Williamstown Historical Society

The People's Library: Williamstown's Mechanics' Institute and its Enduring Spirit

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 03:35:37 GMT

On July 10, 1860, the Williamstown Mechanics Institute was opened with an extensive soiree. With the institute’s opening, it was also decided to create a public library associated with the institute, in the hope that the institute could take advantage of the government grant for free libraries. [1] Later that year, in October, it was announced that 200 volumes had been added to the library in the last six months, bringing the total number of volumes to 940. Furthermore, upwards of 1000 books had been issued to users in the library’s first half-year of being opened. [2]

Reports from later that decade continued to outline the extensive additions to the library, including “the writing of our most celebrated Philosophers, Statemen, and Travellers.” The committee sought not to only add to the library works of fiction, but also “those works which have a direct tendency to instruct and elevate the minds of readers.” In April 1867, it was reported that 1,932 books had been issued in the past six months, revealing the steady rise in popularity of the library. [3] By May 1869, £2500 had been spent on the Mechanics Institute building, and the library’s total number of books had reached 2,532. Ability to loan books from the Melbourne Library meant that members could choose from 4,000 books in total. It was also at this time that a “most comfortable and attractive” reading room was opened, which hosted a fireplace and “the most popular newspapers and magazines of the time.” [4] Later that year, in October, an auction was held to get rid of damaged books. The proceeds of the auction were to be for the purchase of new books, thus “maintain[ing] the high standard of excellence which [the] Library has attained,” and providing library members with “works of the great writers of the day”, including those in disciplines such as theology, science, arts, history, biography, travels, poetry, and fiction. With satisfaction, the committee also noted that attendance of the reading room had increased considerably. [5]

In April 1870, the committee announced that they had continued to make valuable additions to the library, displaying “great discrimination in choosing only such as will tend the elevate the taste of the readers.” Books added included Henry Fawcett’s Manual of Political Economy, Napoleon’s Julius Caesar, Charles Dickens’ Our Mutual Friend, and Alfred Tennyson’s Holy Grail, among many others. [6] By April 1871, the library’s total number of books had now reached 2,467. The Reading Room continued to be well-attended, including by seamen who frequent the Williamstown piers, who were allowed free admission. [7] In July 1873, a report from the annual meeting of the Victorian Seamen’s Mission announced that 30,000 to 35,000 seamen visited Victoria each year, revealing the importance of the free reading room at Williamstown. [8]

According to a report from October 1874, in the past six months the committee had added compilations of Dickens, Thackeray, and Scott. 109 volumes had also been rebound, thus leaving the library in a more satisfactory state regarding both the number of volumes and their condition.[9]

In October 1877, it was noted that there had been an increase in attendance of the reading room by officers, apprentices, and seamen. Shipping firms had promised subscriptions to the funding of the institute for their seamen. The President of the institute believed that the free reading room would provide “comfort and improvement of the seamen in their employ, thereby checking the abominable vice of drunkenness that prevails among sailors when they are left to their own resources.”[10]

In April 1879, the library increased its opening hours.[11] Later that year, the front room of the library was fitted for public convenience, and the public were allowed free access to the library.[12] In November 1879, the institute changed its name to “The Williamstown Mechanics’ Institute and Free Library,” which had been necessary to enable the library to receive government funding.[13]

By April 1886, over 4,250 volumes were now in the library. Various clubs and societies had also begun to use rooms in the library, including the Amalgamated Society of Engineers, the Williamstown Shipwright’s Society, the Williamstown Horticultural Society, the Williamstown Eight Hours Society, and more. The library had also received a donation of twenty images from the Melbourne Public Library, which were to be framed and hung around the institute.[14]

In April 1886, an editorial in the Williamstown Chronicle written by representatives of the institute criticised the lack of library subscribers, particularly among the youth, who appeared to be more interested in sports rather than mental cultivation. The writer lamented that they

cannot see how a couple of hours spent at our Mechanics’ Institute – or other kindred establishment of a night – would at all lessen a young man’s prowess in the sports arena, and, when the more serious duties of life come to be entered on, the knowledge thus acquired would be of infinitely more service to him…[15]

In April 1888, at the institute’s AGM, it was suggested that there should be more attention given to accommodation in the reading room, which would “induce youths to cultivate literary knowledge instead of congregating at corners and walking about the streets.” [16] The library was thus seen as of vital importance in educating Williamstown’ youth.

I n October 1891, another letter to the editor of the Chronicle urged the social and individual importance of the library:

Can you explain how it is that the bulk of Williamstown people fail to appreciate the local institute and free library to the extent it deserves? Maybe it is that they really do not fully understand the intellectual feasts that are daily offered for their acceptance… The existence of the institution wholly depends upon the support of the public, and surely every intelligent member of our community must feel that such an institution is beneficial and elevating in character, and an advantage to the town.[17]

In January 1899, the library had nearly 5000 volumes and was considered “one of the best in the suburbs.”[18] In January 1903, the institute’s committee entered into an agreement with the town council to municipalise some parts of the institute, while keeping the library and reading room under the control of a joint committee of council members and representatives of the institute. The agreement was on the condition that the council erect a new hall for the institute capable of seating 300 people.[19] By May 1909, the library had continued to expand, housing 5456 books on its shelves, with a total of 234 chairs inside the institute.[20] .

November 1925 saw renovations for the institute: the flooring of the stage was renewed, the public reading room was furnished with new periodicals, and framed photographs of Australasian scenic spots were hung on the walls.[21] By January 1927, the library was composed of more than 9,000 books, periodicals, and magazines.[22] A report from May 1928 announced that the library now catered for 500 families, which was a higher percentage of the population than any other suburban library. It was also noted that for the past years, the library had not received any government grants but had rather been supported entirely by member subscriptions, and “those desirous to read”.[23] In August that year, a junior section was added to the library.[24]

In July 1929, there was a motion that the committee confer with the Williamstown City Council in order to obtain a grant for the purchase of educational literature. With a grant of £350 a year, the committee said they would provide educational literature, a free children’s library, and a free reading room that included papers and magazines. The agreement would be under the control of a joint committee of the council and representatives of the institute.[25] In September that year, the institute sent a letter to the council, stating that they were not prepared to accept the offer to take over the assets and liabilities of the institute upon terms which they felt meant the municipalisation of the institute. The committee renewed its application for a grant, and representatives argued that the institute had done a lot for the educational needs of the municipality, thus meriting council support. Ultimately, the establishment of a children’s library and free library would benefit all.[26] The next month, the Mayor moved that £100 be spent on the institute, and in November the council asked the institute to indicate how they would spend the money. The institute’s committee responded that they would establish a free children’s library with 800 books. Twenty-four women had also volunteered to help get the library going. It was hoped the children’s library would be finished for Christmas.[27]

In August 1935, at the institute’s AGM, it was mentioned that although the councils are authorised and expected to aid local libraries, the institute had only received £115 in its 79 years of public service. The secretary estimated that there were at least 1,600 homes interested in its reading activities, and the unanimous feeling of the meeting was that it was time for expansion. They believed that the council should be asked to cooperate. The meeting also discussed the children’s library, which had been commended by the district school inspector and head teachers, and which the committee claimed held books “superior to that of any other children’s library in Australia.”[28 ]

In February 1936, the financial position of the library was satisfactory: renovations to rooms were in full swing, and arrangements were made for the opening of a group educational system in the children’s library. [29] In March, the children’s library was opened, with accommodation for 40 readers. There were 300 children waiting at the library’s opening. The Director of Education, J. McRae opened the group educational section of the children’s library, remarking that “the children of Williamstown were to be envied.” [30] In December, it was noted that there had been 30,000 visits to the library in the past year. [31]

By July 1937, the Children’s Library had proved to be of value. Yearly attendance of the library was now at 40,000. [32] On July 24, the institute was visited by the former Director of Education, a representative of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, the headmistress of Williamstown Girls’ School, headteachers of other schools in the district, the president of the Libraries’ Association of Victoria, and more. Mr Tate, the Director of Education, praised the librarian for valuing the relationship of the school with the library. Visitors overall expressed the opinion that Williamstown was doing great work as a spearhead for Victoria. [33]

In February 1938, the Shepparton Advertiser published an article advertising the Williamstown library, titled “Williamstown’s Fine Example”. It wrote that notable progress had been made at Williamstown, where a valuable development of the ‘library movement’ is the establishment of the Educational Group Section, where school pupils attend and their teachers allot their pupils reading tasks in history, geography, literature, music, art, health, and more. The article emphasises the importance of the library to students: “Those chiefly concerned are the children – the citizens of the future. Does it pay to give them a wider outlook, the power to find knowledge for themselves, and the habit of thinking and reasoning for themselves? We in Williamstown think it does.” [34] In August 1938, it was noted that Williamstown’s reading room was one of the best in the State: it was free of charge and open 72 hours per week. Furthermore, the educational group section was leading in Australia, with the implementation of two modern picture machines to show educational films. [35]

At the August 1941 AGM, it was announced that the Williamstown library was the best on this side of Melbourne, with 633 new books being added that year. The library had also been providing free books to nursing and fighting forces, which was announced to be most likely the best of any Victorian library. [36] By October that year, there was now 8,000 books to choose from in the library. [37] The children’s library continued to grow in popularity – by 1945, it was noted that 8,500 children had been members since it had opened. [38] Other parts of the library continued to also be of great use. In August 1946, the secretary of the institute noted that the main hall and lodge had been used on 130 occasions over the past five months. [39]

Over the next decade, recommendations were made to municipalise the institute to allow greater financial support from the council. In February 1954, actions were made to begin implementing the proposal to vest the institute in the council.[40] Arguments were made for the establishment of a free municipal library, and it was reported in March 1962 that a referendum would be held to decide the matter. The Newport Branch of the A.E.U voiced its support for a free municipal library in Williamstown, arguing that Williamstown, “with its unique background of cultural and social leadership, should take this opportunity of further demonstrating their interest in the welfare of its citizens by the active support for the establishment of a first-class municipal library.”[41]

Throughout its long development, the library has proved to be of great importance to Williamstown’s history and culture. Continuously praised as a site of education, particularly for Williamstown’s youth, the mechanics institute was a pioneer among Victorian libraries. Furthermore, the library played a large role in Williamstown’s important maritime history, as it provided a needed educational and recreational stop for Victoria’s seamen. It is not unreasonable to say that without the Mechanics’ Institute and its library, Williamstown today would look very different.

If you would like to read more about the Williamstown Mechanics' Institute, please click here.

References:

Argus, July 10, 1860.
Williamstown Chronicle, October 13, 1860, pg. 3.
Williamstown Chronicle, April 13, 1867, pg. 6.
Williamstown Chronicle, May 1, 1869, pg. 5.
Williamstown Chronicle, October 23, 1869, pg. 3
Williamstown Chronicle, April 16, 1870, pg. 4.
Williamstown Chronicle, April 29, 1871, pg. 5.
Leader, July 12, 1873, pg. 12.
Williamstown Chronicle, October 31, 1874, pg. 3.
Williamstown Chronicle, October 27, 1877, pg. 4.
Chronicle, April 12, 1879, pg. 3.
Williamstown Chronicle, October 18, 1879, pg. 2.
Williamstown Chronicle, November 1, 1879, pg. 4.
Williamstown Chronicle, April 17, 1886, pg. 2.
Williamstown Chronicle, April 17, 1886, pg. 2.
Williamstown Chronicle, April 28, 1888, pg. 2.
Williamstown Chronicle, October 31, 1891, pg. 3.
Williamstown Chronicle, January 28, 1899, pg. 3.
The Age, January 30, 1903, pg. 6.
Williamstown Chronicle, May 15, 1909, pg. 3.
Williamstown Chronicle, November 21, 1925, pg. 2; Age, November 19, 1925, pg. 7.
Argus, January 24, 1927, pg. 12.
Williamstown Chronicle, May 5, 1928, pg. 2.
Williamstown Chronicle, August 4, 1928, pg. 2.
Williamstown Chronicle, July 27, 1929, pg. 2.
Williamstown Chronicle, September 21, 1929, pg. 2.
Williamstown Chronicle, November 23, 1929, pg. 2.
Williamstown Chronicle, August 3, 1935, pg. 7.
Williamstown Chronicle, February 22, 1936, pg. 6.
Argus, March 28, 1936, pg. 18.
Age, December 14, 1936, pg. 19.
Williamstown Chronicle, July 24, 1937, pg. 3.
Age, July 24, 1937, pg. 28; Williamstown Chronicle, July 31, 1937, pg. 1.
Shepparton Advertiser, February 7, 1938, pg. 8.
Williamstown Chronicle, August 6, 1938, pg. 2.
Williamstown Chronicle, August 1, 1941, pg. 7.
Williamstown Chronicle, October 24, 1941, pg. 6.
Williamstown Chronicle, March 16, 1945, pg. 1.
Williamstown Chronicle, August 30, 1946, pg. 6.
Williamstown Chronicle, February 12, 1954, pg. 3.
Chronicle, April 19-26, 1962, pg. 4.

Charles James Polain - Blueprints and Starting Gates

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 03:32:58 GMT

Architect: Charles James Polain (1856-1899)

Early Life

Charles James Polain, commonly known as C.J. Polain, was born on July 14, 1857, in Bethnal Green, Middlesex, England, to George Thomas Polain (1834-1924) and Emma (née King) (1836-1922). At the age of 19, seeking adventure and fortune in the colonies like many of his contemporaries, he departed from Plymouth in mid-1875 aboard the Trevelyan, arriving in Adelaide, where he listed his occupation as a cabinetmaker.

It is reasonable to assume he pursued studies in architecture upon his arrival, as by 1880, he was residing in Napperby, located in mid-north South Australia, and was recognized as an architect for several structures in the area. Polain is mentioned in newspapers soliciting tenders for a stone store in Port Pirie, South Australia, in April 1880. An advertisement in a local publication in December 1881 details his services under the name Polain, James & Co., Architects and Engineers, located at E. Gold’s, Stirling Road, Port Augusta, with additional branch offices in Jamestown and Semaphore Road, Glenelg. He was subsequently credited with the design of the new Roman Catholic Church in Port Pirie—St. Mark's Cathedral—which was completed in early 1882.

It is presumed he moved to Melbourne shortly after finishing the church in 1882, as he was next recorded marrying Mary Annie Clarke (1863-1943) on December 21, 1882, in East Melbourne, Victoria. Charles and Mary quickly expanded their family, welcoming six sons in the ensuing years.

Thus commenced his architectural journey in Victoria. His name began to appear in tender notices and local publications. By 1886, he had set up his own office in Footscray and, for a period during the 1880s, also operated an office in Williamstown. His career flourished amidst the economic and construction boom of the late 1880s, as suburban expansion heightened demand, especially in Melbourne's western suburbs, including Footscray, Williamstown, and Newport. His portfolio featured a wide array of structures, ranging from commercial buildings (shops and residences) to public and community facilities (churches, halls, institutes), as well as industrial sites and factories.

Notable Works

While not as widely known as contemporaries like Michael Egan and John Beswicke, C.J. Polain was responsible for many significant buildings throughout his career that helped shape Victorias built environment.

Williamstown Mechanics Institute – Stage 5, 1890 (Supper Room).

In 1888, the Williamstown Mechanics Institute committee called for tenders for additions to the building and let a contract for their construction to Mr Henry Hicks, under the direction of architect Mr C.J. Polain. A supper room, hall vestibule and caterers rooms were added to the right of the two storey façade. Erected at the northern end of the Institute, on the site of the original bowling green, the sympathetically designed addtion added a welcome additional space to the precinct. The new lecture or supper room measured 35ft by 34 ft and was illuminated with a large sunlight. A vestibule laid with black and white marble tiles welcomed visitors to the hall, while caterers room of 16ft by 20 ft and two clockroom provided additional patron amenities to the rear of the supper room. The extension was complete in January 1890.

Polains award-winning design for the Excelsior Lodge of Industry, Masonic Temple in Williamstown, built in 1890/91 emerged as a vital social and meeting hub for fraternal organisations and continues to hold a significant place in Williamstown’s Masonic heritage.

A Victorian Italianate shop and residence at 15-17 Mason Street, Newport, built in 1890 stands out as one of the earliest commercial structures in Newport. Its impressive architecture, alongside the Newport Hotel and the Newport Commercial Bank, reflects the optimistic early development phase of the area during the speculative residential subdivision of the 1880s.

Referred to as the Salisbury Buildings, located at 195-203 Nelson Place, Williamstown, and constructed in 1889, Polain designed this two-storey row of shops and residences, adorned with stucco and parapets, boasting an elaborately decorated upper façade. It represents an almost intact series of shops, artfully employing ornamentation and composition within a cohesive commercial design.

The former Nugget Polish Company Building, located at 16-20 Kanowna Street (previously Morris Street) in Williamstown (circa 1887-88). The site was initially constructed as an industrial steam laundry and used by P & O. The Nugget Polish Company later acquired the property and erected this ornate structure to serve as their headquarters in Australia.

Punshon Building, 82-84 Ferguson Street, Williamstown (1890): The former Punshon's Federal Stores, designed for Robert Punshon and constructed by James Rowsthorn, is renowned for its elaborate ornamentation and unique bas relief bust of Punshon at the building's highest point. It is a landmark within the historic streetscape of Ferguson Street, illustrating the street’s growing commercial significance in the late nineteenth century and its association with the Punshon family.

Williamstown Cricket Pavilion (circa 1890). The building was situated where the current tennis club pavilion is located.

Williamstown Racing Club Grandstand. Polain’s prize winning design was selected from a field of 46 entrants in 1889 and erect for a cost of £10,000. Once completed the grandstand was described as a”magnificient structure and in appearance and convenience far before Flemington. The Grandstand was 250 feet long, 50 feet wide and 30 feet high, comfortably seating 2,000 spectators who approached their seats from five stairways. They were afforded a panoramic view of the racecourse, the bay, the beach, and the surrounding countryside”.

The original timber baths were later extended to included hot water baths and provided designated separate ladies and mens bathing facilities. The baths were destroyed in a storm in 1934.

The Presbyterian Manse, located on Hanmer Street in Williamstown, stood behind St. Andrews Church on Cecil Street. This striking two-storey red brick building, complete with a tower, was designed by Polain and built in 1887, but unfortunately, it was demolished in 1964. Today, only the intricate wrought iron fence survives, and the site is now home to the Kids by the Bay Children’s Centre.

Architectural Style and Features

Polain’s architectural style often incorporated elements of the English Queen Anne manner, notably using red brick rather than the more typical stucco for Victorian-era commercial facades. His designs featured cement detailing, parapeted elevations divided by cemented and shaped brick pilasters, and careful attention to symmetry and composition.

Polain as an Inventor

In the 1880’s Charles turned his attention to improving horse racing technology. Racing was hugely popular in colonial Victoria but racing starts were often chaotic, with horses lunging forward prematurely. In response, Polain devised a mechanical starting gate, designed to give all horses a fair and simultaneous start. Polain's invention—reported in newspapers and operable by either a rider or an assistant—highlighted his technical creativity and practical approach. His device was patented in Victoria and used by the Victorian Racing Club and Tasmanian Turf Club, making him one of the earliest to attempt such a system in Australia – decades before starting gates became standard worldwide. Although his version didn’t achieve mass adoption at the time, it attracted attention in racing circles and shows Polain’s blend of technical ingenuity and practical problem solving - qualities also visible in his architectural work.

Later Career and Move to Western Australia

The economic depression of the mid 1890s adversely affected Polain’s career, leading to his bankruptcy in 1892. Despite this setback, he continued to participate in public life, nominating for the Footscray council in April 1893. Seeking new opportunities, Polain moved to Western Australia in 1895, during the gold rush sparked by Paddy Hannan’s discovery at Mt Charlotte. In Perth, Polain brought his patented inventions and racing club connections, calling tenders for new works such as the Administrative Building at the Perth Racecourse for the W.A. Turf Club Committee. He described himself as an Engineer, Architect, and Certificated Patent Agent and continued to organise significant projects in his new surroundings.

Death and Legacy

Charles James Polain died on 29 October 1899 in Fremantle, Western Australia, after a brief illness. Although his life was cut short at the age of 41, his legacy endures in the form of the many distinctive buildings he designed, which continue to define the streetscapes of Williamstown, Newport, and Footscray. Many of Polain’s buildings are now part of heritage precincts in Melbourne’s western suburbs and are valued for their nineteenth-century architectural character. While his name may have faded from mainstream architectural histories, his innovative spirit and distinctive works remain integral to the region’s built environment.

If you would like to read more about the Williamstown Mechanics' Institute, please click here.

References :

New Roman Catholic Church Port Pirie, South Australian Register, (Adelaide, SA: 1839 - 1900), Sat 18 Mar 1882, pg 1. NLA: http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article47113202
New Presbyterian Manse, Williamstown Advertiser (Vic: 1875-1954), Sat 30 April 1887, pg 2. NLA: http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article270749548
Tenders Williamstown Cricket Club Pavillion, Williamstown Adveriser (Vic: 1875 - 1954), Saturday 28 May 1887, pg 3. NLA: http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article270751494
Tenders Williamstown Racing Club, Williamstown Adveriser (Vic: 1875 - 1954), Saturday 28 May 1887, pg 3. NLA: http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article270751494
The Williamstown Baths, Williamstown Advertiser (Vic: 1875 - 1954), Sat 10 Dec 1887, pg 2. NLA: http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article270696486
Tenders - Williamstown Mechanics Institute, Williamstown Advertiser (Vic: 1875 - 1954), Sat 21 Jul 1888, pg 3. NLA: http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article270694957
Laying the Stone, Williamstown Chronicle (Vic: 1856 - 1954), Sat 02 Feb 1889, pg 2. NLA: http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article68600599
Enlargement of the Mechanics Institute, Williamstown Advertiser (Vic: 1875 - 1954), Sat 25 Jan 1890, pg 3. NLA: http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article270827351
To the Editor of the Advertiser, Williamstown Advertiser (Vic: 1875 - 1954), Sat 12 Jul 1890, pg 2. NLA: http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article270828430
Racing Club Meeting, Williamstown Chronicle (Vic: 1856 - 1954), Sat 23 Aug 1890, pg 3. NLA: http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article68594092
Williamstown a great metropolitan racing club, Tom Ferris
Freemasonry, laying the foundation stone of the new masonic hall, Williamstown Advertiser (Vic: 1875 - 1954), Sat 23 Aug 1890, pg 2. NLA: http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article270830857
Mssrs Punshon & Co new buildings. Independent (Footscray, Vic 1883 - 1922), Sat 9 Jan 1892, pg 3. NLA: http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article73762082
Western Australia, Independent (Footscray, Vic 1883 - 1922), Sat 14 Sep 1895, pg 3. NLA: http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article73232257
W.A.T.C. Anniversary Meeting, Western Mail (Perth, W.A.: 1885 - 1954), Fri 4 Feb 1898, pg 30. NLA: http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article33150037
Obituary, Western Mail (Perth, W.A. 1885 - 1954), Sat 04 Nov 1899, pg 17. NLA: http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article33184750
Personal, W.A. Record (Perth, W.A.: 1888 - 1922), Sat 04 Nov 1899, pg 12. NLA: http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article212394369

Michael Egan - From Treasury to Torrens, Tracing a Colonial Legacy

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 03:30:30 GMT

Architect: Michael Egan (c.1846 - 1912)

Early Life and Family

Michael Egan was born around 1846 in Athlone, Westmeath, Ireland. He migrated to Melbourne as a child with his family, sometime between 1854 and 1868. He was the third son of Bridget Corcoran and Michael Egan Sr., who notably served as both Councillor and Mayor of Richmond.

Architectural Career and Public Works

Michael Egan established himself as a Victorian-era architect based in Melbourne during the mid nineteenth century, with the gold rush, population growth and rising wealth, spurred public works, major buildings and ambitious infrastructure. It was in this atmosphere that Michael Egan made his mark as an architect, especially through public commissions and competitions. He is recognised for significant contributions to public works during the 1860s and 1870s. Egan is best known for winning the competition to design the Government Offices at No. 2 Treasury Place. His professional portfolio includes a range of projects for the Public Works Department, such as bridges, wharves, and other government buildings.

In his early years, Egan is believed to have worked for John Flannagan, the first architect of the Mechanics Institute, Williamstown. County Court records detail a dispute between Egan and Flannagan, where Egan sued for unpaid wages and reimbursement of a premium paid to learn the profession of surveyor and architect. Egan claimed Flannagan refused to instruct him, while Flannagan accused Egan of being 'systematically brusque' to customers. The court awarded Egan £38. (The Age, quoting McIvor Times, 25 September 1863).

Notable works

Egan’s design for the new Government Offices at No. 2 Treasury Place, Melbourne, is frequently referenced in local historical accounts. His winning entry, selected in 1859, was initially considered ‘a bit plain’ and was subsequently modified to include columns and a decorative portico. Although the foundation was laid in 1859, construction was delayed until 1875–76.

