UNVEILING OF CHARLES LA TROBE BUST AT QUEENSCLIFFE HISTORICAL

MUSEUM

Saturday 5th March, 2016

Mr Garry Spry, President of the Queenscliffe Historical Museum

Ms Diana Allen, Chair of the La Trobe Memorial Committee at the Queenscliffe Historical

Museum

Mr Simon Ramsay MP, Member for Western Victoria

Councillor Hélène Cameron, Mayor of the Borough of Queenscliffe

Councillors of the Borough of Queenscliffe

Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen

First, I acknowledge the traditional owners of the land on which we are gathering and pay my respects to their elders past and present and to any elders with us this morning.

I am delighted to be here in Queenscliff, not only to unveil this wonderful sculpture of Lieutenant-Governor Charles La Trobe, but also just to be enjoying this beautiful Borough. There is a wonderful synergy for me as the Governor, to celebrate Charles La Trobe with you. He is so essential to the history of my role, just as he is to your history here.

When it comes to his Queenscliff connections, I am conscious that it was in fact La Trobe who renamed what had been called Shortland’s Bluff, to Queenscliff, in honour of Queen Victoria.

I am conscious too that he was responsible for the construction of Victoria’s first lighthouse not far from here, and that he was there to see it ‘switched-on’ in April 1843.

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But La Trobe’s links with this area were particularly personal too. After first visiting the Bellarine Peninsula in 1840, he fell under its spell and returned to build his own cottage, where he and his family spent their weekends.

When it comes to La Trobe’s significant connection with the office I am now privileged to hold, it is well known that, in 1839, La Trobe was sent by Queen Victoria to Melbourne (known then as the Port Phillip District), where he served as Superintendent until 1851.

He then became the Lieutenant-Governor of Victoria from 1851-1854, Victoria still falling under NSW jurisdiction until it was able to establish and maintain its own government.

The story of his voyage to Melbourne says so much about the time. First, the La Trobes spent a full 4 months at sea, before arriving in Sydney. They waited there then for 2 months, before another ship could sail for Port Phillip.

When the La Trobes finally arrived, 6 months having passed since they had left England, the weather was too stormy to allow Mrs La Trobe to disembark. She had to wait on board the ship for another three days before she and the family could finally be rowed up river to Melbourne. After that, she still had to wade through muddy and unmade streets before arriving at her ultimate destination.

We cannot imagine how a 29 year old French-Swiss noblewoman, married only 4 years, might have felt. (I was older and wiser and travelled only some 10 minutes down St Kilda Road when I recently moved into Government House: that was daunting enough!)

Mind you, I was “of a certain age” too when I became Governor. For his part, Superintendent La Trobe was of a certain very much younger age at just 38!

The young La Trobe, who had none of the traditional experience for the role - neither military nor administrative - was, according to biographer Washington Irving: “… a man of a thousand occupations; a botanist, a geologist, a hunter of beetles and butterflies, a musical amateur, a sketcher of no mean pretensions; in short, a complete virtuoso; added to which he was a very indefatigable, if not always a very successful, sportsman”. In any event, La Trobe’s influence in his new role was so strong, it would shape Melbourne forever. It was La Trobe who set aside the land for the Royal Botanic Gardens, and for

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Government House (and its gardens) to be built. What foresight. And how much I – and all Victorians – can thank him for that!

When you are lucky enough to tour La Trobe’s Cottage, now standing on the Kings Domain, just near Government House, (but previously in Jolimont, near the MCG), you may well join me in appreciating his vision in setting aside land for the much bigger house that is a place of pride for this State.

Although today is about remembering the service that La Trobe gave to Victoria in so many ways, uppermost in my mind is that it is also about service in a much broader sense.

It is about the service of this community. It is about the countless hours spent by volunteers in the Historical Museum, and it is about the generous philanthropy and the effort that has gone into the fundraising for the realisation of this handsome sculpture.

You have all done yourselves and your community proud.

Congratulations to you all.

It is now my privilege on behalf of the people of not only Queenscliff, but also Victoria, to officially unveil this beautiful and important bust of Charles La Trobe, the first Lieutenant- Governor of Victoria, and a man so significant to this glorious part of our State.

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