Pickering Brook Heritage Group

Congratulations on the great work that is on display.
SUSAN HALL, Birtwhistle Local Studies Library, City of Armadale, Western Australia

I must commend you all for creating such a wonderful website, fabulous. Just happened to stumble across it when researching my uncles time in the
VDC. My mother Violet Stucke was born in Pickering Brook on 4 February 1918, later to become married to Jack West of Holyoake, and later to Ernest Tuck of
Pemberton.
Best wishes,
LES WEST, Canningvale, Western Australia.

My name is Lisa Gilbert and my Grandmother was Ruby Catherine Mason, married to Lawrence Albert Mason.
I was absolutely thrilled to find your website and the fantastic information and pictures Gwen wrote about the family history.
I met Gwen a long time ago when she visited my family, she was truly a lovely lady.
Your website gave me the information and opportunity to investigate our family further.
My best and sincere regards
LISA GILBERT, Highett, Victoria.

I would just like to say I have enjoyed reading the history of Carmel school which is on your web site. I attended there with my sister in the 1960�s. I recognise many family names going right back to the beginning.
COLIN COOK, Mandurah, Western Australia

Thank you for your splendid work in adding the Mason Family segment to the Website. It is gratifying to see it in print.
ROSS HERBERT

Thankyou, thankyou, thankyou. My husband is Edward Vivian Harvey Keane and Lilla Rebecca Wharton Whites Great Grandson, and we had NO photos of them at all, and now thanks to you and all of your work, we do!!!!! My husband saw photos of his Grandfather for the 1st time today because of you guys... So a big thanks from me!
LESLEY O'SHAUGHNESSY - wife of John Vivian O'Shaughnessy, Victoria.

That website of yours is receiving rave reviews among heritage enthusiasts. Ironically the website emanates comes from one of the most
under-financed groups around.
STEPHEN O'BRIEN, Gooseberry Hill, Western Australia

I�ve been visiting your web site and it really is a gem, full of fascinating information and photos. Congratulations!!
TRISHA WILSON, Lesmurdie, Western Australia

Without doubt one of best websites for showing the history of Pickering Brook School ~ Other websites don't even compare to yours ~ As I am researching my family history of Orange Grove and Orange Grove Primary School ~ I am finding it extremely difficult to find any past school photo's ~ to date I have all but three!!
A shame in itself, however also for myself a shame that I'm unable to find any photos of my older sister's school days, especially as she passed away at 26 yrs old and my younger brother's school photos of which he hasn't any.
I would like to see an all inclusive West Australian website of all schoools past early history ~ wishful thinking maybe.
Well Done ~ Your site is extremely appreciated.
And for me ~ I shall keep plodding away searching for Orange Grove school and O.G. area photo's.
MAUREEN MACDONALD, Geraldton, Western Australia

Judy P sent us a 2011 heritage calendar, the committee need to be congratulated on the effort put into it and the Website. I think its great. What now for 2012?
I called in when you had your open day earlier this year and thoroughly enjoyed myself, what you have put together is great. The time before I was in WA I went thru Tom Prices Cool room, from that I learnt a lot about the railway system in the hills, something I never thought about before.
I kick myself now as I'm sure we all do that we didn't learn more about our history from our parents and grand parents, what you are doing is picking up some of that slack.
Keep up the good work.
VIC FERNIE, Brisbane, Queensland

I came across your site while looking for a picture of something old (can�t remember now what it was). Anyway, I was impressed by the site and made a note to come back and read it in more detail.
And so I did, a month or so ago. In fact, I became so interested, I decided to come up to Pickering Brook and have a good look around for some of the heritage sites which you have listed. It turned out to be more than one day�s work, so I came up again for a second go.
I was amazed at all the places to go and photograph. It goes to show that many of us have no idea of what history lies just around the corner. Thanks to your efforts, it is relatively easy to find many of the places of interest.
I thoroughly enjoyed my two day�s driving around. Those sites which impressed me the most were:
         The old general store. Spent a long time just wandering around.
         The cobbled roadway. Very impressive. I hope it remains preserved forever.
         Weston�s gravesite. Spent over an hour here; photographing and just thinking. Pity it�s now under power lines.
         Sports club tree. Very nice site.
         Workers huts, Merrivale Road. They are just beautiful!
I think I�ll be up again soon, to try and find a few sites that I missed out on.
Thanks for such an informative site. I have learned so much from it. Do keep up the good work!
JOHN OLIVER, Hamilton Hill, Western Australia

I am always on your website and think you have done a great job with all the history. It is so interesting.
EMILY DEWAR, Pickering Brook, Western Australia.

