Mr Justice George Webb of Croton Hurst, Caulfield

George and Matilda Webb and their baby left London on June 4, 1852 on the Kent, and arrived in Melbourne on September 23 (1).  George was to have a very successful career in Melbourne, becoming a Supreme Court Judge. He would come to own a large mansion in Caulfield, Croton Hurst (2),  but this success was tempered by a sad private life, as in the first eight years of his time in Victoria he faced the death of two of his children and his wife and years later another daughter died at the age of nineteen.

George Henry Frederick Webb was born on July 12, 1828 to Samuel Webb, a Naval officer and his wife Isabella Sweet. In 1850 he married Matilda Sarah Fields and their first child George Edward was born in 1852 (3). Little George passed away at the age of eighteeen months on October 18, 1853. George placed personal notices in the newspapers commemorating family milestones and they are interesting because they tell us where the family was living at the time, his occupation and what I feel is unusual for the time, made reference to his deceased children. Little George's death notice says he was the only child of Mr. George H. F. Webb, of Little Collins-street, Melbourne and Richmond (4). A daughter, Matilda, was born on April 14, 1855 when the family were living in Prahran. She died at the age of three months on July 12 and the notice says she was the infant daughter and only remaining child of Mr. George H. F. Webb, Government shorthand writer, Melbourne (5).  Their third child, Isabella Elizabeth was born on October 24, 1856 and their address was St Kilda (6). Their pain was not yet over as Matilda died of consumption at the age of 29, on October 22, 1860, at Burwood, near Sydney, the beloved wife of Mr. George H. F. Webb, Government shorthand writer, Victoria (7).  

George remarried on April 18, 1862 to Sophia Sarah Agg and his occupation in the marriage notice was barrister-at-law (8). When their daughter Sophie was born on May 27, 1863, the notice said she was born at Croton-Hurst, Caulfield, [to] the wife of George H. F. Webb, barrister-at-law (9).  Isabella passed away on March 13, 1876 and her death notice told us that she died at Bombay, of small-pox, taken in India whilst en route from Melbourne to England, Isabella Elizabeth, eldest surviving daughter of George H. F. Webb, of this city, barrister-at-law, aged 19 years (10). The notice of the marriage of his daughter Sophie on October 4, 1883 has these details -  at Croton-Hurst, Caulfield, by the Rev. J. Reid, William Farrar, only son of the late Henry Langdon, of Melbourne, merchant, to Sophie Sarah Annie, only surviving daughter of George H. F. Webb, Q.C. (11).

Mr Justice Webb in 1886, the year he became a Judge of the Supreme Court

Australasian Sketcher with Pen and Pencil, June 1 1886  State Library of Victoria Image A/S01/06/86/88

These public notices firstly show that he was a devoted family man. After Isabella died in 1876, George commissioned a marble scuplture in her memory, the work being undertaken by Charles Summers (1825 - 1878), known for his Bourke & Wills statue. It is now at the Caulfield (Glen Eira) Town Hall (12). This was not the first time the Webb family had commissioned a work from Charles Summers. He had previously created a bust of James Hemming Webb (13), George's brother. The bust was presented to the National Gallery in 1887 and it was apparently regarded as one of his most successful works (14).

Secondly, they indicate that he was professionally ambitious. When George arrived in Melbourne he worked as a reporter on The Argus for a short time until he joined the Public Service as a stenographer; he had practiced this profession in London (15).  In October 1854 he was promoted to the Government shorthand writer, where he supervised the pool of shorthand writers who serviced both the Government and the Supreme Court (16).

Soon after his arrival in Melbourne, George promoted his short-hand writing skills and experience with this public notice. 

The Argus, October 6, 1852  https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/4787506

In 1858 George attended the course for articled clerks at Melbourne University and was admitted to the Bar on 6 December 1860 (17) and as his 1862 marriage notice says, he became a barrister-at-law. Webb was appointed as a Queens Counsel in January 1879 (18) and had a very lucrative practice. So lucrative, in fact, that when he was offered the role of a judge on the Supreme Court in 1874 that he refused the appointment. It was offered to him again in May 1886 and this time he accepted the honour (19). 

George's well paid profession allowed him to build a large house, Croton Hurst  on Hawthorn Road, near the corner of Glen Eira Road in Caulfield. An article in The Herald in 1937 and the impending demoliton on Croton Hurst said that it Claimed to be the first house built in the Caulfield district, and erected in 1859, "Crotonhurst" gained its name from the dense growth of bush croton that covered Caulfield in the early, days, and made it difficult for Mr Justice Webb to find the 17-acre estate after he had purchased it at an early city land sale. Originally a four-room and kitchen building, the house had a dining wing added in 1868, more additions were made in 1880, and it was completed in 1889, when the distinctive tower also was erected (20).

Croton Hurst, c. 1919, showing the distinctive tower, which was completed in 1889.

Photographer: Rose Stereograoh Company. Image enhanced by Paul Caine. See footnote 21 for the original image.

Croton Hurst was advertised for lease in May 1860 as the family were away for a few months, presumably in New South Wales, where Matilda died in the October.  The house was described as containing a dining, drawing, three bed rooms, and dressing room, kitchen and servants' room, large garden and paddock, stable, coachhouse, &c. Also, good Library, legal and general (22). The 1872 Shire of Caulfield Rate books list the building as brick, 16 rooms and stables on 19 acres, so either the dates listed in the 1937 article are incorrect or more than a dining wing was added in 1868. The 1882 Rate books describe it as 20 rooms and the 1891 Rate books as 30 rooms (23). 

George Webb's advertisement for the short-term lease of Croton Hurst in 1860.

The Argus, May 19, 1860 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/5682713

George Webb died of bronchitis and influenza at the age of 63 on September 26, 1891 (24). His funeral was held at Croton Hurst with a service  conducted by the Reverend John Reid (25), assisted by the Reverend H. B. Macartney (26). The funeral procession then left for the Melbourne General Cemetery where the Reverend Reid gave the address (27).  George left Croton Hurst to his only surviving child, Sophie Langton (28). His wife, Sophia, died four years later at the age of 76 on October 16, 1895 (29).

In March 1914 Croton Hurst was partly destroyed by a fire. The fire was reported on in The Age and we will reproduce it here to show how opulent the house was - 

A destructive fire broke out yesterday morning at Crotonhurst, a mansion of 30 rooms, owned by Mr. W. F. Langdon, and situated at the corner of Glen Eira and Hawthorn roads, Caulfield. The outbreak was first noticed in the billiard room, which, with its contents, was destroyed. The picture gallery and ballroom were also considerably damaged, but the efforts of the brigade prevented the fire from spreading over the whole building. Some valuable pictures were destroyed or damaged. Expensive statuary, which was in the damaged section of the mansion, was saved. The mansion is being repaired and painted at the present time, and it is thought that the outbreak was caused through some wood work becoming ignited during the operation of burning off old paint. The building and contents are insured in the Insurance Office of Australia for £6500. "Crotonhurst" was built some 30 years ago for the late Mr. Justice Webb, whose daughter is Mrs. Langdon. Part of the contents of the billiard room was a valuable pipe organ, which was totally destroyed (The Age March 12, 1914) (30)

Crotonhurst Avenue and Langdon Road, two reminders of Croton Hurst, were established as part of the Crotonhurst subdivision in 1915, when 31 superior villa sites were put up for sale (31). There was another  subdivions sale in 1919 with a further 23 allotments (32).  

