Trust News May 2015

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HISTORIC QUEEN’S WHARF

ANZAC GIRLS FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS STONEHUNTERS GANG

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There are so many interesting events to

explore in April and May.

National Trust Heritage Festival 2015 Confl ict and Compassion

Plan ahead for the 2015 heritage festival to discover things about places from across

every region of Australia.

TRUST NATIONAL

HERITAGE FESTIVAL CONFLICTCOMPASSION

+ 2015

TRUST TRUST NATIONALNATIONAL

HERITAGE FESTIVAL HERITAGE FESTIVAL CONFLICTCOMPASSION

+ 20152015www.nationaltrustfestival.org.au

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NTHF_Ad_2.indd 1 17/12/14 10:21 AM

There are so many interesting events to

explore in April and May.

National Trust Heritage Festival 2015 Confl ict and Compassion

Plan ahead for the 2015 heritage festival to discover things about places from across

every region of Australia.

TRUST NATIONAL

HERITAGE FESTIVAL CONFLICTCOMPASSION

+ 2015

TRUST TRUST NATIONALNATIONAL

HERITAGE FESTIVAL HERITAGE FESTIVAL CONFLICTCOMPASSION

+ 20152015www.nationaltrustfestival.org.au

5

NTHF_Ad_2.indd 1 17/12/14 10:21 AM

3 TRUST NEWS AUSTRALIA MAY 2015

Inside

4 Minister’s Message

5 National Trust calls in the Army

6 Historic Queen’s Wharf website launched

7 Vale JAMES SEMPLE KERR

8 Home from the War

10 ‘Anzac Girls’ - Gallipoli 1915

13 200 years young

14 May Heritage Festival highlights

16 Giant Legacy

18 Out of the ashes

20 Understanding Old Perth Boys’ School

22 Caring for Kilns at Adelaide’s James Brickworks

25 Down the line

27 Telegraph line history

28 Bol Brutu: The Stonehunters Gang

30 The Great War hits Broken Hill

31 Miss Fisher Returns to Rippon Lea

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18 24

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ISSN: 1835-2316

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 1162West Perth WA 6872

T: 08 9321 6088 F: 08 9324 1571W:www.ntwa.com.au

Editor: Gina [email protected]

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.

my WO R D with editor Gina Pickering

GreetingsIn this edition of Trust News AustraliaThe 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.

Enjoy

Gina Pickering | Editor

Minister’s MessageGREG 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.

The 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-the-century 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.

4TRUST NEWS AUSTRALIA MAY 2015

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 EnvironmentRIGHT Penitentiary prior to and after new works. Port Arthur Historic Site Management Authority

PE R S PE C T I V E S

BEFORE AFTER

National Trust calls in the ArmyMICHAEL 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.

Working 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 a n d M o r n i n g t o n 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 projects benefitt ing 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

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.

ABOVE A Green Army recruit in the garden at Mooramong, Skipton. J HoodRIGHT Green Army participants collect native grass seeds at Mooramong, Skipton. J Hood


I N N OVAT I O N

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).

‘Historic 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.


TOP Pencil sketch of Brisbane showing Queen’s Wharf, ca 1835, by Henry Boucher Bowerman LEFT National Trust House from William Street. T Nemeth PhotographyCENTRE Section of a 1931 group photograph of Department of Agriculture and Stock staff, Arthur Bell front row centre. Image courtesy of Leo CainRIGHT Birds eye view of Brisbane showing Queen’s Wharf in 1888. Brisbane, as drawn by WA Clarson in the Illustrated Sydney News, 1888.

I N N OVAT I O N

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.

Vale JAMES SEMPLE KERR1932-2014

ANGELA LE SUEUR | NATIONAL TRUST NSW

James 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’.


ABOVE Queen’s Wharf from South Bank. T Nemeth Photography ABOVE James Kerr at Fremantle Prison. Fremantle Herald

http://www.queenswharf.org/

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.

Although 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.

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

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.

