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Town Hall, 333 Bay Street, Port Melbourne
Town Hall, 333 Bay Street, Port Melbourne

Six to be Eliminated

by David Thompson Port Melbourne entered 1924 with six fewer pubs than the previous year! [1] A delicensing authority was established in 1906 leading to the closure of the Belfast Hotel, the Commercial Hotel, the Custom House Hotel, the Fire Brigade Hotel, the Lord Raglan Hotel, the New Great Britain Hotel, the Star Hotel and the Yacht Club Hotel in 1909;…

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The Petersons of Ross Street: A Nautical Family

by David F Radcliffe Frederick Peterson and Priscilla Hume were married at St James Cathedral in Melbourne in June 1869.[1] For 53 years, the couple were active members of the Port Melbourne community raising eight children here, five girls and three boys. Both Frederick and Priscilla came from families with strong connections to ships and the sea and this nautical tradition…

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Leith Crescent

by David Thompson Leith Crescent looking towards Howe Parade (2024). Photograph by David Thompson Leith Crescent is a short curving street running between Howe Parade and Williamstown Road. It is closed at Williamstown Road creating a cul-de-sac for the small number of ‘bank houses’ that face onto the street. And ‘bank houses’ are the key behind the naming of Leith Crescent.…

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A Bank in Bay Street

On Thursday, 1 January 1874 the following advertisement appeared on page 2 of The Argus newspaper. TENDERS are invited for the ERECTION of a BANK at Sandridge, for the National Bank of Australasia. Plans and specifications may be seen at our offices, 91 Little Collins Street West until the 8th inst. The lowest or any tender will not necessarily be…

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Vintage Port Film Society

The Vintage Port Film Society was formed in 1990 and ran for sixteen years until 2006. Pat Grainger was a member and donated to PMHPS a dossier of film schedules, programme/program notes and some newsletters from 1995 to 2006 (Cat No 4482). The Film Society was set up by Frank and Serena Steuart and monthly screenings took place at their…

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Survey Markers around Port

by David F Radcliffe Have you ever wondered what all those nails with coloured markings around them are on footpaths? Or have you come across an odd metal disc lurking in the grass or an unusual cover plate amongst the shrubs on the nature strip? If they look like any of the following, then they are part of the system…

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Tom Griffin

by David Thompson On Sunday, 8 Nov 1953 Port Melbourne Mayor, Cr E J Purchase with Crs J P Crichton and T G Douglas accompanied by the Port Melbourne Municipal Band attended the grave of the late Cr Tom Griffin at Lancefield. [1] This had become an annual pilgrimage since Griffin's death three years earlier. Advertisement, The Record, 15 August…

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‘Roar Like a Bull!’

Growing up in Port Melbourne in the middle of the 20th Century by Albert Caton I was born in 1942 in the maternity ward of the Women’s Hospital in North Melbourne, the son of Edward Harold (‘Ted’) Caton and Muriel Lily (Reed) Caton. Soon afterwards, my mum and I moved to Sydney where my father was stationed in the Navy…

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PMHPS acknowledges the generous support of the City of Port Phillip.

 

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Acknowledgement of Traditional Custodians

We respectfully acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we meet and work, the Bunurong Boon Wurrung and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung peoples of the Eastern Kulin Nation and pay respect to their Elders past, present and emerging.