Issue 9 – March 2009
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ISSUE 9 - MARCH 2009 THE WAYFARER THE OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE ADAM LINDSAY GORDON COMMEMORATIVE COMMITTEE INC. MANY VOICES, ONE GOAL: IMMORTALISING A POET INSIDE THIS ISSUE: he movement that led to (Mr. Fisher), Mr. Deakin, the BUCKING PUBLIC 2 the Paul Montford- Lord Mayor (Councillor Davey), OPINION: THE designed statue of Senators Russell and Blakey, A R G U S T Australia’s National Poet, Adam who all expressed regret that MANY VOICES, ONE 2 Lindsay Gordon in Spring they were unable to be present GOAL: Street, Melbourne has its at a meeting whose object they IMMORTALISING A POET...CONTINUED origins in a gathering of were thoroughly in sympathy prominent men on 18 with. The Governor-General PAUL RAPHAEL 3 MONTFORD: A December 1911. It would be enlosed a cheque for £5; five SKILFUL SCULPTOR another two decades before guineas were forwarded by Mr. the dream was realised, thanks Norman Menzies and by Mr. A. REALISING A 4 DREAM: UNVEILING to a World War and a Great H. Massina, and one guinea OF THE STATUE Depression. Here is The Argus each by Senators Blakey and report of the meeting; Russell and Mr. Farthing, (above) Edmund Duggan, first U N S H R I V E N 4 M.L.A. Chairman of the Gordon Memorial “A public meeting convened by Committee Writing from Gowangardie the provisional committee of (La Trobe Picture Collection, State station, near Dockie, Mr. W. Library of Victoria, H10258/a15405) THE ADAM LINDSAY 4 the Gordon memorial fund was GORDON GRAVE Grattan requested that his held in the King’s Theatre RESTORATION name might be put down for a A P P E A L yesterday. In the absence of subscription of 20 guineas. He Sir John Madden the chair was added that some time ago he taken by Mr. Edmund Duggan. had commissioned Mr. John The Chairman announced that Longstaff to paint a picture on the provisional committee had the lines– received about £60 from “Between sky and water, ) ) private admirers of the poet, The blow [sic-Clown] came and and influential bodies such as caught her,” ISSN 1834-4070 the A.N.A. had promised to ISSN 1834-4089 www.psrs.biz further the movement. The taken from “How We Beat the tion ( tion THE ADAM LINDSAY outlook, therefore, was most Favourite”. The commission for G O R D O N promising. (Applause.) this picture was £300. Mr. COMMEMORATIVE Grattan stated that the picture In answer to an inquiry, Mr. COMMITTEE INC. should arrive in about three (A0049425F) Knight said that to erect a weeks, and that he proposed to statue worthy of the poet would (above) Senator Albert Blakey PO Box 158 exhibit it for some time in the (1880-1935), one of the many probably entail a cost of FLINDERS LANE VIC 8009 National Gallery. admirers of Gordon buried at the £2,000. AUSTRALIA Brighton General Cemetery (Vic) This letter was received with Mr. Julius Grant then read (By permission of the National Library Phone: (+61 3) 5261 2899 loud applause. And so was of Australia, nla.pic-an23236633) letters from His Excellency the another from an old lady [email protected] Governor-General (Lord (Continued on page 2) www.adamlindsaygordon.org Denman), the Prime Minister A Publishing Solutions and Research Services produc Services Research and Solutions A Publishing THE WAYFARER Page 2 BUCKING PUBLIC OPINION: T H E A R G U S ot everyone himself during his lifetime, in heart of every man whose supported the the book which contains his blood runs red and strong”. N notion of verse; and this monument It would be fatally easy to immortalising Gordon in may be, according to the quote lines from almost stone. The Argus editorial of measure of his genius, more every page in his book 27 February 1912 was enduring than brass, or more which would make this critical of the idea but transitory than the flower of statement seem grotesque. supported a bust in the State the field. In either case, it is Yet he was undoubtedly a Library: his only real monument. If poet, though not often a his verses continue to be completely articulate poet; “We must all sympathise read and loved, he needs no some, at any rate, of his with those admirers of Adam statue; verses will probably live, “Those who Lindsay Gordon who are ‘What needs my because they transmute into talk nonsense seeking the memory of a Shakespeare, for his the real gold of poetry the poet whom they feel to be honour’d bones, raw stuff of early Australian about Gordon slipping into unmerited life; and some will live The labour of an age in piled are really doing neglect. Perhaps, however, stones?’ because of the genuine their efforts would evoke a manhood which in them If his verses, on the other the gravest more enthusiastic response painfully struggles to hand, are forgotten, no if they told us definitely what express itself. Apart from possible statue will avail to preserve form of memorial they have some half-dozen of his disservice to his memory. What will be the in mind. For a poet, it may poems, the interest in fate of Gordon’s poems? his memory...” be pointed out, is not in the Gordon’s work will be, more Certainly the time has long same position, so far as and more, a purely historic since gone by for adopting posterity is concerned, as a interest; his name will be towards them the tone statesman, or a general, for remembered as that of the adopted by Mr. Murray at the these, however great their earliest Australian poet. A meeting on Sunday achievements, may have left statue in our streets would afternoon. Those who talk nothing definite or tangible be somewhat absurd: but a nonsense about Gordon are behind them to remind us of bust of Gordon, to be placed really doing the gravest their services to their in the Public Library, would M E M B E R S possible disservice to his country—and that is why be a welcome and memory: and nonsense it their grateful country appropriate addition to our Members can read the full assuredly is to say, as one newspaper article on the commemorates their deeds national collection”. speaker at the same meeting Members’ Area on our in marble or in bronze. But a (Source: The Argus 27 Feb website said, that “every line he poet, in a sense, built a 1912 p6) wrote finds ‘an echo in the www.adamlindsaygordon.org definite monument to MANY VOICES, ONE GOAL: IMMORTALISING A POET...CONTI N U E D (Continued from page 1) life-size photo of the poet requesting this press to which she had kept as a receive subscriptions. [Elizabeth Lauder] whose only memento of happier days. It Before the meeting closed income now is her old age was stated by a gentleman those present formed pension. She knew the poet present that for years this themselves into a committee well, and she enclosed 2/ as faithful admirer of the poet with the object of electing a the widow’s mite. She also had kept his grave in order at strong executive”. offered to place at the her own expense. disposal of the committee a (Source: The Argus 19 Dec 1911 p7) A resolution was passed ISSUE 9 - MARCH 2009 Page 3 PAUL RAPHAEL MONTFORD: A SKILFUL SCULPTOR o who exactly is Paul five years. On 11 September in Stead’s Review and R. Montford, the 1912 he married Marian Smith’s Weekly but he was S sculptor who Alice Dibdin, portrait painter. restricted from the outset by designed Gordon’s statue? the architectural and Here is an extract from the Commissions became thematic requirements. renowned Australian scarce, however, after World Accusations that he Dictionary of Biography : War I and at 53 the energetic habitually looked to the and enthusiastic Montford classical world for “MONTFORD, PAUL came to Australia, motivated inspiration are refuted by RAPHAEL (1868-1938), by his belief that its light was his exhaustive efforts to sculptor, was born on 1 conducive to great present other Australian November 1868 at Kentish monumental sculpture. But subjects with precise (above) Paul R. Montford working on a small cast figure of George Town, London, son of Horace he found little prospect of contemporary detail and Higinbotham Montford, sculptor, and his earning a living as a sculptor. historical authenticity. His (La Trobe Picture Collection, State Library of Victoria, H38849/1926, hp001389) wife Sarah Elizabeth, née He taught at the Gordon seated statue of Adam Lewis. Horace Montford was Institute of Technology, Lindsay Gordon in Spring curator of schools at the Geelong, Victoria, and in July Street Gardens, Melbourne, “His seated statue Royal Academy of Arts; Paul 1924 exhibited at the condemned in the learned modelling in his of Adam Lindsay Geelong Art Gallery. The Australian press, won the father’s studio and drawing critic J. S. MacDonald gold medal of the Royal Gordon in Spring at the Lambeth School of suggested the establishment Society of British Sculptors Street Gardens, Art. He entered the Royal of a sculpture school at the (1934). His nearly seventy Academy of Arts’ schools in National Gallery of Victoria Australian works include Melbourne, 1887 on scholarships and under Montford’s direction. statues of John Wesley condemned in the after an outstanding It failed to eventuate but he (Wesley Church, Australian press, studentship travelled to Italy, became influential through Melbourne), George Spain and France on another his lectures at the Victorian Higinbotham near the won the gold scholarship won in 1891, Artists’ Society of which he Treasury, and the memorials medal of the along with the academy’s was president in 1930-31.