5 Malabar StreetBrickOwned and occupied by Robert Henry Price Coningsby


FEATURED IMAGES Thomas Ryan

N OW and T H E N

11 Malabar StreetWeatherboardOwned and occupied by Charles George Illman107 Abbott Street

BrickOwned and occupied by William Charles Thomas Everett

44 David StreetBrickOwned by Charles David Chilcott

56 David StreetBrickOwned and occupied by Herbert John Richards

8 Malabar StreetBrickOwned and occupied by Percy Philip Farrelly

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.’

WARFROM THEHOME

WAR


N OW and T H E N

‘Anzac Girls’ - Gallipoli 1915PETER 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 27Our 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


C ATA LY S T

ABOVE Transporting wounded soldiers from Anzac Cove to a hospital ship. Australian War Memorial

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.

1 Cited in J. Laffin, 1980, Damn the Dardanelles, p.168

2 Diary of Sister Lydia Kathleen King AANS AWM 3DRL 6040

3 Biographical notes of Sister Madeline Alice Kendall Wilson, AANS, AWM PR86/326

4 J. McCarthy, ‘Wilson, Grace Margaret (1879-1957) Australian Dictionary of Biography, Australian National University, http://adb.anu.edu.au (accessed 28 January, 2015)

We could do little for some soldiers, except help them die decently.1 (Sister Nellie Pike, 3rd Australia General Hospital, Lemnos Island)

ABOVE Australian 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


C ATA LY S T

http://adb.anu.edu.au


ABOVE The National Trust Centre, soon to be repainted in heritage colours and close up of its Royal Arms. C ShainBOTTOM External verandahs were modified in 1849 to accommodate the National School. National Trust ArchivesBACKGROUND Fort Street cultivating the grounds in what is now the National Trust Café. National Trust Archives

C ATA LY S T

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.

SOURCES:


C ATA LY S T

May Heritage Festival highlightsELOISE 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 TourPlace: Leave from Old Government House, ParramattaWhen: 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 AwardsPlace: Doltone House Jones Bay Wharf, Pyrmont, SydneyWhen: 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.

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.


C O N N E C T I O N S

https://nationaltrusttas.rezdy.com/55173/heritage-festival-premier-event-in-conversation-with-michael-dan-mori

https://nationaltrusttas.rezdy.com/55173/heritage-festival-premier-event-in-conversation-with-michael-dan-mori

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 VahlandPlace: Bendigo and RegionWhen: 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 German-

born architect and his lasting contribution to Bendigo and surrounds.

See Festival website for event listings.

Event: B-24 Liberators & the Return of Australian POWs, 1945–46Place: B-24 Liberator Memorial Restoration

Australia Hangar, WerribeeWhen: 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.

Queensland

Event: Great Houses of Ipswich

Place: IpswichWhen: 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. www.nationaltrustfestival.org.au

Western Australia

Event: Dryandra Country Art, Food and Wine Trail

Place: 80 Federal St, NarroginWhen: 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

[email protected]


PHOTO E Bell


mailto:[email protected]

Giant Legacy

GINA PICKERING | EDITOR


ABOVE & RIGHT Little Girl Giant aboard her boat making her way through the streets of Perth with her assistants. G.Pickering

C ATA LY S T

A 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.

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.

For three days in February the streets of Perth were alive with anticipation, goodwill and French giants.


ABOVE Little Girl Giant tucked in for the night at Langley Park, Perth. G.PickeringLEFT Noongar art on the bow of the boat traces the Little Girl Giant’s journey along waterholes and rivers to Whadjuk country. G.PickeringCENTRE The Giant Diver sleeps in Perth city. G.PickeringRIGHT Curious onlookers take a closer look. G.Bickford

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Out of the ashesPETER 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.

Malimup 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 extra-ordinary and pristine landscape recognised for its biodiversity and ecological values.

“If it hadn’t been for the bravery

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


C ATA LY S T

ABOVE LEFT Nyoongar elder Terry ‘Koodah’ Cornwall is Chairman of ‘Malimup Springs Bush University’ and teaches Nyoongar youth on how to reconnect with the land. P MurphyABOVE RIGHT Ghostly reminder of water tank destroyed in the fire. P Murphy

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 [email protected]


TOP RIGHT Campus building in ruins after the fire swept through the landscape. P MurphyBOTTOM LEFT Resilient balga (Xanthorrhoea preissii) burst fourth. P MurphyBOTTOM RIGHT Delicate leaves of a eucalypt emerge from the ashes. P Murphy

C ATA LY S T

Understanding Old Perth Boys’ SchoolGINA 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.

