The Hunters Hill Trust Journal i''lay, 2001 :r+ir,++-1lffif4?ll Volume XXXX Number 2

tssN 03 l0-0 t I I

Membership of the Trust is $25 a year for a hmily, The High School site about 1900 - Picture courtesy }6l/ Stqte Libmry $ l5 single and

$5 for pensioners

and students. We return to The Pleasure Life member $200 Grounds to celebrate Federation

T he ThreePatriots Australia. for the Italian community :,:. .r i r Ther.:cl5.:.:mof€.:.#:.:i:i:':.:.:.:. I. Walk at Hunters Hill The project was supported and a mayor of Hunters ffi;intGtlvabrrcomiruf is being declared open on bythe Commonwealth Hill, Charles Jeanneret Saturday, 12 May at 11 a. Government through the (1835-98) a member of Inside this issue: m. by the Hon. Joe Hockey Federation Fund, following Parliament, and supporter MP, Minister for Financial an application by the Hunt- ofSir Henry Parkes, and Services and Regulation. ers Hill Trust which re- Sir George Dibbs (1834- The mayor of Hunters Hill. sulted in a grant of 1904) a former Premier. Angelo Tomaglti on - Cr. Susan Hoopmann, will $50,000 for the work. The walk features three honour t}re ktng frorn welcome guests. interpretive signs - on the The walk has been con- The opening comes at a Three Patriots, history of Awhelp of o an - structed by Hunter's Hill time when the community the site as a picnic spot C-horles leonneret Council on the Lane Cove is fighting to retain the and film studio and local foreshore of Hunters Hill High School which the Aboriginal history. Sir Georyp D,bbs - High School. It is accessi- NSW Department of Edu- dream of united notion ble from Mount Street and cation and Training wants Reiby Road. It becomes a to close. lndigenous plants in part of the Great North The Three Patriots of the the wolk londscope Walk from to New- walk were Hunters Hill castle. The new pathway residents who took part in 19fi-m01 Fig lree Studios by tfie AffiiturnPbi.6 and its landscape are a the debate on Federation. rNer celebration of the centen- They are Angelo Tornaghi ary ofthe Federation of (1834-1906) a spokesman A Commonwealth Govemmert lnitiative A rtver called Turonbuno Fedefationii Ce t.efi.ffi sp.ediilal;...Issue TRUST JOURNAL MAY,200t An honour from the King

I ngelo Tornarghi (born 1831) was cipient was not British born, but that -t La native of Milan, Italy. he had come from Italy, a smnger He was a supporter of the campaigns of amongst strangers, and had worked his Garibaldi in 184849. He arrived in way to a position of distinction in his Australia in 1858 representing a firm of adopted country. While in Italy during London instrument makers, Negretti this trip he bad conferred upon him by and Zambra. the King the distinguished honor of, He worked on the installation of equip- the Cross of Italy. This was given to ment at Sydney's observatory and went him in recoguition of the name and into business as a clock maker and in- position he had won for himself in an strument maker at Street and English colony, and also for having on later George Street. many occasions shown kindness and In 1863 he bought a stone house in given material assistance to his coun- Madeline Street from the Swiss-Italian tymen when in distress in a distant stone-mason Antonio Bondetti and later land. ulnt}reyear purchased a 30-acre estate in Boronia 1880 his charity hadbeen Park. He was mayor of Hunters llill in put most closely to the test when the Angelo Tornaghi Picture by 1879 and 1882-3. Angelo Street is members of the expedition to New Ire- coufiesy NSll/ State Libmry named after him. land, organised by the lvlarquis de Rays, Today his scienffic instruments and landed in Sydney in a state ofutter des- Strength. These groups are cast in clocks are valued by collectors. Some of titution and wretchedness. bronze, and are the largest known to his clocks still tell the hours in govern- "Mr. Tornaghi on this occasion was have been made by the process . .. of ment buildings in Sydney. most energetic in reteving his sufrering electro-metallurgy. In 1874 he took part in recording the fellow

