Members Magazine Winter 2019

2 CURRENT COMMITTEE 2019

President Jason Howard Vice President Jon Price Secretary Andrew Eyden Treasurer Grant Peake IT Officer/ Committee Tom Bird Committee Deb Wilson Committee Linda Piccoli Committee Scott Lucas

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER: Andrew Eyden Wk: 0457 329 944 Mob: 0456 617 570 ADMINISTRATION: Administration Officer Margaret Stevens Librarian Maureen Lucas Maritime Research Officer Roger Cunnington Photographer Craig Anderson Book-keeper Noeline Anderson

Magazine Editor Margaret Stevens Magazine Assistance Tom Bird Scott Lucas

AHS CONTACT DETAILS:

AHS Adm in Office Street Address: 37 Duke Street Albany WA 6330 AHS Postal Address: PO Box 411 Albany WA 6331 Office telephone: 0457 329 944 Mobile phone (CEO): 0456 617 570 Albany Convict Gaol 0457 731 734 Patrick Taylor Cottage (John) 0478 085 754

Email: [email protected] Editor’s Email: [email protected] Web: www.historicalbany.com.au

CONTENTS

PAGE 2: Committee and contact details PAGE 3: CEO’s Report PAGE 4: Society News PAGE 5: Memorial Service for Judith Swain PAGE 6: Word Search PAGE 7-9: George Cheyne PAGE 10: George Cheyne or George Macartney Cheyne PAGE 11-15: What happened to the Whale Oil? PAGE 16-20: The Octagon - Albany’s First Place of Worship PAGE 21: Tuesday Curatorial PAGE 22: Events – Museum of the Great Southern PAGE 23: Poem PAGE 24: Advertisements 3 CEO REPORT

Hello everyone, firstly I would like to thank all those Members who attended this year’s AGM at the Office.

At the AGM we asked Reverend Judy McKecknie (retired) to become Patron to the AHS and we would like to thank Reverend Judy for her acceptance of this position.

We would like to acknowledge and congratulate our newest Life Members. Both Brian Elsdon and Margaret Stevens have worked tirelessly for the Society over the last few years and are very deserving of this honour.

As most of you would know Margaret is my Secretary and also the Editor of the Magazine. Her commitment to the AHS is second to none. Brian is our Head Gardener and has given 100% to the Duke Street Park and Gardens often starting at 6am in the mornings.

He has also saved the Society many thousands of dollars with his ability to obtain goods and services for us at often no cost or significantly reduced cost. Congratulations to you both.

We have had an amazing summer season with a 42% increase in our visitor numbers over the previous year. So far winter is looking positive with large numbers of visitors still in Albany, as any of us looking for a car park in town can testify to.

The AHS is currently undertaking a much needed upgrade of the Office with new flooring and bathroom facilities. We also have just had a new hot water system installed thus giving us hot water for the first time in six years.

We have also seen many improvements in the Duke Street Park with a large number of new plantings to replace old and tired looking plants. Our thanks to Brian and his team for the tireless commitment to our gardens.

Lastly I would like to take this opportunity to thank Lois Brown who recently retired as an attendant from the Cottage. Lois had worked for the Society as an attendant for the last 16 years. Up until recently she had also worked at the Gaol as well. The Committee thank her for her dedication and reliability over the years and wish her a well deserved rest and hope that she continues to take an interest in the AHS. Thank you Lois for all the years, we will miss you.

Andrew Eyden CEO

4 Society News

HOT WATER SYSTEM For the last 6 years our hot water system has not been in working order and due to the increased numbers over the holiday season, we organised for Albany Solar to install a new system. The hot water will be a welcome relief to use over the coming few months.

VANITY The vanity in the bathroom is due to be replaced as the old one had water damage due to a leaking pipe that since has been fixed. Small’s Plumbing have organised a new one that had to be made (as the old one is smaller than the standard size) and are waiting for the arrival of the new vanity and installation.

CARPETS IN OFFICE We have removed the old carpet in the hallway as this was badly stained. We had the carpet washed but that did not remove the stains that have been there for a long time. We have laid self adhesive vinyl planks as this was a cheaper alternative to carpet and easier to keep clean. The carpet in the foyer was also replaced with interlocking rubber mats. Matt and Nicholas (Work for the Dole participants) have done a marvellous job at laying the planks and mats.

