Newsletter No 65 - February 2010
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Prahran mechanics’ institute victorian history library Newsletter no 65 - February 2010 BRUCE TURNER* LECTURE: IInsidenside Gary Presland Around the Library 2 Short History Prize 4 Writing History 5 The Place for a Village Art Deco Aeroplane Ashtrays Display 6 How nature has shaped the city of Melbourne Books Etcetera 7 Have you ever wondered Historic Happenings 11 why Melbourne is located About the PMI: where it is? Or why it has 140 High Street, Prahran the shape it does? (PO Box 1080 The Place for a Village Windsor VIC 3181) Ph/Fax (03) 9510 3393 looks at the history of [email protected] Melbourne from the www.pmi.net.au point of view of nature, Open: and considers the ways Mon-Fri 9.30am- that urban development 4.30pm has been influenced Sat 9.30am-1.00pm by the nature of local Membership: environments. $12 individual Though many natural $10 student/pensioner $30 institutional features observed by the first settlers are long gone Patron: − destroyed or altered Keith Dunstan OAM beyond recognition − find Feedback/suggestions out how nature continues for this newsletter to exert a powerful may be directed to writer/compiler influence on the shape Christine Worthington and size of Melbourne. ISSN: 1836 2567 (print) 1836-2559 (pdf online) Published quarterly. 7.00pm Wednesday 17 March All welcome - entry is free - bookings are ESSENTIAL: 9510 3393 or [email protected] This newsletter is sponsored by The lecture will be followed by refreshments in the library. Windsor If you belong to a Victorian historical group, Community you are invited to participate in the PMI’s inaugural Bank Short History Prize See p.4 for details 111 Chapel Street, Coming up - a most unusual display: Windsor, VIC 3181 Ph 9510 9311 ww2 art deco aeroplane ashtrays www.bendigobank.com. au/public/windsor See p.6 for details * See ‘March Lecture named for Bruce Turner’, p.2 Around the Library Congratulations to Helen for her work the emergence of magic lantern shows, which was very favourably commented Peter showed us some of his collection of on by her supervisor. historic glass magic lantern slides, dating PMI Historic Doors from the 1870s. A set of wooden and glass doors (which This was Peter’s fi nal presentation. He graced the entrance to the PMI when it inaugurated the Historic Picture Show in resided at the rear of 140 High Street) 2005 as a joint presentation of the PMI has been returned to the PMI. and the Cinema and Theatre Historical The doors were, for a number of years, Society (CATHS). Peter was presented installed in the Swinburne bistro, but with a certifi cate of appreciation for all were taken down and restored by David his hard work over the past fi ve years. Crossley of Swinburne University after We look forward to the next Historic having suffered some wear and damage. Picture Show in November, to be presented The glass windows of the doors have by another member of CATHS. white etched borders and also etched RIP Betty Malone are the words ‘Mechanics’ Library’ in Betty Malone, an institution in Prahran large capitals. The doors will be safely in history, passed away in November at storage at the PMI for the time being. the age of 97 years. In 2006 Betty was 2009 Shinkfi eld Awards acknowledged by the Stonnington Citizen of the Year panel for her contribution to Congratulations to the following Grade local history. 6 students at schools in the Stonnington In 2008 she received an OAM for service area who received the Alan Shinkfi eld to the community through the research Award for Excellence. These students met and documentation of the history of all the school’s criteria for excellence, and Prahran and surrounding areas. made a positive contribution to the school Betty wrote over a dozen publications and fellow students. about Prahran history (many of which are The award consists of a certifi cate, $100 for sale at the PMI) and was a very hard cash, a copy of the PMI history Pioneer worker for the Prahran Historical & Arts and Hardy Survivor and a voucher for Society in its early days. one year’s subscription to the PMI. She was a member of PHAS for over Armadale Primary School - Luke Cominos 30 years and an honorary Life Member of Malvern Primary School - Jessica Garnham South Yarra Primary School - Madeline Lo Terzo both PHAS and the PMI. Stonnington Primary School - James McNally Along with Laurie McCalman, she Toorak Primary School - Byron Gunn was very supportive of a close alliance Victorian College for the Deaf - Jerome Barbalace between PHAS and the PMI, and gave Alf Lazer and Ben Quin represented the lectures at the PMI library on a number PMI in the presentation of these awards. of occasions. Additionally, each school was presented Pmi Press update with a certifi cate commemorating