SL Magazine December 2008 - State Library of New South Wales

TAKe HOme YOUrOWN JITTerbUGFine art prints of all theBondi Jitterbug exhibitionphotographs are availablefrom the LibraryShop.the Library Shop:• specialises in Australian books, with a morecomprehensive range than other bookshops• offers one - stop shopping for gift buyers. If you ’ re goingoverseas consider our quality Australian books, prints,maps, greeting cards, photos and souvenirs.• offers an online shop which showcases Australianbooks, as well as hundreds of art prints from theLibrary ’ s pictorial, map and photographic collections• has an excellent phone - order service.When it comes to Australian books you can trust ourknow -how!OPEN 7 DAYSWeekdays 9 am – 5 pmWeekends 11 am – 5 pmGround floor, Macquarie StreetTelephone: 02 9273 1611Fax: 02 9273 1249Email: libshop@sl.nsw.gov.ausl.nsw.gov.au/shopThe Library Shop is run by the State Library of NSW.All revenue earned goes to the State Library.

contents4143From the State Librarian & Chief ExecutiveLetters4 Behind the scenes: Imaging ServicesUnclassified: An exhibition of creative work by staffState Library on Flickr first5 Our heritage revealedLiberating items from our collectionDo you know … ?66 100 years ago … the birth of rugby league7 The Great Pacific Ocean8 Bondi Jitterbug: George Caddy and his camera11 What a coincidence!12 A tale of bittersweet longing13 Jack Thompson on journals14 Tales from the Heritage Collection16 Medieval medicine: Not for the faint-hearted17 Herbals8Clockwise from top: gerbera by Lea Buchanan,featuring in Unclassifiednoëlle Janaczewska, Dorothy Lamour’s life as aphrase book, Wayzgoose Press, 2006, mRB/ F17Lewin, JW, Birds of New South Wales ... printedby g Howe, Sydney, 1813, SaFe/Q81/9Ralph Clark, Journal kept on the Friendship …entry for 26 January 1788, mL Safe 1/27ain front of a youthful audience, Wal Balmusbalances off eve Holman’s hips, supported byTim Holman in a stance known as ‘Circle andbalance’. 19 november 1939, n652australian rugby league team leaving London formanchester, 1908, Davis Sporting Collection,PXe 653, volume 67, no. 2718 Unique and significant items1218magazine 1

Clockwise from top: norman Lindsay, albert, themagic pudding, 1959, watercolour, PXD 1019/22green gables House on Prince edward islandhas become famous around the world as theinspiration for the setting of Anne of GreenGables, photo by John SylvesterA scene of courtly life, Spanish forger,c. 1890–1910 (detail) RB/mSS/97advertisement, Supertex chenillebeach robe, Australian Women’s Weekly,23 november, 1940, p. 30, (detail) SRL F/2432319 Army of volunteers2020 The Magic Pudding revisited22 Who will be Australia’s next topslam poet?23 Anne of Green Gables turns 10024 ANZAC signallers in the sands25 On this day26 Advertising an Aussie Christmas27 Cafe Trim Christmas recipe28 Fashioned for fun in the sun: Frombathers to bikinis30 Rare items: The Spanish forger31 Top 5 picks from the Library Shop32 Bryce Courtenay AM on wisdom283033 Upcoming events34 Event highlights36 Q & A with Jay Laga’aiapublished byState Library of new South WalesThe Library Council of nSW macquarie Street Sydney nSW 2000Phone 02 9273 1414 Fax 02 9273 1255editoremail library@sl.nsw.gov.auelaine Stewartwww.sl.nsw.gov.auPhone 02 9665 2329email estewart@zipworld.com.au December 2008 Vol. 1 no. 2 iSSn 1835-9787P&D 2790-11/2008 Print run 8000 (mailout 4500)Design & productionCameron emerson-elliottphotographyimaging Services, State Library of nSWPhone 02 9273 1482printingPrintpoint, BrisbanepaperSpicers impress Silk 200 and 130 gsmCoverJack Thompson, photo by Scott Wajon2 magazine

Lettersthis is your chance to drop usa line about anything you see in SLMagazine. here are some letterswe received after our first SL.Congratulations on changes to SLmagazine. There are more articles,all of them interesting, and more infoon our beloved mitchell. Hope youcan continue.Bob WilliamsAuguri! Congratulationson a fab new mag!maria Caridi (SL U35 member)Congratulations on new formatfor the SL magazine. it ’ s fantastic.Such an improvement.Best WishesVal mcKinlayCongratulations on SL — classyformat; content varied, educationaland entertaining.even had that ‘ first edition ’ thrillof fiddling with uncut pages— hot -off-the-press!Look forward to more.enjoyed The Artist’s Studio.all good wishes,Deirdre O ’ Sullivan (Library Friend)Finallyapologies to all, and especially theresidents of Cootamundra, for our errorin ' On this day ' (July SL) concerning DonBradman ’ s birthplace. it should have beenCootamundra not Bowral.and thanks to the reader who let us knowthat the anglicised name of the Russianship in ‘ On patrol in antarctica ’ (p. 5 JulySL) is maRina TSVeTaYeVa.From the state librarianlibrary updatelet me say thank you to the many readers whoFirst took the time to tell us what they thought of thefirst issue of our new look magazine. The feedback was terrificand i am delighted that you like it. We have seriously raisedexpectations and we are going to be doing our best to meetthem! Several of the comments we received are reproduced inour new Letters column (left). We welcome your comments sowe can continually enhance and evolve our flagship publication.This is another bumper issue full of weird and wonderfulstories. Our feature story unveils the talents of amateurphotographer george Caddy, who captured the exuberantposes of some very talented gymnasts on Bondi Beach in the1930s. many more of these wonderful images can be seen inour exhibition Bondi Jitterbug: George Caddy and his camerauntill 22 February 2009. and on the same theme, take a lookat the 1930s and 40s beach fashion on page 28.acclaimed actor and library supporter Jack Thompsonexplains the potency of our First Fleet journals, now available onour website. We look at the origins of medieval medicine, whichmade us wonder what we have in our herbals collection, and wecelebrate some sporting and literary centenaries.You will also be able to learn of exciting developments at theLibrary including a $10 million injection of government funds tofast track the transfer of our paper and card catalogue online,and our exciting partnership with Flickr Commons, whichenables us to share some of the highlights of our photographiccollection with anyone who has access to the internet.Stage and screen actor and popular Play School presenterJay Laga’aia tells us why he loves entertaining children and BryceCourtenay am talks about our Wisdom exhibition, and why heloves the Library.as usual, there’s plenty more to enjoy, so happy reading!regina SuttonnSW State Librarian & Chief executivemagazine 3

UnclassifiedFor the first time, more than 30 StateLibrary staff are displaying theirpersonal creative work around theLibrary, giving you a chance to seeanother side of the people who work here.We’ve called it Unclassified, a chanceto shake off the Dewey system andintroduce ourselves.Theatre posters designed by onestaff member are part of australian andoverseas museum collections. anotherinterprets sound and silence throughpainting. You’ll find photography,jewellery, paper craft, as well assculpture, woodwork, quilts and stencilson discarded skateboard decks!The exhibition is on until 1 February2009.above: Josef Stejskal, State Librarystaff member and designer oftheatre postersRight: a selection of Josef’s posters,including The Balcony (1982), are part ofan exhibition of artwork by Library staffbehind the scenes:Imaging ServicesScott Wajon capturesPhong nguyendigitising a framed oilpainting (above) andandrew Lamoreauxphotographingone of the staffcontributorsto Unclassified (right)Scott Wajon, coordinator of ourbusy imaging Services unit,took the photograph of JackThompson on the cover of this editionof SL at one of the Library’s manyevents, which, together with the Library’spublications, consume a large part ofthe unit’s time.Digitising items from the Library’svast collection and responding to clientrequests for imaging are also importantparts of their work. Digitising simplymeans using photography to capture animage electronically, but it is a keyfunction performed in-house.‘Frequently we are digitising orphotographing items from the collectionwhich have never been on public display.The items are often rare and fragile andneed to be handled sensitively, so wework closely with the collection andconservation specialists,’ Scott says.Once digitised, the items are linkedto an electronic record and many willthen go online.Library clients, such as professionalhistorians, heritage architects andfilmmakers, can pay to have collectionitems digitised. Recently, the unitprovided images of buildings andstreetscapes for australian movie HuntAngels, starring Ben mendelsohn.Then there are the unusual requests— photographer andrew Lamoreauxsatisifed one of these when he capturedsome of the remarkable artistic talents ofour staff for SL (see Unclassified above).needless to say, without the effortsof the Library’s photographers, SLwouldn’t be nearly as interesting!State Libraryon Flickr firstWe are the first library in australia topartner with Flickr Commons, an onlineinitiative which shares the collections ofcultural institutions with the publicworldwide.One hundred images of quirky andmomentous historical ‘firsts’, each witha fascinating story from australia’s past,have been provided to Flickr from ourrenowned photographic archive. They arearranged in several categories: australianwomen’s firsts, australia’s first commercialphotographer, the first australasianantarctic expedition, the opening of theSydney Harbour Bridge, as well aslandmark aviation achievements.Flickr is another way we are usingemerging technologies to share ourcollection with australians, and withpeople across the globe. Users cantag the Library’s images in their ownlanguage and leave comments, with thepotential to add exciting new informationto the collection.See: www.flickr.com/photos/statelibraryofnsw4magazine

