After the voting closed -
and the six leaders in each division have been discovered, an expert committee will visit the towns and pick the best. Three well-known citizens have recognised the wide public interest in the quest, and the beneficial influence it is exercising in the country, and have consented to act as judges. The town planners are represented by Mr C. E. Merrett, member of the Metropolitan Town Planning Commission, and president of the Royal Agricultural Society. Mr Robert R. Hamilton, prominent city architect, and a member of the Council of the Institute of Architects, will judge the architecture of the towns, while Mr George Bell, the well-known Australian artist, also will act. (2)
The criteria for the judging included - Situation and lay-out will be factors considered, but the competition will go much further. Points will be given for civic enterprise, the development of local industries, beautification schemes, lighting, parks and open spaces for the people, and children's playgrounds.(3). Another report noted that the Judges travelled 2273 miles, visiting towns throughout Victoria before reaching their decision. (4) The winning town was awarded £200; the second prize was £75 and the third prize was £25. (5)
Frankston entered in Division B, and a civic campaign commenced in November when a meeting of over thirty delegates representing every organisation in Frankston was held. At the meeting -
The method of voting is not complicated. All the reader has to do is to fill in the word Frankston in the space provided, give an estimate of the number of votes which he thinks will be recorded for the town of his choice and sign his name. The estimate of votes gives the reader a chance of winning a cash prize of £25, as this sum will be paid to the one who gives the nearest estimate to the number of votes which the winning town in each section receives. The report of this meeting noted that no opportunity to vote every day should be lost by anyone who has the interest of Frankston at heart. (6)
Cr. W. J. Oates presided and gave a brief outline of the scheme, which is a simple one. Each day a coupon appears in the Sun News Pictorial on which the reader may record his ideal town of Victoria. These coupons need not be sent in from day to day, but may be saved and forwarded in one lot. In the case of Frankston it is proposed to receive them at the Shire Office and send them in from there.
The method of voting is not complicated. All the reader has to do is to fill in the word Frankston in the space provided, give an estimate of the number of votes which he thinks will be recorded for the town of his choice and sign his name. The estimate of votes gives the reader a chance of winning a cash prize of £25, as this sum will be paid to the one who gives the nearest estimate to the number of votes which the winning town in each section receives. The report of this meeting noted that no opportunity to vote every day should be lost by anyone who has the interest of Frankston at heart. (6)
Main Street, Frankston, in January 1928.
This is how Frankston looked like when the judges visited in connection
to the 1927 Ideal Town competition.
The Australasian January 21, 1928 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article140791820
Frankston also sought some high-profile support -
Frankston hopes to get support for its drive to be declared the Ideal Town of Victoria from
some of its widely-known residents, such as the Prime Minister (Mr. Bruce), the President of the Employers' Federation (Mr T. Ashworth), Mr Daryl Lindsay, the artist, Major-General H.W. Grimwade, Brigadier-General Elliott and Mr W. B. McGuiness, who is painting Canberra. The Frankston Publicity Committee has asked these men to tell why they chose Frankston as permanent places of residence, or for holiday homes. (7)
The first set of winners were announced on Monday, January 9, 1928 in Division A, towns with a population over 3,000, the honours going to Warrnambool, with Castlemaine second and Bairndsale third. On Friday, January 13, the winners of Division C, towns with a population below 1,500 were announced. The winner was Yea, second place Jeparit and equal third Alexandra and Woodend.(8)
In Division B, the winners were announced on January 11, and sadly for Frankston, they were pipped by Beechworth, with Nhill coming third. The Frankston and Somerville Standard reported on the day -
Frankstonians started Wednesday with heavy hearts when the result of the Ideal Town competition was made known. Hopes of securing top of the tree had run high, and the announcement that the township had to take second place was too much to stand up to cheerfully so early in the morning. As the day wore on, residents began to smile once more and realised that the securing of second place in such a contest was something of which every resident could justly be proud. (9)
The Herald reported that -
In all their remarks the Judges have emphasised the importance of trees, and the removal of trees from Frankston's main streets was considered a disadvantage by the judges. They said that many of the finest homes and gardens in the State are to be found on the cliff-edged heights and praised the water and light, the sporting facilities and fine bathing beaches. Frankston's gardens and trees in the State and High Schools won it points. (10)
Having won £75, the Frankston community had to make a decision how the money should be spent. In May 1928 the Frankston & Somerville Standard reported that -
A meeting of the committee connected with the Ideal Town competition was held on Monday night to finalise matters in connection with the competition. Some debate on the question of the use to which the prize money (£75) won in the competition was to be put ensued.
