Free Copy

March 2015

In This Edition: Page Page  The Coolgardie Safe 2  Chinese in 22  Geelong Bible Women’s Agency 3  Fast Facts— Hong Kong 24  John Fuller—Bushranger 6  Bright 25  The Echidna 8  Roy “Mo” Rene 26  Firth McCallum 10  Recipe—4 Cheeses Lasagne 28  Sheep Shearing 12  Word Search— Inventions 29  Geelong Skate Parks 15  Banknotes: John Tebbutt 30  Corio-The Early Days Part 15 16  150 Years Ago 31  The Colossus of Rhodes 18  Then… & Now: Lunan House 32  John F Kennedy 20

The Coolgardie Safe is a low-tech food storage unit designed for cooling, and prolonging the life of whatever edibles are kept within it. In 1892 gold was discovered at Coolgardie, 558km east of Perth. Although located in a very hot, arid region of Western Australia, the lure of gold enticed thousands of men to the area. By 1898 Coolgardie was the third largest town in the State, with just over 15,000 inhabitants. One of those men was Arthur Patrick McCormick, who has migrated from Ireland, and was then working as a contract digger on the gold fields. One of the challenges of living in such a harsh climate was to extend the life of perishable foods. McCormick noticed that a wet cover placed over a bottle helped to chill its contents, and if this bottle was located in a breeze or where air was circulating, even though the cover would dry out more quickly, the contents of the bottle would get colder. McCormick then constructed a box like apparatus, with shelving inside for the food to sit on. The box was then covered with hessian cloth. A shallow tray was placed on the top of the box, which McCormick added water to at least twice daily. One end of the hessian covering would be placed in the water and gradually the water would seep through the cloth, up over the sides of the tray and down the sides of the box. As the water evaporated, the heat dispersed, keeping the precious food inside the box fresh and edible. The Coolgardie Safe, as a it came to be called, was especially effective in outback Australia where the air is notoriously dry and hot. Improvements were soon made, including a tap slowly dripping water from a large tank onto the hessian. This greatly reduced the time needed to constantly replenish the water in the shallow tray. Another improvement was placing the legs of the Coolgardie Safe in tins of water, deterring ants and other creepy crawlies from gaining access to the food via the legs. Large numbers of the Coolgardie Safe were assembled for commercial sale, and it became a popular household item in rural as well as urban areas until the 1920s, when the first ice chests became more convenient to use. Refrigerators followed in the 1930s. Interestingly, even today Coolgardie Safe technology is still a convenient way to preserve perishable food in developing countries. 2

While much has been written about the prosperity brought to Geelong by the gold rush at Ballarat, not all were benefitted by the sudden influx of wealth. By the mid-1850s, as Geelong’s population climbed toward 20,000, the town was experiencing a growing number of impoverished women, along with their children. Many once devoted husbands and fathers had caught ‘gold fever’ and abandoned their families, heading to the gold fields at Ballarat, Bendigo, and as far away as New Zealand. A school mistress conducts How could this group of disadvantaged families be cared class at a Ragged School– as for? Enter the Geelong Bible Women’s Agency (GBWA). can be experienced today at Ballarat’s Sovereign Hill. In the 1850-60s period little government aid was provided for the poor. But since the church groups thrived, they were among the first to provide much needed community care. Made up of high-principled Christian women volunteers, mainly from among the various Protestant churches, the GBWA was formed to provide basic food, clothing, education, as well a spiritual support to the needy. Let us consider some of their most note-worthy deeds. Ragged Schools Before the Victorian Education Act was passed in 1872 to establish “free, compulsory and secular” education, schooling was generally provided by church groups who taught a mix of religion and general knowledge. Such schools were of a high standard, but fees were expensive and only the richer sort could afford to send their children to schools like Geelong Grammar School (1855), Sacred Heart College (1860) or Geelong College (1861). (Not so different today is it?) The Geelong community made efforts to bridge the gap between the less wealthy and a good education, with the establishment of the Matthew Flinders School (1858). But schooling for children was optional, and still too expensive for the very poor. Enter the Ragged School. As early as the late 1840s the Geelong community had noted the successful setting up of Ragged Schools in England, to be attended by the poor. By1854 these Ragged Schools, so called because the children generally attended dressed in rags, had started operating in , and Hobart. Geelong was slower to follow the lead of these other towns, perhaps due to the fact that a number of the church-run schools were undergoing severe financial strain themselves. However, the work of setting up Ragged Schools was finally started once the GBWA became established in 1864. In that year, the first Ragged School in Geelong was located at 25 Corio Street,

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between Yarra and Bellerine Streets. Two years later 63 children were in attendance. Although the clothes they wore were simple, special attention was given to good hygiene. Days commenced with prayer, and perhaps the singing of a hymn. In addition to learning reading, writing and maths, the girls learned sewing, making shirts for the boys and pinafores for themselves. They also learned patchwork quilting, with the A typical Ragged School—although being very poor finished products taken home to their boys and girls still get a basic education. mothers to supply much-needed bedding in winter time. Bright & Hitchcocks, the biggest store in town donated cloth to the school for the girls to use. Other institutions donated copy-books, slates, and other school materials. And GBWA volunteers visited the school to provide religious instruction to the class. Of the 63 young students, 25 of them ate their dinner at the school, ensuring they got at least one meal each day.* Donations of dripping (melted-down animal fat), treacle, jam and bread were gratefully received from donors to make this possible. All of this work, including the instruction provided by the schoolteacher, Mrs Hutton, was only possible because of the tireless efforts of the Geelong Bible Women’s Agency. The success of the first school led to the formation of a second Ragged School in O’Connell Street in Ashby (Geelong West) in 1866, which was soon boasting 37 children in attendance. The Victorian Education Act of 1872 introduced the establishment of State Schools, and by 1875 the two Ragged Schools were no longer needed. However, nearly 40 years later in 1913, it was noted that many young children were still falling through the cracks in the education system, and a Geelong Ragged School was being considered once again. However, there is no record of one actually being established at this time. The Female Refuge While the tummies and education of poor children were cared for, the mothers of the children were not neglected either. The GBWA volunteers made regular home visits to provide material assistance to these destitute families. Spiritual guidance and warm Christian fellowship were also offered to the women. However, over time it Mrs. Mary Kernot— Prominent GBWA was observed that even more help was needed. member, and wife * A similar program is still run by many Primary Schools in Geelong even of Geelong mayor, today, providing a nutritious breakfast, lunch or afternoon snack to Charles Kernot children in need. 4

To provide accommodation to homeless women, in 1868 a Female Refuge Centre was set up. The building, costing £185, and funded entirely on donations raised by the GBWA, was soon occupied by 7 inmates. A matron who was “excellently well fitted for the position” was appointed, ensuring that all the needs of the women were met, and that the women conducted themselves “very satisfactorily.” Each year an annual dinner and meeting of the Geelong Bible Women’s Agency was held at the Geelong Mechanic’s Institute in Little Malop Street (now the GPAC theatre complex), with upward of 500 persons in attendance. In addition to being an important fund-raising event for the Agency, the accompanying speeches provided an insight into the motives of the group. First and foremost, the women gave glory to God for blessing their work. Then, they went on to emphasize the importance of their door-to-door work. They had found it the most effective way to take the gospel to the people of Geelong, help those in material need, and provide ongoing comfort and support to them.* The sick had been regularly visited and cheered by the reading of spiritual works, and the poor and aged were sought out and encouraged. It was noted that the township of Geelong, while still in its infancy, had not developed the level of immorality and poverty observed in older cities, and it was the resolve of the GBWA to ensure that it never did. Fund-raising efforts for GBWA projects included applying for Government grants, selling items of hand-sewn clothing and bedding, as well as washing clothes and performing other housework. In 1893 the name of the Geelong Bible Women’s Agency was changed to the Geelong Town Mission. While still primarily Geelong Heritage Centre photo a women’s group, it gratefully acknowl- At the Mechanic’s Institute (now GPAC) in 1907, edged the support of many of the menfolk women show off their needlework, much of it around Geelong, assisting them with their to the aid of the needy around the town. endeavours. After Geelong was proclaimed a city in 1910, the name was changed once more to the Geelong City Mission, and was noted as still going strong, with other community and church groups looking to imitate the worthy efforts of these noble women. For over 120 years these dedicated Christian women supported the poor and disadvantaged in our city—an excellent example of finding joy in doing things to help the less fortunate.

