Category: History

Albany on the map for Cook’s tour

Posted on by Chris Thomson

ALBANY is on the list of ports Captain Cook never visited to be on the itinerary of an anti-clockwise circumnavigation to commemorate the master navigator’s first voyage to the great southern land.

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the Australian National Maritime Museum would be given $6.7 million to take its replica of Cook’s Endeavour around Australia.

Mr Morrison said that as the 250th anniversary of Cook’s 1770 voyage to the east coast neared, the Government wanted “to help Australians better understand Captain Cook’s historic voyage and its legacy for exploration, science and reconciliation”.

“That voyage is the reason Australia is what it is today and it’s important we take the opportunity to reflect on it,” he said.

Last year, plans announced by Mr Morrison to erect a statue of Cook at Botany Bay drew a mixed reaction from Aboriginal people.

Pastor Ray Minniecon, an Aboriginal man, who has helped organise ‘Invasion Day’ protests on Australia Days past, told SBS the idea was upsetting. Meanwhile, La Perouse Aboriginal Land Council Chair Noeleen Timbery told SBS the project was more than just a single monument to Cook.

The Endeavour replica will sail from Sydney in March 2020, and head south to Hobart before turning north to start a circumnavigation of mainland Australia.

Mr Morrison said the ship was likely to stop at Albany, among dozens of other ports.

Photo of Endeavour replica: ‘Bahnfrend’, Wikimedia Commons, under Creative Commons Attribution Share Alike 4.0 International licence.

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Time for clock work

Posted on by Ashleigh Fielding

KATANNING’S town memorial clock, built more than 60 years ago, is about to undergo a facelift to restore it to its original condition.

A Shire of Katanning spokesperson confirmed the works were about to commence and are expected to cost about $3000, which would come out of the Shire’s wallet.

The works are due to be completed by mid this year.

The spokesperson said the clock mechanism had been problematic for the past 15 years and in need of a full restoration.

The restoration will include rebuilding the clock mechanism cabinet that has been chewed by termites, cleaning and repairing the mechanism at the base of the tower, cleaning and repairing the clock hand mechanism, repainting and reinstalling the clock face and hands, refurbishing electrical components where required and replacing the lights on the clock face.

The clock was built to commemorate the pioneering women of Katanning, and was unveiled in 1956 by Sister Elizabeth Grover after a year’s contruction.

Sister Grover was the oldest surviving daughter of William Grover, one of the first settlers in the Shire.

According to the Heritage Council of Western Australia, the clock cost the town 1458 pounds, nine shillings and eight pence to build.

A local jeweller and watchmaker, a Mr LFW Quartermaine, won the contract of maintaining and supervising the clock in 1955, for which he was paid 10 pounds a year.

The clock is one of two of its kind in the public realm; the other is located in Parliament House in Perth.

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New roof for old post office

Posted on by Ashleigh Fielding

THE old terracotta roof of Albany’s historic post office building has been replaced with a modern-day version approximating the original sheoak shingles of the 1869-built Stirling Terrace landmark.

The state heritage-listed building is occupied by the University of Western Australia, and owned by the City of Albany, whose manager of City Engineering, David King, is pretty happy with the new roof.

“It’s definitely an improvement in my view and the heritage architect’s view,” he told The Weekender.

A construction plan approved by the State Heritage Office mandated the recently replaced Marseilles terracotta tiles, sheoak shingles, or the new plain tiles as the only options for the new roof.

“Our heritage architect preferred the plain ones because they more closely resembled what the timber shingles would have been,” Mr King said.

“Whilst the timber shingles would have been the ultimate, I think it is a good compromise between what was there before and what’s there now.”

Mr King said timber shingles only lasted 30 years and were prone to leaks.

“We expect to get a hundred years out of these ones.”

Mr King said timber shingles would have cost between $700,000 and $800,000 to install, whereas the new roof cost $220,000, including guttering.

The original sheoak shingles of the 1869–built post office building were replaced like-for-like in 1925, then with the glazed Marseilles terracotta tiles in 1949.

The new 900sqm, 13,000-tile roof arrives on the heels of a new verandah installed on the Proudlove Parade side of the building.

Mr King expects the guttering, flashing and trims will be completed and scaffolding down from the building in a couple of weeks.

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Vets to converge

Posted on by Ashleigh Fielding

MORE than 100 Vietnam veterans and their partners are booking motel rooms and caravan park sites in early October for a special reunion in Albany.

Every two years the 85 Transport Division’s former members meet in a different Australian state, and this year is WA’s turn.

Organisers John and Gail Myers say the event will mark the 50th anniversary of the Division’s initial deployment in Vietnam, a few months before Mr Myers arrived with his unit.

“We were the replacements for the first unit that went over, after they’d done all the hard yards to fix up all the tents and get all the gear organised,” Mr Myers said.

The Division supplied and transported the whole of the Australian forces in Vietnam, often under dangerous conditions.

Mr Myers said they drove daily convoys from Van Tau to Nui Dat before making deliveries to the various camps.

They used tip trucks to deliver gravel and rocks for road construction and big bladders of diesel to outlying fuel dumps, besides taking rolls of barbed wire, artillery shells and general trans- port to frontline troops.

“We delivered ice to all the boozers and sometimes it was a bit dangerous, you could end up half sozzled because they gave you a can at each place,” he said.

They also drove rubbish trucks, delivered water, and performed other odd jobs such as spraying the perimeter with toxic Agent Orange defoliant to keep it clear, all with no protective gear.

Mr Myers said his total army time was just two years, including nine months basic training and 12 months in Vietnam before returning to Australia for discharge.

“Then we were given the ‘see you later’, had a medical and off we went,” he said.