A whelp of a son became arlhonoured citizen (lnanes Edward Jeanneret (1834- \-/ 1898) is remembered today for the houses which he built around the centre of the Hunters Hill peninsula. The houses, their large, teat, curti- lages, tleir appropriate scale, tleir fences are an expression ofa lifestyle and an age which we may never see again. Yet the man who created this Brigadoon brought river transport to a high standard and built one ofour first tramway systems. He was an active and persrasive legislator. Charles Jeanneret's father Henry was a pioneering surgeon and administrator whose radical administration of the Aboriginal settlement of Flinders Is- land Tasmania and his claims that the Aborigines had been shamefi:lly ?!,!f treated resulted in a controversy and iff,r, the closing of the settlement. Governor Denison wrote on a volume Charles Jeanneret andfamily at Hunters ofpapers concerning Dr. Jeanneret from steamboat operators further up Hill - picture courtesy lan Jeanneret "The whole thing is a tissue of absurd- the river. rty from end to end. If Dr. Jeanneret He had a steamboat service at Gosford sound common sense not always found had his deserts he would be whipped and on the }Iawkesbury. in the records of the work of the un- like an unruly schoolboy, and his Charles financed the building of a paid magistracy of the colony. Mr. whelp of a son as well ..." number ofhouses near his own house Jeanneret has at present in view the The Jeanneret family returned to Eng- in Hunters Hill. establishment of tram communication land in 1851. While developing the river transport connecting the fertile Ryde district, The "whelp of a son" Charles came service he was active in civic life. Hunters Hill and Sydney together with back to Australia when he was 18 to Australian Men of Mark 1888 records: steam punts across the Parramatta the Bendigo Goldfields. After tlree incorporation "The of Hunters Hill is River". years he moved to Sydney and married directly due to his energetic advocary After Parliament passed his private Julia Anne Bellingham on 12 June and personal exertions. Since 1861, Tramway Act, Jeanneretbuilt a tram- 1857. He booght land at Hunters Hill when that event took place, Mr. Jean- way connecting the wharves at Par- where hebuilt his family home Wy- neret has been an alderman and for ramatta. balena, named after the settlement on some yqrs mayor of that Borough. In He supported Sir Henry Parkes in the Flinders Island where he had spent his recent years he has been elected to the move towards Federation and like youth. He became a partner in a provi- City Council where he distinguished Parkes, did not live to see it happen. doring company and from this moved himself. He was survived by his wife, eight sons into ownenhip of steamships on the "In 1875 he contested the electorate of and two daughters and is buried in St. Parramatta River. Charles w:ls man- Central Cumberland with Messrs Anne's Church of England Cemetery, ager of the Parramatta and Hunters Lackey, Wearne and A.H.McCuttoch. Ryde. Hill Steam Ferry Co. and the Par- The two former were elected. ramatta River Steam Co. He bought the general 'At election in the early RrrnnrNcrs - the company goodwill and five steam- part 1887 of Mr. Jeanneret contested Oral history - memoials to three pioneer ers in 1875 and added ffieen more. another electorate and was elected to Australian Dentists, by Gael Erica Phillips His steamship company had taken over the seat in Parramatta which he still and John Hensley Pearn, 1993. the coaling station and wharf at the holds. Hunters Hill Austmlia'sfirst garden sub- foot of Ferry Street, Hunters Hill. Pro- z16, Beverley Sherry duce from farms as far west as Penrith "He is a magistrate of the territory and Aushalian Dictionary of Biogmphy 1851- was carted to this wharf to be taken during the time when his services were 1890 across the river to the Sydney markets. in active requisition at the Water Po- The Hunters Hill Trust Journal (S ept emb e r I 9 9 4), Megan t\dartin. Competitive freight rates by Jean- lice Court his decisions were marked Australian Men of Mark 1 888 neret's company wrested this business by a strict and intelligentjustice and a MAY,2001 TRUST JOURNAL A dream of a "{.Jnited Australia"