CARTS The old sprayer that the AHS acquired, has had a new facelift. We thank Rebecca Beres (AHS Volunteer) for the tedious task of painting the sprayer and the carts that have had a recoat of paint by Work for the Dole participants. This job has been a long and tedious task for the participants as they need a steady hand to get into some awkward spots.

COTTAGE ATTENDANT We would like to extend our thanks to Lois Brown for her many years of dedicated service to the Society, and wish her all the very best for the future.

NEW WEBSITE Take the opportunity to take a look at the new website. The committee wish to thank Tom Bird for his hard work and effort on the new website.

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MEMORIAL SERVICE FOR: JUDITH SWAIN

My Name is Reverend Judy McKechnie: I am a retired Minister of the Uniting Church.

Today we have come to celebrate the life of Judith Swain.

Thanksgiving: The life of every human being is a mixture of attitudes and life events which help shape who we are. Some people have it easier than others; and some people face situations not of their own making which both enrich and limit them. In this Judith was no different from any other person.

The gifts and graces which she offered are never lost to us. The creativity which she brought to us in her life and her relationships, throughout her long lifetime lies now within our own lives – and travels into the future with us.

Our lives are the richer for having known her.

She has just left – she has just gone, She looks upon us still. She walks amongst the valleys now, She strides upon the hills. Her smile is in the summer sky, Her grace is in the breeze. Her memories whisper in the grass, Her calm is in the trees. Her light is in the winter chill, Her tears are in the rain. Her mischief runs along the creek, Her laughter in the lane. Her gentleness is in the flowers, She sighs in autumn leaves. She has just left – she has just gone,

`Tis only us who grieve.

(An old Celtic Poem)

Celtic Blessing

Deep peace of the running wave to you, Deep peace of the flowing air to you, Deep peace of the quiet earth to you, Deep peace of the shining stars to you, Deep peace of the infinite peace to you.

Amen

6 WORD SEARCH

P A T R I C K T A Y L O R M S U V E S U O H T H G I L S T N N B Y Y G N H R K P E V R C O A U C A I V G A O L B A E L I R L O S R I O T T T W Y L A T A L N P U C Q H H B H T T R A U A V A O T U E E A I I T E T Q H I R B S A R F M T M E N S P N C T R G R O O Y E A S C G M W T H A Y K C R Y F G Y E N A O S S H K N K T N L I L G I C T P I M O U S S A E R R A L L L L F A Y P E S B E B A T A Y L S C A Z N A S L T B E T H W A S H I N G B O A R D R O W W A A F N M O P R E A T O C Y

Words can be found forward, backwards and diagonal.

ALBANY LIGHTHOUSE ANZACS MT CLARENCE BRIG AMITY PATRICK TAYLOR CAMP QUARANUP STRAWBERRY HILL CONVICTS THE FORTS COTTAGE THE ROCKS EARLY SETTLERS TOWN HALL FISH TRAPS WASHING BOARD GAOL WHALING STATION HARBOUR WHITE FLEET

DID YOU KNOW: (from Wikipedia)The word search puzzle (also known as WordSeek, WordFind, WonderWord, etc.) was originally designed and published by Norman E. Gibat in the Selenby Digest on March 1, 1968, in Norman, Oklahoma, although the Spanish puzzle creator Pedro Ocón de Oro was publishing "Sopas de letras" (Spanish "Soup of Letters") before that date.

Answers in the next issue of our Magazine 7 GEORGE CHEYNE – EARLY PIONEER OF ALBANY By Julie Bright AHS Archivist

The NSW garrison at King George Sound, established on Christmas Day 1826 by the arrival of Major Edmund Lockyer, was relinquished and the settlement officially became part of the Swan River colony on 7 March 1831. Governor Stirling renamed the settlement from ‘Frederickstown’ to Albany after Frederick, Duke of York and Albany.

The early settlers who arrived to start a new life in Albany were faced with extreme hardships and challenges engendered by pioneering a wilderness. These men, supported by their women, were often courageous, tenacious, and possessed of a dogged determination to succeed.

