Warburton resident Shona Blackthorn’s efforts to document the history of the O’Shannassay Aqueduct have been boosted by a grant from Melbourne Water.By Dion Teasdale
WARBURTON resident Shona Blackthorn has received a grant to help her document the history of the O’Shannassay Aqueduct.
Ms Blackthorn launched a communitybased project to document the now defunct water supply system’s 90year history in June this year.
The aqueduct, which was opened in 1914 and was a major supplier of water to Melbourne’s eastern suburbs until it was decommissioned in the late 1990s, stretches all the way from Reefton to Surrey Hills.
It was a major employer for nine decades and many Upper Yarra families, from Warburton to Don Valley, helped build it, maintain it and lived along it.
In August, Melbourne Water, the custodians of the aqueduct, offered to support Ms Blackthorn’s project by paying for documentation and recording equipment.
“The grant from Melbourne Water has helped me purchase a digital camera and a laptop computer which I’ve been using to photograph and collate all the stories and images I’m gathering,” she said.
“The assistance from Melbourne Water has been fantastic. I couldn’t have documented and recorded the work I have so far without their support and it will help them out in the long run, too.”
As part of the funding arrangement, Ms Blackthorn will supply Melbourne Water with images and historical information about the aqueduct for the water authority to publish on its website.
She has been busy since June documenting the stories of locals linked to the history of the aqueduct.
“Since I started the project a lot of people have come out of the woodwork. They have been telling their stories and helping put the pieces of the past together,” she said.
“I’ve made contact with a number of people who actually worked on the aqueduct, and with a few past caretakers and inspectors who still live in the area and they have some amazing stories to tell.”
Ms Blackthorn said she has already written more than 50 pages of a book manuscript recounting the history of the aqueduct, which she hopes to complete by 2007.
“I’ve also gathered over 1,000 photographs, some dating right back to when the aqueduct was under construction,” she said.
“I’m hoping to keep building upon the collection and hold an exhibition at the Upper Yarra Arts Centre some time next year.”
A highlight has been gaining access to parts of the aqueduct that are usually offlimits to the public, Ms Blackthorn said.
“Melbourne Water took me on a two and a half day guided tour along the aqueduct from East Warburton to Don Valley,” she said.
“It was an amazing insight into the water system. It runs through some of the Upper Yarra’s most exquisite forests and is home to a world of unique flora and fauna.”
“When I’m done with the exhibition and the book I’m hoping the Upper Yarra will finally have a record of the amazing achievements of the people who have lived and worked here,” she said.