In 1923 there was an interesting application to convert the Croton Hurst stables into flats. This was rejected by the Caulfield Council on the same basis that a similar application by the owners of  Labassa had been refused.

Application to convert Croton Hurst stables into flats.

The Argus, September 20, 1923 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/1992927#

The end for Croton Hurst came in December 1937 - The demolition sale tomorrow of Crotonhurst in Walworth avenue, near the town hall, Caulfield will remove an old district landmark.....Most of the original 17 acres was sub-divided some years ago, and the land is now built on. The remaining land has now been subdivided into nine allotments, and will be developed by the new owners (33).

Advertisement for the demolition sale of Croton Hurst

The Argus, December 4, 1937 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article11129666

The Glen Eira Historical Society (GEHS) says that some of the decorative features of Croton Hurst were used in the new home of Sophie (or Dottie as she was known) Langdon. Her house was Choto Croton at 411 Beach Road, Beaumaris. This house has also been demolished, another victim of developers and the slack heritage protection on the part of local Councils, however as at June 2020 the gates from Croton Hurst still remain on the property. You can read about it in the GEHS June 2020 newsletter, here. It would be interesting to know how many of the superior villas built after the 1915 sub-division sale still exist in Crotonhurst Avenue and Langdon Road. I will have a look one day when I am in the area. 

Trove list

I have created a list of articles connected to George Webb, his family, his career and Croton Hurst, on Trove. Access the list, here.

Footnotes

(1) Victoria, Australia, Assisted and Unassisted Passenger Lists, 1839-1923 available on Ancestry, originals at Public Records Office of Victoria.

(2) Croton Hurst is now also written as Crotonhusrt, but it was originally two words, and unless I am quoting from a newspaper article that is how I am spelling it. The 1860 advertisement when it was advertised for lease lists it as two words, his personal notices regarding births etc of his family has as two and his Will and Probate papers have it as two words, amongst other documents.

George Webb's Will, showing Croton Hurst as two words

Public Records Office of Victoria VPRS 7591/ P2, unit 187, item 47/329

(3) England, Select Births and Christenings, 1538-1975; England, Select Marriages, 1538–1973; England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1837-1915 and birth date of his son comes from his death notice (see footnote 4)

(4) The Argus, October 19, 1853, see here.

(5) Matilda's birth notice The Argus, April 16, 1855, see here; death notice The Argus, July 12, 1855, see here.

(6) The Argus, October 25, 1856, see here.

(7) The Age, October 23, 1860, see here.

(8) The Argus, April 17, 1862, see here.

(9) The Argus, May 28, 1863, see here.

(10) The Australasian Sketcher with Pen and Pencil, June 10, 1876, see here.

(11) The Australasian, October 20, 1883, see here.

(12) Glen Eira Historical Society newsletter, No. 11, November 2016, p. 5, see here.

(13) James Hemming Webb, died August 21, 1881 - his short obituary reads We have to record the death of Mr. James Hemming Webb, Government shorthand writer, which took place at the residence of his son-in-law, Mr. B. C. Harriman, on August 27. This event was not unexpected, as the deceased had been ailing from dropsy for a long time, and had been absent from his official duties on sick leave for about five months. Mr. Webb, who arrived in the colony in 1857, succeeded his brother, Mr G. H. F. Webb, Q.C., as Government shorthand writer, about 14 years ago, and this position he has held ever since. He leaves a widow and nine children, and his death will also be regretted by a very large number of colonists, as he was very widely known and much esteemed. The Australasian Sketcher with Pen and Pencil, September 10, 1881, see here.

(14) The Argus, January 29, 1887, see here. The bust was presented to the National Gallery by his daughter, Elizabeth Clara Agg, the wife of William Henry Agg

(15) The Argus, October 6, 1852, see here. There is an overview of his career in The Australasian of May 8, 1886, see here.

(16) Australian Dictionary of Biography entry by Robert Miller, see here.

(17) Australian Dictionary of Biography entry by Robert Miller, see here.

(18) The Argus, January 18, 1879, see here.

(19) Australian Dictionary of Biography entry by Robert Miller, see here and The Australasian, May 8, 1886, see here.

(20) The Herald, December 1, 1937, see here.

(21)  My fellow historian, Isaac Hermann, purchased his own copy of this postcard, below, and we wondered what the building was in the background and with some research on my part discovered it was Croton Hurst. I found the information and an image in From sand, swamp and heath: a history of Caulfield by Peter R. Murray and John C. Wells (City of Caulfield, 1980).  Paul Caine kindly enhanced the image and and as there appears to be very few images of Croton Hurst, this is gold.  An original of this postcard is also at the State Library of Victoria and it is reproduced below. Croton Hurst is at top right.

View of the Wards, Caulfield Military Hospital, c. 1919. Photographer: Rose Stereograph Co.

State Library of Victoria Image H42809/3 http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/381662

(22) The Argus, May 19, 1860, see here.

(23) The Shire and City of Caulfield Rate books are on Ancestry, 1857 to 1953.

(24) Death notice in The Argus, September 28, 1891, see here.

(25) Reverend John Reid, Minister of the Congreational Church and founder of the Melbourne Shakespeare Society. He died in January 1911, read his obituary in The Argus of Janaury 21, 1911, here.

(26) Reverend Hussey Burgh Macartney (1799 - 1884), Church of England Minister. Read his Australian Dictionary of Biography entry by A. De Q. Robin, here.

(27) Description of the funeral is in the The Herald, September 29, 1891, see here.

(28) A comprehensive report of the contents of his will was in The Age, November 18, 1891, see here. His daughter Sophie, also known as Dottie, married William Farrer Langdon (1860 - 1943) in 1883. He was the son of Henry Langdon and Mary Grace Farrer. Sophie and William had eight children - Frank Henry Webb (1884 - 1912), George Rupert Webb (1885-1889), Isabel Webb (1887), Mary Grace (1889), Sophie Violet Webb (1891), William Webb (1893), Georgie Helen (1894) and Marcus Webb (1897). She died June 21, 1948, death notice is here.

(29) Death notice of wife, Sophia, is in The Australasian, October 26, 1895, see here.

(30) The Age, March 12, 1914, see here.

(31) Advertisement for the sale in The Argus, October 30, 1914, see here. An advertorial was in The Herald, December 9, 1915, see here.

(32) Prahran Telegraph, April 5, 1919, see here.

(33) The Argus, December 6, 1937, see here.

The Lady Loch - the Yarra river steam ferry

The Lady Loch, a steam ferry built at Johnson's Tyne Foundry, commenced operation on August 29, 1884. She provided much needed access for passengers and vehicles over the Yarra River between the City and South Melbourne, crossing from Spencer Street to Clarendon Street.

The Lady Loch, steam ferry.

Steam Ferry on the Yarra. Photographer: Charles Nettleton. 

State Library of Victoria Image H3793

The Age had a comprehensive report of the ferry a few days before the first journey -
As an evidence of the rapidly growing requirements of the city, and the consequent necessity of providing the most rapid means of transit for those engaged in business, the Harbor Trust authorities have just had completed to their order, by Messrs Johnson and Co., of the Tyne Foundry a steam ferry, which will ply for hire between Spencer and Clarendon Streets, thus connecting the two cities. The ferry, which is of particularly, massive construction, is so built as to convey vehicles of all descriptions across the river, so that in a few days drivers wishing to reach any part of South Melbourne from the north-western part of Melbourne will save considerable time by utilising the ferry instead of crossing the Falls bridge (1), as they have had to do hitherto. 

