VO LU M E 9 N O 2 M AY 2 0 1 5
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HISTORIC QUEEN’S WHARF
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28 FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS
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National Trust Heritage Festival 2015 Conflict and Compassion
There are so many interesting events to explore in April and May. Plan ahead for the 2015 heritage festival to discover things about places from across every region of Australia.
NATIONAL TRUST HERITAGE FESTIVAL
CONFLICT + COMPASSION
2015 www.nationaltrustfestival.org.au
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ISSN: 1835-2316
with editor Gina Pickerin g
Vol 9 No 1 2015 Trust News is published quarterly for National Trust members and subscribers in February, May, August and November. Publication is coordinated by the National Trust of Australia (WA) on behalf of the National Trusts of Australia and supported by the Department of Environment. National Trust of Australia (WA) ABN 83 697 381 616 PO Box 1162 West Perth WA 6872 T: 08 9321 6088 F: 08 9324 1571 W:www.ntwa.com.au Editor: Gina Pickering gina.pickering@ntwa.com.au T: 08 9321 6088 Advertising: For advertising rates, contact the Editor. Design: Dessein Graphics Cover: National Trust Heritage Festival preparations in Tasmania. Thomas Ryan Photography Next Issue: August 2015 Copy deadline:10 June 2015 Please help us to save our environment and circulate this magazine as widely as possible. This magazine is printed on recyclable paper and packed in 100% degradable wrap. The views expressed in Trust News are not necessarily those of the National Trusts or the Department of Environment. The articles in this magazine are subject to copyright. No article may be used without the consent of the National Trust and the author.
Greetings In this edition of Trust News Australia The Green Army joins forces with the National Trust to provide conservation training at Victorian properties. Frontline perspectives from Gallipoli nurses are revealed in moving 1915 diary notes and recollections, while the fascinating story of War Service Homes is displayed in a Tasmanian exhibition. A new Queen’s wharf website showcases a Queensland riverside treasure and the Giants come to Perth as French-Australian culture combines in the West. South Australia considers its industrial heritage and caring for kilns at James Brickworks and a new appeal is launched for a bushfire casualty after a bush university is razed to the ground. Meantime, events continue to unfold around the country in our May Heritage Festival highlights.
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Minister’s Message
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National Trust calls in the Army
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Historic Queen’s Wharf website launched
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Vale JAMES SEMPLE KERR
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Home from the War
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‘Anzac Girls’ - Gallipoli 1915
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200 years young
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May Heritage Festival highlights
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Giant Legacy
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Out of the ashes
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Understanding Old Perth Boys’ School
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Caring for Kilns at Adelaide’s James Brickworks
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Down the line
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Telegraph line history
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Bol Brutu: The Stonehunters Gang
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The Great War hits Broken Hill
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Miss Fisher Returns to Rippon Lea
Enjoy
Gina Pickering | Editor
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TRUST NEWS AUSTRALIA MAY 2015
PERSPECTIVES
Minister’s Message GREG HUNT MP | MINISTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT
This January provided a remarkable start to 2015 for Australia’s national cultural heritage. On 20 January, I was delighted to announce, in front of large enthusiastic crowd, National Heritage listing for the City of Broken Hill. BEFORE
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he city’s heritage listing recognises its outstanding heritage value to the nation for the significant role it and its mining operations have played in Australia’s development towards a modern and prosperous nation. The city’s dramatic desert landscape—with mountainous mullock dumps and turn-of-thecentury mining infrastructure— dominate its business district, placing Broken Hill’s industrial heritage at its core. More than 130 years of continuous mining operations have seen Broken Hill and its residents make remarkable contributions to technical developments in the field of mining, the development of occupational health and safety standards, and the early innovation and adoption of environmental regeneration in and around mining operations. Broken Hill’s National Heritage listing also celebrates the city’s unique character and distinctive aesthetic. The city’s unusual and complicated mix of government and private administration is reflected in its architecture. Its historic government buildings reflect the NSW colonial government style, with residential buildings reflecting those of South Australia. Commercial buildings display characteristics similar to Melbourne’s Victorian architectural period.
Broken Hill has come to symbolise the challenges of living and surviving in the remote Australian outback. Since its inception, the city’s history and culture have drawn artists, writers, painters and poets to Broken Hill. The city is recognised for its artistic community such as the ‘Brushmen of the Bush’ including Pro Hart. Broken Hill is recognised across Australia for its strong community spirit, the resilience of its people and its isolated location. The resilience of the Broken Hill community and the strong connection to their city is reflected in the city’s public art, memorials and murals. It is not surprising that the Broken Hill community has embraced the National Heritage listing. The media coverage generated by the listing has been extraordinary. I am sure the Broken Hill community will work together to ensure all
Australians are aware of this remarkable and distinctive place. The City of Broken Hill is the 103rd place to be included in the National Heritage List. In January I also had the privilege to re-open the World and National Heritage listed Port Arthur Penitentiary building after the completion of extensive restoration work. Funding from Port Arthur Historic Site Management Authority, along with contributions from the Australian and Tasmanian governments enabled the removal of an existing support frame to allow for the re-creation of the corridors and pathways of the original building—allowing people to walk in the footsteps of its convict inmates. I encourage everyone to visit the restored Penitentiary building when next in Tasmania.
TOP LEFT Broken Hill Mayor Wincen Cuy (left), Minister Greg Hunt, Federal Minister for Health and Minister for Sport and Member for Farrer Sussan Ley and Executive Chairman, INTO Executive Committee International National Trusts Organisation Professor Simon Molesworth. Department of the Environment RIGHT Penitentiary prior to and after new works. Port Arthur Historic Site Management Authority
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National Trust calls in the Army MICHAEL MAGNUSSON
A Federal government project is making a significant contribution to the care of National Trust properties in Geelong and the Western District of Victoria while providing training for young Australians.
