HERITAGE LIVING | SOUTH AUSTRALIA SPRING 2016
The dazzling costumes from the hit Australian film The Dressmaker are the stars of a major exhibition at Ayers House
COMES TO TOWN
Summer is coming to Beaumont House! Join us for an exciting program of activities and entertainment this summer in the beautiful gardens of Beaumont House. OLIVE OIL DAY Sunday 6 November 2016 12pm to 5pm $10 at the gate Tour Beaumont House and discover the links between Beaumont House and the local olive oil industry. Tastings and olive oil for sale. House tours also conducted on the first Sunday of every month from 2pm to 4.30pm.
AUSTRALIAN FESTIVAL OF MARMALADE Sunday 20 November 2016 10am to 5pm $5 at the gate Enjoy a Marmalade Breakfast and tastings, Scottish music, Morris dancing, stalls, food, childrens’ games and activities, talks on Marmalade and citrus varieties in South Australia. Meet the winners of the inaugural Australian Marmalade Competition and our marmalde mascot Humphrey B Bear.
SUMMER SUNDAYS AT BEAUMONT HOUSE Sunday 15 January, 19 February and 19 March 2017 11am to 5pm $10 at the gate / free for children under 12 Relax on the shady lawns to live music, shop at our exclusive craft stalls, enjoy a foodtruck lunch, or a Devonshire tea on the veranda and a cheese platter to accompany a glass of wine by Geoff Hardy.
THEATRE IN THE GARDEN Thursday 26, Friday 27 and Saturday 28 January 2017 6.30pm to 9pm Tickets $35 at www.trybooking.com/MFPQ Blue Sky Theatre & Open Gardens SA present a fun-filled version of Jane Austen’s romantic novel Sense and Sensibility. Picnics and a bar available.
See the National Trust website for more information
www.nationaltrust.org.au/sa/events Follow us on Facebook
From the editor
T
ROBERT DARE
hreats to heritage are as persistent as death and taxes. Recently we heard outrageous accounts of the developers (perhaps cowboys would be better) who demolished a heritage pub in Melbourne, without planning permission and in the dead of night. The historic wharf shed at Port Adelaide may go the same way, but this time in open day and with the blessing of government. It may become a victim of the government’s assault on local heritage. You can read about both in this issue.
DR DARREN PEACOCK CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Spring has sprung and with it we have welcomed the sensational new Dressmaker exhibition at Ayers House. With more than 50 costumes from the hit Australian film The Dressmaker the exhibition follows on from the popular Miss Fisher costume exhibition in presenting Ayers House in new ways for heritage and fashion fans alike. It is great to see the colours of rural Australia set against the rich finishes of Ayers House. The dramatic costumes make a spectacular sight. But it’s not all fashion and fun. The State Government has released a very disturbing discussion paper on local heritage which proposes a drastic assault on the heritage protection system that has served South Australia well for more than forty years. Our President has spoken out strongly against the changes being advocated by the government. We encourage all of our members to familiarise themselves with the issues and to support our campaign to defeat these dangerous and ill-considered proposals. Looking ahead, our new Marmalade Festival is taking shape and the entries are flowing in for the competition, which will culminate in the crowning of our champion marmalade on 20 November. We will be joined for the Festival by Jane Hasell-McCosh, who organised the World's Original Marmalade Festival at her home Dalemain in England, the house that inspired the building of South Australia's own Martindale Hall. I remind all members that our Annual General Meeting on 19 November is an opportunity for you to find out more about your National Trust as we review the past year and look ahead to 2017. All members are welcome to attend. I hope to see you there.
But heritage also has its success stories. We bring you an update on the work to conserve the Cape Jaffa lighthouse. The National Trust organised the salvage operation that in 1974 saw the lighthouse shifted onshore from the reef where it had saved lives for a century. The present conservation work is a joint effort of the National Trust, in particular the Kingston branch, the Kingston District Council and the Commonwealth Department of the Environment. You can continue to help by donating to the lighthouse appeal, details of which you’ll find in this issue. We also bring you a genuine feel-good story from Canada in our ongoing look at the value of adaptive re-use of old buildings. A group of beer enthusiasts in Toronto have set up a micro-brewery in a locomotive roundhouse built in 1929. Save a precious old building, make and sell beer in it, and tap the value of heritage to business? Sounds too good to be true, but it is.
Contents 6
11
4
Heritage at Risk Local heritage under attack
6
Heritage at Risk Last of the Wharf Sheds?
8
Letters to the Editor
9
Significant Tree The ombu tree from South America
10 Special Places DB Mack Reserve – a Mallee Gem on the Sturt Highway 11 Conservation Appeal Lighthouse ready to shine
13
12 Special Places - Western Australia Lessons on the Terrace 13 Special Places - Canada Small-scale brewers show the way with re-use of heritage buildings 15 Feature: The Dressmaker
15
23 Martindale Hall Museum makeover artist visits Martindale Hall 24 In the Kitchen
28
25 Festival of Marmalade Judgement day: Who will win? 26 Branch Spotlight Naracoorte: Fifty years and going strong 27 Our People Chris Grant
35
28 In the Garden The Beaumont Olives 31 Events 32 Notice of National Trust of South Australia AGM 35 Places to Stay: Comfortable cottage beckons in Burra
HERITAGE LIVING | 3 | SOUTH AUSTRALIA
Heritage at Risk
Local heritage under attack In August, the South Australian Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure quietly published a ‘discussion paper’ on the future of local heritage, without so much as a news release. Under the guise of reforming and ‘improving the ways we recognise heritage places in South Australia’, the Department threatens to set our system back 40 years, undermining or removing heritage protection for thousands of buildings. The National Trust has been at the forefront of a widespread community outcry about the potential damage of these proposals and the government’s lack of consultation about its intentions. In an immediate response to the Department’s paper, President of the National Trust, Professor Norman Etherington, set out the case against the more extreme propositions advocated in the paper.
The damage could not be undone. It would be a crime as well as a blunder to proceed without widespread consultation with councils and community organisations. Consultation should include a series of public forums at which the proposed changes can be debated and recast. The discussion paper fails to make a case for changing the system that has served our state well over many decades. Many of the problems it sets out, such as the lengthy and unpredictable processes, are the fault of a state department of planning that has failed over a long period to deal quickly and positively with recommendations from local government authorities. This problem can be dealt with by internal administrative reform. Others, such as the requirements for extensive study and documentation of proposed local heritage places, came from the property industry, which steadfastly refused to recognise any place as worthy of protection until proved to be so beyond a shadow of doubt. The very worst recommendation in this poorly conceived paper is that people should be able to argue for "demolition of local heritage places on merit". We can see no merit in demolition of a place that has been through our tough local heritage assessment process. For years the property industry has been crying out for certainty. Why introduce a new and damaging uncertainty now? What possible "merit" can be seen in demolition of irreplaceable community assets? The National Trust is appalled by a paper that in the name of "reform" does nothing whatever to advance the cause of heritage preservation, and that opens the door for uncertainty and corruption of all kinds. What needs to be done immediately is to extend the period of community consultation for at least six months. The consultation should be launched at a well-advertised public forum with the Planning Minister in attendance. In the longer term, it is high time we moved towards best practice by following New South Wales in banning property developers making donations to political parties and campaigns.
HERITAGE LIVING | 4 | SOUTH AUSTRALIA
Heritage at Risk
The community response A range of other individuals and organisations also raised serious concerns about the content of the discussion paper and the limited time allowed for consultation. The Lord Mayor of the City of Adelaide, Martin Haese, in conjunction with the Local Government Association of South Australia, convened a meeting of mayors and other local councillors to raise their concerns with the Planning Minister, Deputy Premier John Rau. Because of the growing public interest and concern, the Adelaide City Council staged a further public forum at the Adelaide Town Hall at the end of September, which drew a crowd of more than 350 people. A number of speakers addressed the meeting, questioning the government’s rushed approach, its refusal to engage in open public debate and the many flaws, inconsistencies and omissions in the local heritage discussion paper.
You can help protect local heritage in your city, suburb or town There are more than 19 000 places in South Australia currently with some form of local heritage protection. These are the places that have been identified over many years as valuable parts of our heritage. Get to know the ones in your area and join the campaign to ensure that they continue to be protected.
ABOVE
Public Forum at the Adelaide Town Hall on proposed changes to local hertiage protection.
There was a strong feeling in the meeting that the process of community engagement needed to be restarted before there is any attempt by the government to prepare legislation to change the current protection system. The Lord Mayor and President of the National Trust of South Australia, Professor Norman Etherington, spoke passionately about the value of our heritage and the need to enhance current protections rather than to diminish them. The Lord Mayor encouraged individuals and organisations to make their own submissions to the government on its controversial proposals. Submissions closed in early October, with 187 submissions received from a range of individuals and organisations, including a number of National Trust members and branches from across the state. Thank you to all of you who took the time to make a submission, despite the limited time made available. The submissions can be viewed at the Department’s website at www.dpti.sa.gov.au/planning/planning_reform/local_heritage_reform We look forward to seeing a rethink on the government’s proposals based on this feedback and a fresh start to the consultation process.
