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Rananim Vol 5 No 3 Dec 1997

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Rananim Vol 5 No 3 Dec 1997 The Journal of the D.H. Lawrence Society of Austratia ISSN No: I039 - 9658 AGM GOES TO BERRY VIA STEAM ENGINE The steam train arrives at Hurstville ach year your Committee through the south western sub- tries to find a different, in- urbs to Hurstville where most of teresting and appropriate our party joined. Hauled by the On our way down the South Coast, venue to hold the Annual General gleaming black locomotive 5910 following the DHL trail Meeting. Last year it was con- the train descended to the Georges Photography ducted at the NSW Writers Centre, River crossing at Como before : Robert Douglass and previous meetings have been climbing to Sutherland where the held at the Kuomintang Hall last of our party boarded. One CONTENTS (noted by DHL int92?) and North advantage of the Heritage Train Sydney Leagues Club. When John carriages was now evident: the Lacey informed the Committee that opening windows allowed a full AGM 2 Why Did Lawrence there was to be a steam train trip to view of the stunning scenery Make the Connection? 3 the South Coast it was decided to along the Illawarra route. Editorial s make a booking on this excursion The Royal National park Poem: Stepping into the same and hold the AGM ar beautiful bushland had fully recovered river twice 5 Be.ry. from the bushfire damage so Sunday in New Mexico 6 Unfortunately the date pre- graphically seen on our last steam A Ruse by Any Other Name l0 vented some from attending and excursion. The twists and turns Friendship and Freedom of Soul ZO their apologies are noted in the and the variety ofvegetation once Bits 23 minutes. The train of end-plar again delighted us and we had a Letters 23 form-centre-aisle carriages, simi- perfect day for the sweeping Forthcoming Events 24 lar to those described in Kanga- coastal views south of Stanwell roo, commenced its journey at Park. A quick view of the War Campbelltown and made its way cont,d over page Ratuniru as as ever as we GOES TO BERRY looked Picturesque AGM the harbour, and now the BY STEAM TRAIN passed most scenic section of all com- from previous Page menced. The train entered a tunnel Memorial at Thirroul was had, and and then emerged just above the then at Bulli the locomotive which shingle in a rockY cove, on the other hauled the coal trucks out to the jetty side greenfields dividedby dry stone south of WYewurk is on disPlaY at rose high above the train' Into walli DHL Sociery of Australia's "Mascot"' the station. Inn another tunnel, out on to another Katherine Diu[hss, at the Kangaroo An unintended stop was made at four times in all' which was windY, aP- beach, oc- Wollongong, turned inland of the Berry Hotel and then of Wollongong The railwaY then propriatelY. South a remarkable instance of ser- through dairYing and bushY country curred we passed through lush countrY and The 1860 kitchen of the at Berry. Two restaurants endipity. the Minnamurra River to arrive after cros sing the week: original hotel had been converted and the had been Phoned during the line returned to the sea restaurant and so it can be neither was open for lunch on Satur- into a climbed through basalt head- of the train was des- reported that the 1997 AGM right on the days so Robert Darroch lands to come to a stand D H Lawrence SocietY of Australia in patched to find a suitable venue' beach at Bombo, breakers rolling in theKangarT"T; irteals were ordered in the courtyard was conducted underacompletely clear sky' Kiama D.H.L. SOCIE,TY'SAGM Australian members ana-Lll-o^ror The Society's fifth AGM was herd at the Soutri';;; ";*t;";|;fl;1,'r'"tuinea' town of Berry on Saturday l8' J'Lacey moved rreasurecs M' The meeting carried' Seconded October, 1997' 19p.ott.9tu"'31!'li;"" was held. appropriately. over moved that Katherine lunch in the c1860 Kangaroo Douglass be adopted as the Soci- Inn. etY's- mascot' Seconded: J' Ruffels' Our numbers were lower Secretary's due to ,h.";J;." than usual ."oot;,*"toership' of our President, Paul Eggert, Mollie Esch's power.of attorney longer abroad, and wrotelo sav she was no who was lecturing a member due our Secretary, Mrg#;;., :"ifitffiri'maining The D.H. Lawrence The Society gratefully accepted who was ill. Society of Australia an from John r act as These are the Minutes: 9!fer lo]v^: -to l,it*airrg, RobertDarroch, itsvicotiranrepresentatrve' COMMITTEE: John LaceY. Sandra Jobson. John President's Report: R' Darroch Ruffels. Marylvn v#;ii#., li;;" President: Paul Eggert readreau a messagerrrtrs'4HL fromrrvrrr Pa-ulr gqr !Ebv'Eggert Douglass,n^"-r^" Katherinerzarharine;::';i;"t' Douslass' Vice-hesident: Robert Darroch *t'o expressJd a debt of gratitude to and Chris Nugent t"""oi"pi,ii6 Secretary: Margaret Jones ' the committee' [, t it iiltt Robert)' Treasurer: StePhen O'Connor ' "i were received from: JohnRuffels Apologies Utcs$'g+it.oSgs. MembershiP Secretary: P""i E;;;"illecturing ;;";;";'), Committee Sociery Archivist: Marylyn Valentine Marsaret Jones (ill tt"uitt'i SG"L The followins wer-e elected en bloc: Vic. Rep.: John Lowe 6'tffi#ira;t\;^.i;iiltsl;l' ;';s"i"'"'b"" LaceY (Hsc;;$;;i- P-resid*ent: Paul Pggert Editor, Rananim: John ;rJaliiii;k". Robert -Darroch. Rananim: Sandra Jobson bilities), Meg and st"prr'.