The length of the ferry, which is of composite build, is 59 feet 6 inches, with a breadth of 36 feet 4 inches, and a depth of 12 feet 3 inches. At each end is a well 9 feet 9 inches in depth, constructed so as to allow the chain on which the ferry works to have ample room to pan backwards and forwards to the engine room. The angle iron frames and reverse angle irons are 3.3g inches in thickness. Below the water line the body of the vessel, which is of iron, is covered with redgum 4, inches in thickness. The decks are constructed of kauri pine 3 inches in thickness, and the roadways, which run on the two sides of the ferry, are covered, in additon to the kauri pine with redgum to the depth of 3 inches. Two movable stages are placed at either end, and these are lowered as vehicles enter or leave the ferry by a pair of engines specially made for the purpose, each having an 6 inch cylinder with 12 inch stroke. The hauling, or main engines of the ferry, have also been most carefully prepared, the contractors having to pay due regard to strength while also bearing in mind that space must be economised. The cylinders in this case are 12 inches in diameter with a 24 inch stroke, and the chain which this engine is supposed to haul is 1¼ inch in thickness. The two boilers are of the marine return tubular order, each being 8 feet 9 inches in diameter and 9 feet 9 inches long. The shells of the boiler are 7/8 inch in thickness, and are treble rivetted all over. The boilers will work to a pressure of 100 lb. to the square inch, and have been tested up to 200 lb. hydraulic pressure ; and in order to retain the heat they have been coated with Bradbury's composition, manufactured by Messrs. C. P. Bradbury, of Hoddle-street, Collingwood. The ferry has been constructed with due regard to the comfort of passengers, the portion of the vessel allotted to them being covered in, while seats are ranged along the outer side. The whole of the vessel has been neatly painted and cost the Trust the sum  of £9,500. The ferry will commence running in a few days, as soon as the necessary approaches on either side of the river have been completed. (2)

The ferry was designed by W. R Rennick, who started his working life as an engineer with the Melbourne Harbour Trust, during which time he supervised the construction of Queen's Bridge. He later moved to the Railways Department  and was responsible for the design of various station buildings, railway bridges and the the coal canal at West Melbourne amongst other work. William Robert Rennick retired in July 1924 and died in 1938 at the age of 78 (3).

The ferry was built by Messrs Johnson and Co., of the Tyne Foundry, on the south bank of the Yarra, at Lorimer and Tyne Street intersection, near South Wharf.  The foundry was established by John Currie Johnson, around 1873 (4). There was a description of the foundry in The Age in October 1883 - The extensive works of this firm are situated to the west of Wright and Orr's docks, on the South bank of the Yarra. The area of ground is 2 acres 1 rood 4 perches, of which about 1 acre is covered with buildings. The latter comprise a carriage building shop, waggon shop, boiler yard and shed, shipbuilding yard, smiths' Bhop, engineers' shop, forge shop and pattern shop. The average number of men employed during the year is 300 a week, the  wages sheet being about £800 per week (5). 

Apart from the ferry the foundry built other vessels including the steam boat Sprightly (1875); the tug Pelican (1880) and the sand dredge, Pioneer (1949). The Pioneer is pictured, below. The Foundry also supplied the wrought iron work on the Eastern Market, which opened December 1879,  built mining equipment and portable steam engines (6). The Foundry closed about 1970 (7). 

Ports & Harbour dredge, Pioneer, under construction at 

Johnson's Tyne Foundry, South Melbourne, c. 1948

State Library of Victoria Image H2008.39

John Currie Johnson had arrived in Melbourne in 1853 and worked at Langlands Foundry (8) before establishing his own company.  Johnson and his family moved to Footscray in 1860. His obituary said he was elected a member of the Footscray Council in 1865, holding a similar position at South Melbourne at the same time (9). He was actually elected to the Footscray Council in 1867 and resigned in 1870, and to South Mebourne (or Emerald Hill as it was then called) Council in 1880. He successfully stood again for Footscray Council in 1881 and was Mayor the same year. He retired from South Melbourne Council in 1883 and Footscray in 1884 (10).  John died in 1903 aged 77 (11).  His son, James Ritchie Johnson, later managed the Foundry; he had undertaken his apprenticeship at Langlands. In common with his father, he was also a Councillor at Footscray, from 1903 until 1931, being the Mayor on two occasions. He died in 1945 aged 87 (12).  John Currie Johnson had a numerous other sons (13) including one named Henry Langlands,  a tribute perhaps to his old employer, Robert Langlands.  On the subject of names, John was born in Newcastle on Tyne, so I presume that is the source of the name of the foundry, which gave its name to the street. 

Advertisement for the Tyne Foundary

Emerald Hill Record, July 7 1882  https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/108472968

The steam ferry had been launched a few months previously on June 23 1884, at a ceremony attended by members of the Harbour Trust including the Commisioner, John Nimmo, M.L.A., representatives from the South Melbourne Council and various politicians. The vessel was then  finished off in the water and the approaches on both sides of the river completed before she was put into service (14). 

At the launch Miss Daisy Johnston, John Currie Johnson's daughter, broke the time-honoured bottle of wine said one report (15) or the customary bottle of champagne said another (16) and and christened the ferry the " Lady Loch," to honour the wife of  the Victorian Governor, Sir Henry Brougham Loch (17).

There were comments from the start about the appearance of the vessel. Mr J. M. Bruce of the Harbour Trust addressed this issue at the launch -
There was no doubt as to the ferry being a thing of much utility, though, perhaps, severe critics might be disposed to question its beauty. It was, perhaps, only a half compliment to name it after Lady Loch. Considering the nature of the locality, and its liability to floods, it would have been more appropriate to have called it the "Noah's Ark," and it would in the future probably be found very useful in conveying people from the dangerous low-lands of South Melbourne to the more secure levels on the north bank (18).

The Lady Loch

The new steam ferry, Spencer-Street. Published in the Australasian Sketcher December 17, 1884.

State Library of Victoria Image  A/S17/12/84/204  

Ferries had been operating between Spencer Street and Clarendon Street from the 1850s. Archibald Cook was the licensee of the Spencer Street ferry from 1854, and due to the commencement of the Lady Loch, the Harbour Trust paid him £860 compensation to forfeit his licence (19).  Cook's vessels were passenger only vessels and did not carry vehicles or livestock (20) and thus there had been  agitation to have a bridge at this location from the 1850s (21). However Melbourne and South Melbourne had to wait until 1930 for a bridge - the Spencer Street bridge opened on February 12 (22). 

The Lady Loch was still operating in 1920. There was a report in The Argus of June 1920 about her  - Once again the ferry is being run with small boats, as the ponderous old steamer, with its square build and flat bottom, is laid up for a badly needed over-haul. Those accustomed to using the ferry are not altogether sorry for the change. A swift motor-launch does a continuous service from 5 a.m. to midnight, and the crossing is made in about a minute. So efficient is the working that the other morning a tally showed 523 passengers were carried in 20 minutes (23) These swift motor-launch were operated by a company which employed only returned soldiers (24). A report in 1924 on the retirement of Mr Rennick, the designer of the ferry, referred to it as the old steam ferrry that plied  at Spencer Street for many years (25)  which implies to me that it was no longer operating. The Lady Loch was auctioned off  for scrap in May 1928 (26).

 The end of the Lady Loch. 

The Age May 15, 1928 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/page/18866162

Trove list - I have created a list of articles relating to the Tyne Foundry and John Currie Johnson and his family, access it here.

