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Historical society honours local Aussie pioneers

This Australia Day January 26, the Lilydale & District Historical Society will continue its tradition of promoting our true blue local Aussies with a Twilight Guided Tour of the Lilydale Cemetery.

The tour includes Dame Nellie Melba, her father David Mitchell, war heroes such as Major Scurry and Alexander Robertson; artists Blamire Young and Ernest Buckmaster and pioneers such as the Hussey family.

The tour starts at 7pm at the cemetery and costs $10 a person which includes a cemetery book and cup of tea or coffee at The Old Lilydale Court House afterwards. The number of people per tour is limited, so bookings are essential. Phone: Lorraine Smith 9735 1104 for details.

As we now have a home of our own, the society will also be screening throughout the day the film Lilydale a Change of Pace. The 40-minute film was made in the late the 1980s by the former Victorian Education Department film unit. Narrator Tom Mitchell tells the story of the development of the district from the first day of settlement to the urbanisation of the 1970s and 1980s.

People are welcome to call into The Old Lilydale Court House, 61 Castella Street, during the day from 11am to 4pm to have a cup of tea or coffee and look at the video.