TWO family history sleuths have uncovered a treasure trove of information about Mornington’s early beginnings and the people behind the street names and condensed the information into a book Naming Mornington Streets: the people and their stories.
Authors Lynne Emblin and Leonie Marshall are members of the Mornington Peninsula Family History Society and are experts at connecting the dots in family and social history.
Emblin said the opportunity to dig into and document the history of some of the people recognised for their contributions to the area was one she and Marshall grabbed with enthusiasm and excitement.
“It’s quite amazing the information that we discovered about Mornington’s early settlers and the people and families who are immortalised in the area’s streets,” she said.
“Some of the information is the history of Mornington, but some of the information covers their connection to the wider world.”
The book covers around 40 names in more than 100 pages of information, but Emblin said there were lots of “rabbit holes” that the pair ended up in after years of research.
“It’s taken since about 2014 to gather all the information, but there was some hiccups like COVID … we also had to spend a lot of time studying maps and a lot of time on Skype and at the library.
“It really is interesting to uncover the background of many of the people who came here for a better life, immigrants and even Australians moving to the peninsula, and how behaviour and decisions were made based on where people lived.”
The book covers all street, road and lane names within the area bounded by Nepean Highway, Beleura Hill Road, Main Street and the Esplanade.
It was launched on Saturday 18 February at St Marks Uniting Church, in Barkly Street, Mornington.
For more information or to obtain a copy email info@mpfhs.org
First published in the Mornington News – 21 February 2023
