It is a hundred years since the commencement of the First World War, 1914-1918; given the amount of celebrations and comment about such a brutal event one wonders whether anything useful has been learnt from the tragedy. From time to time, someone expresses regret or warns of the dire consequences flowing from such devastating events as a prolonged war but rarely does anyone congratulate or extol those who sought to stop or end the war by peaceful means. This book in part deals with such a man who swam against the mainstream, against those who glorified war as a solution to their political aspirations. Edward Emmett was the son of Edward Dillon the renowned Boroondara Councillor and Magistrate.

Emmet graduated from Melbourne University in Law in 1879 and Arts 1886. He won the top job at the Melbourne Mint at seventeen and headed the Coining Department at twenty three years of age. In 1888 he left the Mint to become a leading Solicitor in Melbourne where he practised until his death in 1940. He was a founding member of the Australian Church on Finders Street, Melbourne with the Rev Dr C Strong. Solicitor to the Rev Tucker’s Village Settlements Scheme (Horsham); Secretary to the Melbourne Peace Society, Rev Strong, President and a member of the Melbourne Criminology Society with Strong as President and other Strong charities and societies.

His daughter, Keila Dillon was educated at Lauriston, The Heritage, Geelong and Clyde which was then in East St Kilda. She was good friends with Theyre Weigall, the well known Australian journalist in London, Martin Boyd, an Australian author and Joan Weigall better known as Lady Lindsay who wrote Picnic at Hanging Rock. Keila was also a great friend of Leslie Henderson who wrote the definitive work on Vida Goldstein; Keila was a close friend of Elsie Belle Champion nee Goldstein and Elsie’s husband Hyde Champion. She was also a good friend of Dr Castellani (Mussolini’s Doctor, and Doctor to the King and Queen of Italy also).

The Book contains a large cache of letters from Edward Emmet and Keila which are fascinating to read and give a rare insight into Melbourne’s early life during the 1870s and 80s and Keila’s many friends. ISBN: 978-0-646-94260-5| Format: Soft Cover | Publisher: Paul Dillon |Category: Australian History.