#"""' vice-President: Publisher. o-'Connor' tlee, Rananim" I ohn Matthews (exams), eniii* Treasurer: llephen Editorial Commi Margaret Jones Sandra una n.u"ri.y e"ig*unrr Secretarv: Lacey, Robert Darroch, il;;;; Secretary: John (orior conference), Caridivii'iila Membership Jobson, Margaret Jones Lee, Chistopher Pollnitz. KuIIels' itobert - John Lacey Address: Minute of ttre previ'ois Edfior.Rananim: ' Rananim" Sandra Jobson' PO Box 100 AGM: moved S. loutonl!""- Publisher Society Archivist: Marylyn Valen- Millers Point, NSW 2000 Australia onded R. Douglass' - Fax: (02) 9130 6059 noner'|vrrv ofvr anyE"J !'-r.te' Correspoid"nce: Representative: John substance."--t""oo."r's Victorian e-mail: [email protected]'au Report: 66 local I-9*" , Moved,:R'Douglass' to Rananim members;7 overseas;;;";;;t Letters and contributions Seconded: C' Nugent' the reciprocal, l0 honoranl'- -- are very welcome. Please send to ''" Next Societv events: Harbour f,i;;;; i" i'i'Ji$iis0 (to rise above address, with Your name' cruise on st;am'yacht' Lady (and' to fro* fundi uUout to address and telePhone number $1860.10 Hopetoun' Seminar and Dinner' be added to total). possible, fax or e-mail)' Daie to be confirmed' if It was moved that the same The meeting ended at 1'45 pm' annual membership f*'i$30 i;t 24 naruniu't WttY DID LAWRENCE IUAKE TIIE CONNECTION? I(AT{ GARO O AND R.L. STEVENSON n the Summer 1992 issue of The D.H. Lawrence coast, nine kilometres north of Thirroul. \eltiew Keith Sagar discusses Lawrence's clearly These parallels, in addition to those set out by Sagar, deliberate allusion to Robert Louis Stevenson in are remarkable. Could they simply be coincidence? The the initials of the protagonist of Kangaroo, answer probably lies in a remarkably undocumented fact: Richard Lovat Somers.r He asks, ',Why did Lawrence from just after Christmas 1919 until February 1920 both make the connection?" Lawrence and Lloyd Osbourne were on the island of The "connection" was possibly first noticed by Capri. In this time they formed close friendships with Lawrence's detractor, Hugh Kingsmill, in 193g, and he Compton Mackenzie, and planned with him a voyage to made extensive use of Lawrence's self-projection as a the South Pacific, which is mentioned by Sagar. Stevenson figure to develop his attack on him.2 Kingsmill Lawrence's interest in this proposed voyage is docu- did not altogether set up a straw man. As Sagar indiiates, mented in his letters and in biographies. The evidence of the points of similarity between the lives of Stevenson and Osbourne's participation is more scattered. He came with Lawrence are remarkable. Meyers has also written on the his wife to Capri in 1919, apparently about August, and subject.3 Eigner goes even further, and claims that there became an "intimate" friend of Mackenzie.r2 In his Lawrence did model his life on the earlier writer,s.a reminiscences, Mackenzie mentions that Osbourne once It has been said that in a less restrictive era, Stevenson visited him when he was at work on the South Seas might have become a writer in Lawrence's vein: he project; though apparently Lawrence was not present at the himself hinted at something like this in a letter to his time. Recalling the plan, Mackenzie switches from cousin.s Graham has rightly commented on the Osbourne to Lawrence back to Osbourne in one short Lawrencian ethos of Stevenson's short novel Olalta.6 paragraph.13 In July 1920, while the correspondence with Catherine Carswell dissents, admiring the Lawrences' Lawrence was still continuing, Mackenzie considered c_ontentious marriage, and contrasting it favourably with making films in the South Pacific, and discussed this with the complaisant relationship of the Stevensons.T More Osbourne.ra Faith Mackenzie twenty years later mentions recent biographers however suggest that this was less this plan, and Lawrence, in the same sentence: smooth than previously believed. Sagar wonders if there may be more parallels. Corre- A voyage to the South Seas had been in the air for spondences can be found between Stevenson's visits to some time; there was talk of taking a cinema outfi! and D.H. Lawrence Sydney in 1890, l89l and 1893, and Lawrence's in 1922, was to be one of the party.ts as well as certain details in Kangaroo.
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