History
The Parkville Association was born out of the threat in 1967 by the Hospital and Charities commission to resume most of Ievers Reserve and demolish the surrounding homes. A more serious threat in 1970 would have seen the razing of a large area between Storey and Morrah Streets.
Both struggles were eventually won but, in order to discourage any further incursions, the association decided to seek National Trust classification for the whole area of South Parkville. Many members contributed to a detailed survey of the area, photographing each building and recording its origin from the early, hand-written rate books. With this documentation, Hilary Lewis put together a submission which was accepted by the National Trust (now edited and published as a book, available from the Parkville Post Office).
South Parkville became the first classified metropolitan area in Australia, a status later given legal force by inclusion in the State Historic Register. No more large-scale demolition projects were possible but the Association continues to advise, negotiate and occasionally fight battles to preserve the historic integrity of South Parkville and prevent unsuitable development over its entire area.
From the outset the principle concern of the Association was not just for the buildings but for those who live and work in them, with the aim of encouraging a vibrant and cohesive community. The early years saw a children’s club, the ‘Parkvillians’ and a welfare committee which quietly assisted some of the disadvantaged people living in the community. Over the years the demographics of Parkville have changed markedly and new challenges arisen. Such was the battle to keep a fully functional Post Office and more recently the northern market wall.
Stanley Keith (Stan) Dean
Our Founder Stan became more closely involved with Parkville when, with some neighbours, he persuaded the Melbourne City Council to plant kerb grass and later trees on a large part of the wide asphalted area of levers Reserve that separated the rear fences of two streets. It was fast becoming a defacto hospital carpark. This created a safe play area for children and a congenial place for street parties. Many years later, a seat would be placed under the trees to commemorate Stan’s contribution to Parkville.
The years 1967 till 1970 were dominated by two major attempts by the Hospitals and Charities Commission to demolish large areas of Parkville in order to relocate University High school and then use its land for the expansion of the Royal Melbourne Hospital. The immediate reaction was the formation of the Parkville Association, of which Stan was co-founder and first President for 12 years. The battles were finally won, but not before they reached State Government level. In order to discourage further attempts, the Association decided to prepare a submission to the National Trust to classify the area. This submission was accepted and so South Parkville became the first urban area in Australia to receive National Trust classification. The submission was later edited by Hilary Lewis and published by the Association as a hardback (Lewis, Hillary, South Parkville, 2nd edition, 1996) available at the Parkville Post Office.