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orking with the Trust, the Green Army program will train a team in heritage garden, building and native vegetation conservation. The first Green Army program involves work at Barwon Park, Barwon Grange, The Heights, and Mooramong, with two additional programs based at the Trust’s metropolitan and Mornington Peninsula properties planned for later in 2015. The Green Army is an environmental action program supporting local environmental and heritage conservation projects across Australia. It provides young people aged 17 to 24 with training and experience in environmental and heritage conservation while participating in p ro j e c t s b e n e f it t i n g Australia’s heritage and environment. National Trust Victoria was the only Trust nationally to successfully seek a Green Army project team. Linda Fienberg is supervising the nine member Green Army team which started work in February and will continue for the next 20 weeks. “A diverse team was selected enabling an equally diverse range of projects to be undertaken and
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the National Trust developed the scope of the project according to the team’s abilities,” she said. “Although most of the Green Army work is bush regeneration, all of these projects have some natural resource management aspect to them. This combines with a lot of heritage work which they have also been interested in, and the National Trust has been fantastic in providing an induction
for them. To get both the historic perspective of the site and the management aspect of the site has been terrific.” The team is able to provide some of the longer-term, intensive maintenance work on the often vast estates of the Trust’s regional properties. Each property had its own set of tasks, some of which overlapped, such as cleaning and oiling the verandahs at all of the properties. Claudette Brennan, Property Manager of The Heights and Barwon Grange is impressed by the team’s commitment. “It’s great to see so many young, enthusiastic people. They have been tackling some jobs that we as volunteers couldn’t do because we only have a work day once a week. So it’s great they are here three or four days a week and are able to tackle bigger jobs that would take us much longer, and to develop skills as well,” she said.
Green Army recruit in the garden at Mooramong, Skipton. J Hood Army participants collect native grass seeds at Mooramong, Skipton. J Hood
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Historic Queen’s Wharf website launched DR VALERIE DENNIS | HISTORIAN NATIONAL TRUST (QLD)
Brisbane’s Queen’s Wharf lies at the end of a sloping road built by convicts, dominated by a 1970s Riverside Expressway. Despite being a neglected corner of Brisbane it has a fascinating history of connection to the world, a history revealed in a new website launched in March by the National Trust of Australia (Queensland).
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istoric Queen’s Wharf’ looks at the people, places and events associated with a wedge shaped section of Brisbane bounded by the river, Queen, George and Alice Streets. The website was developed with the generous support of the Brisbane City Council through a Community Heritage Grant. Interest in the history of Queen’s Wharf emerged in the wake of North Bank, a 2007 project, ultimately scrapped, that proposed the construction of high rise towers on concrete platforms in the Brisbane River. In 2014 the State Government declared its support for
conversion of the wider precinct into an integrated resort that includes a casino. The development of a website that records the history of the precinct is timely. Queen’s Wharf was the location of Brisbane’s first wharf. One hundred and ninety years ago this month, Lieutenant Henry Miller and a small band of convicts and their military keepers established a penal settlement from this point. Adjacent they built a stone Commissariat, later converted to government stores and today the home of the Royal Historical Society of Queensland.
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Pencil sketch of Brisbane showing Queen’s Wharf, ca 1835, by Henry Boucher Bowerman Trust House from William Street. T Nemeth Photography CENTRE Section of a 1931 group photograph of Department of Agriculture and Stock staff, Arthur Bell front row centre. Image courtesy of Leo Cain RIGHT Birds eye view of Brisbane showing Queen’s Wharf in 1888. Brisbane, as drawn by WA Clarson in the Illustrated Sydney News, 1888. LEFT National
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After the convicts departed, the immigrants arrived at what, with the ascension of Queen Victoria, was named Queen’s Wharf. They included interesting characters such as Thomas Dowse, a ticket-of-leave man and the Brisbane correspondent for the Sydney Morning Herald, and William Pettigrew, a Lang emigrant who arrived in 1849. Dowse constructed a wharf and store in the precinct while Pettigrew developed a steam-driven sawmill complex nearby. How they faced adversity is told in stories included on the website. Having stepped ashore at Queen’s Wharf, thousands of immigrants stayed temporarily at the Immigration Depot which was built in 1866 adjacent to the wharf reserve. The few written records which have surfaced reveal a place that was uncomfortable, unpleasant and often overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of new arrivals. Too small for its purpose, the building was converted to offices for the newly formed Department of Agriculture (later Agriculture and Stock)in 1890. After a century of occupancy by the Department, the former depot became the Brisbane office of the National Trust of Australia (Queensland). In the foyer is a First World War Honour Board designed and made by departmental employees in 1919. Of the 92 staff members who enlisted statewide, 11 did not return. One of those was pilot Roy Cumestree Trout, a 21 year old agricultural chemist trained at the Central Flying School in Victoria. In July 1917 he died in an aircraft crash near Coventry, England. Another Honour Board story is that of Arthur Bell, who served as a gunner on the Western Front before returning to work in the Department. While attending a conference in 1932 he learned of Bufo marinus, a toad reportedly successful in reducing populations of the destructive cane beetle. The toad was subsequently introduced into Queensland. Read more Historic Queen’s Wharf stories at www.queenswharf.org.
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Vale JAMES SEMPLE KERR 1932-2014 ANGELA LE SUEUR | NATIONAL TRUST NSW
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ames Kerr died on 15 October 2014, ten years after the death of his wife Joan in 2004. Together they had created a strong partnership; she in the field of art and architectural history, he as a leader in conservation planning. The 1970s was a decade when recognition of the value of Australian heritage gained massive momentum within government and the community. The Australian Heritage Commission was established in 1977 and for almost three years Jim worked as Assistant Director, Technical and Policy. He was prominent in the development of the Australian Committee of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), the central body to heritage conservation professionals, and was convenor of the committee that developed the Burra Charter and its Guidelines. Most notable among his many publications is The Conservation Plan, which outlines processes for managing change in places of cultural significance. From the early 1980s he acted as a policy advisor or principal consultant to Commonwealth, NSW, West Australian and Northern Territory government agencies, architectural firms and institutions. The National Trust is indebted to Jim Kerr for his invaluable and varied support over many decades, including as deputy director of the Trust. In 1988 he was awarded the Trust Voluntary Service Medal, in 1992 he was made an Honorary Life Member of the Trust, in 1995 he and Joan were awarded the NSW National Trust Heritage Award and in 2007 they received a Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2011 Jim was made an Honorary Member of ICOMOS at the 17th General Assembly in Paris, one of only a few Australians to receive this honour. His Order of Australia in 1999 was made with the citation – ‘for service to heritage conservation through organisations including the Australian ICOMOS and the NSW Branch of the National Trust of Australia’.