of them. The fourteenth, the need eorge Richard Dibbs KCMG was for one supreme court, was, in his Premier of on view, self evident. The proposals three occasions, 1885, 1889 and 1891. essential for unity were: He was a robust Australian-born pa- 1. One Viceroy, or Governor triot, whose robustness uPset many 2. One Parliament of two people; equdly his 'toots and all" ap- Chambers proach, when times were tough and One Customs Tariff firm leadership and decisions were 3. 4. One scale of Excise duties needed regardless ofthe niceties, 5. One joint debt gained wide but gudging admiration. 6. One railway management Love him or hate him, tlre people of 7. One land rsvenue and one New South Wales lived in interesting land law. Until the laws are political times when Dibbs was at the consolidated existing regula- height ofhis powers. tions hold good One defence administration When the Legislative Assembly on 7 : One posul andtelegraph ad- August 1889, was invited to lend its '' nninistration weight to a proposal to be placed be- rv'r^ Provincial Government, with fore the British Parliament that respon- wide local powers sible governrnent shouldbe grantedto rr'r r Surplus revenue ofthc Su- Western Australia Dibbs sPoke preme Government to be aP- strongly in support. portioned to the provinces - He used the opportunity to outline once partly on a population basis - again his dream of a unite( self gw- partly on an occupied mile- erning Australia. age area basis 12. Certain departments of the "Australia is bound to be a nation sepa- Rrblic Service removed from rate and altogether free from the tram- political influence may have mels of any country, even the motler their headquarters in Mel- country itsef. We are willing to be the bourne, others in Sydney allies of Englan4 we are willing to 13. One high Commissioner's recoguise that tie; but the day is not far establishment in London, distant when the whole of Australia representing the whole will join as one nation". t4. One Supreme Court 15. Title, "the United Colonies" , That dream was to remain with him, aftenrards, when South Austmlia Sir George Dibbs except that he altered his views on t}te and Queensland come in, the title Pictare by courtesy NSW State Library type of nation it wouldbe, to that of a to be "fllie Daminion ofAustralia" unitary system of government" and or "United Australia". especially since the fiasco of the bank- clearly articulated that Dibbs further recorn- ing crisis found us so injuriously di- conc€pt in mid 1894. ,,11' , ' , r-l rnended to Fremier Pat- vided, has led me to the conclusion Following an eledion Ung natf0ft that it would be easier first to com- speechinTamworthin....,,',.,,,.'::.; terson that New South Wales and Victoria pletely uni$ the interests of the two Mav, 18e4, hev*T ote" rllllllll,lll..,l should start the process great colonies of Victoria and New length to Sir James Pat' .i.,i.b.he ,,, of unffication by joining South Wales, and then to atFact fff",*fr::,"J,I:tr; parli ent together asthe"United neighboring colonies within the sphere Calonies", with a of our extended influence. But if our letter being pUblished in ,.r.r.r.r.r.r.r ir:,.,.,.,.,.,,,,:.i.r.:.r.r.r.,.,.,.,. change of name ta"the neighbours should elect to unite with full inthe SydneyMorn- Dominion of Australia" or "UnitedAus- us forthwith, I quite admit they should ing Herald of 15 June 1894. In the let- tralia" whenthe other colonies joined" be welcomed cordially. " ter he went to extensive trouble to set as inwitably they must in his view: Reaction to the Tamworth speech and out his ideas, and put a cost against his o'The consideration I have given to the the letter to Premier Patterson was proposals. Dibbs listed 14 proposals various aspects offederation since the substantial and varied. Initially the essential for unity, commenting on 13 National Convention of 1891, but more response from all sides was that the PAGE 5 TRUST JOURNAL MAY,2OOI

