Camberwell Conservation Study 1991 BUILDING CITATION

House, [oan Gillison was a biographer and historian who 43 Kireep Road, Balwyn began writing after the death of her husband. .She first published the story of her grandfather's family. Later she published the history of, 's Lyceum Club and Margaret Cunningham of Finiona. The latter history was commissioned in 1976 and was a history of Fintona Girls' School and the life of the founder Miss Margaret Cunningharn'. Joar and Douglas Napier had a son and two daughters . The architect, Robin Boyd was a nationally famous architect and writer (see 666 Riversdale Road citation).

Description Contemporary accounts noted the 4"X1" timber Study Grading: A window mullions used on the diagonal as Construction Date: 1952 structural framing and the remote upper-level First Owner: Gillison, D & J box-like writer's 'perch' with its Ned Kelly slot to Architect: Boyd, Robin selectively view the then rural landscape. Then a two-storey block, with two window-wall modules History facing north, the main house stood at the corner of Douglas Napier & [oan Mary Gillison the lot. Connected to it via a slim glazed link at commissioned the building of a nine roomed, 2 ground level, only, were another four bays of 'weatherboard' house on this site in 1952 . The diagonal glazing. Above it, isolated from the other Gillisons lived here until after 1962, probablY3until upper levels was the writer's study with a the time of Douglas Gillison'~ death in 1%5. By horizontal window slot which allowed a view only 1974 J.T. Brock resided here. The architect was s. if the occupant stood up3. The whole had the look Robin Boyd of stacked building blocks, some with the modish Douglas Gillison was born in and diagonal geometry that provided functional educated in Brisbane and Melbourne. His father 'structural decoration'. A similar isolationist was the Presbyterian minister, Padre Gillison, who approach for a study was designed by Boyd for the was killed while trying to bring in a wounded writer-historian, 's house. soldier at Gallipoli. From 1937 until 1941 Mr. Gillison was a sub-editor with . He was Comparative Examples also a General President of the Australian The following Camberwell sites may be compared Journalists' Association for a time. During the with this site. Second World War he served in the RAAP and was 106,WHITEHORSEROAD, 1940-1 I, MONTANA STREET, 19-W public relations officer in the Pacific and in 1297, TOORAKROAD, 19-W London. He wrote the first of the air series in the 91.MAlID STREET, 1940<: Australian Official War History, RAAF 1939-42. In 133,MAUD STREET, 1940,; 56, RIVERSIDEAVENUE, 19-W,; 1946 he became the Press Secretary to the Minister IS,WALBUNDRY AVENUE, 19-Wc for Air. Later he became Public Relations Officer 417·.WHmHORSE ROAD, 19-W,; for the Department of Civil Aviation and in 1959 IU,YARRBATAVE~~~194O<: 123,MONT ALBERTROAD, 1941·2 he was appointed Director of the Australian News 2, BEATRlCE STREET, 1941 and Information Bureau in London, a position he 6, BULLEENROAD, 1941 retired from in 1961. He died at the age of 66 on 171.DONCASTERROAD, 1941 November 1st, 1965 . 4, MAYSlA STREET, 1941

2 RB- 1952 26954 1 17Je Free Press (Camberwell}, 17.3.1982, p.2 3 01952; 01954; 01962; 17Je Age, 2.11.65, p.S 2 17Je Age, 2.11.65, p.S 4 01974 3 N Clerehan, a friend of Boyd 's 5 Cross-sectionJuly 1953 6 17Je Age, 2.11.65, pS; Herald, 3.10.64 Camberwell Conservation Study 1991 BUILDING CITATION (Continued)

46, THEBOULEVARD, 1941 I, KELBASTREET, 1941c 666,RlVERSDALEROAD, 1946-7 119,DONCASTERROAD, 1948 I. KALONCA ROAD, 1948c 166, WHITEHORSE ROAD, ll15l·2 2, TAURUSSTREET, 1951c 32, URSASTREET, 1951c 6, CARRICALSTREET, IlI52 43, KIREEP ROAD, IlI52 I, MADDEN STREET, IlI52 2, CARRICALSTREET, 1954 16,CA.RRIGAL STREET, 1954 129,wrNMALEE ROAD, 1954 14,ORlON STREET, 1954< J':' BALfV1N ROAD, 1,S,!k ~A, NARRAK ROAD, 1955c

External Integrity Changes since that date include the uniting of the upper levels and the absorption of the famous Ned Kelly room by replication of the diagonal glazing modules.

Streetscape Contribution On a corner site but unrelated to the mainly Bungalow housing in Kireep Road and the mixed housing in that part of Yarrbat.

Significance Historically, significant occupiers, Douglas Napier Gillison and roan Gillison. Their careers straddle important changes in the literary and popular history writing of the period 1940-1980. Douglas Gillison's work on the Official History of the RAAF is an important contribution. An unusual couple in that both took up popular historical writing: of Regional importance. Architecturally the design epitomizes Boyd and other Melbourne Modernist's approach to design, with a minimalist external cuboid expression adorned only by 'structural decoration' as implied by the triangular bracing to windows. Like the nearby Stargazer housetq.v.). it also took the form-follows-function dictum to a visual extreme, in the design of the writer's study: of State importance.