Cross Centenary, 2014

Four lady Red Cross officials at No 5 Australian General Hospital at St Kilda. Australian War Memorial Collection H18704.

The Australian Branch of the British Red Cross formed in Melbourne within days of the declaration of war in August 1914.  Now the Australian Red Cross is commemorating the centenary of that beginning.  Keep an eye on the Red Cross centenary website for information on commemorative events and stories.

Christmas tins at Mena Camp, 1915

 

Unibic Anzac Biscuits

Driver Robert Allan Bunning (right) enjoys 7th Inf Bn Christmas Dinner

25 Dec 1914 at Mena Camp.  The photographer was Harry Barker.

Australian War Memorial collection. http://cas.awm.gov.au/item/J05573

Nearly 100 years ago, local digger, Robert Bunning of Moonee Ponds sat down to Christmas dinner with a tin of goodies to enjoy.  Now Driver Bunning is on the front of a tin of goodies himself.  Perhaps the biggest treat back then was a bath, a shave, and a clean set of clothes. It would have been a very mixed celebration in 1915.

Thank you Marilyn for the tip!

Further to the Australian Naval & Military Expeditionary Force

From page 18 of How Australia took German New Guinea

"On the 19th the Expedition left Sydney in the Berrima under sealed orders. Off Moreton Bay it was convoyed, pausing en route to give the troops a fortnight’s hard training".

How Australia took German New Guinea : an illustrated record of the Australian Naval & Military Expeditionary Force ... / by F. S. Burnell (Frederick Spencer), 1880-

There is a digitised copy of the above book at the State Library of Victoria:

Persistent link: http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/245327