Dandenong Girls' High School, 23 Ann Street, Dandenong, undated.

The old Dandenong Girls High School, initially situated at the former site of the Eclarte tweed mill on Princes Highway, was built as a girls high school in 1957 with the motto, Above Renown, and the Olympic Torch as its logo. Later the school would include boys and be renamed to Cleeland Secondary College.

In 2007 Cleeland Secondary College along with Doveton Secondary College merged with the nearby Dandenong High School to form one school based at the Dandenong High School and Cleeland Secondary College locations.

The school was also known as Dandenong Girl's Secondary School and Dandenong North High School at various times in it's history.

Thank you Colleen Duggan-Bailey for providing this image

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Sound Shell, Dandenong Park, undated.

The Sound Shell structure was constructed at Dandenong Park in 1967, after some strong lobbying by the Dandenong R.S.L and Citizens Band. In 1964 the band was invited to present a deputation to the Public Works Committee to express their concerns about accommodation at the old Memorial Hall, where they stored their instruments and practiced. They presented adeputation to the Council in January 1965. In May 1965 the Council decided to build a concert auditorium in the Dandenong Park to cater for community groups such as the Dandenong R.S.L. and the Citizens Band.

In February 1966 the Public Works Committee assigned the design and development of the sound shell (with public toilets and a band room) to Alsop and Duncan P/L with a note or condition that the council would decide on the location and approximate area for the structure. The location was at the rear of the bowling club with the shell fronting Foster Street and conveniently situated between two paths forming a triangle.

In April 1967 the architects Alsop and Duncan P/L submitted working drawings and specifications for ‘A Sound Shell, Conveniences etc at the Dandenong Park’ to Council and called for tenders that closed on the 18th May 1967. Tender documents described the location of the sound shell as follows:
“...in front of the large cypress tree which borders along the
western side of the Croquet Lawn and is sited so that only one
tree in the Park, which can be replanted will be interfered with.”

The sound shell and toilets were intended to replace two antiquated toilets, which were causing so much concern due to dilapidation. The plans were shown to the community and on 8 May the council recommended that the plan be adopted as there had been no objection from the public and the work could be carried out under the supervision of the design architect.

In June 1967 the tender of Ajax Contractors for $21,585 was accepted, following a recommendation from the architects, and the shell was constructed as a brick, steel and concrete structure. The estimated cost of the works, including architects’ fees, was $22,000. The opening of the sound shell on the 5th November 1967 was marked by an outdoor Catholic Mass celebrated by five priests, two of whom representing missionaries of the Sacred Heart Movement. It was to be the first outdoor mass ever celebrated in Dandenong. Father O’Donnell, parish priest of St Mary’s, Dandenong, presided at the mass.

After all of the lobbying and eventual success in having the shell built, the R.S.L. and Citizens Band were denied full access to it for practice sessions and storage. Council’s time restrictions (one night per week only and no use between 12pm Saturday to 4pm Sunday) were not satisfactory to the band. Nevertheless, after long negotiations between the band and the council, the band became a regular user of the shell. Other users of the auditorium were Carols by Candlelight, Dandenong Assembly of God, St Mary’s Parish, Salvation Army, Australia Day Committee and other community groups.

On the 5 June 1988 the sound shell was named after Mr Stan Prior, a Dandenong identity and the city’s oldest practicing band man. Stan was born in South Melbourne on 19 July 1890 and went to school at Eastern Rd Primary School in South Melbourne. His 100th birthday was celebrated by the community of Dandenong and hosted by the Mayor Cr B. J. Powell in the Dandenong Town Hall on 22 July 1990. Mr Prior played the cornet with the City of Dandenong Band until he died in August 1992. By the end he was more of a mascot than a musician but his great age and his status as a veteran of two world wars meant he was a household name in Dandenong. He loved visiting the local nursing homes to play music for the old folk.