HERITAGE LIVING | 5 | SOUTH AUSTRALIA
Join the Love your local heritage campaign on Facebook www.facebook. com/loveyourlocalheritage and follow developments on the National Trust’s Heritage Watch website www.heritagewatch.net.au There has never been a more important time to stand up for your local heritage, before the government removes the protections that have kept it safe for decades. Speak to your local council members and State MP about what they are doing to protect our local heritage.
Heritage at Risk
Last of the Wharf Sheds? MICHAEL WEIR
The Fishermen’s Wharf Market located at Queen’s Wharf, Port Adelaide, is housed in the former No. 1 Cargo Shed, immediately west of the lighthouse. The shed is a reminder of the Port’s maritime history and the working life of Port Adelaide’s people.
O
ther cargo sheds occupied the same or nearby sites from the earliest days of settlement. The South Australian Company built McLaren Wharf on the site in 1839. With its warehouse and approach road, together known as the New Port Project, it was South Australia’s gateway to world markets.
Despite the important role of cargo sheds in the port’s history, the Fishermen’s Wharf Market is now the last remaining cargo shed in the early Inner Harbour area of Port Adelaide. Sheds 2 to 11, once on the southern and eastern parts of the Inner Harbour, have been demolished. The remaining cargo sheds further downstream are situated to the north of the present Tom ‘Diver’ Derrick and
Mary McKillop bridges and thus out of sight. Many of them are not accessible to the public at all. The No. 1 Shed was completed in 1952-53, and underwent its most recent renovations around 1997. Much of the roof line and parts of the ground-level structure were retained from the previous construction and remain visible in parts of the northern walls of the cargo shed. The southern side retains characteristic parts of the walls, including key elements of a former office structure and an extensive elevated platform. Large numbers painted on the northern wall are signs of the shed’s previous function.
Fishermen's Wharf
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Heritage at Risk
No.1 Shed is a key reminder of the working and maritime history of Port Adelaide. Like the other cargo sheds at Port Adelaide, it housed goods for export and import, and played a significant part in the state’s economy. In the 1950s Port Adelaide was ranked as the third busiest port in Australia by shipping volume. The cargo sheds not only provide evidence of a working port but also reflect the transition in working practices on the wharves from manually handled cargo in break bulk cargo operations to mechanised containerisation. In break bulk handling, goods were typically loaded onto a train or truck and carted from a factory to a Port cargo shed before being offloaded and stored awaiting the next shipping vessel. When the ships arrived the goods would then be moved, again manually, to the side of the ship before being hoisted onto or carried into the ship’s hold – all packed and carried by dock workers. The Port’s cargo sheds are important examples of purposebuilt industrial architecture. Their very specific structural properties present buildings that are massive in scale and robust. The sheds were designed to support large loads and facilitate the efficient handling of cargo. In recent times No.1 Shed has been used for local music events such as jazz festivals and a few rock and other music concerts, particularly in the 1980s. Since the 1990s it has housed a bric-a-brac market open on weekends and public holidays. I recently spoke with Professor Morris-Nunn, winner of many awards in the area of successful adaptive reuse of buildings and innovative design, about the shed’s potential as a project of adaptive re-use . He visited the shed when
Market
ABOVE Workers
on Queen’s Wharf employing break bulk handing of goods, c.1927. SLSA B4433.
in Port Adelaide and is convinced that it “can easily be retained and adapted”. He thinks that its demolition would be an “insane act” that would destroy “the cultural fabric of the port”. A straightforward “reconfiguration of the existing shed skin”, he thinks, would allow the preservation of the shed as part of the Port’s working maritime heritage. He cited examples from Melbourne’s inner suburbs of similar structures being turned into luxury apartments. Imaginative re-use of the shed would make it worth more than any new building, and it would be cheaper to build.
create a new commercial restaurant strip on the wharf level, with the apartments as upper storey fitouts. From the photographs, it looks like one could get three storeys inside at the minimum, perhaps more with the roof creating a new mezzanine level inside the apartments.” He concluded that if the appointed advisory panel can see a viable alternative proposal, which could be worked up in a few hours, that might encourage the owner to recycle the shed instead of demolishing it. A final decision on the demolition of No.1 Shed had not yet been undertaken.
“In this case, because the building fronts onto the water”, he went on, “it makes eminent sense to
You can support the campaign to keep Wharf Shed No. 1 on Facebook www.facebook.com/PortofAdelaideNationalTrust/
Sign the petition at Change.org: www.change.org/p/sa
-heritage-council-save-the-fishermen-s-wharf-market-port-adelaide
Sources J. Couper-Smart, Port Adelaide: tales from a commodious harbour, 2003; S. Sitters, Developing trade and port histories: Port Adelaide – further development, 2007.
HERITAGE LIVING | 7 | SOUTH AUSTRALIA
Letters to the Editor
I
t’s a pity the current government has ditched Don Dunstan’s democratic planning principles. They allowed Hahndorf Branch three successful forays to the courts on heritage and environmental matters as well as multiple hearings at Development Asssessment Panels. Even before our Branch was established in 1976 to lobby for planning controls, Australia’s oldest surviving German settlement had gained international publicity, thanks to ABCTV’s Peach’s Australia series. BBC-TV, Deutsche Welle and many other documentary makers soon followed. Walter Wotzke’s heroic campaign to save the Hahndorf Academy from demolition to make room for a petrol station on the site was a media drawcard. I was a greenhorn arts graduate supplying research and drawings of Hahndorf buildings to the mix of cultural attractions after he bought the derelict building in 1966 and paid for conservation works to keep it stable. November 2016 marks the 50th anniversary of this conservation success story. It was a catalyst for future research and the growth of Hahndorf’s economic value to the Mt Barker district. Increasing tourism dollars helped to focus political attention on planning issues. Anni Luur Fox Hon Secretary, Hahndorf Branch, National Trust of SA
ABOVE Walter
Wotzke. Academy.
BELOW Hahndorf
I
finally got round to reading the winter edition of Heritage Living and what a joy it was. So many interesting articles and exciting things happening. Congratulations to the team for a wonderful production. I shall save it for our visitors so that they can enjoy it too. Sacha Ure Port Elliot
Have your say on things that matter to the National Trust. Send us your letters to the editor on what you have read in the magazine, or on other relevant issues. Keep them to no more than 175 words. Those selected for publication may be edited. Email your letters to publications@nationaltrustsa.org.au or post them to National Trust of South Australia, 631 Glynburn Road, Beaumont SA 5066.
HERITAGE LIVING | 8 | SOUTH AUSTRALIA
Significant Tree
The ombu (Phytolacca dioica) is the only large tree occurring on the Pampas of Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay. Its other common name, bella sombra, comes from the Spanish for beautiful shade.
F
ires destroyed most trees on the Pampas, but the ombu evolved to become fire resistant and thus a survivor. The National Trusts of Australia Register of Significant Trees includes four examples in South Australia. The form of this fast-growing, drought-resistant tree can vary from a single-branched trunk with a swelling at the base to multiple trunks arising from the basal swelling. The latter gives rise to a domeshaped canopy. The leaves look rather like those of the avocado pear, and can be partly or entirely deciduous at certain times of the year.
ombu tree from South America The
TONY WHITEHILL
An unusual characteristic of the tree is that it is dioecious, meaning female and male flowers are borne on different individuals. The creamy white drooping clusters of flowers borne on the female tree will only produce their tiny darkcoloured fruits if there is a male tree nearby. The sap is poisonous, making the tree immune to insect attack and cattle grazing. The tree is long lived, and some in Uruguay are said to be 500 or more years old. The oldest South Australian tree on the register is the one at the Old Reynella Winery, planted by Walter Reynell in 1841. The branches of this large specimen became structurally weak over the years and started collapsing. On advice from the Adelaide Botanic Garden the whole tree was heavily pruned to save it, producing a number of trunks. Another example is at the historic Morphett home Cummins House at Novar Gardens, built in 1842. Probably planted in the 1860s, the tree was strategically placed near the northwestern corner of the Old Laundry to provide much needed shade. Its canopy has been pruned, but without threatening the integrity of this outstanding tree. At 14.2 metres the canopy is almost as wide as the tree is tall. The third example is at Mitchell House, Prospect. One of the owners was Walter Reynell, who may have planted the tree as a progeny of his Reynella specimen. The most recent addition to the Register is the ombu at Partridge House at Glenelg (shown here). Unlike the other three trees, it has a beautiful dome-shaped canopy supported by 20 trunks. I had the task of measuring it – a considerable challenge!
