Historic map of Dandenong

This is quite awesome. One of the gents who runs the Springvale Historical Society bought this in to show us yesterday. It’s a hand drawn map of Dandenong by our very own Robert Woodcock, the gent who owned Laurel Lodge last century. You can clearly see how Dandenong was broken up back then and all of the local street names can be found as the last names of people who own the various properties. You can even see the road where we are (in the second shot) but oddly enough, Mr Woodcock didn’t mark his property on the map.

We love the old brown of the paper (wonder what colour it was originally?) and the fact there are a number of ink drops on them. Did Nellie get too close to her father’s desk as he was drawing the map? We’ll never know, but still, it’s so wonderful to be able to see such history so close up.

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Our final Artist in Residence for the year – the Society of Histrionic Happenings

For the past two weeks, Sydney’s Society of Histrionic Happenings, our final Artist in Residence for the year, have been holed up in the Old School Room researching Laurel Lodge’s 19th century school marm, Matilda Shaw for the next evolution of their production The Governess. They wrote a little about the process on their blog here. It’s been an interesting process, having an artist on site  researching one of our notaries.

Last Friday night was the public outcome of the residency, a showing of the work so far. A select audience was in attendance to watch The Governess’s tragic tale and comic performance.

Some exercise to start the class

Maths

French

A playground game

A spelling game

And a sing along

We’ll be watching to see what happens to the Governess next.

If you’d like to apply for our Artist in Residence program, you have until Monday the 22 of October, so be quick! More information can be obtained by emailing us at heritagehill [AT] cgd.vic.gov.au. Remember to replace the ‘[at]‘ with a ‘@’ sign!

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Posters With An Environmental Message exhibition

We wanted to share the news about one of our current exhibitions, Posters With An Environmental Message, by the multi-disciplinary design company The Arctic Mirage.

Earlier this year they were commissioned by a sustainable design company – The Urban Leaf Pty Ltd – and a landscape design company – The Lonely Tree Pty Ltd – to create a series of posters that promoted individual and corporate responsibility towards eco-friendly living and enviromental sustainability. The posters were so well recived that The Arctic Mirage created this exhibition to allow more people to see the work and hear the messages contained within.

Posters With An Environmental Message is open until the 28th of August, so drop by and check them out! As always, we’re open from 10-4 weekdays and 12-4 on Sundays.

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Community VCAL Photo Voice Project exhibition

We wanted to share a little about our current exhibition in Laurel Lodge, the Community VCAL Photo Voice Project.

Young people who attend Community VCALs: LINK; LEEP; and Keysborough Learning Centre were invited to express themselves through photography by participating in the Community VCAL Photo Voice Project

Initiated by Greater Dandenong Community Health Service, the Photo Voice Project enabled participants to communicate key positives and challenges they face as a young person, through the creative medium of photography.

Participants planned and developed their photos ideas prior to the ‘photo shoot’ day. Supported by a professional photographer, participants worked together to compose and capture their desired photo. Individual photos were also taken using personal cameras.

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Grave Stories of the Queen Victoria Market by Dr Celestina Sagazio

Yesterday, we had Dr Celestina Sagazio, Historian and Manager of Cultural Heritage’ of the Southern Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust, come out to talk to us about the hidden side of Melbourne’s cemeteries.

Dr Sagazio introduces us to the a side of the Queen Victoria Markets you might not know

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Don Jones and The The Magic of Laughter

Can laughter be the best medicine? Today at Heritage Hill it was put to the test when comedian Don Jones presented his show The Magic of Laughter. Our group was eager to find out if it was true. In the drawing room of Laurel Lodge, behind the backdrop of lovely afternoon sunshine, Don began with the story of how he became a performer.

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School Holiday workshop – Character archaeology

Today we had back Penelope Bartlau from Barking Spider Visual Theatre to do another workshop with us, this time a drama one called Character archeology. Sound intriguing? Read on:

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Cloth Doll Workshop

On Saturday, October 17, Kerry Markham of the Australian Cloth Dolls Association held an all day Cloth Doll workshop in Laurel Lodge. Cloth dolls are usually highly worked, very solid artistic dolls made to look at not to play with. It can take weeks to create a single doll and workshops can go for several days. Kerrie proimised us that this doll wouldn’t take as long as that! 

Kerrie was lovely and very knowledgable, the conversation was pleasant, the learning curve not too steep and at the end of the day we all had a beautiful elf doll to take home. 

Have a look at some of the photos from the day:

These were two elves Kerrie made previously from the pattern she was teaching us

 

One of our participants laying out her pattern pieces.

 

Kerrie , left, explains a technique to two of our participants.

 

An elf cut and sewn but yet to be stuffed.

 

Here Kerrie uses a gel pen to create details in the little elf’s face.

 

Four of the finished elves having a chat

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