ROYAL HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF VICTORIA 19 QUEEN STREET. MELBOURNE. C.l 62 7052 15 Kett St., Nunawading, 878 7720 3 December 1966 Rev. Gerard Tucker, Brotherhood of St.Lawrence, LARA. Dear Sir, I am advised that you are a direct descendant of Rev.Horace Finn Tucker, sometime of ^.Christ Church, South Yarra, author of The Hew Arcadia, and founder of the tucker village Settlements. As an historian I have been interested for some years in his work. In 1964 a series of articles I had written on the Tucker settlements of thd nineties appeared in the Educational Magazine. More recently I have dealt with the general subject of village settlements in an address to the Royal Historical Society of Victoria( a list of settlements isssued by me on that occasion is enclos­ ed for your interest). Since reading The Hew Arcadia I realize how little T know of the social movements and idealism of the Utopians of the nineties. Some clues to the way men were thinking then may be included in the other writings-if any-of H.F.Tucker or in biographical details xbbl relating to him. Have you any such material that could be borrowed, perused and returned? I have gleaned from Christ Church all possible in the Church journals but still do not know such elementary details as date of birth and death, education, travels, friends, interests etc of Rev. H.F.Tucker. Believe me this is not idle prying- for the man's social experiments and writings belong to history. I knew, of course, of the Brotherhood's village settlement at Carrum Bbossh Downs, but not till recently, did your address come my way and the possible connexion pointed out. Historians have certaihly neglected a man of insight and imagination. If you can help my researches I should be most grateful. Yours sincerely, L.J.Blake,President, R.H.S.V VILLAGE SETTLEMENTS Arapiles Korumburra Baimsdale-Eagle Point Korumburra (Strzeleckie) Bairnsdale-Raymond Island Linton (Scrubby Creek) Balnarring Macedon and Woodend Barmah Mardan Beenak Marungi Beethang Meeniyan Blackwood and Trentham Miepoll Bullarto (Lyonville) Mirboo North Bullarto (Section B) Mirboo South Bumberrah (Swan Reach) Moe (Childers) Bunbartha Moe Syramp Bunaalong Monbulk Colbinabbin Mooroolbark Coleraine Muckatah Coliban Murrabit West Condah Swamp Nayook Cooma Neerim and Jindivick Coongulmerang Neerim North Coongulmerang and Wuk Wuk Neerim East Corop Newham Darlimurla Rosedale Darnum( Mi zp ah) Sale Dimboola and Wail Sarsfield Drouin (.Township) Scoresby Drouin est Shepparton Echuca Tarrawarra Egerton Tarwin French Island Tatong (Kelfeera Swamp) Fumina Tonimbuk East Ganoo Ganoo Toolamba Gracedale Tyntynder (Mallee) Kamarooka Wallan Wallan Kaniva Wanalta Katamatite Warburton Kialla Yalca Kiata (Salisbury) Yarragon. Kinglake Koonoomoo Koonork (Hoddle Range) Koo-wee- rup The above is a list of the government village settlements created in Victoria during the period 1 8 9 3 - 1 9 1 %li New Zealand led the way in 1885 with the first village settlements, using to some extent the European pattern. Next year South Australia introduced the Homestead Settlement Scheme and, by 1891, Queensland had joined the movement. In Victoria attempts to establish community settlements can be traced back to 1853• 4 Religious Comraunity Settlements 1853 Hermhut Friedrich Krumnow’s settlement, 14 mi.from Hamilton. Hill's Plains Maria Heller's Silesian Settlement, 4C mi. from Benalla. 1890 Drouin George Brown's Christian Socialist group. 1900 Kyneton Dr.Dalziel's Holy City at East Kyneton. 1892 Wonwondah E. A Tucker settlement, 12 mi. south of Horsham " Jindivick " by the Tarago River, Gippsland " Red Hill " " near Drouin. " Moora Moora " " Victoria Forest Sawmill Settlement,Grampians, 1893 Horsham No.2 Kilfera Near Benalla. Croydon Near Brushy Creek. ***************; •*.