* This was over 55 years earlier than the Jehovah’s Witnesses, who organized their door-to- door visitation work in Australia in the 1920s. 5

More commonly known by his nickname, ‘Mad’ Dan Morgan, John Fuller was born in Appin, NSW, around 1830 the illegitimate son of vegetable and fruit barrowman, George Fuller, and "The Gipsy" Mary Owen. As a child, John Fuller was adopted by a man known as "Jack the Welshman." In 1847 the youth left his foster parents at Campbelltown and found 7 years employment at a station on the Murrumbidgee River as a stock-rider. Fuller's known criminal record began on June 10, 1854 when, under the name "John Smith" he was sentenced to twelve years' hard labour for highway robbery at Castlemaine, Victoria. An imposing man, over 178cm in height (5’11”- tall for the times), Morgan had dark hair worn in ringlets, a full, dark beard, hazel eyes and a long, hooked nose which some claimed made him look like a ferocious bird of prey. Fuller was released in June 1860 on a ticket-of-leave (parole) for good behaviour, but failed to report to the police as required. In August that year, near Wangaratta, he stole a prized horse belonging to the Evans family. Evan Evans, along with fellow squatter Edmond Bond, tracked Fuller to his camp. Fuller was badly wounded in the revenge attack but managed to escape into . He then stole 2 horses to make the trip to Bathurst to visit his mother. Along the road, he had an encounter with police who were after him for stealing the horses, but he managed to evade arrest. He was not heard of again till 1863, when he came forth as the bushranger, Dan Morgan. Using aliases such as John Smith, Sydney Native, Dan the Breaker, Down the River Jack, Jack Morgan, but most famously, Dan Morgan, Fuller began a violent spree of crime. However, on August 22, 1863, he and his mate, German Bill, were surprised by the police. A desperate shootout ensued in which Morgan wounded magistrate, Mr Baylis, who was among the police. As the shootout intensified Morgan turned and shot his mate so that the police would devote their attention to the German, allowing himself to escape. Then, on June 12, 1864, Fuller called at the Round Hill Station, 58km north of Albury and rounded up all the station hands and their wives. He herded all of his captives into the carpenters shop and ordered the manager, Sam Watson, to bring him Plaque identifying the site of Round Hill rum from the cellar. After drinking the liquor Fuller Station, where John McLean was shot demanded fresh horses. Now drunk, he accidentally dead by John Fuller in 1864. discharged one of his own pistols while mounting 6

his horse. Thinking he was being fired upon, he shot and wounded station hand John Heriot, in the leg. Fuller then demanded that the manager, Sam Watson, stand still so that he could shoot him dead, but Watson's wife stood in front of her husband and pleaded with him to spare her husband for the sake of their children. Moved by her bravery, Fuller ordered Watson to raise his hands. He then shot him through one hand, shattering it with the force of the blast. Erratic, Fuller was often nervous and his moods could swing rapidly from an almost courtly treatment of prisoners to threats, rage and violence—hence his sobriquet, 'Mad Dan.' Seeing Watson’s injured hand, he then ordered John McLean, a young station hand, to fetch a doctor. However, after McLean rode away, he began to fear he would return with the police. He mounted his horse and gave chase. Catching up with McLean, he shot him in the back, brought him back to Round Hill Station, and there he stayed until McLean died. Fuller then departed just before a party of police arrived searching for him. Six weeks later, on July 24, 1864, Fuller approached two mounted troopers, Sergeant David Maginnity and Trooper Churchley, in a bush area 100km to the east. For no apparent reason, he shot Maginnity under the heart. Churchley fled the scene and was later dismissed from the police force for cowardice. After the attack was reported in the Sydney press, the government put a reward of £1000 on Fuller’s (Morgan's) head. Six weeks later again, near Albury, 29-year-old Police Senior Sergeant Thomas Smyth was shot by Fuller on September 4, 1864. Smyth received a gunshot wound to his left shoulder and was taken to the Imperial Hotel at Albury where he died on September 29. The following April found Fuller back near Wangaratta, seeking revenge on Evan Evans for nearly killing him 5 years earlier. Not finding him at his homestead, Fuller travelled on to the Peechelba Station where, on April 8, 1865, he held up McPherson’s family. Alice Keenan, a nursemaid to their baby Christina, was allowed to leave the room to attend to the infant. She escaped from the station and fled to Mr Rutherford’s house 400m away. The following morning as Morgan was leaving the property, he was ambushed by a police party. He was shot once in the back by station employee John Wendlan and This picture of John Fuller was died later that day. He was photographed, shaved and then taken after being shot dead at beheaded before being buried at Wangaratta Cemetery. Peechelba Station. 7

Echidnas, or Spiny Anteaters as they are sometimes known, are a common Australian animal. The echidna, along with the platypus, are the only monotremes in the world (mammals that lay eggs). Echidnas grow to 30—45cm in length and weigh between 2—5kg withTasmanian animals being larger than their Australian mainland counterparts. The body, with the exception of the underside, face and legs, is covered with cream coloured spines. These spines, which reach 50mm in length, are in fact modified hairs. Insulation is provided by fur between the spines, which ranges in colour from honey to a dark reddish-brown and even black. The fur of the Tasmanian sub- species is thicker and longer than that of echidnas in warmer mainland areas and therefore often conceals the spines. Echidnas have many features which are reptilian in Surprisingly, echidnas are nature such as egg laying, legs that extend outward then good swimmers, paddling downward, and a lower body temperature than other about with only the snout mammals (about 31-32oC). and a few spines showing. The echidna is adapted for very rapid digging, having They have been observed short limbs and powerful claws. The claws on the hind crossing wide beaches feet are elongated and curve backwards; to enable to swim and groom cleaning and grooming between the spines. However, themselves in the sea. despite this, they are infested with what is said to be the world's largest flea, which is about 4mm long. Male echidnas, like their relative the platypus, have a spur on each hind foot. However, unlike the platypus the spur is blunt and does not have a venom gland. The echidna is common throughout most of temperate Australia and lowland New Guinea. In Tasmania, it is particularly common in dry open country on the east coast. It is also found on open heathlands and in forests and can sometimes be seen slowly wandering along roadsides with its characteristic rolling gait. The echidna is shy and moves slowly and carefully, but can usually be approached by treading softly. It is solitary for most of the year but at mating time several males may follow a female. In the warmer parts of Australia it is completely nocturnal, spending the daytime resting out of the heat. They typically shelter in rotten logs, stumps or burrows, or under bushes. In more temperate areas foraging occurs around dusk, while echidnas in southern Australia are often active during the day, particularly during winter. 8