our heritage revealedWith the collaborative support of many generous benefactors, theFoundation is close to realising its goal of digitising the 3500 wet-plateglass negatives of the Holtermann collection.From 1872 to 1875, Bernard Otto Holtermann, a successful gold miner andmerchant, commissioned Beaufoy merlin and Charles Bayliss of the american& australasian Photographic Company to document towns in nSW and Victoriato promote the colonies abroad.This internationally significant collection provides us with a documentary recordof the development of Sydney and melbourne in the latter half of the 19th centuryand, in particular, the goldfield towns of nSW and Victoria (such as Hill end andgulgong). The images are so detailed it is possible to reconstruct towns, downto the types of goods on display in shops windows and the advertising materialon shopfronts, as well as the clothing and faces of the pioneer inhabitants.although the Library has digitised versions available, they have not been ableto do justice to the level of detail captured in the original glass plate negatives.Digitising from the original negatives willnot only allow the extraordinary detail andclarity of these images to be appreciated,but will also assist in their preservation.much needed quality archival storage andconservation work can also be carried out.Thanks to many generous benefactors– in particular, graham and Charlene Bradley,geoffrey and Rachel O'Conor, Simon andCatriona mordant, and Rob Thomas for theirfundraising efforts or personal contributionsTop: William Simmons and family outside his – we are close to reaching the fundingbark hut, gulgong area, c. 1875, by aaPC Wetnecessary to complete the digitisation ofplate negative, On 4 Box 4 no 18368this magnificent collection.above: Significant funds for the digitisationinitiative have been raised by graham and if you would like to help us achieve ourCharlene Bradley through a birthday celebrationtarget, please phone the State Library of nSWfundraising endeavour, together with theirpersonal donation for a digital scanner. Foundation on (02) 9273 1593.An intimate view of Holtermann’s collectionView the world’s largest wet plate negative and other rare 19th century imagesby pioneer Bernard Holtermann, as part of our popular Out of the vaults series.each month the public is invited to take a behind-the-scenes look at rare andremarkable treasures from our world-renowned collection. Their little-knownstories and secrets are revealed by our Library experts.enjoy this Out of the vaults with alan Davies, Curator of Photographs,on Thursday 5 march in our exclusive Sir William Dixson Research Library.See: www.sl.nsw.gov.au/events/Bookings and details: (02) 9273 1770, bookings@sl.nsw.gov.auliberatingitems fromthe collectionThe nSW government’sannouncement that it was injecting$10 million towards transferringthe Library’s paper and card catalogueinto online records has generated greatexcitement.Regular users know the main wayinto our collection is via the paper orcard catalogue. in fact, 70% of ourcatalogue records are in this format.Creating electronic records for this largenumber of collection items beganseveral years ago, but the additionalfunding means we can take some giantleaps forward. The immediate prioritieswill be developing records for pictures,publications and maps.it means more of our cataloguerecords will soon be available online atthe Library’s website, from anywhere inthe world, 24 hours a day, seven daysa week. it’s all part of the plan to deliverthe Library to you, whenever andwherever you need it!Jennifer berryman, Library ServicesBelow: One of the items with a new electronicrecord — george Collingridge’s map (1906?)showing Java in the shape of a pig, asdescribed by Do Couto in 1570, z/Ce90/9do you know ...?if you have a question that you thinkwe can help you with then call ourTelephone inquiry Service. it operatesmonday to Friday from 9 am to 5 pm.Just phone 02 9273 1414 and ask forthe Telephone inquiry Service.alternatively, you can use our onlineinquiry form or chat to a librarian on thelive reference service AskNow at www.sl.nsw.gov.au/services/ask/index.html.magazine 5

100 years ago ...the birth of rugby leagueabove: South Sydney, 1908premiers, Tom Brock Collection,TB 96 no. 6Below: The first rule book of thesport in australia, eS marks 730At the dawn of the twentiethcentury, rugby union was Sydney’sdominant sport. Bumper crowdsturned out to cheer their teams in themetropolitan Rugby Union competition,which started in 1900, pitting local teamsagainst rivals from suburbs around theinner city. However, while the sport’sgoverning bodies were making handsomeprofits, particularly from representativematches between nSW and Queensland,new zealand and great Britain, fewplayers saw any of the proceeds. Theywere not compensated for time off work,and many players felt the pinch.it was in this environment that thenSW Rugby League (nSWRL) wasformed in 1907. By offering greaterfinancial rewards to players, and luring starunion player Dally messenger to theLeague, the new competition enhanced itsappeal. in 1908, the nSWRL encouragedclubs to form all over Sydney and addednewcastle for the inaugural competition.South Sydney won that year’s premiershipand went on to win another 19premierships in the 20th century.at the end of the first season thetradition of ‘Kangaroo tours’ began whenan australian team was chosen to tourgreat Britain.For rugby league enthusiasts themitchell Library is home to the eS marksSporting Collection, which contains acopy of the game’s first rule book; theDavis Sporting Collection, which includesphotographs from the 1908 great Britaintour by australia’s representative team,the Kangaroos, and the Tom BrockCollection, with its particular focus onthe South Sydney club.australia hosts the Rugby LeagueWorld Cup this year, and, to coincide,these treasures are on display in themitchell Library vestibule.andy Carr, Reader Servicesin 2006, andy Carr was awarded a State Librarian’s Staff Fellowship to describe,index and rehouse the Davis Sporting Collection no. 1. The catalogue recordsfor this fascinating collection of sporting ephemera, which link to detailedcontents lists and an index, can be viewed on the State Library catalogue.6magazine

the Great Pacific OceanThe distinctive crescent-shape of the east coast of australia represents much to australians — real estate, home and holidays. Yet until James Cook’s HmS Endeavour surveyed it in 1770, the east coast was a blank on european maps.It was not until march 1772 that the eastcoast of australia and the completeislands of new zealand were publishedon an engraved map, The Great PacificOcean, commissioned by Joseph Banks.after the first voyage, Banks andCook conceived a second expedition totry and establish once and for all theexistence or otherwise of a greatSouthern Continent. The issue, as Cooknoted in the introduction to A voyagetowards the South Pole … (1777), waswhether:The unexplored parts of theSouthern Hemisphere be only animmense mass of water, or containanother continent, as speculativegeography seemed to suggest …in February 1772, Cook outlined hisproposal for the exploration of theSouthern Ocean to the admiralty, usinga manuscript map, which indicated hisintension to circumnavigate the polarregion at the 60th parallel.at the same time, Bankscommissioned London engraver JohnBayly to engrave The Great PacificOcean. Both maps demonstrated whathad been achieved on the first voyageand what needed to be explored in theSouthern Ocean. However, The GreatPacific Ocean was not to be a navigationtool, but rather a marketing device, tobuild support for the proposed voyage.While 100 copies of The GreatPacific Ocean were printed only twohave survived. The Library recentlyacquired one of these. interestingly, onthe Library’s version, the words ‘newSouth Wales’ are squeezed into thelower east coast and Tasmania. Theoriginal copper plate is now in thenatural History museum, London. Thefinal version of the plate corrected thisproblem by stretching these words downthe full length of the coast.although Banks withdrew fromthe second voyage, copies of the mapdid travel on the HmS Resolution.although eventually discarded, Cookinitially proposed to use the map,embellished, as the frontispiece to thepublished account of the voyage.The east coast of australia was notpublicly revealed until november 1772,when Samuel Dunn published his mapScientia terrarum et coelorum. This wasthe first commercially available mapto include the discoveries of Cook’sfirst voyage.The Great Pacific Ocean representsin a very tangible way the beginning ofaustralia as we now know it, and is anexciting addition to the Library’s strongexploration and discovery collections.richard Neville, Mitchell Librarianabove: John BaylyThe Great Pacific Ocean, 1772m2 910/1772/2Left: Samuel DunnScientia terrarum et coelorum[cartographic material]; or theheavens and earth astronomicallyand geographically delineated …1772, zm4 000/1772/1magazine 7

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Feature StOryRoya geale puts on a spectaculardisplay of flexibility and balance,similar to a pose struck byprofessional adagio dancers.5 January 1941. n889Bondi Jitterbug:George Caddy andhis cameraBondi Beach has always been a theatre for theostentatious. These days, it’s hard to escape buffedbody builders, beach volleyball, capoeira 1 and otherdisplays of physical prowess on australia’s mostfamous beach. However, in the 1930s and 1940s,the more physically fit entertained beach crowdswith ‘beachobatics’ or clever gymnastic displayson the sand.The best shows were said to be staged by members of the graham men’sgymnastic Club, one of the 30 or so gymnasiums in Sydney, before World War ii.Beachobatics would be unknown today, however, if it weren’t for the amateurphotography of Bondi resident george Caddy. george took his camera to the beachon weekends and not only recorded parading lifesavers and leisure seekers wearingthe latest beach fashions, but also photographed the astonishing gymnastic featsof his friends.most of george’s negatives were unpublished and remained undisturbed in ashoe box for 40 years. When he died in 1983, his son Paul retrieved them from aflat in maroubra, but the box of negatives disappeared among his father’s unsortedpossessions. it was another two decades before their significance was realised.The box contained almost 130 stunning photographs of beachobatics, allcarefully dated, often to the day. george clearly knew the graham gymnasts welland photographed some of them over several years. alf Stanbrough, who usuallyappeared as the strongman supporting his fellow gymnasts, was photographed from1936 to 1941. Born in 1883, he was a local builder who had served in the Boer War.The best known of george’s subjects was Wal Balmus, a professional strongmanand equilibrist 2 , who had achieved fame as Tarzan in the Tarzan’s grip adhesive logo.His handstands and daring feats of balance, from buildings high above Sydney’sstreets, were the subject of articles in Pix magazine. not all of his beach subjects,however, were gymnasts. Dancers, friends and casual acquaintances all posedfor his camera.george Caddy was a schoolboy when he moved with his family from melbourneto a modest cottage in Bennett Street, Bondi. By 1936, he was employed as a paperpattern-cutter for the Australian Home Journal, in Kent Street in the city. Dancing andphotography were his hobbies and he pursued them enthusiastically between 1936and 1941.1 a Brazilian martial arts ‘dance’2 Someone who practises balancing in unnatural positions and hazardous movements, such as a rope-dancermagazine 9