probably proposidon set out impossible what was his last official was after a long battle with prostate can- and uffealistic, the rantings of an function. He turned the key in the new cer. He was truned on 6 August, Lh.e avswed 'provincialist". It became ob- door ofthe extension to the .!:it'r.v Hunters day of a ;,:;rerai r:ieetine i:-q vious, however, as more consideration Hill Town Hall, which was South Wales, srrrvived by two soris, was given by originally constructed in 1866, and editorial writers and nine daughters and 19 grandchildren. other leading political figures declared the extensions officially to the He was buried in the church of St. points made that, most open. The honor undoubtedly was although did Thomas, North Sydney. not beliwe the proposal feasible or extended to him as being one ofthe most desirable, substantial suggestions respected figures resident in the Municipality at the tirne. The photo- worthy of serious consideration had Excerpts from tlre bookGeorye Richart graph of the occasion clearly shows been made. The speech, and the let- Dibbs, Politician, Premier, Patiot, Pam- an old, somewhat bewildered looking ter, were significant contributors to dor, with the permission of the author T. man, in the the debate, as they gave a form and front row of a substantial W. Campbell. The book (355 pps.) has gathering; some financial numbers to the federal one can only guess that been published privately by Mr. Campbell ideas then being discussed, and age and increasing illness was taking and is obtainable from him at PO Box 63, its Braddon. ACT 2612 for (cheques showed what had to be taken into ac- toll. $35 and postal orders only). count in a tabular and simple but comprehensive way. The estimates of George Dibbs died at the family home in Hunters 5 the costs and revenues caused other, Hill on August 1904, especially a leading Sydney banker, J T Walker, to put down their ideas on such matters, so enhancing the qual- ity and depth of the debate. Indigenous plants placed Sir Henry Parkes declared that Dibbs had used ideas he @arkes) had set out in a Melbourne journal some years in heritage walk landscape previously, a claim quickly denied by Dibbs in a letter published in the Daily Telegraph of, 19 June 1894. In n me phnts used in the land- that letter Dibbs declared that his in- I Hibbertia scandens-(Twining gurnea -{ \scaping of the walk belong to spiration had fact flower) in been the Cana- species that were common here prior dian constitutional Correa alba - (White correa) model. to European settlement. Many of them Premier Patterson replied to the Lambertia formosa - (Mountain letter were usedby the local people as on 20 June 1894, by devil) which time the sources offood, medicine or artefacts. election campaign was Westringia fruticosa - (Coast rose- in firll swing. An existing community of salt marsh In mary) the event, with the defeat of the plants is also present. Dibbs Government at the polls, no Lomandra longifolia - (Spiny matt- rush) further action was taken in the mat- Eucalyptus gummifera - (Red blood- Dianella caerulea - flax lily) ter. wood) @lue Entolasia stricta (a grass) Melaleuca linariifolia - (Snow-in- Microlaena stipoides - (Weeping When he retired from politics in summer) grass) 1895 Dibbs moved his family to Melaleuca quinqenervia - (broad-leaf Baumea juncea - (a sedge) Passy, a home at Hunters Hill leased papefuark) from Herbert Charles Mitchell and Melaleuca nodosa - (Ball honey- Other indegenous species already Ernest Ashdown. Dibbs lived quietly myrtle) in home occurring on the site as part of the the until his death. Casuarina glauca - (Swamp sheoak) Passy had estuarine (satt marsh) community: been built by an early Banksia serrata - (Old man banksia) Casuarina glauca (Swamp sheoak) French Consul and rented to a num- Acacia longifolia - (Sydney golden ber of people Dibbs. Tetragonia tetragoniodes - (Warrigal before It domi- wattle) (Used as source of fish poison nated cabbage) &e area at tlnt time, when to tip spears) housing Avicennia marina - (Grey rnangrove) was less dense. A distin- Acacia linifolia - (Flax-leafed wattle) guished citizen of the Hunters Atriplex hastata-(Orache) Hill Acacia terminalis - (Sunshine wattle) area, Sarcocornia quinquefl ora - he was known to spend time Bursaria spinosa - @lackthorn) (Samphire) with the Church of England vicar, the Dodonea triquetra - (Hopbush) Rev. Philip Spry-Bailey, whose resi- Zaysia macranthe - (Coast couch) Grwillea sericea - @ink spider dence was close by, "to share a flower) whislry and discuss iphilosophy"'. - Sally Gsufi Hardenbergia violacea (False sarsapa- On l1 March 1903 Dibbs performed rilla) MAY,200t TRUST JOURNAL PAGE 6 When Fig Tree Studios were in action

