Village looks to identity

THE historic heartland of Knox will be pay tribute to a bygone era this weekend as residents and traders gather to celebrate the past and present of The Gully.
The inaugural Ferntree Gully Village Identity Day will be held on Saturday 17 November from 9am-4pm in the town’s shopping precinct.
The event will feature Ferntree Gully Village Yesteryear celebrations organised by the Knox Historical Society (KHS), including a Village Heritage Walk, a guided tour of the cemetery and a historical presentation by KHS members Allan Bailey and Kevin Knox.
Conceived as a way of celebrating the history of the village while also promoting new trade throughout the shopping centre, the Identity Day is the brainchild of the Friends of Ferntree Gully Village, Ferntree Gully Village Traders and the KHS.
Traders’ group president Anthony Herrod said he hopes the day will bring the community together to recognise the variety of services and products available within the shopping precinct.
“It’s about promoting the area to say ‘you don’t have to travel for miles and miles to find what you need, because it’s all here’,” he said.
Meanwhile, KHS president Frank Johnson said that residents would be interested to see how little the village has been altered by development in comparison to other areas of Knox.
In addition to photographic displays mounted throughout the village, there will also be a memorabilia sale, discount vouchers for local shops, a free sausage sizzle and balloons available for the kids.
The cemetery tour will begin at 11.30am. For more information about the event, call Mr Herrod on 9758 0990.