Category: Kelvin Grove

K is for Kelvin Grove School

Continuing with Alona’s Family History Through the Alphabet, it is time for K.
Now I must admit, I changed what I was going to write for K when Pauleen of  Family History Across the Seas blog left a comment on my E for Education post that her father also went to Kelvin Grove School.

The school has put online a collection of old school photos They are not named but you may be able to determine your person among the images. Most are listed by year and class name. 

This is a fantastic idea and I hope more schools follow suit, especially as so many people have lost their photos in disasters including the recent floods. 

The school is also hoping that people might be able to provide copies of other photos they might have to go into the archives.


The girl (with the ribbon and light dress) to the right of the lass who is holding the sign, is my mother Violet in 1948 when she first went to Kelvin Grove.

1952 VIB Mr Topping on left Mum is second from left third rowstanding with white collar on what she remembers as a “blue velvet dress”

My mother was the third generation of her family that went to Kelvin Grove. The children of Richard John Rollason (Mary, James, Violet (my great-grandmother), William, Lily, Herbert, Harold and Arthur) all went to Kelvin Grove. 


Then Violet’s two daughters, Gladys and Myrtle went then my mother. My mother was disappointed that I did not follow in the tradition but it was not practicable when I lived on the other side of town.

I have two unknown photos of Kelvin Grove students.

KG III Boys. Guessing around early 1900s Somewhere in there is a Rollason boy!
KG V Unknown year. Possibly Gladys Weeks sixth girl from left second row but we don’t know for sure.

D is for Death and Diphtheria

Continuing with Alona’s Family History and the Alphabet theme although a fair bit behind, it is time for D: Death and Diphtheria

In the pre-antibiotic era that so many of our ancestors lived, illness among the children could become deadly very quickly.

How tragic it was for this family. Reported in Ballarat in January 1872 (Trove)

Unfortunately the disease spread quickly in unprotected populations and newspaper reports, like this one from Victoria, were not uncommon. 

While the children were unhappy about the prospect of a needle the parents breathed sighs of relief!

My Grandmother told me of her fears as other families she knew had lost children to diphtheria. 

She remembered her days at Kelvin Grove State School when there had been cases and a number of her schoolmates had fallen ill with some deaths.

Below is my Mother’s vaccination card. 



The jab was such a small price to pay