HERITAGE LIVING | 9 | SOUTH AUSTRALIA
Special Places
DB Mack Reserve – a Mallee Gem on the Sturt Highway SIMON LEWIS
For most travellers along the Sturt Highway, D.B. Mack Reserve is part of a barely noticed patch of scrub about 16 kilometres west of Waikerie in the Riverland. For those who pause and take a stroll around the reserve, the rewards are plentiful – a fine patch of mallee vegetation in very good condition supporting a diverse and significant array of bird-life and other native fauna.
T
he reserve consists of 265 hectares held by the National Trust of South Australia since 1965, when the property was purchased from F.J. Fettke. David Mack was District Officer for the Department of Lands during the 1960s. He was a strong supporter of the National Trust and was one of the instigators, in 1962, of what was originally known as the Nor’ West Bend Branch of the Trust. It became the Waikerie Branch in 1985. D.B. Mack Reserve is a significant area of mallee vegetation in a wider regional mosaic of remnant mallee. It adjoins the extensive Stockyard Plains area managed by SA Water. Within D.B. Mack, 109 native plant species have been recorded, of which around a quarter are of particular regional importance and three (Acacia lineata, Maireana pentagona and Trachymene thysanocarpa) are significant at the state level. The area is subject to a native vegetation Heritage Agreement, which provides an additional level of protection. Observations over recent years have recorded a number of bird species of particular conservation significance. They include malleefowl and the regent parrot – each having National and State Vulnerable conservation rating – shy heathwren, jacky winter, hooded robin, bluebonnet western ssp, restless flycatcher, and three waterbird species with State Rare ratings. This variety is indicative of the high conservation significance of the reserve.
Local National Trust branch personnel have records of five malleefowl nest sites on D.B. Mack Reserve. Atlas of Living Australia records indicate several recent records of malleefowl in the locality – especially on the salt evaporation area to the immediate north. Assisting with malleefowl recovery is an important National Trust contribution. One of Australia’s curiosities, the malleefowl does not build a nest like most other birds. Instead, it uses its strong feet to scrape large amounts of leaf litter and sand from the ground and into a large pile – usually four to five metres in diameter and up to one metre in height. The eggs are then laid into a cavity at the top of the mound and covered over. As the leaf litter begins to compost it generates heat and this is used to incubate the eggs. The male malleefowl checks the temperature of his breeding mound regularly, and scrapes material onto or off the mound to keep the temperature just right. Much of the best habitat for malleefowl has already been cleared, or has been modified by grazing by sheep, cattle, rabbits and goats. The effect of fire on malleefowl is severe, and breeding in burnt areas is usually reduced for at least 30 years. Predation by the introduced fox is also thought to be limiting the abundance of malleefowl and in many areas may be a major cause of decline. The degree of fragmentation of the remaining malleefowl habitat is of particular concern. Over the years, HERITAGE LIVING | 10 | SOUTH AUSTRALIA
major land-care programs have been initiated in the region with a focus on maintaining habitat for malleefowl and minimising predation. Reflecting its semi-arid nature and relatively infertile soils, D.B. Mack Reserve is largely weed free. Weeds are confined to the reserve boundary and have been tackled through occasional working bees arranged by National Trust volunteers. In addition, local branch member Mike Perry has been coordinating an annual working bee with Cadell prison farm people to collect rubbish along the roadside and prune up the firebreak along the road frontage. Visitors are welcome to take a walk through the reserve, but please remember to take adequate water and a snack as a good walk might occupy an hour or two. Dogs are not permitted and the reserve is closed on fire ban days. From Blanchetown bridge it is 23.9 kilometres to the main entrance and sign. After you travel through about 2.5 kilometres with paddocks of mallee vegetation on both sides, there is a farmed paddock to the south and only mallee on the northern side – that is the start of the reserve. The entrance sign is another 2 kilometres. D.B. Mack Reserve is an excellent example of the mallee vegetation that once occurred through the region. It contains many significant species of flora and fauna, and in combination with the adjoining Stockyard Plains vegetation, appears to be a large enough remnant to support viable natural ecosystems into the long term. With appropriate management – not currently an onerous task – it will remain a gem in the National Trust’s network of nature reserves in the Riverland.
Conservation Appeal
Lighthouse ready to shine
The lighthouse originally stood 8km offshore on the Margaret Brock reef and helped save hundreds of vessels from disaster between 1872 and 1973. In an audacious salvage operation by the National Trust, the whole structure was moved onshore over three years from 1974 to ensure its preservation. For 40 years the lighthouse has stood proudly on Marine Parade, with regular public openings, including the opportunity to explore the eight-room living quarters of the lighthouse keep and climb to the top of this massive structure, with its two-ton crystal lens.
With a great sense of excitement, work resumed on the conservation of the historic Cape Jaffa Lighthouse in September. Before a winter break, major works were completed to replace all of the structural bolts and paint the upper sections of this extraordinary 40-metre structure. The original iron bolts have stood the test of time and tide, but at 144 years of age many were showing serious signs of age.
T
he corrosion of the bolts and the other the cast iron structures that make up the lighthouse was the major challenge faced by the team from Southern Steeplejacks undertaking the work. With great skill and dexterity, they have managed to
remove the exterior corrosion, replace the bolts and commence the painting of the upper section. As fine weather returns, they will start work on the lower sections of the lighthouse, with the goal of completing this major project by the end of the year.
HERITAGE LIVING | 11 | SOUTH AUSTRALIA
This conservation project is one of the most ambitious ever undertaken by the Trust. The Kingston Branch has worked tirelessly to ensure that this essential restoration is undertaken to secure the future of the lighthouse for years to come. The project has been made possible with the generous assistance of the Kingston District Council and the Commonwealth Government through the Department of the Environment, as well as many private donations. The Council has contributed funding for half of the cost of restoring this local tourism icon. We are still seeking donations to help complete this work. You can contribute by contacting us by phone or email, or by making donations online at www.saheritagefoundation.com.au/ appeals/cape-jaffa-lighthouse All donations of $2 or more are tax deductible.
TOP RIGHT  Southern
Steeplejacks at work on the lighthouse, painting and replacing structural bolts.
Special Places - Western Australia
ABOVE Some
of the extraordinary people associated with the location and educational links at Old Perth Boys’ School. and beads are among the 6000 artefacts recovered during an underfloor archaeology program. BOTTOM INSERT Curtin University city presence at Old Perth Boys’ School at 139 St George Terrace, Perth. Photos: G. Pickering TOP INSERT Buttons
Lessons on the Terrace GINA PICKERING
| COMMUNICATION AND INTERPRETATION OFFICER NATIONAL TRUST OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA
It’s beautiful, bold, and captures an evocative sense of place in Perth’s Central Business District. Old Perth Boys’ School, the oldest government-built school in Perth, is dwarfed by towering corporate giants. However, this elegant stone building continues to endure the rough and tumble of busy city life.
C
enturies before the school was completed in 1854, this place was important to the local community. Its Noongar name, Byerbrup – meaning the high location above the water – refers to the ridge that extends down St Georges Terrace from Kaarta-Garup and Mattagarup (Kings Park and Heiresson Island). When Colonial Secretary William Ayshford Sanderson created his original design for a school in the early 1850s, he delivered foundational values that continue to be appreciated more than 160 years later. The little boys who attended school in the 1850s and 60s recalled dozens of Aboriginal people cooking and eating fish in the vicinity. They are the same little boys who went crabbing, swimming and hunting with the local Noongar kids in what would become Perth’s centre.
The children left things behind. Tiny slate pencils, pen nibs, lost buttons and marbles were recovered from under the floorboards and are now displayed. Daily lessons are now routed into floorboards and cricket balls, and spinning tops and even a slingshot give us a touching insight into the humanity of the place. There are many firsts associated with this place. The Swan River Colony’s first mill, built by first civil engineer Henry Reveley; the first purpose-built government school in Perth; and the first Western Australian recognised with a Victoria Cross for his bravery, Frederick Bell, was a former student of Perth Boys’ School. Perth Technical School opened on site in 1900 and saw the arts flourish in the west, led by inspirational people such as James W.R. Linton and women such as Loui Benham, who joined Perth Technical School HERITAGE LIVING | 12 | SOUTH AUSTRALIA
in 1904. Both were central to a dialogue of creativity and exhibition enjoyed between Perth and Europe. Linton and Benham feature in a visual line-up alongside architects, educators and leaders such as Margaret Feilman, who would go on to become Western Australia’s first female town planner and a founder of the National Trust in Western Australia. Perth Boys’ School was renamed Perth Technical College in 1928 and the keys were handed to the National Trust of Australia (WA) in 1977. Premier Charles Court said he hoped "this building, like others already in the care of the Trust, would be adequately cared for and made available for the use and the benefit of the public". Forty years later sustainable adaptive re-use, including a long lease with Curtin University, is making this possible. Take a stroll down St Georges Terrace next time you’re in the western capital to Curtin University’s city presence in Old Perth Boys’ School. I am certain you will be welcomed.