As part of the master plan to revitalize the Dandenong Park precinct, the stage was demolished in late June 2016, along with the Bowling Club, Croquet Club and Kindergarten located within the surrounding area. The intent to build a boulevard path and redesign the gardens within the park required removal of all existing structures.

Demolition, June 28th-29th, 2016.

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Southern Aurora Hotel , Dandenong Station, 1991.

Southern Aurora Hotel , Dandenong Station, 1991.

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Lonsdale Street, Dandenong, 1979.

Lonsdale Street, Dandenong, 1979.

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Tin Shed, 18 Scott Street, Dandenong, undated

These photos were kindly supplied by Kelly Baker Bennett, She writes "Hi I thought I would send you a couple of old photos my mother in law has of the tin shed in Dandenong. Her name is Kathy Bennett and her father in-law owned it his name was Vic Bennett."

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Princes Highway, Heading towards Dandenong, 1969

On the left is the former G.M.H. plant, further down the highway, towards Dandenong, the former Heinz and International Harvester plants completed the big three. Manufacturing saw a boom in Dandenong during this period.

The entrance from the Gippsland side of Dandenong was marked by these manufacturing giants with smaller local industry filling in the gaps. Sadly G.M.H. and Heinz have moved on, with International Harvester becoming IVECO, which still operates from the same site.

The Shell service station on the left was run by the Harnn family in 1969. The block on the other side was the lower paddock of the Lyuellen family farm. This photo was likely taken opposite the entry to the old clay quarry which became the present entry point to the freeway in the 1970s.

PHOTOS SUPPLIED BY: Penny Harris Jennings‎

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Armytage Own, First Dandenong Scout Hall, 61 Princes Highway, Dandenong, undated.

The First Dandenong Scout Group (Armytage's Own) was formed in March, 1928 by Mr Ted Swords, the first scout master. Apparently a prior group existed for some time in 1917, before their scout master was sent off to serve in the A. I. F. The scout troop called themselves Armytage's Own, as a tribute to Miss Ada Armytage of Holm Park, Beaconsfield (her country house) and Como House, South Yarra.

During the Second World War, the scout hall and the park, which must have been partially cleared,was used by the American Armed Forces as a hospital base, associated with their encampment at Rowville. The hall was partitioned and servicemen were treated in the hall and five other huts erected around it. After the War the High School utilised the hospital huts as classrooms, gymnasium and for school social functions. All but one of the huts were later moved across the road to the school grounds. The wider community also made good use of the hall for meetings, dances, exhibitions and community events.

 Chris Simmins writes.. old Dandenong local ,Mr Alan Trounson, tells me that the original Dandenong rubbish tip for the township was located at the back of Hemmings park. Also the Australian Army Recuperation Camp Hospital No 21 was based at Hemmings Park. 

In relation to the Armytage building, this snippet via Trove... Australian Woman's Weekly 26 Jan 1935 p23.DANDENONG Scouts have a fairy godmother. She is Miss Ada Armytage,of Como, South Yarra, and Holm Park, Beaconsfield, after whom the 1st Dandenong Group is called. 'Armytage's Own' She has always been interested in their movement, and was largely instrumental in building the Scout Hall on the Princes Highway at Dandenong. She wears 'The Gold Thanks' badge. Though the hall has been built four years, the foundation-stone was laid during the recent jamboree in the presence of more than a hundred Scouts of 29 nationalities.Miss Armytage was the founder of the 'Pass It On Club', and has always been busy with philanthropic work.Early in 1914 she had innumerable tiny Belgian flags made and sold them in aid of the Belgians, and out of her charming idea grew the 'flag days', and later, the 'button days', that raised such huge sums during the war. Miss Armytage, who was born at Fulham, Balmoral, had an aboriginal nurse, a daughter of the king of the tribe at Fulham, and the old queen remembered the landing of the first white men.When the white men asked "What is that animal jumping about?" the king answered, "Kan ga roo,"...meaning... "I do not know what you say" and,according to the story Miss Armytage heard, that is how the kangaroo got its name.


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