Ringwood Historical Society

The Society publishes a newsletter and conducts ten meetings each year, on the fourth Tuesday between February and November. Meetings are held from 8.00 pm to 10.00 pm on those evenings at the Maroondah Federation Estate (the former Ringwood Primary School) at 32 Greenwood Avenue, Ringwood.

The following topics will be discussed during 2008:

• Tuesday, 26th February: The First 400 Metres to Warrandyte Richard and Russ will guide us from the top of the old Clocktower site down to Mullum Mullum Creek with use of our archive’s photographs.
• Tuesday, 25th March: History of Ringwood City (Wilhelmina) Soccer Club Matt Winzenried, and his vice-president, will present the history, recently compiled by Matt, from the days of Wilhelmina through to the present.
• Tuesday, 22nd April: Park Orchards’ History Through Time Graeme Tamme, long-time Park Orchards resident, will take us visually and orally through this rich, but virtually unknown, local suburb.
• Tuesday, 27th May: Children of Coach & Horses’ Licensees Anita Barker, as the result of this study, has now become an expert on identifying children’s toys and will present a fascinating story on seldom-researched children.
• Tuesday, 24 June: Architecture of Ringwood Houses Samantha Westbrooke, an architect, will use her great knowledge on a subject that we seldom address in outer eastern suburbs.
• Tuesday, 22th July: Warranwood Bush Reserve The reserve has had a long history, since the creation of the allotment back in 1854. Margaret Baber will present a very interesting talk on this vital environment.
• Tuesday, 26th August: History of Ringwood Railways John Hurst, former East Ringwood resident, is an amateur railway historian and, with the use of our archives, will describe this vital transportation that brought new life
  to Ringwood and virtually put Heathmont and East Ringwood on the map.
• Tuesday, 23rd September: AGM and Ringwood Athletic Club History As soon as we get the AGM over, the athletic club will take us through their past and the great success that some of their athletes have achieved.
• Tuesday, 28th October: 50 Years of the Ringwood Historical Society happy birthday! We’re one of the older societies around the Eastern Suburbs and many people have contributed to its success. It will be celebration and a half!  Also Pat and Don Talbot have come all the way from Queensland to speak about their new book - The Wielands of Heathmont.  Cr Peter Gurr will officially launch the book.
• Tuesday, 25th November: Again another double bill!  Ian Austin will talk about the Australian Comforts Fund, the organisation that did so much during both wars, and Ian McKellar will talk about his research and book on tin mining in Wilsons Prom.  Another promise of a good evening.