An aerial photograph capturing the area south of the Drouin railway crossing in 1944.

The livestock yards, captured in the middle of the photograph, were in close proximity to the Drouin Railway Station. The Royal Hotel is to the right.
Of note is the row of trees planted to the south, along the north side of Porter Pl.
These oak trees were planted in the early 1900s to provide shade and shelter for livestock held on the land, awaiting sale and shipping from the yards via train or truck to other locations.
Although quite big in this photograph, today the oaks are huge. People who have lived in Drouin all their lives say, "they were big trees 60 years ago".
Today the four large English Oaks (with the scientific name Quercus Robur) are 20m high with 20m wide canopies.
For the children of Oak Street Kindergarten, they are a constant source of nature up close and personal. From the falling red leaves of autumn, the skeleton of the branches in winter, the vivid green of the leaves unfurling in spring and the immense shade provided on hot summer days, they are a living reminder of why trees matter.
Oak Street Kindergarten was established in 1964. Keith Pretty's book "Buln Buln to Baw Baw" described it as having "an almost unique 'oldworld' setting with its beautiful old oak trees, which provide valuable learning experiences for children. They learn from the acorns, the birds and the animals which are there because of the trees."
Former kindergarten attendees, many now parents or even grandparents, remember taking home pockets of acorns. Some even have an oak tree grown from one of these acorns.
This photograph is from the "1944 Drouin: A Small Town at War" collection by Jim Fitzpatrick.
Information courtesy of "Stories of Drouin", a cooperative oral history project between The Committee for Drouin, Drouin History Group and 3BBR FM to preserve local stories.
To hear more stories of Drouin's trees, visit storiesofdrouin.com.au and listen to story "If Only the Trees Could Talk".