Queen’s Wharf from South Bank. T Nemeth Photography
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Kerr at Fremantle Prison. Fremantle Herald
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Home from the War PETA NEWMAN | NATIONAL TRUST (TAS)
The personal stories of Australian soldiers and the war service homes they returned to in Launceston are the subject of an exhibition and publication put together by the National Trust Tasmania.
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lthough the centenary of Gallipoli is the focus for national commemorations in 2015, the impact of World War 1 on Australia was far reaching and long lasting. Large numbers of returned soldiers needed to be supported, employed and housed when the war ended in 1918. The moral imperative was so great and the housing shortage so acute, that unprecedented solutions had to be devised and delivered. Commonwealth governments were never enthusiastic about involvement in housing even where there were strong welfare reasons for participation. However, in 1919 the Commonwealth initiated the War Service Homes Act to provide dwellings for Australian soldiers or their widows and dependents. To be eligible, a soldier had to prove that he had served overseas, was married or engaged or else that he had dependants for whom it was necessary to provide a home. Returned nurses, munitions and war workers were also eligible to apply.
The total cost of each house to the War Service Homes Commission could not exceed 700 pounds and had to cover the cost of the house and land. TRUST NEWS AUSTRALIA MAY 2015
On 28 October 1919 the first sod was turned at Eddie Street, Invermay of the foundation for the first house in Launceston to be erected under the Act. The Examiner reported that ‘Every endeavour would be made to give the applicant a convenient and artistic home. All the material and workmanship would be of the best, and the scheme was going to create a large demand for tradesmen; any returned soldier who could do work at the building trade would be found ready employment’. On 10 March 1920, The Examiner again reported that ‘At the rate of 10 or 12 per week … defenders of the Empire are making applications for homes … no less than 400 homes have been asked for in Launceston.’ The stories of the first occupants of these houses, who are listed as the owners and/or occupants in the 1923 Tasmanian Government Gazette’s Launceston Assessment Roll, are not only personal but are a narrative of the wider and typical, Australian post-war experience for returned servicemen and their families. There was happiness and some households prospered. Unfortunately there was also untimely death, lingering and debilitating war and work-related injuries, unemployment and financial stress. There was divorce, manslaughter and suicide, and the
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5 Malabar Street Brick Owned and occupied by Robert Henry Price Coningsby
privations of the Great Depression. Then there was the shocking realisation that their war did not ‘end all wars’, with their children enlisting, and some dying, in the World War 2. The War Service Homes Commission continued its Australia-wide work well after the end of the World Wars, yet its story is not well known nor frequently depicted in any medium. Many Australians whose families lived in these homes, or bought them subsequently, will find fascinating the stories and photographs in the exhibition and publication. Visit Clarendon until the end of May.
FEATURED IMAGES Thomas
Ryan
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HOME FROM
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WAR On 10 March 1920, The Examiner again reported that
‘At the rate of 10 or 12 per week … defenders of the Empire are making applications for homes … no less than 400 homes have been asked for in Launceston.’
8 Malabar Street Brick Owned and occupied by Percy Philip Farrelly
11 Malabar Street Weatherboard Owned and occupied by Charles George Illman
107 Abbott Street Brick Owned and occupied by William Charles Thomas Everett
56 David Street Brick Owned and occupied by Herbert John Richards
44 David Street Brick Owned by Charles David Chilcott
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‘Anzac Girls’ - Gallipoli 1915 PETER DOWLING | NATIONAL TRUST HERITAGE OFFICER NATIONAL TRUSTS OF AUSTRALIA
Australian nurses and other medical staff played a vital role in often perilous conditions during the Gallipoli campaign. More than 3,000 Australian nurses volunteered for active service during the First World War and around two in every three served with the Australian Army Nursing Service (AANS) as part of the Australian Army Medical Corps. Australian nurses from the AANS, together with other civilian medical services, were based in hospitals and medical centres in Cairo, Alexandria, on the Mediterranean island of Lemnos and on hospital ships directly off the coast of the Gallipoli Peninsula. Even though none stepped foot on Turkish soil during hostilities, they came under fire from enemy positions ashore.
ON THE SHIPS Sister Lydia Kathleen King was on board the SS Sicilia (a converted hospital ship) anchored off the southern part of the Gallipoli Peninsula, and witnessed the battles on the second day of the landing. April 27 Our ships continued to shell gun positions on the furtherest hill & occasionally shells from their positions fell very near the Euryalus [A Royal Navy armoured cruiser] not 100 yards from us. Three fell into water… One whizzed right over us and fell 100 yards the other side.2 Sister Madeline Wilson volunteered for front line work. In July 1915 she found herself on the British hospital ship Neuralia. Between July and November 1915, the ship made nine trips to and from the Gallipoli Peninsula. On 11 August, after embarking wounded while anchored off Anzac Cove, Sister Wilson wrote wearily in her diary: Went to bed about 3 pm after 24 hours non-stop, up at 6 am on duty another 24 hours, British gun boats firing day & night, Turks firing heavily on trawlers bringing out wounded. MG s [Turkish machine guns] turned on us while boarding wounded, some killed on deck, boat packed with wounded …..3
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wounded soldiers from Anzac Cove to a hospital ship. Australian War Memorial
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ON LEMNOS ISLAND Many wounded were evacuated to Lemnos Island, the major staging point for the Gallipoli landings. Matron Grace Wilson* arrived there in August 1915, to set up an Australian hospital just as many wounded were arriving from Gallipoli following the battles around Lone Pine and the Nek. Well-qualified and experienced in medical care, she was appalled at what she witnessed. She was distraught that the medical teams had little or no equipment or medicines, or even fresh water available to help the wounded. Convoy arrived, about 400 – no equipment whatever – Just laid the men on the ground, and gave them a drink. Very many badly shattered nearly all stretcher cases… Tents were erected over them as quickly as possible. It is awful to see the way they are shattered and to have nothing to give them – no comfort whatever.
Matron Wilson was one of the shining lights among the medical staff. She soon created order out of chaos at Lemnos and by 13 August, she and the medical staff were treating 900 patients.4 *Matron Grace Wilson was played by Caroline Craig in the 2014 ABC TV series, Anzac Girls.