Footnotes
(1) The Falls Bridge was built in 1860 and was replaced by Queen's bridge in 1889. It crosses the Yarra from Queensbridge Street, South Melbourne to Market Street. The Falls were caused by a rocky bar across the the Yarra, which were removed 1883 - 1885, to help alleviate flooding -  see articles in The Argus of May 24, 1883, here and December 3, 1884 here.  Princes Bridge at Swanston Street was built in 1850s and the current bridge dates to 1888. The bridge from Spencer Street to Clarendon Street in South Melbourne was opened in 1930 and the King Street Bridge, linking Kings Street to Kings Way was built in 1957. eMelbourne is a good source for the history of the early bridges and roads https://www.emelbourne.net.au/
(2) The Age August 25, 1884, see here.
(3) William Robert Rennick. Reports of his retirement which list some of his works and his career highlights can be found in The Herald July 8, 1924, see here and The Argus July 9, 1924, see here. His obituary was in The Argus, May 20, 1938, see here.
(4) Date of establishment. An article in The Age of October 1, 1883 (see here) said it was established in 1872; John Currie Johnson's obituary in the Footscray Independent of March 21, 1903 (see here) implies it was founded around 1875. It is listed in Sands McDougall Directory in 1875.

Sands and McDougall Melbourne and Suburban Directory for 1875.

State Library of Victoria https://www.slv.vic.gov.au/search-discover/popular-digitised-collections

(5) The Age, October 1, 1883, see here.
(6) The other projects can be found in various newspapers reports, see my Trove list, here. Some examples of portable steam engines can be found on the Engineering Australia website here.
(7) Closure date comes from a City of Port Phillip Heritage Review, see here.
(8) Short history of Langlands foundry is on eMelbourne, here. 

(9) Footscray Independent, March 21, 1903, see here

(10) Election  to Footscray Council in 1867 reported in The Age of March 2, 1867, see here.  Resignation from Footscray Council from The Argus, November 18, 1870, see here.  Election to South Melbourne Council from Emerald Hill Record, August 13, 1880, see here.  Re-election to Footscray Council reported in The Age, August 12, 1881, see here.   Elevation to Mayor at Footscray reported in the Australasian, August 20, 1881, see here.  Resignation from South Melbourne Council reported in The Argus August 10, 1883, see here. Resignation from Footscray Council reported in the Footscray Independent August 2, 1884, see here.    The fact that he was elected to South Melbourne Council in 1880 came from South Melbourne: a history by Susan Priestley (Melbourne University Press, 1995)

(11) Information about John Currie Johnson's life comes from his obituary in the Footscray Independent, March 21, 1903, see here. It also comes from the History of Footscray by John Lack (Hargreen / City of Footscray, 1991)
(12) James Ritchie Johnson - information about his life is from his obituary in The Argus, September 28, 1945, see here; an article about him in the Footscray Independent of March 3, 1904, see here and History of Footscray by John Lack (Hargreen / City of Footscray, 1991)
(13) John Currie Johnson married Ann Hughes in 1855. They had Thomas Watson (registered Emerald Hill, 1856), James Ritchie (Emerald Hill, 1858), John Currie (Emerald Hill, 1860), William Samuel (Emerald Hill, 1862), Annie Eleanor (1864 - 1878), Henry Langlands (Footscray, 1866), Albert Toney (Footscray, 1868), Francis Ernest (Footscray, 1870), Mary Charlotte (Footscray, 1872). They also had a daughter, Daisy, who launched the Lady Loch, but I cannot find any reference to her birth, in the Victorian Indexes to the Births, Deaths and Marriages. Daisy was possibly a pet name for Mary Charlotte.  Ann, the daughter of Thomas and Margaret (nee Richardson) Hughes, died in 1892 at the age of 56. John then married Flora McInnes in 1892 and they had one son, Neil Laing Johnson in 1893, born when John was 67. 
(14) Reports of the launch can be found in The Herald, June 23, 1884, see here; The Argus June 24, 1884, see here; and the Emerald Hill Record, June 27, 1884, see here. 
(15) Emerald Hill Record, June 27, 1884, see here. 
(16) The Argus June 24, 1884, see here.
(17) The Herald, June 23, 1884, see here.
(18) Emerald Hill Record, June 27, 1884, see here.
(19) The Argus, May 23, 1882, see here and The Argus, June 10 1885, see here.
(20) The Argus, August 30, 1884, see here,  reported on the fares and timetable - The steam ferry will ply from 6 a.m to 7 p.m in summer, and from 7 a.m to 5 p.m in winter. The row boat will ply from 5 a.m to the time the steam ferry begins operations, and from the time the steam ferry ceases until midnight, the charge per passenger being 1d up to 10 p.m., afterwards 2d. Weekly tickets, not available after 10 p.m., will be issued at 6d each. For every vehicle drawn by one horse the charge will be 3d , or 1s. per day ; do, two horses, 4d , or 1s 3d per day ; do, three horses, 6d , or 1s 6d per day ; do , four horses, 1s , or 2s per day. For every horse, cow, or bullock, 2d ; for every pig, ½d , for every sheep, ½d , for each score of sheep 4d.
(21) Report in The Age, March 27 1856 (see here) is the earliest I can find -  A meeting was held on Tuesday evening in the great iron store, for the purpose of taking into consideration the best route for the proposed road from Emerald Hill to, and bridge across, the River Yarra.....The Council had endeavored to procure a line of road from Clarendon street to the Yarra opposite Spencer street, and bridge across the river. It appeared that the Government were disposed to favor the views of the Council, but seemed inclined to substitute a steam-punt for a bridge.

(22) The Argus, February 13, 1930, see here.

(23) The Argus, June 25, 1920, see here.

(24) The Argus, June 25, 1920, see here.

(25) The Herald, July 8, 1924, see here.

(26) The Age May 15, 1928, see here. There was a report in the Williamstown Chronicle, July 7, 1928 (see here) that the ferry was offered to them for a breakwater. I don't know what the outcome of that was.

First Church on the Powlett Coal Field

This is a postcard of the first church on the Powlett Coal Field. The township at the centre of the coal fields was named Wonthaggi (1). The State Coal Mine on the Powlett Coal Field was established to supply coal to the Victorian Railways and put an end to the dependence of Victoria on New South Wales coal.  The State Coal Mine was given Goverment approval on November 17, 1909 and within eight days the first coal was despatched to Melbourne, overlanded to Inverloch and then shipped to Melbourne (2). The railway line from Nyora to Wonthaggi was constructed in ten weeks by 700 men using 140 horses and 17 bullocks and was opened by February 22, 1910, allowing coal to be railed direct to Melbourne (3).

First Church on the Powlett coal field - this is the Baptist Church, relocated from Jumbunna.

State Library of Victoria Image H2002.135/27

By April 1910 there were 750 miners employed at the State Coal Mine. The miners initially lived in tents in a tent town, then the township site was survyed and houses and other community facilities were established and on September 14, 1910 the township of Wonthaggi was proclaimed (4).  The township plan included allotments for Churches - the allotments being allocated by ballot (5).