Feature StOryabove: in this complex groupbalance, max Stewart, CharlieLusty, Frank Cottier and Jackgoldberg hand-balance off TimHolman, Vic Whitehead and KenCumming, supported by alfStanbrough in the white cap.8 October 1939. n586Below: a magnesium flash ongeorge’s camera froze the twinbackflips by these two gymnastsmid-air, and illuminated the sandsuspended beneath them.4 October 1936. n144By 1941, he was described as one ofaustralia’s leading jitterbug dancers, andwas photographed in both The DailyMirror and Sunday Telegraph. at thattime, it was estimated that there were5000 jitterbug dancers in Sydney.george won many of the dance contestsheld every Saturday night at the famousTrocadero in george Street. One of hispartners in 1941 was mavis Lang, aformer australian jitterbug champion.at that time, george’s photographywas not as well-known as his dancing,but between 1938 and 1942 some of hisimages of beach acrobats had appearedin Health and Physical Culture. georgeseems to have been a self-taughtphotographer, whose earliest effortswon prizes in the junior (under 16 years)section of the monthly competitionsheld by the magazine AustralasianPhoto-Review.nevertheless, george was sooninfluenced by overseas photographicpublications, and, like max Dupain beforehim, embraced modernist photography.From 1936, his photographs displayedthe hard shadows, raking light andunusual viewpoints of the newGeorge Caddy’s precious negatives are the only record we have of the beach gymnastsphotographic aesthetic. He converted hisfront room to a studio and tookHollywood-style portraits using anassortment of homemade floodlights,fashioned from tin cans.10 magazine

george’s outwardly carefree lifeceased with the outbreak of World War ii.He enlisted in the army and spent theyears 1941 to 1945 as a gunner in aheavy anti-aircraft battery, stationed nearBrisbane. although he returned to hisformer occupation as a paper patterncutterin 1946, he does not seem to havereturned to dancing or photography.This may be explained by his marriagein 1943 to Betty York and the birth of hisson, Paul, the following year. it appearsthat family obligations simply curtailedhis previous interests.it is providential then, that a selectionof his Bondi negatives and the newspaperarticles about dancing survived theirLeft: alf Stanbrough andanother gymnast throw BonnieHawkins to the catcher, in adangerous adagio movementcalled ‘Flight of a bird’. Perfecttiming was essential.22 September 1940. n889Below left: george Caddyand mavis Lang shockedmore sedate dancers at theTrocadero with this jitterbugdisplay. mavis taught tapdancingand was an australianjitterbug champion. 1941six-decade confinement in a shoe box.For his son Paul, the tabloid images ofgeorge as a jitterbug champion were acomplete surprise. He knew his fatherhad been involved in photography, ashe’d seen cameras, magazines andsome loose prints of beach acrobaticswhen he was young, but he was amazedat the cache of negatives.george Caddy’s precious negativesare the only record we have of the beachgymnasts who entertained crowds onBondi Beach in the 1930s and 1940s.They are a remarkable documentation bya gifted amateur, reminding us not onlyof the popularity of physical culture atthat time, and the iconic status of BondiBeach, but also of the ability of thecamera to capture the ephemeral natureof our changing society.alan Davies, Curator of Photographswww.sl.nsw.gov.au/events/exhibitionsBondi Jitterbug is on at the State Library until22 February 2009. Fine art prints of all theexhibition photographs are available from theLibrary Shop for $295 or $450 framed (size:40.5 x 40.5 cm on a 50.5 x 50.5 cm sheet).alan Davies and george Caddy’scamera, photo by alan DaviesWhat acoincidence!a remarkable coincidence cameto light during the making of thisexhibition, involving one of georgeCaddy’s cameras and the Library’sown Curator of Photographs,alan Davies.george Caddy’s son, Paul, wholives in Tasmania, had been providingalan with scans of his father’snegatives when one arrived whichincluded george’s studio camera.it was a rare and very distinctive1870s Dallmeyer wet plate studiocamera on a wheeled tripod … andit looked remarkably like the one thathad been sitting in alan’s living roomat home for over 20 years!alan was convinced that theywere one and the same, but heneeded proof.in 1984, alan had gone to acamera auction to buy a 1960sKodak camera, but he came upempty-handed.‘i had money burning a hole inmy pocket so i ended up purchasingthis rather nice wood and brasscamera. i thought it would make anornament in the living room’, he says.alan rang the auction houseto see if they still had details of theprovenance of the camera, and notonly did they confirm that it had beensold by someone who lived at thetime in mittagong (Paul’s formerhome), but that it had belonged tosomeone ‘who used to take pictureson Bondi Beach’.By a delightful coincidence,george Caddy’s camera had endedup in the home of the person whowas to one day curate the exhibitionof his amazing photos.magazine 11

abittersweettale oflongingOh, that if you was only here and ourdear boy, my alicia, i should not wishto come home if the place agreedwith our health — but without you,i would not stay if it was the bestplace under the face of heaven.no, that i would not, my dearbeloved wife, for without you,i cannot live.Ralph ClarkPort Jackson27 January 1788The devotion of Betsey alicia’shusband, Ralph Clark, a marinewho had travelled with the FirstFleet on board the Friendship on itsvoyage in may 1787, was sorely tested,as this entry in his journal reveals.Clark’s is one of only 11 survivinghandwritten First Fleet journals and nineof these are in the State Library’scollection and now available online.Clarke’s wife of less than three years,Betsey alicia, and his toddler son Ralph,were not permitted to accompany himon the voyage and the first part of hisjournal is filled with yearning for her, andsentimental references to kissing herportrait each day. eventually, to preservehis sanity, he limits the occasions hekisses her portrait to only once onSundays.On 23 June 1787, his third weddinganniversary, and only weeks outof england, he writes ‘ … the onlyhappiness i have is the kissing of mydear Betseys dear Picture and little Boyshair that she sent’.For Clark, his wife is the antithesisof the ‘damned whores’ — the convictwomen — who surround him, ‘They area disgrace to their Whole Sex’ he writes,‘Bitches that they are i wish allthe Women Were out of the Ship’.Yet Ralph Clark was enraptured asthe Fleet sailed through the Heads andinto Sydney Cove on 26 January 1788:... blessed be to god that we havegot Safe to an anchor in one of thefinest harbours in the world — inever Saw any like it … port Jacksonis the most beautiful place …in march 1788, Clark’s diary endsabruptly only weeks into his stay atSydney Cove. We know in the ensuingperiod that he learned some locallanguage, for his journal is scattered withindigenous words. He was also givenpermission to cultivate a vegetablegarden on the Harbour island that stillWilliam Bradley, ‘View in PortJackson from the South Headleading up to Sydney; Supply sailingin’ from A Voyage to New SouthWales, December 1786 – may 1792;compiled 1802+ , mL Safe 1/1412magazine

Left: William Bradley, ‘Part of the Reefin Sydney Bay, norfolk island, onwhich the Sirius was wreck’d,19 march 1790’ from A Voyage to NewSouth Wales, December 1786 – may1792; compiled 1802+ , mL Safe 1/14Below: Ralph Clark, Journal kept onthe Friendship during a voyage toBotany Bay and norfolk island …1787–1792, entry for 26 January 1788,mL Safe 1/27aJack Thompson, photo by Scott Wajonbears his name, but abandoned it whenhis crops were repeatedly stolen.in February 1789 he was promotedto First Lieutenant in new South Walesand on 17 February 1790, Clark wasordered to norfolk island where he wasamong those stranded on the island bythe wrecking of the Sirius.in august 1790, with the arrival atnorfolk island of ships from the SecondFleet, carrying supplies and bringingmail, including letters from Betsey alicia,he records ‘my beloved wife … thatShe and my dear little fellow are well …i Return my Betsey a thousand thanksfor her Kind letters’.in november 1791, Clark finally leftnorfolk island and returned to Sydney.among those who also left the island atthis time were a 20-year-old convictwoman named mary Branham and herfour-month-old baby daughter. The babywas named alicia and her father wasRalph Clark.Homeward bound, Clark’s journalcloses on 17 June 1792, waiting to gointo Plymouth. His reunion with Betseyalicia and his son, now seven-years-old,is not recorded. Sadly, tragedy was tofollow. in early 1794, Betsey alicia died inchildbirth; the child was stillborn. Clarkwas fatally wounded in service on18 June and his nine-year-old son, avolunteer on the same ship as his father,died of yellow fever on 29 June 1794.apart from his daughter, alicia, aboutwhom we know nothing, Ralph Clark’sfamily was gone. His journal, a fairlymodest one, contained in four smallvolumes, passed to Betsey alicia’sfamily. in 1914, it was offered for sale byher great-nephew and was acquired bythe mitchell Library.What makes Ralph Clark’s journal soriveting is that over 200 years later weknow the significance of the events hedescribes — the colonisation of a newland — but we see it in the context of hisvery personal story; a man manythousands of miles from home, in astrange land, separated from those heholds most dear.Louise anemaat, Original MaterialsSee the First Fleet journals online at:www.sl.nsw.gov.au/discover_collections/history_nation/terra_australis/journals/index.htmlJack thompsonon journalsOn the eve of launching the FirstFleet Journals at the State Library on28 July, actor Jack Thompson spoketo 702 ABC Sydney’s DeborahCameron. This is an edited transcriptof his remarks.‘There is something about journalsas opposed to a narrative subsequentlywritten — it’s immediate, it’s right thereand then, it’s day by day … even themost conscientiously abstract journals,like Banks' journal, is full of that sense ofimmediacy, that sense of surprise andwonder at this new extraordinary world.it’s not just a piece of writing — it’san artefact. it’s like holding in your handthe slipper that was worn by a child200 years ago.When i went to the mitchellLibrary [during the making of the SBSseries Who do you think you are?] —because my forebears had beenassociated with the ownership ofJoseph Banks’ journal — the journalwas brought out. i had to wearspecial white gloves, and speciallyaccess this thing, which is now madeavailable online.When i sat down in front of thishandwritten piece and recognisedthat i was looking at the journal of theman who sailed with Cook, who gavethe name Banksia to a whole range ofplants — it’s a really extraordinaryfeeling. There is a sense that youhave touched another time.i have to say that the [Library’s]website is fabulous. anyoneinterested in the origins of europeansettlement here — the interaction ofthe first europeans — have it firsthandavailable to them, right there infront of them.’magazine 13

tales From the herItaGe COLLeCtIOnLabours oflove: artists’booksWhat do Hollywood glamour girlDorothy Lamour, 1970sockerisms and the provocativeDada movement of the earlytwentieth century have incommon? They are all exploredin the beautifully crafted, thoughtprovokingand sumptuous tactiledelights of the nSW basedWayzgoose Press.it’s hard to define whether these Janaczewska’s play set in a one-star in this hilarious romp of word explosions,labours of love are book arts or artists’ Kings Cross hotel room. This vibrant, leaping off the concertina pagesbooks, but it is agreed they are limited curious, lavish portfolio, which took two alongside arresting linocut imagesedition works of art expressed in book years to complete, mimics theatrical in vibrant primary colours.format, in which the text and the images conventions with each of its 11 fold-out Dada kampfen um leben und todare of equal importance.pages presented as a stage in the tiny (Dada’s life and death struggle) is aContemporary artists’ books have hotel room.witty prose poem by performance poettheir origins in the innovative european Ockers depicts performance poet Jas H Duke, which chronicles the historypublishing traditions of the late nine- Pi O’s satirical narrative of the crass and philosophy of Dadaism. Duke’s wordsteenth century, and in the alternative antics of the 1970s aussie bloke. The scream off the page — ‘COnFROnT THepublishing movements of the 1960s and title of the book stands out in bold red SPiRiT OF THe Time’ — as the riveting1970s. The books experiment with letters, like a squirt of tomato sauce typographical interpretation of the poemsubject, form, technique and materials. dripping down the yellow cascades down a concertina of 50 foldedDorothy Lamour’s life as a phrasebook finds the 1940s starlet, maroonedand disoriented as a solo performer,rather than a movie star, in noëllecloth cover of the handmadebox. Bazza mcKenzie andalvin Purple both appearpages, extending eight metres. Publishedin 1996, the 34 copies sold rapidlyfollowing wide international acclaim.in an era of online books anddigitised images, these artists’ booksoffer an exciting, refreshingly alternative,tactile experience.gwenda Johnston, Reader Servicesabove: noëlle Janaczewska,Dorothy Lamour’s life as a phrasebook, Katoomba, nSW, WayzgoosePress, 2006, mRB/ F17Left: george alexander (1949–),Orpheus through the rear-visionmirror, Katoomba, nSW, WayzgoosePress [2002], mL F821.914/914m agaz i ne

