ÒNurungiÓRemembered OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE CONCORD HERITAGE SOCIETY email: [email protected] www.concordheritage.asn.au

EDITOR LOIS MICHEL No.181 September 2011 9744-8528 PRESIDENT The McDonagh Sisters MARK DURANCE Three Young Ladies Ahead of Their Time 9743-0583 Isobel (1899-1982), Phyllis (1900-1978) and known that the palatial Drummoyne House, PUBLIC RELATIONS Paulette (1901-1978) McDonagh were the which provided the lavish interiors, was the Vacant eldest of seven children of John and Anita McDonagh family home. Paulette was the SECRETARY/TREASURER McDonagh of Drummoyne. Their father was principal writer and director, Phyllis was the LOIS MICHEL the honorary doctor to the J. C. Williamson business manager, publicist and art direc- 3 Flavelle Street theatrical empire so the girls grew up in the tor and Isobel, known professionally as Marie (P.O. Box 152) world of show business. Lorraine, was the principal actress. Concord 2137 Phone: 9744-8528 The McDonagh sisters eventually decided Fax: 9744-7591 to try their luck in film production and went ------on to become an influential artistic force in MEETINGS the Australian film industry in the late 1920s. General Meetings With their independent spirit, they were 1st Saturday of month undaunted by a film industry dominated by (except January) men and by American interests. at 2:00 pm in the City of Canada Bay The sisters made four films together: Those Museum Who Love (1926), The Far Paradise (1928), 1 Bent Street, Concord The Cheaters (1930) which were all silent 9743-3034 feature films, while their final film, (1932-1934), a strong anti- Executive Meetings war drama, included some sound. In addi- Isobel McDonagh 4th Wednesday of month tion they produced several sporting at 7:30 pm in the documentaries, including one which fea- Originally comprising some 1800 metres of Museum tured Andrew ‘Boy’ Charleton. footage, Those Who Love was produced on (all members welcome) a budget of £1000 and filmed in ten days. Their first feature film, Those Who Love, was Walker Estates Committee Sadly, little of the film has survived to the Meets at Yaralla on the a social drama, showing class distinctions present, however, in 1986, two minutes of the 3rd Saturday of month and family loyalties coming between the film was purchased by the National Film and at 2:00 pm heroine and the hero. J.C. Williamson Sound Archive in Canberra. Chairperson distributed the film and, at its premiere in on 11 December 1926, it was With the profits from Those Who Love, the Anne Griffin, 9745-3067 sisters embarked on The Far Paradise Anne Griffin publicly and professionally acclaimed. The [email protected] critics praised the story, sets, acting and (1928), another society drama. Smith Tours Organiser costumes as well as the fact that the budget Weekly said: “This picture has a smooth- Sandra Elliott, 9797-1040 had been so small. It was not generally ness and finish rare in Australian films; [email protected] apparently the sisters have realised that America has developed the technique of Museum Committee production to a fine art, and have been will- Meets on 2nd Wednesday of ing to learn.” month at 9:30 am at museum Chairperson Their third film, The Cheaters, was com- Lorraine Holmes, 9743-2682 pleted as a silent film in 1929. Since there were no immediate offers of release, the sis- Oral History Committee Oral History Committee ters incorporated some talkie scenes to try

* * * * Sat. 3rd September at 2:00 pm. TV Documentary CITY OF CANADA from SBS on the McDonagh Sisters BAY MUSEUM Sat. 8th October at 2:00 pm. To be advised.