The results of the ballot for Churches in Wonthaggi

The Leader, May 7, 1910 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/196493592#

Which was the first Church in Wonthaggi? It was the Baptist Church which had been shifted from Jumbunna. In the 1890s coal mines were established at Coal Creek at Korumburra, Jumbunna and Outtrim. In the case of Jumbunna and Outtrim a 17 month strike in 1903/04 saw many miners leave the town and businesses close so the Church was no longer required and was moved (6).  The Baptist Church was on the coal field in February 1910.  In the history of the Church of England in Gippsland,  The Church of our Fathers by the Reverend Arthur E. Clark (7), the author writes that the Reverend C. W. T. Rogers volunteered for the appointment to the Powlett coalfields. He arrived on February 5, 1910 and was glad to accept the kind hospitality of the Baptist Missionary, Mr J.M. McCue, who offered him the shelter of the church in which to make his bed for the night (8) which obviously suggests the church building had been moved by then. It may have even been there at the end of 1909 as Arthur Clark says that the Methodists were on the coalfield from the beginning (more of which below) and the Baptists speedily followed with a building which they were able to bring from Jumbunna (9). 

A report in The Age of May 26, 1910 said on the opening of the Powlett field the Jumbunna church had been moved to Powlett, and a good site for a church had been obtained at Wonthaggi. It was a

sign of the progress already made that 51 persons had been baptised at Wonthaggi (10).  I am unsure if they moved the Jumbunna Church to the new site and also built a new Church because I came across the following, when I was researching the date the Congregational Church opened, which was in November 1910 (11). It closed in June 1913, due to low numbers (12).  A report in a paper says  that the Congregational property has been purchased by the Baptist Church authorities, who intend to remove their old building to the new site and use it as a school (13). This implies that there was a new Church as well as the Jumbunna Church. The Baptists have the distinction of having the first physical church building on the coal field, however it was the Methodists who had the first congregation on the coal field.

A Century of Victorian Methodism by Reverend C. Irving Benson (14) gives us this history of the early days of the Methodist congregation on the coal fields -  Here we were the first Church on the coalfields. On the arrival of the first batch of miners, thirty five in all, they were met by the Reverend Courtenay Thomas, who sensing the possibilities of the place, promptly secured a tent, which would accomodate 200 men, and obtaining meanwhile a supply of red-gum planks for seats, was ready to begin operations. A Sunday School was opened under the guidance of Mrs Gardiner and before long its success bacame an embarrassment, the number of children in attendance passing the 400 mark. Later, Mr D. Cock provided an iron building, which was placed on the site for the Methodist Church, and after this had been in use for a while, in 1911 a wooden structure, 66 feet by 34 feet was built (15). It opened in August 1910.

The opening of the Methodist Church building in Wonthaggi

The Argus August 19, 1910 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/10453986

The Anglicans held their first services in Mr P. Smith's billiard room then in a tent, until the Baptists offered the use of their building for morning services.  The church, built on their alloated spot in the township of Wonthaggi, was opened on June 19, 1910. It was a  wooden structure of  a type familar to all Victorians, and capable of accomodating  100 people and was built by Percy Reynolds of Coburg (16). The Presbyterian Church was opened on January 8, 1911, by the Moderator General of the Presbyterian Church,  Reverend William Stothert Rolland (17).

The Catholic Church and Convent was officially opened on Sunday, March 24, 1912 by the Archbishop Thomas Carr. This was a much grander building than the other churches - The building is on a magnificent site, is flanked by the convent, and is a very solid and durable structure. Its red tile roof and its spire, the cross on the summit of which is decked with electric lights and gives a beautiful effect at night, are the most conspicuous objects in the town from every side at a distance. Within, the building is lofty and roomy, capable of seating 800 persons quite comfortably. It is splendidly lighted day and night, and beautifully finished off (18).

The Catholic Church, Wonthaggi, 1913. Photographer: John Henry Harvey 

State Library of Victoria Image H90.161/301

The Catholic Church was also used as a school, which at the time of its opening had an enrolment of 210 students (19). The Wonthaggi State School had been established November 22, 1909 and a variety of buildings in town were used including both the Baptist and Methodist Churches, a dismanted hay and corn store and a tent (20). The permanent school, a brick building of four rooms, in Billson Street opened March 27, 1911, which was still inadequate and the 'overflow' students had their lessons in the public hall. By the end of 1911 another building of five rooms was completed, however these nine rooms were designed to accomodate 450 students and 660 children were enrolled (21).

One of the benefits of weatherboard Church buildings or as the Reverend Clark called them a  wooden structure of  a type familar to all Victorians (22),was the ease with which they could be transported from one town to another where there was a greater need. Two Churches in Koo Wee Rup are examples of this practical activity. The Presbyterian Church building was originally the Wesleyan Church in Cranbourne and when it was no longer required, it was purchased by the Koo Wee Rup Presbyterians for 70 pounds. This church, designed by Architect Alfred Dunn, had been erected in 1888 and it was transported to Koo Wee Rup on a large trolley drawn by 13 horses and placed on land donated by Christopher Moody. The first service in this building was on March 20, 1896 (23). The Methodist Church (now Uniting) was moved from Yallock to Rossiter Road in 1932. In 1978 this building was moved to a camp in Grantville and a wooden church, the Narre Warren East Uniting Church, was relocated to the site, it was given a brick veneer and a new hall added and opened on February, 3 1980 (24).  The first Church on the Powlett Coal Fields, the Baptist Church, is also a perfect example of this sustainable practice.

Footnotes

(1) The Age, September 22, 1909, see here.

(2) Fahey, Charles Wonthaggi State Coal Mine: a short history of the State Coal Mine and its miners (Conservation Forest and Lands & Wonthaggi Coal Mine Committee, 1987). p. 11.

(3) Fahey,  op. cit., pp 11-13. 

(4) Fahey, op. cit., pp. 13-14.

(5) The Leader, May 7, 1910, see here and The Herald, May 3, 1910, see here.

(6) White, Joseph The History of the Shire of Korumburra (Shire of Korumburra, 1988) Mr White has a chapter on the various coal mines in the Korumburra region, pp. 119-135.

(7) Clark, Albert E  The Church of our Fathers being the history of the Church of England in Gippsland, 1847-1947 (Diocese of Gippsland, 1947)

(8) Clark, op.cit., pp. 259-260.

(9) Clark, op.cit., p. 261.

(10) The Age, May 26, 1910, see here and also reported on in The Argus, May 26, 1910, see here.

(11) It was opened by the Minister for Customs, Frank Tudor (1866-1922), who was also a Deacon of the Congregational Church. You can read his Australian Dictionary of Biography entry, here. The report of the opening of the Church was in The Herald, November 5, 1910, see here.

(12) The Argus, June 20, 1913, see here.

(13) The Argus, June 20, 1913, see here

(14) Benson, C. Irving A Century of Victorian Methodism (Spectator Publishing, 1935)

(15) Benson, op. cit., pp. 476-477.

(16) Clark, op. cit., pp. 260-262.

(17) The Age, January 10, 1911, see here. Read William Stothert Rolland (1846-1920) on the Geelong College website, here.

(18) The Advocate, March 30, 1912, see here.

(19) The Advocate, March 30, 1912, see here.

(20) Reports of the accomodation issues for the school can be found in The Argus, January 24, 1911, see here and  The Age, January 28, 1911, see here and in Blake, L. J (editor) Vision and Realisation: a centenary history of State Education in Victoria,  (Education Department of Victoria, 1973), vol. 3. pp. 1302-1303. 

(21)  Blake, op. cit., pp. 1302-1303. 

(22) Clark, op. cit., p. 262.

(23) Gunson, Niel The Good Country: Cranbourne Shire (F. W. Cheshire, 1968). p.166 and The Mornington Standard, February 20, 1896, see here.