Small but preciousight cabinets of Queensland maple,1.3 metres high and more eeachthan three metres long house themost comprehensive collection of nSWstamps currently available to the public,and they are located in the State Library.included in the collection are treasuressuch as the 1850 ‘Sydney Views’ and thelaureate issues of 1851–56, featuring aportrait of Queen Victoria.The collection, which includesstamps from new South Wales, Westernaustralia, Queensland and Tasmania,was generously donated by HL Whitebetween 1917 and 1922. The Whitefamily owned Belltrees, near Sconeand edinglassie in the Hunter Valley, innorthern new South Wales. Henry LukeWhite (1860–1927) or ‘HL’ (as he wasknown to his family), was the oldestbrother and became manager of Belltrees.above: 1d (Sydney view), new South Wales government Printing Office, 1850, printed postage stamp, HL White stamp collection, slide 2Left: One of eight cabinets of Queensland maple housing HL White’s stamp collection, photo by andrew LamoreauxWhite was born at anambah, nearmaitland, and went to the goulburnSchool, garoorigang, in 1875. Hebegan collecting postage stamps asa schoolboy at the age of 11, but it wasnot until the late 1890s that he beganseriously and systematically collectingstamps.Perhaps the most valuable item inhis collection is a West australian stamp— the Inverted Swan. Only 14 of thisstamp are known to exist in the worldtoday. When this sheet of stampswas printed, the frame was mistakenlyinverted.The collection also includes a sheetof the one penny (1d) stamp, whichWhite perforated during a visit to thegovernment Printing Office in 1906,as well as many other rarities, essays,proofs, overprinted stamps, completesheets and stamps with printing errors.This remarkable collection can beviewed by making an appointment withOriginal materials Branch.arthur easton, Original MaterialsAll hail to Johnson TheOne hundred years ago, an epic Boxing Day battlebetween a world champion boxer and his african–american challenger focused international attention onSydney. it was 26 December 1908 and the city was playinghost to the world’s heavyweight boxing championship. Twentythousand Sydneysiders flocked to the newly opened SydneyStadium at Rushcutters Bay to witness the bout betweenworld champion Tommy Burns of Canada and african–american Jack Johnson. another forty thousand gatheredoutside to hear the results of the fight.This was a ground-breaking fight, since it signalled theabolition of the unwritten law that prevented white professionalboxers from taking on black opponents.Johnson, much taller, heavier and stronger than Burns,dominated the fight. He inflicted such a beating on hisopponent that police stopped the fight in the fourteenth round.The bout captured the popular imagination of australia —and indeed the world — thanks to the commercially-releasedfilm of the fight. Legendary american novelist Jack London,reporting for the New York Herald and the Australian Star,declared ‘all hail to Johnson’, despite wanting Burns to win.He instigated the search for a ‘great white hope’ to wrest thechampionship from Jack Johnson’s grasp. it took another eightyears, however, before Johnson lost the title.Sydney Stadium soon became Sydney’s iconic venue forboxing and for professional wrestling contests; and later forconcerts, most notably the Beatles in 1964.andy Carr, Reader ServicesBelow: advertisement for the worldheavyweight boxing match in Sydney,Referee, 9 December,1908, p. 7magazine 15

medieval medicine:not for the faint-heartedDr Carmel Bendon Davisrecently gave anentertaining talk at theLibrary about medievalmedicine, whichoriginated withHippocrates andaristotle, but wascommunicated to theWest through thewritings of galen.Here she recounts howeach person had apredominant ‘humour’and the terribleconsequences of one’shumour being out ofbalance!Falling ill in the middle ages was arisky business — the treatmentswere frequently more odious thanthe disease. Take, for example, theremedy for jaundice offered by Hildegardof Bingen, the 12th century Rhinelandvisionary. She advised sufferers to weara stunned bat (yes, of the flying kind)around their neck until the bat expired.To our modern sensibilities thisrecommendation seems useless at best,but it was a treatment entirely consistentwith the medieval understanding ofhuman physiology and illness.That understanding originated withHippocrates (460–377BC) and aristotle(384–324BC), but was developed,refined and transmitted to the Westvia the writings of galen (129–216aD),whose approach dominated the theoryand practice of medicine throughout themiddle ages.galenism regarded the humanbody as a microcosm of the vastmacrocosm of the known universe,which was believed to be made up offour elements: earth, fire, water and air.all things — animate and inanimate —were composed of various combinationsof these elements and of their contraries:cold, hot, moist and dry.Particular combinations of anytwo of the contraries produced ineach and every person one of fourmain complexions or temperaments,and an accompanying predominantbodily fluid (humour). For example, thecombination of hot and moist contrariesresulted in a sanguine temperamentand a predominance of blood inthe system; hot and dry contrariesproduced a choleric temperamentand a predominance of yellow bile; acold and dry combination resulted ina melancholic temperament and anaccompanying abundance of black bile,while a cold and moist mixture produceda phlegmatic individual, in possession ofa generous amount of phlegm.illness was understood to be adisturbance in a patient’s predominatinghumour, therefore the treatment aimedto restore the humeral balance. anoverabundance of blood in the system,Potatus or Potatoes from The Herballor Generall Historie of Plantes,John gerarde, 1597, mRB/ Q580/ gfor example, was often treated by theapplication of leeches. Herbs, with theirown particular humeral qualities, werea popular treatment, as was carefulattention to the patient’s diet. Cookedapples, for example, were consideredto be very beneficial for the sick, anda salve made from apple leaves wasgood for the eyes. The tansy herb wasfavoured as a treatment for catarrh,while a brew of comfrey, marigold, wildsage and yarrow was recommended toease the pain associated with bruising,following trauma.a physician would diagnose anillness by observing variations inthe colour, odour, appearance andconsistency of the patient’s excreta.The pulse was also thoroughly checked,and described according to suchvariables as strength and rhythm.if a patient had sustained an injury, orwas suffering from an ailment that couldnot be treated with herbs, purgativesor dietary adjustments, surgery wassometimes performed. This was perilousindeed given the total ignorance ofgerms. The possibility of a fatal infectionfollowing surgery was high.anaesthetics, too, were unknownand medieval patients had to undergoeverything from cataract surgery16magazine

herbalsto haemorrhoid removal and evenamputation with the assistance oflittle more than alcohol, mandragoraor, sometimes, opium. and, notabove right: Title page, TheHerball or Generall Historie ofuncommonly, it was the local barber Plantes, John gerarde, 1597,who filled the surgeon’s role because mRB/ Q580/ gof his (or her) skill with the blade.it makes wearing a stunned batseem rather mild after all!Dr Carmel bendon Davisabove: The Wound man or typicalbattle wounds from Feldtbuch derWundartzney, Hans von gersdorff,1517, mRB/ Q617.99/ gDr Carmel Bendon Davis is the coordinator of the newOnline Learning Community at the Broken Bay institute,Sydney. Carmel writes and lectures on ‘all things medieval’for both general and academic audiences. Her latest book,Mysticism and space, was published earlier this year.The State Library has a significantnumber of printed herbals whichdescribe the appearance, medicinaland culinary uses of plants. While theearliest known manuscripts on herbsand their uses date back to theancient greek and egyptiancivilisations, the earliest herbal in theLibrary’s collection was printed inVenice in 1499.One of the many english herbals inthe collection is the first edition of Johngerard’s famous Herball, published in1597. John gerard (1545–1612) wasa barber surgeon, a gardener and acollector of rare plants. The Herballwas not all gerard’s work. He obtaineda manuscript translation of a workby Dodoens, added some additionalobservations on the uses of the plants,and published the work as his own.gerard’s Herball was a landmarkin botanical publishing and includedthe first illustration of the potato —one of the most important plantsto come from the new World. Thebook contains about 1800 woodcuts;nearly all had appeared in earlierpublications. The herbal also includesan account of the goose tree orBarnacle tree. This curious tree bearsa fruit that drops a substance intowater … which becomes a fowl orbarnacle goose!Maggie patton, Reader Servicesmagazine 17

Lewin, JW, Birds of New SouthWales with their natural history,printed by g Howe, Sydney, 1813,SaFe/Q81/9unique and significanta comparatively small number of precious itemsin our collection contribute a great deal to itstotal value – in excess of $1.88 billion. Thehighlights of the Library’s rare printed books,pictorial, manuscript and maps collections havebeen described as ‘unique and significant’because of their cultural importance to thenation and their commercial value.18magazine