1 Bent Street, Concord Sat. 6th November at 2:00 pm. Ken Bock, “Radio for the Print Handicapped” Open Wed & Sat (All meeting in the City of Canada Bay Museum) 10am to 4pm Paulette McDonagh, Phone: 9743-3034 to improve the commercial potential of the film. These additional scenes were filmed in Melbourne in the Hotel and a popular nightclub, Ambassadors. Although none of these scenes has survived, they in- cluded a fancy dress party sequence The McDonagh Sisters and a romantic interlude in which Screening at the Isobel () sings to her City of Canada May Museum lover. Saturday, 3rd September The sisters’ final film was their most at 2:00 pm daring. Based on a successful play, Two Minutes Silence (1933) was a This half hour SBS documentary, stark anti-war drama set in London on written and directed by Rebecca Barry Armistice Day. Paulette believed this and produced by Kathy Sport to be the sisters’ best film and she was broadcast on considered the mediocre response of SBS Flickerfest 2004, WOW Festival 2004 the Australian audiences to mean that it was largely misunderstood. It was Best Documentary Screen Critics Circle Awards AFTRS; the first Australian sound feature to Award for Technical Excellence - International Student explore a serious social issue and for Documentary Festival Chicago the time was avant-garde. The combined career of the McDonagh In the 1920s, Isabel, Phyllis and Paulette McDonagh were sisters, best sisters was then dissolved. Isobel friends and business partners. Together they were the first Australian married in 1932 and went to live in women to form their own film company. Amazing footage from their films London where they stayed until 1935. that has survived and been preserved, combined with interviews, archi- She returned to acting in 1959 when val photographs, and colourful re-enactments describe a remarkable life she and her three children played in of women making movies more than 70 years ago. Tennessee Williams’ drama Orpheus Descending at the Ensemble Theatre. Phyllis also left film-making and Rivendell Open Day emigrated to New Zealand where she became a journalist and then editor of Sunday, 11th September, 2011 the New Zealand Truth. She later married and returned to Sydney where she continued to work as a freelance journalist. In the early 1960s Phyllis became the social editor of the North Information Sought Shore Times and in 1978 she We have been approached by the accepted, on behalf of the McDonagh Concord RSL seeking information on sisters, the Raymond Longford Award missing plaques in Majors Bay Re- for their contribution to Australian film. serve, adjacent to the RSL complex. She died a few months after the pres- entation. By luck, thanks to one of our mem- bers, we have a photograph of one of Paulette’s interest and participation in the plaques. It was erected on the two film-making continued for a few years pillars you can see in the middle of the until she was financially unable to con- photo below. tinue as an independent film maker. She lived with her younger sisters un- However, we have no information of the til 1940 and then moved to Kings Cross ceremony, who organised it or who where she lived until her death in 1978. took part. This is well within living memory and we are hoping that some of you may have information or photographs of the day. The other plaque was attached to the large rock you can see on the left of the photographs. We have no knowledge of what was on this plaque. Do you know? Can you help?

Another item from our popular “Faces in the Street” project There’s a war on! The Phantom Schooner World War II at home Australia possesses vast territories in that ice-strewn deck were seven dead the Southern Ocean surrounding the men, statuesque in their frozen white- World War II was a period of dramatic Antarctic Circle—such as Queen Mary ness. change for the people of NSW. For Land, King George V Land, etc—all of Although inwardly trembling Captain some it brought new opportunities, which are dependencies of the adventure, love, lasting friendships and Brighton knew it was essential to calm Commonwealth. In these waters his panic stricken crew. In as scornful exciting experiences. For others, war- occurred a fantastic sea incident. time meant loss and hardship, fear and tones as he could summon he turned uncertainty, or a term in a POW / On September 22, 1860, Captain to the men: Interment Camp. Brighton, of the whaler Hope, opened “Flying Dutchman, my eye! Man me his log book and wrote the date, a boat and I’ll board your ghost ship This display is a Museums & Gal- together with the entry: leries NSW travelling exhibition. It myself.” showcases the varied experiences of “Sighted a whale. Followed her for His coolness had the desired effect. the men, women and children who hours, but eventually she gave us the But he required all his courage to fought the war on the home front slip. Now close to the ice barrier.” set foot on that hoary, silent deck, and includes precious World War II That was all he had to report. Little did among the dead men. His footsteps