(24) I have written about this and there is also a photo of the Yallock Church being moved, on my Koo Wee Rup Swamp History blog, see here.

Dandenong House boarding house

In April 1911 (1) James Fenton Andrews opened Dandenong House, his palatial edifice (2) in Foster Street, Dandenong, and which was situated on an eminence above the railway station (3). 

Dandenong House, c. 1911. Photographer: Albert Jones.

Museums Victoria https://collections.museumsvictoria.com.au/items/767809

The building contained 40 rooms (4) which had been planned with regard to convenience and comfort, and the arrangement of smoking and ladies' rooms, as well as general conveniences, leaves nothing to be desired (5). The spacious dining room was 40 feet by 30 feet (6). The building was designed by local architect, W.H. Orgill (7). William Henry Orgill later became a District Inspector in the Public Works Department (8).  In 1951 the Loyal Dandenong Lodge of the Manchester Unity Independent Order of Oddfellows celebrated sixty years and an article in the Dandenong Journal listed their longest serving members, led by Mr Orgill who had joined July 4, 1895 (9). 

The first advertisement in the South Bourke & Mornington Journal May 18, 1911.

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/page/6366091

The operation of Dandenong House got off to a dramatic start when on the night of June 21, 1911 the roof was blown off by a cyclonic wind. The Argus reported that the ornamental parapet was thrown over, in its descent tearing through the iron balcony roof and floor. A chimney stack was blown over, and it crashed into an unoccupied bedroom. Some of the bricks found their way to other apartments, but, strange to say, nobody was injured. The large plate-glass windows of the front shops escaped damage. There were over 20 lodgers in the house, including a newly-married couple on their honeymoon (10).  The building was quickly repaired and no doubt the honeymooners had an exciting tale to tell when they returned home. 

James Fenton Andrews, the owner of Dandenong House was born in 1862 in Dandenong to James and Clearie (nee Maple) Andrews (11). His parents had taken up 95 acres in Keysborough in September 1871. In 1884, he married Edith Foster, the daughter of another early Keysborough family, Joseph and Martha (nee McConnell) Foster. Joseph had worked for William Keys after his arrival in Victoria in 1855 and saved enough money to buy a small farm (12). 

The name for the part of Keysborough where the Andrew and Foster families lived was Elmsford. This was a 1852 sub-division of Crown Allotment 53, Parish of Dandenong by James Simpson. He created 63 small farms and township allotments and called the town Elmsford.  The town of Elmsford never eventuated, however many farmers established small market gardens. The locality of Elmsford is essentially south of Cheltenham Road, between Chapel Road to the west and Chandler Road to the east. Perry Road, part of the sub-division was named for auctioneer, Symons & Perry and Newson Road is named after the architect surveyor of the land, Albert Newson (13). Many of the early settlers were united by their Wesleyan (Methodist) faith. They built  a small wooden chapel (in Chapel Road) in 1861 and a brick chapel in 1877, using the wooden building for a Sunday School and Hall.  The church buildings are currently and disgracefully kept in a state of neglect by their owners, the Uniting Church, who should have more community spirit and responsibility and restore them or at the very least stop their 'demolition by neglect' path. Brothers Robert, John and Thomas Orgill were also Elmsford residents and Methodists, I have not worked out the connection to the architect of Dandenong House, W.H. Orgill, but they must be related (14). 

Back to James and Edith. Edith gave birth to ten children between 1885 and 1900 and then sadly died in 1903, at the age of 38. As  a matter of interest Edith's birth place is listed as Elmsford (15). James then married Edith's first cousin, Maria, the daughter of  John and Ann (nee Martin) Foster in 1909 and they had two sons (16).  James and Maria retired to Cobram where he died in 1933, aged 70. Maria died  ten years later. James, Edith and Maria are all buried at the Dandenong Cemetery (17).

Around 1914 Dandenong House was taken over by Emma Esther Hubbard (nee Coventry). She was a widow, her husband Benjamin had died in 1903 at Yarra Glen (18).  In 1916, she married William Henry Gordon, who was a sawmmiller and she continued to operate Dandenong House until 1917 (19). Emma was apparently a very good cook as there are various reports about functions held at Dandenong House where her catering is praised - Mrs Hubbard had prepared an appetising repast (20)....The catering arrangements were ably carried out by the hostess, Mrs Hubbard, who provided a sumptuous spread of light refreshments which were duly appreciated (21)....After the ceremony the guests, between 60 and 70 in number, adjourned to Dandenong House, where the wedding tea was served, in Mrs Hubbard's most efficient style (22).

Emma did not retire after she left Dandenong House, she moved onto another guest house, Osborne House at 40 Nicholas Street in Fitzroy (23). This was a boarding house popular amongst actors, as the article in The Herald below, attests.  Emma died in 1938 at the age of 66, she is buried at Yarra Glen (24).

The short obituary of Emma Esther - she wasn't at Osborne house for more than 30 yeas as we can place her at Dandenong House until 1917, but that's a minor point. Of more importance is what a dynamic and interesting clientele Emma must have had at Osborne House.

The Herald March 5, 1938  https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/244591816#

The next proprietor of Dandenong House guesthouse was Charles Robert Jones, who was there from November 1917 until June 1920 when Evelyn Mary Matthews took over the establishment for the next thirty years.

Mr Jones takes over Dandenong House

South Bourke & Mornington Journal November 29, 1917  https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/66193134

Evelyn, born in Camperdon in 1890, was the daughter of Joseph and Esther (nee Skjellerup) Matthews (25). Evelyn operated the guest house with her mother and there are various newspaper accounts of wedding breakfasts, fundraisers for the Red Cross during the War  and other functions being held at Dandenong House under the supervision of the Matthews family (26).  As an example of the homely atmosphere Dandenong House provided, there was a report in the Dandenong Journal of July 1936 of Dandenong High School teacher, Harry Tonkin, leaving for a teaching position in Scotland. During, his residence here Mr. Tonkin has comfortably lived at Dandenong House, where Mrs. Matthews and her daughter (Miss Matthews) speak of him in the highest terms possible. Neither would permit of his departure without the presence of several of his friends - among whom were more than thirty - being invited to dinner on Wednesday night last, to wish him bon-voyage and a safe return.... a sumptuous meal was served in the spacious dining hall (27). 

Miss Matthews' advertisment for Dandenong House

South Bourke & Mornington Journal June 17, 1920 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/66198270

Mrs Matthews died in March 1938 and the Dandenong Journal reported that it is with deep regret that we record the passing of a very old resident of Dandenong, in Mrs. Esther Anne Matthews. Mrs. Matthews was the mother of Miss E. M. Matthews, proprietor of “Dandenong House,” and Mrs. McAlpine. Many former guests of Dandenong House attended the funeral to the Springvale Crematorium (28). Miss Evelyn Matthews retired in October 1950 and she died in 1979 (29).

Miss Matthews retires

Dandenong Journal October 18, 1950 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/219304585

Dandenong House remained a boarding house, but like many of these establishments throughout Melbourne the demographic of the clientele changed. People like Mr Tonkin, the teacher had more housing options from the 1950s and 1960s with the large increase in the number of flats available for rent. Many of these old boarding houses were lacking the facilities such as private bathrooms that commercial travellers and others could expect to find in motels. Many boarding houses, like hotels,  were traditionally operated by women as they supplied her with a place to live and a source of income, but with the rise of other employment options, women no longer needed to operate boarding houses to survive. The boarding house became a place where people with limited housing options due to unemployment, psychiatric or addiction issues lived. 