These items are as diverse as JohnWilliam Lewin’s 1813 volume Birdsof New South Wales with theirnatural history, the first illustrated bookprinted and published in australia onnatural history; the first volume of poetryever published in australia — BarronField’s First fruits of Australian poetry(1819); and a catalogue containingspecimens of the cloth which CaptainJames Cook collected on his threevoyages to the South Pacific, between1768 and 1779.each year, the State Library of nSWFoundation provides an annual grant tothe Library. in the last financial year thesefunds were used to provide enhancedelectronic records for the items in this‘unique and significant’ category, therebymaking them accessible online to anational and international audience.in fact, when the project was recentlycompleted, staff had completed around500 e-records for 775 volumes of printedbooks; 640 records for original materialscollections with a total of 3500 items,and updates for 320 records, includinglinking 95 online finding aids for originalmaterials icons.as well, specialised conservationtreatments were also provided for 1644valuable and rare items, includingSchloss’s English bijou almanac for 1841— a book just 11 mm x 21 mm and, bycontrast, the mammut folios (or elephantplates) of the Description de l’Égypte,measuring 1 m x 0.81 m. The latterfeatures superb engraved plates of thenatural history, landscapes, monumentsand antiquities documented duringnapoleon’s egyptian campaign from1798 to 1801.Thanks to the work of theFoundation, and, in particular, thegenerosity of the Library’s committeddonors, benefactors and partners, it willbe able to showcase many more of itsgreat treasures online.above left: interior of the Temple of Hathoror Temple de l’ Ouest, from Description del’Égypte … Planches, Antiquities, Tome 2,Plate 37, 1809 – [1828], RB/ BX932a/ 49above: A catalogue of the differentspecimens of cloth collected in the threevoyages of Captain Cook, to the southernhemisphere with a particular account of themanner of manufacturing the same in thevarious islands of the south seas ... printedfor alexander Shaw, London, 1787DSm/C525an army ofvolunteersWe are incredibly fortunate to have anarmy of volunteers ready to take onany challenge. They act as tourguides and exhibition hosts; speak tocommunity groups; sort ephemera,and help to transcribe some of theLibrary’s most precious journals.Volunteers margaret Broadfoot andJacqueline Lamprecht have both beeninvolved with transcribing the Library’sFirst Fleet journals, now available online.margaret Broadfoot transcribedFirst Fleeter Jacob nagle’s journal.nagle was a 20-year-old seamanon board the HmS Sirius and wrotehis journal 40 years after the eventshe describes. margaret says shedidn’t find the journal particularly hard.‘The spelling was rather strange.There are no full stops and there arelots of unnecessary capitals, but themeaning was always clear.’Jacqueline Lamprecht workedremotely from the gold Coast onWilliam Bradley’s journal. Bradley wasFirst Lieutenant on board HmS Sirius.Bradleys Point, on the northernHarbour shore, was named after him.Jacqueline says his journal wasfull of naval and navigationterminology, but ‘i was used to that.i had worked on matthew Flinders’journal’, but she was also impressedshe says, ‘that he had the ability toinclude watercolors in his journal’.Because of the valuable work ofvolunteers like margaret andJacqueline, and the 160 othervolunteers at the Library, the manydelights of the Library are beingrevealed to a much wider audience.Below: Volunteer transcribers margaret Broadfoot(left) and Helen Breekveldt with some of the FirstFleet journals, ©newspix, Ross SchultzJoin our Friends programWe collect and preserve printed and visual records of our developing and diverseculture, including many rare and beautiful objects, paintings and maps.make friends with the Library and discover more about our treasures througha fascinating calendar of events, lectures, tours, publications and exhibitions.Contact the Foundation on 02 9273 1593.To receive @ the Library or to register for our e-newsletterphone: 02 9273 1770.magazine 19

The MagicPudding revisitedThe recent acquisition of a set of 40 MagicPudding watercolours by norman Lindsay hasgiven the Library an unsurpassed record of thisdelightful children’s book, which is 70-years-oldthis year.above: norman Lindsay, albert,the magic pudding, 1959,watercolour, PXD 1019/22Below: norman Lindsay, BillBarnacle (pudding owner), 1959,watercolour, PXD 1019/16Opposite: norman Lindsay, BunyipBluegum, 1959, watercolour,PXD 1019/24as part of the bequest of Sir William Dixson, the Library has held thecomplete set of Lindsay’s original 1918 drawings for The Magic Puddingsince 1952.The newly acquired watercolours were produced by Lindsay, in 1959,in response to a proposal by Peter Scriven, artistic director of the marionetteTheatre of australia, to produce a Magic Pudding puppet show.after Scriven presented his ideas, the author/artist responded by sketchinga special set of characters to help Scriven create his puppets. The inauguralperformance of Scriven’s puppet version of The Magic Pudding took place in1960 and included 23 characters in three acts.Scriven's marionette puppets had first appeared on stage in 1956. Hewent on to form the marionette Theatre of australia in 1965 specifically toproduce large-scale, elaborate puppet shows emphasising australian themes.The Magic Pudding was one of its earliest and most frequent performances.Unfortunately, Scriven’s first puppets for The Magic Pudding were among350 puppets destroyed in a fire that swept through a Botany storage facility in1969. Several generations of Magic Pudding puppets, based on Lindsay’sdrawings, have since been produced for new productions.The Magic Pudding was norman Lindsay’s first children’s book. it wasinspired by his belief that children preferred food to fairies when it came toreading matter. His theory was that infantile concepts of happiness are basedon the belly. Hence, the main protagonist in his book was a cantankerouspudding, which can never be eaten up and is constantly pursued byprofessional pudding thieves.When it was published in 1918, with the larrikin exuberance of its language(including australian slang), its large format, and the magic ingredient ofLindsay’s distinctive illustrations, The Magic Pudding marked a new era inaustralian books for children.Yet Lindsay bemoaned the success of The Magic Pudding following itspublication by angus & Robertson. Presented as a limited edition art book,Lindsay worried that it harmed his reputation as a serious artist, and thatparents would be discouraged from buying an expensive book for theirchildren. Despite his reservations, the book was an outstanding success.We are fortunate to be able to show the span of Lindsay’s ideas for thischildren’s classic over 40 years, from the inception of The Magic Pudding in1918, to 1959, when Lindsay invested new life in his much loved charactersand gave them another ‘stage’ on which they could perform.Louise anemaat, Original Materialswww.sl.nsw.gov.au/events/exhibitionsthe watercolour paintings of The Magic Pudding characters are on exhibitionat the Library from 15 December 2008 to 29 March 2009.20magazine

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Who will beaustralia’snext topslam poet?The electric, verse hurling, spokenwordswirling, live event that is thepoetry slam is back!Last year’s inaugural Australian Poetry Slam created anamazing buzz in libraries and other cultural spaces where600 contestants competed for $5000 and the coveted title.The Australia Poetry Slam 08, a State Library of nSW andWord Travels joint initiative, came with a clear warning —poetry slams are infectious!Word spread quickly throughout nSW, with local librariesand poetry venues in Katoomba, Tamworth, Orange, Dubbo,Wagga Wagga, Lismore, newcastle, Kempsey, Wollongong,Parramatta and Sydney, hosting 11 of the 40 slam heats heldthroughout australia, between august and november.Professional spoken-word artists miles merrill, Tug Dumblyand Lachlan Williams were on hand as mCs to help unearththe state’s best talent to compete in the state final at the StateLibrary on 21 november.For the second consecutive year, the Caledonia Foundationgot behind the slam, and this year aBC Local Radio signed onas the official radio partner, ensuring the words of aspiringpoets were heard in all corners of the country. The StateLibrarian co-created this important initiative to promote literacyin young people.The nationwide search for the Australian Poetry Slam 08champion culminates at the Sydney Opera House Studio on4 December, when the top two performers from each stateand territory go before a live audience to be judged.all slam finalists will be given a microphone and just twominutes to perform their original poem. Five lucky audiencemembers, selected at random, then get to judge eachcompetitor and give a score out of 10.Only the middle three scores are counted to avoid inflatedor understated marks from girlfriends and boyfriends or jiltedlovers, respectively!Stay tuned for our next issue to see who wins theAustralian Poetry Slam for 2008.Vanessa bond, Media & CommunicationsA winning performanceHannah Day only learned about theSlam Poetry heat at Tamworth twohours before it kicked off, but herperformance at the event hasguaranteed her a place at the statefinal. as the runner - up in the heat witha poem about ‘ relationships ’, Hannahand Robert Tindall (winner of the heat),will now compete with other finalistsfrom around the state at the Library on21 november.Originally from Sydney, Hannah, 27,has been living in Tamworth for the lastthree years. She juggles nursingtraining with three children, but alsofinds time to write poetry, and write andperform her own songs.‘ i have been writing poetry since iwas 14 and i really enjoy it. Writingpoetry is what got me into songwriting. ’‘ i ’ m also interested in performancepoetry and i would like to try andintegrate the two. i think it would makemy singing richer. ’Hannah says her poems are abouta mix of things — relationships, politicaland social issues, her children andbeautiful days. ‘ Poetry is an art form —it ’ s a way of expressing our culture. ’She ’ s excited by the prospect ofheading to Sydney in november forthe state final. ‘ i just want to do aswell as i can. ’The top two performers from nSWwill compete against those from theother states and territories at the SlamPoetry final on 4 December.22magazine

Anne of Green Gables turns 100Susannah Fullerton, a popular speaker at theLibrary, revisits one of the classics of children’sliterature, Anne of Green Gables, which this yearcelebrates its centenary of publication.early in 1908 Lucy maudmontgomery wrote to her publisher‘Don’t stick up your ears now,imagining that the great Canadian novelhas been written at last’. How wrong shewas! Her novel, Anne of Green Gables,featuring the delightful redheadedorphan anne Shirley, is now the mostfamous Canadian novel of all time, andthis year it turns 100.Within a few months of its publicationin June 1908, it was clear that the33-year-old montgomery had a bestselleron her hands. in five months it hadrun to six editions. Reviews poured in —the new York American thought thestory idyllic. mark Twain wrote tocongratulate maud, as she was known,on creating ‘the dearest, and mostlovable child in fiction since the immortalalice’. Both British Prime minister StanleyBaldwin and Labour’s Ramsaymacdonald were fans. The New YorkTimes was one of only a few critics,describing anne as ‘a bore’.The book’s success demandedsequels and there were many — Anneof Avonlea, Chronicles and Furtherchronicles of Avonlea (more about thetownship than about anne herself), Anneof the island, Anne’s house of dreams,Rainbow Valley and Rilla of Ingleside(probably the best novel ever writtenabout women waiting out a war athome). Still the public demand could notbe sated so maud went back in anne’schronology to write Anne of WindyWillows and Anne of Ingleside. altogether,she would write 20 novels, short stories,poems and journals, but anne remainsthe public’s favourite heroine.Anne of Green Gables has never beenout of print. There have been movies,even a silent version, which is astonishinggiven such a talkative heroine, as well asmusicals, TV serials, prequels, parodies,anne dolls and other merchandise.i fell in love with anne when i wasabout seven years old. Until i discoveredJane austen, the books featuring annewere my favourites. i dreamed i wouldmarry gilbert Blythe, sobbed overmatthew’s death (and still do!), andlonged to have red hair.generations of girls like me learnedthat it was OK to love books, to thrill topoetry, to get excited about sunsets(maud mentions 11 of them in Anne ofGreen Gables), and to be strong and yetremain feminine at the same time.maud’s heroines had to learn torecognise their own distinctive voice,cope with confinement and oppressionand resolve the conflict between‘romance’ and ‘realism’.academics are regularly drawn toAnne of Green Gables because itcrosses cultural and generational lines.The book has been translated into 17languages. The Japanese, who have itas a standard language textbook, lookto it for lessons in cheerfulness andoptimism. Polish soldiers in World War iiwere issued copies of Anne of the islandto take to the Front for inspiration.montgomery’s fans wrote from as farafield as Tibet, namibia and australia.Anne of Green Gables is thatwonderful thing — a delightful andtimeless classic.Susannah fullertonabove: Regan Winters as ‘anne of green gablesTm’, Tourism Pei, John Sylvester (‘anne ofgreen gables’ and other indicia of anne aretrademarks and Canadian official marks of theanne of green gables Licensing authority inc.and are used under licence by the Celebrateanne of green gables 2008 Committee)Below: Lucy maud montgomery aged 34 years,Lm montgomery Collection, archival & SpecialCollections, University of guelph LibrarySusannah Fullerton’s other subjects have included Jane austen, the Brontes, Samuel Pepys andCharles Dickens. For more details about the Library’s events program phone 02 9273 1770 and addyourself to the mailing list of @ the Library or the Library’s e-newsletter.magazine 23

