I came across these two articles recently as I was working my way through some material on the origins of street names in Brunswick and Coburg and I was reminded all over again of the superb legacy Les Barnes left Moreland's local historians.
The person who saved these articles did not note the name of the paper or its date. It's clear, though, that they were written at the time of Les's death, so probably June 1994. The second tribute was written by his nephew Bill, also a local historian.
Les Barnes was a Brunswickian (Brunswicker?) through and through. He was born in Brunswick, lived here and died here. He also wrote and spoke about the history of the area in his own inimitable style. His prose is instantly recognisable - his personality comes through in every word he wrote.
Without Les, the history of Brunswick would be so much leaner. He was a trade unionist, a union organiser in the 1940s - a leftie who moved to the left of the left and became a Communist in that inter-war era when so many saw socialism as the answer to the world's woes. He was also a passionate historian, a researcher extraordinaire who was one of the group who brought the investigation of history back to the area with the formation of the Brunswick Community History Group.
No wonder, then, that when the City of Brunswick commissioned a history of the suburb (Brunswick: One history, many voices, edited by Helen Penrose) published in 1994, it was dedicated to the memory of Les Barnes.
At the very end of the book is a section written by Les on the origins of the street names of Brunswick. There is also a book version and one for Coburg, too.
These histories of Moreland's streets were last updated in the mid-1990s, so there is so much more to add. I've made a start, and hope others will join me.
Let me know if you are willing to be part of my new Streets of Moreland project. The more people who participate, the more the project will be in the spirit of the grass roots history that Les Barnes exemplified.
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