Some time ago the Shire council received a request from the Arborean Club that the prize money be handed over to the club for the purpose of planting trees in the streets. As a result the council asked the Ideal Town committee for a recommendation regarding the spending of the money. Practically all present were in sympathy with the proposal to use the money in tree planting, but a suggestion from Cr. Bradbury that attractive entrance gates to Frankston Park found greater favor. It was agreed that it be a recommendation to the council to expend the money in erecting entrance gates to the Park. (11)
The Park Gates, Frankston.
Photographer: Rose Stereograph Co. State Library of Victoria Image H32492/4164
Local stonemason, Thomas Ferbrache, constructed the gates. He died in January 1938, aged 59, and his short obituary said that he was a stonemason of outstanding ability, and many works in the district - including the Frankston Park gates, are a monument to his skill. Mr. Ferbrache, who was a native of Guernsey, died following a stroke. (12)
In June 1930, it was reported that -
The ornamental gates at the main entrance to Frankston Park are now complete and the tall iron gates standing between massive stone columns form a fitting entrance to a park which is second to none south of Melbourne. At last meeting, of the shire council it was decided, on the motion of Crs. Pratt and Oates, that the Minister for Lands (Mr. Bailey) be invited to officially open the gates on July 2. As the prize money won by Frankston in the Ideal Town competition conducted by the Sun News Pictorial was spent on this work, Mr. Keith Murdoch has been invited to be present. (13). Sadly neither men could accept the invitation, and six months later in the December, the Premier, Mr Hogan, and Mr Murdoch, were again unavailable. I have no information as to when or if the gates were officially opened.
In December 1930, the Victorian Provincial Press Association went to Frankston for their annual outing. A report on the Tour of Beauty Spots in the Frankston area was published in many newspapers - there are nineteen accounts I can find on-line on Trove. Here is an abridged report of the visit to Frankston Park -
Frankston Park... is claimed to be the finest park within a radius of fifty miles of Melbourne. It is the rendezvous of thousands of picnickers each year. It is surrounded by hundreds of stately pines which provide excellent shelter....A progressive shire council has adopted a park beautification scheme, and wonders have been wrought in the past few years. The enclosure promises to become one of the show spots of the bayside....The most attractive feature of the park is the imposing entrance. Massive pillars of masonry support heavy wrought-iron gates sixteen feet in height. On either side are smaller gates on correspondingly smaller pillars for pedestrian traffic. The entrance was constructed to commemorate Frankston's success in the "Sun News-Pictorial" Ideal Towns Competition. Frankston led by many thousands of votes in the public contest and was placed second by the judges appointed by the "Sun News-Pictorial." Since that time Frankston has advanced considerably and would embrace an opportunity to enter another contest of the kind. (14)
Entrance Gate to Frankston Park
Benalla Standard, December 23, 1930 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/255594371
Frankston did indeed embrace the opportunity to enter another contest; it was the 1931 Ideal Town competition also held by the Sun News-Pictorial. The judges this time were Colonel E. E. Merrett (chairman), Mr. P. H. Meldrum, of Stephenson and Meldrum (architect judge)., Mr. Harold Herbert (artist judge), and Mr. F. C. Cook (town planner judge). (15)
When the judges visited Frankston they were shown these ornamental gates and the Frankston and Somerville Standard reported -
After passing the Presbyterian church, the post office, war memorial and Mechanics' Institute and having a glimpse of the Church of England the judges were confronted with the entrance to the park. It is safe to say that nothing seen on the tour made such an impression on the minds of the judges as this entrance. They were unanimous in their declaration that they had seen nothing to compare with it in any town they had visited. Mr. Cook saw in the gates something dear to the heart of a town planner; Mr. Meldrum saw beauties understood only by those versed in the beauties of architecture; Mr. Herbert saw beauty in the artistic simplicity of the massive pillars with their background of trees; Colonel Merrett in addition to appreciating the magestic [sic] appearance of the gateway, was delighted by the information that the gates were erected with the prize money received by Frankston which gained second place in the 1927 quest. The entrance made such a profound impression on Mr. Meldrum that his enthusiasm grew as the day advanced and he declared when responding in the evening to a toast to the judges, that the gates were equal to anything that could be seen anywhere in the world. (16)