In March 1869, Egan was recorded in Richmond Council Minutes as being awarded second place by esteemed architect William Wardell for his designs for the Richmond Town Hall. During this period, Egan’s father, Michael Snr. was serving as Councillor and Mayor of Richmond.

Among his major accomplishments is the design of the Torrens Building at 202-220 Victoria Square, Adelaide. Designed in 1877 and completed by April 1881, the Torrens Building is described as “the best remaining example in Adelaide of Italian Renaissance or Neo-Classical style with a Palladian composition.” It remains one of South Australia’s most notable surviving government buildings. During this period, Egan also submitted a design for the University of Adelaide’s first building (later known as the Mitchell Building), winning second prize in the competition. Although initially appointed as architect and tasked with producing working drawings, Egan’s design was ultimately considered too expensive, and the committee engaged William McMinn to amend it. The completed building is often attributed to McMinn, though many sources note its strong resemblance to Egan’s original design.

Egan maintained offices first at 76 Collins Street and later at Oriental House, 28 William Street, Melbourne, as reported in The Argus.

Commercial and Residential Buildings

In Williamstown, Egan designed four two-storey shops adjoining the Pier Hotel in 1872 for Mr S. H. Sandford. He was also engaged to design four two-storey bluestone shops at 131–137 Nelson Place, constructed between 1873 and 1875 for Mrs Crane and Mr Peter Power.

In 1874, Egan was commissioned by William Pearson, a Williamstown Councillor and later Mayor, to design the Crown Hotel on the corner of Pasco and Cecil Street. Pearson, who was also the licensee, required a residence next to the hotel, and Egan designed a two-storey Victorian Italianate terrace house at 160 Cecil Street in 1875, both are still standing today. Additionally, Egan was tasked with sourcing suitable stonemasons for the foundation stone of the Wilkinson Memorial Fountain in Nelson Place, and he advertised for builders for a boat shed for the Williamstown Rowing Club in 1876.

Egan designed additional two-storey Nelson Parade residences for Messrs Peter Murray and James Anderson, as well as the Williamstown Gas Co. Retort House in 1877. In January 1881, he called for tenders to construct a two-storey shop and dwelling for Mr John Morgan in Nelson Place.

He was also commissioned to prepare plans for a two-storey house in Brighton for Mr Thomas Bent MLA in 1877. Thomas Bent would later become Victorian Premier and Treasurer (1904–1909). Egan is further listed as architect for various residential buildings in Brighton, Toorak, South Yarra, Richmond, St Kilda, and Williamstown through to 1881.

Williamstown Mechanics Institute - Stage 3, 1880

The committee of the Mechanics Institute, engaged the services of Michael Egan for alterations and remedial work to the hall, as well as additions in the form of the Southern wing of the building. In March 1880, Egan called for tenders, with Mr V Riadden later listed as the builder. This commission likely arose as William Pearson was on the committee of the Mechanics Institute at this time, and Egan had previously completed architectural designs and buildings for Pearson in 1874–75.

Later recognition and legacy

In 1881, Michael Egan won an award at the International Exhibition for his architectural drawings. He also submitted a design for Flinders Street Station. Although unsuccessful, his plans were purchased for £50 due to their notable merit (The Argus, 20 April 1883, p. 6). Many of Egans works are now heritage listed with No.2 Treasury Place, Melbourne and the Torrens Building in Adelaide recognised an exceptional nineteenth century buildings.

Michael Egan passed away on 23 October 1912 at the age of 66.

If you would like to read more about the Williamstown Mechanics Institute, please click here

References:

Australian Architects Index. The Age quoted McIvor Times, 25 September 1863
The Argus, 11 Sep 1875, page 11
Australian Architectural Index File. Record 41454. The Argus 1 May 1872, page 3
Australian Architectural Index File. The Argus, 4 Aug 1871, page 3
Australian Architectural Index File. Record 45774. The Argus, 25 Sep 1876, page 3
Australian Architectural Index file. Record18578. The Argus, 21 Jan 1874, page 3.
Williamstown Advertiser (Vic.:1875-1954), Saturady 15 January, 1881. Page 2
Australian Architectural Index file. Record 32607. The Argus, 1 Oct, 1875. Page 2
Australian Architectural Index File. Record 13401. Registration 566. The Argus, 21 May 1877, page 3
Williamstown Advertiser (Vic.:1875-1954), Saturady 15 January, 1881. Page 2
Australian Architectural Index file. Record 22003. The Argus, 6 Jan 1877, page 11
E Melbourne. The City past & present https://www.emelbourne.net.au/biogs/EM00083b.htm
Australian Architectural Index File. Record 12467, Registration 2347.The Argus, 10 Mar 1880, page 2
Australian Architectural Index file. M. Egan, Melbourne, wins award at the International Exhibition for architectural drawings. Argus20.5.1881 (Int. Ex.supplement, p 62)
Australian Architectural Index. Record 35524. The Argus, 20 Apr 1883, page 6.
Williamstown Historical Society archives
Hobsons Bay Council Heritage Study
Victorian Heritage database - https://vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/search?kw=No.+2+Treasury+place&aut_off=1

John Beswicke - Architect of elegance, identity and civic presence in Melbourne

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 03:28:06 GMT

Architect – John Beswicke (1847-1925)

From grand town halls to ornate private homes, John Beswicke left an indelible mark on Melbourne's architectural fabric. Beneath his many buildings lies a legacy of style, innovation, and a deep sense of place.

Williamstown Mechanics Institute - Stage 2 - 1869.

Architect John Beswicke was selected by the Mechanics Institute committee to design a grand new t wo story building fronting Electra Street to replace the original timber buildings that housed the library, classrooms and reading rooms. The building work undertaken by Messrs Muir and Weston of Williamstown, with the project costing £950. The italianate style building, replete with columns was opened on 6th April, 1869, the occassion marked with a grand celebration, musical entertainment and over 300 people served tea. Mr Robert Ellery hosted the evening with an address by the Institute Chairman. Mr Beswicke also returned to consult for the committee of the Institute in 1877, when the hall structure became unstable and required remedial works to shore up its foundations.

Early life and family

John Beswicke was born in 1847 to Charles Beswicke and Elizabeth Keyes, who had arrived in the colony in the 1840s. John, their second son, was educated at Geelong Grammar and at 16 was articled to the prominent Melbourne practice Crouch and Wilson (1862). He spent 18 years there , rising to head assistant and gaining experience on major civic and ecclesiastical commissions along St Kilda road and around Melbourne.

Career

While affiliated with Crouch and Wilson, he undertook projects including the Deaf School—a Gothic bluestone structure inaugurated in 1866—the Royal Victorian Institute for the Blind in 1868, and the Williamstown Mechanics Institute in the same year, among his early designs. From 1873 onward, he was responsible for a series of substantial residences for his family on Harcourt Street, Hawthorn, which played a pivotal role in shaping his signature approach to domestic architecture, particularly in polychrome brickwork and innovative rooflines. Additionally, John made early ventures into ecclesiastical architecture, with the Williamstown Wesleyan Methodist (now Uniting) Church in 1876, and Keysborough Methodist (now Uniting) Church completed in 1877.

Partnerships and prolific output.

After the senior partners retired, Beswicke entered private practice, most prominently as Wilson & Beswicke (1882-1889).

Over a career spanning the 1870’s to c.1915 he designed around 300 buildings – houses, shops, banks, churches, hotels, institutional buildings, and a celebrated suite of town halls.

Key civic landmarks include Malvern Town Hall (1886), Hawthorn Town Hall (1888), Essendon Town Hall (1886) and Dandenong Town Hall (1890).

Signature work and style.

Beswicke’s domestic architecture often featured corner turrets with ‘candle snuffer’ roofs and decorative gables, his commercial facades brick with classical render.

In Hawthorn, he designed at least a dozen family residences, , many in Harcourt Street, including his own home Rotha (1887), in the Queen Anne style. Many are recognised for their architectural significance and included on the state heritage register.

He also produced three-storey shop/office rows in Auburn Village, some two storey shops along Bridge Road in Richmond, and on Brunswick Street, Fitzroy, the Beswicke Building still stands proud.

In.1884 John Beswicke and Ralph Wilson designed the ‘Tudor House” at 52-54 Pasco Street, Williamstown in a Victorian, Medieval style in a deviation from their regular style. The design is similar to 'Tudor Lodge' in Harcourt Street, Hawthorn which was built a few years earlier. Howe and Thwaites were listed as the builders and the house was built for William Henry Roberts, Solicitor, for just under £1500.

Reputation and later years.

Beyond solo practice, he collaborated as Beswicke & Hutchins and Beswicke & Coote and advised on cutting-edge tall building practice during Melbourne’s 1880’s boom. He remained active into the early 20th century and died in 1925, leaving a strong imprint on Melbourne’s late Victorian and Federation streetscapes – especially in Hawthorn, where many of his houses still stand.

A prolific and successful designer, he is known to have designed some 300 buildings, including 203 houses, 9 banks, 14 churches, 44 commercial buildings, 11 hotels, 15 institutional buildings such as hospitals, 45 shops and 6 large town halls.

A detailed account of his life can be found in Ken Bethell’s book John Beswicke 1847-1925: Heritage Architect (limited edition), based on family papers and project lists.

If you would like to read more about the Williamstown Mechanics' Institute, please click here.

References:

Hobsons Bay Heritage Study Amended 2017 - Volume 3 – Heritage Precinct and Place Citations Part 2 – Heritage Places – 52-54 Pasco Street, Williamstown
Images: Domain
The Williamstown Mechanics Institute, article. Williamstown Chronicle (Vic.; 1856-1954), Saturday 10 April 1869, page 6
Victorian Heritage Database: https://vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/search?kw=beswicke&aut_off=1
Williamstown Circuit History. The Spectator. 20 Jun 1902. Methodist Church (now Uniting Church).
Storey of Melbourne. https://storeyofmelbourne.org/tag/johnbeswicke/

John Flannagan: A forgotten architect of Melbourne's early growth

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 03:25:41 GMT

Architect: John Flannagan (1838-1882)

When we think of 19th century Melbourne architecture, names like Joseph Reed or John Beswicke often take centre stage. Yet scattered through the records are figures like John Flannagan, an architect and builder who played a role in shaping Melbourne’s early streetscape in the 1860’s. Though not as well remembered as some of his contemporaries, Flannagans story reflects the ambitions and challenges of the colony’s building boom.

Williamstown Mechanics Insitute Building - Stage 1 - 1860

Mr John Flannagan of the Provident Institute Building, 35 Queens Street, Melbourne, is listed as the architect of the o riginal Mechanics Institute buildings in Williamstown consisting of a large public hall, and timber library, class, committee, and reading rooms. The cost was estimated at £1,200.

Early life and family

John Flannagan was born in Manchester in 1838, the son of Patrick Flannagan and Eliza Sexton, the third of seven children. The family returned to Limerick, Ireland, after John was born. John attended school in Limerick, Ireland, where his interest in architecture grew. He was apprenticed to an architect named Fogarty, who held offices in Dublin and Limerick, Ireland.

The Flannagan family emigrated from Liverpool to Melbourne aboard the ‘Fulwood’, arriving in Melbourne in December 1854. John was listed as aged 13; however, he was likely 16 years old, given his listed birth date.

In 1862, Flannagan married Louisa Woolcott at Christ Church, South Yarra. They had six children, with their eldest, Leonard, born in 1864. Leonard was educated at St James Grammar School and would follow in his father’s footsteps, becoming a respected architect in the late 1890s, known for designing Melbourne Tramway buildings. During married life, they lived at 67 Erin Street, Richmond, in a house he designed.

Working life

John initially found work with Charles Laing, who is acknowledged as establishing the first architectural practice in Melbourne.

In 1858 Flannagan established his own practice as Architect and Surveyor, with offices listed at the Provident Institute Society Building, 35 Queens Street, Melbourne. John was successful in some architectural ‘competitions’, including:

Church of England, Maryborough, 1859
Mechanics Institute, Williamstown, c.1860
Bank of Victoria (second prize- drawings below) ,1860
Heathcote Courthouse and Shire Council Chambers,1862
St Phillips Parsonage, Hoddle Street, Collingwood, 1865
National Bank of Australasia (2 ^nd prize)1867
Eastern Market Buildings, Bourke Street, Melbourne, c.1871
Princes Bridge Hotel (Young & Jackson’s Hotel), Swanston Street, Melbourne, c.1875
Kilmore Hospital, Kilmore,1875
Hotham (North Melbourne) Town Hall, 1875 (second prize)
Royal Hotel Queenscliffe additions, 1882

Flannagans buildings reflected the practical elerance of the 1860’s. He favoured symmetrical facades, simple classical details, and solid brick construction – hallmarks of a time when communities sought permanence and respectability. Unlike the grand theatres or ornate banks of central Melbourne, his work was often on a more modest civic scale, but no less important to the fabric of local life.

In 1871, John Flannagan was awarded first prize in the Melbourne City Council’s competition for the design of the Eastern Markets. Despite this achievement, the council did not proceed with the building. In 1873, the council announced a second competition, this time requesting that shops be included along the street frontage of the markets—a distinctive feature that Flannagan had already incorporated into his original prize-winning submission. The launch of this second competition sparked significant controversy, centring on allegations that certain architects had plagiarised Flannagan’s design. Heated debates arose within the architectural community, with the Victorian Institute of Architects and Flannagan himself choosing to boycott the competition in protest. Ultimately, the commission was awarded to Reed and Barnes. The fallout from these disputes was profound: the architects accused of fraud were stripped of their Victorian Architects Registration, and the scandal not only damaged individual reputations but also prompted reforms in the way architectural competitions were conducted in Melbourne. These events marked a turning point in the city’s architectural history, impacting both Flannagan’s career and the broader profession

John Flannagan was listed as architect for renovations of the Princes Bridge Hotel (now called Young and Jackson’s) building in 1875, alongside builder Henry Wright.

Residential buildings

Flannagan is also recognised for designing notable residences such as ‘Mona’ (Studley Park, Kew, c.1859) and the landmark Shrublands Estate in Canterbury, c.1863. A substantial Italianate property built for Ernest Carter, a dentist, the Estate, initially on 60 acres, was surrounded by extensive gardens, vineyard and orchards. Carter, an early vigneron, produced Shrublands wines during the 1860s – 1870s when the area was a prominent wine-growing district. The property has undergone many additions in the late 1900s and again in the 1930’s however, the original two-storey structure and cellar remain. The magnificent house is currently on the market for upwards of $30 million.

The last plans Flannagan would envisage were additions to the Royal Hotel, Queenscliffe, in April 1882.

John Flannagan became ill and died on 16 September 1882, aged 46, at his home in Erin Street, Richmond.

Renowned for his attention to classical detail and the practical demands of public buildings, Flannagan’s architectural legacy endures in the city’s heritage. His career was shaped by the rapidly growing colony, where civic pride and the ambition to create enduring structures drove innovation. The Mechanics Institute Hall stands as a testament to this ideal, blending functionality with a dignified sense of place.

Flannagan’s practice was taken over by George Jobbins, with the business renamed to Flannagan and Jobbins however the partnership was dissolved in 1884. Johns son, Leonard also held a prominent architectural position in Melbourne for the following 50 years, including many prominent residential building and Melbourne Tramways Building.

Unlike prominent architects who left behind complete portfolios, Flannagan’s career survives mainly in fragments: newspaper tenders, scattered references to contracts, and occasional mentions in municipal records. This makes his a representative figure of a wider group of colonial architects and builders whose names have faded, even while their buildings – sometimes altered, sometimes demolished – once gave character to growing suburbs.

Researching figures like John Flannagan reminds us that architecture is rarely the product of a single ‘ great name’. It was shaped by many hands – some celebrated, others nearly forgotten – who contributed to the creation of streets, schools, and institutes that defined local identity. The Mechanics Institute he helped shape stood as living monuments to education, culture, and community pride.

Today, while Flannagan’s name may not be widely known, revisiting his life adds another layer to Melbourne’s architectural story – a reminder that heritage is as much about rediscovering the overlooked as it is about celebrating the famous.

If you would like to read more about the Wiliamstown Mechanics' Institute please click here.

References:

Australian Architectural Index, Miles Lewis. Record 6447. From Lloyd Taylor ‘Early and Later Melbourne Architects, Building, Eng. & Mining Journal, 5 May 1900
Victorian Heritage Database: Young and Jacksons, Princes Bridge Hotel, https://vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/places/810
Shrublands, Victorian Heritage Database. https://vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/places/12774/download-report
Figure 1: Church of England (now Christ the King Church), Maryborough, Vic. Extend Heritage Pty. Ltd., Palmerston Street Precinct, Maryborough.
Figure 2: Bank of Victoria (2 ^nd Prize design), Melbourne, Ex http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/116080
Figure 3: Former Heathcote Court House and Shire Council Chambers, Heathcote VIC. VHD. https://vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/places/5124
Figure 4 - Eastern Market Building, Bourke Street, Melbourne, 4 Dec 1871 – SLV http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/252337
Figure 5 - Princes Bridge Hotel (now Young and Jacksons), Swanston Street, Melbourne - http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/252160
Figure 6 & 7 - ‘Mona’ Studley Park, Kew. http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/476769
Figure 8 - Shrublands, Canterbury
Additions to Royal Hotel Queenscliffe for William Leihy ESQ, John Flannagan, Architect & Surveyor, 6 April, 1882 – SLV - http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/476580
Melbourne Tram Museum, Leonard Flannagan: municipal tramway architect, Noelle Jones, 2015

An Evolving Landmark: The Building of the Williamstown Mechanics' Institute

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 03:23:02 GMT

1860 - Stage 1: Early beginnings

The forward thinking committee of the Mechanics Institute had sought and been granted Crown land with which to build a Mechanics Institute on

The Crown land in the Electra Street precinct was granted by the Hon. Surveyor General in 1856 for the exclusive use of a Mechanics Institute and through community funding and donations, the Mechanics Institute rose, embodying the principle of a place ‘built by the community – for the community.

In October 1859, the idea of constructing a new building for the Mechanics Institute was contemplated as the iron building that was being used in Little Nelson Street was like a melting pot in summer and and ice chest in winter. The proposed building was estimated to cost £1,200 and was to include a library, class, committee, and reading rooms, along with a large public hall. By December 17, 1859, a call for tenders was advertised by then secretary, Alfred Sutton.

The Mechanics Institute Committee met on January 11, 1860, and accepted builder John Swindley's tender to erect the building according to a plan prepared by architect John Flannagan. The tender amount was £1,020 10s 2d.

The foundation stone of the hall building was laid with much ceremony the 18th February, 1860, by the Provincial Grand Master of the Masonic Lodge, Mr. Thomas Gell, with the assistance of Dr. Eades, the Mayor of Melbourne. The ceremony perfomed between three and four o'clock created much excitement with the inhabitants of the 'fishing village'. As reported in 'The Age' newspaper on the 20th of February, 1860, the procession, made it's way from the Municipal offices in Thompson Street, by the way of Cecil and Ann Streets, into Nelson Place, travelling up Parker Street to the site of the new buildings. Led by the a dozen Police, they marched to the music of a "band of itinerant German Musicians", the Fire Brigade in their scarlet frocks and shining helmets followed, ahead of a group numbering thirty from the Williamstown Company of the Victorian Volunteer Artillery Corps. Next marched men from the local lodges, led by the Ancient Order of Forresters, followed by the Manchester Unity Independent Order of Oddfellows (MUIOOF), members of the Mechanics Institute, two Tylers, with swords drawn, the Masons, and the Hobsons Bay Lodge. Invited representatives from other lodges followed with offerings from their respective groups: Corn (Lodge of Industry), Ewar of Wine (Hobsons Bay Lodge), Ewar of Oil (St Kilda Lodge), a Scroll (Australian Felix Lodge), Mallet (Washington Lodge), Phial of Coins (Combermere Lodge), Square, Level and Plumb (Sandridge Marine Lodge), Trowel (Yarra Yarra Lodge). The official party followed, including Mr Thomas Gell, the builder John Swindley, architect John Flannagan, the Chairman and Councillors of the Williamstown Municipal Council and many other parties from the joiners, shipwrights and schools. The Rev. Brother Barden, provincial grand chaplain offered prayers "lay the foundations stone be an efficient source of social advantage to the inhabitants of Williamstown - through the erection of this Mechanics Institute: may the opportunities of learning be increased and means useful for the cultivation and refinment of the mind be afforded" .

By April 14, 1860, the timber buildings were complete, and the hall was nearing completion, with an estimated occupation date of 1st of May. The new building, including the large public hall and timber buildings housing the library, classes, committee rooms, and reading rooms, was officially opened on 10th July 1860.

Over the years, the hall has seen minor enhancements and 'redecorating', including the replacement of the original flooring, the introduction of gas lighting, and eventually electricity, which improved the amenities for both members and the wider community.

The Mechanics Institute Hall served as Williamstown’s Town Hall for large meetings and community events until 1927. It was a central hub for various activities and entertainment, hosting numerous performances, balls, fundraisers, silent films, and various club and group gatherings.

The original hall still stands, though its facade is concealed by a 'slightly more modern' brick extension, added in the 1890s to accommodate catering facilities, two cloakrooms, and a vestibule for the hall.

1869 - Stage 2: Stone library, reading rooms and classrooms

In March 1867, the committee recognised the necessity of constructing more robust stone buildings to replace the existing timber classrooms, library, and reading rooms, with an estimated expense of £600. By October 1868, bids had been accepted for the construction of the building, designed by the distinguished architect Mr. John Beswicke, which, upon completion, would ultimately amount to £1,200.

Construction began in late 1868, leading to the removal and sale of the original timber buildings that contained the library, reading rooms, and classrooms, with the proceeds allocated to the new project. The newly built two-story structure facing Electra Street, crafted by architect Mr. John Beswicke and constructed by Messrs. Muir & Weston, included a library, reading and committee rooms, as well as two classrooms and a community meeting room situated on the second floor. The additions were opened with a Grand Soiree, Chaired by Mr Robert Ellery, with addresses by Mr Thomas Mason, Mr Peter Powers and Mr Hugh Reid on 06 April 1869.

As the Mechanics Institute relied entirely on donations and subscriptions for its funding, the committee sought to boost their income by leasing the hall and committee rooms to the Education Department for £2 per week, facilitating the establishment of a local school. In 1872, the Victorian Government Education Act had mandated that schooling in Victoria would be free, compulsory, and secular for all children aged 6 to 15 years. Before 1873, education was provided by a limited number of independently operated schools and churches. On January 27, 1873, Williamstown Primary School No. 1183 was inaugurated at the Mechanics Institute, welcoming 310 enrolled pupils. The Mechanics Institute functioned as a school from 1873 to 1878, later relocating to a new site nearby, where enrollment exceeded 700 pupils.

With rental income and loan repayments settled, construction progressed on the stuccoed Italianate façade, beautifully enhanced with columns and urns, and the interior plastering was completed by April 1876, adhering to the original architectural plans. Their vision achieved, an intricately designed façade featuring a vibrant green entrance door greeted visitors, and inviting fireplaces warmed the rooms.

1880 - Stage 3: Southern wing and hall extensions

The foundations of the hall at the southern end started to subside and crack in 1877. Seeking expertise, the committee engaged the firm Crouch & Wilson and once again architect John Beswicke. Survey reports from both parties confirmed that there had been significant settlement in some of the walls to the east and west and that the "cracks are a very great eyesore," suggesting some faulty subsoil or foundations. The report provided in June 1878 advised that urgent repairs, other than cosmetic ones, were not needed at this time.

At the half-yearly meeting of the Mechanics Committee, it was reported that requests for government assistance had been submitted, as remedial work to the building was imminent and funds were required. At a special meeting of members, it was unanimously decided to rename the institution the "Williamstown Mechanics Institute and Free Library." This step was deemed necessary to access government assistance.

By 1879, the circumstances had become critical, leading Beswicke to recommend the removal of 10 feet from the hall and the implementation of repairs to the foundation. From plans designed by Mr. Michael Egan, the builder Mr. V. Riadden was contracted to rebuild the southern end of the hall, with an extension of an additional 6 feet, along with the incorporation of a hexagonal stage. Mr. Egans plans also incorporated a single-story building on the southern side of the Electra Street structure, which served to both reinforce the walls of the hall and create an ante chamber for the stage, as well as quarters for the newly appointed caretakers, Mr. and Mrs. Morrell, who had taken on the roles of Secretary and Hall Keepers for the Institute. The remedial works and additions were estimated to cost between £600 and £700, of which a loan was sought by the committee to undertake the works.

The Williamstown Advertiser reported on the 24th of July 1880 that the "hall enlargements were completed, lengthened to comfortably receive 800 persons. Additions included a stage, two dressing rooms, and a large apartment at the side of the library. The roof and walls of the entire building are light and tasteful, with the whole completed for the sum of £750. Painting and decorating were completed by Mr. Brown.