Fig Tree Studio Research. Longford was Frederick Daniell Papers at Screen- listed in this sec- Sound Australia ond prospectus as ftfTTL *1I5TftAI,IAT{ Director of Pro- Arn fontt Bv John Daniell AM ductions and with " Urr.f, 1935, Mastercraft Film Cor- *fu\ f " 5,500 ordinary Iporation Limited bought the property It appears nThe shares. known as Avenue" on the Lane Oat Longford Cove river near Fig Tree bridge. They or was issued with , actually Raymond Longford purchased these shares a rtTEir't esstftlfl he property from the Ha6our Land and 'Promoter's Con- Transport Co. Ltd. (a subsidiary of Syd- sideration'by rry Ferries Ltd) for frg,250 (S18,500). Mastercraft for Paying t 4,250 cash and taking out a signing over the f,5,000 mortgage. The property had been property to them. used as a 'Picnic Ground' serviced by 4 ferries from Circular Quay. F.W. went to In JuIy 1935 the prospectus issuedby Hollywood in Mastercraft describes the property as: March 1936, at "Easily accessible from tlre city by road his own exp€nse or river, the site is a positive sanctuary forthe purpose of from interfering noises, and comprises acquiring the lat- I about sixteen and threequarter acres est knowledge of ofverdanfly grassed pa* lands fronting production, tech- on to tlte placid reaches ofthe beautifirl nique and equip- . ment with the "The background ofnahral bush, and a intention ofplacing Picturesfrom "The Power and the Glory" provided splendidly preserved building that would such information at the almost s€em to have been originally de- disposal of Mastercraft . Mastercraft studios in September 1937. signed for studio puposes, makes 'The Thring fell ill on the ship while re- 6 The valuation was f,14,000. Exacfly Avenue' a site par excellence for this turning home, he died on ls July what the arrangement was between Company's ambitious projects. 1936. lvlastercraft and ArgosyA{ationaV clear, lucid atmosphere intensified "The My father Frederick Daniell who Denison Estates is not clear at this by mirror qualities of the calm river sur- was general numager of National stage. But the December 1945 Balance face fringing the grounds is perfect for Productions and ArgosyFilms per- Sheet of ldastercraft Film Corporation photographic activities. suaded the interests ofThe Sun Limited shows that they had an invest- "It hes long been recognised that the Newspaper/Denison Estate who con- ment of 5,500 ordinary shares of f,l technical advantages of zunny Austra- trolled National Studios known as each in Fig Tree Studios Pty Ltd. This lian skies and the clarity and purity of "Pagewood'to take over Master- was obviously Raymond Longford's the atmosphere makes Australia an ideal craft's studio at Hunters Hill. originat cash payment for the original country for cinema production." This took place in 1937. The exact purchase of 'The Avenue'from the Syd- was a Corporation formed 5 "Mastercraft" date is not as yet known. ney Ferry's subsidiary. in 1934 by Raymond Longford', John A "Private and Confidential Re- The first film and possibly the only fea- Bruce, Alfred Beszant, Arthur Titterton, port' (Record 2t4l Daniell Papers) ture to be shot (partially only) at Fig I*slie Simpson and James Manning (the states that Mastercraft Film Corpo- Tree was: latter two being solicitors probably issued prospectus ration in all five The Power and the Glory @ka The In- fronting for a appears client). It that both private and public and failed to vaders) they did not raise the nominal capital of raise the neoessary capital. They The B&W feature film producedb5, fu- f50,000 pounds or wen enough for the only managed to raise t17,267 af gosy Films was shotboth at National company to begin production, because a the f,50,000 capital proposed. Their Studios (Pagewood) and Fig Tree Stu- further "Mastercraft prosp€ctus, private " assets were f,8,197 with an outstrnd- dios Hunters Hill commencing on June circulation only, was issued in April ing mortgage of f,6,000 on the origi- l2o', 1940. The film was directed by 1936. This time F. W. Thring 3 was the nal land andbuilding purchase Noel Monkman and starred Katrin Ros- managing director with Jack Bruce, Ar- price. So Fig Tree Studios Pty. Ltd selle, Eric Bustq Eric Reiman, Sydney thur Titterton, Nevil Bletcher. Raymond came into being and took over the a -two invita- Trust mernbers tions for U""t-ts Hill

