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 Random files
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1940 - Henry Joseph Doube160 viewsHenry Joseph (known as Harry), the second son Henry John (Harry) Doube (1879 - 1939) and Augusta Mary Ziesing (1882-1966), was born on 16th September 1913 in Adelaide. While serving in the RAAF during WWII, he married Marie Elizabeth Kelly at St Savior's Catholic Church, Hindmarsh, on 6th April 1942 . They raised four sons Michael, Anthony, Gregory and Paul.
These two fine photos show him during his time in the RAAF and as a younger man in the pre-war years.
Harry was a grandchild of Bridget Mary Carrucan and John Doube.
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Eltham State School, 2005138 viewsThe Eltham Elementary School in Dalton Street (School Number 209) had been started in the 1850s and was just a stone's throw from the Carrucan farms. All the Carrucan children attended. At its peak, 2 teachers had to teach some 100 children ranging in age from 3 to 14 in the old sandstone schoolroom. The early schooling was general in nature and focused on rudimentary reading and writing as well as giving the students basic farming capabilities.
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1947-07 Parish Map Dept of Lands and Survey147 viewsThis July 1947 Department of Lands and Survey map shows the original owners of the subdivisions blocks around the Culla Hill property. Thomas Sweeney's name is on 3 allotments - allotment 7 of 110 acres (the original land purchase), along with allotments 2 and 3 of section 6 (each of 158 acres).
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1933 - MGHS Magazine Committee - Betty Carrucan is back left130 viewsA scholarship enabled Betty Caruccan to continue her schooling at Melbourne Girls High School (later to become McRobertson's Girls High School) after she finished her studies at Eltham Elementary School. It was not a unanimous family decision and it was a credit to her father MIchael, himself an uneducated man, that he made his own decision and gave her his blessing.
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Willsmere162 viewsThe Kew Lunatic Asylum was a place where many Carrucans worked, either as nurses, farmers, gardeners, warders or as general hands. As you can see from the photo, it was a huge establishment and was found in Kew on the southern banks of the Yarra River.
Operational from 1871 to 1988, Kew was one of the largest asylums ever built in Australia. Later known as Willsmere, the complex of buildings were constructed between 1864 and 1872 to the design of architects G.W. Vivian and Frederick Kawerau of the Victorian Public Works Office to house the growing number of 'lunatics, inebriates and idiots' in the Colony of Victoria.
Kew continued to operate throughout the 20th century as a 'Hospital for the Insane', 'Mental Hospital' or 'Psychiatric Hospital', treating acute, long-term and geriatric patients until it closed in December 1988. The main building and surrounding grounds were sold by the State Government in the 1980s and were redeveloped as residential properties.
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1910 approx - Culla Hill original hut - Ellen and Kathleen Sweeney and Michael Carrucan130 viewsNana (Ellen Sweeney) and Cassie (Kathleen Sweeney) proudly pose in front of this humble structure, the first hut built by Thomas Sweeney, possibly as early as 1843. John Francis Sweeney was probably born therein. Mick Carrucan (who married Mary Sweeney in 1910) is also in the picture.
This photo was no doubt taken by Joseph Rance Douie during a weekend visit to Eltham somewhere around the 1910 period or slightly later.
Joseph says on the back of the photo "It is many years since I took this photo ..."
These two photographs of the hut at Culla Hill are also prefect illustrations of the Sweeney family’s use of bush timber. Not only is the hut made split palings, split shingles and hand whittled slabs, the picket fence in the background is again made of split hardwood. We must make the best of these photographs to show how hard-working pioneers like our ancestors could turn the timber on their land into materials for their needs rather than purchase the products of commercial mills. It was the kind of ‘make-do’ ingenuity which bespeaks their humble Irish origins.
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Annaly House149 viewsAnnaly House, in Fanore, is the farmhouse B&B run by Pasty and Ann Carrucan
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1914 circa - Culla Hill Mary Carrucan nee Sweeney with oldest child Patrick170 viewsThis photo shows Mary Carrucan nee Sweeney with oldest child Patrick, who was born in 1911. Mary was a grand daughter of Thomas Sweeney
Peter Cuffley discusses this photo as follows
It is a wonderful image and reflects the remarkable ability with wood the early Sweeneys had. The homemade seat is in a tradition of Australian bush furniture which Kevin Carney and I wrote about in our 1974 book ‘A CATALOGUE AND HISTORY OF COTTAGE CHAIRS IN AUSTRALIA.’ Not only is it a classic example of hand whittled ingenuity, in the background is a fine example of a picket fence which is entirely made of hand-split bush timber. The posts and the rails are all hand-split and not milled, but even better, every single picket is hand-split! To add further to the importance of the picture, the seat is actually in the Irish hand-made furniture tradition. In 1993 Claudia Kinmonth brought out a superb book called ‘IRISH COUNTRY FURNITURE 1700-1950.’ An up-dated edition was released in 2020 titled ‘Irish Country Furniture and Furnishings 1700-2000.’