Special Places - Canada
Small-scale brewers show the way with re-use of heritage buildings
ABOVE LEFT, TOP AND BELOW Steam Whistle Brewery in Toronto, Canada, has turned a disused locomotive housing into a popular tourist attraction.
JAMES CARELESS
Changes to outdated liquor control laws in the early 1980s saw the re-emergence of craft breweries in Canada, with independent brew-pubs and micro-breweries popping up across the country. Many a microbrewer (a low-volume, hands-on beer maker, usually working from a single location) has sought out historic properties to set up business.
B
eer enthusiasts Greg Taylor, Cam Heaps and Greg Cromwell are passionate about Canada’s rich beer-making history. When the trio decided to microbrew their own Steam Whistle Europeanstyle Pilsner beer, they set up shop in Toronto’s historic John Street Roundhouse in 1999. Built in 1929 to service the massive passenger steam locomotives using the nearby Union Station, this semicircular brick building with its high ceilings and long, heavy support timbers was closed in 1986 but designated as a National Historic Site in 1990. "We wanted to create our own 'Cathedral of Beer'", Taylor explained. ‘We wanted a unique and historic place for people to visit — and for us to brew Steam Whistle — that would reflect the heritage values and our brand’s commitment to quality.
Toronto’s then mayor David Miller described the revitalisation project as having ensured that the site ‘will endure as a monument to Toronto’s industrial past and ... provide a lasting legacy for future generations’. It is no coincidence that these and other Canadian micro-breweries have set up shop in heritage buildings. The qualities of solidity and craftsmanship these buildings embody, along with their strong roots in the local community, dovetail with the values of the micro-brewing industry. "In making Steam Whistle Pilsner, we have gone back to European recipes from the 1940s and 1950s," said Greg Taylor. "Those were the times when Canadians had access to hundreds if not thousands of unique and flavourful beers – before the homogenisation that occurred when Carling-O’Keefe, Labatt and Molson bought out the smaller brewers and stopped making their beers. HERITAGE LIVING | 13 | SOUTH AUSTRALIA
‘That’s a heritage that was almost lost, that we and other microbrewers are working hard to revive." The Canadian micro-brewing industry’s branding strategy is built upon this identification with the quality and individuality of the past. But heritage is clearly much more to these micro-brewers than just a marketing approach – it is something they passionately believe in. And there is no doubt that tapping into heritage is good for business too. Steam Whistle’s ‘Cathedral of Beer’ is so popular it has become one of the city’s top tourist destinations, according to Greg Taylor. "That’s not only a boost to our bottom line, it is also important for raising heritage awareness among Canadians and getting more people interested in it," he said. Reproduced with permission from the National Trust for Canada.
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Costume as character The dazzling costumes from the hit Australian film The Dressmaker are the stars of a major new exhibition at Ayers House presented by the National Trust is association with Film Art Media and media partner 891 ABC Adelaide.
B
ased on the much-loved novel by Rosalie Ham, The Dressmaker is set in an Australian Outback town in the early 1950s. It’s the story of Tilly Dunnage, a young woman from the town who was banished as a child and eventually made her way to Paris to work as a dressmaker with a top fashion house. She returns to confront her past and resolve some unanswered questions.
Gibney, and Adelaide-born Sarah Snook. The second-highest grossing Australian film of 2015, it received 13 AACTA award nominations and won five of them, including Best Costume Design. Renowned costume designer Marion Boyce, whose exquisite work for ABC TV’s Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries featured in last year’s highly successful exhibition at Ayers House, designed
‘I just loved the idea of these gorgeous, inspired frocks in a completely wrong setting – the Australian Outback – a perfect visual irony that the production design department had a ball with.’ SUE MASLIN, FILM PRODUCER The townspeople, a comic collection of larger-than-life characters, are wary and even hostile – until Tilly uses her skills to transform the womenfolk into preening peacocks who delight in parading in a dazzling array of couture outfits. Eventually she succeeds in getting to the bottom of what really happened to her and ultimately leaves the town behind in spectacular style. The Dressmaker was written and directed by Jocelyn Moorhouse (Proof), and stars Kate Winslet as Tilly and Judy Davis as her ailing mother Molly, along with a solid line-up of Australian actors including Hugo Weaving, Liam Hemsworth, Barry Otto, Rebecca
more than 300 costumes for The Dressmaker, of which about 60 are in the exhibition, which is on show until 11 December. As well as a lavish display of gorgeous couture, the Dressmaker exhibition treats visitors and fans of the film to a behind-the-scenes look at the development of the costumes and the intricate artisanship involved. It even includes the Singer sewing machine Kate Winslet’s Tilly uses to produce her magic.
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"A dress won’t change anything" Producer Sue Maslin describes The Dressmaker as a fable about the power of transformation.
T
he Dressmaker ’s journey of transformation involves Tilly’s attempts to unravel the mystery at the heart of her past by using her skills to beguile the townspeople and create a potent weapon that turns their own vanity against them. The strongest dramatisation of this is in the conversion of dumpy young woman Gertrude Pratt, played by Sarah Snook, into a haughty swan via the stunning outfits Tilly makes for her. ‘A dress won’t change anything,’ Gertrude blurts sulkily, but the effect goes way beyond mere makeover. ‘The costumes are really integral to the storytelling,’ says Maslin. ‘There not there just as dresses; they represent at every turn the way Tilly has engaged with those townspeople.' ‘That’s reflected in the colour palette. When Tilly arrives they all look very washed out … There’s a lot of browns, ochres and hessian-looking colours, almost like Russell Drysdale paintings, and then as Tilly starts to weave her magic she brings colour to the town.' Costume designer Marion Boyce has distilled the essence of the lavish couture that exploded after the austerities of the war years. The film is intensely visual, contrasting the dun-coloured setting with breathtaking jewel colours as the characters parade in their newfound finery. The effect is one of heightened reality. ‘I always wanted the costumes to be kept as a collection and to be shared with audiences so that they’d have the opportunity to see the beautiful gowns up close,’ Maslin says, ‘but more importantly, see them in the context of the scenes from which they came, and that’s the fun of the costume exhibition. It’s not just dresses on mannequins; they’re very much in tableaus, and they tell you more information about the story behind the costumes and how they were made.’
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‘When I saw the first images I realised that the medium of film was a magical thing, and that the women who were adapting my costumes and stories for the screen knew this better than I. The expertise of Marion Boyce and Margot Wilson and their team matched the vision of Jocelyn Moorhouse and Sue Maslin and brought everything together to surpass what I had imagined as I sat at a keyboard years prior. It’s a glorious thing.’ ROSALIE HAM, NOVELIST
PHOTOS Some
of the stunning costumes featured in The Dressmaker exhibition at Ayers House Museum.
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‘Acting is about transformation, and … often the most interesting stories are about people’s transformation of perception … Transformation is always at the heart of things, and costume certainly helps to indulge it and express that.’ SARAH SNOOK, ACTRESS
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BELOW Adelaide-born actress Sarah Snook, designer Marion Boyce and producer Sue Maslin at The Dressmaker Exhibition launch, Ayers House.
The costumes: ‘I want to look better than everyone’ Marion Boyce had well over 300 costumes to design for The Dressmaker, and she has a surprising favourite.
‘S
trangely enough, I have a deep attachment to the very, very bad wedding dress,’ she laughs. ‘Sarah Snook is such a sensational actor and … watching her explore the physical comedy of that dress and her beautiful, beautiful face just disappearing and being eaten by the miles of meringue was a truly delicious moment.’ ‘It was such a fantastic ride,’ she says of the process of designing for the film, ‘because it went from that really bleak Outback depressed 1940s to high-end 1950s Parisian couture, and everything in between. It was a costume designer’s dream.’ An art finishing room is an important feature of this exhibition. ’I wanted to find a
new way to introduce people to aspects of what happens in costume departments,’ Marion says, ‘so we have a lot of tools and behind-the-scenes footage of my head cutter talking about techniques, me talking, and a bit of corsetry, and art finishers talking.’ ‘It’s not all just about making high-end frocks. No matter what the outfit is, somewhere along the way it ends up in the art finishing dept. They dye things, they colour things, they age things. All of Molly’s clothes – I needed particular fibres to get that extraordinary decay – her stuff took an enormous amount of work so we made all of those clothes and then decayed them.’ And the insight into what lies beneath – 1950s corsetry – is significant. ‘It’s part of the silhouette, and without that
corsetry it would have looked really wrong because it was that extreme shape that made it work,’ Marion says. As for wedding dress Sarah Snook finally gets married in, ‘Because Tilly’s mentor had been Vionnet, I really wanted that wedding dress, and also Marigold’s dress that she wore to the wedding (‘I want to look better than everyone, Marigold says'), to be very much based on some of the Vionnet techniques and her Grecian period. They were very special frocks for Tilly, so I used that as a homage to her mentor. ‘Other influences for me were Richard Avedon and Irving Penn,’ Marion says. ‘They reinvented fashion photography in the early fifties … They brought it alive, they gave it an extraordinary power and freshness, and it was looking at their photographs and looking at how I could translate that to the screen and get that power in that landscape - that was more my influence than anything else.’