If disturbed, echidnas will usually lower their head, and Female echidnas do not have with vigorous digging sink rapidly into the ground, nipples. Mammary glands leaving only the spines exposed. On hard surfaces they secrete milk through two will curl into a ball, presenting defensive spines in every patches on the skin from direction. They are also capable of wedging tightly into which the young suckle. crevices or logs while extending their spines. The breeding season for echidnas is from the end of June to September. Two weeks after mating, a single rubbery-skinned egg is laid directly into a small backward facing pouch on the female. After 10 days the egg hatches but the baby remains in the pouch. During the following period of lactation the female spends most of her time in the burrow, but will leave the young behind, covered with soil or wood fibre, to go foraging. Juveniles are eventually ejected from the pouch at around 2 - 3 months of age due to the continuing growth of their spines. Suckling gradually decreases up until the juvenile is weaned at about 6 months of age. The diet of echidnas is largely made up of ants and termites, although they will eat other invertebrates, especially grubs, larvae and worms. The strong forepaws are used to open up an ant or termite nest and the echidna then probes the nest with its sensitive snout. Any insects in the nest are caught on the echidnas rapidly moving 15cm tongue which is covered with a layer of sticky mucous—the reason why echidnas are given the Latin name Tachyglossus meaning 'fast tongue.' Echidnas eat a lot of soil and ant-nest material when feeding, and this makes up the bulk of their droppings. The echidna is common and widespread throughout Australia. They are less affected by the clearing of land as other native species have been, since they can live anywhere where there is a supply of ants. Despite their covering of spines they do have natural predators such as eagles and Tasmanian Devils, which can even eat the spines. They were once a favourite food of Aboriginal people and early white settlers, although they are now wholly protected by law. How you can help  Drive carefully! Many cars will clip echidnas when driving over them. So, drive around echidnas if it is safe to do so.  Control your dogs and prevent them roaming—they can easily kill echidnas.  If there are echidnas in your area leave gaps under fences where possible. This will allow them to roam freely when feeding.

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How good a footballer do you need to be, to be described by the leading journalists of the time as “the best centreman who ever wore a Guernsey.” We are of course, talking about Geelong’s Firth McCallum. Firth William McCallum was born at Birregurra, near Colac, on December 27, 1872, the fifth of ten children to butcher James McCallum and his wife Ann. Although he grew up with a quiet nature, Firth loved competitive sports. By the age of 16 he had joined the local Birregurra Cricket Club and quickly showed his natural ability, topping the batting averages for many years. However, it was his love of Australian Rules Foot- ball that motivated him to excel at the highest sporting level. The Geelong Football Club had its beginnings in July 1859, when Australian Rules Football founder, Tom Wills, went looking for organised competition to play his Melbourne team, established earlier that same year. The new code of football quickly proved popular. By 1877 over 130 teams around Melbourne and Geelong were playing the game. That same year, the 8 strongest teams, including Geelong, decided to establish their own competition, and thus the Victorian Football Association (VFA) was born. For the next 20 years the VFA proved to be Victoria’s most popular winter sport. But by 1896 problems with administration and costs began to disillusion some of the stronger teams. The following year, Geelong and 7 of the other teams formed their own competition. Named the Victorian Football League (VFL), it soon took over as the dominant competition playing Australian Rules Football. And, in that first season played in 1897, Firth McCallum became one of the founding players for Geelong. McCallum played as a centreman or on occasion, the half-forward flank. Being gifted with lightning speed, he bedazzled opponents with his runs down the centre of the field, easily evading any pursuers in a style reminiscent of modern great–St Kilda’s Robert Harvey. For example, in the game played on May 24, 1898 between Geelong and St Kilda, the match report describes McCallum goaling after eluding 12 opponents! Being only light in stature, and with a crouching running style, Firth was often likened to a greyhound. While he usually played against bigger, stronger men, he displayed no fear, relying on his speed and natural ability to climb over taller players to take a spectacular grab at times. From 1897 until his retirement after Round 14 in 1905 Firth McCallum played 74 games in the blue and white hoops. Although individual accolades, including the Best & Fairest player award were not given to players at the time, Firth was regularly mentioned among the best players in each game. For example, in 1897 10

during the round-robin finals series, he is listed among the best players in 2 of the three finals Geelong played, helping his team into 2nd place behind declared winner of the final series– Essendon. However, it was in one match four years later, when Firth McCallum was noted as playing a rare bad game, that we see the true character of the man. The day before the match against Fitzroy on Thursday, May 9, 1901, McCallum was working as a carpenter down at Lorne. Due to a misunderstanding, after finishing work he missed his horse-and-carriage ride back home to Birregurra. Undeterred, McCallum walked the 38km through the Otway Ranges all night to reach home by early the next morning. He then took the train to Melbourne and was suited up to run out onto Brunswick Oval when the game started at 3pm. While Geelong won the game (48 points to 38), unsurprisingly McCallum was hardly seen—but he just didn’t want to let his teammates down by not showing up for the game. During this same era of the game, many Victorian towns had a half-day holiday each Thursday afternoon. Football matches between towns were scheduled at that time, so that Saturday was left free—primarily for Jews to keep their Sabbath, but it also allowed for others to attend the bigger games at Melbourne or Geelong. If not required by Geelong that day, McCallum regularly donned his home team colours for Birregurra, or nearby Colac. After playing a full game (usually listed among the best players) he would have one days rest (while working the full day at his job) before playing for Geelong on the Saturday afternoon. Despite this physical effort, football commentators of the day described McCallum as having no superiors and very few peers in the game. On April 3, 1903 Firth married Jeanette (Nettie) Douglas and the couple had three children–a boy and two girls. Sadly, in his mid-thirties McCallum contracted consumption (TB) and started to slowly waste away. Without antibiotics (discovered 30 years later), there was little doctors could do. He died on July 11, 1910 aged only 37. The Geelong Football Club was represented by 5 ex-captains at his funeral. Charles Brownlow, who has the modern game’s highest individual award named after him, was one of the pallbearers. Firth McCallum was buried in the Warncoort cemetery, just near his This photograph of the 1901 Birregurra Football Club home town of Birregurra. While premiership team shows Firth McCallum (arrowed) with Geelong had lost a favourite son, his Geelong Football Club socks on. Although smaller than most of the other players, his ability to outrun his his descendants still live among us opponents and even climb over their backs to take a today, and share his love and spectacular mark made him a champion of the game. passion for Australian Rules Football. 11