(Meeting records from 23 October 1880 indicate £785 was paid to Mr. V. Riadden for additions to the buildings and an art exhibition held to celebrate the opening. The Williamstown Bowling Club opened a bowling green shortly after in the grounds on the northern side of the Institute which operated on the site until the Mechanics Insitute expansion plans in 1889 led them to seek an alternative location for the club).

1883/4 - Stage 4: Caretakers cottage

The caretaker's timber cottage appeared on the site c. 1883-84, although limited records referencing its addition to the site have been located. The Mechanics Institute Victoria Magazine - Autumn 2016 states, "it was constructed in 1884 for a cost of some 430 pounds"; however, the original source of this record cannot be located. It is believed the cottage is a rare example of an onsite caretaker's cottage still attached to a Mechanics Institute in Victoria. References to the architect or builder of the cottage remain elusive. The design of the cottage is unique, with two decorative facades: one facing Electra Street and the other facing the triangular corner of Parker and Electra Streets. The entrance with verandah faced toward the Institute, instead of the street, as was typical with Victorian-era houses. A picket fence enclosed the front garden, while higher fencing enclosed the service yard facing Melbourne Road. Drawings from the Melbourne Metropolitan Board of Works plans from both 1894 and 1907 indicate the small changes to the cottage over the years.

The committee of the Mechanics Institute employed a married couple to occupy the role of secretary, librarian, and caretakers for the Institute at a salary of £75 per annum, plus a commission on membership subscriptions. The first caretakers were Mr. James Taylor Morrell (1840-1903) and Mrs. Elizabeth Morrell (1842-1933), who undertook the role from 1879 to c. 1909 and lived in the cottage for some 26 years, from 1883 to c. 1909. Following the Morrells, Mr. Thomas Compton (1864-1938) was appointed to the role of Secretary/Librarian and caretaker until, due to ill health, he retired. In 1923, Mr. John Hutchinson Cochrane was appointed to the position, which he held for the next 29 years until his death in 1952. The position of caretaker for the Mechanics Institute was never filled again, and the cottage has been uninhabited and abandoned since, other than use as a storeroom for costumes and props for the Williamstown Light Opera (Williamstown Musical Theatre).

1890 - Stage 5: Supper room, caterers room and hall vestibule

At the annual meeting of members in March 1888, it was reported that the "popularity of the institute was firmly established, and the committee intended to take immediate action to further extend its usefulness by erecting additional buildings. The books in the library numbered 5,000, and 222 members had subscribed in the past year."

"The committee called for tenders for the construction of additions to the buildings, which, when completed, will present quite an imposing appearance. It is intended to build a lecture or supper room 35 feet by 34 feet at the bowling green end of the institute, making ample provision for passage. The vestibule is to be laid in black and white tiles, which should make it bright and attractive. At the rear of the supper room will be the caterers' room, 15 feet by 7 feet, and two dressing rooms, 27 feet by 16 feet. Beyond these again will be the lavatories for ladies and gentlemen, in which all the latest sanitary improvements will receive due attention. The additional rooms will cover about one-third of the bowling green reserve, the remaining 56 feet being held for the erection of a large public hall at some future time. When completed, the new works will be completely cut off from the literary portion of the institute, which should prove to be much comfort to the members. The alterations to the library, which already number over 5,000 volumes, will provide shelving accommodation for 1,000 additional books."

Plans submitted by well-known local architect Charles James Polain were chosen, and tenders were called for the construction, with the building completed by April 1890.

To celebrate the new additions to the Mechanics Institute buildings, the committee invited members and their guests to a special event. The programme featured rare performances for Williamstown, including music from members of the Victorian Orchestra such as A. Flewin, Mr. Langdale, Walter Barker A.R.A.M., and A. Lawson. Harpist Mr. Barker, recently arrived from England, will perform alongside recitations by G. Buchanan and local singers.

1900 - 1927 - Stage 6: Porch entrance to the hall, interior improvements

Over the next quarter century, minor additions, improvements and renovations to the interior were completed with the expense of a new porch for the hall entrance recorded in minutes in January 1900. The hall operated as the hub for many community events as the City of Williamstown, lacked a Town Hall for gatherings until 1927 when the current town hall was opened.

If you would like to read more about the Williamstown Mechanics' Institute, please click here

References:

Header image: Williamstown Historical Society archives

Williamstown Chronicle, 17 December 1859, pg 1 - nla.news-article68569442.3.pdf

The life of John Flannagan, Architect, 1860

Williamstown Chronicle, 14 April, 1860, pg 2

The Age, 29 Oct 1868, page 2

Williamstown Chronicle, 1 May 1875, page 2

Williamstown Chronicle (Vic. : 1856 - 1954), Saturday 29 April 1876, page 3

Williamstown Chronicle, 4 May 1878, page 4

Williamstown Chronicle (Vic. : 1856 - 1954), Saturday 12 April 1879, page 3

Williamstown Mechanics Institute, Annual Report September 30, 1879.

Williamstown Chronicle (Vic. 1856 - 1954), Saturday 30 October 1880, page 2

The Mechanics Institute Cottage, Timeball Times Newsletter No. 320, March 2024, Williamstown Historical Society archives, article by Steven Webb, with contributions from Brian Haynes, Leonie Parker, Rick Sidgwick

Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), Saturday 28 April 1888, page 14

Williamstown Chronicle, 28 April 1888, page 2

Williamstown Chronicle (Vic. : 1856 - 1954), Saturday 28 July 1888, page 2

[Williamstown Chronicle (Vic. 1856 - 1954), Saturday 19 April 1890, page 3

Williamstown Chronicle, 11 April 1891, page 2

Foundations of Learning: The History and Founders of the Williamstown Mechanics' Institute

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 03:19:14 GMT

The History of Our Mechanics

Preliminary discussions to establish a Mechanics Institute in Williamstown commenced in 1854, with twenty gentlemen elected to the committee. However, due to a lack of vision and direction, this first attempt was unsuccessful. Substantial progress did not occur until September 1856 when the newly elected inaugural council voted to proceed with its establishment.

The Williamstown Municipal Council, under the leadership of Chairman Thomas Mason, submitted a request to the Hon. Surveyor-General of New South Wales for a grant of Crown land at the corner of Parker Street and Melbourne Road to construct the Mechanics Institute.

The land for the Electra Street precinct was granted by the Hon. Surveyor General, Government of New South Wales in 1856, with the land being “permanently reserved for Mechanics’ Institute purposes” . While the land was duly allocated for the precinct, the Governement did not offer any financial assistance for the building, leaving the community to fund its construction, primarily through donations and subscriptions of its members, including an initial £150 donated by the founding members.

The founding members of the Mechanics Institute were appointed during a public meeting on October 16, 1856, and represented various community organisations. This group included some members of the inaugural Williamstown Municipal Council, with others who would later play significant roles in shaping the early development of the colony. Their connections spanned interests in the Municipal Council, the Philosophical Society (Royal Society of Victoria), the Astronomical Observatory, the English, Scottish and Australian (ES&A) Bank, the Congregational Church and the Victorian Artillery Rifle Corps (Williamstown). The diagram below shows their community connections that have been discovered to date.

The inaugural committee of eleven was formed, comprising Mr. Thomas Stewart, Mr. Thomas Mason, Mr. George Verdon, Mr. William Pickersgill, Mr. William Henry Litchfield, Mr. Robert Ellery, Mr. William White, Mr. James Wallace, Mr. James Moxham, Mr. David Purdie Maclean, and Mr. Frederick Stratford. While some of these names may be familiar as they grace the streets that local residents navigate daily, others might require an introduction.

Mr George Verdon (Sir)

Secretary

Probert, Verdon & Co, Merchants & Sailmakers, Member of inaugural Council, Treasurer of Victoria and member of Legislative Assembly. First Agent-General for Victoria to England. Knighted for services to the colony. Pioneer statesman.

Mr Frederick Stratford

Treasurer

Manager of English, Scotish and Australian Chartered Bank (ES&A). First Treasurer of Institute

Mr Robert Ellery

Librarian

First Government Astronomer, Williamstown Observatory & Melbourne Observatory. Mapped the Southern Stars

Completed Geodetic Survey of Victoria.

Dr David Purdie Maclean

Coroner, Surgeon, Member of Inaugural Municipal Council, Performed first autopsy at Old Morgue, father to Dr Hector Maclean.

Mr Thomas Mason

Chairman of Inaugural Municipal Council, J.P, first Post Master, auctioneer, magistrate, member of legislative assembly, Mayor - First President of Institute.

Mr Thomas Stewart (J.P.)

Magistrate, J.P., Member of Inaugural Municipal

Council, Commander Victorian Volunteer Artillery Regiment, Williamstown.

Mr William White

Shipwright and founder of Whites Shipyards. Built the ferry, Port Fairy Lifeboats, Gellibrand Lightship. Founding member of the Congregational Church in Stevedore Street.

Mr William Pickersgill

Carpenter of bathing ship, undertaker. Founder, Secretary and Sunday School Teacher of Congregational Church in Stevedore Street.

Mr James Moxham

Member of inaugural Municipal Council, Commissions Agent for land sales, publican of Moxhams Napier Hotel, Stevedore Street, Juror on Inspector Price inquest.

Mr James Wallace

Teacher and Headmaster, of first school - St Mary’s Roman Catholic School, writer, author and poet. First Vice-President of Institute.

Mr William Henry Litchford

Master Mariner. Council Auditor. Member of the Cricket Club and Victorian Artillery Regiment.

Secretary of the Pilots Board. Fled with £4,000 in debentures from the Pilots Board and was convicted of embezzlement.

The newly formed Atheneum as it was originally called, found a home, offered for rent by James Moxham at £120 per annum at the buildings known as The Assembly Rooms in Little Nelson Place, initially for a period of three months, with the option of a further two years. The pre-fabricated iron structure was originally shipped from England and first used to store corn and hay. One could only imagine the 'melting pot' it would have been in the hot Australian summers. The Atheneum was located in Little Nelson Street (Aitken Street) between Parker and Pasco Streets, very close to Jackson Street. The Nelson Heights apartments car park is now located on the site.

"Tenders were called within a month for bookshelves, two tables & ten benches, a screen and ten candlesticks. 5 chandeliers (candle type) were purchased for £20.

The fairer sex, while not represented on the committee of the Mechanics Institute, as was the social norm of the time, contributed greatly to fundraising for the institute, organising the first grand Soiree, held on Tuesday 16th December, 1856. It was reported in the Williamstown Chronicle on Saturday 20th December, 1856 that "Upwards of 400 persons sat down to a sumptuous repast, prepared by the following ladies, who presided at their respective tables: Miss Sutton, Mrs Moxham, Miss Goodsir, Mrs Bowie, Mrs Lebue, Mrs Henderson, Miss Poole, Miss Baxter, Mrs McKee, Mrs Huint, Mrs Maclean, Mrs Lawson, Mrs Douglas, Mrs Davis, Mrs Mason, Mrs Henderson, Miss E. Sutton, Miss Pasco, Mrs Hannah, Mrs Carder, Mrs Rich, Mrs Usher, Mrs Piper, Mrs Hammond, Mrs Langford, Mrs Howe. The hall was tastefully decorated, and brilliantly lighted, and every facility was afforded by the worthy proprietor for the accommodation of the large number of ladies and gentlemen assembled on that occasion". Thomas Mason as chair, addressed the audience, as did Rev William Henderson, Mr G.F. Smith and Dr Macadam.

"The speakers were relieved during the evening by the musical performances of several gentlemen amateurs, who sang a variety of airs, glees; &c;, in a highly creditable manner. The proceeds of the soirée, arising from the sale of tickets, amounted to £64 13s."

The inaugural committee presented a provisional report on the first months of operations to the inhabitants of Williamstown, as reported in the Williamstown Chronicle on 21 February, 1857. The sum of £270 had been raised for the building fund, and "contributions of books; maps, and periodicals have been solicited". Librarian, Mr Robert Ellery reported "that upwards of 130 volumes of books, among which were some valuable works, had been presented to the Institution by several gentlemen". 101 subscriptions has been received and the annual subscription was set at £1/10

The inaugural lecture was delivered by Dr Macadam on 11th March 1857 on ‘Botany’. Dr Macadam was likely known to Ellery and Maclean as members of the Philosophical Society (Royal Society of Victoria). He was later to become the Hon.Secretary for the ill fated Burke and Wills Expedition.

Fun fact: The native Australian “Macadamia” nut was named by Ferdinand von Mueller, the Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne. - after his good friend and colleague Dr John Macadam in 1857.

Click here to read more about the Williamstown Mechanics Institute

References:

Trade Circular, 10 February, 1855
Formation of the Williamstown Mechanics Institute, Williamstown Chronicle, Sat 18 October 1856, pg 3
History of Williamstown, Elsum
Williamstown Historical Society - Betty Jamieson research, 2013
Williamstown Historical Society - "Tenders" Research Report by Ada Ackerley, 1988
The Mechanics Institute Soiree, Williamstown Chronicle, 20 December 1856, pg2
The Wiliamstown Atheneum, Williamstown Chronicle, 21 February 1857, pg 3

A History of Mechanics' Institutes

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 00:18:44 GMT

From a belief “that education is not just for the wealthy and should be available to all with curious minds and determination to better themselves”.

In the late 1700s, individuals known as 'artisans,' 'tradesmen,' or 'working men' were commonly referred to as 'mechanics,' reflecting their hands-on work. However, during the Industrial Revolution, the term 'mechanic' shifted to a more specific association to 'working with machinery.' In 1799, Dr. George Birbeck from Glasgow initiated free evening lectures targeting 'mechanics' or working men. The lectures gained immense popularity due to the scarcity of formal education options available to all but the wealthy. This popularity subsequently led to the formation of specialised institutions for workers' education, termed "Mechanics' Institutes."

The inaugural institute was the Edinburgh School of Arts (1821), which provided a combination of classes and a library, followed closely by the London Mechanics' Institute (1823).

Mechanics' Institutes began to emerge throughout Britain and its colonies, including Australia. The first Mechanics' Institute in Australia was established in Hobart in 1827, followed by the founding of the Melbourne Mechanics' Institute (now known as the Melbourne Athenaeum) in 1839.

Many Australian towns constructed Mechanics' Institutes, which typically included amenities such as a hall, library, reading rooms, and museums. These institutes offered the first free or low-cost lending libraries during a time when access to books was scarce. They fostered self-improvement through education and the arts.

Targeting working men who often left school early, many lacking basic skills in reading, writing, and mathematics, the Mechanics' Institutes provided educational programs through classes, lectures, a library, and reading rooms to enhance employability.

They served as community hubs and venues for artistic and entertainment events, hosting public meetings, debates, theatrical performances, concerts and recitals, dances, and grand balls.

As time has gone by, local and state governments have built larger 'town halls' and community facilities and assumed the responsibility of providing educational institutions and libraries for the community, leading to the original purpose of the Mechanics Institutes fading into the pages of history.

“Mechanics’ Institutes were woven into the fabric of early community life. They were often the first civic centres; the places where people first glimpsed, examined, and decided on the community value of each other. They performed useful library functions and in the beginning they linked adult education with the daily lives of socially isolated working men and women”.

(Austin McCallum, Chief Librarian, Ballarat Public Library, 1972)

Initial discussions to create a Mechanics Institute in Williamstown began in 1854, but significant progress was not made until September 1856 when a group of likeminded prominent citizens, some who were newly elected to the first Williamstown Municipal Council, called a public meeting to move forward with its establishment.

To read more about the Williamstown Mechanics Institute, its founders, heritage buildings, library and groups who once called it home click here.

References:

Header Image: London Mechanics Institute, Southampton Buildings, Holborn: the interior of the laboratory, in a cellar. Wood engraving by William Chester Walker, 1828. Wellcome Library, London
Image: George Birkbeck (1776–1841) by Samuel Lane Birkbeck, University of London, c.1830
Image: St Cecilia’s Hall, Edinburgh School of the Arts
Image: Melbourne Atheneum, 1862, SLV: Willmore, Arthur (1814-1888), engraver

Williamstown Notable - Captain William Hobson

Sat, 17 May 2025 13:17:26 GMT

Charting a New Course: The Life and Legacy of Captain William Hobson

Born: 26 September, 1792, Ireland, arriving in Australia in 1836

Died: 10 September, 1842, New Zealand

William Hobson was born in Waterford, Ireland, the son of Samuel Meade Hobson, a barrister and Martha (née Jones), a member of an Anglo-Irish family who were prominent in church and state.

He joined the Royal Navy on 25 August 1803 through the patronage of Captain John Poo Beresford as a second-class volunteer. He served in the Napoleonic Wars and was later involved in the suppression of piracy in the Caribbean. He became a Midshipman in 1806 and some seven years later was a First Lieutenant. In 1814 he joined the HMS Spy and distinguished himself in the Mediterranean in a daring and successful foray against pirates. He was promoted to Commander in May 1824 and commanded HMS Scylla between 1826 and 1828 in the West Indies.

On 17 December, 1827 in Nassau, Bahamas, he married Eliza Ann Elliott, the only daughter of a West Indian merchant of Scottish origin. The couple went on to have one son and four daughters.

In December 1834, he obtained a commission from Lord Auckland to the East Indies on HMS Rattlesnake. In 1836, he was ordered to Australia, arriving at Hobart on 5 August, 1836 and at Sydney 18 days later.

On 18 September, 1836, HMS Rattlesnake left for the Port Phillip District (later Melbourne) conveying Captain Lonsdale and other officials to the new colony. During the next three months, the ship lay off Point Gellibrand and Hobson and three of his officers thoroughly surveyed the bay and made charts. One of the coast of Port Phillip, one of the navigable channels and one of Hobsons Bay. He made several excursions into the adjacent country, sometimes to hunt with the local Aboriginals, whom he found ‘an inoffensive and rather an intelligent race of people’

By direction of Governor Sir Richard Bourke, Hobsons Bay was named after him.

He was then offered the position of Superintendent of the Bombay Marine at a salary of £2000 a year, but he had taken a liking to Australia and was a candidate for the governorship of Port Phillip, although the salary was not expected to be more than £800 a year. HMS Rattlesnake returned to Port Phillip in March, 1837 with Governor Bourke which was his first visit to the new settlement. He accompanied Bourke and Phillip Parker King on a number of exploring expeditions. The more recently created City of Hobsons Bay is also name after him.

His mission at Port Phillip had only just been completed when news came through that war had broken out in the North Island of New Zealand and he was then despatched to the Bay of Islands in May, 1937. He visited the main European and native settlements and then returned to Sydney.

The British Government, which had been impressed by his report on New Zealand, appointed him British consul in New Zealand in December, 1839. Hobson was appointed to take the constitutional steps needed to establish a British Colony in New Zealand. He was sworn in as Lieutenant-Governor in Sydney and arrived in New Zealand on 29 January, 1840 and was instructed to negotiate a voluntary transfer of sovereignty from the Māori to the British Crown as the House of Lords select committee had recommended in 1837. Hobson was given three instructions – to seek a cession of sovereignty, to assume complete control over land matters, and to establish a form of civil government, but he did not provide a draft of the treaty.

On 5 February 1840, Hobson met with Māori chiefs at Waitangi, where they signed a treaty by which the chiefs voluntarily transferred sovereignty to the British Crown in return for guarantees respecting their lands and possessions and their rights as British subjects. Three months later, Hobson proclaimed British sovereignty over the islands of New Zealand. He also selected the site for a capital in the North Island, which he named Auckland.

In May 1841, New Zealand ceased to be a protectorate of New South Wales and became a separate Crown Colony in its own right, with Hobson promoted to Governor and Commander in Chief. The administration was short of cash and had frequent conflict with settlers, who were hungry for land and wanted control of the colony's government.

In his final months Hobson was dogged by poor health which left him detached from political affairs and after barely two years as Governor, he died from a stroke at the age of 49 on 10th September, 1842 and was buried in the Symonds Street Cemetery in Auckland, New Zealand.

The inscription on his grave reads:

SACRED

TO THE MEMORY

WILLIAM HOBSON

CAPTAIN

IN THE ROYAL NAVY

FIRST GOVERNOR

NEW ZEALAND

WHO DIED AT AUCKLAND

10TH SEPTEMBER 1842

AGED 49 YEARS

Flight of the Seagulls: 160 Years of Williamstown Football Club

Sat, 17 May 2025 07:53:57 GMT

From 1864 to today, the Seagulls have soared through generations of footy greatness.

Williamstown Football Club was formed in 1864, although there is some evidence of its existence in 1860.

By 1865, clubs were divided into three categories—senior, junior and minor, with Williamstown listed as a junior club. Williamstown’s home games in its formative years were played at the Market Reserve, now called the Robertson Reserve, which backs onto Williamstown Primary School.

Permission to play at the Gardens Reserve, now known as the Fearon Reserve, was given by the council in 1872. Two years later, Williamstown took a positive step by entering the Junior Challenge Cup, in which it won the premiership in 1876. The team played 14 matches, winning 8, losing 3 and drawing 3.

The club’s colours were dark blue knickerbockers, guernsey and hose, and a blue cap with a white stripe down the centre.

A switch was made in 1884 when Williamstown entered the Victorian Football Association (V.F.A).

Williamstown’s efforts to advance were impeded by the presence of other football clubs in the district, such as Battery United and Osborne.

n 1882, Battery United amalgamated with Williamstown, resulting in the club being able to increase its membership to 136. 80 members were the minimum number required to achieve seniority in the VFA. Williamstown Football Club were known as ‘The Villagers’.

In 1888 Williamstown merged with South Williamstown and began playing home games at the Williamstown Cricket Ground for the first time.

Williamstown would win senior premierships in the VFA in 1907, 1921, 1939, 1945, 1949, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1958, 1959, 1986, 1990, 2003 and 2015.

2nd Division Premierships were won in 1969 and 1976.

The Victorian Football Association (VFA) is now called the VFL (Victorian Football League).

The “Seagulls” had brief affiliations with both Collingwood and Footscray/ Western Bulldogs.

Significant Achievements

Key players recognised in the club's history have been:

Pre 1939: Ron Todd, Harry ‘Soapy’ Vallence, Des Fothergill

1940-1959: Gerry Callahan, Ray Smith, John Walker, Alby Linton, John Martin, Harry Simpson.

1960-1979: Max Papley, Daryl Ward, Keith James, Eddie Szyszka, Les Stillman, John Fanning

1980-1989: Kim Kershaw, Ian Rickman, Barry Round

1990-2009: Troy Mitchell, Bill Swan, Tony Pastore, Saade Ghazi, Troy West, Brad Lloyd, Brett Johnson, Dane Swan, Liam Picken.

2010 - onwards: Ben Jolley, Cameron Lockwood, Adam Marcon, Nick Meese

Most Games: Ben Jolley - 217

Most Goals: Ron Todd - 671

Fun Facts:

Williamstown was the first VFL club to enter a women's team in the VFLW in 2018

Williamstown hosted the first VFL night home game in 2019

References:

Article written by Geoff van Wyngaarden, 2025

One man's vision - Richard Clough and the Short Road Ferry

nicole.harris@me.com (Nicole Harris) — Sun, 23 Feb 2025 05:41:27 GMT

Richard Clough's vision for a short road ferry stood the test of time and connected a community for almost 100 years

The 'Short Road Ferry,' also known as the 'Newport Ferry' or 'Williamstown Steam Ferry' by those who used it, was the main transport route connecting Newport, Spotswood, and Williamstown to Melbourne and its eastern suburbs. This service operated until the 1970s when the Westgate Bridge provided a direct connection for the inner western suburbs to the rest of Melbourne.

One man's vision at the dawn of the colony of Victoria served the growing community for nearly a century.

Richard Clough operated a blacksmith shop opposite the Steam Packet Hotel at the corner of Cole Street and Little Nelson Place, where he also kept a good stock of horses for sale. To replenish his inventory, Clough had to endure the long journey by road to horse sales at the northern end of Bourke Street in Melbourne. This route could be quite challenging, especially after rain, which turned the track boggy and rutted. After making this arduous trip many times, Clough conceived the idea of a ferry, believing it would reduce travel time and benefit local commerce.

Clough campaigned vigorously to establish a ferry service across the river from Greenwich (Newport) to Sandridge (Port Melbourne). However, he initially struggled to garner community support for his proposal, with locals mockingly referring to it as 'Clough’s Folly' or 'Clough’s Short Road.' After being elected to the municipal council in 1864, Clough successfully convinced his fellow councillors of the ferry’s benefits, and the community of Williamstown began to take his proposals seriously, making the establishment of a Short Road Ferry a top priority.

The first of three ferries, named the Connecting Link, was launched on the Yarra River in May 1873.

As Clough had realised his dream, he departed council to leave fellow councillors to do battle with prominent land owner William Hall as the Short Road ran right through the middle of his property. Clough returned to his blacksmith business full time fully knowing that he could replenish his horse stock just a short distance away “Down the Short Road”. Due to problems between council and Hall the short road linking was not opened until May 1875, when the ferry opened. It immediately gained wide acceptance with the local population aware that this new route to Melbourne saved them many hours of travel.