George Cheyne was one such man. He arrived at Fremantle from Scotland on board the Stirling in June 1831 with his wife Grace (nee Melville), and their four year old adopted daughter, Emily Cheyne. He was anticipating selecting land along the Swan or Canning Rivers but found all the good land taken. He boarded the HMS Sulphur arriving in King George Sound on 10 November 1831.

Forty year old George Cheyne had a shrewd head for business as well as capital. He arrived well equipped knowing he would obtain credits towards land grants. His inventory was extensive:

Servants: Bessie Anderson; P. Nelson; A. Norburgh; Arthur and Petronilla Sanstrom.

Stock: 18 merino sheep and 1 lamb; 3 sows and 8 pigs; 3 goats; 5 turkeys; 8 guinea fowl; 1 pair of rabbits; 2 pointers; 1 sheep dog.

House: 38’ x 32’ weather boarded roof and floored with 1¼ “ dials, paper tar and pitch for the roof, nails, hooks, hinges, and glass complete.

Boat: 1 boat with sails; 1 larger boat with sails.

Misc: 1 valuable double barrelled gun; 3 rifles; linen; furniture; wearing apparel.

On arrival, he leased the eastern and western settlement gardens in Parade Street for one year giving him immediate access to fresh vegetables. He applied for land in Moorilup (Kendenup today) at the source of the Kalgan River, acquired blocks in Stirling Terrace and near Middleton Beach as well as agricultural land in Upper and Lower Kalgan. He secured a lease on Mistaken Island to keep his pair of rabbits. As they reproduced they were shot for food.

He quickly established himself as a merchant and obtained a licence to trade in spirits. He traded with seafarers, mutton-birders, sealers, and whalers. In exchange for water, fresh vegetables and meat he was able to procure goods to sell through his Albany store. In the early 1830s whaling was a lucrative business and George wanted to establish a bay whaling depot further eastward. Patrick Taylor, another early settler, helped this venture come to fruition by loaning him funds against his freehold land. Patrick Taylor had arrived in Albany in 1834 and was purchasing land and assets for himself.

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He was impressed with land on the east bank of the Kalgan River. Lot 38 on the east bank, consisting of 640 acres, was granted to George Cheyne in 1834 and although it had not yet been officially surveyed, George sold the block to Patrick Taylor in May 1836 for £48.

By 1836 George had established a bay whaling depot at Doubtful Island Bay encompassing the 12 mile long Cheyne Beach which resulted in a thriving business selling whale oil and whalebone, and trading with the Captains of the whaling ships. Around 1838 his thoughts turned even further eastward surveying the many bays along the coast for a second depot. Fortuitously, in January 1839 Captain John Hassell arrived at King George Sound looking for suitable grazing land on behalf of the Australian Pastoral Company (a company formed in Tasmania). George’s land at Moorilup (Kendenup) was purchased and as Manager of the Company, Captain Hassell stocked the station with sheep and managed the affairs of the station. He eventually bought the property. This enabled George to purchase land at Cape Riche in early 1840 for the second depot and trading place. East of Cape Riche is the small harbour of Cheyne Bay naturally sheltered by Cheyne Island. For the visiting ships, increased port charges at Albany, as well as the temptation for crew to desert, were incentive enough to use the safe and free anchorage at Cape Riche.

As the business steadily grew, Andrew Moir, a nephew of Grace Cheyne, arrived from Scotland in 1842 joining his Uncle George at Cape Riche. He was 18 years of age and commenced a five year indenture to cover the cost of his passage. In 1844, Andrew Moir (another of Grace Cheyne’s nephews) and his two sons George and Robert, came from Scotland and worked at Cape Riche for a short time. In 1845, George Cheyne registered a ten-ton boat Grace (named after his wife) to hold the oil and whalebone from his whaling operations. At the end of his five years, Andrew Moir moved to York where he married Emily Trimmer.

In December 1850, Andrew Moir’s brothers Alexander and George, along with their parents and two sisters arrived in Albany. The boys joined their Uncle George while the rest of the family lived in George Cheyne’s prefabricated Albany house on Lot S14 Stirling Terrace. Alexander Moir only remained at Cape Riche for one year before moving permanently to Albany. He was a mason and carpenter by trade, and in 1852 built a retirement house for George and Grace – the two storied building (known today as Norman House) on Lot S14 in Stirling Terrace overlooking Princess Royal Harbour.