In a repeat of the 1927 competition, Frankston was again beaten by Beechworth -
The announcement of the decision of the judges in the 1931, Ideal Towns' Quest brought disappointment to many ardent workers for Frankston's success. The placings were:-Beechworth, 1; Frankston, 2; Swan Hill, 3; Yallourn, special prize. Those who take a keen interest in Frankston's progress felt confident that the wonderful progress made by the town in the past four years and the improvements to Kannanook Creek, the foreshore and reserves were sufficient to place Frankston in the premier position in 'B' division, but Beechworth's architectural features, its tree-planted streets and industries made a more forceful appeal to the judges. (17)
Today, the gates are still at the entrance to Frankston Park. Interestingly the Frankston: Enjoy every moment website has this to say about the gates - The Frankston Oval Gates were obtained from the Old Melbourne Gaol that had parts previously demolished. The massive iron gates were erected at the Frankston Oval where gate posts were built by stone worker Thomas Ferbnache [sic] during the time of the Second World War. Most impressive in stature, the gate posts were constructed in a random rubble form of medium sized boulders mined from local quarries. (18). More information on the gates is in a comment attached to a photograph of the gates on Flickr - Wrought iron gates were obtained for the Frankston Park entrance from a demolished section of the Old Melbourne Gaol in Russell Street by Major Condant [sic], then Gaol Governor. Condant had previously been commandant of the Langwarrin Army Camp near Frankston during the First World War. (19).
Regarding the information in the first quote - I am sure that the gates were formed of boulders from local quarries, however the World War Two construction date is incorrect, because they were completed by December 1930 and Thomas Ferbache died in January 1938. Both comments note the gates were obtained from the Old Melbourne Gaol. Is this correct? Possibly. In July 1924 it was reported that the prisoners were in the process of being moved to Pentridge Gaol and that - most of the fittings have been removed from the gaol and the work of demolition will begin as soon as practicable. (20). Perhaps the gates were amongst the fittings removed. Some demolition work was carried out in the 1920s and more extensive demolition work in 1937. (21) Were they supplied by Major Condant? The man is actually Walter Tasman Conder, who was in charge of the Langwarrin Camp from 1916 until March 1921. He was appointed Governor of Pentridge Gaol in April 1922 and resigned in October 1923. From 1926 until 1930 he was the General Manager of 3LO Broadcasting; then of Dominion Broadcasting Company and in 1933 appointed General Manager of the Australian Broadcasting Commission. (22) It is possible that the gates came from the Old Melbourne Gaol, but from May 1928 when the concept of the gates were first conceived and June 1930 when they were completed, Walter Conder had long ago left the penal department.
These gates are a reminder of the Frankston's civic pride and their entry into the Sun News-Pictorial 1927 Ideal Town Competition.
Trove list
I have created a list of articles on the Ideal Town competition, mainly related to Frankston's participation and the construction of the gates, access it here.
Footnotes
(1) See various articles in my Trove list, here.
(2) The Herald, November 30, 1927, see here.
(3) The Herald, October 24, 1927, see here.
(4) The Herald, January 9, 1928, see here.
(5) The Herald, November 9, 1927, see here.
(6) Frankston and Somerville Standard, November 4, 1927, see here.
(7) The Herald, November 3, 1927, see here.
(8) See the results in various articles in my Trove list, here.
(9) Frankston and Somerville Standard, January 13, 1928, see here.
(10) The Herald, January 11, 1928, see here.
(11) Frankston and Somerville Standard, May 11, 1928, see here.
(12) Frankston and Somerville Standard, January 7, 1938, see here.
(13) Frankston and Somerville Standard, June 28, 1930, see here.
(14) Benalla Standard, December 23, 1930, see here.
(15) Ovens and Murray Advertiser, October 17 1931, see here.
(16) Frankston and Somerville Standard, November 14, 1931, see here.
(17) Frankston and Somerville Standard, December 5, 1931. see here.
(18) Frankston: enjoy every moment https://www.discoverfrankston.com/frankston-cultural-walk/frankston/frankston-park-gates
(20) The Argus, July 12, 1924, see here.
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