In 1835 the very first white settlement in the Port Phillip district was established primarily to provide good grazing pastures for sheep. By the time Geelong was laid out as a town in 1838 literally hundreds of thousands of sheep dotted the surrounding hills. And by the start of the gold rush era in 1851, Geelong had become the main wool export town in the country. Even today, the city centre of Geelong is overshadowed by the huge wool warehouses, although they are now recommissioned for other purposes. Early sheep farmers shore their own sheep. But as sheep numbers grew into the thousands it became necessary to hire professional shearers, who travelled the district from farm to farm offering their services. Each shearer kept his own blade shears, devices similar to scissors except the hinge is at the farthest point from the blades. Blade shears were very inefficient, even in the hands of experienced shearers. The common early Australian merino sheep had heavy wool made up of thick fibres, with an easily wrinkled tender skin underneath. It was difficult to cut the wool close to the skin (providing the much sought after long wool fibres), without digging into the skin. It was noted that even the best shearers often left terrible wounds in the sheep after they had been Blade Shears shorn. In addition, the cut wool had to be laboriously pulled away to expose the uncut wool as the shearer worked across the animal. As a result, the best shearers struggled to shear 150 sheep a day.* In 1851 shearers were paid a back-breaking 13 shillings per 100 sheep shorn. For the first 20 years, squatters washed the sheep in nearby creeks before they were shorn. Dirty fleeces were hard to hold and shear, and required that the blade shears be sharpened more often. In addition, washed wool was lighter and did not cost as much when carted by bullock or horse teams, which charged by the weight of the load. And English textile manufacturers demanded fleeces that had no vegetable matter, burrs, soil, etc. Sheep washers were paid 12 shillings per

* Despite these difficulties, in 1892 one freak Queenslander, Jack Howe, shore 321 merino sheep in 7 hours 40 minutes with hand shears, to set a daily record that still remains unbroken by those using machines 123 years later. 12

100 sheep washed. From the 1860s onward, hot water tubs were built, and fleeces were washed after being taken off the sheep’s back, producing cleaner wool. However, in the 1890s, wool washing became obsolete. Why? Washing removed the natural wool lanolin from the fleece—a highly sought after commodity in the fast-growing cosmetics industry.* Other impurities, such as dead skin, sweat residue, pesticides, and vegetables matter, could be removed through gentle detergent washing, while still leaving the lanolin intact. Every Spring, from the start of September until the beginning of December, the roads around Geelong would be clogged with drays loaded with wool bales headed for the massive warehouses in town. The hotels were filled with buyers commissioned by companies all over Europe to buy Australian wool at the sales held at Macks Hotel near the waterfront, or at the premises of wool- brokers Charles Dennys or George Synnot. Down at the jetties, ships jostled for berthing space to load the thousands of bales destined for textile mills in England, turning the wool into cloth, which was then cut and sewn into the finest clothes of the day. Frederick Wolseley In the late 1880s sheep shearing underwent a dramatic change, with the invention of shearing machinery. In 1888 Frederick York Wolseley, working from his property near Walgett in northern NSW demonstrated his mechanical shearing shears. Initially, the machines were powered by a horse gin (a mechanism driven by a horse walking in circles), connected by belts, pulleys and a driveshaft to a handpiece held by the shearer. Eventually, steam driven engines and then internal combustion engines were connected to the oscillating blade in the handpiece, before finally, electric motors took over. In 1892 shearers using the new machines were paid 15 shillings per 100 sheep. By 1915 most large sheep stations in Australia had installed shearing machines in their sheds, allowing the average shearer to shear 150-200 sheep, and the gun shearers (or ringers) to shear up to 400 crossbred sheep, or 200 finer wool sheep each day. Shearing on a sheep station was the busiest time of the year. Many stations carried between 30,000—50,000, sheep, requiring 16 to 20 shearers in the shed, along with roustabouts, tar boys, skirters, wool classers, balers, cooks and other general hands. Many shearers were rough—that is, they did not take off the wool

Tom Roberts famous painting: * See the story of Helena Rubinstein in the October (1890) 2014 edition of the Jillong Pocket. 13

clean, made lots of second cuts, and cut the sheep badly. Therefore, gun shearers who could remove a fleece in 2 to 3 minutes with minimal cuts to the skin were in demand. From the very early days of the wool industry, a fierce rivalry developed between shearers in Australia and New Zealand. For many years the Kiwis led the way in the development of the fastest shearing technique. For example, Godfrey Bowen set a world record by shearing 456 sheep in nine hours using the Bowen Technique he designed in 1950. Bowen’s use of the non-shearing hand to stretch out the skin of the sheep made the wool on the Gun New Zealand shearer shorn fleece even, a much-valued attribute for buyers. Godfrey Bowen Eventually the Bowen Technique was adopted by shearers worldwide, adding $billions to the international wool industry. Then, in 1963 the Tally-Hi method was developed, further reducing the strain on the shearer and sheep. It is still the technique promoted by the Australian Wool Corporation today. The Australian shearing industry has had its fair share of disputes, being controlled for many years by the militant Australian Workers Union (AWU). In 1981 the shearing industry lay in tatters when New Zealand shearers, working out of Western Australia introduced their wider shearing combs to the continent. AWU unionists were outraged, since 1910 union rules had stipulated that no combs should be wider than 2½”. The 1927 Shearers Award incorpo- rated the rule. Yet the Kiwis used combs 3½” wide, allowing them to shear many more sheep each day. Since shearers were paid for every sheep, the Kiwis were getting more money, and were in more demand than their Aussie counterparts. Rather then adopt the better technology, the AWU fought to maintain their control of the industry and held a 10-week-long strike in 1983. Scabs (strike-breakers) were dealt with brutally at times. Eventually common sense prevailed when the Australian Conciliation and Arbitration Commission approved the wider combs, effectively ending the AWU stranglehold on the industry. Today, there are only about 5,500 shearers in Australia, and pastoralists are looking to immigrants to increase the numbers of shearers prepared to perform the back-breaking job. While new technologies are also being tried to ease the physical load on shearers, shearing will undoubtedly remain part of the Australian culture for some time to come, with 70 million sheep still blanketing the continent. . . and needing to be shorn. 14

Skateboarding began in California during the 1950’s, when keen surfers attempted to take their hobby out of the water and onto the streets. The very first creator remains unknown but the first attempts at skating boards were made with wooden boxes that A replica of one of the first boards. had roller wheels attached to the bottom. These eventually evolved into planks of wood and then laminated board. While seen as a fun way of getting around, skateboarding was not taken seriously as a sport until the following decade. During the 1960s the number of skateboarders grew rapidly, and tricks began to be invented which sprouted competitions. During the 1970s Alan “Ollie” Gelfand, gave his name to the “ollie,” first done in a bowl and later recreated by freestyler Rodney Mullen on flat ground, becoming a staple for every future skateboarder. For a time, skateboarding died away, but during the 1990s it experienced a resurgence, with well-known boarders including Tony Hawk leading the way. The Geelong landscape has now been shaped by the sport— with most suburbs now having their own skate park built for Alan “Ollie” Gelfand, doing what he does best! the enjoyment of youngsters throughout the community. Popular sites include:  Indoor. Barwon Centre, Belmont  Rose Avenue, Norlane  Sparrow Park: Hope St, Geelong West  Shell Road, Ocean Grove  Vines Road, Hamlyn Heights  The Park. Thompson Rd, Nth Geelong  Lambert Ave, Newtown  Geelong Waterfront  Coppards Road, Newcomb  Valley Park Lands, Waurn Ponds

The Park—Geelong Indoor Skate Park Geelong Waterfront Skate Park 402 Thompson Rd, North Geelong Opposite Deakin near Cunningham Pier 15