While visiting whaling ships brought a seasonal income, additional income came from trading with other vessels plying the southern coastline between Albany and the east coast of Australia and Tasmania, George became involved in the new sandalwood trade beginning in 1845. He employed cutters to work north-west of the Cape along the Pallinup River. His wood and that of others was carted to his depot for shipping to markets in China. The sandalwood trade lasted for a few years – until the market in China was saturated.

During 1850 a new Land Act changed the way pastoral and tillage leases were introduced offering generous leasing arrangements and nominal rents. George Cheyne, by now a healthy 60 year old, took up pastoral interests placing his sheep in small herds on good grassed areas on his lease under the management of shepherds.

From his arrival 20 years before, George Cheyne was now a successful merchant, ship chandler and grazier. 9

During 1858 he erected Albany’s first flour mill powered by the wind on the blocks fronting Spencer Street at the rear of his Stirling Terrace house. George and Grace had lost their only child who died in early childhood and thoughts now turned to succession and retirement. That same year Andrew and George Moir leased their Uncle’s properties at Cape Riche in a partnership. As well as horned and other stock, the sheep numbered 3,832. Once the business arrangements were settled, George and Grace Cheyne moved into their new home.

For whatever reason, perhaps a yearning for the mists of Scotland, George and Grace Cheyne left Albany on 12 February 1859 on board the Oneida sailing for England. They made their home at Bank House, Kirk Loch, Scotland. George’s health was failing and in 1864 he appointed Alexander Moir as his official business representative as his wool clip was sent to England for sale. On a visit to England in 1865, Captain John Hassell wrote to George Cheyne resulting in the purchase of the house on Stirling Terrace for £1,600. George Cheyne passed away on 5 June 1869 in his 79th year.

George Cheyne was made a Justice of the Peace in 1838 and held the position of Magistrate in 1839, 1840 and 1841. Despite being a Presbyterian, he attended the public meeting at the Octagon on April 1841 to discuss the building of Albany’s first Anglican Church.

That George Cheyne made a worthy and lasting contribution to the founding of Albany there is no doubt. There are many landmarks bearing his name acknowledging his contribution, leaving a lasting legacy, and the name of ‘Cheyne’ indelibly written in history.

Cheyne Road leads to Cheyne Beach; Cheyne Inlet and Cheyne Island are near Cape Riche; Cheyne Creek is a tributary of the Kalgan River; Cheyne Ledge and Cheyne Head are near Oyster Harbour; and Cheyne Walk is in Middleton Beach. None of these places were named by Cheyne himself.

References: Garden, Donald S. Albany, A Panorama of the Sound from 1827, Nelson, West Melbourne, 1977

Bignell, Merle, The Fruit of the Country. A History of the Shire of Gnowangerup Western Australia, UWA Press, Nedlands, 1977

IRS/449M Folders One and Two, Cheyne G. Albany History Collection Memorial No. 466, 9 January 1837, Landgate.

10 George Cheyne or George McCartney Cheyne

by Julie Bright AHS Archivist

These two gentlemen are often confused as one and the same person.

George Cheyne arrived in Albany with his wife Grizel (known as Grace), in November 1831. George Macartney Cheyne was a nephew of George Cheyne. He lived in Albany during 1834-1835 and was appointed as the Government Auctioneer for Albany between 10 February 1834 and 13 May 1835.

Both gentlemen attended a Meeting of Settlers and Inhabitants of Albany, King George’s Sound, which was held in George Cheyne’s house on Thursday 30 October 1834. Those present were:

Patrick Taylor George M. Cheyne Dr John Lyttleton George Cheyne Thomas Sherratt Digory Geake Robert Moodie James Dunn Henry Townsend Messrs Sinclair Joseph Lee Messrs Lacy.1

(1Perth Gazette and Western Australian Journal, 8 November 1834.)

Cheyne House known today as Norman House. Photo AHS 19th Albany Buildings Book 11

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE WHALE OIL?

Reminiscences of a Merchant Navy Officer

Roger Cunnington Maritime Research Officer Albany Historical Society

The original article was first published in AHS 2009 Winter Magazine.