anZac signallers30in the sandsit’s not often that a researcher describesthe hushed and scholarly mitchell Libraryas dangerous, but Robert Holden, joint 2008CH Currey Fellow, has found his research intothe Library’s original anzaC diaries to bedangerous, at least emotionally. as he saidin an anzaC Day interview this year for theaBC’s Stateline program ‘i defy anyone toread these diaries without tears welling upunexpectedly’. Holden has narrowed downa daunting range of material to focus onthe diaries of a little-known band of anzaCbrothers — the gallipoli signallers.Back page homage to the‘unsung hero of the war’– the signaller, Reveille,September 1931at the beginning of my research, i was already familiarwith the name of ellis Silas whose sketches of gallipolifrom first-hand experience are treasured anzaCrecords. What i didn’t know was that Silas was a signaller. Hisdiary (mL mSS 1840) is a godsend. it is a highly detailed andliterate account of gallipoli and he does not flinch at recordinghis innermost feelings.During his training in the egyptian sands, Silas initiallycomplained that signalling was just so much ‘wearisome flagwaving’. By 25 april 1915, however, Silas’ mood, which echoedso many fellow anzaCs, had changed:i do not feel the least fear, only a sincere hope that i may notfail at the critical moment … we are eager to get to it … thei started for the [gallipoli] Peninsula ... with a full complementof Signallers [230 men] … When i got back to egypt [afterthe evacuation] i only had 3 of the original men who wentwith me. all the others were either killed, wounded or sick …Such is war.Signaller Peterson’s particular distinction, as perhaps thelast man left standing after the evacuation, reveals the crucialrole of signallers still further:There were 3 final messages to be sent through on thatmemorable [evacuation] night … i had to remain behind &wait until the tail of the column had disappeared around thecorner before sending the message as otherwise the navalauthorities arranging the transport of troops … would beassembly is sounded – i have never seen it answered withgiven wrong times.such alacrity – there is a loud cheer as we gather …i hope that signallers’ diaries like these will help give a voicean even more moving quote from this diary reveals an to others who did not leave a diary, like Tom Skeyhill, the mostintensely sobering statistic: 'i have often been told of the danger renowned of our anzaC signallers.of signalling – that few signallers last more than three days'. ‘Signallers in the sands’ will be the subject of a lecture atanother diary entry, by anzaC signaller William Peterson, the Library in 2009.(mL mSS 2942) reinforces this dreadful fact:robert holden, joint 2008 CH Currey FellowThe most famouspoems to appreciative audiences.Skeyhill wrote two biographies ofSkeyhill began lecturing on the war Sergeant alvin York, america ’ s mostAustralian signaller and visited america, in 1918, on a decorated war hero, which formed thefundraising tour for the Red Cross. screenplay for a movie made duringTom Skeyhill was blinded by a shell just One of his admirers was the President World War ii, starring gary Cooper.weeks after landing at gallipoli. He was of the United States, Theodore Skeyhill ' s amazing life came to anrepatriated first to egypt, where hebegan writing poetry, and then toRoosevelt (1901 – 1909). it wasRoosevelt ’ s osteopath that curedabrupt end in a plane crash when hewas only 32 years old. americaaustralia, where he began reciting his Skeyhill of his blindness. honoured him with a full military funeral.24magazine

on this day ...3 November 1927The Greycliffe ferry is sliced in half bythe San Francisco - bound steamshipTahiti, while crossing Sydney Harbourto Watson ’ s Bay. The lives of 40passengers were lost.The raising of the Greycliffephotograph by Sam HoodPXE 789/ v.21/123 December 1854Soldiers and police attack strikingminers at the Eureka Stockade atBallarat, Victoria.Eureka Stockade riot, 1854, watercolourby JB Henderson, SSV2B/Ball/728 December 1934First women ’ s cricket test, Australiav. England, played in Brisbane,QueenslandCricketer Miss Archdale buckling upher knee pads, c. 1935, photographby Sam Hood, PXE 789/ v.5/55 January 1941Aviatrix Amy Johnson disappearssomewhere over the Thames Estuary,UK, while transporting a Royal AirForce bomber.Amy Johnson in motorcade, Sydneyc. 1930, photograph by Sam HoodPXE 789/ v.6/60Compiled by elaine Stewart & Margot riley24 January 1788La Pérouse arrives in Australia a weekafter the landing of the First Fleet.La Pérouse Monument at Botany Bayc. 1836, lithograph by JG Austin & Co.DL Pd 141 February 1858The first balloon ascent in Australiatakes off from Melbourne town andcovers seven miles in 38 minutes.Balloon designed by Dr William Bland1851, lithograph by WL Hutton, F692.15/Hmagazine 25

advertising an aussie ChristmasOH! Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way,Christmas in australia on a scorching summer’s day, Hey!Jingle bells, jingle bells, Christmas time is beaut! Oh what fun it is to ride in a rusty Holden Ute.Colin Buchanan’s Aussie Jingle BellsThe annual celebration of Christmas evokes some of ourstrongest childhood recollections. it is the enervatingheat of an aussie Christmas lunch that remains mystrongest association, and the incongruity of all the snow andpine trees in the traditional decorations.Christmas in australia is also strongly reminiscent of familytime and gift giving. The increasing commercialisation ofChristmas is often spoken of with regret, yet remains anintegral part of the festivities. advertising ephemera and giftcatalogues among the Library’s large ephemera collectionhave recorded the changing face of the aussie Christmas.They remind us perhaps of more innocent times.The 1957 Walton-Sears Christmas catalog showcases thebreadth of merchandise available for the typical aussie family.The ‘Cyclops major tractor’ for the ‘young man on the land’must have been highly prized. it offered ‘realistic radiator,26magazine

ubber exhaust pipe, adjustable pedals’. imagine it on thedownhill!in 2004, Jürgen Wegner created The Go for Gold OzzieX[mas] Box packed with Christmas ephemera. it is in thecontent and imagery of these most disposable and possiblycrass documents that our changing experience of Christmasbecomes evident. now, as ever, the aussie Christmas hassomething for everyone, including transient backpackers fromcolder climes, to whom we offer up Bondi Beach.as another year draws to a close in baking heat and theraucous tones of cicadas resonating in stupefied gum trees,we are assailed by a frenetic round of parties and swathesof Christmas advertising. as they say, ‘some things change,some stay the same’. merry aussie Christmas everybody!Colin warner, Collection ServicesBelow left: items for sale in the Walton-Sears Christmas catalog, 1957 Below: The Go for GoldOzzie X[mas] Box, createdby Jürgen Wegner, 2004caFe trim reciPechristmasPudding1 cup all-purpose flourpinch of salt1 teaspoon ground allspice½ teaspoon ground cinnamon¼ teaspoon finely grated nutmeg1 cup vegetable shortening,frozen and finely grated1 apple, grated2 cups fresh white bread crumbs2 cups brown sugar55 g slivered almonds1½ cups seedless raisins1½ cups currants1½ cups golden raisins110g dried apricots¼ cup chopped mixed candiedcitrus peelfinely grated rind & juice of 1 lemon2 tablespoons molasses3 large eggs1¼ cups milk2 tablespoons dark rumMethodSift together the flour, salt andspices into a large bowl. Stir in thegrated vegetable shortening, apple,and other dry ingredients, plus gratedlemon rind.Heat the molasses until runny andpour into the dry ingredients.in a separate bowl, combine theeggs, milk, rum and lemon juice andstir into the dry mixture.Spoon mixture into two mediumsize earthenware bowls or puddingmoulds. if using bowls, coverpuddings with wax paper. allow forexpansion and tie with string. if usingmoulds, fill two-thirds full and covertightly with the lid.Steam each pudding on a trivet ina large pot of boiling water for 10 hours.Replenish frequently with boilingwater to keep from boiling dry.When ready to serve, steam forthree hours. Cool slightly and serve.garnish with holly. Serves six.Tip: Let a pudding rest to allow thesteam to escape before unmoulding it,so it is less likely to crack.recipe provided by Cafe trim,located next to the Library Shopon the ground floor.magazine 27