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 Last additions
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1946 wedding Betty Carrucan - with new husband Eric Erickson-264 viewsIn 1946, Elizabeth Agatha (Betty) Carrucan married Gunnar Eric Erickson, a Swedish engineer whom she met in Stawell where she was teaching and he was working on drilling bores. They went to live in Captains Flat in southern NSW where Gunner worked on the Snowy Mountain Schema. Mick and Terry Erickson were born in that harsh and rugged environment and one further son, Tim, was born in Greensborough. Betty was born in Eltham in 1915 and was the granddaughter of Patrick Carrucan who migrated from Co. Clare.
Betty and Eric are shown with Maid of Honour Marie Murphy nee Hickey, one of Betty's girlhood friends from Eltham.Jun 05, 2026
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1946 wedding Betty Carrucan - with Jack Carrucan with Marie Murphy nee Hickey.jpg64 viewsIn 1946, Elizabeth Agatha (Betty) Carrucan married Gunnar Eric Erickson, a Swedish engineer whom she met in Stawell where she was teaching and he was working on drilling bores. They went to live in Captains Flat in southern NSW where Gunner worked on the Snowy Mountain Schema. Mick and Terry Erickson were born in that harsh and rugged environment and one further son, Tim, was born in Greensborough. Betty was born in Eltham in 1915 and was the granddaughter of Patrick Carrucan who migrated from Co. Clare.
Betty is shown with her older brother John Francis (Jack) Carrucan along with Maid of Honour Marie Murphy nee Hickey, one of Betty's girlhood friends from Eltham.Jun 05, 2026
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1946 wedding Betty Carrucan - with new husband Eric Erickson-160 viewsIn 1946, Elizabeth Agatha (Betty) Carrucan married Gunnar Eric Erickson, a Swedish engineer whom she met in Stawell where she was teaching and he was working on drilling bores. They went to live in Captains Flat in southern NSW where Gunner worked on the Snowy Mountain Schema. Mick and Terry Erickson were born in that harsh and rugged environment and one further son, Tim, was born in Greensborough. Betty was born in Eltham in 1915 and was the granddaughter of Patrick Carrucan who migrated from Co. Clare.Jun 05, 2026
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1927 - Obituary for Mary Carrucan nee O'Brien68 viewsThis is the published death notice for Mary Carrucan nee O'Brien, the wife of the last Patrick Carrucan of Dalton St, Eltham. Patrick and Mary had come out from Ireland in the 1850s and lived on the Dalton St Farm.
Mary died at age 90, with her son Michael inheriting the farm.Jun 05, 2026
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1847 - Edward Dunn convict 1769-1850138 viewsA legal dispute between Thomas Sweeney and one of his employees, Edward Dunn, was reported by the Port Phillip Herald of Thursday 22nd July 1847. Peter Cuffley has investigated the background of Edward Dunn and this information is captured in the attached image.Jul 31, 2025
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1997-10-19 Pat Sweeney with Peter Cuffley107 viewsThis photo shows cousins Pat Sweeney and Peter Cuffley.
It was taken in 1997 when Pat Sweeney was visiting Victoria from his home in Western Australia.Jul 30, 2025
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1993-11 Sweeneys Lane subdivision sale141 viewsIn late 1993, the Burston family did a major subdivision and offered 12 allotments, ranging in size from 1 to 3 acres. Once this was done, the Burstons were left with the single house block.Jul 30, 2025
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1986 Ellie Goss, Jim Murray, Noel Murray with wife Marcella and Cath Cuffley138 viewsThis photo, of cousins Ellie Goss, Jim Murray, Noel Murray and wife Marcella, and Cath Cuffley, was taken at the Murray property, Laurel Hill, Etham North in 1986.
James Eugene ‘Jim’ Murray lived until 1993 and always welcomed cousins to the old house on the hill. Jul 30, 2025
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