During the 1870’s Clough decided to retire and not long after he sold his blacksmith business and entered into the hotel trade. Quite fittingly he purchased the Strand Hotel, and depending on which direction you travelled, it would be either the first or last hotel that the ferry users would encounter.

Over the next hundred years, there would be three different ferries that would link Williamstown and Port Melbourne: 1873, 1907 and 1931. Clough made a return to Council in 1879-1880. He passed away in September 1905, aged 78, his body was laid to rest in the Williamstown Cemetery. On his passing, he could lay claim to be the man responsible for the “Short Road Ferry”.

References:

Article extracted from Williamstown Historical Society Archives, author unknown.

Williamstown Notables - Reginald Ward Sturgess

Sun, 23 Feb 2025 04:47:18 GMT

From Seeds to Strokes: The Artistic Journey of Reginal Ward Sturgess

R.W. Sturgess (1892 - 1932) was born in 1892 in Newport , the son of cabinet maker Edward Richard Sturgess and his wife Emma (née Ward), who emigrated from Bath , England in 1890. Sturgess was the youngest of four children and the only one born in Australia. The family was interested in the arts, particularly Sturgess's father, but also his elder sister Florence, who went on to become a successful pianist . Edward Sturgess was a good craftsman, having on one occasion decorated a carriage for Queen Victoria , but the economic slump of the 1890s following the land boom in Victoria led to a lack of business, and he abandoned cabinet making and started a seed business in 1893.

The Sturgess family lived at 49 Thompson Street, Williamstown, which no longer exists, and the seed business was located in Pascoe Street, Williamstown.

R.W. Sturgess was educated at Williamstown State School and left school at the age of twelve. His exercise books were filled with sketches of boats of every sort.

In 1905, Sturgess enrolled at the National Gallery Schools with the help of novelist and Williamstown local Ada Cambridge , who had noticed his artistic talents. Special permission had to be obtained for him to be able to enrol at such a young age. There, he was known by the nickname ‘Stogy’ and studied drawing under Frederick McCubbin in the School of Design, and from 1909, painting under Lindsay Hall , winning prizes for still life and landscape painting in oils. Penleigh Boyd, Louis McCubbin and W.B. McInnes were among his fellow students.

Sturgess left the National Gallery Schools in 1912, and began painting on his own in every spare moment available, often working late at night and striving for perfection. He supported his art by selling painted decorative lampshades, and by working in his father's seed business in Williamstown. He was also briefly a teacher at Williamstown Grammar School.

After his father’s death in 1916, he managed the seed business alone until 1926 when he closed the shop. Only then was he able to concentrate entirely on his painting. He had little need to travel to find subjects to paint with his favourite areas the Malmsbury district, the area around the You Yangs and his home town. His work was romantic, delicate and lyrical.

On 30 July 1917, Sturgess married Meta Townsend, a prizewinning student at the gallery schools from 1909-1914, at the Anglican Church in Malmsbury. The couple would later have one daughter together, Elizabeth, born in 1919.

In 1926 he was injured in a motor accident and his jaw was broken. Although he recovered his heath deteriorated and his fading eyesight forced him to give up his beloved painting in 1930. He died at his Williamstown home on 2 July, 1932 of a brain tumour, thought to be the legacy of the motor accident. He was buried in Williamstown Cemetery.

R.W. Sturgess’s work is reparented in the National Gallery of Victoria, Art Gallery of South Australia, Queensland Art Gallery and various regional galleries in Victoria .

Williamstown Notable - James Henry Fearon

Sun, 23 Feb 2025 04:39:07 GMT

Beyond the Reserve - Who was James Henry Fearon?

James Henry Fearon (1863-1944) was born in Williamstown, Victoria, on 19 July 1863. He was the fifth of six children to Daniel Fearon (1826-1873) and his wife Mary (nee Riley) (c.1826-1893), who were originally from Liverpool.

His parents, Daniel & Mary Fearon, arrived in Adelaide on board the ship Martin Luther in March 1852. Daniel’s occupation was listed as a ‘Carpenter’ and their surname ‘Ferro’.

The couple then moved to Victoria, settling in Stafford Place, Williamstown and Daniel became a Shipwright. The couple went on to have six children: Daniel Fearon born in 1853 in Adelaide, who became a Tug captain and was in command of the tug Racer; Alfred Fearon born in 1856 in Williamstown; John Fearon born in 1858 in Williamstown; Mary Ann Fearon born in 1860 in Williamstown; James Henry Fearon born in 1863 in Williamstown; and Catherine Jane Fearon born in 1866 in Williamstown. On their deaths, both Daniel and Mary were buried in Williamstown Cemetery.

James Henry Fearon started his working life in the employ of the Melbourne S.S. Co., better known as the Melbourne Coal, Shipping and Engineering Company. He then worked for a period in coastal shipping before joining the bay excursion paddle steamer PS William (left) as a mate, later transferring to the Port Phillip tug trade.

He then obtained his licence as a harbour pilot in 1901, working on the harbour and river, retiring as a Pilot in July 1928, after 27 years. He then became the pilot’s representative on the Marine Board from 1932 to 1942.

During his 28 years in the pilot service, the ‘Captain’ as he was affectionately known, handled 7950 ships of all shapes and sizes from all parts of the globe.

He was quoted in the Daily Commercial News and Shipping List of 25 July, 1928, relating to his retirement:

“I attribute my success to the remarkable efficiency of the Melbourne tug-masters. Skippers of these tugs perform almost impossible feats of navigation every day. Faced with cruel winds and sometimes a strong, fresh running in the river, they display skill and initiative which has prompted many masters of various nationalities to tell me that Port Phillip has the best tug masters in the world.”

He never married and had the time to be heavily involved in a variety of sporting activities. At one time or another was President of the Victorian Football Association's Second Eighteens, the Williamstown Lacrosse Club for over 40 years, the Victorian Lacrosse Association and the Williamstown Swimming and Life Saving Club.

Captain Fearon was President of the Williamstown Lacrosse Club for over 40 years, a position he still held at the time of his death. He kept the Williamstown Lacrosse Club running, often at his own expense, in their early years. He was also a Sea Scouts Commissioner and was involved with the Williamstown Football Club and the CYs. Not long before his death, the reserve next to the Williamstown Botanic Gardens was named in his honour.

This article first published in the Williamstown Chronicle on Saturday 12 October, 1929, page 2 pays tribute to his achievements and devotion to the community sport.

ANOTHER OF OUR BEST CITIZENS.

(By " Proxy.") An eminent divine, asked once to interpret "What is a gentleman"? replied, "One who never gives offence." It is believed there is no reliable record available as to what number of such rarities this city possesses, but at least there is one unassuming personality in our district who is freely recognised as being fully entitled to such a claim, and that citizen is the subject of this contribution, whose photo appears above. CAPTAIN JIMMY FEARON, as he is familiarly known in sporting, social and seafaring life.

Those interested in any form of clean sport in this district will readily acquiesce in our statement that the Captain has done his full share consistently and uninterruptedly for a whole lifetime to foster all departments of healthy outdoor games, and, incidentally, to offer every encouragement to the boys, youths and young men of his and other districts to engage in every beneficial form of athletics. His record of association with the sporting life of Williamstown is really unique.

A visit to his comfortably equipped den, "The Anchorage," in Thompson Street, reveals remarkable evidence of the part he has played for half a century in this direction. The walls of his bachelor diggings are literally covered with presentations of photos, groups and trophies from sporting institutions, which in no unmistakable manner voice the high esteem in which the Captain is regarded by a large section of the community.

A native of this city and having already passed the sixty-fifth milestone on the journey of this terrestrial sphere, it is no exaggeration to state that, for his years at least, there is no fitter or more active citizen in our midst. Notwithstanding, he has never known the taste of alcohol and has been a non-smoker all his life, the Captain attributes his "good nick" and "fit and well" condition to the fact that he has not missed on one occasion for a period of thirty-eight years his morning exercises and physical jerks.

In a brief conversation, one elicits the fact that the Captain's favourite sport is lacrosse, though he does not commit himself so. What he has done for this game few people have the remotest idea. In 1897, a coterie of young men held a meeting in the Baptist Hall, in Cecil Street, and here it was that lacrosse had its birth in Williamstown. Mr. ''Tommy" Henderson was the first president, and the late Mr Henry Hick was elected the second year. Captain Fearon was elected for the succeeding term and has been president continuously for a period of thirty years.

There are seven lacrosse teams in Williamstown, six of which finished in the finals this season. About 120 young athletes locally are closely associated with the game, and their president is very proud of them; to use his own vocabulary, "They are a splendid type of athlete, and first-class exponents of the sport." Established by the Captain also are the "Wanderers," two teams of boys 15 years and under. There are fifty boys in all, and he pays a special tribute to Mr. Geo. Bowman, who has charge of these juniors. He is unstinted in his praise of the enthusiasm and self-sacrificing work of, as he. puts it, "My friend, Geo. Bowman."

A graceful reference he makes also to the well-known Hick family. Since the introduction of lacrosse to Williamstown, there has always been at least one of the Hicks associated with the sport, and it is alleged that no one ever did more for the game than the late Bert Hick of happy memory, to which the Captain subscribes.

A feat worth recording is that, in this season alone, Captain Fearon has umpired in forty-two lacrosse matches - not a bad effort for 65 years. He has accompanied every lacrosse team which has left Victoria to engage in all Interstate competitions, one of which was just recently undertaken to Western Australia.

In 1910, under the Captain's guidance, the local boys visited N.E. Victoria and played an exhibition game at Nagambie. The trip was a huge success, and Nagambie formed a club right away, and made our genial "Jimmy" its first president. In his home today may be seen a fine token of esteem from the Goulburn Valley organisation. So rapidly did the Nagambie club improve, that shortly afterwards their president invited them to Williamstown to try conclusions locally. The Captain personally met the visitors at Spencer Street on arrival, and escorted them to Williamstown, via Port Melbourne. The irony of the whole thing is that the country team accounted for one of the best teams the locals could put on the field. At a convivial gathering later on in the day, one of the visiting team jokingly suggested that "it was not quite the act of a good sport like the Captain to bring the "Hayseeds" across in the bay ferry on an exceptionally rough winter's morning, in order to get the team sea-sick and overwhelm them in the lacrosse arena afterwards, an event which the local team failed to accomplish.

"Jimmy" Fearon is senior vice-president of the Victorian Lacrosse Association, chairman of the Williamstown Football Club, a delegate to the Victorian Football Association, vice-president of the Victorian Football Association, vice-president of the Victorian Junior Football Association, commodore of the Williamstown Punt Club. In 1911, Williamstown, through the instrumentality of "our subject," engaged South Yarra in an exhibition game at Geelong with a view to establishing lacrosse at the Pivot. Williamstown were successful, and a prominent Geelong businessman presented the Captain with a handsome memento of the occasion, which also adorns his library and music room.

T he Captain's association with cricket dates back to 1895, when he was the president of the Orientals, who won the premiership. A handsome marble clock, given to him by the club, is further evidence of his high respect. For 19 years, the old Myrtle C.C. was under our friend's presidency. They were remarkably successful as juniors, winning in consecutive seasons the first, the second, and the third-grade competitions in which they were engaged, a feat which was not accomplished before, or since, by any junior combination in Victoria. The Myrtles afterwards became the Williamstown District Cricket Club in the Victorian Junior Association, and "Jimmy" is still at the helm and with the boys. Amongst innumerable tokens of respect in his possession is one from the Alberton Cricket Club (S.A.), which is highly prized by its owner. The appreciation by this Adelaide team of his association with them is fully demonstrated in the club's handsome gift now at his home.

Football, of course, has been another avenue of sport that has attracted his attention, but probably not so much as lacrosse. In fact, for part of one season only, he played in the centre with the old Battery Football Club. He was always in the centre, no matter where he appeared, but, as he thought, having been unfairly attacked from the rear in a match, "Jimmy" retaliated and struck his opponent on the "supramaxillary." He was afterwards, ordered to stand down by the authorities, and that was the end of his football days. He decided right away that football could not be indulged in by one whose lofty aspirations were those of one who was destined one day to be regarded by his fellow sports as "a gentleman." In 1916, 1917 and 1919, the Williams-town Junior Football Club won the premiership, and were runners-up in 1918. These performances annexed the handsome competition shield presented by Mr John Wren to the Victorian Junior Association, and as the Captain was the president of the juniors during their activities, the shield found its way to "Jimmy" Fearon's possession, and is now "on deck" with quite a large number of other mementoes to keep it company.

So much for his sporting life. The Captain is an extensive reader and is passionately fond of music, he is not an instrumentalist in music but is in possession of all the best mechanical musical contrivances money can acquire. Always attracted to the ballroom, he still has a go at the terpsichorean art. He says it "helps him to keep fit." He recalls many happy evenings at the popular dances that eventuated in the old skating rink, where he was always a familiar figure - well groomed and laundered, wavy haired, dainty nosegay, and last, but not least, the proverbial scarlet merino half-hose. "Jimmy'" had few rivals in the old rink. The best partners were his, but only for the dancing season. For some reason not yet divulged, none of his admirers of the fair sex,(and they were many) were ever able to "rope" him in, and, unlike our friend Benedick in "Much Ado' About Nothing," James elected to lead the simple life of a bachelor. It is hard to imagine such a generous and unselfish person being lost to married life, as, beyond all doubt, he would have proved himself as the ideal husband.

To the general public the Captain is known better as a harbour and river pilot, from which service he retired in July 1928, after 27 years. At that time, that ultra-conservative body, the Overseas Shipping Representatives' Association were, contrary to usual custom, pleased to refer to his work as a pilot. A flattering memo., bearing the date, 17th August, 1929, from that body is before me.

Another further testimony of his personality is from the Marine Board, who, at this period, were pleased to refer in writing to "your excellent record as a harbour pilot in the Port of Melbourne and your cordial relations at all times with the board." During his 28 years in the pilot service, the Captain handled 7950 ships of all shapes and sizes from all parts of the globe, and an extract from the "Herald" (18/7/28) states that "shipping representatives described him as the 'man who had taken thousands of ships in and out without costing the companies even the price of a small tin of paint."

Captain Fearon has much affection for the masters of the tugboats of this port, and he attributes his success as a pilot to their great skill in performing, at times, almost impossible feats of navigation. He says he was often told by masters of ships from all nations that our tug masters were the best in the world. Captain Fearon also pays a fine tribute to the deep sea pilots in Port Phillip. It is the only service in the world that is continually outside and ever ready for its work and is composed of masters who have no superiority in any other part of the globe.

And now, in conclusion, we pass on unreservedly to you, "Captain Jimmy," our heartiest and most cordial greetings on your successful journey of life. We do not know that you have even the mildest enemy, not even the footballer you struck on the "supramaxillary." May the spirit of affection, health and happiness ever attend you.

Captain James Henry Fearon passed away suddenly from a heart attack on 7 August, 1944, at his home at 106 Thompson Street. Williamstown.

Charles Steedman & the beginning of swimming's modern era

nicole.harris@me.com (Nicole Harris) — Sun, 04 Aug 2024 07:00:00 GMT

In 1867, Charles penned a book titled the "Manual of Swimming", a work considered the beginning of swimming's modern age.

While reading through some past editions of the WHS Newsletter, I stumbled upon an intriguing article from 2006 that showcased the incredible achievements of Charles Steedman. Charles was not only a local resident and an esteemed headmaster of Williamstown Grammar School, but also a champion swimmer and published author.

In 1867, Charles penned a book titled "Manual of Swimming," a work considered by the ‘Sport Australia Hall of Fame’ to mark the beginning of swimming's modern era. This comprehensive manual provided early descriptions of racing strokes, and training methods, and contributed significantly to the development of 'speed swimming', diving, water safety, and the health benefits of bathing.

Tuning into the Paris 2024 Olympic Games each night, you can’t help being captivated by the remarkable performances of swimming and diving competitors. The athletes effortlessly glide through the pool, demonstrating their mastery in butterfly, breaststroke, backstroke, and freestyle. Meanwhile, the diving teams leap from great heights, twisting and turning through the air before elegantly entering the water. It's incredible to see how the sport has evolved over 170 years since Charles Steedman first published the "Manual of Swimming," one of the first instructional books on competitive swimming.

Charles Steedman was born in London on the 9th of July, 1831 to John and Margaret, being the second of four children. Like many at the time, he left school at the age of eleven and started working as a mapmaker, colouring maps. At thirteen, he began working as a chemist's assistant, and by the age of fourteen, he was apprenticed to a cabinetmaker. He attended evening classes to improve his language and mathematics skills. By nineteen, he used his newly acquired understanding of mathematics to help accurately measure and fit spruce soundboards, becoming a successful piano maker.

Charles first learned to swim at the age of thirteen and excelled at the sport as in the other areas of his life. He was swimming competitively by the age of fifteen. In 1849, a nineteen-year-old Charles, swam in the National Championships, beating G. Pewters. Pewters was a master at the popular new racing style of the day – the sidestroke. Charles won the Surrey Club Championships in 1852 and 1853, defeating Frederick Beckwith with his exceptional skill. This event was often regarded as the Championship of England.

An accomplished champion swimmer in England, Charles set out to explore the world, arriving in Port Phillip Bay during the height of the Victorian gold rush in the 1850s. His arrival in Melbourne in 1854 created great interest amongst local swimmers who had heard of his successful feats in England. He shared his advanced knowledge of swimming techniques with his new countrymen and continued swimming competitively in Victoria, winning many championships, teaching swimming and participating in swimming exhibitions with fellow master swimmers.

In late January 1859 Steedman competed in a grand swimming match held at Captain Kenney’s St Kilda Bathing Ship. The bathing ship was moored near the current site of the Royal Melbourne Yacht Squadron at St Kilda. An excited crowd of 700- 800 spectators witnessed the races, including exhibitions of diving, floating and life-saving, A headline race also featured Pewters, Steedman’s old foe from England. Steedman swam the 300-yard race, using a wheel-like motion with his arms, in a time of 4 ¾ minutes, winning the race. He was awarded a ‘Silver Cup and Case’ worth 35 Guiness. (The cup was rediscovered in 2000).

Charles married Christina McFarlane (1837-1861) in Melbourne in 1856, and a few years later their only son, Charles Ernest (b.1861) was born. Tragedy struck when Christina died a week after giving birth at the young age of 25.

After becoming a widower, Charles married again in 1864 to Sarah Blanche Toy (1841–1913 ), a union that lasted his lifetime.

Charles earned a living as a journalist and was registered as the lessee and manager of the Hobsons Bay Railway Sea Bathing Company’s Baths near Sandridge Pier in 1864. He was a member and instructor at the Victorian Swimming Club, with his pupils competing in regular events.

In 1867 Steedman published the ‘Manual of Swimming’, drawing on his extensive personal swimming experience to provide a practical manual. “As a book written by an experienced, champion swimmer, it contains some of the earliest descriptions of racing strokes and training methods and was the first major technical contribution to the new sport of ‘speed swimming’. The ‘Manual of Swimming’ includes bathing, plunging, diving, floating, scientific swimming training, and how to save someone from drowning”.He describes “the Native American Indians as swimming with an alternative continuous arm action, which was a type of crawl stroke”. This reference predates others by at least 30 years. His book was published with great success in London, confirming his recognised expertise and influence in the developing years of the sport

Charles Steedman bought Abberton House (Mandalay), located on the corner of John Street and The Strand, Williamstown, from Sir George Verdon in 1869. (Verdon was one of the first trustees of the Williamstown Grammar School and a member of parliament, who was appointed as the first Agent-General of Victoria to London. He received a knighthood for his services to the colony in 1872).

In 1870, a knowledgeable and articulate Steedman, took up the lease of the Williamstown Grammar School in an agreement with the schools’ trustees, Sir George Verdon and John Courtis, effectively saving it from closure. He was appointed headmaster from 1870-1876 and again from 1885–1890. As headmaster in 1885, he added swimming lessons to the curriculum.

Steedman was a member of the Williamstown Swimming Club, hosting meetings and judging events held at Williamstown’s ‘Bunbury Baths’. One Saturday afternoon in 1885, the Williamstown Advertiser reported some 300 spectators witnessed eight events, which were hotly contested. Mr Steedman, “ex-champion" of England, gave an exhibition of swimming and lifesaving, which was one of the grandest displays of swimming ever witnessed in Victora”. He was a strong advocate for learning to swim and saved many people from drowning, without receiving any recognition or accolades.

Charles Steedman lived in Abberton House on The Strand until he died in 1901 at the age of 71. He is buried in the Williamstown Cemetery. His widow Blanch sold the house to Captain William Hearn in 1913, who renamed it “Mandalay” as it is known today. He was survived by his wife, Sarah Blanche and son, Charles.

After more than a century since his passing, his substantial contributions to the sport of swimming were finally acknowledged at both national and international levels. He was honoured with induction into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 2000, and later into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 2006.

Charles Steedman's home for many years, Abberton House (also known as Mandalay) , is up for sale. We can only dream that perhaps a champion of Australian Swimming, with deep pockets and a passion for history, could resurrect it to its former glory. Naturally, any plans would include the addition of a sparkling swimming pool overlooking the bay where it all began.

Notes:

Williamstown Grammar School was established in 1867, and run by well-known Williamstown identities as the first trustees of the school. However, despite early challenges regarding permanent facilities and financial woes, the school not only survived (with a name change) – it has thrived. Now known as Westbourne Grammar, it still maintains a junior campus on The Strand, in Williamstown, as well as a large purpose-built campus in Truganina (with a swimming pool – of course) , operating successfully as one of the largest private grammar schools in the western suburbs of Melbourne.

References:

Williamstown Historical Society, Newsletter No. 215, September 2006
Photo: Williamstown Historical Society Collection: Former headmaster of Williamstown Grammar School (Westbourne Grammar) School held in the house in 1886,
The Age (Melbourne, Vic 1854 – 1954), Mon 31 Jan 1859, page 6, “Swimming Matches at St Kilda”, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article154837049
The Argus (Melbourne, Vic.: 1848 – 1957), Fri 18 March, 1859, page 8, advertising, “ Swimming Matches”,https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/5678087?searchTerm=swimming%20races%20Charles%20Steedman
The Argus (Melbourne, Vic.: 1848 – 1957), Sat 12 March, 1859, page 8, advertising, “Grand Swimming Matches”, https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/5677805?searchTerm=swimming%20races%20Charles%20Steedman
The Herald (Melbourne, Vic 1861-1954), Mon 9 Feb, 1863, page 6, “Swimming Matches at Sandridge”, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article244295676
South Australian Weekly Chronicle, Sat 31 Dec 1864, page 5, Lessee of Sandridge Baths, https://collections.sea.museum/en/people/1116/charles-steedman)
The Herald (Melbourne, Vic 1861-1954), Mon 9 Feb, 1863, page 6, “Swimming Matches at Sandridge”, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article244295676
The Argus (Melbourne, Vic, 1848 – 1957), Mon 25 Feb, 1867, page 6, “Swimming Matches at Sandridge”, https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/5786926?searchTerm=swimming%20races%20Charles%20Steedman
Westbourne Grammar School Archives: https://victoriancollections.net.au/items/5f2213ff3f32f40784841123
Ballarat Star (Vic: 1865 - 1924), 20 Feb 1867, page 2, “Review”, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article112861599 ,
Ancestry.com. Births, Deaths & Marriages.
Geelong Advertiser (Vic.:1859 – 1929), Fri 6 March, 1874, page 2, “Lecture by Mr Charles Steadman (sic) – The Art of Swimming”.
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/rendition/nla.news-article147366756.3.pdf?followup=5b3e7028d3618d2a5731fdebae6cabeb
Geelong Advertiser (Vic.: 1859 – 1929), Fri 6 March, 1874, page 2, “Annual Swimming Matches”, https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/rendition/nla.news-article147366757.3.pdf?followup=38b8e7004ec77dd983659378d7995595
Weekly Times (Melbourne, Vic: 1869 – 1954), Sat 9 Feb 1878, pg 5, “Swimming”
Williamstown Advertiser (Vic. : 1875 - 1954), 4 Apr 1885, p. 2, “Swimming”, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article270752304
International Swimming Hall of Fame: https://ishof.org/honoree/?_sf_s=steedman
Sport Australia Hall of Fame: https://sahof.org.au/hall-of-fame-member/charles-steedman/
The Argus (Melbourne, Vic.: 1848 – 1957), Sat 12 March, 1859, page 8, advertising, “Grand Swimming Matches”, https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/5677805?searchTerm=swimming%20races%20Charles%20Steedman

Williamstown Notables - Dorothy Waite O.B.E.

Thu, 09 May 2024 12:45:02 GMT

Her true legacy lies in the countless animals whose lives were saved or improved thanks to her tireless advocacy.

Born: 13th February, 1892, Beaconsfield, Tasmania

Died: 3rd April, 1992, Williamstown, Victoria

Dorothy Waight (nee Rhatigan) was born in Beaconsfield, Tasmania on 13 ^th February 1892. The eldest daughter of John, a miner and Harriett Harvey (nee Hughes) a widow with a young son.