Fashioned for fun in the sun: From bathers to bikinisit’s not surprising that australia, acontinent whose population hugs a vastcoastline lapped by sparkling water, hasbeen a perennial site of innovation inbeach culture, or that Bondi Beach hasbecome an australian icon.anticlockwise from above:Chenille beach robe at Bondi, 5 January 1941 photo by george Caddy n940There’s nothing like a Jantzen in the world, c. 1950, sheet music for advertising jingle, Jantzen (australia) LimitedmL Q784.68/3Fun in the Sun at Bondi, 29 October 1939, photo by george Caddy, n606advertisement, Supertex chenillebeach robe, Australian Women’s Weekly, 23 november 1940 p. 30, SRL F/243From the 1890s, a tramline operated from the cornerof Hyde Park to Bondi, enabling large numbers ofSydneysiders to exchange ‘the roar of the city for the rollof the surf’ in around 45 minutes. as an increasing numberof Sydney residents spent their leisure hours at the seaside,the time was ripe for the evolution of the modern swimsuit.in 1907, australian aquatic star annette Kellerman wasarrested in the United States for wearing a full-length, one-piecebathing suit on a Boston beach. From 1903, most Sydneybeaches had tolerated daylight bathing for both sexes, andby 1910, ‘neck-to knee’ costumes were standard bathing attirefor men and women, signalling the trend towards swimwearbecoming lighter, briefer and more stylish. Surfboard ridingwas introduced to australia in 1915 by the Hawaiian DukeKahanamoku, and, by the 1920s, mixed bathing was universallyaccepted.it was no accident that championship swimming was oneof the first sporting activities in which australians excelled.as our athletes began to take their place in the internationalsporting arena, the splash made by early Olympians Fred Lane(1900), Fanny Durack (1912) and andrew ‘Boy’ Charlton (1924)encouraged the notion of modern australians as a super race,embodied by the ‘Surf Life Saver’.USa manufacturer Jantzen first coined the term ‘swim suit’in 1921, creating the Jantzen ‘Diving girl’ logo in 1923, whichquickly became one of the world’s most recognised apparelsymbols. Capitalising on the growing numbers of australiansparticipating in beach culture, Jantzen opened a factory onParramatta Road, Lidcombe, in July 1928. Speedo launchedits revolutionary ‘racer back’ costume later the same year and,while fashion was always the driving design force at Jantzen,competitive performance remains paramount for Speedo.(Jantzen dominated the local swimsuit market until theunprecedented success of the Speedo-clad australian teamat the 1956 Olympics.)in the 1930s, Jantzen continued to produce sleek,streamlined swimwear, adding glamour to their productcatalogues by featuring up and coming movie stars. Fancyknitting enabled intricate colour toning and patterning so thatJantzen could claim to have a shade to suit every swimmer.28 magazine

During the 1930s and 1940s theAustralian Women’s Weekly (1933–)published a regular ‘movie World’supplement devoted to screen stars,their clothes and lifestyles, fully illustratedwith photographs supplied by the studiopublicity departments.a boldly patterned ‘candlewick’chenille beach coat was advertisedin The Weekly (23 november 1940)as ‘Designed in Hollywood...madein australia', at Pacific Chenille Craft’salexandria factory. available at Sydneydepartment stores, it was snapped atBondi Beach by amateur photographergeorge Caddy on 5 January 1941(see page 8).new ‘sunglasses’ shielded the eyesof sun worshippers, while hats becamefashion statements rather than protectiveclothing. Hollywood’s ability to turn themost casual of popular play clothes intosophisticated fashions became evenclearer when female stars beganwearing trousers in public. and forthe first time in centuries, sandals —reinvented by italian shoe designerSalvatore Ferragamo — appeared oncatwalks, boardwalks and city streets.Though the bathing suits of the1930s and early 40s were figure-huggingand flirtatious, they were not necessarilyscandalous. The difference between themodern bikini, which first appeared in1946, and its predecessors is simply …brevity!Margot riley, Original MaterialsJantzen's 1937 suits used a satinfinished, rubberised ‘lastex’ yarnblended into the knit fabric, whichmoulded to fit every curve.Coco Chanel made sun tans —previously a symbol of poverty —fashionable for the first time. men tookthe tank tops off their swimsuits andJantzen’s ‘Shoulderline’ model (1931)came with adjustable shoulder straps toallow all over tanning. By 1934, the DailyTelegraph was debating whether menin shorts and women wearing midriffbaringtwo-piece swimsuits would beallowed on Sydney beaches.The american motion pictureindustry had a huge impact on beachfashion, and the sports clothes favouredby Hollywood actors were soon mirroredon australian beaches.above: Australian Women’sWeekly, 8 august 1942 (cover)Right: ‘Seaside saunter’modelled by Olwen Pryke,Office of Strategy managementPhotos by andrew Lamoreauxmagazine 29

are items:the Spanish forgerA scene of courtly life,Spanish forger, c. 1890–1910,RB/mSS/9730 m agaz i ne

This beautiful illuminated imagedepicts a scene from courtly life inthe middle ages. a boat carriestwo ladies and a gentleman across alake. The boat is steered by threeoarsmen with a trumpeter in the prow.in the foreground, a child chases ducksacross the water, and in the background,a castle rises into a golden sky. a lavishdecorative border surrounds the image.This is a work of great artistry, but allis not as it seems, for it is in fact …a forgery. it was actually created by theSpanish forger, an artist active in the latenineteenth century, who was responsiblefor over 300 forgeries that were sold asauthentic artworks from the middle ages.The Spanish forger’s real identity isunknown. His name was coined by Belleda Costa greene of the Pierpont morganLibrary, who, in the 1930s, first identifiedthe forgery of a painted panel which hadearlier been attributed to a Spanish artistfrom the fifteenth century, Jorge inglès.The Spanish forger produced imagesof battles, hunting scenes, ceremonies,courtships and feasts. His paintingswere created on old wooden panels,manuscripts and single leaves of vellum,taken from a fifteenth or sixteenthcentury choir book. many of the imageshave now been identified as copies froma series on medieval and renaissance lifeand culture, published in France by PaulLacroix, between 1860 and 1880.many of the forger’s techniquesbetray the authenticity of this work. Thereis a predominance of emerald green inkcontaining a copper arsenite pigment,which was not available until after 1814.also, the Forger seems to have appliedthe gold leaf after the other areas hadbeen painted so that it intrudes into thepainted areas. Traditionally, gold leaf wasapplied before the colour pigment so thatthe burnishing did not affect the details.Other tell-tale signs of the forger’swork are the sweet faces of the womenwith small pouting lips and daringdécolletages, a feature of many of theSpanish forger’s portraits, and verytypical of the romantic nineteenthcentury images of the middle ages.The folds in the material of the gownsare also very simply drawn.This scene of courtly life by theSpanish forger was purchased by theLibrary in 1990. Knowing the truth aboutthe image does not detract from itsappeal. indeed, these beautiful forgeriesare now considered rare collectibles andtheir value has increased accordingly.Maggie patton, Reader Servicestop 5 Library Shop picksQuality australian books at the Library Shopat much reduced pricesThe Australian Constitution: A documentaryhistory by John williamsThis authoritative 1308 page volume compiles, for thefirst time, all the critical documents that formed theCommonwealth Constitution of 1901. it includesdrafts of the Constitution, memoranda, personalletters relating to the drafting, comments by thedrafters, Hansard extracts, speeches, and alsoreproduces newspaper cartoons reflecting popularfeeling at the time.Library Shop price $75 (friends of the Library$67.50) was $350, hardbound in slipcaseThe wayward tourist: Mark Twain’s adventuresin Australiaat the height of his fame, mark Twain embarkedon a money-raising lecture tour around the equator,making a stop in australia. The wayward touristrepublishes mark Twain’s australian travel writing inwhich he says of Sydney, ‘god made the Harbor …but Satan made Sydney’.Library Shop price $11.95 (friends of the Library$10.75) was $29.95, hardboundOld bush songs, edited by warren fahey andgraham SealThis special centenary edition of Banjo Paterson’scollection of australian traditional ballads celebratesPaterson’s pioneering role, and documents the historyof the book and its original songs. it includes newmaterial, illustrations and photographs, and backgroundinformation that brings these old songs to life.Library Shop price $9.95 (friends of the Library$8.95) was $32.95, paperbackThrough the gates: Life in Sydney’s CentennialPark by Simon rintelThis coffee table book features 220 stunning imagesthat capture the park’s natural beauty and wildlife.it has current information, inspirational quotes andstories, and the history of the park. Through the gateswill be treasured by casual and regular visitors alike.Library Shop price $19.95 (friends of the Library$17.95) was $59.95, hardboundPeople, print & paper: A catalogue of a travellingexhibition celebrating the books of Australia,1788–1988, by Michael richardsThis collector’s special was published in 1988 inconjunction with a national Library of australiaexhibition. now described as ‘the most important bookexhibition ever held in australia’, the catalogue detailsover 380 of australia’s most important books andincludes colour illustrations. WHiLe STOCKS LaST.Library Shop price $11.95 (friends of the Library$10.75) large paperbackmagazine 31

yce courtenay amon wisdomPerhaps it was nocoincidence that therecent WISDOMexhibition should occurin the place that BryceCourtenay am describesas the ‘repository ofwisdom’, the StateLibrary of nSW.Bryce Courtenay from WISDOMby andrew zuckermanCourtenay, one of australia’s mostprolific and successful authors,joined other australians malcolmFraser and Jimmy Little in the list of51 ‘prominent elders’ selected byarchbishop Desmond Tutu, andphotographer and filmmaker andrewzuckerman, to share their ‘wisdom’. Thecollaboration has yielded an impressivephotographic book, an exhibition andsoon a feature-length documentary.Courtenay initially thought theinvitation to feature in WISDOM a hoax.‘One doesn’t receive a letter fromarchbishop Desmond Tutu every day’,but once it was verified he was shockedthat anyone would think him ‘such awise man’.‘nothing that i could say could beconstrued as wisdom with a capital w.’However, archbishop Tutu clearlythought he had something to say and heagrees, ‘perhaps because of the books ihave written. Lots of people have foundThe Power of One to be useful to them.’Like the other ‘elders’ on the list,which includes architects, actors,performers and former political figures,he offers some insights gleaned from hisown life experience. in his case ‘thatgenerosity overpowers greed ...kindness and decency always workbetter for you than being irascible.‘We should always remember to saythank you for a kindness. it’s a tinypoliteness and those tiny politenesses arewhat keep us together as human beings.’a politeness that Courtenaymaintained for over 50 years was tosend postcards each year to those hemet and liked on his many travels. Untilhe was mugged in South africa severalyears ago — and his address bookstolen — he would devote ten minutesa day to writing five postcards to thenames on one page of the book.‘it paid off so enormously when ibegan to travel. There was alwayssomeone i knew anywhere in the worldwho was happy to see me and i washappy to see them.’an experience in Pakistan is a casein point. Courtenay had attended anadvertising conference in Kathmanduin 1956, and shared the room of aPakistani man. Courtenay included himin his address book and sent him a cardevery year. He never received a reply,but in 1993 he wrote to say he wasvisiting Karachi and he hoped they couldcatch up. When he stepped off the planehe was astonished to find his old friend,now general Khan of the Pakistani army,waiting for him with an escort to takehim to stay at the governor’s House.Courtenay says that as the repositoryof the ‘wisdom of our people’ the StateLibrary has an important safe-keepingrole. ‘if libraries go, then everything goes.’The State Library's reading room wasone of the first places Courtenay visitedwhen he arrived in australia in 1958. ‘iread everything there was about australiabecause i was determined to stay here.‘The Library was the very first place iattached myself to ... it is still one of myfavourite places.’elaine Stewart32 magazine

