I note one of the Miss Windsors winning prizes for apple growing and showing in 1907. We were linked to them via my great gran's sister Kate Finan of Lefroy who married Thomas George Windsor jnr and had nine children at "Windsor Grange", Second River Road.
Scarlet Nonpareils Bostock and Evans 1, Miss Windsor 2. Victorias - Miss Windsor 1, J. M'Gaughey 2.
Bostock and Evans were obviously a company or partnership - here showing apples from their orchard [later East orchard and farm] and elsewhere mentioned as sawmillers.
Miss Amy Fowler makes an appearance with 3rd place for her fuchsias. Poor Amy died 3 yrs later of diphtheria at age 17 in 1910. Her mother Laura Fowler nee Nicholas received an award for "collection of vegetables." My father's family knew Mrs Fowler well, living at the end of that lane now named for her at North Lilydale, raising her three great nieces Coralie, Laura and Maisee Venn, a stone's throw from where the lavender farm was at the original Bridestowe.
Mrs J. M. Sulzberger (nee Molly Finan) received awards for flowers, mixed pickles, jellies, ginger bread, seed cake, swiss roll - also Miss Kathleen Sulzberger. Molly was obviously a very competent home maker and keen to enter many events. Her mother-in-law Mrs G. K. Sulzberger nee Bridget Breen was wife of Gottlieb Konrad Sulzberger and took first place for "Fresh butter, hand-made--Mrs. G. K. Sulzberger 1."
Mrs G. C. Sulzberger was wife of Gottlieb Christoff, entering and winning in the Show for peaches, hen eggs, bottled fruit. Her husband won for his bacon and dunn peas.
There was also Gottfried Christian who married Amelia Hill Fisher. Easy to get mixed up with big families and recycled or similar given names.
Who were the Misses Elsie and Nellie Wilson? 4 daughters of James Wilson and Grace Somerville were Janet, Grace, Helen and Elsie. I have no Ellen or Nellie on Wilson page -- was Helen called Nellie?
Mrs. W. J. Arnold nee Elsie Procter, darning work - that's auntie Dot's mother, a sister of Les Procter, blacksmith, warden and M.L.C.
Jacobs, Gaunt, Gaby, James, Ling, Patmore, Clifton, Vaux, Christie, Brock and Hillier families -- I never heard of them in this district. Can anyone enlighten me/us? There was obviously much coming and going over the decades. Ling were champion vegetable growers - not amateur - don't suppose Chinese like Chung Gong?
Abel, McGaughey , McLennan, Power, Whiting, Wilson, Windsor, Bird, Manzoney, Orr, Kerkham, Dolbey, Sulzberger, West and more, all the familiar names get a mention, building community together. Gutteridge, Muckridge and Archdale would make a good name for a firm of solicitors. There's even a quince growing P. Wachtershauser (a relative, no doubt, of Mrs Geo Arnold of "Summerhill").
A lot of grains were grown in the district in those days - wheat, Algerian and sparrowbill oats, barley, grey and Dunn peas. The Millers of Woodland were grain growers and the threshing machine was at their farm every year.
Women and girls got to show off their growing and sewing skills. "The needlework formed a conspicuous exhibit, and came in for a large amount of attention from the fair sex."
Miss M. J. Offer's geraniums came second to her mother Agnes's bouquet. In 1910,Madeline Offer married Michael Collins, brother of Kate who married John Mahnken of Summerlea. Their Colllns family suffered the agony of losing five children to diphtheria.
This is a picture of Agnes Offer nee Somerville of "Fair View" on Second River Road with her daughter Madeline. From the Heritage Lilydale collection
Miss Ida Arnold won for mignonettes. I googled that and found you can still buy heritage mignonette seeds via The Diggers Club in Victoria https://www.diggers.com.au/products/mignonette
Under Scholastic, we see "Map by children under 12-Gordon Shaw". Brother of Muriel who married Joe McDonald.
Gordon Matthew Shaw 26/1/1930 – 11/7/1989 of Tomahawk married Dulcie Jean Venn 1933 – 2010.
Gordon Shaw, Winifred Boultbee and Esther Lowe all won awards for penmanship, another lost art.
These are people whose life stories and family tree I know something of and many of whom I can see in photos in the Heritage Lilydale collections or on the Facebook group. Local, Family and Oral History means their mark on Earth is not just a headstone. We remember their joys and sorrows and even their sayings. And their work, indoors and outdoors, that they were game to show at the Show.