From 1960 to 1966, I worked for the Blue Funnel of Liverpool, U.K. During this time, I twice called at Albany, employed initially as an apprentice on the S.S. THESEUS in November 1962, and later as Third Mate, on the same ship, in July 1966.

THESEUS was a cargo liner specially built for the Australia trade, being fitted with two refrigerated holds for the carriage of chilled and frozen meat and butter. Her No 5 lower hold, located immediately aft of the accommodation and engine room doubled as a dry cargo hold or two liquid cargo tanks, separated by a permanent fore and aft bulkhead constructed along the ship’s centre line. Before calling at Albany, THESEUS would have loaded dry and refrigerated cargoes at the eastern states ports.

S.S. THESEUS in the River Clyde, Glasgow. Built: 1955 by Caledon Ship Building & Engineering Co, Dundee, Scotland. Tonnage: 7,804 gross; 4,242 net. Engine: Single Screw, 3 x Double Reduction Geared Turbines Built by Metropolitan Vickers, Manchester, U.K.

12

The picture above, of another Blue Funnel ship loading whale oil at the Whaling Station, shows clearly how the bows is moored with the two anchors and the stern to the mooring buoy. RHEXENOR’S deep tanks were located immediately forward of the accommodation. Just forward of the lowered gangway a small black line is visible rising from the water up the side of the ship. This is the pipe carrying the whale oil into the deep tanks.

When the ship was secure and ready to load, the seawater filling the cargo-loading pipe from the Whaling Station storage tanks, and which had been lying on the sea-bottom, was blown out with compressed air. This made the pipe buoyant. When afloat, its end was towed alongside THESEUS’s loading hold approximately 550 metres from the shore. The flexible pipe was lifted over the ship’s side and the pipe end guided into one of the deep tanks using No 5 hold’s two cargo derricks especially rigged for this particular operation.

Prior to arrival at the Whaling Station, the deep tanks had been prepared for the carriage of the whale oil. They had been thoroughly swept, hosed, allowed to dry out and were spotlessly clean. In addition, the ship’s engineers had laid a zigzag of steel pipes across their bottoms. These pipes, (or steam coils), were filled with fresh water and connected to a pump in the engine room. Steam from the ship’s boilers was injected into the water, which, when circulated through the coils heated the liquid in the tanks. The lower edges of the steel lids covering the tanks, measuring in the order of 6 metres by 6 metres, had each been lined with a liquid proof gasket. Each lid, hinged at the forward coaming of each deep tank, was closed by gently lowering it onto the top of its side and aft coamings, using one of No 5 hold’s derrick runners rove through a suitably positioned lead block.

13

They were then firmly secured to their coamings with bolts set a few centimetres apart. A manhole in each lid was left open to access the filling pipe and view when the tanks were full. The whale oil, which had been heated to approximately 50 degrees Celsius to enable it to flow from the Whaling Station storage tanks, was then pumped into the ship’s tanks. One tank was loaded before the other, which caused the ship to list a few degrees until the second tank was filled. The total capacity of both tanks was approximately 400 tonnes.

(Copied from Chart AUS 109 – Port of Albany)

Loading the whale oil took up to 8 hours. During this time a constant vigil was kept on the ship’s moorings as well as loading progress. Whaling station employees, who came aboard to assist the loading operation, were happy to GIVE away whales’ teeth to crew members. I treasure two of these, which today are valued at approximately $600 each. These I have recently mounted on Jarrah timber salvaged from the now dismantled Deepwater Jetty in Princess Royal Harbour.

14

Once the tanks were filled, the manhole covers bolted down, the loading pipe lowered over the side, and the transverse hatch beams and slabs (covers) fitted into each of the cargo working openings in the 4 decks above the deep tanks, the ship was ready to sail. This was simpler than manoeuvring her into the mooring position. The tugs kept the ship aligned in the NNW/SSE direction, while the stern lines were cast off from the buoy. The leeward anchor cable was heaved in until the anchor was stowed in its hawse pipe allowing the ship to ride to her windward anchor until that was also heaved in. She was then under way and moved ahead under her own power into the Sound.

After departure, the whale oil was allowed to cool and solidify. From Albany, the ship called at Fremantle to complete loading dry cargo exports into the vacant spaces in the ship’s holds, in particular the spaces above the deep tanks. Bunkers for the 14-day passage across the Indian Ocean to Aden, the next bunkering port, were also loaded. It was a 3-day passage from Aden to Suez, and a day to transit the canal to the Mediterranean.