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Cited in J. Laffin, 1980, Damn the Dardanelles, p.168
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Diary of Sister Lydia Kathleen King AANS AWM 3DRL 6040
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Biographical notes of Sister Madeline Alice Kendall Wilson, AANS, AWM PR86/326
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J. McCarthy, ‘Wilson, Grace Margaret (1879-1957) Australian Dictionary of Biography, Australian National University, http://adb.anu.edu.au (accessed 28 January, 2015)
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hospital, Lemnos Island, 1915. Australian nurses treated the wounded from Gallipoli during the course of the campaign. Australian War Memorial BELOW Australian nurses arriving at Lemnos Island, 1915. Matron Grace Wilson leading the group. Australian War Memorial
We could do little for some soldiers, except help them die decently.1 (Sister Nellie Pike, 3rd Australia General Hospital, Lemnos Island)
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ABOVE The
National Trust Centre, soon to be repainted in heritage colours and close up of its Royal Arms. C Shain verandahs were modified in 1849 to accommodate the National School. National Trust Archives BACKGROUND Fort Street cultivating the grounds in what is now the National Trust Café. National Trust Archives BOTTOM External
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200 years young In July, the imposing edifice on Sydney’s Observatory Hill which has housed the Trust since 1974 reaches the ripe age of 200 years. The main building in the National Trust complex is one of Australia’s oldest and most dignified buildings.
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May Heritage Festival highlights ELOISE HAIRMAN | NATIONAL HERITAGE FESTIVAL MANAGER
The 2015 Heritage Festival has been the National Trust’s strongest performing festival to date. The theme, Conflict and Compassion has prompted a wide range of community events relating to the centenary of the ANZAC landing. For the first time national events have featured through the festival including Campout Gallipoli which took place on Anzac Day. There’s still plenty more to experience through May in regional and city based destinations. So take your time and explore the festival guides. Go online to the festival website www.nationaltrustfestival.org.au and make yourself an unforgettable itinerary for day trips, weekends away and fantastic events.
New South Wales The Heritage Festival in NSW is in full swing with events hosted in every region. It’s a big year particularly for Bathurst with many of its bicentenary celebrations hosted by the National Trust. Event: Road to Bathurst Tour Place: Leave from Old Government House, Parramatta When: Friday to Sunday 8 - 10 May, 2015 In the comfort of a small bus the tour is led by walker and author Almis Simans and tour guide John McIntosh. This experienced National Trust team has journeyed many of the historic trails of NSW, Britain, Europe and New Zealand. This tour visits three National Trust properties, commencing at Old Government House Parramatta. Your stops include Caley’s Repulse, Woodford Academy, Wentworth Falls, Mt York, Mt Blaxland, and Miss Traill’s House. We arrive in time to join the Bathurst 2015 Bicentenary Celebrations. Overnight accommodation will be in Katoomba and Bathurst. Costs include all handouts, fees, transport, accommodation and meals except the evening dinners. This is a Bathurst 200 Event. Event: The National Trust Heritage Awards Place: Doltone House Jones Bay Wharf, Pyrmont, Sydney When: Wednesday 13 May 11am - 2pm Now in their 21st year of recognising excellence in Heritage throughout NSW, the Heritage Awards is the signature event of the NSW National Trust Heritage Festival. People have referred to this event as the “Oscars for the NSW Heritage Community.” The heritage community mingle and are rewarded for their tenacious and often painstaking projects.
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Tasmania Event: In Conversation with Michael (Dan) Mori Place: Cascade Function Centre, 140 Cascade Road, South Hobart When: Saturday 9 May 5.30pm –7.30 pm In this very special Festival event, Tasmanians will have the chance to hear direct from Major Michael (Dan) Mori, the US Marine Corps counsel whose role was to defend Hicks when he was incarcerated in Guantanamo Bay for terrorism. For four years, Dan fought to expose the illegal nature of Hicks’s detention, the bogus “terrorist” charges and the thoroughly anti-democratic character of the so-called Military Commissions. Brian Wightman, former Tasmanian Minister for Justice, will explore the case and its effects on Dan Mori - who now lives in Australia - in an up-close interview.
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Western Australia PHOTO E
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Victoria In 2015 the Victorian National Trust Heritage Festival is delighted to partner with the Victorian Goldfields to feature the Goldfields Heritage Month. Celebrating heritage experiences and stories from across the Goldfields region, Heritage Festival events will showcase heritage sites, exhibitions, tours and performances with more than 50 events and activities on offer. Event: Celebrate Vahland Place: Bendigo and Region When: 1 May – 26 May, Daily In 2015, the City of Greater Bendigo will commemorate the 100th anniversary of the death of acclaimed Goldfields Architect WC Vahland (1828-1915). The region will host a number of events, talks and walks that recognise and celebrate the architectural achievements of this Germanborn architect and his lasting contribution to Bendigo and surrounds. See Festival website for event listings. Event: B-24 Liberators & the Return of Australian POWs, 1945–46 Place: B-24 Liberator Memorial Restoration Australia Hangar, Werribee When: Saturday 16 May 10.30am - 12pm The role of B-24 Liberator bombers in WWII is well recognised. Less well known is their role at the end of the war in the return of Australians who had been POWs. A special event on B-24 Liberators and the return of Australian POWs 1945-46 will be held in the heritage-listed WWII hangar against the backdrop of the restored B-24 Liberator aircraft.
Event: Dryandra Country Art, Food and Wine Trail Place: 80 Federal St, Narrogin When: Saturday 9 May - Sunday 10 May 10am - 4pm A combination of art, food plus natural and cultural heritage beckons over the Mother’s Day weekend. Visit 17 great venues spread over five towns (Cuballing, Narrogin, Popanyinning, Wickepin and Williams) with art on display and for sale. You’ll discover professional studios, home studios and heritage buildings featuring multiple artists on this self-guided tour. Special Mother’s Day menus are available at the wineries and cafes. Send an email to ask for a trail guide. FREE. Enquiries: 08 9881 6987 arttrail@artsnarroign.com.au
Queensland Event: Great Houses of Ipswich Place: Ipswich When: Saturday 9 May 10am - 3pm The National Trust, through its Ipswich Branch and in partnership with Ipswich City Council and the generous owners of three great houses, is very proud to once again open the doors to some of the outstanding heritage residences in Queensland’s oldest provincial city, Ipswich. ‘Lakemba’, ‘Karragaroo’ and ‘The Chestnuts’ are the three great houses that will open in this year’s Heritage Festival. Take a peek!