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Exhibition opening The Dressmaker exhibition opened with a glamorous launch event at Ayers House, hosted by 891 ABC Adelaide host Sonya Feldhoff, with special guests actress Sarah Snook, costume designer Marion Boyce and film producer Sue Maslin.
The Dressmaker exhibition until 11 December Every day 10am- 5pm (except Mondays) Ayers House Museum • 288 North Terrace Adelaide
www.dressmakerexhibition.com.au • (08) 8223 1234
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Martindale Hall
Museum makeover artist visits Martindale Hall On his first trip to Australia, the world’s most progressive and provocative museum makeover artist, Frank Vagnone, paid a visit to South Australia. First stop on his Australian tour was Martindale Hall in the Clare Valley.
A
merican Franklin D. Vagnone has taken the world of heritage houses by storm with his book, The Anarchist’s Guide to Historic House Museums, offering a radical rethink of the house museum experience. Formerly Director of The Historic Houses Trust of New York, Frank’s innovative ideas and sassy attitude are raising eyebrows and standards around the world. Released in 2015, The Anarchist’s Guide has become an instant classic, now in its third print run and ranked #1 museum-related book of 2015 by Museum Education Monitor and #1 Amazon best-seller in the museum field in 2016. We invited Frank to spend some time with us in South Australia as part of his Australian speaking tour. Adelaide was his first stop and, fresh off the plane, we took him up to the Clare Valley to see Martindale Hall. The current house museum
ABOVE Frank
D. Vagnone at Martindale Hall.
presentation at the Hall has changed little in thirty years since the State Government took over the operation from the University of Adelaide. It is precisely the kind of museum that is being transformed in the US by the new approaches advocated in the Anarchist’s Guide that put visitors and the local community at the centre of the museum experience. The National Trust of South Australia has made a formal bid to take over the running of historic Martindale Hall and create a world class tourism destination, inspired by similar National Trust estates in the UK and Sovereign Hill in Victoria. Vagnone’s suggestions
will also be used to reimagine how to present the historical legacy of the Hall and the families associated with it in ways which resonate with contemporary visitors. During his time with us in Adelaide, Frank delivered a number of talks and workshops with volunteers and staff from National Trust museums including Ayers House and some of our local heritage museums. He also presented a public lecture at the University of Adelaide. Frank has offered to provide ongoing mentoring and support to the Trust as we consider ways to keep our museums vibrant and relevant.
For more information about the National Trust bid for Martindale Hall visit www.nationaltrust.org.au/sa/martindalehall. Show your support by signing up online or by completing the details below and sending them in. We will keep you updated on progress with the bid.
Name.......................................................................................................................................................................................................................... Email.......................................................................................................................................................................................................................... Address...................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................. Postcode...................................... Your reasons for supporting.............................................................................................................................................................................. ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... Thank you for your support. It is very much appreciated. Once completed please return this form to the National Trust of South Australia, 631 Glynburn Road, BEAUMONT SA 5066 or email this information to: martindalehall@nationaltrustsa.org.au
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In the Kitchen
Marmalade Cake with Crunchy Toppi ng SO PH IE HA NS EN
The perfect afte rnoon tea cake; serve this with a mug of str ong Earl Grey te a and some good com pany. 1 2/3 cups selfraising flour 1/2 tsp mixed sp ice 1/2 cup caster su gar zest of one oran ge and one lem on 150g butter 2 eggs, lightly be aten 1/2 cup Beeren berg Orange M armalade 1/2 cup Butterm ilk (or milk sour ed with a squeeze of lem on) For the streusel
topping: 1/2 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup plain flo ur 1/2 teaspoons gr ound cinnamon 1/4 cup butter, cubed Preheat oven to 160C and line a 22cm ring or round tin with parchmen t paper. Combine the flo ur, spice, sugar and zests in a large bowl and make a well in the centre. Meanwhi le, melt the butte r with the marmalade in a small saucepan . Remove from heat, stir in the eggs and bu ttermilk then pour this in to the bowl of dr y ingredients. Ge ntly fold to com bine then transfer the mix ture to your prep ared tin. Mix together th e streusel toppin g ingredients, rubb ing the butter in until mixture resembl es coarse breadc rumbs then sprinkle ov er the uncooked cake. Transfer to oven for 45 minutes or until cooked through. Let rest in the tin for 5 minutes before turning out on to a rack to cool completely .
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Festival of Marmalade
Judgement day: Who will win? The first Australian Marmalade Awards culminates with the Festival of Marmalade at Beaumont House on Sunday 20 November, where the winning marmalades will be announced. Join us for a day of all things marmalade in the beautiful grounds of this historic home.
T
he National Trust of South Australia is partnering with Dalemain Estate in the United Kingdom, home of the World’s Original Marmalade Awards, to present the first Australian Marmalade Awards. More than 200 entries across the home-made and artisan competitions have been sent in from Perth to New Zealand. Award winners will be announced at the Festival and there will be plenty of marmalade tastings on hand. A free marmalade long-table breakfast will be served on the lawns, with Beerenberg supplying the marmalade and orange juice courtesy of Nippys. Market stalls, cooking demonstrations, guest speakers on marmalade and citrus growing, music, morris dancing and children’s activities will make this a fun day out for everyone. And of course there will be Devonshire teas, even with marmalade, if you choose!
We are delighted to welcome Jane Hasell-McCosh, from Dalemain Estate in England, home of the World’s Original Marmalade Awards, who will be with us as a judge for the competition and special guest of honour on the day of the Festival. Jane created the original UK awards and festival has been a great support in establishing the awards in Australia. For our first Australian event, we are pleased to partner with Beerenberg, an iconic South Australian brand originating in Hahndorf. Beerenberg are providing their head cook as a judge in our awards and will offer the winning homemade entry in our competition a chance at commercial production and distribution for their winning recipe. Also joining our judging panel are two representatives from the Country Women’s Association, who also know a thing or two about preserves. Judging takes place at Beaumont House on 16 November. Competition categories include Australian orange, Any citrus, Marmalade with additions, Native fruits, Children’s and First timers.
And here’s Humphrey! We are delighted that South Australian Heritage Icon, Humphrey B. Bear has accepted appointment as the official Ambassabear for our Marmalade competition and will be one of our special performers at the Marmalade Festival. Humphrey has already booked his flights to the UK Awards in March 2017, where he will represent the Australian winners and catch up with Paddington Bear, mascot for the UK awards.
If you would like to know more about the Festival or awards contact Helen Cartmel, our events manager, on (08) 8202 9213 or by email to events@nationaltrustsa.org.au or visit our website at www.nationaltrust.org.au/sa/marmalade
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Branch spotlight
ABOVE LEFT The
Sheep’s Back Museum in Naracoorte tells the story of the wool industry in the South East. TOP RIGHT Judy Murdoch has worked with the Naracoorte Branch since its inception fifty years ago. LOWER RIGHT Inside the storeroom at the Sheep’s Back Museum.
Naracoorte: Fifty years and going strong JUDY MURDOCH
For fifty years the Naracoorte Branch has been building stories round the past of the historically and geologically rich South East corner of South Australia and the region’s traditional industry: sheep and wool-growing.
I
n 1985 the branch moved from its early site in the Rolland Street School to Simpson’s Flour Mill, where a new story began to build. Each gallery in the three-storied mill tells a different part of the story, and the depth of experience of the members and volunteers provides a background of knowledge, folk-lore and experience to bring richness and colour to the exhibitions. The museum also tells the story of the society that depended on this industry: station properties, farms, little townships, and the town of Naracoorte itself. The displays have been guided by the input of experienced designers and established artists and craftspeople, but the voice of the community in them is also clear and true. The storeroom in which collection items not on display are
kept, along with photos, books, and the archives was purpose-built in 2011. It is passively temperaturecontrolled and remains dark except for brief periods of use weekly. Throughout its history the branch has collected photographs and archival items and, with support from the local council, has copied and conserved them. It costs quite a lot to sustain such a museum, so a number of fundraising strategies are used. Like most voluntary organizations, we write hundreds of grant applications – our lifeblood – and if we are successful, acquit them with a sigh of gratitude, thanks, and deep satisfaction. We hire rooms out to local organizations, frequently cater on site for visiting groups and other events, we sell goods in the craft shop in the Visitor Centre which is
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located on the museum site, we run raffles, etc. Our ”Lunch with History” events involve us choosing and researching an historic site or subject, and inviting the public to explore it with us. We may take advantage of a vacant shop in the main street and set up an exhibition there for several days. This attracts a lot of people who do not come to the museum. We take ‘Treasure Chests’ of objects into the local schools and use them to assist in interpreting the new curriculum. We have a stall at the local show where we tease the memories of people to identify a ‘Mystery Object’, or collect information to add to our catalogue sheets. We help dozens of family history hounds and other researchers and provide a market for books on regional history. We find great satisfaction in our work (despite ageing bodies) and pine to see younger people joining our ranks and continue with our labour of love. Why not come and share it with us?