1'Hear these guest speakers at the Annuar Generar meeting. Dr kns1glo::_:Ti.:,Tdill.::,,:narReratio,,,uJ,,*d;rrffi ffi :ilffiffi,1r*,"1 Mm.,i Title. Democrstic and Sustainable Futures Themes: Importance ofreviving traditional values within a modern context--bringing the best of the past to the needs of the future. The speakers will pose questions such as: Is the de_ mocracy of Ancient Greece relevant to local politics in Hunters Hill? Returning bottres to the corner store--a nos- probrem?Lvncarson-o'JHul'T^ffi Tii*"#":.'ffi1"":"r:.*:1"*u-r,","r*_ novative democratic processes with creative options d.r"riui"uure futures.

O:T re_O^e1!i9n ?: Watk project wiil be opened to the day, May tz, ioor';;f"il"#:;HH-"iH:*",*r,Ill,x ifyou TJlwant tHl:ff:.-to. Enter the xll *:l "l,y Reibv Road or Mount so*.iuiir,;;;il;;in.iliii-,J*,, through the Federation Fund. 6o^t*.tior'byHu#;;il ;ouncil. The Minister for Financial services and Reguiation, the Hon. Joe Hockey MP will declare the walk open. Come and see your taxes in action. Dates for Your diarY: is the High School YUV P Open Day and a MaY l0 at 8 P m' big effort will be made to demonstrje the ThursdaY, community at I I a'm' need for the school which the SaturdaY MaY 12 State Govemment wants to sell.

A gentle Reminder that subscriptiii*-111,1":: nv* rr**{*rt vo* in, ow financial controller would Journali*:j:,:x1,.:|:ilr_u11h"rn,in,r,"r",**ni.il;";;il;;.;ffi or send this one with your cheque to The Treasurel Hunters p.o. Hill rrus! Box 85, Hunters Hill 2110. PLEASE RtrNEW MY SIIBSCRIPTION T,OR 2OO1 Name

CtueUs ENcrosBo FoR Snvcrs psNsrolun/sruDer.n $15, $5, Falrny $25 MAY,2001 TRUST JOURNAL

the vaults when the rfu{l$'movedurvr out . --* ' rw the Pavilion '-'il ' Reburld i the rebornFig ' Ir-{ ' and The i{u,ien. ;r,11 fnmt .'d]ith]rts the ,,.:'lt Tree Studio moved 1 community campaign to retain the ---' I'i back in the early I ,JA high school and to rebuild the pavil- ! - by fire last ion destroyed Year. I