The 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.

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.


TOP Old Perth Boys’ School has a long history associated with learning, leadership and innovation. K RippingaleABOVE Images 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.

N OW and T H E N

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


TOP Old Perth Boys’ School c1866. State Library Western Australia, The Battye Library, 6909BABOVE RIGHT Ceramic ink wells, Artefact Catalogue, Archaelogical and Heritage Management Solutions, June 2014BOTTOM LEFT & RIGHT Conservation Architect Caroline Stokes highlights existing graffiti. G.PickeringFAR RIGHT Sample of clay pipes, Artefact Catalogue, Archaelogical and Heritage Management Solutions, June 2014

N OW and T H E N

Caring for Kilns at Adelaide’s James BrickworksPETER 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.

Adelaide’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

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 brick-making 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

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

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 open-sided pavilions house brick-making equipment salvaged from a nearby brickyard that was demolished some years ago.

P L AC E S


LEFT The former James Brickworks site at Toogood Avenue, Beverley. P LanghansRIGHT The circular (beehive) kiln is the only one of its type remaining in South Australia. P Langhans

P L AC E S Conservation ASSESSMENT FOR STATE HERITAGE LISTED

BRICKWORKS

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.


ABOVE The remaining downdraught kilns at the former James’ Brickworks at Beverley. P LanghansFAR LEFT The crumbling brickwork of Kiln No 1 has been significantly eroded by exposure to rain. P LanghansLEFT Kiln No 2 has been partially restored and better shows the original appearance of the kilns. P Langhans

P L AC E S

ABOVE Decades in the elements .Original wall finishes remain despite decades in the severe elements. K Rippingale


ABOVE Weed control programs have effected the surrounding landscape. K RippingaleCENTRE Remnant crockery found onsite. K RippingaleRIGHT Assessing wall finishes witha colour specifier. K RippingaleBOTTOM RIGHT Ceramic insulator dated 1874. K Rippingale

Down the lineKELLY 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.

Visitors 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.

P L AC E S


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.

TOP An onsite cache provided an opportunity for travellers to leave reflections and read some too. K RippingaleBOTTOM Looking for archaeological material on site. K Rippingale


P L AC E S

Telegraph line history


ABOVE The spectacular ruins of the Post and Telegraph Station. K RippingaleBOTTOM Len Spurr, Trevor Bale and Eric Hancock in front of Spurr’s shack with Cook’s Cottage in the background. K Rippingale

P L AC E S

Bol Brutu: The Stonehunters GangTOD 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.

Bol 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 at Candi Palgading, Jogjakarta, Indonesia. T JonesRIGHT CRus (right), Sigit Budhi Setiawan (left) and Cak Cuk Riomandha (sitting) from Bol Brutu, Candi Palgading, Jogjakarta, Indonesia. T Jones

G LO B A L

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

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 non-

Germans, 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”.

Between the lines

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.


ABOVE Cak Cuk Romadhia (right) and Sigit Budhi Setiawan (left) from Bol Brutu at Candi Palgading, Jogjakarta, Indonesia. T Jones

http://www.wakefieldpress.com.au


TOP 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

N OW and T H E N

The Great War hits Broken HillANGELA 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.

Just 30 years old at the time, Broken Hill was a small, close-

knit 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 ice-cream 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.

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HOUSE TOUR:

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and his collection house-museum tour

FRIDAY 13 MARCH 2015 – MONDAY 22 JUNE 2015

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

INDIVIDUAL & GROUp bOOkINGS AVAILAbLE ON:

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Miss Fisher Returns to Rippon LeaFELICITY WATSON | COMMUNITY

ADVOCATE, NATIONAL TRUST (VIC)

From 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.”

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.


Documents

Trust News May 2015