Our People
Chris Grant NATURAL HERITAGE MANAGER,
Chris Grant is passionate about the conservation of the natural environment. With the Trust's 27 nature reserves under his care, he sees recruiting new volunteers to work with him and growing the volunteer base for the future as key priorities.
C
hris, who took up his new role in August, is eminently qualified for such important work. After obtaining a science/ law degree from the University of Tasmania, he worked for the Northern Territory’s Department of Environment and Natural Resources as Bush Management Advisor. He travelled extensively through Asia and Africa, returning to Adelaide University to do an honours degree in Environmental Science, then undertook wildlife research at Deakin University. He lectured in Environmental Management at Deakin, spent some years in the Riverland, and then volunteered for two years as a wildlife advisor in the Wadi Rum World Heritage Area in Jordan. With substantial volunteering experience under his belt, he knows the vital importance as well as the satisfactions. ‘Volunteers are a huge and valuable resource. It requires a bit of thought and application to really get the best out of them and give them the best experience, because you don’t want to waste people’s time or disappoint them, and you want them coming back.
‘Over time it makes the management of all the reserves go very smoothly. A small band of skilled people will just keep things running, and once they feel it’s their own little patch of bush they’ll turn up once a month because they love going there. It’s not just doing some sort of civic duty, it’s doing something they find extremely fulfilling. ‘Often it’s older people who have the consistency and the dedication – they’re patient, they’re thinking longer term, and the subtleties of seeing changes in a patch of bush over a long period aren’t lost on them, whereas younger people can be more impatient for immediate results.
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But older volunteers have other demands on their time and when they move on ‘there isn’t really a mechanism for recruiting new (team) members’, Chris says. ‘Traditionally there have been volunteers attached to particular reserves, but that doesn’t have to be the case. It’d be good to have a volunteer pool where we could hit certain reserves at certain times of the year when it’s most needed, and then move on to other areas – have it be more project driven rather than regular working bee driven. ‘How to engage to young people is something to think about as well. There might be projects more suited to them where they can say, “I’ll only turn up twice a year but I’ll work hard for that.” We’ve just got to get the right mix to suit everyone. ‘Funding’s useful, but it’s not everything. Most of the time the environmental work we do needs human power, human resources. Bodies are far more important than funding because funding is short term but people are long term. With people, almost everything can be done.’ If you are interested in volunteering with the Natural Heritage Program, email: volunteer@nationaltrustsa.org.au
In the Garden
The Beaumont Olives MERILYN KUCHEL
Samuel Davenport, who arrived in South Australia in 1843 with his new wife Margaret and brother Robert to take up land at Macclesfield, brought with him invaluable experience.
D
avenport, who was born in Oxfordshire in 1818, had been sent by his family in 1839, to Montpelier in the south of France to recover from lung damage suffered when he saved a man from drowning in an icy stream. Then, as now, Montpelier was a centre for winemaking and the cultivation of vines, olives and almonds.
Davenport planted olives along the verges of each of the lots at Beaumont. He was not the first in Adelaide to plant them – as early as 1837, newspaper editor George Stevenson had experimented with growing olives and vines in North Adelaide. The old olives still growing in the east parklands near Melbourne Street were sourced from Stevenson’s garden.
In a letter to his father in 1843, Davenport wrote: "You know in the hills as much as the plains, I find this climate very similar to that of the French coast of the Mediterranean … I’ll try the vine, almond, fig and olive."
Olives were also planted in Hackney around 1841 by nurseryman John Bailey from stock imported from Marseilles. Some were later transplanted to Beaumont in 1864 to line the old drive into Gleeville. The State Heritage listed olive grove on Lot 10 at Beaumont House was probably planted in the early 1860s as well.
Remembering the Italian saying "He who wants to lay up money for his children should plant an olive yard", Davenport planted about 1600 almonds and 2000 vine cuttings. He asked his father for thousands more olives and a few olive truncheons. He subsequently bought Gleeville Farm in Beaumont, and in 1857 he and his family moved into what is now Beaumont House, which had previously been occupied by Bishop Augustus Short and his family.
Davenport’s first experiments in crushing oil in 1864 produced about four-and-a-half litres of good oil. In 1866, he crushed 14 hundredweight (700kg) of ripe olives. Encouraged by the quality of the oil, he employed his nephew George Fullerton Cleland and Tom Glen in 1868 to build an olive oil factory on Dashwood Road in 1868, importing
a Chilean mill to crush the olives. The oil became famous for its quality, winning many awards. Davenport was knighted in 1884. After his death in 1906, G.F. Cleland and Son continued to produce award-winning oil until World War II. By then the land consisted of 11.7 hectares growing about 1400 olive trees of 27 varieties. After his return from the war, Kenneth Brock, now owner of Beaumont House, set about revitalising the old olive trees. His olive tree nursery soon had clients all over Australia. Over the past few years the Beaumont House Garden Committee has been concerned by the serious decline in health of the 36 trees in the olive grove. Overcrowding, lack of light and the absence of regular pruning has resulted in elongated and brittle growth and a dearth of olives. The committee consulted experts including Ian Tolley, Mark Lloyd, arborists from the Burnside Council and Michael Johnston, president of the Olive Association of SA. All recommended radical pruning to encourage healthy new growth and increased fruit production. Heavy pruning to stimulate healthy growth and to keep productive branches close to the ground to facilitate harvesting is standard practice in Italy, France and Spain.
ABOVE Samuel Davenport in the Beaumont olive grove. c1880. LEFT View of Beaumont House and olive grove. c1887. Photographs from the National Trust Library and from the Robert Davenport family album (1880-1905) donated to the State Library of SA
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In the Garden
C E L E B R AT E T H E O L I V E AND ITS PRECIOUS OIL B E AU M O N T H O U S E , 1 8 5 2 - 2 0 1 6
Earlier this year a number of National Trust councillors visited Olivewood in the Riverland, another very old grove owned by the Trust. It has been radically pruned and is now producing good crops. The Beaumont House Garden Committee is reluctant to treat our heritage-listed grove with quite such severity, but has determined to prune the trees strategically over a five-year period to lessen the impact. We have the opportunity to monitor the regrowth and prepare realistic budgets for annual maintenance pruning. Members of the Woodgroup SA are taking some of the pruned limbs for turning.
Come for a picnic on the lawns, among the beautiful gardens of Beaumont House, and travel back through time. Walk in a remnant olive grove planted in 1852. Hear the story of the first commercial crushing of olives in the 1860s at The Beaumont Cellars. Explore the house where Samuel Davenport lived as he worked to promote South Australian agriculture, especially olives and vines. Taste the modern products of local olive oil producers. Learn how to savour the flavours of fresh olive oils, and how to choose a quality extra virgin oil for your salad or cooking. Taste cakes and biscuits made with the best local olive oil, and take home a bottle of the superb South Australian product. Beaumont House was the birthplace of the commercial olive oil industry in South Australia. By the 1860s, Samuel Davenport had planted 16,000 olive trees on his farm. Samuel always promoted South Australian produce and won a prize for South Australian olive oil at the London Exhibition in 1851. The Burnside Branch of the National Trust invites you and your friends to the Second Annual Olive Oil Day. When: Sunday November 6, 2016 Where: Beaumont House, 631 Glynburn Road, Beaumont Time: 12 noon until 5 pm Enquiries: Margaret Ford Feckner 0438 838 894 or fsquared@bigpond.com
ABOVE Olive crushing mill, from Beaumont olive grove.
We have also been delighted by the encouragement and support of Burnside Council’s Ben Seamark, who has agreed to help prepare a management plan. Michael Johnston has generously offered support from Olives SA to help harvest the olives next autumn, with a view to producing an experimental quantity of oil. We believe that this is an exciting project for the Trust and the Garden Committee would welcome input and offers of assistance from Trust members. Sources E.R Simpson, Beaumont House: the land and its people (1993) and The Clelands of Beaumont (1986); B.S. Baldwin (ed.), ‘Letters of Samuel Davenport’, South Australiana, 6, 1967 and 7, 1968.