On December 23, 1977 Dandenong House was condemned as a fire risk and its 48 inhabitants had to find somewhere else to live. On January 3, 1978 it burnt to the ground - the old boarding house went up like a pack of crackers at 4.35pm, it was gone in 3 minutes Dandenong Fire Brigade member, Max Owen is reported to have said (30).

The end of Dandenong House, January 1978.

The Age January 4, 1978 from Newspapers.com by Ancestry. 

Trove list

I have created a list of articles on Dandenong House and the people connected to it, access it here. 

Footnotes

(1) I don't have an exact date of the opening. There was an advertisement for a cook at Dandenong House in the South Bourke & Mornington Journal on April 13, 1911, see here, and the same paper on May 11 said that there were several boarders in residence, but it was still being completed, see here.

(2) South Bourke & Mornington Journal, May 11, 1911, see here.

(3) The Argus, June 22, 1911 see here.

(4) South Bourke & Mornington Journal, January 26, 1911, see here.

(5) South Bourke & Mornington Journal, May 11, 1911, see here.

(6) South Bourke & Mornington Journal, May 11, 1911, see here.

(7) South Bourke & Mornington Journal, September 29, 1910, see here.

(8) Gippsland Times, December 20 1937, see here.

(9) Dandenong Journal, July 11, 1951, see here.

(10) The Argus, June 22, 1911, see here. Other reports in The Age of the same date, see here and the South Bourke & Mornington Journal also on June 22, see here.

(11) Indexes to the Victorian Births, Deaths and Marriages https://www.bdm.vic.gov.au/research-and-family-history/search-your-family-history

(12) Hibbins, G.M. A history of the City of Springvale: constellation of communities (City of Springvale/Lothian, 1984), p. 79. Marriage details to Edith Fisher is from the Victorian BDMs - see footnote 11. Information about the Foster family is from p. 52 of  Gillian Hibbins' book. 

(13) Hibbins, G.M., op. cit., p. 52 has the history of the Elmsford sub-division. There are maps on pages 51 and 58 of her book. I discovered that Ms Hibbins had written about Elmsford only because Graeme Butler quoted her in his City of Greater Dandenong Heritage Study Stage One 1998: V2, access it here 

(14) Information about the Methodist connection between the early Keysborough settlers is in chapter 3 of Gillian Hibbins' book.The date of the erection of the two churches comes from the City of Greater Dandenong Heritage Study from 2003,   https://cgdresources.mmgsolutions.net/Resources/Website/SiteDocuments/doc61313.pdf  The Orgill brothers are mentioned in Gillian Hibbins' book on pages 50 & 53.

(15)  Victorian BDMs - see footnote 11.

(16)  Victorian BDMs - see footnote 11. I suspected that John and Joseph Foster were brothers and this  confirmed on page 57 of Gillian Hibbins' book.

(17) Obituary of James Fenton Andrews in the Dandenong Journal of February 2, 1933, see here and Cobram Courier of the same date, see here.

(18) Evelyn Observer & Bourke East Record, March 6, 1903, see here.

(19) Emma Esther Hubbard is in the Electoral Rolls at Dandenong House in 1914 and 1915 and as Emma Esther Gordon in 1916 and 1917, along with William Henry Gordon, sawmiller. In the 1919 Electoral Roll they are both at 40 Nicholson Street, Fitzroy, her occupation is boarding house keeper.

(20) Dandenong Advertiser, September 2, 1915, see here.

(21) South Bourke & Mornington Journal, September 16, 1915, see here.

(22) South Bourke & Mornington Journal, November 4, 1915, see here.

(23) Electoral Roll for 1919, division of Batman, subdivision of Gertrude. Osborne House was built in 1850 and enlarged in 1887, see the Victorian Heritage Database citation, here.

(24) The Herald March 5, 1938, see here.

(25) Victorian BDMs - see footnote 11.

(26) See my Trove list, here.

(27) Dandenong Journal, July 16, 1936, see here.

(28) Dandenong Journal, March 9, 1938, see here.

(29) Dandenong Journal October 18, 1950, see here and death comes from the Victorian BDMs.

(30) The Age January 4, 1978 

Beautiful sea kissed St Kilda welcomes the British Fleet

In November 1923, the Royal Navy Special Service Squadron embarked from Plymouth on a trip around the Empire. The Squadron consisted of two battle cruisers, the Hood and the Repulse, and five light cruisers, the Danae, Dauntless, Delhi, Dragon and Dunedin.  Their first stop was Sierra Leone followed by other ports in Africa, over to India, Penang and Singapore and then south to Fremantle, the first of eight Australian ports and then onto New Zealand and Fiji. This was the first naval cruise around the world since 1882 (1) and was a reminder of the kinship of the British Empire to its outlying dominions and that after the Great War, Britannia was still the Mistress of the Seas (2). 

Visitors on Princes Pier, waiting to tour the Delhi, during the visit of the British Fleet.

Photographer: Allan C. Green, State Library of Victoria Image H91.108/356 http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/27798

The fleet arrived at Port Phillip Heads at dawn on Monday, March 17, 1924 and in a triumphal procession (3) accompanied by hundreds of water craft made their way up the Bay. The Hood, Repulse, Delhi and Danae moored at Princes Pier, the Dunedin at the  Town Pier at Port Melbourne, and the Dauntless and the Dragon at Victoria Dock (4).

The Danae at Princes Pier

This is from an album of photographs connected to various families including the Gilmour and Penhalluriack families (5). Photo supplied by Isaac Hermann.

The Hood, Repulse, Delphi and Danae at Princes Pier, March 24, 1924.

Public Records Office of Victoria - Melbourne Harbour Trust Commissioners, 

Progress of the Port of Melbourne - Lantern Slide 62 (the image has been cropped).

On the Tuesday, March 18, St Kilda was honoured by a visit of the Admirals and other dignitaries. Meticulous planning had been undertaken for  this event by the town Clerk, Mr F. W.  Chamberlin (6).  St Kilda historian, J.B. Cooper, had this praise for him: So skilled was Mr Chamberlin in organising events for Royal and Vice Regal welcomes that Royalty itself has been graciously pleased to speak, in after years, of the welcomes at St Kilda as ones that could not have been better organsied anywhere in the British Empire (7).

The planning had began at a St Kilda Council meeting held on Monday, January 21, 1924 when Cr Unsworth moved a motion That, in order to commemorate the visit of the British Fleet to Melbourne during the month of March, 1924, a St Kilda Gala week be arranged from the 17th March to the 22nd March inclusive or such other week as will fit in with the date of the proposed visit; that the co-operation of all the citizens, patriotic bodies, clubs, business people, entertainment proprietors be sought to make the proposed St. Kilda Gala week a fitting recognition of this most important event, and that the Mayor be empowered to call a meeting of citizens with a view to making the necessary arrangements (8).  Cr Taylor seconded the move.  Cr Clarke said a small committee should be appointed to draw up a programme, even though the Mayor, Cr Allen, said the Town Clerk, will no doubt do most of the work (9).

The motivation to host the fleet was twofold. Cr Unsworth said St Kilda was an ideal city and the only one that could lay itself out to have a gala week in honour of the the visit of the British Fleet and Cr Taylor said that it was the least they could do....to show their gratitude to the Jack Tars (10) who had done so much for them during the war (11).

St Kilda welcomes Vice-Admiral Field and senior officers on March 18, 1924.

Visit of the British Special Service Squadron from J.B. Cooper's History of St Kilda (12).