PART 15—Service to the Community The selection process for local council officers was very different 150 years ago when compared with today. While councillors were still elected, the positions of council secretary, treasurer or engineer were chosen by a tendering process. When the Corio Road Board was first established on April 25, 1861, Thomas Halliwell acted as secretary during the meeting, and was subsequently kept on as secretary of the newly formed Road Board. However, six months later complaints were made against Halliwell for not attending to his duties. Halliwell countered that, if unable to attend Road Board meetings, he had sent his son along in his place. This weak excuse was mocked by the Board members, and it became apparent that Halliwell had to resign. The Corio Road Board then advertised the position. Instead of offering the job as Board Secretary with a set salary, they invited interested parties to tender for the job. Nine tenders were received for the position, ranging from £56—£120 per year. Typically, they accepted the lowest tender, and Mr. D O’Niel was offered the job at £56 per year. However, when O’Niel was installed as secretary at the October meeting, it was soon discovered that his “experience in writing was not sufficient to enable himto take down the minutes of the meeting.” When it was suggested to him that he should resign, he did so– in writing! He was paid £2 for his trouble. Now with egg on their faces, the Road Board reinstated Halliwell on his terms of £60 per annum, after he agreed to attend all Board meetings held on Saturdays and Monday afternoons. Six weeks later Halliwell again resigned, this time due to accepting a position in Melbourne. Once again interested parties were invited to tender for the job of Road Board Victorian State Library photo secretary. James Blair Among the ten tenders received for the position was one from James Blair. His tender came in with the second highest figure of £75 per year. Forty-five year old Blair was already well-known to the Road Board members as a man of impeccable character. Despite his higher tender, this time the Board chose to select their secretary based on the tenderer’s reputation and proven track record. James Blair was offered the job—probably the best decision the Board made in the first half century of its existence.

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Courtesy: Geelong Heritage Centre Picture Library The above picture from 1925 shows construction workers heading for home after a days work on the Ford factory at Norlane. Although not clearly seen even today, the dip in the road is a bridge over Cowies Creek—first built by the Corio Road Board in 1862. James Blair served as Corio Road Board, and later Corio Shire Council secretary for the next 41 years, retiring at the advanced age of 86. A more honourable and hard-working servant of the community could not be found, and upon his retirement Blair was highly lauded for his 4 decades of work. Among the early projects overseen by Blair and the Board engineer were construction of the Melbourne Road, Bacchus Marsh Road, Anakie Road, and the bridge on Melbourne Road over Cowies Creek. (See above) Then, in June 1864 an application to change from a Road Board to a Shire was granted by the Victorian Colonial Government. New Shire offices were constructed at Duck Ponds (Lara) next to the railway station, at a cost of just less than £320. With the new name came greater responsibility. Previously, roads and bridges were the Road Board’s only concern. But now the central government in Melbourne started delegating more extensive work. One of these duties, given a huge amount of time in council activity, was the removal, or control of thistles. An Inspector of In 1862 when Fyansford residents Thistles was appointed, with powers to prosecute complained about the toll gate on landholders who failed to control the weeds on the Hamilton Road, the Corio Road their property. More inspectors were later Board granted exemption tickets employed to monitor the control of rabbits, foxes to those who paid more than 5 and domestic cats that had gone wild. shillings per year, or if they were carting a load of manure! But while the Shire’s duties had diversified, the Unfortunately, these exemptions roads still remained their highest priority, and were later shown to be illegal, and crossing the Moorabool River valley proved a the tolls were reinstated. According major headache for many years. Next month the to the locals, until the tolls were story continues . . . finally removed in 1878 the whole (story with help from Ian Wynd’s book So Fine a Country) issue stank! 17

The Colossus of Rhodes was an enormous statue depicting the god Helios (god of the sun), and stood in Mandraki Harbour at the very north of the island of Rhodes. Though it stood for little more than 50 years fully intact, its grand size and imposing presence made it an undeniable candidate as one of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World. It is also the Wonder about which least is known. Rhodes was a Greek island that was situated southwest of Asia Minor, at an intersection of two ancient sea-trade routes, connecting Egypt, Persia and the Middle east with Greece, Rome, and the rest of Europe. When Alexander the Great died unexpectedly in 323 BCE, four of his generals took control of his empire, and Rhodes sided with General Ptolemy, who eventually gained controlled of all Egypt. Together, they forged a fruitful relationship, dominating trade in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Meanwhile, General Antigonus had gained control of Asia Minor (Turkey) and Palestine, effectively surrounding the small island of Rhodes. In an attempt to prosper from the lucrative trade routes, in 305 BCE Antigonus ordered his son Demetrius to invade Rhodes. Despite an army of 40,000 men and 200 warships, Demetrius was unable to break through Rhodes' impressive defences and was forced to retreat, leaving behind most of his war equipment. To celebrate the decisive victory, it was determined that a commemorative statue be erected to honour Helios, the patron god of Rhodes. Funded by the recycling and sale of all the equipment Demetrius had left behind,* native-born Greek sculptor Chares of Lindos began work in 292 BCE. The Colossus took 12 years to complete. While details of the actual design are sketchy, it is generally agreed that the statue of Helios was forged in bronze around towers of stone blocks, standing over 30m high.^ The statue was mounted Greece on a 15m tall marble base, positioned at Turkey the entrance to Rhodes' harbour. Using materials that had been melted down

* The sale of war materials raised 300 talents Rhodes of silver, worth about $460,000 today. Crete ^ The same height as the silos at the GrainCorp terminal at North Geelong. 18

from the weapons left by Demetrius, the stone towers were reinforced with iron beams and the bronze outer sheets were then attached to the inner skeleton. The finished statue would have likely depicted Helios standing with his legs together (see box below), perhaps holding a torch in his right hand, and a spear or sceptre in his left.* The Colossus of Rhodes was finally completed in 280 BCE, and was dedicated with the following poem— “To you, o Sun, the people of Dorian Rhodes set up this bronze statue reaching to Olympus, when they had pacified the waves of war and crowned their city with the spoils taken from the enemy. Not only over the seas but also on land did they kindle the lovely torch of freedom and independence. For to the descendants of Herakles belongs dominion over sea and land.” While the role Helios played in protecting Rhodes from its enemies may be debated, there is no doubting his inability to protect the statue raised in his honour. In 224 BCE Rhodes suffered an earthquake and the Colossus broke at the knees, the upper portion toppling to the ground. Though Ptolemy III offered to reconstruct it, an Oracle (a fortune-teller who used divination) advised against it. Therefore, for nearly 900 years the ruins of the Colossus lay on the ground, attracting visitors from all over the world to witness its destruction. Then, in 654 CE Arab armies conquered Rhodes and the remains were broken down and transported to Syria, where they were likely sold off piece by piece. There is no surviving evidence of the imposing Colossus of Rhodes today.

* It is not hard to see where inspiration came from, when the Statue of Liberty was designed by the French before being presented as a gift to New York City in 1886.

Did the Colossus of Rhodes straddle the harbour entrance? While artist depictions of the Colossus of Rhodes commonly show the statue with one foot placed on a pedestal on each side of the harbour entrance, there are a number of reasons why this is very unlikely to be true—  If the completed statue had straddled the harbour, the entire mouth of the harbour would have been effectively closed during construction.  Engineering analyses indicate that it could not have been built with its legs apart without collapsing from its own weight.  The statue fell in 224 BCE. If it had straddled the harbour mouth, it would have blocked the harbour and proved very difficult to remove.  Also, the statue would not have remained visible on land for the next 9 centuries, as discussed above.

