Post by Don Ricardo on Dec 18, 2023 12:14:19 GMT 10
Afternoon all,
A number of Forum members will remember the name of Alan Marshall, Australian author, story teller and political activist, who was born in Noorat in the Western District of Victoria in 1902 and died in 1984. One of his most famous books was I Can Jump Puddles which told the story of his childhood in fictionalised form and included the details of Marshall dealing with a disability resulting from contracting polio. It was the effect of polio on his ability to walk that made jumping puddles such a momentous event in his life. In 1920 the Marshall family moved from the Western District to Diamond Creek, which is now an outer suburb of Melbourne, but was then a country town. Alan Marshall maintained a connection to that area for the rest of his life, and from 1955 to 1981 lived in Eltham a leafy suburb adjoining Diamond Creek. Marshall became very involved in defending the area's natural and cultural heritage, and also wrote a history of the Shire of Eltham.
Research is a township adjoining Eltham.
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(Source: Victorian Collections victoriancollections.net.au/items/598ff0b821ea680974e6e0dc )
A number of Forum members will remember the name of Alan Marshall, Australian author, story teller and political activist, who was born in Noorat in the Western District of Victoria in 1902 and died in 1984. One of his most famous books was I Can Jump Puddles which told the story of his childhood in fictionalised form and included the details of Marshall dealing with a disability resulting from contracting polio. It was the effect of polio on his ability to walk that made jumping puddles such a momentous event in his life. In 1920 the Marshall family moved from the Western District to Diamond Creek, which is now an outer suburb of Melbourne, but was then a country town. Alan Marshall maintained a connection to that area for the rest of his life, and from 1955 to 1981 lived in Eltham a leafy suburb adjoining Diamond Creek. Marshall became very involved in defending the area's natural and cultural heritage, and also wrote a history of the Shire of Eltham.
But there's also a connection between Alan Marshall and caravanning. According to information on an Eltham District Historical Society Inc page on the Victorian Collections website:
"Alan owned land at Research and often lived there in his caravan while he was writing. A story about this land is told by John Morrison in "The Writer and the Swagman", which appears in his book "Australian by Choice."
"Local people also remember Alan living in his caravan beside an old house occupied by his friend, artist Neil Douglas, which was situated on the site of the present-day Eltham College oval and owned by the Pelling family at that time. It is understood that the land owned by Alan Marshall was nearby in Cassells Road.
"Vivienne Turner of Eltham recalled that her family had a photo of Alan and his caravan at Research and a copy was provided to EDHS in 2003."
"Vivienne Turner of Eltham recalled that her family had a photo of Alan and his caravan at Research and a copy was provided to EDHS in 2003."
(Source: Victorian Collections victoriancollections.net.au/items/598ff0b821ea680974e6e0dc )
Research is a township adjoining Eltham.
It turns out that Alan Marshall's caravan, referred to in the extract above, was a Sunliner. The photo of Marshall with his caravan is dated c1962 and is from a private collection courtesy of the Eltham District Historical Society Inc:
Thanks to the Eltham District Historical Society Inc for kind permission to reproduce the photograph here.
Don Ricardo