By Mikayla van Loon
After months of research and sourcing of photographs, the Lilydale and District Historical Society (LDHS) is ready to bring its new exhibition to the public called ‘Our Towns’.
Looking back to the past at what life was like in Lilydale and the surrounding suburbs and comparing it to modern day, the display is a visual step back in time.
Officially launching on Saturday 4 February, LDHS president Sue Thompson said each member worked on a topic of interest, beginning the research in November last year.
“We had to work out a theme first and I just wanted to do something a tad different,” she said.
“But our challenge as historical societies is you have got to be relevant. We haven’t done strictly befores and afters but we’re trying to link the past and the present together.”
From the changes at Lilydale Railway Station to 1920s sporting moments, the display presents a picture of life and society a realm away from Lilydale today.
“It’s drawing on all of our collection, and then the newer ones, because you’re always taking photos we forget that when it’s tomorrow, today is history. So by getting those different photos as well we’ll put them into the collection afterwards,” Ms Thompson said.
At moments, a lot of research was needed to understand the context of a photograph or figure out the people within the image.
Particularly when it came to a 1935 parade, online resource Trove became an essential search tool for Ms Thompson to identify a young boy by the name of Dick Sullivan who won the Children’s Best Turn-out at in a celebration of King George V’s silver jubilee.
With the help of Ray Oliver, a to-scale mockup of the original Lilydale Railway Station has been included in the display, something Ms Thompson called the “pièce de résistance”.
“He started off as an apprentice carpenter and went into building…But he does all these drawings for us and this is the old station looking from the air.”
Another contribution from the Oliver family is a 1920s action shot of a football match being played.
“That’s a very rare photo,” Ms Thompson said.
“Considering what cameras they had, that’s why there’s some blurred bits. Ray Oliver’s great uncle Dick Oliver did a lot of photos in Lilydale and that’s one of his efforts.”
The display is one to see to believe. Everyone is welcome to attend the opening at 2.30pm on Saturday, where Yarra Ranges Council Mayor will help launch the display.