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35
Events ADELAIDE TOURS Step out of the ordinary with our guided walks and tours AYERS HOUSE MUSEUM ¼¼ The Dressmaker Costume Exhibition Hot on the heels of the hit Australian film, The Dressmaker, the National Trust in association with Film Art Media proudly presents a major new exhibition of Marion Boyce’s masterful costume design. Be transported from Ayers House Museum to the dusty town of Dungatar in the 1950’s, and experience the journey of transformation through the artful and luxurious costumes worn by Kate Winslet and the cast of The Dressmaker. The exhibition reveals how the costumes, inspired by Parisian couture, were made and developed for the film. Visitors will be able to see the level of detail and artisanship which went into making the costumes. The exhibition features 50 designs by Marion Boyce as well as Tilly Dunnage’s costumes designed by Margot Wilson. Open every day, 10am- 5pm (except Mondays) Must close Sunday 11 December Place: Ayers House Museum 288 North Terrace, Adelaide General admission: Adult $20, Concession $18, Child (5-15yrs) $10, Family (2 adults, 2 children) $50 National Trust Members: Adult $17, Concession $16, Child (5-15yrs) $7.50, Family (2 adults, 2 children) $45 Group discounts: available for 10 or more Enquiries: (08) 8223 1234 www.dressmakerexhibition.com.au
¼¼ The Dressmaker Footballers' Dance To celebrate The Dressmaker Costume Exhibition at Ayers House Museum, the National Trust of South Australia invites you to dance your way back to the 1950's. Saturday 3 December Time: 7pm- midnight Place: at the Great Hall, Freemasons Hall 254 North Terrace Adelaide Tickets: $75 per person, National Trust members: $60 per person For more information and to book now, visit: www.dressmakerexhibition.com.au for the event of the season
¼¼ City of Pubs 12 & 25 November, 2pm A leisurely introduction to some of Adelaide’s well-loved and lesser known watering holes. ¼¼ Hidden Stories, Small Details 19 & 26 November, 2pm Sometimes the most amazing things are found in the smallest places. ¼¼ East Terrace Promenade 20 November, 2pm Enjoy a Sunday stroll amongst Adelaide’s finest Victorian-era homes. Murder and Madness at Z Ward 11 & 18 November, 2pm Meet the faces of Z Ward and find out about 12 historical murderers incarcerated within her walls. (Not suitable for children) ¼¼ Old Treasury Tunnel Tours This tour explores the Old Adelaide Treasury building, one of the Adelaide’s oldest and most significant historical sites. It was here that gold from the eastern states was stored to be smelted into the Adelaide Pound. The tour includes the former Cabinet Room, underground tunnel areas and much more. Sunday 13 & 27 November Time: Sessions are at 11am and 1pm Place: Tour Starting Point: Adina Treasury Hotel, 2 Flinders Street Adelaide National Trust members enjoy discounts on all walks and tours. For bookings and more details: www.adelaidetours.net.au Enquiries: Victoria Hardy (08) 8223 1234, bookings@nationaltrustsa.org.au
Sometimes the most amazing things are found in the smallest places.
Eas t
ie s tor , S m all Details 19 & 26 November, 2pm
Hid
de n S
TAKE A TOUR OUT OF THE ORDINARY
t
su ry & madness at Z Ward 11 & 18 November, 2pm Meet the faces of Z Ward. Learn of 12 historical murderers incarcerated within her walls. (Not suitable for children).
Enjoy a Sunday stroll amongst Adelaide’s finest Victorian-era homes.
ea Tr
Murd er
ace promenade 20 November, 2pm Terr
Ci
Old
adelaidetours.net.au | 08 8223 1234
y of Pubs 12 & 25 November, 2pm A leisurely introduction to some of Adelaide’s well-loved and lesser known watering holes.
an
d tunnels 13 & 27 November, 1pm Take a trip through time and underground in one of Adelaide’s most fascinating buildings.
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Events
Notice of AGM
SATURDAY 19 NOVEMBER 10AM TO 2PM Notice is hereby given that the 61st Annual General Meeting of the National Trust of South Australia will be held at the North Adelaide Community Centre, 176 Tynte Street, North Adelaide, on Saturday 19 November 2016 from 10am to 2pm.
AGENDA 1. 2. 3.
4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12.
13.
Introduction and Welcome Apologies To confirm and receive the minutes of 60th Annual General Meeting Business arising from the minutes NTSA Awards Presentation President’s Report CEO’s Report Financial Report Appointments to Council Any Other Business Lunch provided Presentation: NTSA Strategic Plan and Governance Review Visit to ‘The Dressmaker’ exhibition at Ayers House or site visit to Fort Largs
NOMINATION AND APPOINTMENT TO NTSA COUNCIL POSITIONS Nominations are now open for three positions on the Council of the National Trust of South Australia. All appointments are for two years from the date of the AGM. All nominees must be members of the National Trust of South Australia, and be aged at least 18 years. The closing date for nominations to Council is Friday 4 November 2016. Nomination Forms can be obtained from Helen Cartmel, Executive Administrator on (08) 8202 9213 or by email to executiveadmin@ nationaltrustsa.org.au
BEAUMONT HOUSE ¼¼ Australian Festival of Marmalade Beaumont House will host the judging and public celebration of the inaugural Australian Festival of Marmalade Awards. Public tastings, presentation on the history of marmalade, cookery demonstration, Devonshire teas “with a twist”, stalls music and lots more! Sunday 20 November Time: 10am-5pm Place: Beaumont House, 631 Glynburn Rd Beaumont Enquiries: (08) 8202 9200 or email events@nationaltrustsa.org.au www.nationaltrust.org.au/sa/ marmalade
¼¼ Beaumont House Open Day. Beaumont House is a State Heritage listed property built in 1849 by Augustus Short, the first Anglican Bishop of Adelaide, and after, the home of Sir Samuel Davenport, politician, horticulturist & pioneer of the olive oil industry in SA. Guided tours. Sunday 4 December Time: 2-4.30pm Cost: Adults $10.00, incl afternoon tea Enquiries: Chris Perriam (08) 8362 3036, Email: perriamci@bigpond.com.au
¼¼ Summer Sundays at Beaumont House Relax on the shady lawns to music, shop at our exclusive craft stalls, enjoy a foodtruck lunch, a Devonshire tea on the veranda and a cheese platter to accompany a glass of wine by Geoff Hardy. Sunday 15 January, 19 February and 19 March 2017 11am to 5pm $10 at the gate / free for children under 12
BURNSIDE BRANCH
¼¼ Theatre in the Garden: Sense and Sensibility Experience the joys of a garden on a summer evening as Blue Sky Theatre and Open Gardens SA present a fun-filled version of Jane Austen’s romantic novel at Beaumont House garden. Laugh and cry at the Dashwood sisters’ quest for romance amid a whirlwind of 18th century gossip. Bring a picnic or order one online. Bar available (no byo alcohol please) Thursday 26, Friday 27, and Saturday 28 January Time: Show 6.30–9pm Cost: $35 tickets at www.trybooking.com/MFPQ Place: Beaumont House, 631 Glynburn Rd Beaumont Enquiries: hello@bluseskytheatre. com.au, mobile: 0427 404 924 or opengardensa.org.au/upcomingevents-2/ HERITAGE LIVING | 32 | SOUTH AUSTRALIA
¼¼ Olive Oil History, Tasting & tours Join us to celebrate the establishment of the Olive Oil industry in South Australia in the 1860s by Sir Samuel Davenport. Samuel planted 16,000 olive trees around Beaumont House and some trees are still standing. Special tastings and tours starting on the half hour from 12noon, last tour 4.30pm. Sunday 6 November Time: 12-5pm Cost: Adult $10, including afternoon tea Place: Beaumont House, 631 Glynburn Rd Beaumont Enquiries: Margaret Ford Feckner 0438 838 894 or email: fsquared@bigpond.com ¼¼ Burnside Branch Members Christmas Party Celebrate Christmas and the New Year with the Committee at this year’s Christmas Party at Beaumont House. Enjoy a sumptuous Christmas feast, some cheer and a chance to catch up with other members. Friday 2 December Time: 7-9:30pm Cost: Adult $15 Enquiries: Chris Perriam (08) 8362 3036, Email: perriamci@bigpond.com.au
Events
BURRA BRANCH ¼¼ Come along to the Bon Accord Mine Complex and be fascinated by a working Blacksmith at the forge at Bon Accord Museum. The original mine office and workshop exhibits displays of the Burra copper mining area, 1845-1877. The Blacksmith Shop is fully operational, with a forge of typical Cornish design and original elephant hide bellows. Saturday 19 & 20 November Time: 10am-3pm Place: Corner West Street and Railway Terrace Burra Enquiries: (08) 8892 2154 *Part of the Burra Passport obtained from the Burra Visitor Centre. The Burra Heritage Passport gives access to a number of locations on the Johnny Green’s Trail. COROMANDEL VALLEY & DISTRICTS BRANCH ¼¼ Spotlight on History NightCherry Gardens Cherry Gardens was first settled in 1838, shortly after the colony of South Australia was founded. Cherry Gardens was a farming community until quite recently and has a rich history. Several presenters will be talking on subject matter close to their heart, we will also identify some of the older properties and Heritage places in the district. Take advantage of the Q&A session to find the answers to questions that you might have. Friday 11 November Time: 7.30-10pm Cost: $5.00 per person, supper included Place: Cherry Gardens Memorial Hall, 312 Cherry Gardens Road Cherry Gardens Enquiries: Don Watton 0417 865 044 email:cherrychatter@yahoo.com MOUNT GAMBIER BRANCH ¼¼ Talk: Angela Marzouk ‘Hairdressing Through the Ages’ Come along and enjoy the talk, also on display is a collection of old hairdressing items. Sunday 20 November Time: 3pm with afternoon tea Place: Old Court House, Bay Road Mount Gambier Cost: Gold Coin donation Enquiries: Sam & Geoff Aslin 0414 758 164
TEA TREE GULLY BRANCH
Z WARD
¼¼ Heritage on Sunday Enjoy the afternoon as you visit 13 rooms in the building, 3 pavilions, working blacksmith and wash house. Surrounded in a beautiful garden setting take time to wander, explore and be entertained. Devonshire tea is available and the Gift Shop is a delight.
