Originally published in the Dandenong Journal from 10 March to 22nd September, 1932.
This copy is taken from the original published then, not the book version now used by others.
I think that there is yet the remains of an old burying ground on the Frankston road, on a property once in the possession of the Quinlan family, and later, I fancy, of the Symes’. It is there that some of the early local people were interred, about the 50’s. It is on a rise a few chains back from the fence, near the old homestead. At one time the little plot was enclosed by a post and three rail fence, but time, the inexorable leveller, many have ’ere this wiped out nearly all trace of the spot where the old pioneers were laid to rest as they succumbed under their heavy burdens. Even so, there surely should be some in the community interested enough in the doing of the pioneers to investigate and see what could be done in the way of keeping their memories green.
Who named the town? The honour is generally ascribed to Captain Lonsdale, who, in an official report on the district, in 1837, spelt the name “Dan-y-nong.” The original surveyors spelt it “Tangenong” when they made the first survey in the 40’s. Captain Lonsdale wrote that it was always most difficult to catch the sound of native names as spoken by aborigines, who rapidly ran over “d” and “t,” making it difficult to catch either consonant, but he thought that “Dandenong” sounded more euphonious, so there we have it. The native name was as nearly “Dandenong” as the authorities could make it, so the name was bestowed upon the creek, district and township.
All original content © Copyright 2017 Old Dandenong ~ Reminiscences ~ Unless otherwise stated.
All content by other people is their interlectual properly unless otherwise stated.