During the 10-day passage from Port Said to Northern Europe, to ensure the oil was sufficiently fluid for discharge, usually at Rotterdam, it was gently heated using the steam coils laid across the bottom of each deep tank. It was the apprentices’ job to monitor the temperatures of the whale oil twice daily to ensure that it was not being cooked.

Thermometers attached to small link brass chains, and positioned close to the top, the half height and at the bottom of each tank, were hauled up to the upper deck, through pipes. This was a two-person job, one to heave up the thermometers and read them, the other to meticulously record the readings. Needless to say, after months of manual work around the ship, the apprentices reached home for their leave with beautifully soft hand skin, although accompanied with a fishy smell!

Normally, calls at Albany for whale oil did not require THESEUS to enter Princess Royal Harbour. Instead she anchored in King George Sound until the wind was of permissible strength (weakness) to manoeuvrer into the Whaling Station mooring. However, on the November 1962 call we did have reason to tie up at the Deepwater Jetty to discharge several heavy weight items for the Whaling Station. 15 The Cheynes Beach Whaling Co., the operators of the Albany Whaling Station, had purchased several heavy items from the whaling station at Tangalooma, Qld. which, at that time, was in the process of ceasing operations. These were the 2 steam heated roller dryers, (now located in the soluble shed); a rotary meal dryer (now located in the bottom factory); and a Limvan three stage evaporator. THESEUS was chosen to ship them from Brisbane to Albany.

Foreign flag vessels, as a rule, were not permitted to trade coastal cargo between Australian ports – only to discharge imports and load exports – largely due to the militant attitudes of the Australian Maritime unions, whose members were far more highly paid than corresponding crew members of foreign flag ships. This condition was relaxed when there were no Australian registered vessels available to call at either the port of loading or port of discharge, or when sufficiently equipped Australian vessels were available.

On this occasion, THESEUS was the only ship, available at the time – loading in Brisbane and calling at Albany. She was also equipped with heavy lift, or Jumbo derricks, enabling her to carry these heavy-lift items. The maximum Safe Working Load (SWL) of derricks on most cargo ships, including those registered in Australia was usually 5 or 10 tonnes - insufficient to lift the weight of these particular items. THESEUS’s Jumbo derricks each had an SWL of 56 tonnes. As they were relatively little used, they were normally stowed vertically, one against the foremast, forward of No 2 hold, and the other against the main mast, aft of No 6 hold, their cargo working wires and blocks being stowed away. On this occasion, the ship’s crew rigged the foremast Jumbo for loading the four items at Brisbane. During the intervening calls to Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide, it remained rigged for the discharge at Albany.

In Brisbane, the heavy lift items were loaded on the same side of the upper deck beside No 2 hold. This simplified normal cargo working operations at the intervening ports, as the ship could be berthed with her loaded side away from the wharf. At the Deepwater Jetty in Albany, the individual items were lowered directly onto articulated low loader road transports, which had been reversed along the jetty, to a position where THESEUS’s Jumbo could plumb them. The cargo items completed their journey to the Whaling Station, where they would have been lifted onto their present day foundations by mobile cranes.

After this cargo discharge, THESEUS steamed to the Whaling Station mooring to load her usual consignment of export whale oil.

Albany Whaling Station Photo: AHS Archives 16 The Octagon - Albany’s First Place of Worship

By Julie Bright AHS Archivist

On 19 June 1834 the James Pattison sailed into King George’s Sound having left Portsmouth, England on 9 February. On board was Thomas Brooker Sherratt, his wife Amelia and their six children. Mary Bussell, eldest daughter of the Rev. Marchant Bussell, and her mother, were fellow passengers who were sailing on to Fremantle. They were to make their way to the Vasse to join other members of the Bussell family. Sherratt was a devout Christian and conducted Sunday services during the long voyage. Mary recorded in her shipboard diary “I am glad that I did [attend]. Those present numbered eighteen including children and servants”. “...The father [Sherratt] of this decidedly interesting little group performed the Service with such feeling and devotion.”1 At the Sound in 1834, it was usual for the Government Resident to read prayers and a sermon to the settlers on a Sunday, either at his own residence or some public building2. However, one year after settling, Sherratt decided to build, at his own expense and on his own land, a dedicated place of worship. His design – an octagon – was taken from the round Temple Church in London3.