artefacts, memorabilia, photographs he know that in but an hour’s time he echoed eerily as he made his way to and video footage from around NSW. was to set down in his log one of the the cabins below. This exhibition will be on display at our most amazing reports that ever a As he opened a door Captain Brighton museum from 16th April to 17th June skipper wrote. started. There, leaning back in a chair, next year. As he made his way to the deck there with a pen in hand and the ship’s log However, to complement this exhibition came from the ice barrier several before him, was a fellow captain. we need our own special items focus- hundred yards away, an ominous “Your ship—what is the name of your ing on the changes that occurred in our crack. Another and another followed, ship? What has happened to you all?” area during the war years. These could detonating like canon shot in the chill The man remained silent. be items belonging to local NES still night air. wardens, members of the Australian The crew stared across the intervening The whaling captain was speaking to Women’s Land Army, etc. strip of water to the ice barrier. How- a dead man. His glanced fell on the log-book spread open before the We would appreciate stories and ever, the whaler was far enough away immobile figure. He read the last entry photos from locals on how the war to be safe. Then, with a reverberating under the dead hand: impacted on their lives whether it be roar, the towering walls parted abruptly. domestic or working in the various Hundreds of tons of ice crashed into the ‘May 4, 1823. No food for 71 days. I am factories and industries connected with sea throwing up a great spout of green the only one left alive’. water. the war. 1823—thirty seven years before! For Photographs, paper documents, Suddenly a deck hand cried out in that incredible length of time this posters - anything connected with alarm and pointed with trembling finger strange ship had been on her untiring to an apparition. The men gasped in WWII at home. All would be appreci- Laying the commission of death, locked in the fear, and some began mumbling ated.Digging the concrete heart of the giant ice barrier. foundations prayers as The Thing slowly Can you help? approached them. Even stout hearted In another cabin was found the body of Captain Brighton felt the cold sweat of a woman– the captains wife. She too, Or, do you know anyone who can like all the others, was in perfect state help? fear on his forehead. For from the frozen heart of the ice barrier floated of preservation. a ghost ship! The ship was the English schooner, Officers & Committee Members Its decks were covered with ice and Jenny, which had left the port of Lima, Peru, half a life time ago. At our AGM on 6th August, the following people snow. Its sails hung and flapped in were elected to the Executive Committee: tarred frozen shreds. Its rigging was all Reverently the nine bodies discovered awry, drooping here and there in a rot- aboard were buried at sea. President ...... Mark Durance ting noose like a hangman’s rope. The Vice-President ...... Alan Wright A few months later Captain Brighton, deck and hull was crushed and on his return to England handed over Secretary/Treasurer ...... Lois Michel battered as if by some giant hand. But Editor “Nurungi” ...... Lois Michel to the Admiralty the log book of the grim and eerie as was the vessel, it was strangely fated Jenny. Chairpersons: the sight of the crew of the phantom Museum Com...... Lorraine Holmes ship that raised a strangled cry of (Printed in the Heron Flyer, November Walker Estates Com...... Anne Griffin horror from those on the whaler. For on 2008 and reprinted with permission.) Tours Organiser...... Sandra Elliott Committee ...... Terry Robinson ...... Betty Fletcher Wise Words” ...... Graham Ferguson Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.” -- There are still several positions vacant: Assist- Benjamin Franklin ant Secretary; Public Relations Officer, and some “Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest.” Committe members. If you would like to become active in this society please volunteer your name “I think I’ve discovered the secret of life — you just hang around until you get for any of those vacancies. used to it.” -- Charles Schulz We need new members, bringing new ideas, to “Life is not always what one wants it to be, but to make the best of it as it is, is help make our Society even bigger and better. the only way of being happy.” — Jennie Jerome Churchill Nearer My God From the An American decided to write a book about famous churches around the Secretary’s Desk world. ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTIONS: If you So he bought a plane ticket and took The Enemy at Home: German have not yet paid there will be a re- a trip to Orlando, thinking that he would minder in this newsletter. internees in World War I start by working his way across the Australia. USA from South to North. SOCIETY KEYS: Reminder that we need to know what keys you hold to During World War I nearly 7000 so- On his first day he was inside a church either Yaralla or the Museum. called “enemy aliens” were interned in taking photographs when he noticed a camps in NSW. One was young golden telephone mounted on the wall FACES IN THE STREET: We still Bavarian photographer Paul Dubotzki, with a sign that read ‘$10,000 per call’. need more stories. Have you sent whose remarkable photographs record The American, being intrigued, asked yours in? the experience of internment from 1915 a priest who was strolling by what the Also, we need to get release forms to 1919. These photographs tell an telephone was used for. extraordinary story. Australians of signed by those who did submit German and Austrian descent, and The priest replied that it was a direct items. If this is you could you please Germans captured by the Allies in line to heaven and that for $10,000 you get a form from the museum to sign. could talk to God. Asia, were imprisoned in isolated If you were instrumental in obtain- camps. These internees from all walks The American thanked the priest and ing any of these stories could you of life transformed their situation in went along his way. please pick up a copy of the story detention with ingenuity, industry and Next stop was in Atlanta. There, at a and a release form so that the per- determination. They created intricate son concerned can also sign one. societies with cafes, clubs, news- very large cathedral, he saw the same looking golden telephone with the same papers, an array of small businesses, VOLUNTEERS REQUIRED: We sign under it. theatres, tennis courts, kitchen require additional volunteers at the gardens, laundries, boat-building He wondered if this was the same kind museum for a range of tasks, includ- and regattas, beach activities and of telephone he saw in Orlando and he ing museum guiding, assessing and athleltic demonstrations. asked a nearby nun what was its pur- cataloguing objects in the collection, Museum of Sydney until Sunday, pose. scanning images and setting up dis- 11th September. Hours: Daily 9:30 She told him that it was a direct line to plays. If you or any friends are able to 5:00. Admission: Adult $10, heaven and that for $10,000 he could to assist, please contact us. child/concession $5. talk to God. GUEST SPEAKERS: Have you ‘O.K., thank you,’ said the American attended any meetings recently Shell-shocked: Australia After where there has been a very good He then travelled all across America, speaker? Why not get their details Armistice Europe, England, Japan, New and pass them on so we can make This explores the personal impact of Zealand. war on Australian men, women and contact and ask them to come to In every church he saw the same look- children, and the nation’s attempts to one of our meetings. ing golden telephone with the same recover from the loss or injury of al- ‘$US10,000 per call’ sign under it. OCT0BER MEETING: Please make most three-quarters of its soldiers a note that, due to a public holiday serving overseas in WWI. The American decided to travel to weekend, our October meeting will Australia to see if Australians had the Female Orphan School Gallery, be held on the 8th. same phone. USW, Parramatta Campus, until RIVENDELL OPEN DAY is on Sunday, 23rd September. Hours: Monday He arrived at Ulladulla in Australia and 11th September. We have posters to Friday, 10:00 to 4:00. Entry Fee again, in the first church he entered, available if you know of somewhere $5.00. www.whitlam.org. there was the same looking golden telephone, but this time the sign under they could be displayed, or we could it read ’40 cents per call.’ email a copy to you which you could Old & New, Borrowed & Blue: then forward to any of your friends 100 years of Wedding Gowns The American was surprised so he who might be interested. asked the priest about the sign. Featuring wedding gowns, veils, wed- If you can help on the day please ‘Father, I’ve travelled all over the world ding memorabilia, bridesmaids outfits, contact Anne Griffin or Sandra and I’ve seen this same golden tel- mother-of-the-bride hats, flower ar- Elliott. Their details are on the front ephone in many churches. I’m told that rangements, cake decorations, etc. of this newsletter. it is a direct line to Heaven, but in all of Carisbrook House Museum, 334 them the price was $10,000 per call. Burns Bay Road, Lane Cove. ORGAN RECITAL at St Luke’s Angli- Hours: weekends August to Octo- Why is it so cheap here?’ can Church, Concord, on Sunday, 18th September - to celebrate the ber, 11:00 to 4:00. Entry: $8 adults, The priest smiled and answered, $4 concession 100th anniversary of the birth of ‘You’re in Australia now, son - this is Dame Eadith Walker. This will be Heaven, so it’s only a local call’. Concord Carnival 2011 followed by afternoon tea in the church hall. This year will be different as dinosaurs Please make a note that our and reptiles will show prominence to general meetings are now held on Full details later, but please keep provide family fun. the first Saturday of each month this date free and let all your friends know. Sunday, 16th October at 2:00 pm in the museum