july-aug 2002 - State Library of Western Australia

1New name, newcollections

A FROM CLAIREWe’ve had an excitingstart to the newfinancial year, with anew name - StateLibrary of WesternAustralia - and anumber of importantadditions to ourcollections. I would likeClaire Forte (Acting CEOand State Librarian) to acknowledge thework of the WA StateLibrary Custodians, as well as staff of the StateLibrary, for their work in orchestrating somesignificant donations to the JS Battye Library.In the last few months we have celebrated the handoverof two very significant Western Australiancollections - the Krantz and Sheldon collection ofarchitectural plans and records, and the donationby ChevronTexaco, of the historical records fromWAPET. In each case it has been wonderful to meetthe donors and to hear them speak of the personalstories and important milestones in this State’shistory, that these historical records comprise.The new year heralds many challenges andopportunites for the State Library. There are anumber of significant projects underway and we lookforward to reporting on new collections, newinitiatives and service improvements in future issues.Commencing 1 July 2002, The Library and InformationService of Western Australia (LISWA), has changedits name to State Library of Western Australia.Interestingly, the name State Library WesternAustralia is not new. It was first used in 1955 whenthe newly formed Library Board of Western Australiawas given control of the Public Library of WesternAustralia (established as the Victoria Public Library in1887). The name The Library and Information Serviceof Western Australia (LISWA) was introduced as theoperational name of the organisation in 1989.Throughout our long history, we have continued tobuild collections and provide a range of informationand advisory services to the Western Australiancommunity either directly, or through partnerships.Increasingly, we are utilising technologies to enablegreater access to collections and services. The nameState Library Western Australia is one thatrecognises the important history of an old and reveredpublic institution, yet is one that will continue to beinstantly recognisable in future, aligning with all of theother State Libraries in Australia.The State Library of Western Australia is an agencywithin the Department of Culture & the Arts and ourhome base will continue to be the Alexander LibraryBuilding, located in the Perth Cultural Centre. Ourmailing address and all other contact details remainunchanged.2ISSN 1328-7176 Editorial Enquiries:Dana Tonello (Public Programs)ph:(08) 9427 3449 fax: (08) 9427 3152email: dtonello@liswa.wa.gov.auThe State Library of Western AustraliaAlexander Library Building, Perth Cultural Centre, Perth WA 6000Tel: (08) 9427 3111 Fax: (08) 9427 3256Website: www.liswa.wa.gov.auEditorial published may only be reproduced with the permission of Public Programs.Join The Western Australian Library Society and you automatically receive knowit every two months.Membership enquiries (08) 9427 3150.Deadline for issue no. 261 (Sep - Oct ‘02) - 16 August 2002knowit reserves the right to edit all articles. Views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of knowit orthe State Library of Western Australia. All articles must be supplied with a name and contact details forverification.COVER: A letter from the Frank Middleton collection (plus postcard picture of Kalgoorlie),and an image from Vicki Hobbs’ collection (BA1286.156). See page 3 for the Vicki Hobbsarticle and Page 4 for the story of Frank Middleton.