The family moved to Victoria, and in 1920, Dorothy met and married William John Waight (d.1962). The newlyweds settled in Newport, purchasing a large house on The Strand, Newport, known as Sea Gates. Dorothy and William had two children, Dorothy Winifred Mary Waight (born c1928), and John Rhatigan Waight, (born 1930, died in infancy).

An expert horse rider and shooter, Dorothy was captain of both the Ladies Riding and Driving Club and the Yarraville Ladies Rifle Club.

Dorothy Waight dedicated her life to the welfare of domestic and wild animals and became involved in local environmental issues. She spent much of her time advocating for improvements to legislation related to animal rights. Dorothy established the Williamstown and District Animal Relief Society in 1946-47. It was believed that ill-treatment of horses triggered her decision to start the society, her colleague Larry Noye later recalled that it was a neglected dog named Toby who prompted her to act. After taking legal action against the dog's owner, which resulted in a prosecution, she brought together several like-minded people and formed the Society.

At this time there were only a few animal welfare organisations operating in Victoria, these included the Victorian Society for the Protection of Animals (VSPA), which was founded in 1871, and known from 1955 as the RSPCA, the Lost Dogs' Home, established in 1910, and the Lort Smith Animal Hospital, 1935.

Dorothy rented the Buffalo Lodge in Mason Street, Newport for four shillings weekly, and worked there four days a week while attracting the involvement of new members. She hosted many functions during the 1950-60s to raise funds to build a proper clinic, including garden fairs in her large garden at Sea Gates. A clinic was eventually built in Derwent Street, Newport on the site of the Newport Football Ground. She recruited Irish veterinarian Dr. Sam Green to attend the clinic on Mondays and Thursdays.

Dorothy Waight remained at the helm of the Williamstown and District Animal Relief Society for much of its existence, assisted by a group of dedicated, members, the majority being women from the local area. By the 1970s they felt the football ground location was becoming dangerous as thefts were occurring from the Society’s rooms and break-ins were a constant threat. They sought the Williamstown Council’s help in finding new rooms, and in late 1975 the rear of ‘the old electrical substation site in Collingwood Road’ was offered, plus a council grant of $3,000 towards constructing a new clinic. A further $5,000 was contributed by the Society. Soon afterwards, a fire destroyed the Society’s premises at the football ground.

The Mayor of Williamstown, Cr. P. T. Lalor, opened the new, purpose-built clinic on 3 April 1977. An article on the front page of the local newspaper, the Williamstown Advertiser, announced its opening at 6 Home Road, Newport. A veterinary surgeon attended the centre and when animal owners couldn’t afford the usual fees, they were subsidised by the District Animal Relief Society.

Dorothy actively campaigned in the 1970s to preserve the natural and cultural values of the Williamstown foreshore. She opposed the construction of the Newport Power Station by the State Electricity Commission.

In 1978 Dorothy Waight was awarded The Order of the British Empire (Civil) for her work in animal welfare.

The service provided by the Animal Relief Clinic continued for many years and probably stopped when the Society folded in Dorothy’s final years. Dr.Hugh Wirth of the RSPCA recalls he attended the Society’s final meeting when Dorothy was still alive, but ailing.

At the age of 97, Dorothy fell and broke her hip while gardening. As a result, she spent the rest of her life at Hazeldean Nursing Home located on Osborne Street in Williamstown.

On her 100th birthday, Dorothy was rewarded with a letter of thanks from HRH Princess Michael of Kent, also President of the Dogs’ Home Battersea.

She died six weeks after her centenary, on 3 April 1992.

She was survived by her daughter, Dorothy Hellier and son-in-law, Ted; granddaughter, Marion Farrell and great-granddaughter, Diana. William Waight, her husband died in 1962.

Among the obituaries in the Age and Herald-Sun newspapers, were two by the Committee and Members of the former Williamstown and District Animal Relief Society. They affirmed Dorothy as the ‘founder’ of their Society in 1946 and described her as a ‘woman for all seasons’. A funeral service was held at the Holy Trinity Church, Nelson Place, Williamstown followed by a burial ceremony at the Williamstown Cemetery.

Dorothy Waight lived a long and interesting life. She was a vocal and passionate advocate for the environment and animal welfare, with a strong and recognisable presence in the local community. Her tireless efforts and unwavering dedication to these causes earned her frequent appearances in local newspapers and widespread recognition among municipal councillors and animal protection organisations throughout Victoria, including her O.B.E.(Civil Division).

References:

Header image - 10 Feb 1977, aged 85
Tasmania BDM and Victoria BDM
Historical assessment of 6 Home Road, Newport by Michele Summerton, © Historica & Alinta, August 2007
Williamstown Advertiser
Williamstown Chronicle
The Age Newspaper
Real Estate Website

Australia's first recipient of the Victoria Cross

Mon, 08 Apr 2024 03:42:15 GMT

Courtney's Post and Australia's First Victoria Cross recipient - Albert Jacka

This square, number 60 on our quilt, lists all of the men involved in the incident where Albert Jacka was recommended for his actions at Gallipoli leading to him being awarded the Victoria Cross, the first Australia recipient to do so during World War I.

The incident occurred 19 May, 1915 at Courtney’s Post the centre post of three - Quinn's, Courtney's and Steele's - that occupied precarious, but critical, positions along the lip of the Monash Valley, above ANZAC Cove.

After two days of heavy fighting, at around 4 am, a party of ten men from the 14th Battalion who were holding a short section of the trench at Courtney’s Post, had a number of bombs thrown into their vicinity, two were killed and four others wounded. Seven or eight Turkish soldiers then jumped into the trench and chased the remaining men out of the trench. Lance-Corporal Jacka, who was in the communication trench nearby, heard the commotion and immediately jumped from the communication trench up to the step behind the last section of the fire trench, which had not yet been reached by the Turks.

From there Jacka fired shots into the trench wall, holding the Turks at bay. Lieutenant Hamilton then climbed out of his trench and ran to assist firing his revolver at the Turks, but was quickly shot in the head. Another officer, Lieutenant Wallace-Crabbe, was sent to the sector. He attempted to join Jacka by crossing the mouth of the same communication trench where Hamilton had been but Jacka stopped him by shouting "Look out, sir, the Turks are in here”.

Wallace-Crabbe then called for volunteers to assist Jacka saying "It's a tough job. Will you back Jacka up?". One of the leading men answered. "It's sink or swim; we will come, sir," and the leading three went forward – Lance Corporal S. De Araugo, Lance Corporal W. Howard, and Private Poliness.

Jacka then leapt safely into the captured trench but Lance-Corporal Howard following him was shot three times as soon as he came into view. Jacka realised the plan was not going to work and stopped the others from following. He then dashed back, dragging his wounded mate to safety.

Jacka then climbed upon the fire step, and was trying to get a view of the enemy when Lieutenant Wallace-Crabbe suggested that he should go round another way while he and the remainder of the party kept the Turks employed in front. Jacka who was a man of few words, remarked, 'Right-o.' and was off like a shot. A second later there were five reports in quick succession, and when Poliness came in at the opposite end of the trench, Jacka was wiping the blood from his bayonet, with seven dead Turks at his feet.

The trench was now clear of Turks and Jacka remained alone there for the next hour, until the sun rose and when Lieutenant Wallace-Crabbe deemed it safe to determine the outcome of the assault. One of the most famous details of the whole incident is that Crabbe found Jacka sitting amidst Turkish and Australian dead with an unlit cigarette in his mouth. "Well, I got the beggars, sir”, he said. He had shot five, and had bayoneted the remaining two.

His citation for the Victoria Cross reads:

"For most conspicuous bravery on the night of the 19th–20th May, 1915 at "Courtney's Post", Gallipoli Peninsula. Lance-Corporal Jacka, while holding a portion of our trench with four other men, was heavily attacked. When all except himself were killed or wounded, the trench was rushed and occupied by seven Turks. Lance-Corporal Jacka at once most gallantly attacked them single-handed, and killed the whole party, five by rifle fire and two with the bayonet."

[Supplement to the London Gazette No. 29240, published 23 July 1915. p. 7279]

References:

http://www.hellfirecorner.co.uk/jacka.htm

Kyneton Guardian, Thursday 9 September 1915, page 4

Kalgoorlie Miner, Tuesday 27 July 1915, page 8

West Australian, Tuesday 10 August 1915, page 7

Apart from Albert Jacka, the other soldiers involved in the incident were:

Lieutenant Keith George Wallace-Crabbe

Lieutenant Keith George Wallace-Crabbe, the officer who recommended Albert Jacka for his actions, enlisted on 19 September, 1914 into the 14th Infantry Battalion.

He was a 20-year-old Clerk when he enlisted as a 2nd Lieutenant living at 17 Byron Street, St Kilda. He was born on 28 July, 1894, the 4th son of George Wallace-Crabbe, a Legal Manager, and Harriet Teresa (nee Cluny). His mother was President of the 14th Battalion Comforts Fund.

Keith was educated at Trinity Grammar School, Kew, Victoria, and held a good position as a Clerk in a large business firm. He had joined the 46th (Brighton Rifles) Regiment Australian T.F., some time prior to the war, and on the outbreak of war was a Captain. He stood 5 feet 10 ½ inches, and was given a commission as 2nd Lieutenant of the 14th Battalion Australian Imperial Force on enlistment and left Australia with the second reinforcements. After spending some time in Egypt, he was sent with his Battalion to the Dardanelles, and took part in the landing at ANZAC Cove on 25 April, 1915. He was almost continuously in action for six months. He was promoted to Lieutenant not long after landing, in May 1915.

Writing to his father from Gallipoli on 20 May, he gave the following account of the incident that earned Jacka his VC:

"We have just passed through two very strenuous days and nights here. The Turks were heavily reinforced, and made an attack on our position, and we inflicted terrible loss on the attackers. One little incident during the attack may interest you. The Turks, eight in number, got into a small section of our trench, and as I was near we had to clear them out. Lieutenant Boyle was wounded, and Lieutenant Hamilton killed in tackling the same job, before I came on the scene. I got four boys, who made a rush at them, but were repulsed with two wounded. Then I made as if we were going to attack again, and threw some grenades at them, and the Lance-Corporal whom I have written the memorandum about rushed in at the other end and fired ten shots. The copy enclosed is what I have written to get Jacka a medal for conduct. The General was greatly pleased with the way the attack was repulsed right along, and Major Rankine, who was in command of our trench, got great praise. All of us were personally congratulated by General Godley, Brigadier Monash and Col. Courtney.”

This is an extract from my report to headquarters:

“I beg to report that at 5 a.m. on 19 May Lance-Corporal Jacka, No. 4 Company, 14th Battalion Australian Imperial Force, under my instructions, rushed in at one end of the trenches whilst I had a party engaging them at the other end, and shot seven Turks who had forced and obtained a section of our trenches. Lance-Corporal Jacka and a party of four had tried a previous bayonet rush, but were repulsed with two casualties to us.”

Lieutenant Wallace-Crabbe was mainly responsible for the ascendancy which the 4th Brigade established on the enemy in bomb fighting. He was killed while leading a desperate charge at Hill 60 at Suvla Bay, Gallipoli, 22 August, 1915.

Jacka reported on his death:

"Men who saw this gallant officer lying dead, say that he died with a sweet smile on his face. 'Killed in action' was, perhaps, all that you were told, but what death is there as noble as this, when you meet it while leading your men in the thick of battle and fighting for your King and country against such odds? The attack was made by 100 men from the 14th Battalion, 100 from the 13th and 50 from the 16th. Lieutenant Crabbe being such a brave, cool officer he had charge of the men. It was in this ill-fated charge that he met his death. It was a desperate attack, and while leading his men, a smoking revolver in his hand, he fell, shot through the head. His sad and untimely death is greatly mourned by us. He was a great favourite with all the men who knew him, and had made a name for himself as a gallant leader, and had he lived through this engagement a very high honour would have been conferred upon him.”

Lieutenant Keith Wallace-Crabbe’s body was never recovered and he has no known grave, and is remembered at the Lone Pine Memorial, Gallipoli, Turkey.

References:

National Archives of Australia: Defence and war service records

Trove

http://www.hellfirecorner.co.uk/jacka.htm

https://victoriacrossonline.co.uk/albert-jacka-vc-mc/

Lieutenant Henry Noel Boyl e

Henry Noel Boyle was born in 1896 in Collingwood, Victoria to parents John Francis Boyle and Cecilia Mary (nee Little). He entered the Royal Military College, Duntroon on 7 March, 1912 when he was 16 years old and graduated early on 2 November, 1914. He was a member of the guard of honour at the naming ceremony of Canberra on 12 March, 1913.

Henry enlisted on 3 November, 1914, the day after graduating from Duntroon, entering as a Lieutenant in the 14th Infantry Battalion. His description on his enlistment papers indicate he was 5 feet 7 inches tall, had blue eyes and a fair complexion. Prior to his enlistment and training at Duntroon he was living with his family in Abbotsford.

He landed on Gallipoli on 25 April, 1915. On the night Albert Jack won his VC, Henry was in a communication trench opposite Jacka and was hit in the neck and ear when attempting to sight the enemy. After treatment in hospital in Egypt, he rejoined the 14th Battalion on 20 June, 1915 with the rank of Captain even though he was only 19 years of age.

During the Battle of Sari Bair in early August 1915, the 4th Brigade, which included the 14th Battalion, was part of an attempt to seize the heights above the ANZAC positions at Gallipoli. Boyle was again injured, this time receiving gunshot wound to his left arm during the fighting which caused a fracture just above the elbow. The injury ended Boyle's active part in the war and he returned home in March, 1916 and was officially discharged medically unfit on 31 January, 1917.

Henry Boyle served again during WWII in both New Guinea and New Britain.

On his return from WWI he married Margaret Mary Condon in 1920. He died in Kew, Victoria on 21 January, 1983.

His older sister, Mary Genevieve Mavica Boyle, was the Assistant Honorary Secretary of the 14th Battalion Comforts Fund.

References:

National Archives of Australia: Defence and war service records

Trove

http://www.memorial.act.gov.au/search/person/boyle-henry-noel

Lance Corporal Stephen de Araugo

(his surname is spelt incorrectly on the quilt)

Stephen de Araugo was born in 1894 to parents Manuel de Araugo and Catherine (nee Jones). He enlisted on 1 October, 1914 as a 19 year old, into the 14th Infantry Battalion with the rank of Private. Prior to his enlistment he was working as a Driver in Bendigo.

He left Melbourne on HMAT Ulysses on 22 December, 1914 and after spending a number of months training in Egypt, he landed at ANZAC Cove Gallipoli on 25 April, 1915.

On the night Albert Jack won his VC, Stephen was with his two mates from Bendigo, Lance Corporal William Howard and Private Frank Poliness, holding the Turks at bay at the other end of the trench to Albert Jacka.

Private de Araugo was also involved in the Battle of Lone Pine on 7 August, 1915 coming through the conflict unscathed.

On 1 December, 1915 he was promoted to Corporal, then to Lance Sergeant on 27 January, 1916, and then to Sergeant on 14 April, 1916.

He departed from Alexandria on 1 June, 1916 disembarking at Marseilles on 8 June, 1916 heading for the fighting at the Western Front where he was again promoted, to No. 49 Company Sergeant Major on 6 August, 1916.

While fighting at Pozières between 6-13 August, 1916, he was ‘ Mentioned in Despatches ’ for his ‘distinguished and gallant service, and devotion to duty’ which was officially gazetted on 2 January, 1917.

He was also involved on the fighting at Bullecourt in April, 1917 and was promoted again to the rank of 2nd Lieutenant on 6 October, 1917 while serving in Belgium. He then was part of the fighting during the German Spring Offensive in March, 1918 and was promoted again to the rank of Lieutenant on 1 April, 1918.

In mid-April, 1918 he became ill with pneumonia and was transferred to the 45th Casualty Clearing Station and then to England to the 3 London General Hospital in Wandsworth. He was declared medically unfit to return to service and returned home to Australia where he was officially discharged on 1 November, 1918.

On his return from WWI he married Emily Elizabeth McKenna in 1919. He went to work for the Victorian Railways, and died in Heidelberg, Victoria on 23 July, 1953 at 58 years old.

References:

https://vwma.org.au/explore/people/209446

National Archives of Australia: Defence and war service records

William Donald Howard

William Donald Howard was born in 1891 in Bendigo, Victoria to parents Robert Howard and Catherine (Nee Pell). He enlisted on 14 September, 1914 as a 24 year old, into the 14th Infantry Battalion with the rank of Private. Prior to his enlistment he was working as a Driller in Bendigo.

He left Melbourne on HMAT Ulysses on 22 December, 1914 and after spending a number of months training in Egypt, he landed at ANZAC Cove Gallipoli on 25 April, 1915.

On the night Albert Jack won his VC, William was with his two mates from Bendigo, Private Stephen de Araugo and Private Frank Poliness, holding the Turks at bay at the other end of the trench to Albert Jacka.

He was shot three times by the Turks – in the arm, and twice in the chest – and was fortunate that the bullets were deflected out of his body. He was taken to a dug-out and due to Turkish snipers had to stay there until the following night before he could be taken down to a medical post under cover of darkness.

His daughters Aileen and Marie Howard of Bendigo described his injuries in October, 2007:

One bullet hit a metal binding on a book in his uniform pocket and deflected enough to blow out. A second bullet hit a rib, deflected and also blew out. We feel that it may have taken a rib as the wound in that area was as long as a biro.

He told us that those two bullets were two inches from his heart and if they had blown in they would not have bothered to look at him. The scar in that area was as long as a biro. A third bullet shattered into his right hand.

When the action was over Dad heard the stretcher bearers say, “grab him or he will go”, and he went out to it. They dressed his wounds. He came to in the hot sun with a Minister putting an ‘Urgent’ tag on his stretcher. He was then put into a dugout for the rest of the day as he could not be taken to the beachhead until dark and this was dawn.

Dad’s friends had walked as they thought he would die, and probably Jacka would have thought the same thing after he saw him. When Jacka came to see how Dad was, he told him that he had been told he was to be put up for an award or something, and that, “Ooh I did my bloody block.” Exact words as Dad told us.

He had numerous pieces of shrapnel removed over his life, and as we told you when you called, as he got older and thinner, he had them appearing on his knee, elbow and even forehead. He said, “They’ve been there so long, they may as well stay”.

He was eventually transferred to Valetta Hospital in Malta and then to the 1st Australian Auxiliary Hospital in Harefield, England. He was then repatriated back to Australia on 12 December, 1915 on board the HMAT Star of England arriving in Melbourne on 29 January, 1916.

After seven months recuperating in Melbourne, he returned to Europe on HMAT Port Sydney on 7 September, 1916 landing in Plymouth on 23 October, 1916. After landing in England, he was promoted to Lance Corporal on 8 November, 1916 and then proceeded to France on 13 December, 1916. He was then promoted to Corporal on 10 January, 1917.

During the first battle of Bullecourt on 10 April, 1917, William was captured by the Germans and was officially reported missing on 11 April, 1917.

Due to the British and French armies making German prisoners of war work behind Allied lines, within range of German guns, the German Army began a reprisal policy against the mistreatment of German POWs. The strategy tried to force the Allies to change their POW policies.

Over 1500 Australians captured at Noreuil, Bullecourt and Lagnicourt in April 1917 were subjected to reprisals that disregarded the Hague Convention.

Australian prisoners were taken to Lille. They were locked in the casements of Fort MacDonald for 10 days. Then they returned to the German front line, under British shellfire, to:

bury bodies

clear roads

dig trenches

labour at engineering and ammunition dumps

He was eventually interred at Limburg Prisoner of War Camp spending the remainder of his war there. He was repatriated on 26 December, 1918, and granted leave. However, in early February he was diagnosed with appendicitis and influenza. So did not return to Australia until May, 1919. He was officially discharged on 20 August, 1919.

On his return to Australia, he married Mary Veronica O’Brien in 1925 and they went on to have three children – Donald, Aileen and Maree. He set up as a farmer in Rochester, Victoria. He died at 75 years old on 13 December, 1966 in Bendigo.

References:

National Archives of Australia: Defence and war service records

https://www.hardjacka.com/howard.html

https://anzacportal.dva.gov.au/wars-and-missions/ww1/personnel/australian-pows

Francis Edward Poliness

Francis Edward Poliness was born on 18 December, 1893 in Geelong, Victoria to parents Edward Salvatore Poliness and Jane (nee Bourke). He enlisted on 14 September, 1914 as a 20 year old, into the 14th Infantry Battalion with the rank of Private. Prior to his enlistment he was working as a Metal Polisher in Bendigo.

He left Melbourne on HMAT Ulysses on 22 December, 1914 and after spending a number of months training in Egypt, he landed at ANZAC Cove Gallipoli on 25 April, 1915.

On the night Albert Jack won his VC, William was with his two mates from Bendigo, Private Stephen de Araugo and Private William Howard, holding the Turks at bay at the other end of the trench to Albert Jacka.

He was evacuated from Gallipoli on 18 July, 1915 suffering from Enteric Fever, more commonly known as Typhoid Fever, and transferred to Mtarfa Hospital, Malta and two months later to the Military Hospital at Lewisham, England.

He was finally well enough to rejoin his unit at Gallipoli on 12 December, 1915. After the Australian troops were finally evacuated from Gallipoli to Egypt in late December, 1915, he again fell ill, this time with Spinal Meningitis and was transferred to the 4th Auxiliary Hospital in Cairo. Due to these illnesses, he was deemed medically unfit to continue to serve and was returned to Australian on board the HMAT Runic on 11 April, 1916. He was finally discharged on 18 October, 1916.

He also served in WWII, enlisting on 30 March, 1942 at the age of 48 but did not serve overseas, spending the duration of the war at the General Hospital in Heidelberg. During his service in WWII he was promoted a number of times, to Acting Corporal, Acting Sergeant and Staff Sergeant. He was discharged 12 June, 1945.

On his return to Australia from WWI he married Mary Ethel Pearson on 13 November, 1923. They moved to Caulfield and he began working as a Clerk. They went on to have two children, Brian and Judith. Francis died on 8 December, 1952 at 59 years of age.

References:

National Archives of Australia: Defence and war service records

https://www.hardjacka.com/howard.html

William Hugh Hamilton

Lieutenant William Hugh Hamilton was born on 24 May, 1894 in Natimuk, Victoria to parents Robert Hamilton and Margaret (nee Burn). He entered the Royal Military College, Duntroon with the second intake of cadets on 7 March, 1912 and was a member of the guard of honour at the Canberra naming ceremony on 12 March, 1913 and graduated from RMC on 2 November, 1914.

William enlisted on 3 November, 1914, the day after graduating from Duntroon, entering as a Lieutenant in the 14th Infantry Battalion.

He left Melbourne on HMAT Ulysses on 22 December, 1914 and after spending a number of months training in Egypt, he landed at ANZAC Cove Gallipoli on 25 April, 1915.

During the incident when Albert Jack won his VC, Jacka was at the end of the trench on a firing step firing into the trench wall to keep the Turks at bay until reinforcements were sent. Lieutenant Hamilton heard the shouts of "Turks in the Line" and ran up jumping into the trench firing his revolver at them as they jumped into the bay. He kept firing until one of the Turks shot him through the head and he was instantly killed.

He is buried near ANZAC Cove in Shrapnel Valley Cemetery, Gallipoli, plot 4, row A, grave 17.

References:

National Archives of Australia: Defence and war service records

http://www.memorial.act.gov.au/search/person/hamilton-william-hugh

Albert Jacka - WWI Signature Quilt

Mon, 08 Apr 2024 03:42:12 GMT

Albert Jacka

Albert Jacka was born on a dairy farm near Winchelsea, Victoria, on 10 January 1893, the fourth of seven children to Nathaniel Jacka and his English-born wife Elizabeth (née Kettle).

Before enlisting, Albert was working for the Victoria State Forests Department at Heathcote.

Albert Jacka enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force on 18 September 1914, with the rank of Private. He was assigned to the 14th Battalion, 4th Brigade, 1st Division and finished his training at Broadmeadows Camp.

Jacka and his battalion arrived at Alexandria, Egypt on 31 January, 1915 and spent the next few months training before landing at Anzac Cove on the 26 April, 1915.

On 19 May 1915, the Turks launched an assault against the Anzac Line, capturing a section of the trench at Courtney's Post, one end of which was guarded by Jacka. For several minutes he fired warning shots into the trench wall until reinforcements arrived, after which he attempted to enter the trench with three others, all but Jacka were either wounded or pinned. It was then decided that while a feint attack was made from the same end, Jacka would attack from the rear. The party then proceeded to engage the Turks with rifle fire, throwing in two bombs as Jacka skirted around to attack from the flank. Jacka shot five Turkish soldiers and bayoneted two others, forcing the remainder to flee the trench, he then held the trench alone for the remainder of the night. Jacka's platoon commander, Lieutenant Keith Wallace-Crabbe, informed him the following morning that he would be recommended for his bravery and he was duly awarded the Victoria Cross, the first Australian to receive the award during WW1.