upcoming events at the LibraryFree exhibitionsHome truthsopen to 7 DecemberThe compelling and eloquent accountsof the lives of ordinary people are toldthrough a series of photo-interviews.‘The book examined’ seriesThe Library is excited to bring you a newventure, which will bring a group of likemindedreaders together in the eveningto discuss a popular book of literaryfiction each month. The evening startswith an introductory talk about the bookof the month with an author, academic orexpert on the genre, followed by smallgroup discussions. each participant willreceive a profile of the author and notesoutlining points for discussion, in advanceof the evening.exhibitions eventSWinfree entry to:‘the bookexamined’ seriesworth $80Our line-up until april 2009 is:thursday 8 January 2009:The Lieutenant by Kate grenvillePhoto by george CaddyBondi Jitterbug: George Caddyand his cameraopen to 22 february 2009newly discovered photographs of BondiBeach in the 1930s and 40s featureastonishing gymnastic feats known as‘beachobatics’.The Magic Pudding:Watercolours by Norman Lindsay15 December 2008 to 29 March 2009The much-loved characters of normanLindsay’s classic The Magic Puddingstar in this exhibition of his 1959watercolour paintings.Other event highlightsJumpin’ in January!13–23 January 2009Come along to this wicked series ofchildren's cartooning and writingworkshops.For a full program, phone Bookingson 02 9273 1770 or emailBookings@sl.nsw.gov.augaLLeRY OPening HOURS:monday to Thursday: 9 am to 8 pmFriday: 9 am to 5 pmWeekends: 10 am to 5 pmthursday 12 february 2009:The road by Cormack mcCarthythursday 12 March 2009:People of the book by geraldine Brooksthursday 9 april 2009:The Flanders panel by arturo Parez-Revertemark the dates in your 2009 calendarsnow:Date: thursday 8 January 2009 andevery second thursday of themonthtime: 5.30 pm for 6 pm to 7.30 pmVenue: Meet in the Shakespeare room,Mitchell wingCost: $25 per session, $80 for foursessions (includes lightrefreshments)note: all books are available from theLibrary Shop at 10% discount. Pleasepresent your bookings ticket at theLibrary Shop, macquarie Street wing.enter our competition (right) and youmight win free entry to the entire seriesFor a full program of eventssee www.sl.nsw.gov.auTo book events, receive @ theLibrary, or the Library’se-newsletter phone: 02 9273 1770or email: bookings@sl.nsw.gov.auThe Library will be giving onelucky winner free entrée into allfour sessions in its new bookdiscussion group (see left). as well,five winners will receive a free ticketto any one of the book groupsessions. Simply email the Library foryour chance to win.artists, writers and filmmakershave mined the State Library’sincredible resources for elusive facts,stories and historical context. Wehope that SL Magazine has inspiredyou to explore our collections foryourself. We’re keen to receive yourfeedback on anything to do with themagazine — stories either in thisissue or stories you might like us tofeature, and any other suggestionsyou might like to make.The first reader to emailSLmagazine@sl.nsw.gov.au before5 pm monday 15 December willreceive the ticket to all four bookdiscussion sessions. The next fivereaders will each win free entry to oneof the literary sessions.magazine 33

event hIGhLIGhtShighlightsLaunch of SLnSWwebsite and First FleetJournals online July 08Jack Thompson captivated the audiencewith his readings from the journal of FirstFleeter Ralph Clark — one of nine FirstFleet journals now available online.Children’s book weekactor, performer and Play School host Jay Laga’aia entertains some very excitedchildren (and parents) at the Library’s book week event.Jay Laga’aia on stage at the Library Photo by andrew LamoreauxJack Thompson and Her excellency Professor marieBashir aC CVO, governor of nSWPhoto by Scott WajonFour generations ofmusic July 08Friends and family gathered to celebratethe 70th birthday of australian composerann Carr-Boyd. guests enjoyed a uniqueconcert featuring the different generationsof composers and performers in theWentzel and Carr-Boyd families, as wellas an archival display from the Library’sann Carr-Boyd collection.ann Carr-Boyd with daughters (left to right) Katrina,Susanna and Xanthe and grand-daughter gracePhoto by Scott Wajonmitchell Librarian stafffarewell august 08newly appointed mitchell Librarian,Richard neville, farewells hispredecessor, elizabeth ellis (2001–2008)at a gathering of staff in the Library.elizabeth will be returning to the Libraryas emeritus Curator, mitchell Library.above: elizabeth ellis at her Library staff farewell,photo by Steve marshallRight: a gathering of mitchell Librarians: left to right:margy Burn (1988–1993), alan Ventress (1993–2001),Baiba Berzins (1980–1987), Richard neville (2008–),elizabeth ellis (2001–2008), photo by nichola Parshall,courtesy alan Ventress34 magazine

event hIGhLIIGhtSLibrary Council luncheon July 08The Library Circle, a dedicated group of State Library benefactors, enjoyeda mid-year lunch at the Library.Back row (L to R): Rob Thomas, ian mcLachlan, Kevin Hewitt, Diane Finlay, Ken Bloxom, Joy Storie, RichardLaganza, Catherine Brown. Front row (L to R): mille mills, Pam Connor, Jean allen, Harold SchultzPhoto by Scott Wajonmiles Franklin awardDinner June 08a gala dinner was held at the StateLibrary for the announcement of StevenCarroll as the 2008 winner of theprestigious miles Franklin Literary awardfor his novel The time we have taken.Lesley mackay, ian Hicks, Steven Carroll, winner of themiles Franklin award, morag Fraser am, ProfessorRobert Dixon, Regina SuttonPhoto by andrew LamoreauxLaunch of Studio exhibitionJune 08Contemporary artist Tim Storrier, whoopened this exhibition, was one of 61 artistswho allowed photographer R ian Lloyd andart critic John mcDonald into their studios.The exhibition provided a rare opportunityto view the private spaces of some of ourmost significant artists.Far left: Tim Storrier am, Janet Storrier, Ray Hughes. Left: R ianLloyd, Regina Sutton, Rob Thomas, John mcDonaldPhotos by Scott WajonRare books with maggie Patton July 08Friends of the Library were given a rare treat — the opportunity to see someof its most precious items including The Kelmscott Chaucer (1896), Foxe’s Bookof Martyrs’ (1570), and Shakespeare’s First Folio.maggie Patton shows guests items from the rare books collection Photo by Scott WajonFoundation agmaugust 08Curatorial staff provided several rareobjects for display for Foundationmembers and the new executives of theState Library at the annual generalmeeting of the Foundation.Paul murnane, elsa atkin, Regina Sutton, Rob Thomas,ian SmithPhoto by Steve marshallmagazine 35

Q&a Jay Laga’aianew zealand born Jay Laga’aia What do you like about performing it taught me how to tell stories. Here’s ais a star of stage (Rocky Horror,The Lion King), screen (StarWars) and television (WaterRats, McLeod's Daughter). Hehas been a regular on aBCTV’s Play School for nine years,and recently released a CDCome Dance and Sing. Jayvisited the Library recently toread stories for Children’s BookWeek.for children?i’ve seen the face of children’sentertainment change from what iregarded as condescendingconversations to participation, which ireally love. Children are very genuine,they give you their affection … but theycan also be as fickle as the wind. i lovethat about them. adults will lie to you toavoid hurting your feelings. Children willwalk out halfway through a conversationbecause you are boring.You can play several musicalinstruments – where does yourmusical ability come from?i come from a family of eight brought upin a strict Presbyterian family. my musiccame from Church, as a Samoan growingup in south auckland in new zealand. itwas our release … in my culture storiesare told orally and through dance.How did you become an actor?i was working in the evenings in a bandand during the day i was working as aliaison officer with the street kids. i wasprobably as old as they were — 18 atthe time. a TV producer from TVnzcame down to do a documentary on theplight of street kids. i was the liaisonperson. He and i got on really well andafter he finished the project he rang meto say he was auditioning for bandmembers for a new drama called Heroesin auckland. i said ‘i’m not an actor’, andhe said ‘well you’re a muso and we needmusicians’, so i went along and playedall the instruments and i got the gig.What was your first actingexperience like?i was pretty hideous, but luckily for methe mercury Theatre in auckland, one ofour premier theaters, was doing SweetCharity and they were looking for achorus, so i joined them and that’swhere my training began. That’s wherei fell in love with theatre.What do you like about the theatre?Theatre taught me discipline and the fearof not being ready for opening night.guy that grew up in ‘Once were warriorsterritory’ sitting in this rehearsal roomwatching two actors put on accents andbecome Vittorio Vidal and Ursula marchin the Fandango Ballroom. i just fell inlove with it. i stole every idea and actingtechnique from everyone. Unfortunately,you realise that it works for thatparticular person. i had to mould themto work for me.What was it like to work on the StarWars movies?my brother and i collected refundablebottles in 1977 to see Star Wars. i fellin love with the story so i was over themoon when i got the part. i knew i waspart of it when they asked me to go tothe back lot because they wanted to‘scan me’. my character was going tobe a toy. it was sad to see a grown manjump for joy. it made me realise that ifyou work hard enough, and wish hardenough, the sky’s the limit.Do your children think it's cool thattheir Dad is on TV and in themovies?it is what i have done all their lives andso it doesn’t rate much with them,unless i am talking to another actor …What they love about Dad is they can goto the premier of a movie and they cantake their friends. Whenever you seechildren’ premiers i have eight kids intow … three are mine and the rest aretheir friends.Have you ever thought about doinganother job?if you reserve the right not to succeed insomething, then you will never succeed,for example, having a part-time job whiletrying to juggle your career … i havewaited on tables and pumped gas, but iwas never going to do it forever. as soonas another gig came up, i was gone.What i would like to do now is be adirector. Last year i created two livechildren’s shows. i’m also writing acouple of children’s books and i havejust started working on a new children’sshow on TV.Jay Laga’aia36 magazine

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