3Victoria Alexandra Hobbs OAM (Battye Library,BA 1286.42)In the busy corner of the PictorialCollection yet another selection ofphotographs has been accessionedready for use. These belonged toVictoria Alexandra May Hobbs (1907-1995).The photographs provide windows intothe various key aspects of VictoriaHobbs’ life – her nursing career in all itsfacets; her church, St Mary’s AnglicanChurch South Perth and her communityof South Perth.However it was nursing which was herlife. As she once said, ‘When you’re anurse you’re in it for life.’ Victoria Hobbsgraduated from the School of Nursingat Perth Public Hospital in 1932 andfurthered her training at KEMH and thenmuch later in Canberra. She held theposition of Principal Tutor at the WAGovernment School of Nursing for 16years during which time she researchedand wrote the book But WestwardLook: Nursing in WA 1829-1979.‘When you’re a nurse, you’re in it for life’Victoria Alexandra May Hobbs OAMBlended into Vicki Hobbs’ nursing careerwas her World War 2 service. In 1940she enlisted in the Australian ArmyNursing Service. Her tour of duty withthe 2/4th Australian General Hospitalincluded places as far afield as Tobruk,the Middle East, Ceylon, Darwin andBorneo. She rose to the rank of Captain.There are many interesting photographsrelating to her war experiences includingworking conditions in hospital wards(many of which were tents or huts) inthe Middle East, Darwin and Borneo,shipboard activities on troop carriers,bomb damage in and a Japanese planeshot down over Darwin. Anotherphotograph of the staff at the LoneRange Weapons’ Testing Facility atWoomera shows the last appointmentin her military life when she wasresponsible for the health of both theservice personnel and civilians.In addition to these photographs areseveral unusual World War 1photographs. One example is thespectacular panoramic view of the tentsof the 60th General Hospital at Salonika,which is historically of great value.The community of South Perth whereVictoria Hobbs grew up in a housebehind her father’s boot and shoe shopin Mend Street remained the other focus(1907 - 1995)of her life. Mends Street as she knew itis reflected in a series of photographstaken before the streetscape wasaltered. Another group of before andafter photographs of Gardiner StreetComo provides an image of herimmediate neighbourhood changingfrom single to multiple dwelling sites.Victoria Hobbs helped research thehistory of St Mary’s Anglican ChurchSouth Perth and Royal Perth Hospital.She also interviewed retired nurses andthen donated the tapes to the OralHistory Unit of Battye Library.Although this collection includes manyphotographs and slides as well as anassortment of invitations, articles andpostcards, there are very fewphotographs of Vicki Hobbs herself.Only one or two show her in civiliannursing sister’s uniform but the best isthe hand tinted portrait of her inAustralian Army Nursing Serviceuniform of cape and veil (pictured left).All the photographs have now beenlisted and described with many beingdigitised for online research. The entirecollection of 365 photographs reflectsVictoria Hobbs’ life of service anddedication.Linley BatterhamVolunteer, Battye LibraryPart of the collection consists of thephotographs used in her book includingseveral of early Western Australianhospitals like Mary Nicolays’ PrivateHospital in Adelaide Terrace Perthdated 1898 and bird’s eye views intosome of the wards and the operatingtheatre of Perth Public Hospital 1920sand 30s.ABOVE: PT for women members of Victory Contingent en route to England aboard HMAS Shropshire,1946 (Battye Library, BA1286.156)

Letters home: The Frank Middleton Collection4In April 2002, through the agency of SaraJoynes, the National Library’srepresentative at the Australian HighCommission in London, the Battye Libraryreceived a folder of letters and postcardsfrom Arthur Lupton of North Yorkshiresimply entitled ‘Uncle Frank’.‘Uncle Frank’ was Frank Middleton, ayoung farmer from Tyldesley, England. Inpoor health, suffering with bronchitis, hetravelled to Western Australia where theclimate would supposedly be of benefit tohim. His letters document his travels sofar from home.He wrote lovingly to his parents, andMargaret and James, his siblings,responding to their letters and gifts,sending his own. Through Frank’s writinghis family become real. He speaks of hiswish to work his own property rather thanlabour for a ‘cocky’, and describes in somedetail the society he sees around him, insome ways familiar but more oftendramatically different to the life he leftbehind. Frank regularly sent home a localpaper for his father, including the SundayTimes, and often included postcards orphotographs of himself with his lettersSailing from London, Frank disembarkedfrom the SS Orontes at Fremantle on 9December 1913 and, within a week,moved to Gingin where he worked for aman named Wake. A working day of 5amto 8pm left an impression:I hardly think I shall settle out here [WA],though they say a man has a chance ofmaking his fortune in 10 