Derham Street
Frederick Thomas Derham was born in Somerset, England, in 1844 and arrived in Melbourne with his family in 1856. Derham's first business undertaking was as a mercantile broker with Callender Calwell & Co. In 1864, he married Ada Anderson with whom he had three sons and a daughter. Ada died in 1874. Derham had met Thomas Swallow, founder of … [Read More...]
Mrs Jane Adam: A Difficult Life
by David Radcliffe In the late 19th century, life for many in “Marvellous Melbourne” was often tenuous. Living conditions were fairly basic and the economic depression that lingered from the 1890s until the First World War meant there was no guarantee of having a roof over your head or food on the table. It was not uncommon for … [Read More...]
The Mystery of Dubbeldan’s Lane
Research by David Radcliffe and David Thompson In July 2021, Allan Marshall posted a photograph of Doubledan's Lane, Port Melbourne from Building and Real Estate magazine, February 1916 (above) on the Born and Bred in Port Melbourne Facebook page stating that he had checked period maps but couldn’t find any mention of the … [Read More...]
My Favourite Port Melbourne Place – Answering the Call
by Vicki Radcliffe When Margret Bride announced that she would be looking for new members to do a short presentation on their favourite Port Melbourne place, I immediately thought of the foreshore of Port Melbourne beach and, more specifically, the bronze memorial statue of a sailor looking outwards to the bay. This statue intrigued me right … [Read More...]
WWII Hospital Ship – MS Oranje
Hospital ship, MS Oranje, at Port Melbourne, 1940s. Photograph by Roy Liebig. PMHPS Collection. This story was sparked by a couple of images in the PMHPS Collection taken by Roy Liebig in the 1940s. Both images appear later in this story so more on those later. Hospital ship, MS Oranje at Port Melbourne, 1940s. Photograph by Roy Liebig. … [Read More...]