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John F Kennedy, commonly known by his initials JFK, served as the 35th President of the United States from January 1961 until his assassination in November 1963. John Fitzgerald Kennedy was born in Massachusetts USA on May 29, 1917, one of 9 children born to Catholic businessman and politician Joseph Kennedy and his wife, Rose. Until the age of 10, Kennedy attended local private schools. Then, in 1927 the Kennedy family moved to the Bronx, in New York City. At 13 years of age, Kennedy required an emergency appendectomy, the first of a long line of serious health issues that plagued his entire life. Other ailments included colitis, chronic back pain, Addison's disease, and hypothyroidism. (While serving in the White House he had three separate doctors constantly working to keep him on his feet. On a number of important meetings with foreign dignitaries he was undoubtedly under the influence of strong pain medication.) Despite regular hospitalisation as a Lt John Kennedy (standing far right) teenager, Kennedy was voted by his peers as “the with his PT-109 crew in 1943. most likely student to succeed.” In 1936 Kennedy enrolled at Harvard College and graduated in 1940, despite touring Europe extensively during 1938-9. In September 1941, with World War II raging, he tried to join the US army, but was rejected due to his poor health. Instead, he joined the navy and was given command of Patrol Torpedo boats in the southern Pacific Ocean, rising to the rank of Lieutenant and earning a Purple

The Kennedy Curse? One of the tragic factors that followed the Kennedy family is the seemingly endless trail of untimely injuries and deaths. His elder brother Joe was killed in action during World War II. Another brother Robert was assassinated in 1968. His third brother, Ted, survived a plane crash (1964) and then a serious car accident (1969). His wife Jackie had a miscarriage (1955), a stillborn (1956), and a son who died shortly after birth (1963). One of their two children who grew to adulthood, John Jr., died along with his wife and sister-in-law in a plane crash (1999). And of course, JFK was assassinated himself in 1963. Only JFK’s daughter, Caroline Bouvier Kennedy is still alive today. She serves as the current US ambassador to Japan.

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Heart. After being discharged from the navy, Kennedy was free to focus on his political career, with his political ambitions now greatly reinforced by his creditable war record. In 1946 he became Mayor of Boston and served as a congressman for the next 6 years. Then, in the 1952 elections Kennedy won a US senate The 1960 TV debate—the first in history, seat. The following year, he married Jacqueline swung the presidential election Kennedy’s (Jackie) Bouvier. way, and forever changed the way politicians In 1960 Kennedy appeared alongside republican appealed to voters. candidate Richard Nixon, in the first ever televised US presidential debates. Nixon was perspiring and looked tense and uncomfortable, while Kennedy appeared relaxed. The huge televised audience favoured Kennedy, and on November 8, 1960 Kennedy defeated Nixon by just two-tenths of one percent of the vote (49.7% to 49.5%) to become President of the United States of America. With the ‘Cold War’ now at its height, over the next 3 years President Kennedy oversaw one of the most critical periods in modern history, taking the world to the very edge of nuclear war, and back again. He approved the botched attempt by the CIA to finance rebels wanting to overthrow Cuban dictator, Fidel Castro. His blockade of Russian ships trying to get nuclear missiles into Cuba led to a tense standoff until the Russians backed down. He also initiated the Apollo Space program, entering into a race with the Russians to be the first to land men on the moon. However during this period, when he enjoyed an approval rating of up to 77%, Kennedy’s personal life was a mess. While President, he became involved in at least 7 extramarital affairs, including one with actress, Marilyn Munroe. The White House staff worked successfully to keep most of the marital disharmony out of the media, with Jackie Kennedy putting on a brave face in public. Then, at 12:30pm on Friday November 22, 1963 while on a political trip to Dallas, Texas, John and Jackie Kennedy were traveling in a presidential motorcade when he was shot dead by Lee Harvey Oswald. The shooting, along with Oswald’s own assassination 2 days later led to many conspiracy theories suggesting Kennedy’s death was planned by US intelligence organisations. Described as one of the most popular leaders in modern history, John Kennedy was buried in November 22, 1963. Just moments before Washington’s Arlington National Cemetery. His JFK is assassinated in Dallas, Texas. grave is lit with an eternal flame. 21

In the 50 years between 1849—1899, more than 100,000 Chinese, arriving mostly from Canton (now Guangzhou) in southern China, flocked to the Australian gold fields. The average voyage from Canton to Melbourne took about 3 months. Most were contracted to agents who paid their travel expenses to Australia, but demanded repayment with high interest. Overall, the response to this wave of Asian immigrants was strained to say the least. Few Europeans were prepared to praise the Chinese for their adaptability, dignity, hard work and honesty. Fearing the huge crowds of new Chinese coming to Victoria, in 1855 a £10 head tax was levied on shipping arrivals by the colonial government. This stalled the number of boats docking in Melbourne from Canton, but the Chinese got around the tax by disembarking in South Australia, and then walking overland to Victorian goldfields. Trotting in single file, threading their way between the crowds in blue lines, their slight figures were dressed in “short frocks and voluminous petticoat-trousers,” and were topped by enormous hats beneath which hung their long coiled pigtails. Every one of them was bent beneath a load hanging on either end of a bamboo pole which he carried across his shoulder. Each group was guided by a headman, and when they camped, their tents formed “quite a little township by the road.” By 1861, with more than 24,000 Chinese immigrants on the goldfields, their communities were thriving, making up nearly 7% of the entire Victorian population. However, very few of the Chinese community were women. For example, that year at Bendigo there were 5,367 Chinese men and only one woman counted in the area! It was only a matter of time before resentment and prejudice against the Chinese flared into violence. Among the most notorious actions taken against the Asian miners were the events at the Buckland Valley goldfields near Bright on July 4, 1857. About 100 drunken European and American miners burst out of the local hotel and attacked the Chinese settlement. The Chinese were beaten, robbed, and driven across the Buckland River. Their settlement, New Chinese immigrants walking to the gold fields. 22

In 1857 Chinese miners outnumbered European miners by at least 3 to 1 at the Buckland River goldfields. Racial tensions, fuelled by alcohol, culminated in a violent anti-Chinese riot in which 3 Chinese miners were killed. including a newly constructed Chinese temple were destroyed. Three Chinamen lost their lives. Police arrested 13 European accused rioters, however the empaneled juries acquitted all of them, "amid the cheers of bystanders.” A number of fair-minded observers were disgusted with the verdicts! Other riots against the Chinese occurred in western Victoria at Ararat, at Lambing Flat in NSW, and the Palmer River in QLD. Tensions continued to simmer throughout the late 1800s, and undoubtedly contributed to the push for Federation. When Australia celebrated Federation on January 1, 1901, the Chinese community joined in, unaware that within 12 months it would lead to the White Australia policy becoming law with the passing of the Immigration Restriction Act on December 23, 1901. Most Chinese chose to return home after the goldfields became depleted, but thousands stayed on to work as labourers in the pearling, sugar and banana industries, while others worked as market gardeners, shopkeepers, laundry operators, cooks, shearers, as well as clerks, carpenters and interpreters. Following the Second World War the White Australia policy was gradually dismantled by a progression of Government legislation. It was finally terminated in 1973, when the Whitlam Labour government implemented a series of amendments removing all racial aspects of the immigration law. As a result, immigration and trade links with China were subsequently strengthened. Between 1986 and 1991 the China-born population in Victoria more than doubled to over 20,000. This number was largely due to the many Chinese students seeking citizenship and asylum after the repression of student demonstrations at Tiananmen Square in 1989. In 2011, the census recorded 93,895 China-born people in Victoria. In recent years many professionals have migrated from China, including scholars, doctors and business investors. Many more live in Victoria temporarily as students. They have continued a long and proud history of a Chinese community that has made an Melbourne’s Chinatown— important contribution to Victorian life. In Little Bourke Street 23