Following his VC action, Jacka instantly became a national hero. He received the £500 and gold watch that the prominent Melbourne business and sporting identity, John Wren, had promised to the first Australian of the war to receive the VC.

His image was used on recruiting posters and magazine covers, and he received rapid promotions; first to Corporal on 28 August, 1915, to Sergeant two weeks later on 12 September, 1915 and then to Company Sergeant Major on 14 November, 1915.

After the ANZAC troops had evacuated from Gallipoli, they made their way to Egypt where Jacka passed through officer training school with high marks, and on 29 April, 1916 he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant.

In June, 1916 he was sent to the Western Front in France. Following the heavy casualties on the Somme, the 14th Battalion was transferred to the Pozières sector of the Somme offensive.

On the morning of 7 August 1916, after a night of heavy shelling, the Germans began to overrun a portion of the line which included Jacka's dug-out. Jacka had just completed a reconnaissance, and had gone to his dug-out when two Germans appeared at its entrance and rolled a bomb down the doorway, killing two of his men. Emerging from the dug-out, Jacka came upon a large number of Germans rounding up some forty Australians as prisoners. Only seven men from his platoon had recovered from the blast, but rallying these few, he charged at the enemy. Heavy hand-to-hand fighting ensued as the Australian prisoners turned on their captors. Every member of the platoon was wounded, including Jacka who was wounded seven times, including an injury from a bullet that passed through his body under his right shoulder, and two head wounds. Fifty Germans were captured and the line was retaken and Jacka was personally credited with killing between twelve and twenty Germans during this engagement. He was awarded the Military Cross for his actions at Pozières, although he was originally recommended for the Distinguished Service Order.

After the incident Jacka was evacuated to England where he was promoted to Lieutenant on 18 August 1916, and like Stewart Murray Hansen, was falsely reported dead. He attended an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle on 29 September; 1916 receiving his Victoria Cross from King George V, before rejoining his unit in November, 1916. Promoted to Captain on 15 March, 1917, he was appointed the 14th Battalion's intelligence officer.

Jacka was given command of D Company, 14th Battalion, and in June, 1917 led his men through the Battle for Messines Ridge. On 8 July, 1917 he was again wounded, this time by a sniper near Ploegsteert Wood, resulting in nearly two months hospitalisation. He again returned to the front, leading the 14th Battalion on 26 September, 1917, in an attack against German pill-boxes during the Battle of Polygon Wood. He was recommended for the Distinguished Service Order a second time for this feat, but again it was not granted. In May 1918, Jacka was finally removed from the conflict when, outside the village of Villers-Bretonneux, he was badly gassed and a missile passed through his trachea. He was sent to Britain for two operations and a long recuperative period.

He returned to Melbourne on 6 September, 1919 to a hero’s welcome and his AIF appointment officially ended on 10 January, 1920.

After the war, Jacka had a job waiting for him with the Forests Department, but together with R. O. Roxburgh and E. J. L. Edmonds, both former members of the 14th Battalion, he established the electrical goods importing and exporting business Roxburgh, Jacka & Co. Pty Ltd. The business was heavily financed by John Wren, but collapsed due to the Great Depression in 1931.

On 17 January 1921, at St Mary's Catholic Church, St Kilda, Jacka married Frances Veronica Carey, a typist from his office. The pair settled in St. Kilda, and later adopted a daughter, Betty. In September, 1929, he was elected to the Council of the City of St Kilda, becoming mayor the following year. Much of his civic work was characterised by his strong interest in assisting the unemployed, defending evictees and proposing public works for the 'sussos', 'sustenance workers', employed on public works by the Government as a relief measure.

On 14 December, 1931, Jacka collapsed after a council meeting and was admitted to Caulfield Military Hospital.

On 17 January ,1932, one week after his 39th birthday, he died from chronic nephritis, a condition that leads to kidney failure.

He was buried at St Kilda Cemetery, with eight other Victoria Cross recipients acting as pallbearers and an estimated 6,000 witnesses to the burial as his body passed en route to the cemetery.

Albert Jacka's signature is on the quilt twice.

References:

https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/P11033363

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Jacka

https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/opinion/in-black-and-white/how-act-of-gallantry-cemented-albert-jackas-reputation-as-war-hero/news-story/05e7607c4fc2cc317be0dfaebba5850b - Herald Sun article February 17, 2023

https://vwma.org.au/explore/people/213146

National Archives of Australia – Defence and War Service Records

Ancestry.com

Warning of Enemy Attack

Mon, 08 Apr 2024 03:42:09 GMT

World War I Gas Rattle

This World War I Gas Rattle is a lightweight portable wooden ratchet device that was used during trench warfare during the First World War by soldiers of the British Imperial Forces. The rattle makes a loud distinctive clacking noise when turned rapidly. This distinct sound alerted soldiers in the trenches to a poison or chemical weapons attack so they could quickly put on their protective gas masks or hoods.

Poisonous Chlorine gas was first used by the Germans in Ypres in 1915 to break a stalemate in trench warfare. Later both sides used deadly gases (Chlorine, Mustard and Phosgene) as weapons, packing cylinders filled with the gas into artillery shells to detonate near targets. These simple rattles proved a reasonably effective warning system, no doubt saving countless lives.

Many of the servicemen featured our quilt suffered gas poisoning during their WWI service.

One of these was a 22-year-old medical practitioner, Melrose Holtom Mailer, who enlisted on 25 October, 1915. He was with the 11th Field Ambulance, attached to the 33rd Battalion and enlisted with the rank of Captain. He left Melbourne on board HMAT Wandilla on the 6 June, 1916.

After spending some time in England, he proceeded to France on 24 November, 1916 with the 3rd Pioneer Battalion.

He was awarded the Military Cross “For conspicuous gallantry and devotions to duty” which was gazetted on 18 January, 1918.

His commendation read:

“From the night of the 11/12th till the 13/14th October 1917 near PASSCHENDAELE, he distinguished himself by his conspicuous courage and devotion to duty. The R.A.P. was on the railway line which was continually under heavy shell fire. Regardless of all personal danger this Officer attended the wounded in the open. He worked for 48 hours under the most trying conditions. He was always cheerful and patient and he displayed most sympathetic and keen interest in the welfare of the wounded. He undoubtedly saved the lives of many men. His organisation of the stretcher bearers was very efficient. By his own gallant conduct and untiring efforts, he set his stretcher bearers a splendid example.”

After receiving his MC, he was promoted to the rank of Major on 1 July, 1918.

He, along with many other servicemen, regardless of rank, was reported wounded by gas poisoning on 20 April, 1918, spending nearly two months away from his posting.

He returned to Melbourne on board the HS Kanowna arriving on 5 September, 1919 and was officially discharged on 16 December, 1919.

He served briefly in World War Two and died at Elwood in 1967 aged 73.

References:

Header image: Gassed Australian soldiers awaiting treatment, Boise de L'Abbe 1918, Coll: Australian War Memorial

Australian Horses in World War I

Mon, 08 Apr 2024 03:42:07 GMT

In total, around 120,000 horses were sent overseas from Australia to WWI.

About 39,000 of these were sent to Egypt and Palestine with the Australian Light Horse. Horses were also used for the officers, and for transport of weapons and supplies. Around 30,000 horses died on the battlefield.

By the end of the war around 20,000 Australian horses were still in Egypt and the Middle East. Quarantine rules meant that no animals could be brought back to Australia. Understandably the soldiers were very attached to their horses and did not want them sold locally, although many were sold to the British. Many animals older than 12 were euthanised by army vets. It is said that many soldiers took their own horses on a final ride before shooting them to make sure they could not be ill-treated in the future.

This horse’s hoof, carrying the inscription ‘Egypt’, and meant to be used as a pen holder, probably carries a long-forgotten story about one of the horses which ended its days there.

Only one horse ever came home to Australia, a big bay horse, Sandy, who had been on one of the first troop convoys to the war. He lived out his days by the Maribyrnong River at Remount Hill. He died in 1923 and is buried near the river.

George August Hansen

Many of the servicemen featured on our quilt served with different Light Horse Regiments. One was local servicemen George August Hansen, an 18-year-old farmer from Williamstown and cousin of Stewart Murray Hansen.

He enlisted on 5 September, 1917 with the rank of Trooper and left Australia on board the HMAT Ormond landing at Suez on 10 August, 1918. After arriving in Egypt, he made his way to Moascar as part of the 4th Australian Light Horse Division. He spent the whole of his war in Egypt.

He returned to Australian departing from Kantara, Egypt on HT Essex, landing in Melbourne on 25 July, 1919 and was officially discharged on 29 October, 1919.

References:

Header image - Part of the 4 Light Horse Regiment in a Berseem clover field, Egypt 1919, This photograph was taken to show the load carried by each horse. Coll: Australian War Memorial

Stewart Murray Hansen - WWI Patchwork Quilt

Mon, 08 Apr 2024 03:42:05 GMT

The Hansen Quilt

Stewart Murray Hansen, was born in Williamstown, Victoria on 7 February, 1892, the eldest of four children of Agnes Campbell (nee Stewart) and John George Leighton Hansen of 72 Pascoe Street, Williamstown. He attended Williamstown Primary School then Melbourne University High School and the Workingmen's College.

Before war broke out, he trained as an architect, but one month after war was declared, in September, 1914, he enlisted and officially joined the AIF on 1 October, 1914 as a Private.

He embarked on the HMAT Ulysses with the second convoy of 19 ships that left Albany on 31 December, 1914.

He began life in the army as a Private, was promoted to Sergeant on his voyage to the Middle East, was appointed a Second Lieutenant on 27 May, 1915, a Lieutenant on 20 January, 1916 and a Captain and Company Commander C. Company, 14th Battalion, 4th Brigade AIF, on 1 March, 1916.

He was amongst the troops of the 14th Battalion fighting at Gallipoli from the second day of landing on 26 April, 1915. In his letter home dated 13 June, 1915, he described watching the landing on 25 April and the “terrific naval bombardment”. He also states in the same letter that the “naval guns somewhat prepared me for the sharper crack of rifles and shell which we experienced during five solid weeks of trench warfare”.

In May, 1915 he obtained his commission for bravery on the field at Gallipoli. His service as a temporary Company Adjutant at Gallipoli was commended by Brigadier General John Monash: ‘I consider him the best Company Commander in this Brigade’.

While at Gallipoli he utilised his experience as an architect and designed and engineered Courtney’s Post, the scene of particularly ferocious fighting during the Turkish attack of 19 May, 1915 and it was for his actions to oust the enemy from part of the post that Private Albert Jacka was awarded the Victoria Cross.

He was a prolific letter writer and wrote home as often as he could. His letters from Gallipoli show that he was extremely confident of Allied success in that campaign. In general, his letters are accounts of daily happenings with little personal reflection. He refers constantly to "Williamstown boys" whom he made every effort to visit or contact, whether at the front or on leave.

His letter of 27 June, 1915 states “Still going strong although not many Williamstown boys left whole. The majority will be back but not for some time.” And “Dave W. has been missing since 2 May, he may be in hospital or a prisoner".

"There was a terrible fight that night and he was missed in the dark with several other men and officers, but his body has never been recovered. Gerald Calcutt has also been missing for some time.” Lance Corporal Gerald Calcutt, from Victoria Street, Williamstown, was eventually reported as killed in action on 25 May, 1915.

He meticul ously kept a diary while overseas filling in what he got up to each day, however mundane, and wrote numerous letters home to his family. His letters and diaries are all now part of the Australian War Memorial Collection.

On 27 January, 1916 he wrote:

Battalion Training – Guards

Day Out – Bed Early

And on the 29 January, 1916 wrote:

Washing Day – Kit Inspection

Pay Day

Letter Home

He also kept drawings of the company’s position while at Gallipoli.

Stewart was evacuated from Gallipoli in early December 1915 suffering from malnutrition, typhoid, jaundice, dysentery and severe frost bite to his feet. Although he was evacuated to Egypt via Mudros, Greece due to illness, army records listed Stewart as “died at Gallipoli,” and his mother received this notification. However, many weeks later she received a letter from her son, telling her he was no longer at Gallipoli, but was now recuperating in Egypt.

Mrs Hansen then sent a “Please explain” letter to Defence Records who admitted their error, assuring her that her son was receiving the best medical treatment in Egypt and regaining his strength.

His letters home to his family were sometimes published in the local newspapers. In a letter published in the Williamstown Chronicle on Saturday 3 April, 1915, just two weeks before the landing at ANZAC Cove, Gallipoli, he is in Heliopolis, Egypt, training with a number of the local Williamstown lads and talks about the six-week sea voyage, not being impressed with Alexandria, and visiting the Pyramids. In this letter he mentions Les Hansen, Tom Allen, Andy McDowall, Geoff Hall and that he had spent some time with ‘Pilot’ Dawes’s son Ross Dawes.

In another letter published in the Williamstown Advertiser on Saturday 15 January, 1916 he mentions how he is going, news on the situation of the war, and that he had seen three Williamstown men: Geoff Hall, young Duff and Charles Ronald ‘Darkey’ Griffiths.

At the start of June, 1916, Captain Hansen departed Alexandria along with the rest of the 14th Battalion and headed to join the fighting in France, arriving in Marseilles on 8 June, 1916.

He was awarded a Military Cross for his initiative and gallantry on 26 & 27 August, 1916 at Mouquet Farm, France, part of the Battle of the Somme.

The full citation reads:

“On night 26/27 August, this officer took over Skyline Trench from the 21st Battn., and shewed great initiative and devotion to duty in carrying out my orders, and pushing forward a strong point at point 77. On the night 27/28 August, his company along with two platoons of ‘D’ company and the bombing platoon, attacked two enemy strong points at 54 and 27. He shewed great initiative in minor details in carrying out this attack, and it was due to this that the two objectives were gained and consolidation commenced. They were later forced to withdraw owing to the enemy counter attacking in greatly superior force. Although the party failed to hold the objective, owing to previous concise instructions, they were able to obtain a great deal of information regarding both strong points. Captain Hansen was untiring in his energies to push on the improvement of his position in spite of the enemy heavy shell fire, and he remained after his company was relieved in order to pass full instructions on to his successor. Captain Hansen was previously recommended by me for his work on Gallipoli and at Boys Grenier.”

Major General Commanding 4th Australian Division

An extract from the Second Supplement No. 29824 to the London Gazette of 14 November, 1916 stated:

“HIS MAJESTY THE KING has been graciously pleased to confer the Military Cross on the undermentioned Officer in recognition of his gallantry and devotion to duty in the Field: Captain STEWART MURRAY HANSEN . For conspicuous gallantry in action. He organised and carried out an attack on two enemy strong points which were captured. He displayed great gallantry and initiative throughout the operations and set a splendid example for his men.”

On 14 January, 1917, he travelled to Cove Bay, Kincardineshire, Scotland and became engaged to Dora Skene.

The entry in his Diary for 14 January, 1917 says:

Snow. Engaged.

Feeling funny

His last diary entry on 31 January, 1917 was:

“Boche working party seen at 5am, dispersed, Quiet morning, snowing and a little warmer.”

Three weeks later, on 5 February, 1917, Captain Stewart Murray Hansen was wounded at Gueudecourt where a piece of shrapnel crashed through his helmet into his forehead. He died from those wounds two days later, on 7 February, 1917, the day of his 25th birthday.

Captain Alf Williamson, a friend and fellow Captain in the 14th Battalion wrote the following to Mr and Mrs Hansen which was published in the Williamstown Chronicle on 5 May, 1917.

‘I am writing these few lines to let you know something of the death of our dear pal, Stewart. Stewart’s Company was chosen to support another battalion in attack, and it was whilst leading them in this action that he was killed, thus dying a soldier’s noblest death. Killed in Action – a fitting end to the sterling and noble life he had always lived’.

“We have lost our best pal and the men their best friend. We buried him in the military cemetery at a French village called Warloy and we are having a monument placed over his resting place.”

The same article also quoted Chaplin Captain Cope:

“Stewart was one of the best men in the battalion, as a man of healthy principles and high ideals, and whose cultivated mind and eager disposition, made him a companion to be thankful for.”

Stewart Murray Hansen is buried in Warloy-Baillon Communal Cemetery Extension, Departement de la Somme, Picardie, France, Plot VIII. D. 28.

After his death, Stewart’s brother Leighton Barbour Hansen, married Dora Skene in Aberdeen in June, 1923. By 1928 they were living back in Williamstown. They went on to have two sons Philip Stewart Hansen and Stanley John Leighton Hansen.

Stewart’s signature appears on the quilt twice

References:

National Archives of Australia – Defence and War Service Records

Ancestry.com

Trove newspapers

The Creation of our Signature Quilt

Mon, 08 Apr 2024 03:42:01 GMT

Who signed their names and how did they end up on this quilt?

After much research, we are confident that we have now established how and by whom our Signature Quilt was created.

We are calling it a signature quilt and not an autograph quilt. Many other organisations also created these types of quilts during the war and called them ‘autograph’ quilts.

However, many of the names on our quilt were provided by other family members and are not the actual ‘autographs’ of those featured on the quilt.

Many names are of soldiers who were fighting overseas and who subsequently died, and their families wanted to honour their memories by including their names on the quilt.

The ANZAC Club

We had originally been led to believe that the quilt had been made by a local group formed to raise funds to send ‘comfort parcels’ back to the serving men and women at the front – The ANZAC Club. The ANZAC Club was established by some of the women of Williamstown, Newport and Spotswood, who met at a Mrs Musther’s house on 3 February, 1916, with the idea originating from letters received from some the men at the front.

A subsequent meeting was held at the Williamstown Temperance Hall on Wednesday 9 February, 1916 at 3 pm. At this first official meeting, the office bearers were elected with the Mayoress, Miss Byrne, taking on the position as President, Vice-President Mrs George Smith; Honourable Secretary Mrs Musther; Honourable Treasurer Miss Simpson and Enrolling Secretary Mrs Bradshaw.

However, after looking through the list of office bearers of the ANZAC Club, we couldn’t find any of the women holding committee positions listed on our quilt which we thought was odd. So, we started looking through Trove once again.

The Allies’ Stall

We then found reference to another local group created by local church groups called the Allies’ Stall. They had decided to create a quilt to also raise funds for the war effort and had charged sixpence for anyone wanting to add their name to their quilt. Created by Mrs Hall of Chandler Street, the aim was that their quilt would be donated to the Williamstown Hospital at the end of the war.

However, after further research, we found a description of this quilt in the Williamstown Chronicle of 2 November, 1918 stating that it featured “19 large and 14 small crosses in red … wrought in white thread the names of leading townspeople”, which did not match our quilt, so this ruled this organisation out as the makers of our quilt.

The 14th Battalion Comforts Fund

So, we then had to start again, and went back to the drawing board. Given that we knew that Captain Stewart Murray Hansen had definitely supplied the signatures of some of the men and women he served with or met overseas, and that it had been his mother, Mrs Agnes Hansen’s idea for Stewart to collect the signatures, we starting trawling through Trove again.

We then found that Mrs Hansen had been a committee member of another group called The 14th Battalion Comforts Fund, established to raise funds in support of the servicemen that were part of the 14th Battalion.

This fundraising group had been established in September, 1916 with the authority of the Defence Department. Miss Dare, the sister of Lieutenant-Colonel C.M.M. Dare, D.S.O., the commanding officer of the 14th Battalion, called a meeting of the mothers, wives and friends of the battalion and a committee was established.

The Committee running the fund were featured in Punch , Melbourne in August, 1917 listing all of their names and their photos.

Top Row – Mrs. Wallace-Crabbe (President), Mrs. A. Gillison (Vice-President), Mrs. Clive Connollv (Hon. Sec.), Miss M. G. M. Boyle (Asst. Hon. Sec.), Mrs. F. H. Wright (Committee), Miss N. Boyle (Committee).

Second Row - Committee: Mrs. B. Roderick, Mrs. D. Fielden, Mrs. A. Thompson, Miss D. Thompson, Mrs. H. W. Thompson, Miss E. Thompson.

Third Row – Committee: Mrs. M. Harritt, Mrs. W. R. Hoggart, Mrs. A. E. Hughes, Mrs. I. Grimes, Mrs. G. F. Warren, Miss N. Millis.

Fourth Row – Committee: Miss V. Wallace-Crabbe, Mrs. C. Showers, Mrs. A. F. Graham, Mrs. F. Bridgman, Mrs. J. G. Hansen, Mrs. Mansley Greer.

Bottom Row – Committee: Mrs. R. H. Cole, Miss M. W. Gillison, Mrs. C. B. Cumberland, Mrs. S. E. Jones, Mrs. J. L. Cope, Mrs. J. S. Parker, Mrs. Fethers.

Photos: Alice Mills Studio, Th e Centreway, Collins Street, MelbourneNew Paragraph

When we checked the names of the members of this committee against the names on the quilt, we found many of the names matched!

So, although there is no paperwork to support this conclusion, or reference in any of the papers of the time mentioning that these women created the quilt, we are now certain that Agnes Hansen and members of this fundraising group created the quilt as a way to raise funds for their cause.

For example, the below square features the signature of Capt. Clive Connelly on it and Mrs Clive Connelly was the Honorary Secretary for the Comforts Fund.

The idea for the quilt was to use square offcuts of calico and to ask anyone who was interested, to sign their name on one of the squares and to pay sixpence to do so. As each square was filled with signatures the ladies would then stitch the signature onto the calico with red cotton thread and then bind the edges in red before assembling all the squares together as a quilt.

However, on reflection, the ladies decided to make their quilt “different” to many of the other autograph quilts being made by other organisations. Mrs Agnes Hansen, mother of Captain Stewart Murray Hansen who was overseas fighting, came up with the idea of asking her son Stewart to collect the signatures of other service men and women he met and then to post them home to be included on the quilt. Captain Hansen duly collected signatures from many of the men from his 14th Battalion, as well as nurses, doctors, mechanics, drivers, clerics and many members of other battalions. When the squares arrived back in Melbourne, they were carefully embroidery by his mother and her friends.

We can only surmise that as Mrs Hansen was so involved with the creation of the quilt given her son, Stewart Murray Hansen had obtained many of the signatures featured on the quilt, the women who had contributed to its creation felt it should remain with Mrs Hansen.

We have no actual records in our archives of how the quilt ended up with Miss Win Stewart, but as she was the niece of Mrs Agnes Hansen, we can only assume it had remained in the Hansen family after the war. She eventually donated it to the Williamstown Historical Society in 1971 as she was a long-standing member and committee member of the Williamstown Historical Society.

In 1995 the quilt was sent to the Victorian Centre for the Conservation of Cultural Material where it was vacuumed to remove any surface dirt and dust. It was then washed by hand, rinsed five times and then dried flat. Once the cleaning process had finished, the quilt was backed by a cheesecloth fabric attached by Velcro. The VCCCM also recommended that the quilt be kept out of direct sunlight and lights turned off when not on view. In 2015 the quilt was framed with timber and Perspex for the exhibition Follow the Flag; Australian Artists and War 1914-45, held at the National Gallery of Victoria to mark the centenary of the landing at Gallipoli.

One of our volunteers, Pat Klemm, has painstakingly recorded all of the names embroidered on the quilt into a searchable spreadsheet. Deciphering all of the names must have been a mammoth job and without her untiring efforts, trying to find the actual people represented on the quilt would have been impossible. Additional research is currently underway to establish the various theatres of war the soldiers on the quilt fought in and if they survived. Many of the men whose signatures are on the quilt didn’t. At least 40 of the soldiers we have identified were either killed in action or died of their wounds at a later date.

Our Quilt is one of the Historical Society’s prized possessions and is now over 100 years old. It has been exhibited in several outside galleries over the years, mostly because of its uniqueness in containing signatures of serving personnel, not just of the signatures of the contributing local donors.

References:

Trove Newspapers

Williamstown Chronicle

Punch, Melbourne

MRS AGNES HANSEN AND FRIENDS (attributed to)

Williamstown, Victoria, Australia

WW1 Patchwork Signature Quilt 1916-18

cotton, linen, cotton and silk thread

220.0 x 169.0 cm irreg.

Presented by Miss Win Stewart, 1971

Williamstown Historical Society, Williamstown (Acc No. 85)

How the Quilt was made

Mon, 08 Apr 2024 03:41:57 GMT

Signatures from the Front, WWI Patchwork Signature Quilt

The quilt contains just over 1,500 signatures. The signatures include many local Victorians who paid six pence for their names to be embroidered on the quilt along with hundreds of signatures collected by Captain Hansen, often with rank and battalion included.

The quilt is constructed from 73 separate calico pieces, mostly square in shape, although there are four that are triangle shaped, and none are identical in size. They each roughly measure 20 x 20 cm, and each individual calico ‘square’ is edged in a red cotton material, but the edging is also not consistent.

The quilt is either six or seven squares across and eight or nine squares down, with the majority of the squares placed on their points. The overall measurement of the quilt itself is 220.0 x 169.0 cm irreg. and measures 231.2 x 184.0cm framed.