*The Northern Territory and ACT festivals finished in April. 15
www.nationaltrustfestival.org.au TRUST NEWS AUSTRALIA MAY 2015
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Giant
Legacy GINA PICKERING | EDITOR
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Little Girl Giant aboard her boat making her way through the streets of Perth with her assistants. G.Pickering
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For three days A in February the streets of Perth were alive with anticipation, goodwill and French giants.
6m tall little girl giant and an 11m giant diver captivated a crowded city. They walked, showered, read, slept and enthralled children and adults. The $5.4million performance was like no other in Australia. Bringing the Royal de Luxe Giants to Perth was a part of the Perth International Arts Festival and part of Western Australia’s Anzac commemorations. Billed a once in a lifetime experience the Giant event transformed the city, caused road closures, changes to public transport and brought 1.4million people into the city. There was patience rather than complaints and access from open windows, bridges and the shoulders of fathers was sought at every opportunity. Aside from the breathtaking spectacle, the performance also delivered a complex narrative developed by Royal de Luxe, the WA branch of the RSL, the Nyoongar community including Yirra Yarkin Theatre Company and Albany author Dianne Wolfer. It combined a Nyoongar journey with the story of the Albany Lighthouse Girl and a commitment to retrieving those lost at Gallipoli.
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Girl Giant tucked in for the night at Langley Park, Perth. G.Pickering LEFT Noongar art on the bow of the boat traces the Little Girl Giant’s journey along waterholes and rivers to Whadjuk country. G.Pickering CENTRE The Giant Diver sleeps in Perth city. G.Pickering RIGHT Curious onlookers take a closer look. G.Bickford
The boat on which the little Girl Giant pitched and rolled down city streets features an Aboriginal design on its bow. Aboriginal artist Barry McGuire depicted the journey from waterhole country east of Perth through to Derbarl Yerrigan/ the Swan River. “Her footprints travel right through to Whadjuk country,” he told Perth International Arts Festival. “When you think about the storyline of the young girl waking up and having such great interaction with the Nyoongar people, they taught her the way to live and one of things was so she knows where she is – sense of place.” It’s certainly not the first time the French have brought their influence to Western Australia. There is a history of interpreting our cultural landscape. Consider the French place names along the Western Australian Coast or that the original map of the Swan River was created by Francois Heirisson in 1801. The giant experience recently embedded in Perth’s psyche and riverscape integrates ancient Nyoongar culture, the story of Gallipoli and the significance of the river itself. The event has brought reconciliation to the city and renewed important cultural connections with the French. It has also demonstrated the social, environmental and economic value of heritage to the community and the State.
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Out of the ashes PETER MURPHY | COVENANTING OFFICER NATIONAL TRUST (WA)
In late January a thunderstorm struck the southwest corner of Western Australia turning on a spectacular light show. A bolt of lightning ignited a large eucalypt in the Shannon National Park. What followed was one of the largest bushfires the state had seen. By the time the fire had been brought under control (9 February) by an army of exhausted fire-fighters, almost 100,000ha of forest, woodland and coastal heath had been destroyed.
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alimup Springs Bush University (MSBU) was one of the casualties. Owned by Kaitijin Mia Mia Aboriginal Foundation, Malimup Springs is situated right on the Southern Ocean in the southwest of Western Australia, nestled on the southern tip of the D’Entrecasteaux National Park (named after French Admiral Bruny D’Entrecasteaux) in one of the few biodiversity hotspots on the planet. Spearheaded by MSBU Chair Karen Jacobs and including a dedicated Members’ Board comprised of local Indigenous and
non-Indigenous people, ‘The Bush Uni’ as it’s affectionately known, has for near on a decade - in partnership with the National Trust (WA), Perth Zoo, Indigenous Land Corporation, Department of Parks and Wildlife and the Healing Foundation - helped numerous Aboriginal youth reconnect with the boodjara (earth). The campus comprised four main buildings, seven sheds and water infrastructure in an extraordinary and pristine landscape recognised for its biodiversity and ecological values. “If it hadn’t been for the bravery
ABOVE LEFT Nyoongar
of MSBU Board Members John and James Sebire, the main building (The Warden’s Cottage) would have been completely destroyed,” said Director Marilyn Morgan. During the past five years more than a $1million has been invested on site in infrastructure, refurbishment of campus buildings, equipment and vehicles. The Bush Uni was due to launch its new cultural eco tourism products this Easter. The National Trust has provided covenants on the pristine bushland which have informed heritage programs, land management
elder Terry ‘Koodah’ Cornwall is Chairman of ‘Malimup Springs Bush University’ and teaches Nyoongar youth on how to reconnect with the land. P Murphy ABOVE RIGHT Ghostly reminder of water tank destroyed in the fire. P Murphy TRUST NEWS AUSTRALIA MAY 2015
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and conservation. However, the damage onsite is heartbreaking and extensive. “Insurance will not come close to covering the damage to infrastructure and buildings, or our business. The Foundation will require significant support to rebuild from this crisis,” Ms Morgan said. “We are in need of particular support in the form of a Disaster Recovery and Management Plan that will assist us with the design and costs of the replacement campus buildings
and infrastructure including the bridge.” The Foundation’s vision was to operate a learning place where young Australians, Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal could engage with Aboriginal culture and traditional ecological knowledge in a reconciliatory context. Partners including the Department of Parks and Wildlife have been swift to support Kaitijin Mia Mia Aboriginal Foundation. “The rebuild of the Bush University at Malimup is an important project that has the
potential to provide significant benefits for local community, Aboriginal people, conservation and park management. The Foundation is a role model for collaborative management of the environment,” said Colin Ingram Senior Planning Officer, Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife. The National Trust has set up the Malimup Springs Bush University appeal. Contact 08 9321 6088 for further details trust@ntwa.com.au
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building in ruins after the fire swept through the landscape. P Murphy balga (Xanthorrhoea preissii) burst fourth. P Murphy BOTTOM RIGHT Delicate leaves of a eucalypt emerge from the ashes. P Murphy BOTTOM LEFT Resilient
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Understanding Old Perth Boys’ School GINA PICKERING | EDITOR
The design of a new fit out at Old Perth Boys’ School is underway as part of a long term partnership between Curtin University and the National Trust of Western Australia.
