Brisbane Tattersall's Club: Change and Continuity, Success and Survival (1883 – 2015)
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Brisbane Tattersall’s Club: Change and Continuity, Success and Survival (1883 – 2015) Alexander Lister BA History (Hons) A thesis submitted for the degree of Master of Philosophy at The University of Queensland in 2018 School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry Abstract Tattersall’s is a private, male-only membership club located in the heart of the Brisbane central business district. It was formally established in 1883 by a group of prominent local businessmen involved in the thoroughbred horseracing industry in Queensland. Since that time, the Club has grown alongside the city and state, and is today made up of a 5,000- strong membership spanning multiple professions, commerce, government and sports. This thesis assesses how the identity of Tattersall’s Club has changed from its traditional roots in thoroughbred racing to its modern, more corporate character of today. It is arranged into three sections that highlight how change has been an important element of Tattersall’s since 1883, but one that has been finely balanced with a strong sense of continuity in many Club traditions. For instance, although thoroughbred horseracing has become less central to the character of Tattersall’s, the Club still holds four race meetings of its own each year. Similarly, while the Club underwent a significant redevelopment in the 1990s to provide new facilities that included a mixed dining room, function rooms and a health centre, its original Club Room (built in 1926) and Dining Hall (1939) remain largely unchanged and essential components of the Club today. The thesis argues that it is this balance between change and continuity that has enabled Tattersall’s to survive and prosper up until the present day, as it has maintained a clear loyalty to its traditions but has consistently and successfully sought ways in which to progress. While the ability to adapt and evolve has been integral to Tattersall’s, it is as much the enduring trait of friendship within the Club over successive generations that has been crucial to its survival. It is also arguably the Club’s defining feature. On a simpler level, this thesis tells the story of one of Brisbane’s most iconic and historical institutions, recording its personalities and anecdotes while highlighting significant landmarks in its history and character. ii Declaration by author This thesis is composed of my original work, and contains no material previously published or written by another person except where due reference has been made in the text. I have clearly stated the contribution by others to jointly-authored works that I have included in my thesis. I have clearly stated the contribution of others to my thesis as a whole, including statistical assistance, survey design, data analysis, significant technical procedures, professional editorial advice, and any other original research work used or reported in my thesis. The content of my thesis is the result of work I have carried out since the commencement of my research higher degree candidature and does not include a substantial part of work that has been submitted to qualify for the award of any other degree or diploma in any university or other tertiary institution. I have clearly stated which parts of my thesis, if any, have been submitted to qualify for another award. I acknowledge that an electronic copy of my thesis must be lodged with the University Library and, subject to the policy and procedures of The University of Queensland, the thesis be made available for research and study in accordance with the Copyright Act 1968 unless a period of embargo has been approved by the Dean of the Graduate School. I acknowledge that copyright of all material contained in my thesis resides with the copyright holder(s) of that material. Where appropriate I have obtained copyright permission from the copyright holder to reproduce material in this thesis. iii Publications during candidature No publications. Publications included in this thesis No publications included. Contributions by others to the thesis No contributions by others. Statement of parts of the thesis submitted to qualify for the award of another degree None. iv Acknowledgements At the University of Queensland, I thank both my principal supervisor Dr Geoff Ginn and associate supervisor Graeme Were for their advice and support throughout the project. They were both a pleasure to work with. I know that both Beck Hurst and Sarina Hobbin worked very hard to make this project possible in the first instance – thank you. Judy King was extremely helpful from day one and I really appreciated her continuous assistance. I would also like to thank Patrick Jory for the teaching opportunities and additional advice. The University itself supported my studies in awarding a scholarship that was crucial to the undertaking – for that, and its beautiful surroundings, I will be forever grateful. I utilised the excellent archival collection relating to Tattersall’s Club at the John Oxley Library within the State Library of Queensland. My thanks go to Dianne Byrne, who helped curate the collection and offered support whenever I was there, and to the various staff members who regularly assisted in assembling specific materials. I would of course like to thank Tattersall’s Club. Not only did the Club provide the financial support to enable the project to take place, but from my arrival in Brisbane I found its staff, Committee and membership to be very welcoming and supportive. I was granted access to the Club’s exclusive premises and archives, and entrusted with a great responsibility in recording its history. I particularly thank Jonathan Cauldwell, who was not only a constant source of information, but also friendship. Jonathan also kindly allowed me to share his office for two years. Committeeman and Vice President (2015) Michael Cassidy championed the project originally and remained supportive throughout. The Heritage sub- club displayed constant enthusiasm towards the history of Tattersall’s and I always found its members to be very hospitable. Dr Michael O’Shea was particularly helpful and is an asset to the Club. Lastly, former CEO Paul Jones offered support and insight throughout the project, and his knowledge and love of the Club was both informative and infectious. I especially wish to thank the various Club presidents, committeemen, members and staff (past and present) who agreed to be interviewed. They all shared invaluable insight and injected a real sense of perspective and personality into the history of Tattersall’s Club. I was fortunate enough to receive the constant support of family and friends both in Australia and back home in the UK. This made the undertaking considerably easier. Overall, it has been a challenging but fantastic experience. I feel I have learnt so much, and I will always look back on my time at both UQ and Tattersall’s with great fondness. v Keywords tattersall’s, members, club, history, brisbane, identity, change, continuity, friendship. Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classifications (ANZSRC) 210303, Australian History, 50% 210304, Biography, 40% 210399, Historical Studies not elsewhere classified, 10% Fields of Research (FoR) Classification 2103, Historical Studies, 100% vi Table of Contents List of Figures ix List of Abbreviations used in the thesis xi Introduction 1 Prologue 8 Part One: The First 100 Years (1883 – 1983) 24 Chapter 1: Relationship with the Queensland Thoroughbred Industry 24 i) A racing club and a racecourse 24 ii) Bookmaking and arbitration 32 iii) Settling Day 37 iv) Raiders of the Arcade 42 v) Tattersall’s Racing Club and the Totalisator Administration Board 50 vi) The decline in Tattersall’s racing identity 55 Chapter 2: Changing Premises 60 i) The early homes of Tattersall’s Club 60 ii) Finalising the move 64 iii) A new home 67 iv) The Dining Hall 77 v) Further additions to enduring premises 83 Chapter 3: Activities and Hospitality 88 i) Games and gambling 88 ii) Subsidiary clubs 93 iii) The Tattersall’s luncheon 100 iv) Smoke concerts 105 v) Dinner-dances 109 vi) Other events amid a changing society 112 vii) Hospitality 115 Part One: Conclusion 123 Part Two: The Tattersall’s Club Redevelopment (1984 – 1997) 127 Chapter 4: Process 127 i) The need for change 128 ii) Increasing membership fees 130 iii) Establishing a two-stage plan 132 vii iv) Property acquisition 140 v) Ascot Chambers 143 vi) Financing Stage Two 146 vii) Membership support 149 viii) Building, design and opening 153 Chapter 5: Performance 158 i) A new manager 159 ii) An enduring luncheon tradition 162 iii) Functions old and new 167 iv) Racing revitalised 174 v) Problems amid progress 176 Part Two: Conclusion 178 Part Three: Tattersall’s in the Twenty-First Century (1998 – 2015) 182 Chapter 6: The Female Membership Debate 184 i) Context 185 ii) The redevelopment 187 iii) The first and second votes 189 iv) The third vote 191 v) Why did the third vote fail? 195 vi) Aftermath and legacy 197 Chapter 7: Challenge and Response 202 i) Finance 202 ii) Leadership 208 iii) Events 213 iv) Dining 220 v) Functions 224 vi) Subsidiary clubs 227 vii) Racing 235 Part Three: Conclusion 244 Epilogue 248 List of References 252 viii List of Figures Figure 1 Tattersall’s 1887-88 racing ticket, 2014. 26 Figure 2 1886 Tattersall’s Cup, 2014. 26 Figure 3 Letter demonstrating Club’s arbitration, 1893. 34 Figure 4 Bookmakers’ advertisements, 1930. 36 Figure 5 Settling Day in the Club Room, 1926. 39 Figure 6 Crowd during police raid of the Arcade, 1926. 48 Figure 7 First meeting of the TAB at Tattersall’s, 1962. 53 Figure 8 Bookmakers at Albion Park, 1932. 59 Figure 9 Australian Hotel, 1885. 61 Figure 10 Tattersall’s members at 227 Queen Street, 1903. 62 Figure 11 Thomas Hall and George Prentice, 1926.