Each square is hand-embroidered featuring the signatures or names of mainly Victorian residents. It also includes many serving members from the 14th Battalion and signatures or names of nurses, doctors, mechanics, drivers, clerics and many members of other battalions. The names have been embroidered using red embroidery cotton or in a few cases, white and gold embroidery cotton. The stitches that have been used to create the signatures are predominantly stem stitch, but some squares do include satin stitch. However, various thicknesses of thread, the different script of the signatures as well as the different hands embroidering the names, give each square a uniqueness . All of the inscriptions have been transcribed into an alphabetical spreadsheet as accurately as possible and can be found on the website of the Williamstown Historical Society.

Each of the squares has been machine-pieced onto a single piece of off-white twill fabric, most likely calico, hemmed at the top and bottom with selvedge edges on the two sides. The top edge originally had five hanging loops hand sewn to it for it to be hung by a rod for display but these have since been removed. There is no wadding between the backing cloth and the embroidered squares. The upper embroidered squares have been machine-sewn directly onto the backing cloth.

We assume the quilt was finally pieced together once all of the squares had been completed, most likely at the end of World War I given all four theatres of war along with their dates, have also been embroidered onto blank spaces of the backing calico showing between the squares:

Egypt 1914-15

Gallipoli 1915

France 1916

Germany 1918-19

Looking at the layout of the quilt it can be seen that the design must have begun with the central square and then four other squares were set symmetrically towards each corner and bordered in a thicker red binding. Each of these four squares has four blank spaces of the backing cloth radiating from each of their points. The remaining squares have all been placed and sewn onto the backing cloth on their points. It may be that the five squares on the bottom row were added after the quilt had finished being pieced together as these squares hang below the bottom edge of the backing cloth.

Researched and written by Jennie Moloney, Williamstown Historical Society, 2023

Murder of Inspector-General John Price

Wed, 07 Feb 2024 11:22:48 GMT

The beginnings of Victoria's Penal System

There is no doubt that Australia began as a penal colony. Because Victoria was not settled until the third decade of the 19th Century, it was never a penal settlement as New South Wales and Tasmania were. Victoria was, of course, part of New South Wales until 1851, when separation was achieved.

The settlement that was to be Victoria came into being on 1st October, 1836, when Captain William Lonsdale arrived in Melbourne, accompanied by some surveyors, a constable and a few soldiers, to take up the office of Resident Magistrate. Before that there had been a settlement on the banks of the Yarra, called The Anchorage or Gellibrand's Point.

In March 1837, Sir Richard Bourke, the Governor of New South Wales, came to visit the new settlement and by a Proclamation of the 10th April, 1837, he named Williams Town after King William IV, and Melbourne after Lord Melbourne, Prime Minister of Great Britain. The Bay in between was named Hobson's Bay.

It was during the ten years, 1851 to 1861, that the basis of the State of Victoria was really laid. The decade was called 'The Golden Years' for more reasons than one, for gold was discovered in 1851, and the Gold Rush to Victoria began.

The sturdy and adventurous pioneers who came to the Colony were assets of great value, but there came also a body of people who were debased and degraded, the vicious products of the convict system. Some men were capable of committing any atrocity and the public welfare required that stern measures should be used against them. It was decided to use hulks to incarcerate desperate criminals, and so it came about that the hulks - the President, Success, Deborah, Lysander and Sacramento - were assembled in Port Phillip, mainly in Hobson's Bay, although the Sacramento spent most of its time at Corio Bay. The hulk was a worn out wooden ship (no longer of any use as a merchantman) that would still stay afloat. There were also gaols on land, and the Marine Stockade at Williamstown (now demolished) held convicts of substantial sentences.

In January 1854, John Price was appointed to be the Inspector-General of Penal Establishments for the State of Victoria, after being Civil Commandant of the penal settlement on Norfolk Island. Price, who had had a long experience of convicts, used his own methods of punishment. It was said that Price's administration on the hulks and at Pentridge Gaol was merciless, and that penal reform was urgently needed.

On 26th March, 1857, Price went to Gellibrand Point at Williamtown, where prisoners from the 'Success' were engaged on an ambitious scheme of reclamation of land and the construction of various facilities at the port. He did so in response to a request from the convicts to hear complaints in connection with rations and a variety of other grievances. While he was listening to the grievances of some convicts, a group of 'cartmen' as they were called, came up and demanded to be heard. Cartmen were the convicts who brought the stone in carts from the quarries to the works. Price ordered them onboard the 'Success'. A prisoner at the back of the group threw a couple of 'clods' of earth and these were followed by a shower of stones. Price put up his hand to protect himself, and immediately the mob surged forward. He was knocked down and badly kicked and beaten. When his assailants saw he was gravely injured they ran away as most of Price's officers had done. The Inspector-General was rescued from where he lay in the mud, mortally wounded, by three or four convicts who placed him on a wheelbarrow and took him to the Lighthouse. From there he was taken to Dr. Wilkins' home in Williamstown, where he died the next day.

The Law was swift and terrible in its vengeance. Price died on 27th March, and on the 28th March the inquest began. Fifteen prisoners were committed for trial - 7 were condemned to death and the others acquitted. By the 30th April, all of the prisoners had been hanged.

References

This article was printed in the Williamstown Historical Newsletter, No. 4 on 6th August 1971.

The Penal Hulks of Williamstown

Wed, 31 Jan 2024 10:59:02 GMT

Prisons and stockades were filled to capacity

The Settlement at Port Phillip was separated from the parent Colony of New South Wales in 1851. It was named Victoria at the time of separation. The Colony had resisted the introduction of transported convicts and very few were brought to the district. When the news of the rich gold discoveries in Victoria reached the neighbouring colonies, convicts who had served their time, held tickets of leave or had been conditionally pardoned, swarmed to the goldfields.

Robberies, illegal entry of dwellings and hold-ups on the roads around Melbourne were constant occurrences. The vessel "Nelson" was plundered by armed bandits and gold to the value of $25,000 was carried off. Victoria protested against the invasion of the ex-convicts without result. Seamen deserted their ships and public servants left their jobs to search for gold.

As prisons and stockades were filled to capacity, it became urgent that some means of confining the ever-increasing numbers of prisoners be devised. Under such conditions, penal hulks were established and moored in Hobson's Bay off Williamstown. Eventually, five penal hulks were fitted out, as well as a guard ship to house the police. The first hulk, the "President", was purchased in 1852, and was ready to receive its first prisoners on 15th December of that year. It was used for the longest-term and most desperate prisoners, all of whom were confined in 84 separate cells. Still, the number of convicts grew and more hulks were pressed into service. Early in 1853 the "Success" accommodating 130 was opened, followed by the "Sacramento" (128), the "Lysander" 300 and the "Deborah" 80.

The men from the "Success" worked in the quarries and learned the art of cutting stone. They carried out many public works at Williamstown, including the construction of the Breakwater Pier 1855. The Tide Gauge House which was attached to the pier is another example of their skill (now in the Commonwealth Reserve - classified 'A'). From all the hulks there were continuous endeavours to escape. There were also many assaults and acts of revenge on warders. The irons, in which all were confined, were necessary to restrain violence. Many men escaped by cutting the rivets away from their irons, and others by ovalling them and slipping them over the ankles.

Murder was by no means unknown. Prisoners from the "Success" committed at least two murders. The first was on an occasion when men were being taken by boat across to Gellibrand Point to work. They killed the boatman by hitting him on the head with a spalling hammer. The boat was capsized, seven prisoners got ashore, but they were quickly recaptured. The second murder became famous in early Melbourne history - the murder of Inspector-General John Price. On 26th March, 1857, prisoners from the "Success" set on him with stones and shovels and battered him insensible. He died next day. Fifteen men were arrested for the crime and seven went to the gallows. This tragic incident led to the speedy completion of Pentridge Gaol where large numbers of convicts could be adequately housed and supervised.

References:

Article first published in Williamstown Historical Society Newsletter No.5, 6th October 1971, author unknown.

Williamstown Timeball Tower

Tue, 16 Jan 2024 05:53:17 GMT

Standing watch over the waters of Hobsons Bay

This structure is sited between the old Gellibrand and Breakwater Piers, on the point known in former times as Point Drake, which to avoid confusion is now included in the area known as Point Gellibrand.

Seaward of the littoral is a fringe of rocks resulting from a lava flow which covered Williamstown.
The basalt beyond the shore now lies in the form of a plain of marine denudation. Gellibrand Reef and foulground extend, with depths of three fathoms and less, about three cables southward, and five cables east-south-east.

As early as the end of the year 1835, it was necessary to erect a navigational aid to avoid casualties. This landmark consisting of a barrel on top of a staff was fixed above a rock cairn. Later, a wooden lattice light platform was built and an oil lantern procured from Tasmania.

This light had a strictly limited usefulness and the stone lighthouse, now known as “Timeball Tower” was completed in 1852 by Contractor Linacre and free labourers. The masonry was quarried and cut by convict labour. The arrises of the base of the tower are set out to the cardinal points of the compass, and a benchmark was cut in the sill for use in the hydrographic survey of Victorian waters. The circular brick tower was added prior to World War II to bring the total height of the structure to 98 feet. The light is exhibited at a height of 90 feet to show red over the foul ground sector.

The Timeball Tower was constructed as a navigation light with an external lantern housing on top, but this housing was soon replaced by the timeball mast and the light was then exhibited from the upper window embrasures. The original timeball signals had been hoisted to a mast standing in the signal station which was adjacent to the tower. All flag hoists made from this signal station were in Captain Marryat’s code of signals.

The timeball apparatus used in conjunction with this mast comprised a large sphere of copper plate girdling in the mast, and resting in a sheet iron catcher cup when not in the hoisted position.

The ball was mast-headed shortly before one o’clock in the afternoon and dropped exactly upon the hour to allow Shipmasters to rate their chronometers. Manual operation of the timeball was replaced by an electrical dropping circuit after the introduction of the electric telegraph system to Victoria in 1854. This circuit allowed timeballs in Williamstown, Melbourne and Geelong to be released simultaneously with an infrequent error of less than one-twentieth of a second. At eight o’clock each night a light chronometer rating signal was transmitted by a beam of light.

Last keeper of the timeball was naval veteran R.T. Vaughan, who died in June 1926. During the illness preceding his death, the timeball did not operate for a period of ten days. As no official complaints were received, and in view of the fact that marine wireless communication was coming into general use it was decided to abandon the signal which operated for the last time in August 1926.

From “A Guide to Historic Williamstown” published by Williamstown Historical Society in 1972. Reprinted and revised in 1982.

Where is the museum???

Thu, 04 Jan 2024 14:41:50 GMT

Back in 1945, the same question was asked - Where is the museum?

Article originally published in The Williamstown Chronicle, Friday 8th June 1945

Williamstown, as we are often reminded, is an old town, old, that is, in the Australian sense, since it goes back 110 years, and consequently tourists from other States, particularly those who have read something of local history, invariably ask: “Where is the Williamstown Museum?”

The only possible reply at present is that while we have the exhibits, we have no communal home for them; they are kept in the private homes of the descendants, mainly of the old families, and may be inspected only by the favour of the owners.

It is true that just recently we had an exhibition of curios and antiques for the first time, and then only because of a happy inspiration of a committee representing St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church. The resultant display disclosed a wealth that had not been anticipated, but in the natural course of things, the exhibition is not likely to be repeated for some years.

Visitors point out that both Ballarat and Bendigo have interesting displays in museums and they suggest that Williamstown with its greater resources should be able to better. Were a suitable building provided, many owners, they say, might be induced to lend their treasures for exhibition if they could be assured of safekeeping. Many of these things will be scattered and the opportunity of concentrating them in the city where they belong will be lost.

The matter of establishing a local museum has often been discussed, hitherto without result; but with the new and growing pride which the old families have in their city, some steps should be taken to translate the discussion into action.

Thanks to the courtesy of Miss Mumford, hon. secretary of the recent exhibition held at St. Andrew’s schoolroom, we are enabled to give some slight idea of the material available for museum purposes. The exhibitors were many, and although all exhibits were not antiques in the accepted sense of the word, all articles exhibited were of interest.

Mrs. Dann’s contribution was a pair of fancy socks knitted in the Shetland Islands over 40 years ago; Mrs. T. Law entered hand embroidery over 100 years old; Mrs. Brierley, a cup and saucer about 125 years old; Miss Q. Clark, a watch, a ring with woven human hair and a toddy cup, all over 200 years; very old christening robes were exhibited by Mrs. Black and Mrs. Fyfe; Mrs. A. MacLeod, a hand-knitted quilt made by her grandmother and finished at 90 years of age, also a Gaelic bible about 100 years old. Antique decanter, silver necklace and locket (200 years), spoons and sugar tongs (100 years), China coffee pot (200 years), Maltese hanks and covers, Scotch brooch, Turkish cigarette holder, silver spoon from Coney Island, America, hand-worked samplers, hand-made model of ship, Cairngorm brooch and old silver brooch (over 100 years), ivory fan, patchwork quilt, large glass pipe, very old china basket, cup and saucer, replica of service made for H.M. the Queen, silver cream jug (100 years), 80 years old fish servers, child’s knife and spoon (50 years), Italian jug, many antique brooches, and very many beautiful jugs of all sizes and descriptions, rattail silver salad spoons (70 years), pewter coffee pot, bedspread from Las Palmas, Canary Islands, necklaces made from berries from Thursday Island, the smallest mouth organ, smallest dictionary in the world, smallest pocket knife, carved ring out of meat bone, Scotch doll over 50 years old, lantern from the H.M.V.S. Nelson, also photo of dismantling of Nelson, the frame of which was made from part of the ship’s wood; pair of wedgwood candlesticks, wedgewood casserole; many beautiful Paisley shawls; Indian dirk (over 100 years old); Chinese carved photo frames, hand-made Venetian necklace, several snuff mulls, picture made from used stamps, fire shield dated 1807; several very beautiful Chinese vases, one late Ming; Chinese shawl, presented by early settlers to Miss Robinson, afterwards Mrs. Robert Fleming.

Brussels lace cap, pair Dutch Sunday shoes; candle snuffers (200 years), English church service, velvet bound, gilt fastening printed 1843; case of Chinese spoons; Scotch pebble brooch (140 years); umbrella brought from Scotland over 100 years, hand worked; hand-painted English china ornaments (120 years); Chinese cup and saucer; a kettle made from a penny dated 1910; a snuff box (200 years); candlestick (150 years); hand-worked sampler worked about the year 1790; hand-painted plate, Welsh salt cellar (100 years); beaten silver jug (1765); silver tankard and Scotch thistle crewet; huckaback towel, dated 1822; Japanese princess doll, dressed according to caste; China teaset with Portsmouth crest; Venetian glass wine decanters; two powder horns; tray depicting Burns’ Cotter’s Saturday Night; model of ship , s.s. Patenna; acrobatic sandman; clock set on onyx gem (100 years); ornament cut out of soapstone (very old); cardbox made from porcupine quills; elephant’s tooth; Swiss pipe (150 years); doll with three faces (a very popular exhibit); very old carved solid silver belt from India; hand-carved bog oak from Blarney Castle, Ireland; ball from Nauru woven by natives; book of pressed flowers from Palestine.

Trinity House pilot’s certificate issued to Thomas Harrow, April 1799; telescope used by Thos. Harrow, pilot to Lord Nelson’s ship during bombardment of Copenhagen, 1801; old Dutch clock, at least 150 years; two modern Jap. bank notes; fire screen (100 years); cape and parasol used 100 years ago; brass hot water kettle and stand; table cover, hand sewn (100 years), flute (100 years), workbox, cake dish, silver tea and coffee service (all 100 years); Ghurkha knife; lace scarf made of coconut fibre (100 years); antique clock (150 years); tinfoil pictures done by Chinese girl; tie ring carved from mutton bone by convicts when building back beach wall.

Photo of old Williamstown; gun (100 years); old clock, lent by Mr. R. Tyler; cup and saucer (300 years), made before handles were put on; cup and saucer (200 years); silver sugar basin (150 years); crystal celery jar (100 years); plate (over 100 years); lady’s apron (200 years); table napkin, 1821, part of trousseau of Marquis of Camden’s daughter; hand-woven sheet (100 years); Japanese doll; Japanese shuttlecock bat; Javanese jar; Javanese hand-carved vase; German candlestick; old Government Gazette; old spinning wheel; Chinese tea caddy; two tuning forks; cloak worn by Buddhist priest, design showing Chinese dragon with Japan symbolised as the Sun in its clutches; cameo brooch “Isaac and Rebekah”; hand-made lamp, sherry set and three vases; Maori doll dressed by Maori woman; incense burner; silver candlesticks; lace, part of Marquis of Camden’s collection; teapot, 1837, commemorating Queen Victoria’s ascending to the throne.

Ancient snuffer, bootjack, bouquet holder, travelling lamps; brass Indian toy “Dancing Devil”; 75 years old sugar basin; collection of Maltese lace; book views and flowers of Holy Land; piece of first bomb to fall in Darwin; brass kettle (100 years); silver teapot (100 years); tea towel made at time of Queen Victoria’s jubilee; collection of pottery made by Mrs. Oakley; native hair combs from Queensland; car bean from Cape York; picaninny carrying basket; large silver butter dish; chain carved from one piece of wood; native weapons, food bowls and feathers (exhibited by Lieut.-Col S. F. B. MacAdie, D.S.O.); English lace (100 years); Argus, Daily Mail and documents dated 1516 and 1519. An exhibit of sculpture was shown by Mrs. Matthews. Capt. Watson loaned a number of historic photos and pictures, and Mr. J. L. Gray entered a very old lithograph of Newport.

Among those who exhibited were Mrs. McInnes, Mrs. Percy Watson, Mrs. Daws, Mr. Blackburn, Mr. J. W. Ince, Mrs. Grant, Mrs. Phillips, Mrs. P. Bird, Mrs. F. Green, Mrs. L. Gurry, Mrs. E. Perrier, Dr. Gurry, Mr. and Mrs. J. D. McArthur, Mr. and Mrs. D. Cameron, Miss Breaks, Mrs. Coutts, Mrs. Mickle, Mrs. Colvin, Mrs. Hansen, Mr. J. Faichney, Mrs. D. H. Macleod, Misses Russell, Miss Paterson, Mrs. Bennett, Miss Strom, Mrs. Hughes, Miss Thiessen, Mrs. Rose and Miss Sharpe, Mrs. Willis, Mrs. Marr, Miss Nell Nicoll, Miss Miller, Misses E. and P. Hall, Mrs. V. Gladstones, Mrs. Simpson, Miss McGregor, Miss Lane, Mrs. R. Crow, Miss H. Davis, Miss Pittard, Mrs. L. Baglin, Miss Torry, Mrs. D. Stewart, Miss Aitken, Mrs. J. W. Free, Mrs. Eggleston, Mrs. A. Myles, Harrow Morgan, Capt. And Mrs. Thomsett, Mrs. W. G. Gray, Mrs. Duffy, Mrs. F. Davies, Mrs. Barbour, Mrs. H. Homewood, Mrs. Hibbert, Mr. J. Law, Mrs. Ricketts, Mr. R. Tyler, Mrs. H. G. Trace, Mrs. McKinlay, Miss Glendinning, Mrs. J. L. Gray, Miss Betty Philip, Mrs. W. S. Philip, Mr. and Mrs. Gladstones, Miss Mary Philip, Mrs. Neil Morrison, Miss Pat. Phillips, Miss Marie Bird, Miss Ann Simons, Mrs. T. Duncan, Mrs, J, Day, Mrs. A. H. Paton, Miss Betty Mouchemore, Mrs. Mouchemore, Mrs. C. Davis, Mrs. Aitken (Glen Iris), Mrs. L. Garnsworthy, Mr. Turner, Misses Paxton, Miss Mumford, Miss Young, Newport Red Cross Auxiliary; Mr. Geo. Jones lent a photo. of the early Victorian Navy.

Transcribed for Williamstown Historical Society by Maureen Gibbs, 2019

Williamstown Notables - Archibald Cameron

Tue, 02 Jan 2024 12:45:09 GMT

Lucky not to have lost both legs

Archibald Cameron arrived in Melbourne, a 21-year-old, in 1853 on board the Queen. He was born on 28 October 1832 at 36 Bishop Street, Rothesay, Isle of Bute, Argyll, Scotland.

He married Irish-born Bridget O’Dea on 24 January 1859 at St. Francis Church, which was situated at 326 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne. Bridget was an 18-year-old general servant from Limerick when she arrived on 29 December 1857 in Melbourne from Liverpool, England on board the Almora.

Archibald suffered some losses in his life, three of his sons died in their early twenties and in 1861 he was stated as one of Williamstown’s new insolvents. Archibald, a contractor at the time, claimed pressure of creditors, depression of the times and loss by contract as causes. His debts were £326 1s. 6d. while his assets were only £5.

By 1866 he was working for the Railway Department in Williamstown as a fireman and very narrowly escaped death as he unsuccessfully tried to mount the steps of a moving engine. He let go of his hold and fell back towards the line. The quick thinking of James Hodgkinson, the driver, who stopped the engine bringing the wheels to within inches of Archibald’s legs. The local newspaper report said that the “driving wheel had cut the sole off his left boot” and had slightly crushed his left toe and that he was lucky not to have lost both legs. He went on to occupy the position of yard foreman at Newport Workshops until he retired.

After his retirement, Archibald, along with his eldest son John, was known to be an enthusiastic yachtsman and sailed his yacht the “Jessie” on Hobson’s Bay. A prominent member of the Hobson’s Bay Yacht Club he had won several trophies with the “Jessie.”

Known to have “exceptional inventive qualities in connection with his calling” Archibald superintended the pile driving exercise in creating the Port Melbourne and Williamstown railway piers.

He was very involved in the Presbyterian Church and used his “applied mechanics” skills when the schoolroom, one of the largest buildings in Williamstown at the time, was moved from its original site in Hanmer Street to Cecil Street. This work was a “labour of love” and he was assisted by the majority of young men of the Presbyterian congregation in the evenings after work hours.

Archibald died, aged 78, on 18 August 1909 at his residence, 136 Ferguson Street, Williamstown, and was buried in the Presbyterian Section of Williamstown Cemetery.

References:

The Herald, 20 March 1861; 18 August, 1909

Williamstown Chronicle, 27 March 1866; 21 August 1909

Williamstown Notable - James William John Armstrong

Tue, 02 Jan 2024 12:25:06 GMT

First licensee of the Victoria Inn Hotel

James William John Armstrong was the earliest known licensee of the Victoria Inn Hotel, a timber construction said to have been built by Edward Quigley in 1856 and situated on Douglas Parade in Williamstown.

It’s not known when James arrived in the colony of Victoria from Cornwall, where he was born about 1811, but he appears to have been a well-respected and well-known man of business.

James married in 1853 widow Anne Carey with a ready-made family of three sons and three daughters. Anne’s parents were John Quigley and Marjorie Toy. It was to be a short marriage, as Anne died in 1859.

On 7th April 1856 at seven p.m. according to the Municipal Institutions' Act, a public meeting of the resident householders and landowners within the district was convened and held at Bryant's Bonded Stores, to elect members of the newly formed Williamstown Municipal Council. It was decided at that meeting the Council should consist of seven members, who should not receive any pecuniary remuneration.

James Armstrong was one of the gentlemen proposed and seconded and when a poll was taken and votes counted, he had 309 votes coming behind Thomas Stewart and Thomas Mason and before George Verdon, Dr. David Maclean, James Moxham and Richard Langford.

The Council meetings were being held at the old Police Court, at the corner of Thompson and Cecil Streets and councillor Armstrong made an enterprising offer to Council of a room, dimensions of 22 feet by 24 feet, situated on Douglas Parade. This would have been in his hotel the Victoria Inn. There were four other premises offered on the table and James was appointed along with George Verdon and James Moxham to inspect these, setting aside his offer as being irregular. Premises offered by James Conroy were accepted and the Town Clerk was instructed to pay 10/- a week to Conroy.

By June 1856 James was unable to continue with the Council and he resigned “owing to much private occupation” and with “extreme regret.” He also stated that “should circumstances hereafter arise wherein I may be again enabled to take office for the general welfare of Williamstown, my best services shall unquestionably be forthcoming,” thus leaving the door open to future opportunities.

James died in August 1860, aged 49 years, at his residence the Victoria Inn Hotel, and was buried on 7th August 1860 in Williamstown Cemetery.

The Carlton Brewery acquired the Victoria Inn in 1912 and in 1915 the brewery called for tenders to demolish the 60-year-old timber building and construct a new one. Lew Tate was the appointed contractor and Charles Alfred Ogg was the architect. This new building still stands.

References:

“Pubs of Williamstown” by Bruce Tait

Williamstown Chronicle newspaper

Williamstown Independent newspaper

The Argus newspaper

The day Dr W.G Grace came to Williamstown

Tue, 02 Jan 2024 11:29:24 GMT

It happened on 13th January 1892!