years, but on theother hand it means you have to practicallyslave all the time, put up with a lot ofhardship & 10 yrs exile. Is it worth it. [26December 1913]Experiencing difficulties with theenvironment, conditions, and Wakehimself, Frank headed to Coolgardie andKalgoorlie in late January. During hissojourn in the Goldfields he befriendedanother young chap, fresh out fromEngland like himself, W (William) EGratton.Frank’s impressions of the Goldfields arestill familiar to travellers today:Talk about pubs, it is no use sending a manout here to break him off the drink, theyare all over the shop. Every little place, ifit has only ½ doz shanties, has a pub.Hannan St, in this place … contains 24…[14 Feb 1914, Kalgoorlie]I confine myself to as few changes ofclothes as possible while up here, as it isso dusty & one has a job to keep anythingrealy [sic] clean my pants have a quite aredish [sic] tinge about them … it is quiteimpossible to get your handkerchiefs whiteowing to the water having a redish [sic]look about it. [14 March 1914, Kalgoorlie]And, of course, what young man couldignore the beauty of the strange new worldFrank found himself in:We get some startling modes of dressamong the woemen [sic] here, spilt skirtswith a rather large amount of leg shown(up to the knees), diaphanous dresses, etc& I only wrote you that dicription [sic] togive you some idea of things feminine outhere. I assure you I don’t go in for any‘picking up tricks’, too expensive I believe… [Short, undated letter to Margaret,Kalgoorlie]He noted the tough life on the land but alsothe contrast between country andtown.Some of these cockies areregular slave drivers. This issupposed to be a democraticcountry & is so to a great extentin the country but in the townsthere is any amount ofsnobbishness or rather swankseems the better word among thenouveau riche, just look at the societycolumns of the papers I am sending.[undated, before March 1914]After a period of restlessness, Frankapplied for, and was accepted into, theAgricultural College at Narrogin in April1914. There had initially been some doubtabout his acceptance, due to his age andhealth. The doctor in Kalgoorlie suspectedhe had tuberculosis: he didn’t. His healthis a regular topic in his letters, usuallysaying he is either unchanged or feelingbetter, yet he is never rid of his cough. Atthe beginning of October 1914 he is verysick and suspects acid in the blood, thoughhis doctor thinks it is due to the heat.Meanwhile, back in England, his brotherJames has enlisted for the Great War.Frank’s last letter to his family was writtenon 25 October 1914. He advised his familythat he would not be home for Christmasas he has enrolled in College for anotherterm. He concludes his letter by saying, ‘Imay say I have got over my sickness &am in my usual health & in the words ofthe poet or some other chap All in thegarden is lovely and the world is a pleasantplace again.’Frank died in the hospital at the College inthe early hours of 31 October 1914, aged25, and was laid to rest in the Anglicansection of the Narrogin cemetery.The principal of the college, A W LSouthern corresponded with Frank’sparents after his death, arranging withthem to have a memorial stone placed onFrank’s grave. Southern would later losetwo sons in the Dardanelles landing.After Frank’s death, W (Will) E Grattoncommenced writing to Frank’s brother andsister. These letters also form part of thecollection. Gratton would later arrange foran acquaintance in Narrogin to tend toFrank’s grave on the family’s behalf.This very personal collection presents apicture of a remarkable young man, filledwith his gentle humour and lovely penpictures of the life and customs heobserved in his travels in WesternAustralia. A lively and loving writer, Frank’sletters make a valuable addition to theBattye Library’s Private Archives collection.ABOVE: Booklet of postcard pictures of Kalgoorlie, which Frank sent to his sister, Margaret.Patricia Barr,Battye Library

5Joondalup Libraryrecently hosted theofficial launch of theAustralian Bureau ofStatistics’ AUSSTATSdatabase, the new webbasedservice providedthrough the ABS LibraryExtension Program(LEP). AUSSTATS willL-R: Susan Feeney (Director, Public Libraryreplace many of the printServices), Dave Roarty (Director, AustralianBureau of Statistics) and Nerida Clifford titles that have(Manager Library Services, Joondalup) at the previously beenlaunch.supplied to LEPlibraries, saving on both processing and resources, and alsoproviding an efficient search capability. AUSSTATS provides over650 titles published since 1998 - over 3,500 individual issues.The Western Australian Genealogical Society Incare looking for a qualified librarian to manage theircollection at 48 May Street, Bayswater, on avolunteer basis. Membership of the Society wouldbe required. The hours are flexible, and accordingto the wishes of the occupant. An active Library Sub-Committee do all the “donkey work”, and the libraryis totally manned by volunteers five days a week.The collection consists