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he recent leasing of Perth’s first Government School which was completed in 1854 sees an expansion of Curtin’s presence in the Perth CBD. The elegant and somewhat ecclesiastically styled building bookends an outstanding heritage precinct and is in a prominent position adjacent to the BHP Billiton Tower. Curtin University will adopt the high profile place as a central location for a range of engagement activities and meetings with its stakeholders, business and alumni. This area has significance and a long history as a gathering place.
Fourteen listed Aboriginal sites are within a kilometre of the St Georges Terrace location which is linked with a significant meeting between Nyoongar leaders. School boys from the mid 1850s recall gatherings of up to 50 Nyoongar people in the area cooking fish. The Nyoongar word Byererup1 is associated with the ridge along the Terrace. The site’s Aboriginal history, links to the Swan Colony’s first mill known as Reveley’s Mill and to the education of children and adults over more than one hundred years will inform the interpretation for the site.
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In addition, six thousand objects were recovered as part of an underfloor archaeology program in 2011 comprising a mix of marbles, slates pencils and tablets, writing nibs, lolly wrappers, buttons and peach seeds, a rat’s remains and more. An archaeological report details a rich catalogue of material from which to draw new understanding of the Old Perth Boys’ School significance. The National Trust has cared for the building since 1977 and was responsible for implementing $1m worth of conservation work on the stone work and surrounds in 2012.
Perth Boys’ School has a long history associated with learning, leadership and innovation. K Rippingale represent the current design direction for the Old Perth Boys School, the intention is for the main hall to be used for taster exhibitions and a point of contact for Curtin students and alumni.
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Teams from both the National Trust and Curtin University are working together to complete the project by the end of the year. Old Perth Boys’ School has been a centre for education, a cafe and the headquarters of the National Trust. Its historic links to Curtin University through Perth Technical College and the Western Australian Institute of Technology (WAIT) which both occupied 139 St Georges Terrace play important roles in Curtin’s new city presence and a new chapter for this State register-listed place. 1
Advice from the Department of Aboriginal Affairs
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Perth Boys’ School c1866. State Library Western Australia, The Battye Library, 6909B ink wells, Artefact Catalogue, Archaelogical and Heritage Management Solutions, June 2014 BOTTOM LEFT & RIGHT Conservation Architect Caroline Stokes highlights existing graffiti. G.Pickering FAR RIGHT Sample of clay pipes, Artefact Catalogue, Archaelogical and Heritage Management Solutions, June 2014 ABOVE RIGHT Ceramic
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Caring for Kilns at Adelaide’s James Brickworks PETER LANGHANS | COUNCILLOR NATIONAL TRUST (SA)
The City of Charles Sturt in Adelaide’s west has begun preliminary assessment work on possible conservation and interpretation options for the state heritage-listed James Brickworks at Beverley. The kilns are all that remain at two brick-making sites in the city’s inner west that were once part of a thriving industry that began early in the colony’s settlement.
LEFT The former James Brickworks site at Toogood Avenue, Beverley. P Langhans RIGHT The circular (beehive) kiln is the only one of its type remaining in South Australia. P Langhans
TRUST NEWS AUSTRALIA MAY 2015
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delaide’s nineteenth century dwellings were typically built using locally sourced limestone or bluestone, but the abundance of alluvial red clay deposits to the west of the city led to the development of a booming brick-making industry. Initially, dwellings used brick only for chimneys and for window
James’ kilns by an explosion resulting from a build-up of steam in the hot kiln. The business was relocated to clay deposits at Beverley where the current kilns were built. By 1974, brick production had ceased due to depletion of the clay deposits. The former Woodville Council (now part of City of Charles
and door surrounds but, as brick production increased, brick became the major material used to construct houses and buildings. In the heyday of the industry, there were a dozen brick and clay pipe manufacturers in inner western Adelaide. Mr A. E. James started his brickmaking business around 1912 in the suburb of Welland, adjacent to the much larger brickworks of his competitor J. Hallett & Son. However in 1923, the River Torrens burst its banks causing serious flooding to the locality and the destruction of one of
Sturt) purchased the site, mainly to use the clay pit (pug hole) as a municipal rubbish tip, but also to retain the brickworks for local historical interest. The site has four, vaulted downdraught kilns as well as a circular (beehive) downdraught kiln, the latter being the only one of its type remaining in South Australia. Two recently constructed opensided pavilions house brick-making equipment salvaged from a nearby brickyard that was demolished some years ago.
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Conservation
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ENT FO R S TAT E H E R I TAG E LISTED BRICKW ORKS
ABOVE The
remaining downdraught kilns at the former James’ Brickworks at Beverley. P Langhans FAR LEFT The crumbling brickwork of Kiln No 1 has been significantly eroded by exposure to rain. P Langhans LEFT Kiln No 2 has been partially restored and better shows the original appearance of the kilns. P Langhans
The City of Charles Sturt is considering conservation of the site. The four vaulted downdraught kilns are sadly in varying stages of deterioration. Although one of the kilns has been partially restored, exposure to rain is generally causing a breakdown of the brick fabric of all four. An option may be the construction of a steel canopy structure over each kiln that would slow down further deterioration. An important aspect of the City of Charles Sturt’s project is to provide heritage interpretation
facilities for visitors, and particularly groups of school students. Council has engaged heritage architects Swanbury Penglase to assist in developing alternative concepts and a phased program that would fit within Council’s budgetary constraints. It is hoped that Council funding is approved for the next phase of this important project to reinvigorate the James Brickworks heritage site.