Prior to the announcement that the I several attempts to -:':{ I. i school was to be closed, the Hunter's =- I i 'i onceagainopenFig HiIl Council's heritage advisor Greg i as a working iTree Patch was engaged in discussions with snrdio. But none of a government architect concerning the them got offthe design of the replacement building. - ground. It was G.la rented as casual storage space to The Pavilion, studio building, and High School Hall - 1998 transfnrt/carrying compames. Wheeler, Charles Kilburn, Lou Doctor rescued In 1946 my father forrned Trans Pacific Flying Joe Valli and Peter Finch. The Vernon, Films P/L and in 1950 Trans Pacific film was releasedby MGM and oPend from the tip Films leased what was still called Fig at the Mayfair Theatre in Sydney on 4e The film historian Graham Shirley Tree Studios but it was used mainly for 1941. It did reasonably well in takes the Fig Tree story further in his April post production editing of documentary the box office but only had a limited book written with Brian Adams and educational films. In 1950 Ar- release overseas. It was re-released in t "Australian Cinema - The First Eighty l transa Films Pty Ltd took over Trans Australia 1952 as "The Invaders". Years".Pwrcncy Press). in Pacific and also rented facilities at Fig As yet the exact date that the RAAF Graham told me that film stored at Tree Studios. took over Fig Tree Studios has not Hunters Hill was ordered to be disposed In the mid 50s, Macquarie/Denison evolved from the research files; but it of at the tip. An enthusiast stoP@ a Estates who by then owned the ProP- was most likely some time in late 1940 council tnrck and rescued a copy ofThe erty, sold it to the NSW Government or early in 194 1 . One of my reasons for Flying Doctor (1937) whrchis now in who first used it as a bus dePot and this is that in April 1941, even the National Film Archive, Canberra. sayrng later passed it over to the Education though he was still GM of Fig Tree and Don Bradman appeared in the Departrnent and it became Hunters Hill ArgosyA{ational Productions and very fllm G.11.. High School. - active in trying to sell the 3 Quota films overseas my father moved his I The second prospectus lists the area as 'sixteen acres, two roods, eighteen and three- operations to Bligh Street in the ctty. quarter perches'. He was then producing a series of 2 Raymond Longford was perhaps Australia's most prolific film director from 1911 to 1934. act- documentaries in Java. So I would as- He directed the Australian cinema classic ",seafrta ental Blokc" .In later life he accepted One of those was 'The Pover and the sume that the Army had taken over ing bit parts in other peoples film to earn a living. was shot at Fig Tree Studios, albeit only partly shot. Pagewood studios and the RAAF Fig Glory,,, one of the few films that 3 f.W. ttring of Efftee Films'a Melbourne based producer of documentary and feature free by that time. 1927 to I 936 One of the features he produced was "A Ticket In Tatts". FW as he was The RAAF used the studio comPlex frlms known closed his Melbourne studios and announced that because ofthe lack ofsupport of and gpounds for a supply depot forRa- the Victorian Government he was moving his operation to Sydney where the NSW Govem- dar equipment for the whole of the Pa- ment had an Australian Film Quota. His son Frank Thring (1926-1994) was a Stage, Film & cific area. They also spent over Television actor of note. prop- a 920,000 on improvements to the Raymond Longford never rrade another film after 1934. Perhaps as Mastercraft never got erty. Four substantial buildings were offthe ground he never did get his 84,250 ard forfeited the land wtren the [5,000 mortgage erec[ed. became due. However Fig Tree Studios still had a 5 Further research is continuing in the F. Daniell Papers now held by SqeurSound Austra- connection with the film industry all lia - The National Screen and Sound Archive. , ofStudio and Property dated 2nd. Sept. 1937 during the war. The US film distributor see Richardson & wrench valuation (Record Daniell PaPers) MGM rented the film vaults under an 2087 TSee colour promotional poster (Record I 155 Daniell Papers) In the credits ofthe film there arrangement first with Fig Tree Stu- is no nominated producer, but as my father Fred Daniell was General Manager atld in dios and then with the RAAF. MGM ofproduction for both Argosy Film and National Productions, history generally cred- extendedthe vaults to hold over two charge producer. million feet of film. In those days most its him as sThe name Artransa derives from a transcription association/company that Macquarie Radio of the negadve for making prints were formed during the war. It stood for 'Associated Radio Transcibers of Australia, New Zea' what was known as'nitrate'fiIm. It was land and South Afriea'. Artransa was eventually taken over by the Seven Network and under certain cir- extremely volatile moved first to new shrdios at French's Forest and then later at Epping. cumstances. MGM were still renting THE HUNTERS HILL TRUST INCORPORATED Our river is Turanburra Address mailto

