Whether you’ve been a longtime owner of Stonnington or Carnegie real estate or you are simply a history buff with an interest or family history in the area, a fascinating project spearheaded by Stonnington Council could give you plenty of insight into the local community’s involvement in World War II.
In honour of last week’s ANZAC Day celebrations, the Stonnington History Centre has made hundreds of letters and postcards sent to and from the area during World War II available online to the public for the first time.
During the war, Malvern Council sent canteen orders and birthday greeting cards, as well as embossed leather wallets and other tokens from home to local residents who were serving their country while overseas.
In return, the grateful troops sent in handwritten letters by the hundreds – as did their wives, relatives and parents. Letters, according to the History Centre, were sent from every fighting front, and in some cases, the council has even been able to share them with their original writers some 70 years later.
Every letter has been stored and indexed by Malvern volunteer Geoff Currey, ensuring they can remain a valuable resource for anyone researching their family history or their connections with WWII.