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ABOVE  Decades
in the elements .Original wall finishes remain despite decades in the severe elements. K Rippingale
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Down the line KELLY RIPPINGALE | HERITAGE ARCHITECT NATIONAL TRUST (WA)
The limestone walls of the 1985 Post and Telegraph Station building are a standout feature in the isolated landscape of low coastal vegetation 200km east of Esperance, Western Australia in Nuytsland Nature Reserve. The roof, floor and other timberwork were removed many years ago. Scattered through this landscape are the remains of the earliest Telegraph Station (1876) and a number of cottages. One cottage, built by linesman John Cook (c1883), remains standing adjacent to a large late twentieth century shack built by one-time resident fisherman Len Spurr. Nearby is an 1895 jetty and the remains of early bond stores.
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isitors are infrequent. The National Trust in Western Australia has managed this remote heritage place location since 1977 and while it’s difficult to access early, this year conservation and archaeological specialists made a welcome pilgrimage. Spurr’s shack has been maintained and is used as a recreational hub by his family and friends. On this visit grandson Jake Spurr and family friend Trevor Bale accompanied National Trust architects, UWA consultant archaeologist Dr Sean Winter and conservation specialist Keith McAllister. Israelite Bay Post and Telegraph Station is highly significant as one of the remote telegraph stations which opened up communication between Perth and Adelaide. Subsequently, Western Australia was provided with national and international news more quickly and effectively than previous forms of communication.
ABOVE Weed
control programs have effected the surrounding landscape. K Rippingale crockery found onsite. K Rippingale RIGHT Assessing wall finishes witha colour specifier. K Rippingale BOTTOM RIGHT Ceramic insulator dated 1874. K Rippingale CENTRE Remnant
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The impressive scale and architectural detail of the main building in its isolated setting, along with remains associated with those who lived and worked at the station, are a reminder of the efforts of past generations to build and operate communications services. The environment was and still is challenging and attempts to colonise this remote part of the country are vivid. An archaeological review undertaken during this visit has identified a large amount of material associated with occupation and use of the Telegraph Station is located both within and outside the bounds of the National Trust Reserve. The heavily wooded nature of the Reserve probably obscures other sites and it is likely that further archaeological material will be located in these wooded areas. It is also highly likely that Aboriginal contact period sites will be located somewhere within or near the Telegraph Station Reserve. While the Station building has been stabilised, Cook’s cottage is in a near ruined state and in urgent need or conservation. The trip will inform the necessary documentation for conservation works and assessment of the archaeological potential of the site. Funding is essential to realising the long term conservation, interpretation and research potential of this isolated and significant place.
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onsite cache provided an opportunity for travellers to leave reflections and read some too. K Rippingale for archaeological material on site. K Rippingale
BOTTOM  Looking
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Telegraph line history
ABOVE The
spectacular ruins of the Post and Telegraph Station. K Rippingale Spurr, Trevor Bale and Eric Hancock in front of Spurr’s shack with Cook’s Cottage in the background. K Rippingale
BOTTOM Len
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Bol Brutu: The Stonehunters Gang TOD JONES | DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING AND GEOGRAPHY, CURTIN UNIVERSITY
My journey from my Yogyakarta hotel to meet with the leaders of Bol Brutu (geromBOLan pemBuRU baTU), the stonehunters gang, took longer than I expected. I took a taxi to a bus station on the outskirts of Yogyakarta, where I changed to a motorcycle driven by a gang member who drove me to a small neighbourhood in the middle of which sat the ruins of a Hindu temple. They turned a visit from an outsider into an opportunity to pursue their favourite hobby—seeking inspiration and dialogue in the environment of Java’s marginal archaeological sites.
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ol Brutu started with a group of friends, many of whom were students at Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta on the island of Java in Indonesia. This group arranged a trip in October 2009 to look at Java’s lesser known temples, graves and ancient structures. The photos were posted on Facebook and attracted a following. Early in 2010, they gave the group the name Bol Brutu. With increasing followers on Facebook, their activities started to be covered by the mass media, in particular local television, radio, and at times large newspapers. As Yogyakarta is a centre for the arts, their friends were painters, poetry lovers and photographers. They began to produce works while at the sites. ABOVE Reliefs RIGHT CRus
at Candi Palgading, Jogjakarta, Indonesia. T Jones (right), Sigit Budhi Setiawan (left) and Cak Cuk Riomandha (sitting) from Bol Brutu, Candi Palgading, Jogjakarta, Indonesia. T Jones
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Between the lines INTERNED: TORRENS ISLAND 1914-1915 AUTHOR: PETER MONTEATH, MANDY PAUL, REBECCA MARTIN PUBLISHER: WAKEFIELD PRESS, 2014, 115 PAGES REVIEWER: MARCUS BERESFORD, NATIONAL TRUST OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA
According to its charismatic leader, Cak Cuk Romadhia, Bol Brutu has grown because it is fun and opens up new engagements with the past. In his words, “the past is always new.” They have held two exhibitions in 2011 and in October 2014. The second exhibition was of photos of the Gana, the army led by Ganesha, who are often found in the reliefs on Hindu temples. Just as Gana does not get much attention, Bol Brutu seeks sites that are not getting much attention. Bol Brutu is at the forefront of a growing number of Facebook groups in Indonesia that focus on heritage issues. Bol Brutu has more than 1750 Facebook members and is part of an online social network of groups across Indonesia that foster engagement with local heritage. The advent of parliamentary democracy, political decentralisation and the growth of public archaeology has created a more open environment for enthusiasts, and social media has provided a platform for the spread of heritage information. Rus, a long term member of Bol Brutu, said to me that “If Bol Brutu lives, it lives on social media. Where is Bol Brutu’s office? On Facebook.” Facebook is the front door here to an open and fun cosmopolitanism that embraces diversity and is spread across Indonesia.