“Went back to our normal jobs and continued on with life.”

Mr Myers said members of the Division who had been in Vietnam did a good job of supporting each other. “It comes down to trust and that special bond,” he said.

“If you’ve got a problem you can talk to them over the phone.

“Psychologically, you can understand each other because it comes back to the roots of the same tree – Vietnam.”

Gail Myers said she expected about 200 people to come to Albany for the event.

The reunion will take place from August 15-19 with a march at the National Anzac Centre on Friday, August 18, which is Long Tan Day and Vietnam Veterans’ Day.

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Aboriginal artefacts returned

Posted on by Journalist

By ANTHONY PROBERT

ARTEFACTS from the landmark Yurlman: Mokare Mia Boodja exhibition were packed up for the long journey back to Britain this week.

The exhibition has been hailed a success with around 23,000 visitors viewing the display of 14 rare artefacts that includes stone axes, spears, spear throwers and knives, which date back to the 1830s.

Lissant Bolton from the British Museum was in Albany to oversee the process of re-packaging and took part in a formal ceremony at the WA Museum of the Great Southern to recognise the departure of objects.

While there were hopes the collection might remain on Country, she said all the parties involved in bringing the display to Albany acknowledged that they were on loan.

Ms Bolton said the British Museum was thrilled with the response from the community and the success of the collaboration.

“We’re pleased to have lent them.

“They’re (the British Museum) absolutely delighted in London,” she said. Ms Bolton said the museum had a history of working with communities to share information and the success of the collaboration strengthened the case for similar projects in future.

The exhibition provided the opportunity for Albany’s Shona Coyne and Lindsay Dean to fulfil the roles of emerging curators where they gained invaluable experience including training at the National Museum in Canberra.

Ms Coyne said while she was grateful for the opportunities that arose from the exhibition, it was the benefit for the community that was most satisfying.

“When you see a few of the local toolmakers come in and compare their work, it really emphasises the craftsmanship and how important the artefacts are,” she said.

“They’re learning from them, so there’s that continual sharing of culture which is beautiful to see.”

Ms Coyne said she had mixed emotions about the artefacts returning to Britain.

“I thought I’d be upset to see them go. They’re not just objects,” she said. “When they come back onto country we feel something for them.

“But the exhibition has put Albany on the map. It has put the Menang people on the map and stirred something really good down here.

“If they go forward and continue to share our story, not just Menang people, but everybody’s shared history, then I’m OK with that.”

Ms Coyne said the challenge was now to keep the story of the artefacts and the Menang people alive and build on the success of the exhibition.

The ceremony at the WA Museum of the Great Southern last Friday featured a moving address from Noongar Elder Avril Dean, as well as Ms Bolton, Ms Coyne and Mr Dean.

The Tidswell Twins and The Deadly Brother Boys also gave stirring performances to mark the significance of the event.

The artefacts will be carried to Britain by a courier for a specialist art handling company, with a member of the British Museum travelling with them for the entire journey.

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Early Albany aviation

Posted on by Journalist

OFFICIAL Anzac Day Commemorations occur on April 25 each year, but there is nothing to stop us making the most of our local links to the Anzac legend by visiting the many facets of the Albany Heritage Park.

Apart from spending time at the award winning National Anzac Centre, it is always well worth calling in to The Forts main barracks to check out the museum of military memorabilia, and also discover all sorts of interesting facts and figures about Albany’s role in the two world wars.

The current Warbirds exhibition, in the adjoining main gallery, is due to finish on April 30 and well worth a visit if you haven’t been there yet.

The kids will love it.

The collection of 90 WWII model aircraft were donated to the museum by John Wilson from Kendenup in 2011, each of which took hours to complete and paint.

There is also plenty of interesting information about Albany’s aviation history and links to the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), which may come as a surprise.

In late 1930, Albany’s first aerodrome was initially set up by a local farmer Mr W Green, with the first five planes landing on February 21, 1931 to a cheering local crowd.

In 1935 Albany’s first airline service was established.

In 1939 at the outbreak of WWII, Albany was high on the list as being vital for the defence of Australia.

Upgrades and extensions to the aerodrome were funded and completed by the Federal Government and in 1940 the RAAF took control.

The Albany aerodrome was used as an Advanced Operational Base supplying fuel and service to heavy and medium bombers and reconnaissance and fighter planes.

Albany was also important in the protection of shipping routes to the East Indian Ocean.

In 1945 after hostilities ceased, the RAAF left and civilian aviation took over the airport.

– Anne Simpson

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Albany community supports war effort

Posted on by Journalist

THE Anzac legend began in Albany when the First Fleet departed en masse on November 1, 1914 for the Middle East.

The mustering of this expeditionary force had a major effect on the Albany community and throughout the war many ships visited Albany for repairs and maintenance.

This provided a steady flow of work for local tradesmen.

From November 1914 to May 1919, 243 Australian and New Zealand troop and hospital ships moored at Albany on their outward and home-bound journeys.

Sick soldiers were treated at Albany Hospital and an unfortunate few were buried at the Memorial Park Cemetery in Middleton Road.

In September 1915, the Governor’s residence, The Rocks, became an Australian Red Cross convalescent home for returning soldiers before repatriation.

For those left at home there were plenty of opportunities to support their gallant troops, with busy bees held to maintain the Australian Red Cross centre.

Women and schoolchildren knitted socks and made food to include in soldiers’ parcels, and concerts were held to raise funds to cover the costs of personal items and baked goods sent in packages. Although remote from the battlefields of Europe, Albany remained heavily involved in the war effort.

– Anne Simpson

Extract taken from “Albany at the Dawn of the Anzac Legend,” designed and produced by Bonser Design, 2014.

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