I have recently viewed the Pickering Brook Heritage Website and note the photo of the pipe band. Unfortunately the band is wrongly named. The Kalamunda Pipe Band was not in existence in 1958. The band in the photo is the 16th Battalion Cameron Highland Pipe Band of which I was a member at the time. May I congratulate your group on your endeavours to record the history. I hope I have not offended anyone by pointing out this little discrepancy. (Not at all, we appreciate your input to make the details correct. Thank you).
DOUG BATHGATE, Kalamunda Pipe Band, Kalamunda, Western Australian.

I love the Website, you have done a fantastic job.
FRANCIS RUSS (nee Viskovich), Western Australia.

I am writing to congratulate the Pickering Brook Heritage Group for the great Website and the valuable work being undertaken in preserving the local history for current and future generations.
As a keen kayaker on the Canning River I had often wondered about the weathered timber posts that run down the middle of the river from Salter's Point to Shelley. I was able to find limited information on the structure, now understood to be "The Convict Fence", by surfing the net. However the historical importance of the fence and the significance of the river transport system in the 1860's really came to life when I discovered the Pickering Brook Heritage Group Website. What an amazing journey to another one. The pictorial and written content on the site seem to draw you in and give you a sense of the determination, enterprise and character of the early settlers in this region.
I would also like to give a special thanks to Gordon Freegard who contacted me in response to a question I posted on the Website. Gordon also provided a wealth of information and another contact, Helen Skehan, who further assisted me with some interesting facts about the people and happenings on and around the Canning during this intriguing period of our history.
Thanks to all involved in the Pickering Brook Heritage Group for your valuable voluntary work. You are a credit to the often forgotten men and women who forged this country.
PHIL TAYLOR, Leeming, Western Australia.

I am thoroughly enjoying reading and learning more about the area in which I grew up. Happy memories have flooded back and I look forward to reading more. Thank you. Your Website is a wonderful way to bring together records and memories to share with people now and in the future.
MARGARET PUZEY (nee Price), Yokine, Western Australia.

The Pickering Brook Heritage Group have compiled this fabulous Website, rich in stories, facts and photos of the area. In the "schools section" many locals have already looked themselves up and viewed older relatives when they were school aged. Even for readers who were not from this area, viewing the old photos with names from the past reveals the families many of our landmarks are named after.
All this and more feature on this fantastic Website. Congratulations to all concerned. This Website provides so many memories and keeps the record of the proud history of schooling in Karragullen.
LINDA MOORE, Editor and Owner, "Roleystone Courier", Roleystone, Western Australia.

I have been looking at your excellent Website and I'm most impressed with it, especially the Railways page.
GRAHAM WATSON, Australian Railways Historical Society, W.A.Division

You should be very proud of yourselves.
You have achieved what many funded organisations have not yet been able to.
The website is enabling the history of Pickering Brook to be accessible to a world wide audience.
It has been my pleasure to assist with information for the website as it is a most worthwhile project.
Well done.
LORRAINE PEARCE, Former Historian/Local Studies Librarian, City of Armadale, Western Australia.

Congratulations and thank you for your group's excellent work in making the rich history of your area so accessible to the public through your website.
DAVE OSBORNE, Attadale, Western Australia

I was gobsmacked when I opened your site just a few minutes ago. All I can say is Wow!!!!!!! You have done a fantastic job. I had to ring my son Brett as he was the one that put all the photos on to the disk. He was so pleased to see the School Reports back in colour. He was thrilled for me to have contributed to the site. He said that it was wonderful that my parents featured on the Internet. They would have had no concept of the technology that was to come. My Dad never ever used a telephone. I will now have to send a link to my relatives in Western Australia. I am going to have a second look at it before I go to bed. Accolades by the million.
IRENE JENKINS, Victoria

I had a chance to look at the Website a couple of days ago, and didn't have any problem whatsoever with the pictures taking time to load up to the page. You certainly have done a truly wonderful job. I did enjoy it very much. I have spoken to my mother about getting my Aunty Peg to look at your Website so it will give her the idea she needs to present the Holroyd picture etc. My Mother spent last night reading your Website, and rang today to say how much she enjoyed it also.
KERRY COOLING, Western Australia

Thank you for your telephone calls. I did my memoirs some years ago on the computer, and at that time I searched the net for any information. The only thing
that I could get up on Google was the Little Darkin walking tracks of the area. No history at all. I can't tell you how absolutely blown away I was to receive your
telephone call and be given the marvelous Heritage Site that you have made.
I really enjoyed looking briefly through the Site last night and can see I have a lot more reading to do. I congratulate you on what you have achieved. It has opened up a lot of knowledge regarding the whole of the forest areas around Barton's Mill. I had never heard of Carilla, Karragullen or any of the other local mills so it has been so helpful for having filled me in with the "bigger" picture. I look forward to seeing my memoirs on the Website, and would like to thank you all over there for thinking that it is worthy of putting on. I never dreamed, when I did them, that they would be kept for posterity, and perhaps be read by lots of people.
IRENE JENKINS, Victoria