The centenary of World War I is also a time to consider some of the ‘collateral damage’, and this illustrated book not only uncovers a shameful piece of Australian history, but raises ongoing questions. At the beginning of the War some 100,000 Australians were of German extraction, including an unusually high 10% of the state population in South Australia (of whom Attorney-General Hermann Homburg was one). Immediately after declaration, discretionary powers delegated from the British government were used to detain ‘enemy aliens’ - including the Captain and officers of the German cargo ship SS Schwarzfels, which unknowingly sailed into Port Adelaide the day after war began. Wide discretionary powers under the War Precautions Act 1914 allowed the federal Minister to detain people thought to be disaffected or disloyal, with no right of appeal. In South Australia some 400 people were detained on Torrens Island in the Port River estuary, living in rather squalid tents and shanties. In 1915 some prisoners were stripped naked and whipped in public on the order of the commandant (Captain Hawkes), one prisoner was shot in the leg, and others were bayoneted by guards. This led to two official inquiries, and probably to the camp closure, with prisoners moved to Holsworthy NSW. Although activities at the camp were subject to a blanket news ban and censorship of letters, one of the interned Germans (Paul Dubotski) was allowed to practise his photography, and another (Frank Bungardy) kept a diary. These form a basis for the book along with recent research. With chapters giving the social and historical context, and what happened after the camp closure, there are also interesting page-long biographies of selected individual prisoners and other personnel. Some individual stories will cause indignation at the injustice, others disgust at the vindictive behaviour of nonGermans, yet others arouse less sympathy in the reader. The book complements an exhibition at the Migration Museum in Kintore Avenue, Adelaide until 16 August 2015. It is available from the publisher at 16 Rose Street Mile End SA, 08 8352 4455 or www.wakefieldpress.com.au at $29.95. National Trust members can obtain 20% discount on this (and on any other Wakefield Press books) either from the publisher, or online under “Redeem Special Offers” using the code “Trust”.
ABOVE Cak
Cuk Romadhia (right) and Sigit Budhi Setiawan (left) from Bol Brutu at Candi Palgading, Jogjakarta, Indonesia. T Jones
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The Great War hits Broken Hill ANGELA LE SUEUR | NATIONAL TRUST (NSW)
On 1 January 1915 World War 1 made its presence known in Broken Hill with a bizarre attack on a Picnic Train carrying some 1200 members of the Manchester Unity Order of Oddfellows. Armed with tennis racquets and picnic baskets, the day trippers had set out in open trucks for a pleasant day away from the problems of the times. Within a short time, they were victims of an attack which left four dead and seven injured; the only casualties of the Great War on Australian soil.
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ust 30 years old at the time, Broken Hill was a small, closeknit community, forging a place for itself in the intense heat of the outback. Disgruntlement however was brewing. Not many kilometres out of town the train was ambushed by what could be described today as a ‘lone wolf strike’, carried out by an unlikely pair of former camel drivers, at least one of whom nurtured a grudge. Later identified as Muslim Ghans (from lands known since 1947 as Pakistan), one man was a halal butcher who had recently been convicted of slaughtering sheep on land not licensed for the purpose; the other had turned his hand to selling ice-cream. Using the icecream cart as transport, bearing rifles and a home-made Ottoman flag, they opened fire on the train, killing 17 year old Alma Cowie and William Shaw, who died later, and injuring three men and three women. Deterred by retaliation,
they left the scene killing another man, Alfred Millard, along the way. By that stage the local constabulary was on the job and, with armed support from the community, the battle on Australian soil was over - but not before a stray bullet had killed James Craig as he chopped wood on his property nearby – the fourth casualty of the day. One hundred years later, the ‘Battle of Broken Hill’ was marked by a commemoration at the Sulphide Street Railway Museum. The event was coordinated by the National Trust Broken Hill Branch and included friends and family of the victims.
A plaque on a two-tonne granite plinth was unveiled as onlookers pondered how an event that comes out of nowhere can change a town and its people.
Clr Marion Browne, Don Mudie, National Trust Broken Hill Branch Chair Fran McKinnon OAM, International National Trust Organisation Professor Simon Molesworth AO and Diana Hoffman. NTNSW
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CONNECTIONS HOUSE TOUR:
MARTIN ALLEN
Rearranges Mr Johnston’s Collection The annual William Johnston and his collection housemuseum tour
the johnston collection
FRIDAY 13 MARCH 2015 – MONDAY 22 JUNE 2015
Miss Fisher Returns to Rippon Lea FELICITY WATSON | COMMUNITY
FAIRHALL a house-museum with a superb collection of Georgian, Regency & Louis XV antiques regularly rearranged within a domestic setting LECTURES & WORKSHOPS an extensive and varied series FRIENDS enjoy the benefits
ADVOCATE, NATIONAL TRUST (VIC)
F
rom May until the end of September, visitors to Rippon Lea House and Gardens will once again be invited to step inside the world of Australia’s favourite detective, Miss Phryne Fisher. Melbourne is the first stop for this national touring exhibition that is scheduled to visit Adelaide, Sydney and Brisbane before finishing in Canberra in 2017. The exhibition will showcase costumes created by designer Marion Boyce for the third series of Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, to air on ABC TV. Curator Elizabeth Anya-Petrivna recently caught up with Boyce to discuss her design explorations and practices developing costumes for Australia’s most glamorous detective. “Really beautiful, fine straws and quality felts are very difficult to source,” said Marion of the challenges sourcing materials and fabrics for Miss Fisher’s signature accessories. “We search high and low in op-shops, auction houses, junk stores and all sorts of places for old felts and straws that we can then re-block and remake. The really beautiful, deep, rich colours with the lovely lustre to them are only found in felts that are 50 or so years old. The techniques and the dyes have changed a great deal.” Marion explained how even the smallest details are important to helping create Phryne’s world. “We use a lot of different things in the hats: fabric, feathers … little things that don’t even belong on a hat … sometimes shoe buckles. There’ll always be references for each episode. There are themes and colours for each world of Phryne’s and often it’s something that then echoes back to that world.”
INDIVIDUAL & GROUp bOOkINGS AVAILAbLE ON: johnstoncollection.org +61 3 9416 2515 info@johnstoncollection.org
The Johnston Collection is an independent not-for-profit museum
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Discover Australia’s National Trust heritage places and have a great day out! National Trust members gain FREE and discounted entry* *except for special events
THE MISS FISHER MURDER MYSTERIES COSTUME EXHIBITION is
hosted by the National Trust in collaboration with Every Cloud Productions and open daily at Rippon Lea House from 10am – 4pm from 1 May to 30 September 2015. For tickets and further information visit missfisherexhibition.com.au or phone 03 9656 9889.
ABOVE Miss
Phryne Fisher (Essie Davis), courtesy of Every Cloud Productions.
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