of books, many rare, the St.Catherines’ micro fiche of B.M.D. and census returnsfor the British Isles. Australian and New Zealandpublications and records are housed in another unitnext door. C.D.’s are being constantly added to asthey become available, the latest being the 1901C.R. for London and Lancashire. The library uses aspecial classification system suitable to their specificneeds.Visiting dignitaries and community members were very impressedwith the scope of the new electronic service which will providevaluable information to students, local business and the generalcommunity.Long after the last building designed by the architectural firm of Krantz andSheldon has vanished from the suburbs of Perth and the city skyline, theircontribution to the architectural heritage of Western Australia will live on,preserved safely at the Battye Library. Thanks to the generosity of GeorgeSheldon, a major collection of more than 1,000 rolls of plans and 200 boxes ofrecords has been donated to the Library, documenting nearly 70 years of ourState’s architectural history.The Krantz and Sheldon collection was received through the MigrantCommunities Archive, a project funded by the Lotteries Commission of WesternAustralia, through the State Library Custodians, to help build a more diverse,representative and comprehensive collection in the Battye Library. The donor,George Sheldon, was particularly keen that his father’s hard work and successas a migrant in building an architectural firm which has made a significantcontribution to our State should be preserved through this project.Contact Laurie Price, Library Sub-CommitteeMember, WAGS by telephone on (08) 9277 1869for further information.The company was established in the early 1930s by Harold Krantz, a nephewof another Perth architect, Harold Boas. Krantz was then joined by RobertSchläflik (who later changed his name to Sheldon), a Jewish-Viennese émigréwho had fled Nazi Europe for a better life in Australia. Krantz and Sheldon wenton to become a major employer of some 39 nationalities of migrant architectsand draftsmen, including Iwan Iwanoff who was to become a well-knownarchitect in his own right. The firm made a significant contribution to thearchitectural history of Western Australia. They pioneered ‘European’ stylesin a city in which all other architectural firms were ‘English’.ABOVE: (L-R) Claire Forte (Acting CEO, StateLibrary of WA), George Sheldon (architect,Krantz and Sheldon Architects) and RondaJamieson (Director, Battye Library) with some ofthe donated plans & drawings (also picturedbelow)The collection includes plans and records of landmark buildings like MtEliza - a building sometimes affectionately referred to as the ‘thermosflask’ or the ‘George Jetson’ building - built on Kings Park in 1964. Thereare other plans of Government projects like schools, hospitals and StateHousing works like Wandana (built in Subiaco in 1953) as well as manyprivate buildings in East and South Perth. The collection is currentlyundergoing preservation to make it accessible to researchers in the nearfuture.

On 6 June the Hon. Sheila McHale, Minister for Cultureand the Arts, accepted an historic gift of records on behalfof the people of Western Australia. The occasion wasthe formal handover of records from Western AustralianPetroleum, more affectionately known as WAPET, by thecurrent owners ChevronTexaco. The Ministeracknowledged the significance of the gift andcalled on other companies in the industry tofollow the example of ChevronTexaco.The file of records go back to early drillingin the Kimberley in the 1920s to theimportant discovery of oil at Rough Rangein 1953, through the development ofBarrow Island and offshore gas deposits.The gift also includes more than 200,000photographs as well as motion picturefilm and video. The gift was arrangedthrough the good work of the WesternAustralian State Library Custodians.A special project sponsored bythe Lotteries Commission ofWestern Australia is currentlyunder way at the State Libraryto film or re-film major regionalnewspapers from pre-Federation to 1905 using theoriginal newspapers held by theBattye Library, and to borrowcopies held interstate whennecessary. The project began inOctober 2001 and is due forcompletion in December 2002.Coolgardie MinerThere have been four newspaperscalled the Coolgardie Miner over thepast century. The first was started on14 April 1894 by William Howard (Billy)Clare. An article by Arthur Bennett inScoop, March 1988 p.25, describes thedifficulties endured in printing of the firstissue:“...Clare and Dryblower Murphy fed thesheets of paper into the press, hot winddrying the paper and willy-williesspinning drayloads of sand on therollers, running over gritty ink. Half thesheets were spoils. During the night, acyclone blew the calico printing officedown and printing stopped for twohours to fix the wreckage. The machinewas then run at full speed all Saturdaynight and most of Sunday, and stoppedwhen 1200 pages had been printed.The issue was sold out at