Many cricket lovers have seen photographs of a bearded, rotund Dr W.G, Grace (1848-1915), dressed in cricket gear and holding a cricket bat. He was not only a medical doctor, but a champion cricketer of his era and toured Australia several times with the English cricket team.

In 1891/92, an English national cricket team toured Australia and Ceylon (now Sri Lanka since the 1970's). The tour was organised (and financed) by Lord Sheffield, whose name heads the Australian domestic cricket competition today. It was a long sea voyage from England to Australia, with a stopover in Colombo (Ceylon) to play local cricket teams. There were no quick international flights in those days!

The English team comprised only 12 players captained by W.G. Grace, 29 matches were played in Australia including colonial matches against Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia - twice each. The test series against Australia was lost 2-1, those losses being the only ones on the tour, which included 12 wins.

The 13th January 1892, was a one-day match against Williamstown at the Williamstown Cricket Ground. Where did the English team stay in Melbourne? How did they travel to Williamstown for their match? It could not have been by the team bus or by car! It must have been by train, a line which opened in 1859! One can imagine the team carrying their cricket gear a short distance from the Williamstown Station to the nearby Williamstown Cricket Ground.

Williamstown won the toss and decided to bat. Features of the match were:

Willamstown batted TWENTY-TWO players!! England only listed TWELVE to bat! Of course, today cricket teams only usually have ELEVEN players.
Williamstown was all out for 154 runs in 70.1 overs, the top-scorer being Dysn with 24 runs. Were they 8=ball overs in those days? England only used THREE bowlers. Lohman bowled unchanged for 35 overs and took 8/80. Briggs only bowled 6 overs for 0/8, before being replaced by W.G. Grace who then bowled for the rest of the innings. His 29.1 overs resulted in ELEVEN wickets for 58 runs! There were also runouts. One can assume the bowlers had very short run-ups for the number of overs they bowled! Grace's bowling was described as 'round-arm medium pace'.
As Williamstown batted for so many overs, the England batting was restricted to 20 overs with Willy using only three bowlers - Dyson, Aughtie and Miilner. The score was a leisurely 1/43 when the play ended. Unfortunately, the champion-batsman Grace did not bat.

Has the Williamstown Cricket Ground hosted an overseas test team since 1892? It would be nice if this piece of Williamstown's history was recognised at that ground with a plaque, detailing the playing of the English test team captained by a champion cricketer of the day - W. G. Grace. Maybe the Williamstown Cricket Club, founded in 1852 could provide the plaque to mark a significant day in the club's history.

Author: John Becroft

Article first published in the Williamstown Historical Society Newsletter - Timeball Times No. 304 - July 2021

Williamstown Notables - Catherine Baker OBE

Fri, 29 Dec 2023 12:26:48 GMT

A Life Devoted to Australian Literature

Catherine (Kate) Baker was born on April 23, 1861, in Waterford, Ireland. Her father, Francis Wilson Baker, was a heraldic painter, and her mother's name was Catherine (Kate) Sheffield. Unfortunately, Francis passed away when Catherine was just three months old. In the 1860s, Catherine's mother brought her and her siblings to Victoria, and by 1870, they had settled in Williamstown. They were living with Catherine's mother's sister, who was married to the then Williamstown mayor, Edward Crane.

The family lived in Williamstown and Catherine received her education at Williamstown North State School. In 1881, she started working as a teacher at Hyde Street State School in Footscray. Later, in the same year, she took responsibility for a school at Wanalta Creek, near Rushworth. Catherine also taught at Williamstown North State School from 1887 to 1898. Afterwards, she continued her work as an infant' teacher.

When Catherine was young, she used to visit the Williamstown Mechanic's Institute, which served as the local library. During her visits, she used to meet Ada Cross, also known as Ada Cambridge. Later, Catherine advocated for a memorial to honour Ada Cambridge, and in 1946, a plaque was erected in the foyer of Williamstown Town Hall by the Lindsay Gordon Lover's Society. The plaque was unveiled by the president of the Bread and Cheese Club, J. K. Moir.

While teaching at Wanalta Creek, Catherine boarded at the home of Isaac Furphy's parents, who was one of her students. The next year, she moved to board with Joseph Furphy's parents in Burramboot East. During this time, she had a brief meeting with Joseph Furphy before moving back to Melbourne. However, Catherine and Joseph started a lifelong correspondence, where she encouraged him to write a book on his outback memoirs.

In 1889, after receiving much encouragement from his friend and fellow blacksmith, William Cathels, and Catherine, Furphy submitted his work "Such Is Life" to The Bulletin, under the pseudonym Tom Collins. The novel was handwritten and had a total of 1,200 pages. Although it received a positive review, Furphy's literary editor, A. G. Stephens, deemed it too lengthy for publication. Eventually, it was reduced to a more manageable form and was finally published in 1903.

After Joseph Furphy passed away in 1912 in Western Australia, Catherine suffered a nervous breakdown and retired from the Victorian Department of Education, where she was employed. Despite his death, her love for Furphy did not diminish, and in 1913, she took the initiative to collect and publish The Poems of Joseph Furphy through the Lothian Book Publishing Company. She financed the publication using her own money and worked tirelessly to bring Furphy's literary work to the public's attention.

Catherine was a highly respected individual in the Australian literary community. She frequently corresponded with Australian authors and was held in high esteem by many notable figures in the field. Her collection of letters is currently housed at the National Library of Australia. Even in her later years, Catherine remained active in the Australian literary scene and was a member of the Henry Lawson Society. Moreover, she played a crucial role in the foundation of the Australian Council for Civil Liberties.

In 1937, James Booth and the Australian Literary Society lobbied for Catherine to be honoured by the King. As a result, she was awarded an OBE for her devoted service to Australian literature.

Catherine passed away on 7th October 1953 at a Camberwell private hospital when she was 92 years old. Her funeral was held at St. Peter's Church in East Melbourne, and she was cremated at Springvale Botanical Cemetery with Methodist rites. Catherine was one of the founding members of the Australian Council for Civil Liberties and was appointed vice president just two weeks before her death.

References:

Wikipedia website, The Canberra Times newspaper, The Age newspaper, Williamstown Chronicle newspaper.

Image courtesy of Baker Family

Williamstown Notables - Andrew Rider

Fri, 22 Dec 2023 10:13:43 GMT

Hairdresser, entrepreneur and award-winning photographer

Born: 18 November, 1821 Stoke Damerel, Devon

Arrived: in Australia c.1883

Died 5 August, 1903

Andrew Rider was born on 18 November, 1821 in Stoke Damerel, Devon, England. The son of Hugh Rider (1784-1869), a Labourer, and Patience Jarvis (1784-1826).

He married his first wife Susanna Edwards Beard (born in 1824 Stoke Damerel, Devon, England, died in Williamstown on 15 January, 1872) on 15 August, 1843 in Stoke Damerel, Devon.

Andrew, along with his eldest son John, left England

to establish a home for the family in mid-1854, arriving in September, 1854 on board the ship John & Lucy. His wife Susanna, accompanied by their three other children Charles, Andrew and Emma, arrived 18 months later in January, 1856 on board the ship Sultana.

When he first arrived in Melbourne, he immediately set up his home and business in Williamstown. He started off as a hairdresser, being listed in the 1856 Electoral Roll as such with his house and shop on Nelson Parade. By 1860, while still advertising his Hairdressing, Shaving and Shampooing business in the Williamstown Chronicle, he had also started importing “Fancy and other Goods” from the London market for sale to the ladies of the town. In 1856 he was one of the 322 resident householders in the town of Williamstown who petitioned that the said district of Williamstown be proclaimed a Municipal District.

He seems to have been a real entrepreneur as by 1860, he had also started his photographic business, opening his Photographic Studio in Nelson Place. He was the first to open a photographic business in Williamstown and was recognised at the forefront of his profession. By 1869 he was promoting himself as a “Prized Medallist” in his advertising – as he had won a prize at the Intercolonial Exhibition of 1866-67. He was also advertising in local newspapers that he was an Agent for The Age, Argus and Melbourne Leader newspapers.

He was also the Licensee of the Bay View Hotel over different periods from 1870 to 1903.

In 1872 his wife Susanna died leaving him with a number of relatively young children to care for. He then married Mary Harvey Conradi, a widow with 5 children of her own.

In 1876 it was reported that he had been successful in taking a large photograph of the Williamstown Mechanics Institute building (below) which was on display at the Institute.

He left a fabulous legacy of photographs of wonderful views of Williamstown and its many historic buildings that show how the town looked at that time, including the photo of the Methodist Church in Electra Street taken around 1876.

Andrew Rider died on 3 August, 1903 at his daughter’s house in Port Melbourne, and is buried in Williamstown Cemetery

Williamstown Notables - Captain Charles Ferguson

Fri, 22 Dec 2023 10:13:23 GMT

A life at sea, the first harbour master and statesman

Born: 11 April 1813, South Leith, Midlothian, Scotland

Arrived: in Australia 1851

Died: late December 1868 London, England

Charles Ferguson was born on 11 April, 1813 in South Leith, Midlothian, Scotland. He was the son of Charles Ferguson (1771-1813), a carpenter, and Janet, nee Ross (1786-1868).

Charles left home for a life at sea and by 1838 was the Master of the ship Rajah, a three-masted barque that weighed 352 tons and was built at Whitby in 1835. Captain Ferguson took command of the ship and sailed from Leith on the 5th of April, 1838, arriving in Hobart, Australia, on the 22nd of August, carrying 19 passengers and general cargo.

Over the coming years the Rajah made numerous trips to and from Australia, carrying passengers, merchandise, cargo and general sundries.

On the 5th April, 1841, the Rajah sailed with James Donovan M.D. as Surgeon Superintendent, departing from Woolwich with 180 female convicts on board bound for Hobart. Also on board was Miss Kezia Elizabeth Hayter, who was sent to accompany the female convicts by prison reformer, Elizabeth Fry. Kezia was responsible for supervising needlework and on the voyage the women created what is now known as the Rajah Quilt, now in the collection of the National Gallery of Australia.

Kezia was the cousin of the famous miniaturist, Sir George Hayter (1792-1871), and was born in England in 1818. The miniature portrait of Charles Ferguson shown above, was painted by Sir George Hayter in watercolour around 1845.

Kezia Hayter became engaged to Captain Charles Ferguson in Hobart in 1841. She remained in Hobart while Captain Ferguson and the Rajah departed on 22th of August, 1841, travelling to India. Miss Hayter resigned from prison reform work and for most of 1842 she was governess to the children of William Archer of Brickendon, Longford. Charles finally returned to Hobart in 1843 and the pair were married on 1st July, 1843 in Saint Andrews Presbyterian Church, Hobart by Minister James Bell.

The ship left Hobart two months later with the newlyweds on board, sailing first to Sydney, Geelong and then onto London. The couple remained on board, along with their first child George who was born in Hobart in 1846, until 1848 when Kezia Ferguson and son George decided to visit her husband’s family in Scotland. She and George rejoined the ship in 1850, arriving in Port Phillip on 4 May, 1850. When the Rajah next left port in July, 1850, it was under the command of Captain William McQueen, Captain Ferguson having decided to resign his command for a permanent job on dry land .

The couple moved to Victoria where Captain Charles Ferguson became the state of Victoria’s first Chief Harbour Master in February, 1852. In the same year he began to perform the duties of both a Police Magistrate and a Water Police Magistrate for Williamstown and became a big landholder in the colony. He was also chairman of the Steam Navigation Board, President of the Pilot’s Board, Secretary of the provisional Committee to establish a Floating Seaman’s Chapel, the forerunner to the Mission to Seamen.

Captain Charles Ferguson was also very active within the Williamstown community. On the 10th February, 1855 he was made Chairman of the Committee for founding the Fire Brigade service. In the same year, which was during the Crimean War, he was responsible for raising the first volunteer force, the Volunteer Marine Artillery who were under his command as the Chief Harbour Master. Kezia Ferguson (pictured right), was a member of the Williamstown Ladies Benevolent Society. The organisation was formed in 1856 and was supported on a voluntary basis.

After settling down in Williamstown the couple went on to have another six children, all born in Williamstown and in 1859 the family was listed as living in a house on the corner of John Street and The Strand which unfortunately no longer exists.

After a long and honourable career in the Government Service of Victoria, Captain Charles Ferguson died in London in late December, 1868, while visiting Great Britain, and was buried in London, England.

In honour of his service to the town, Ferguson Street in Williamstown was named in his honour.

Williamstown Notables - Alfred Thomas Clark

Fri, 22 Dec 2023 10:13:02 GMT

Artist, Parliamentarian and founder of the Williamstown Advertiser

Born: 11 August, 1844, Edmonton, London

Arrived: Arrived in Australia c.1852,

Died: 19 May, 1888, at sea near Columbo

Alfred Thomas Clark was born in Edmonton, a suburb of London, on

11 August, 1844. He was the third child of seven children to well-known Australian artist Thomas Clark (1814-1883) and Jane, nee Clarkson.

His father was appointed Drawing Master at the National Gallery School in 1870 with future students Tom Roberts and Frederick McCubbin.

Alfred Clark had minimal formal education and worked at scene painting in Melbourne theatres to pay for his education. He signed on as an apprenticed seaman on the Australian coastal ships. He then worked in H.B. Donaldson’s ship chandlery business in Port Melbourne. In the 1864-65 Victorian Gazette he is listed as an Acting Tide Waiter in the Customs Office .

He married Alexandrina Dickson McGregor (1854-1942) on 1st July 1874 in Williamstown. They had seven children, all born in Williamstown and lived in Verdon Street.

In 1871 he stood and was elected, the member for Williamstown in the Victorian Parliament. He founded The Williamstown Advertiser in 1875 , which published critical articles on the then Queen Victoria. Some did not approve of his political stance but he seems to have been regarded something of a hero to the majority of the local community.

From the start of his parliamentary career, he supported Graham Berry’s “protectionist” policies, arguing taxes should be applied to certain categories of imported goods, especially manufactured goods. This would stimulate new industries and create good jobs at high wages. From 3 August, 1880 to 9 July, 1881, he was the Commissioner for Trade and Customs. It was during this time that improved the lighting along the Victorian coast and bay shipping channels. He standardised the hours of the Water Police and had the Passengers, Harbours and Navigation Laws Amendment Act passed.

In business, he was partner in an auctioneering firm, a director of several insurance companies, involved in two building societies and in control of a land syndicate which is where he made his fortune. He was a Justice of the Peace and President of the Williamstown Football Club .

In 1887 he resigned from the Legislative Assembly to contest the Legislative Council seat of North Yarra but was defeated.

He died at sea on board the Oceana on 19 May, 1888, on his way to London, where he was to put a South Australian Mining Venture on the market. His wife and three children who had been travelling with him returned to Melbourne.

A sculpture by Enrico Lucchinelli of Carrara was unveiled in the Williamstown Botanic Gardens in his honour on the 18 July 1891.

It bears the inscription:

The Honourable

Alfred Thomas Clark MLA

A representative for Williamstown in the Legislative Assembly of Victoria from 16th March 1871 to 11th October 1887

Erected by his constituents

18th July 1891

Williamstown Notables - John James Liston

Fri, 22 Dec 2023 10:12:37 GMT

From humble beginnings as a barber, to sportsman and a leader

Born:21 September, 1872, Ireland

Arrived: in Australia c.1883

Died: 12 April, 1944

John James Liston was born on 21 September 1872 at Granny, Roscommon, Ireland, son of John Haire Liston and his wife Mary Ann, née McNamany. By the late 1870s the family were living in Liverpool, England. The family migrated to Victoria around 1883 and settled in Williamstown

In 1892 they were living at 6 Swanston Street, Williamstown. The house no longer exists as it was demolished to make was for Bayside College in Kororoit Creek Road.

After his education at St Mary's Parish School, the young Liston became a hairdresser. A member of the Catholic Young Men's Society, he was an outstanding debater and a keen sportsman; he played for Williamstown Football Club and in 1889 joined the Williamstown Racing Club. He was to head both organizations (the Football Club in 1923-33, the Racing Club in 1939-44) and become a prominent racehorse-owner. His barber's shop at 197 Nelson Place was remembered as 'a sportsman's bureau' and in the 1903 Australian Electoral Role was listed as a ‘Tobacconist’.

J.J. Liston stood for the Williamstown Council in 1897, revealing 'an astonishing grasp of municipal affairs' but lost the election by two votes. Next year he was returned unopposed. He became Mayor in 1901-02 (the youngest in the State) and again in 1913-14. By 1906 he had sold his hairdressing business and was licensee of the Customs House Hotel and that year was appointed secretary of the Liquor Trades' Defence Union, based in Melbourne.

He married milliner Eva Emily Roberts (1888-1928) on 3 August, 1910 at St Mary's Catholic Church, West Melbourne. They went on to have four children – John Ernest Liston (1911-1954), George William Liston (1913-1913), Andrew Charles Liston (1915-1920) and Ward Joseph Liston (1919-1945). His youngest son, a Flying Officer in the Royal Australian Airforce, died near the end of the war and is buried in Ambon, Maluku, Indonesia. In 1914 the family were living at 93 Hanmer Street, Williamstown.

Liston was the representative on the Melbourne Harbor Trust in 1909-13, and sought public works for his area, expressed strong protectionist views and urged the Harbour Trust to build its own ships at Williamstown. Even before his five successive mayoral terms in the 1920s it was said that he ran the town. Chairman of the Finance and Lighting Committee, in 1907 he persuaded the council to light the suburb with electricity and take over its supply. The financial success of the venture led to a new town hall and the purchase of a theatre and ferry steamer.

In 1918-30 he was Williamstown's representative on the Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works; he was the northern and western suburbs representative on the Metropolitan Town Planning Commission in the 1920s; and in 1923-31 he was a Melbourne City Councillor and for six years Chairman of the Traffic and Building Regulations Committee. A supporter of a Greater Melbourne Council, in 1931 he was defeated by one vote for the position of Lord Mayor.

After his first wife’s death in 1920 he married May Livingstone Ward (1888-1963), on 15 December, 1930 at St Patrick’s Cathedral, East Melbourne. May was the daughter of Michael Joseph Ward and Isabella Ward (nee Livingstone) of Williamstown.

He devoted an extraordinary amount of effort to public service, bestowing patronage on sporting and charitable associations and performing unpublicised acts of kindness during the Depression. He was a trustee of the Port Phillip Pilots' Association and of the Melbourne Cricket Ground and president of both the Victorian Soccer and Victorian Football associations.

There is a bust of him in the Williamstown Town Hall and the Williamstown Historical Society holds a portrait of him.

The J.J. Liston Medal (originally a trophy), for the best and fairest player in the Victorian Football Association was established in his honour in 1945 as was the horserace, the J.J. Liston Stakes, from 1949 to 2010. The J.J. Liston Reserve and Liston Tennis Club in Williamstown are also named after him.

J.J. Liston died of heart disease at Cliveden Mansions, East Melbourne, on 12 April, 1944 and he is buried in the Williamstown Cemetery.

Williamstown Notables - William Hall

Fri, 22 Dec 2023 10:11:39 GMT

Early settler, entrepreneur, landowner, business man

Born: 26 October 1800, Paulton, Somerset England (about 10 miles SW of Bath)

Arrived: in Australia 19 June 1840

Died: 4 May, 1889, Williamstown, Victoria

William Hall was one of Williamstown’s earliest settlers. He was born in 1800 to parents William Hall the elder and Sarah Tidcombe. His father was a blacksmith and inherited a small farm near Radstock, Somerset where William grew up. He married Lucy Marchant on 27th March, 1826 at St James Church, Bath, Somerset. They went on to have nine children before his wife died in February 1837, leaving five living children.

At the time of his wife's death, Mr Hall was renting the parsonage farm at Wolverton near Frome, Somerset. After

Lucy’s death and with five children to care for, he quickly married Johanna Noad, on 6 November 1837. Johanna was the daughter of a butcher from the nearby village of Road (now Rode), which would stand them in good stead when they finally arrived in Williamstown.

With nothing on offer in Somerset after several failed businesses, William decided to emigrate and the family set sail from Plymouth on 29 February 1840 on the barque Andromache, arriving in Port Phillip on 19 June 1840.

Not long after the family’s arrival, the whole family were hired for 12 months by Mr Hains, a butcher whose business was in Nelson Place, nearly opposite the end of the jetty (Gem Pier). Their contract was for 12 months and they were paid £80 along with a house, fuel, water and food for all.

The family were not long in town when the two eldest boys and William moved to live in a tent near North Williamstown railway station, in charge of John O'Neill's sheep station. Soon after their contract with the butcher expired William Hall bought two small building lots near the corner of Parker and Cecil Streets for £70 from the late Mr James Purves, father of Mr Purves, Barrister. Here he built a tenement building on one block which was the family home. The three oldest boys left home and were engaged by different employees as shepherds while William purchased a pair of working bullocks to cart goods. In 1843-44 he was employed by butcher Thomas Wilsmore whose shop was near the Woolpack Hotel, Nelson Place.

In 1846, along with Mr Wilsmore, he purchased a squatting tenure in a plot of land at the mouth of the Kororoit Creek where they ran a farm. However, there was a disagreement and William Hall and the family then moved to Yarraville.

In 1847 he p urchased 100 acres, 3 roods and 32 perches at 22 shillings per acre costing a total of £111, 1s, 11p. The land ran from near the mouth of the Yarra River to Melbourne Road. Originally it was called Point Pleasant Farm but Hall renamed it Hobsons River Farm. In 1853 he was asked if he would sell the land for £16,000 (a huge profit on what he had originally paid) but refused. By early 1848 he had erected a house and a stock-yard, and by October had removed the rocks, grubbed out the trees and enclosed 10 to 12 acres with fences with the land ploughed and sowed with wheat, oats, barley and potatoes.

He had a reputation as a practical farmer, but early in 1860s he gave up growing cereals and devoted most of his time to gardening, cultivating a great variety of fruits and vegetables, and obtained many medals as prizes, and a great number of honourable mention certificates. He was, on particular occasions, in the habit of wearing on his coat some 30 or 40 medals (see above) which he had won, including a gold medal for maize growing.

He made a good income from men quarrying the property and received hundreds of pounds compensation from the Railway Department for the land required for the new Geelong to Melbourne and Williamstown to Geelong railways as the line passed through his land.

He was an entrepreneur, land owner and businessman however some of his enterprises did not always succeed. He erected a wooden hotel which was opened as the Junction Hotel (the first in Newport), which did not turn a profit so he sold the property to James Horsley.

At an auction in 1851, he also purchased land that was known to locals as “Goose Flats” and is in the area we now know as Newport Lakes. The 158 acres were granted as a farm and a pastoral property to William Hall officially in 1852 which he then renamed “Stony Rises”. He purchased the land for £173, 16s.

Rate records from 1863 indicate the above property was leased to Samuel Bunting and Charles Newport with William Hall and Michael Durkin keeping 157 acres and running it as a farm. Durkin’s Dairy was well known in the area in future years.

The area was first recorded as a quarry in the Rate Records of 1868-69 being run by a Mr Doherty. Hall also leased one acre of the property to James Horsley, quarryman and carrier, as a stone quarry. £100 per annum was paid by Mr Horsley and the bluestone quarried was used as ballast by ships returning to Europe from the docks at Footscray, Newport and Williamstown. The bluestone was also an important source of building material in Melbourne with early quarry work being carried out manually by British tradesmen. After his death, this land was willed to Thomas Noad Hall, his eldest son from his second marriage.

In the 1856 Williamstown Electoral Roll, he was listed as a Yeoman of Hobsons Bay Farm, owning land in Cecil Street and owning a farm of 100 acres on Hobsons River, own occupation. He was also one of the 322 resident householders in the town of Williamstown who, in early 1856, petitioned that the said district of Williamstown be proclaimed a Municipal District. For many years he was also the Williamstown pound keeper and was at one time a Williamstown councillor for a term of three years.

He was a large landowner owning several farming plots on the Werribee Plains, a block of land of 158 acres on Blackshaws Road, and some town lots in Werribee township in addition to other properties. He also owned shares in some companies.

He travelled very little after arriving in Williamstown apart from a short time at the gold diggings and at Yarraville despite owning land a little farther afield. He was a man of little education, yet a great politician in his own way, but did not like to be opposed.

He eventually sold the farm during the 1880s land boom, on 5 August 1884 to developers Maxman, Moss, and Fergie and according to newspaper reports, the price was £117 per acre, which totalled between £11,000 and £12,000. The deal allowed William Hall to reside on the farm for some time after it was surveyed into building lots, which he did until he moved into a beautiful Victorian brick cottage at 184 Hall Street, opposite the Spotswood Station on 15th July 1886. The building is still standing and is listed under the Victorian Heritage Database. The Hobsons Farm homestead stood until 1914.

It was here he died on 4 May 1889, leaving an estate estimated to be around £30,000. He is buried in Williamstown Cemetery.

Hall Street, Hobson Street, River Street and Farm Street, Newport were all named after him and his farm.