 The name HONG KONG means "fragrant harbour.”  Hong Kong’s nickname is "Pearl of the Orient" reflecting the impressive city lights on both sides of Victoria Harbour, and the numerous high rise buildings.  Hong Kong is a former British Colony, but since July 1, 1997 has reverted back under control of the People's Republic of China.  With a land mass of only 1,104 km2 and a population of over 7 million people, Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated cities in the world.  Hong Kong ranks as the third most important leading international financial centre in the world, after London and New York City.  The Hong Kong dollar is the eighth most traded currency in the world.  In Hong Kong the lack of space has raised demand for denser constructions, making it the world's most vertical city, a breathtaking sight at night! The city has the most skyscrapers (classified as buildings with more than 14 floors) in the world, double that of its nearest rival- New York City.  Over 90% of travel around Hong Kong is by public transport, the highest in any city in the world.  The good quality of life experienced by local residents has led to Hong Kong having the longest life expectancy of any region in the world!  However, air pollution and smog are still serious problems in Hong Kong, due to its close proximity to nearby regions of heavy industrialised China.  The Tian Tan Buddha is a 10m tall statue in Hong Kong. Weighing over 250 tonnes, the statue is the biggest bronze seated Buddha in the world.  Hong Kong has more Rolls Royce’s per person than any other city in the world.  The saying “Only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun,” originated in Hong Kong. Writer Noel Coward wrote the words referring to the Noon Day Gun in Causeway Bay, fired every day at the stroke of midday since colonial times.

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The high country town of Bright in Victoria’s alpine region is considered one of the State’s most beautiful regions—all year round.

Located in the Ovens Valley, Bright started out as a mining area, before becoming a haven for tourists. It was first discovered by explorers Hamilton Hume and William Hovell in 1824, during their expedition from Sydney to Jillong (Geelong). It was originally known as Morse’s Creek, and a post office was opened on January 2, 1860. However, 6 years later the town and post office were renamed Bright after British orator and politician John Bright. Winter sees the town flooded with ski enthusiasts on their way to the resorts at Falls Creek, Mount Hotham, and Mount Buffalo. But it is the magical colours of the Autumn leaves that sees the greatest number of visitors to the area. This year the Bright Autumn Festival runs from April 24 until May 3. The highlight is the Gala Weekend (May 2nd) with a market, music in the streets and a parade. In Spring, Bright holds regular markets, as well as the Bright Spring Festival, Bright 6 Hour Mountain Bike Event, Bright High Country Horse Endurance Ride, Art Exhibitions, Bright Grand Fireworks Spectacular and Concert, and the Bright Alpine Four Peaks Mountain Climb. In Summer you can visit the Rotary Waterside at Centenary Park or go for a Tandem Paraglide for an aerial view of Bright. There are also the markets, as well as the Alpine Valley's Gourmet Weekend, and Drive-in movies at Pioneer Park. Its time you enjoyed a relaxing weekend in Bright isn’t it?

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A lot of old-timers will still remember Australian Roy Rene for his hilarious live comedy acts as Mo the clown. Roy Rene was born with the name Harry van der Sluys on February 15, 1891 in , the fourth of seven children to Dutch Jew cigar maker Hyam Sluys, and his wife Amelia. At 10 years of age Harry won a singing competition at an Adelaide market. Four years later he appeared professionally under the name ‘Roy Boy’ in a pantomime playing Sinbad the Sailor, and later in a black-face singing and dancing act. Harry grew to medium height, with a distinctly Jewish profile and dark hair, a pale smooth complexion and large soulful brown eyes. In 1905 the Sluys family moved to Melbourne where Harry worked briefly as an apprentice jockey and thereafter maintained a keen interest in racing. But most of Harry’s spare time was spent studying the famous English music-hall comedians at Harry Rickard’s Opera House.* When limited opportunities came his way in Melbourne he decided to move to Sydney, where he took the new stage name of Roy Rene (Rene after a famous French clown). He appeared at Brennan’s National Amphitheatre in 1910 and later joined J. C. Bain’s suburban , before a stint touring around New South Wales with bush companies. Back in Sydney in 1914, Rene was noticed by In 1975, the New South Wales Star producer Ben Fuller who engaged him to tour awards were established for live New Zealand. While there, he developed his entertainers. The following year unique style and perfected the black and white they went Australia-wide, and are make-up which became his trademark. now known as the 'Mo Awards' After returning to Sydney in after the famous stage comedian. November 1915 Roy Rene teamed up with fellow comedian Nat Phillips. With Phillips writing most of the scripts and playing the ‘straight man,’ the duo developed the popular ‘Stiffy and Mo’ live stage act. Noted for its ‘blue’ comedy, the act opened at the Sydney Princess Theatre and became an instant success. 'Stiffy and Mo' played on the Fullers' Circuit with enormous success up until 1925 when, after a confrontation in Adelaide, they split up. Rene continued touring and appearing in plays * Now known as the Tivoli Theatre in Bourke Street, Melbourne. 26

alongside other actors with great success for the next 2 years. Then, in 1927 Fuller persuaded him to re-join Nat Phillips and once again 'Stiffy and Mo' broke box-office records. However, it was not to last, and the partnership finally broke up in New Zealand in 1928. Rene then returned to Fuller's Theatre in Sydney with his own company, ‘Mo and his Merrymakers.’ Years earlier, in 1917 Roy Rene had married actress Dorothy (Dot) Davis, who toured with her husband as part of his acting company. The marriage did not prove to be a happy one. They never had children and were divorced in May 1929. Then in July 1929 Rene married Sadie Gale, another member of his company. The following year found Rene back in During his stage act in the 1920s, Melbourne in a revue called ‘Pot Luck’ at the ‘Mo’ developed a number of sayings Tivoli, but business was bad and Rene and Sadie that have now gone down as part of resorted to a tour of Hoyts suburban theatres in Australian folklore, including: Sydney, followed by a brief vaudeville season in “Strike Me lucky” New Zealand. Times were changing, with the “Don’t come the raw prawn with me!” growing motion picture industry taking over from live stage performances. As a result, “Cop this” the Fullers started disbanding their revue “You beaut” companies. “Strewth!” Roy Rene continued appearing at low-priced, weekly-change variety shows, alternating between Melbourne and Sydney. Then, in 1934 he made his only film, Strike Me Lucky. The film was not a success, as ‘Mo’ discovered he needed a rapport with live audiences to make his style of comedy work. Early the next year (1935) Roy Rene returned to play in a lavish revue called Rhapsodies at the Apollo Theatre in Melbourne. His live performances continued to attract crowds, right up to the end of World War II in 1945. Turning to radio in 1946, Rene signed a contract with Colgate- Palmolive Pty Ltd to appear in 'Calling the Stars' with a live audience at 2GB in Sydney. By the time his radio contract expired in 1950 he was plagued by ill health. He continued working on ABC Radio to nationwide audiences for the next 2 years before having to retire. Aged 63, and survived by his wife, son and daughter, Roy Rene died from heart disease at his home in Sydney, on November 22, 1954 and was buried in the Jewish section of Rookwood cemetery. Roy Rene remains one of the most popular figures in Australian theatre history. 27