Building began in 1835 on the southern corner of Parade and Duke Streets. The eight- sided lath and plaster structure was finished with a shingled roof, and was ready for its first service by the end of 1835. 17 Sherratt extended an open invitation, and on Sunday 27 December 1835 he preached his first sermon based on Hebrews 11.6: “On Faith as the ground of all religion. But without Faith it is impossible to please Him”. By all accounts his service was well attended. For ten years Sherratt continued to hold regular services in the ‘Octagon’ for all who wanted to attend. He based his preachings on the Bible, the 1662 Book of Common Prayer, and three volumes of Family Sermons by Rev. E.W. Whitaker.4

Meanwhile, by 1837, the residents at the Sound were agitating for a clergyman and consecrated church. On 25 May Sir Richard Spencer RN, Government Resident, wrote to the Right Rev. W.G. Broughton, Bishop of Australia, seeking funds for a church in Albany. Sir Richard died in 1839 before a reply was received.5 In August 1840, the Colonial Secretary issued regulations for the Colony covering guidelines for the application of aid “to erect Churches, Chapels, Ministers’ Dwellings and payment toward Ministers’ stipends”.6 Mr John Randall Phillips, now Government Resident, convened a meeting at the ‘Octagon’ on Monday 12 April 1841 out of which came the genesis for St John’s Church in York Street.7

Building commenced there in 1842, and when the Rev. J.R. Wollaston took up his appointment in Albany during July 1848, St John’s was not ready. Arriving on Saturday 8 July, he was met by Mr Henry Camfield, then Government Resident. Wollaston’s diary entry for that day recorded that “the people were very friendly”. He continued “I begin service tomorrow in a temporary building [the ‘Octagon’] which I have hired for a year at the request of the inhabitants for £5 (which they guarantee) handsomely to be given by the proprietor to the Church Fund”.8 The proprietor was Sherratt. St John’s Church was finished and opened in 1848 having been consecrated by the Right Rev. Augustus Short, Bishop of Adelaide, on 28 October that year.9

The ‘Octagon’ was also used by visiting Wesleyan Ministers until the Wesley Chapel was built in Duke Street in 1863 - where the Albert Hall is now located.

In later years the ‘Octagon’ building was used for a number of different purposes. In 1852 an Albany Mechanics Institute was established. Membership was by annual subscription and its aim was to educate the respectable tradesmen of the colony by means of lectures, library books, and debates. The Institute used the ‘Octagon’ for its Committee meetings for two years, at no charge, until they moved into their own building on the corner of Vancouver and Council (now Collie) Streets. In 1866 a new reading room was added to the Institute’s building for newspapers and periodicals. 10

By the end of 1885 the Institute had a membership of 112 and a book stock of 1,650 items.11 During WW1 membership dropped significantly and on 1 March 1917 the Municipal Council officially took over the collection which became the first Municipal Library in Albany.12

Other uses for the ‘Octagon’ included a public meeting place, a temporary Government school, and a Sunday school. In the 1860’s a brick chimney was added and it became a private residence.

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Pencil sketch by Mrs Charlotte Taylor c1890. (Courtesy of Albany History Collection (IRS/949P.) Original with the Victorian Historical Society.)

After falling into disrepair the building became a shelter for stray cattle. Sadly, after 60 years of varied service, the ‘Octagon’ was demolished in 1895.13 Thomas Brooker Sherratt’s 1662 Book of Common Prayer and one volume of the Family Sermons are now preserved in St John’s Church in York Street.14

19 References:

1. Diary of Mary Bussell’s Voyage, “The History of the Oldest Dwelling in Western Australia and Patrick Taylor”, Albany Historical Society (Inc).

2. The Perth Gazette and Western Australian Journal, 18 June 1836, www.trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/.

3. IRS/39M, Albany Advertiser, 9 April 1954, Albany History Collection (AHC).

4. ibid, 13 April 1954.