the 25th anniversary of the awards, which Work continues on Buchanan’s Muddy listed all previous recipients of the award Creek Sawmill: an Isolated Settlement from the school. on the Shores of Corner Inlet and we are aiming for publication in March. Historic Picture Show At the annual Historic Picture Show, Volunteers’ News held in November last year, Peter Wolfenden treated members and guests Volunteer Stats so far in 2009 to a demonstration of a real magic So far in 2010 our 21 current volunteers lantern show. Along with a brief history of have completed: 18 hours of newsletter Prahran mechanics’ institute victorian history library newsletter 3 Around the Library mail out duties, 169 hours of book care duties, delivery of 300 pamphlets, 7 book Praharan mechanics’ insitute indexes (with three more in process) and 29 hours of other duties including work for the website, shelf checking, and indexing specifi cally for the library catalogue. In addition to covering books, the book care volunteers are also covering many journals and bound historical society newsletters as library staff gradually carry out an audit of the periodicals section. Since the last newsletter we have three new volunteers on the team, all with library qualifi cations, which is marvellous. These people are helping In line with the PMI objective with digitisation of the PMI archives, to encourage and facilitate updating our collection holdings on the historical research, we invite you national Libraries Australia database and to participate in our improving the content of the catalogue. Short History Prize 2010. International Volunteer Day 2009 An enjoyable afternoon was had by all who attended our annual International Volunteer Day luncheon on Saturday 5 Topic: December. A history of a place PMI President Alf Lazer was on hand to or aspect of a place in Victoria, distribute certifi cates of appreciation and written by a member or members to express our gratitude for the amazing of a Victorian historical society contributions by our dedicated and multi- or similar organisation. talented team of volunteers in 2009. One of the most important skills volunteers must have is the ability to Entries up to 15,000 words in length, non- fi ction and previously unpublished (or only juggle – their volunteer time around their published by the historical group). busy lives and vice versa, and we do very much appreciate those volunteers who have put in a consistent effort over the Prize $1000 past year to help with so many aspects of library operation. Being $500 for the author(s) and $500 for the associated historical group Closing date: 4pm Friday 27 August 2010 For further information and entry forms contact the PMI on 9510 3393 or email [email protected] or visit www.pmi.net.au/events.htm#prize Prahran mechanics’ institute victorian history library newsletter 4 Writing History To coincide with a special display resulted in a La Trobe Journal article and a coming up in April (see p.6) the fi rst lecture at the PMI in 1999 about the social ‘Writing History’ for 2010 Christine history issues raised by Gill’s work. talks to librarian and historian ... ‘I’ve always had a soft spot for S.T. Gill, since as a kid I saw one of his lithographs of the discovery of the skeleton of the unlucky Jim Badger digger and thought about how thrillingly gruesome it was! Later on I came to appreciate Gill’s lively interest in the world around him Jim Badger believes he was always and his casual (some might say facile) style destined to be a librarian and historian from which never tempted him to assume “artistic” a very early age. ‘I was always fascinated by airs or strive after overly dramatic effects. I past ages and then - luckily - I found that if came to appreciate his ever-inquisitive, yet you were no good at sport at school, you got always kindly, eye. When I was writing the banished to the library.’ article about the Digger’s wedding, I got to One of Jim’s specialities is early horse- see some his original artwork preserved in drawn vehicles, in which he developed a the gold rush portfolio that the State Library particular interest while working at the State - commissioned from Gill just before he Library of Victoria. died. The freshness of the colours after all ‘There were staff there who had such these years is truly breathtaking.’ expertise that they could pinpoint a picture Turning our attention to his fabulous to a particular date (often down to a matter collection, Jim says ‘As a child growing up in of months) by the buildings or the fashion on Melbourne in the early 1950s, I was fascinated the street, but could not tell a buggy from a by the chrome-plated aeroplane ashtrays I brougham! So much of what is interesting spied in the lounge rooms of family friends in old photos or prints comes from what and neighbours.