Tuesday, March 18 was a day of sunshine and early Autumnal mildness (13) when Vice-Admiral Sir Frederick Field and senior officers arrived at St Kilda pier in the Vice-Admiral's pinnace at 11.00am (14). In beautiful sea-kissed St Kilda (15) they were greeted by the Town Clerk and then presented to the Mayor, Cr Allen, and a number of speeches were made. There were two thousand children from the three local state schools, Brighton Road, Elwood and St Kilda Park, who had each been given a small Australian flag to wave. A choir of 700 children from the schools sung Rule, Britannia and the National Anthem, accompanied by the St Kilda City Band.  The choir master was the head master of Brighton Road, Mr H. E. F. Lampe (16). The day had been declared a public holiday and this ensured a good crowd, estimated at 30,000 (17).

This photograph of the Palais Pictures and Palais de Danse, St Kilda, was taken, I believe on March 18, 1924, the day St Kilda welcomed the British Fleet. The film showing at the Palais Pictures was The Cheat with Pola Negri which had a short run from March 17 to March 19 (18).  The sign under the Palais Pictures lettering says 'St Kilda's Hearty Welcome... British Fleet'. There are many children in the photo, perhaps they are some of the 2,000 children from the local state schools who gave the Vice- Admiral and the senior officers a hearty welcome.

The Palais Picture Theatre and Palais de Danse, St. Kilda. SK 0992. 

Image courtesy of Port Phillip Collection.

But this was not the only event in St  Kilda as Mr Chamberlin had planned a gala week, which had started the night before. The Age had a comprehensive report of the activities of the Tuesday night: Men, women and children came by train, tram, bus, motor car, and every other conceivable form of conveyance, each of which was crowded to its utmost capacity. People hung on to the sides of tram cars or stood, several deep, in motor buses, but once they reached St. Kilda they plunged into the fun and forgot all about the trials and troubles of getting there until it was time to get back home again. 

The Esplanade itself was a struggling mass of humanity under a blaze of myriads of colored lights.... and every side show and amusement place added its quota of vari-colored lights. In the band stand, which had been artistically decorated, a band played catchy melodies that set the feet of the sailors and their newly-made friends itching to dance. A few could not resist the temptation to dance in the street, but most of the others found their way to one or other of the palais de danse, where men in uniform were admitted free. The  scene at the Wattle Path Palais was a particularly brilliant one. A large number of officers and men accepted the invitation of the management to free dancing, and all appeared to be enjoying themselves to the full. At no time did any of the tars seems to have any difficulty in finding an abundance of partners. 

Luna Park, with its many side shows and attractions, was the rendezvous of hundreds of the men of the fleet. They tackled, the scenic railway, the "big dipper" and other thrills with shouts and whoops that left no doubt as to how they were enjoying the fun. At all the other places of amusement the scene was equally gay and care-free. Sailors and citizens joined in fun and frolic. There was much laughter, shouting and joking, but through out the evening the fun was harmless. St. Kilda's welcome will undoubtedly serve to place that city 'on the map' as far as the visiting sailors, at least, are concerned (19). 

The activities went on throughout the week and the Saturday was a day of water sports and activities including yacht, dinghy and motor boat races and exhibitions of diving and aquaplaning (20). The Gala week finished off with a bang with a fireworks display from 8.30 pm which concluded at 10.00am with a grand illumination of the sea front (21).

The week was an outstanding success, the Prahran Telegraph described it as St Kilda's triumph (22).   Vice-Admiral Field wrote to the Mayor of St Kilda thanking the Council and mentioned that the facilities which you gave, particularly to the Petty Officers and men of the Squadron, enabled those who had only a few hours leave to obtain real enjoyment and meet friends who were pleased to welcome them within a very short distance of their ships. The Vice-Admiral also wrote that We were all greatly impressed by the opportunity St. Kilda affords for healthful recreation and amusement, and we wish you and the people of St. Kilda all success and prosperity in the future (23). 

The Prahran Telegraph summed up the week - How the sailors would have been welcomed if there had been no St. Kilda, we do not know. They would have had a poor time compared to the time they have had...The hospitality of St. Kilda has been of the most generous and lavish description, and nothing has been too much to do to give the bulk of the sailors innocent pleasures (24).

Acknowledgement
Thank you to my research colleague, Isaac Hermann, for alerting me to the photograph of the Palais Picture Theatre and Palais de Danse, St. Kilda and to Sandy Khazam, Team Leader Arts and Heritage, City of Port Phillip for kindly supplying me with the photograph. Isaac also provided me with some research and realised that the photo of the warship from the Gilmour and Penhalluriack album (see footnote 5) was actually the Danae and that it was taken during the visit of the fleet in March 1924. 

Trove list: I have created a list of newspaper articles on the visit of the Fleet, mainly relating to St Kilda, you can access it here.

Footnotes
(1) The Sydney Sun, November 28, 1923, see here. There is also detailed Australian itinerary on the Naval History Society of Australia website, here. 

(2) Cooper, John Butler The History of St Kilda from its first settlement to a city and after 1840 - 1930, v. 2 (St Kilda City Council, 1931), p. 307. 

(3) The Age, March 18, 1924, see here. 

(4) The Argus, March 19, 1924, see here. 

(5) My research colleague, Isaac Hermann, came across this album and supplied this photograph for me. I have written about the Gilmour and Penhalluriack here   http://victoriaspast.blogspot.com/2019/12/australian-farmers-centre-draft.html

(6)  Frederick William Chamberlin, City of St Kilda Town Clerk. According to his obituary he was born in England, arrived in Victoria in 1881, appointed assistant Town Clerk in 1897 and became the Town Clerk on  May 1, 1913.  Mr Chamberlin died suddenly on October 11, 1934 when he collapsed outside the Town Hall on his way to a Council Public Works Committee meeting. He was 62 years old.  You can read his obituary in The Argus, here and The Age, here.

(7) Cooper, op.cit., p. 306.

(8) The Age, January 22, 1924, see here.

(9) The Prahran Telegraph, January 25, 1924, see here.

(10) Jack Tar - a nickname for sailors - Jack being the generic name for a 'common man' (such as 'Jack of all trades') and tar coming from tarpaulin, a canvas made waterproof with the application of tar. Source: Royal Museums Greenwich, see here. 

(11) The Prahran Telegraph, January 25, 1924, see here.

(12) Cooper, op. cit. - photo opposite page 306. 

(13) Cooper, op. cit, p. 307.

(14) Cooper, op. cit, p. 307.

(15) Prahran Telegraph, March 21, 1924, see here.

(16) Herman Ernest Franz Lampe. He retired from the Education Department after fifty years of service in March 1926. You can read a report of his retirement in the Prahran Telegraph, here.

(17) Reports in the Prahran Telegraph March 21, 1924, see here and The Age, March 19, 1924, see here. 

(18) Pola Negri in The Cheat - interesting choice of film given the sailors were away from their wives and girl friends and perhaps succumbed to the temptations of the flesh, while they were in the various ports. The other film on through St Kilda Gala Week was What Fools men are.

Prahran Telegraph, March 14, 1924 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/page/19668377

(19) The Age March 18, 1924, see here.

(20) The Herald, March 22, 1924, see here.

(21) The Age, March 22, 1924, see here. 

(22) Prahran Telegraph, April 4, 1924, see here.

(23) The Herald, March 28, 1924, see here.

(24) Prahran Telegraph, March 21, 1924, see here.