5. Bartlett Joan, Built to Last. A History of the Anglican Church of St John the Evangelist, Albany, Albany, 1998.

6. The Perth Gazette and Western Australian Journal, 22 August 1840, www.trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/.

7. IRS/39M, Albany Advertiser, 13 April 1954, AHC.

8. Wollaston’s Albany Journals 1848-1856, Nedlands, 1975.

9. Diary of Mary Bussell’s Voyage, “The History of the Oldest Dwelling in Western Australia and Patrick Taylor”, Albany Historical Society (Inc).

10. The Perth Gazette and Western Australian Journal, 18 June 1836, www.trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/.

11. IRS/39M, Albany Advertiser, 9 April 1954, Albany History Collection (AHC).

12. ibid, 13 April 1954.

13. Bartlett Joan, Built to Last. A History of the Anglican Church of St John the Evangelist, Albany, Albany, 1998.

14. The Perth Gazette and Western Australian Journal, 22 August 1840, www.trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/.

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Sketch of Octagon Church Photo AHS Archives

21 TUESDAY CURATORIAL Museum of the Great Southern All sessions commence at 10.30am in the Old Co-op Building | Bookings not required Entry is $2 per session or $20 season ticket to attend all Term Two sessions

DATE TOPIC PRESENTER

Reversing the Trend Robert Reynolds, NATIONAL Aboriginal Reburial Retired Archaeologist 21 May ARCHAEOLOGY Protocols and Aboriginal Heritage WEEK and Practice in Australia Specialist Malcolm Traill, Curatorials on the Road OFFSITE IN Public Programs, 28 May Denmark and surrounds DENMARK Museum of the Great Southern

Beneath the Sea Malcolm Traill, Public 4 June Historic shipwrecks in Programs, Museum of

Albany’s waters the Great Southern

Guarinup and Beyond Ted Rastrick, Historian of 11 June Tales of Torbay Hill Place

Malcolm Traill, The First Commandants Public Programs, 18 June Joseph Wakefeld & Collet Museum of the Great Barker Southern Malcolm Traill, A Decade in an Hour Public Programs, 25 June The 1850s in Albany Museum of the Great Southern Malcolm Traill, Dutch Reckoning Public Programs, 2 July Why the Dutch never Museum of the Great colonised Australia Southern Vernice Gillies, Kurrah Walking Together NAIDOC WEEK Mia and Menang Elder 9 July Cross-cultural exploration 2019 with Prof. Steve Hopper, of South Coastal plant life UWA Albany

*Program correct at time of printing

Immerse yourself in the fascinating history and stories of the Great Southern each week, as expert speakers bring the region to life. Held during the school terms. Come early for a coffee and biscuit too!

22 Events: Museum of the Great Southern

23 JABBERWOCKY Lewis Carroll (Charles Lutwidge Dodgson)

'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves Did gyre and gimble in the wade; All mimsy were the borogoves, And the mome raths outgrabe.

"Beware the Jabberwock, my son! The jaws that bite, the claws that catch! Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun The frumious Bandersnatch!"

He took his vorpal sword in hand: Long time the manxome foe he sought -- So rested he by the Tumtum tree. And stood awhile in thought.

And as in uffish thought he stood, The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame, Came wiffling through the tulgey wood, And burbled as it came!

One, two! One, two! And through and through The vorpal blade went snicker-snack! He left it dead, and with its head He went galumphing back.

"And hast thou slain the Jabberwock? Come to my arms, my beamish boy! O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!" He chortled in his joy.

'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves Did gyre and gimble in the wabe; All mimsy were the borogoves, And the mome raths outgrabe.

From Wikipedia

"Jabberwocky" is a nonsense poem written by Lewis Carroll about the killing of a creature named "the Jabberwock". It was included in his 1871 novel Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There, the sequel to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. The book tells of Alice's adventures within the back-to-front world of Looking-Glass Land.

In an early scene in which she first encounters the chess piece characters White King and White Queen, Alice finds a book written in a seemingly unintelligible language. Realizing that she is travelling through an inverted world, she recognises that the verses on the pages are written in mirror-writing. She holds a mirror to one of the poems and reads the reflected verse of "Jabberwocky". She finds the nonsense verse as puzzling as the odd land she has passed into, later revealed as a dreamscape. 24 ADVERTISEMENTS

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