Ingredients:  2 cups peeled and diced pumpkin  1 eggplant, sliced into 1/2 inch rounds  5 tomatoes  500g ricotta cheese  250g crumbled feta cheese  2/3 cup pesto  2 eggs, beaten  salt and pepper to taste  1 (425g) can tomato sauce (puree)  fresh pasta sheets  1 1/3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese Method: 1.Preheat oven to 175 degrees C (350 degrees F). 2.Place pumpkin on a baking sheet and roast in oven until browned and tender, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, grill eggplant on a charcoal grill or fry in a skillet, turning once, until charred and tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Halve tomatoes and place on baking sheet in oven for last 15 minutes of pumpkin time; cook until tender and wrinkly. 3.In a medium bowl, stir together ricotta, feta, pesto, eggs, salt and pepper until well mixed. Fold roasted pumpkin into ricotta mixture. 4.Spoon half of the tomato sauce into a 9x13 baking dish. Lay two pasta sheets over the sauce. Arrange a single layer of eggplant slices over pasta and top with half the ricotta mixture. Cover with two more pasta sheets. Arrange the roasted tomatoes evenly over the sheets and spoon the remaining half the ricotta mixture over the tomatoes. Sprinkle with half the mozzarella. Top with remaining two sheets of pasta. Pour remaining tomato sauce over all and sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan. 5.Bake in preheated oven 30 to 40 minutes, until golden and bubbly.

For more recipes like this one go to: allrecipes.com 28 Word Search: The Age of Invention 1850—1900 R T E E N O H P O M A R G Y R O S C O P E E I S K M O A T E O I A R E T I R W E P Y T L N C I O A R T I N T P N B P E R A D A R C E P F Y U O R O R E F O U N T A I N P E N I C L I O C N B F T A R I S N E O P O E T O N T C T H K L S H E C F O E E U D R T S C P E R B T C S S E N C L E F L T I G G S E M R M I U O A A R E E N T C T I L I S E L L L O A C L G R L S I W T Y A Y E C E M M N I V I T M O I B F O H A I S G M C D L R A O I D K O O D E O M R C R I N N Y O I L I C N G H E G T E R R U A S A E S G E N T B A G O Y R C R O P I U U D L C C G L M T S O P T H A D A A R R W N C I T G N O I T A S I R U E T S A P M O D D A O O N A M C S C C G C C R M S T H H T E U V T L I O F N I T I H N O Y A R T E T A B M F E R P Y L E U L E E I U R C C Y N R L R E E B E E R C R R E L R E N T D L T I O A A A R D I E S E L E N G I N E E T I E G N C B A A R S L S P L A S T I C E L T E T N O S K T R A N S F O R M E R U B B E R H E E L E Z I P P E R P M T T S S E K A R B R I A G AIR BRAKES DYNAMITE METAL DETECTOR SEWING MACHINE AIRSHIP ELECTRIC MOTOR MOTORCYCLE SLEEPING CAR BARBED WIRE ENGINE MOVING PICTURES TINFOIL BICYCLE FRAME ESCALATOR PASTEURISATION TOILET PAPER CARBORUNDUM FOUNTAIN PEN PLASTIC TORPEDO CASH REGISTER GRAMOPHONE RADAR TRAFFIC LIGHTS COCA COLA GYROSCOPE RADIO TRANSFORMER CONTACT LENSES LOCK RAYON TUNGSTEN STEEL CORDITE MACHINE GUN ROLLERCOASTER TYPEWRITER CINEMA MANNED GLIDER RUBBER HEEL VACUUM FLASK DIESEL ENGINE MATCH BOOK SEISMOGRAPH ZIPPER 29

On the old $100 banknote is: John Tebbutt Noted astronomer, John Tebbutt was born on May 25, 1834 at Windsor, 56km north-west of Sydney NSW, the only son of free-settler farmer John Tebbutt, and his wife Virginia. He was educated at the local Church of England parish school. From an early age Tebbutt had taken an interest in mechanical objects, gradually accumulating instruments and experience and winning international repute. He bought his first instrument, a marine sextant, in 1853 and he had the use of a clock with a seconds pendulum which he regulated by celestial observation. He also had a small telescope with which he projected an image of the sun. In 1863 at his home he built with his own hands a small wooden observatory. Tebbutt calculated the total eclipse of the sun of March 26, 1857, and calculated the orbit of the comet Donati (1858). Then, on May 13, 1861 he observed a faint nebulous object in the night sky. After a few days of observation which proved the object was in motion he announced the discovery of the great comet of 1861, one of the finest comets on record. The earth passed through the tail late in June. The following year he refused the position of government astronomer for NSW. Over the years Tebbutt kept up a remarkable series of patient, reliable observations on comets, eclipses, transits of Jupiter's satellites, variable stars, double stars and the position of minor planets. He observed Encke's comet on seven of its returns and discovered the great comet of 1881. He also published extensive meteorological observations made between 1863 and 1896. In 1872 he bought a 11.4cm equatorial refractor with which he observed the transit of Venus in 1874. In 1879 he erected a brick observatory next to his old observatory and in 1886 he bought an 20cm equatorial refractor (telescope). His observations of comets and the minor planets, being among the relatively few made in the southern hemisphere of proven reliability, were much in demand by other astronomers throughout the world. Tebbutt became a member of the Philosophical (Royal) Society of NSW from 1862, and a fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society, London in 1873. In 1895 he was first president of the NSW branch of the British Astronomical Association. John Tebbutt married his wife Jane on September 8, 1857 at Windsor. When he died after experiencing a stroke on November 29, 1916 he was survived by a son and three of their six daughters. He was 82 years of age.

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Geelong– 150 years ago this month REPORT ON PROPOSED MANURE DEPOT To the Chairman of the Public Works Committee. “Sir,—As the contract for the cleaning the streets of the town will terminate about the end of March, I beg to lay before you the following propositions, which, if adopted by the corporation, would I believe lend to the sanitary improvement of the town without increasing the expenditure on cleaning. 1st.—That a central manure depot be establish on the Town Common, east of the Agricultural Society’s reserve. 2nd.—That about two acres of land be enclosed with a 6-feet paling fence and a room or office be erected therein, and that a large square hole be made for the reception of manure. 3rd.—That the contractor for cleaning shall remove all ashes, manure, or other rubbish from private premises, empty all cesspools of night soil or other liquid manure, and together with all street scrapings shall deposit the same at the said manure depot. 4th.—That a labourer shall be appointed to take charge of the depot to separate tins, bottles &c., from the manure, and see that the night soil is properly covered with earth every morning; to turn the soil over when necessary, and, if decided to sell the manure, to deliver the same, and to take the money.” (Geelong Advertiser, March 13, 1865 p.2)

About this magazine: This magazine has been produced as a community service by participants in the Work For The Dole scheme at Workskil- Corio branch office. This is part of a Job Services Australia initiative. All comments and views expressed in this publication are the opinions of the participants in the scheme and not necessarily the views of Workskil or Job Services Australia.

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1958

Source: The Rose Series Lunan House—Drumcondra Lunan House, one street back from Corio Bay, was built for early Geelong merchant, James Strachan, in 1849-50. Made from Barrabool sandstone, the external details of the magnificent home is essentially the same today as when built, except for the ivy taking over the eastern side of the building, the adjacent tennis court, and the lush garden surrounds. Lunan House was for many years used as a teacher's college by the Education Department of Victoria (as it was in 1958 shown above). One of the bollards on nearby Western Beach is of a student teacher from Lunan House taking a quick dip between classes. Now listed on the Victorian Heritage Register, the house has been converted back into a private home, but is sadly in need of a facelift.

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