¼¼ Go behind the walls of the notorious Z Ward at the former Glenside Mental Hospital. For almost 90 years it was home to those classified as “criminally insane” on the overlapping edges of criminality and mental illness. This guided tour explores the architecture and social history of this remarkable building. Saturday 5 & Sunday 27 November Time: 2pm-3:30 pm Place: start from ZWard at Glenside Hospital 63 Conyngham St Glenside Enquiries: Victoria Hardy (08) 8223 1234 ***Hurry book online… sessions are sold out quickly
¼¼ One Day Only: Musical Interlude There is music in the air as local talents showcase their artistic flair. BYO picnic rug and take time to relax in our beautiful garden setting. Sunday 20 November Time: 1-4pm Cost: Adult $5, Conc $4, Children Free Place: Tea Tree Gully Heritage Museum, 3 Perseverance Road, Tea Tree Gully. ¼¼ Christmas High Tea Make a date with family and friends and take this opportunity to enjoy a relaxing time in the unique setting of this historic building. Tiered stands will be filled with a splendid selection of home-made finger food. Lace, fine china and teapots, help you enjoy and relive this Victorian tradition. Gift shop will be stocked with Christmas craft. Saturday 26 & Sunday 27 November Time: 11am-1pm or 2-4pm Cost: $25.00 per person Website: www.ttgmuseum.on.net Place: Tea Tree Gully Heritage Museum, 3 Perseverance Road, Tea Tree Gully All Tea Tree Gully Branch Enquiries: Phone: (08) 8251 3499, www.ttgmuseum.on.net
VICTOR HARBOR BRANCH ¼¼ Christmas Luncheon Thursday 8 December Time: 12noon for 12.30pm Place: To be arranged All Victor Harbor Branch Enquiries: Keith Walter (08) 8552 5350
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TO LIST YOUR EVENT EMAIL: publications@nationaltrustsa.org.au
HERITAGE LIVING | 33 | SOUTH AUSTRALIA
The National Trust of South Australia
PUBLISHER
NTSA STATE OFFICE STAFF
National Trust of South Australia Beaumont House 631 Glynburn Road Beaumont SA 5066 T: 08 8202 9200 F: 08 8202 9201 E: publications@nationaltrustsa.org.au W: www.nationaltrust.org.au/sa
Dr Darren Peacock Chief Executive Officer Helen Cartmel Executive Administrator/Events Manager Ellen Martin Finance Manager Christopher Grant Natural Heritage Manager Mario Russo Asset Manager Joseanne Visentin Senior Administration Officer
COUNCIL COMMITTEES Audit, Finance & Governance Collections, Regions & Branches
DESIGN
NTSA BRANCHES (46)
Dessein Tel: 08 9228 0661 Email: tracy@dessein.com.au
Adelaide & Inner Suburbs, Ardrossan, Burnside, Coromandel Valley, Gawler, Port of Adelaide, Tea Tree Gully, Ceduna, Cleve, Koppio, Streaky Bay, Tumby Bay, Whyalla, Auburn, Burra, Clare, Jamestown, Port Pirie, Barmera, Overland Corner, Renmark, Waikerie, Beachport, Glencoe, Keith, Kingston SE, Millicent, Mount Gambier, Naracoorte, Penola, Robe, Goolwa, Hahndorf, Kingscote KI, Mount Barker, Mount Lofty, Penneshaw, Port Elliot, Strathalbyn, Victor Harbor, Willunga, Central Yorke Peninsula, Kadina, Minlaton, Moonta, Wallaroo.
DISTRIBUTION Heritage Living is published four times a year. PP 536155/0036 ISSN 0815-7871
Telephone (08) 8202 9200 for information or visit the website: www.nationaltrust.org.au/sa
NTSA COUNCIL President Professor Norman Etherington AM Vice Presidents Brian McMillan; Sue Scheiffers Councillors Robert Dare George Hobbs Melanie Kiriacou Peter Langhans Caren Martin
Cultural Heritage Natural Heritage
Front cover: Kate Winslet stars in the hit Australian film The Dressmaker Tilly Dunnage. The Dressmaker photographs courtesy of Film Art Media.
John Northwood Chris Perriam Kath Rayner Richard Stewart Robyn Wight
Patron-in-Chief His Excellency the Honourable Hieu Van Le AO, Governor of South Australia.
DEAR MEMBERS
NTSA Membership Offer – One or three year options for new memberships and renewals are now available. Three year memberships receive a 10% discount. Your membership payments can be made by the following methods: •
•
Direct Debit: BSB 105-900 Account 138429740 (please leave details and quote membership Ref: number as per renewal notice) Online www.nationaltrust.org.au/shop/membership
• •
Cash, Cheque, Money Order or credit card options are still available Telephone State Office on (08) 8202 9200 with credit card details
Supporters The National Trust of South Australia acknowledges its partners and supporters. CIVIC PARTNERS Adelaide City Council
CORPORATE SUPPORTERS Wines by Geoff Hardy Beerenberg Farms Bickfords Coopers Laucke Flour Mills Theodore Bruce Thomson Geer
GOVERNMENT RELATIONSHIPS Australian Government Department of the Environment National Library of Australia
HERITAGE LIVING | 34 | SOUTH AUSTRALIA
South Australian Government Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources SA Water History SA
Places to Stay
Comfortable cottage beckons in Burra Burra is one of South Australia’s most significant heritage sites. Visitors to the town can enjoy a weekend taking in the sights and relaxing in authentic historic accommodation such as the Bon Accord cottage operated by the National Trust.
T
he discovery of rich copper deposits in 1845 in the area that became Burra triggered Australia’s first mining boom. For a short period before the gold rushes of the eastern states, Burra was Australia’s largest inland settlement. It was also the site of the first worker strikes when miners, stonemasons and bricklayers protested their low wages. Profits from the Burra copper mines were the foundation of the fortunes of people such as Henry Ayers who built his magnificent home on North Terrace in Adelaide from the proceeds. Scottish speculators from Aberdeen established the Bon Accord Mine north of the main Burra ‘Monster Mine’. The company laid out the township of Aberdeen adjacent to the mine in September 1849. Bon Accord cottage was built in 1859 as the mine manager’s residence comprising three rooms and with diamond paned windows, a cellar and a veranda. The mine began with high hopes but mining ceased in 1862 without a return to investors. In 1872 the company laid out New Aberdeen on the Bon Accord property following completion of the Railway from Kapunda. After the mine was finally closed in 1877, one shaft was used to supply water to the town from 1884-1905. In 1908, pumping equipment was erected on the main shaft and supplied Burra’s water until 1966.
The National Trust purchased the cottage in 1970 and has carefully restored it to maintain its period charm, adding modern conveniences to provide bed and breakfast accommodation. The cottage offers three queen sized bedrooms, sleeping a maximum of eight people. It features a fully equipped kitchen, sitting room with television and DVD player, laundry facilities, a large bathroom with shower, combustion heater and air conditioning. There is a private cottage garden with a BBQ and linen is supplied. A tariff of $130 per double, plus $20 per extra person is charged. As well as Bon Accord cottage, the National Trust manages a range of other heritage sites in the Burra area, accessible using the Burra Passport, which gives passport holders keyed access to nine locations and a guide to 40 other sites. The passport is available from the Visitor Information Centre seven days a week and makes a great guide for a weekend stay in this fascinating town.
For enquiries and bookings contact (08) 8892 2154 or email burravisitorcentre@bigpond.com
Bon Accord cottage
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Costume Exhibition
dressmakerexhibition.com.au
Must close 11 December
Every day 10am-5pm (except Mondays) Ayers House Museum 288 North Terrace Adelaide (08) 8223 1234