Hunters Hill Trust lnc. he Lane Cove River is known to the Aboriginal inhabitants as P. O. Box 85, Turanburra. Hunters Hill, 2l l0 There the Wallumedagal people fished for the abounding snapper (16-18 lbs was common), red breanl blackfish and mullet, flathead and garfish were also caught. They fished from light canoes, made of bark taken probably ftom the swamp she-oak (casuarina glauca). The bark was removed after rains, usually in August, when it was stronger and more pliable. The .Qffears...rt*iiit0o0.20oil,...,,,,..,,.ll;.l...... 'i'.'.ii.i...... ii n*1aent..*..tronx...c0o*,.i',m',17wd ends were folded and skewered together before being caulked with llllili resin from the grass tree (xanthorrhoea arborea). pit *v1dC,.6es1aont..*..C1l,,WIulnU1tt.eh*n4...w.1..u.... A clay on the bottorn held the fire. Seafood was their 2627 ,. ': :::: ,.,,,., :,:, staple sumrner diet. Shellflsh predomi- Secreary...... ,.,..,.,...,, - Len Condoh|'9g16'2796. rantly represented in the middens of the Tieasurer iuea are the Sydney cockle (anadara tra- - Chris Rumble,'9879 0308 , pezia), rock oyster (crassostrera com- mercialis), hairy musrel (trichoma hir- $ffi [Iffi i#l#;#x[* ;il iiiiiiii suta) and the Hercules whelk (pyrazus i ftt.uinf,,John Birchr ebeninus). Because fresh water was not .StepHn...R[miC]1.iiiGlen h.a"* .*uL plentiftl the area was more visited than COmmlmaA...muUUng|..afanet :..at'.0....[,.m;...on,. lived in. In winter more rneat would mon$tt,.l. have been eaten, in the form ofgoanna, snake, wallaby, kangaroo Ineiii[c ,,iiffi*$f].,."r,eal] ...... Vienai..'C ,...ffielr5ndra,,,S-h HuntCrs,,,,, and flying fox. The cooking method was broiling or roasting. This infonnation was prepared by students of class 5W Hunters Hill Pub- lic Schml.

From Pleasure Grounds to High School

T n. site of the Hunters Hill High School was once "The Ave- library and accommodation for technical, home science L nue Pleasure Grounds". Before the turn of the century the and fine arts subjects. The old pavilion was refurbished Joubert family developed about 16 acres for the purpose. In his and after receiving a new floor, it became the grmnasium. Abbreviated History of Hunters Hill, Roy Stuckey describes it as The total building cost was fr256,069. The school's oval, "a very popular picnic resort . . .(which) was patronised by clubs, fronting the Lane Cove River is partly reclaimed land. organisations, parties and individuals, mostly conveyed by ferry Apart from Parramatta High School (which was built to to the old Mount Street Wharf (long since demolished) which serve a semi-rural community), Hunters Hill was the first was located on the Lane Cove River at the bottomof Mount co+ducational high school in the Metropolitan area. It was Street". Later a special wharf was constructed at the Pleasure in the forefront of the new movement to provide compre- Grounds to allow a chartered ferry or ferries to tie up all day. hensive education for Sydney's rapidly increasing high lv{any a company picnic day was enjoyed at these grounds. school population. . .A very large timber pavilion was certainly the only building in The first Headmaster was Mr. J. H. S. Rae and the school Hunters HiU that could seat several hundred people for a meal. began with 368 students and a staffof twenty. The school As the years passe{ annual holidays replaced the company pic- colours were adopted as two blues and grey and the motto nic day and the coming of tlrc motor car and the building of the is"Opera ad Majora" (To a Higher Endeavour). The Sydney }Iaftour Bridge lessened the demand for "The Pleasure school's houses wer€ named after four of the ferries which Grounds". In 1935 SydneyFerries soldthe land "onextended plied the Lane Cove \iver, Rawsoq Napier, Ferguson and pa5nnent" to the Mastercraft Film Corporation. In December Carrington. 1956 the site was resumed by the Department of Education and By the time the Governor Of Npw South Wales, Sir Eric compensation of f,40,000 was paid. The pavilion and caretaker's Woodward officially opene{the school on 9e August 1962 cottage were still standing on the site. Thus the new high school the enrollment had grown to 927 and the staffto 47. The was to inherit one of the finest sites in Sydney. The following brick classroom blocks 4 and 5 had been built to accommo- year the Department of Public Works was asked to arrange for date the increased numbers. The enroltment passed 1,000 the erection of buildings for the new school. When the school in the late 1960's and exceeded 1,100 between 1972 arrd, commenced in January 1958 it comprised the aluminum build- 1976. - excerptsfrom o report in the school's ings which were imported from England, later linked by a series silver anniversary ptblication in 1983 by Nigel Hubbard. of covercd walkways. In all there were fourteen classrooms, a