Address: Corner of Terrara Road and Canterbury Road, Vermont
Land donated by pioneering member of the Rooks family, Abraham Rooks (b. 1824- d. 1889) as recalled by his grandson, Aubrey Rooks (b. 1909-d. 1989).
Development of the Reserve In July 1925, tree planting had been carried out along the Canterbury road frontage of the reserve and an area of the reserve also "cleared and fenced for a children's playground" (Box Hill Reporter 24th July 1925). Mr. Albert Rooks donated top-dressing for the oval, and a motor truck and volunteers were recruited for a working bee on August 22nd (Box Hill Reporter 24th July 1925). Mr. H. A. Ellemor generously hand-painted two notice boards; one each for the reserve and children's playground (Box Hill Reporter 24th July 1925). A bazaar was later held in August with the intention of raising "further funds to carry on the work of beautifying the reserve" (Box Hill Reporter 24th July 1925). By September 1925, local volunteers and the Vermont Recreation Reserve committee had completed further planting of trees and shrubs along the Terrara Road frontage of the reserve (Box Hill Reporter 25th September 1925).
Tram Corner In September 1925, the Vermont Recreation Reserve boasted an exciting attraction: a dummy tram which became an innovative addition to the children's playground (Box Hill Reporter 25th September 1925). Local Vermont resident and owner-operator of the former Harrington's Bakery, Bob Harrington, recalls the Tram was still present for some time after 1945 (Harrington, 2020).
An excerpt from the Box Hill Reporter, 25th September 1925, reads: "TRAMS IN VERMONT - Vermont leads again. It is claimed by the reserve committee that theirs is the first public children's playground to be equiped with a tram dummy. That this innovation appeals to the children is evidenced by the fact that many of them spend the whole day there, and also by the continuous ringing of the tram bell, much to the delight (?) of adjoining householders. The committee hopes to be able to erect two see-saws on Saturday afternoon, which should make the ground still more attractive to the little ones"
Vermont Football Club The Vermont Recreation Reserve has remained the proud home and training ground of the Vermont Football Club since 1919.
A Brief History of Vermont Reserve The following passage is a brief history of the Vermont Reserve that was kindly provided by Lee Bidstrup, Manager of the Vermont Football Club:
"Documentation located by Martin Nolan in 2010 for the Vermont Football Club, indicated that the land on the south east Corner of Canterbury & Terrara Roads was originally part of a 44 acre allotment selected by a Joseph Cam on the 22/7/1875. Subsequently a 20 acre portion was sold to Mr Henry Thorn on 25/3/1908.
Two years later Henry Thorn, on the 29th September 1910, Sold 7 and 1/2 acres of this land, where the Vermont Reserve is located, to the Shire of Blackburn & Mitcham ( later Shire of Nunawading) , as it was known then.
Henry Thorn was born in England around 1845 he was married to Edith Brooker in 1877 and they had seven children. He must have come to Australia in the late 1800’s and is understood to have lived in the Vermont area for some time. When he purchased the land, he was living in Hawthorn.
Henry subsequently sold the remaining 13 acres to Louisa Herring on 3rd April 1914. Louisa was the mother of Jack Herring who later Captained Vermont in the 30’s. He was even more involved with the Cricket Club who made him a life member.
In 1911 the Cricket Club asked Council permission to clear the land. This they did by hand, the trees were grubbed out, cut up with axe and crosscut saw, the land ploughed and leveled using horse drawn ploughs, scoops, harrows and rollers.
With the timber taken from the land, a post and rail fence was erected around the boundary. After the natural grasses had regrown, this was kept cut by horse drawn mowers. All of this work was done voluntarily by the local men. Two of the men known to have worked on this project were Mr. Pat D’Arcy and Mr. Norm Williamson.
Some years after the establishment of the ground a dummy or driving section of a cable tram was acquired and set up under the trees where the present pavilion stands. This corner was for years know as Tram Corner.
Apart from the oval, tennis courts were constructed in the south east corner and both cricket and tennis actually commenced prior to 1914. Unfortunately the First World War started to take the youth away for more serious matters.
During the war years groups of youths could be seen kicking a football about in the evenings near the gas lamp on the corner of the now Canterbury and Boronia Roads.
After the War the locals started talking about establishing a vermont football team. The Mitcham Football Club just up the road, were established in 1898 and had resumed after the War in 1919. It was about time Vermont started to create it’s own identity. The Vermont Cricket Club had been in operation since 1895 although exactly where they played before the current ground was established is not known. The Vermont Football Club started playing competition games in 1920 at the Terrara Road oval."
References
1. Harrington, Bob, 2020, Personal communication. 2. Nethercote, Joan, 2000, Vermont and Us, pages 15, 32.
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