Dingley Village History Written by Past President William Belt
Dingley Village Shopping Centre today.		What is the best kept secret in Victoria? If you live in delightful Dingley Village, you will know the answer. The answer is, of course, “Dingley Village”. On our regular visits from our family home in busy Wickham Road, Moorabbin to Chelsea, via Dingley (as it was known then in 1966), it was a pleasant experience driving in the midst of market gardens and tall blue gum trees, past Kingswood Golf Course, Southern and then Keysborough.
One day we decided to deviate off Centre Dandenong Road and investigate what else Dingley Village had to offer. To our pleasant surprise we found unmade sandy tracks leading to quiet, treed courts and cul-de-sacs (what a change from busy Wickham Road). My wife Kathleen and I decided that this was the place we would love to live, and bring up our two young sons. We could not find a Court Lot “For Sale” sign anywhere. The only “For Sale” sign was in Jacks Avenue, two Lots from Mussert Avenue (which was not sealed). As we were so anxious to buy a vacant Lot, we purchased this one, and would you believe, we did not even walk on the Lot. We paid $7,200 for the land, and moved into our new home in 1967. 38 years later we are still happy Dingley Village residents, having moved to a new home only 12 months ago. There are numerous reasons as to why we love “Dingley Village”.
All the Mums and Dads could take a short walk to the Kinder on the corner of Marcus Road and St Marks Close, then take their older children over the road to the Dingley State School, Number 4257, which was opened on September 28^th 1925. Both the Kinder and the State School were great meeting places for all, and many long lasting friendships were made. Some of the changes we have seen over the past 38 years have been:	Dingley Village Primary School
The re-zoning of the market gardens and flower growers land from Rural to Village zone; the largest section being the area bounded by Centre Dandenong Road to Lower Dandenong Road, and both sides of Howard Road. Some years later our zoning was changed from Village zone to Residential C. The Victorian Government has since changed the zone to Residential 1. The rural farmland opposite the Moorabbin Airport, bounded by Boundary Road, Lower Dandenong Road and Centre Dandenong Road was changed to “Garden Light Industrial”, now known as “Redwood Gardens”. All the market garden land around the Kingswood Golf Club was also re-zoned to Residential. Traffic lights were installed at the corner of Howard Road and Centre Dandenong Road; Howard Road and Lower Dandenong Road; Centre Dandenong Road and Marcus Road; and Centre Dandenong Road and Lower Dandenong Road. The building of the Dingley Village Shopping Centre from Marcus Road to Pethybridge Close. The construction of St Marks Catholic School and Church at the end of Dimar Court in 1974. The new Church was built in 1999. The present school caters for 400 children. The construction of our second Kinder in Jacks Avenue. Kingswood Primary School was built in Plaza Crescent in 1976.
The building of our local Hall in Marcus Road, which is now known as “The Harold Box Hall” in honour of one of our tireless working residents and ex-Mayor and Councillor for many years at the City of Springvale. Dingley Village was part of the City of Springvale at that time. The building of the Dingley Village Neighbourhood Centre in 1977, and the Maternal Child Health Centre in Marcus Road. The building of the “Health Link Centre” on the corner of Tootal and Centre Dandenong Roads. In 1996 we saw the opening of Abbeyfield House in Spring Road, which offers affordable housing to 11 older persons.	Harold Box Hall
Dingley Village Neighbourhood Center	On the community service side, we saw the formation of the 2^nd Dingley Scout Group, headed by me as Group Scout Leader. The formation of “The Rotary Club of Dingley Village” on March 29, 1978, with the first President being Harold Box. I am proud to say that I was a Charter Member, and Past President of our great club and still a member now – 27 years on. The formation of the Lions Club, Kiwanis Club, Probus Club, Senior Citizens, Country Women’s Association and the Chamber of Commerce.
Dingley Village is well catered for on the sporting side, with football, soccer, cricket, a great day and night tennis club, netball (which has a large following), and baseball. The majority of the above are in walking distance from most homes. In my opinion, one of the biggest losses to our Village was the closing of The State Bank on the corner of Pauline Avenue and Centre Dandenong Road. The Commonwealth Bank opened on the corner of Pethybridge Close and Centre Dandenong Road, but not for long and they too closed, closely followed by the National Bank. That left us with no Banks, forcing us to travel to other suburbs. However another door has opened, with a big thank you to Michael Benjamin and his Co-Directors for their persistence in creating our own Community Bank, known as “The Dingley Village Community Bank” - Bendigo Bank. Our community has benefited in many ways since the Bank opened. As a Licenced Real Estate Agent, I established my own Estate Agency business in 1975, trading as “Village Real Estate”. As parents and their children loved living in Dingley Village, I found myself selling homes to the children as they grew up and had families of their own. In 1989 I discovered that “Dingley Village” was not registered as an official place name – it was known as “Dingley”. As all the signs entering our Village stated “Dingley Village”, I initiated in May 1989 with the City of Springvale, to have the correct name of “Dingley Village” registered with Government. This was officially gazetted by the Place Names Committee of the Victorian Government on the 7^th day of August 1991. Over the years we have lost a large area of open green space, but “Dingley Village” is still a wonderful place to reside. Written by William Belt For the Dingley Village & District Historical Society
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