sixpence acopy.”Given these circumstances, we areindeed lucky that copies of thisnewspaper have survived. Only twosets of the Coolgardie Miner are knownto exist: the Battye Library copies, andthose held by the State Library ofVictoria. The Battye Library set isextremely fragile, and some missingissues have been found in the setborrowed for filming from the StateLibrary of Victoria.Western ArgusThe Western Argus started life as aweekly four-page newspaper inABOVE: (L-R) Rhonda Zygocki (Managing Director, ChevronTexaco),Oscar De Soto (US Consul), Greg Harrison (WA Oil Asset Manager,ChevronTexaco) and The Hon Sheila McHale (Minister for Culture andthe Arts).LEFT: A drill bit typical of those used at Rough Range in the 1950s.6Hannans (later calledKalgoorlie) by the Mottbrothers on 24 November1894. The Hocking brotherssubsequently purchased it inAugust 1895 and also starteda daily newspaper, theKalgoorlie Miner.In 1896 the Western Arguschanged format and content.The first issues we have for 1896 startwith the new format on 13 February. Itappears by the discrepancy inpagination to be missing the pinkwraparound found in later issues. It hasapproximately 20 pages and containsa roundup of the local news for theweek, including details of local miningactivities.The Western Argus will be difficult tofilm due to the page colouration alongwith the normal problems of faint orshow-through print. Replacementcopies from the State Library of SouthAustralia will be sought for the issueswithout the pink wraparound.Margaret HartnupProject Leader, Friends of Battye LibraryLotteries Newspaper Project

7b a t t y eabout booksGeoff SpillerThis is a well-researched, entertaining, informative book fullof interesting yarns that take you back to a golden time in ourpast - a must on the shelf of any Goldfields history lover or, forthat matter, any beer lover.Doris Pilkington/Nugi GarimaraA true account of Doris Pilkington’s mother Molly, who as ayoung girl led her two sisters on an extraordinary 1,600kilometre walk home. Barefoot, without provisions or maps,the girls set out to find the rabbit-proof fence, knowing it passednear their home in the north. Now a major film by Phillip Noyce.University of Queensland Press, St Lucia QLD,1996 (film edition 2002)Charles PageIt is 1944 and a Vultee Vengeance dive bomber is lost in theoutback of Western Australia. The search for the missing airmenwas one of the the largest in Australia’s history, and has becomea legend of the outback.Shire of Yilgarn, Southern Cross WA, 2001Loretta BaldassarVisits Home is about a remarkable hundred years of visits‘home’ by a community of Italian-Australians from the villageof San Fior in north-eastern Italy. In this beautifully written book,Loretta Baldassar makes a new and vital contribution to ourunderstanding of the immigrant experience.Melbourne University Press, Carlton VIC, 2001Alex GeorgeA wildflower book with a difference. Instead of flowers, this oneconcentrates on the foliage, in particular what it does in a verydry summer. Illustrated with 180 colour plates.Self-published, Kardinya WA, 2002Meg SangsterMary Carter, who later became Ma Thomas and finally MaryRaine, made her fortune from buying and selling Perth realestate in the early part of the century and consolidating thatwith canny acquisition and management of some of the city’searly hotel and commercial landmarks.Self-published, Carlton VIC, 2001Art Gallery of Western AustraliaThis book offers a window onto the indigenous art collection inthe Art Gallery of WA. Through comprehensive essays by pastand present staff whose words are brought to life by wonderfulimages, this is a significant representation of the wealth ofindigenous visual art and culture in the Art Gallery’s collections.Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth WA, 2001Noreen Jones“I have been in Australia for so long that I now call Broome mynumber two home” - Hama Yasutaro.Focusing on the stories of individuals, this engaging accountexamines the Japanese presence in Australia from the latecolonial period until World War II.Fremantle Arts Centre Press, Fremantle WA,2002Beverley McNamaraArguing that despite popular belief death does not make usequal, Beverley McNamara shows that dying is a chaotic anduncertain process. She demonstrates that social and culturalpatterns can be found in the way we approach dying and thecare of terminally ill people. Fragile Lives is a sensitive analysisfor the social issues surrounding death.Allen & Unwin, Crows Nest NSW, 2001

8$29.95 $34.95$30.00paperbackhardbackpaperback$15.95 $27.95 $30.00paperbackpaperbackpaperbackBecome a member and save!!’Hardback at paperback price!Anthony BrowneMy DadAmazing value at only $14.95TheState LibraryShopGround Floor, State Library BuildingPerth Cultural Centre, Perth WA 6000Phone: (08) 9427 3211 Fax: (08) 9427 3215Email: shop@liswa.wa.gov.auOPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEKMon - Fri: 9.00am to 5.30pmSat & Sun: 10.00am to 5.30pm“Proudly Supporting Western Australian Publishing”