Canberra & District Historical Society Inc. Founded 10 December 1953 PO Box 315, Curtin ACT 2605 ISSN Edition No.

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1 Canberra & District Historical Society Inc. Founded 10 December 1953 PO Box 315, Curtin ACT 2605 ISSN Edition No. 462 March 2017

2 Canberra & District Historical Society Inc. Council President: Vice- President: Immediate Past President: Hon. Treasurer: Hon. Secretary: Councillors: Honorary Executive Officer: CDHS Canberra Historical Journal CDHS Canberra History News Julia Ryan Alan Roberts; Esther Davies Marilyn Truscott Julia Ryan Nick Swain Patricia Clarke; Tony Corp; Helen Digan; Peter Dowling; Allen Mawer; Richard Reid; Jean Stewart; Ann Tündern- Smith Helen Digan Editors: David Wardle and Kay Walsh (Published two times each year) Editors: Ann Tündern- Smith and Karen Moore (Published four times each year) Location Curtin Shopping Centre, Curtin ACT (Entrance from Strangways Street car park, opposite the service station) Postal Address PO Box 315, Curtin ACT Phone (02) Website Office Hours Tuesdays: a.m. to 5.00 p.m. Most Wednesdays: a.m. to 3.00 p.m. Most Saturdays: a.m. to noon Monthly Meetings Menzies Room, National Archives of Australia (NAA) Queen Victoria Terrace, Parkes ACT Held from February to December on the 2 nd Tuesday of each month From 5.00 p.m. to 7.00 p.m. (5.30 p.m. start) Front cover: Eirene Mort ( ) was a Sydney artist, specialising in etching, who lived and worked in later life in Mittagong and Bowral. Her work includes views of Canberra. This photograph was taken about the year See page 5 for an example of her work and page 12 if you happen to own any of her work yourself. Photograph from a private collection, courtesy of Dale Middleby Canberra History News Edition No. 462 March

3 Canberra History News The Newsletter of the Canberra & District Historical Society Inc. Edition No. 462 ISSN March 2017 Contents Calendar of CDHS Events 4 Other Events 4 Council Report: February Canberra Day Orator: Virginia Haussegger 6 Canberra and Region Heritage Festival Canberra and Region Heritage Partnership Symposium Needs New CDHS Convenor 9 Annual Dinner Monthly Meeting: Tuesday, 14 February 2017: First Balts to Canberra 11 Eirene Mort 12 Almost a Second Hopetoun Blunder by Michael Hall Switch Room, Kingston Power House Historic Precinct by Nick Swain 17 First Czechoslovaks in the ACT? 18 Next Issue: Taylor Place Names 18 Irish Embassy Anniversary 18 Telopea Park 19 Searching for Very Early Documents 20 Australian Capital Territory Post Offices and their Postmarks 20 More Pictures Sought 20 Note to advertisers 21 Note to contributors 22 Deadline date for next issue 22 Membership matters 22 Annual Membership and form 23 The Canberra History News is copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of private study, research, criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright Act, no part may be reproduced by any process without permission. Views expressed in articles, reviews, etc., are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the Society. Deadline for the June issue is Wednesday, 3 May 2017 Back copies of the Canberra Historical Journal (Nos 1-50) are available from the CDHS Office for $4 each, later editions for $10 each. Canberra History News Edition No. 462 March

4 Sunday, 12 March 2017, 12 noon Tuesday 11 April 201 5pm 7pm Saturday 22 April am 4pm Sunday 23 April pm Saturday 29 April pm Friday 5 May pm Saturday 6 May am 12 noon Tuesday 9 May pm Tuesday 13 June pm Friday Sunday 7 9 April 2017 Third Wednesday every month pm Wednesdays am pm First Sunday every month am 4.00pm, Thursday mornings am pm Calendar of CDHS Events Canberra Day Oration Virginia Haussegger AM Canberra: A Grand Social Experiment Lower Ground Floor Theatre, National Library of Australia, Parkes Place West, Parkes General Meeting Alan Foskett The Cricket Photographs of Keith Carnall from the 1920s and 30s Menzies Room, National Archives, East Block, Parkes Tea, coffee and biscuits from 5pm; talk starts at 5.30 pm ACT Heritage Celebrations: National Trust Open Day CDHS Stall at Gungahlin Homestead, Crace See page 7 for more details Patricia Clarke OAM FAHA Canberra Nurses at World War I: Stories of Irish nurses from Canberra at the battlefronts three Gallaghers from Kowen and Irish- born Gertrude Lawlor, Matron of Canberra Hospital Canberra Irish Club, 6 Parkinson St Weston lunch will be available at the Club prior to the talk or after Jefferis- Whelen Journal Workshop Alexander Room, CDHS Curtin Limited numbers, booking through Office (p2) essential Heritage and History Book Fair at CDHS Curtin Sale of new and used books, items of local, national and international interest. All welcome to join us for wine and cheese. Open Day at CDHS Curtin Exhibition of Keith Carnall s cricket photograph collection plus books, plants, bric a brac and cakes for sale General Meeting Speaker: tba Menzies Room, National Archives, East Block, Parkes Tea, coffee and biscuits from 5pm General Meeting Speaker: tba Menzies Room, National Archives, East Block, Parkes Tea, coffee and biscuits from 5pm Other Events Yass & District History Society Whole Histories weekend Speakers include Mathew Trinca, Director of the National Museum of Australia, and Carol Liston, President of the Royal Australian Historical Society St Clement's Retreat & Conference Centre, Galong. More information from yassarchives@gmail.com Regional Studies Network CDHS, Curtin Living Stones exhibition and guided tours of the Church of St Andrew, 1 State Circle, Forrest. More information from Ann on or David on Rediscovering Ginninderra Exhibition Hall School Museum and Heritage Centre, Victoria St, Hall. Groups by appointment with museum@hall.act.au or phone: Canberra History News Edition No. 462 March

5 Council Report: February 2017 The Society is privileged to host the Canberra Day Oration by Virginia Haussegger, AM and we are sure there will be an enthusiastic audience at the National Library Theatre on 12 March. April and May are promising to be crowded with Society activities because of our commitment to ACT Heritage celebrations. Check the calendar and notices in the newsletter. We hope many members can come to these events. During the summer break, the Honorary Secretary prepared a submission opposing the proposed development at the Curtin Shops on several grounds, including the overshadowing of Curtin Square, parking problems and possible damage to the Society s collection from increased dust. We also advertised volunteer work, particularly help with accessioning for the library, through the Volunteering ACT website and are pleased to report that there have been several respondents whom we shall interview. Of course we would prefer our volunteer workers to come directly from the membership. Former CDHS President, Darryl McIntyre, has donated valuable books to the Society. Many will join our library but some will be available for sale to members, and others will be offered for sale at the Heritage and History Book Fair on 5 May. The Council is grateful for Esther Davies tireless work in categorizing and preparing books for sale. Book sales are the Society s largest fundraiser. A special thanks goes to John Davies, who gave up so much of his time over the holidays to rescan the Jefferis- Whelen Journals with upgraded digital definition for printing for educational purposes. We now have 25 copies of each of the three volumes and can proceed with the workshops as part of our current ACT Heritage Grant. We are indebted to Helen Digan, who is continuing as Honorary Administrator, for opening the Curtin Resource Centre on Tuesdays from 11am to 5pm. Other volunteers are endeavouring to open the Centre on Wednesdays and Saturday mornings. We urge more members to consider volunteering for these interesting tasks. The Society is also indebted to Ann Tündern- Smith who, with Karen Moore s support, edits this quarterly newsletter and to Kay Walsh and David Wardle, co- editors of the bi- annual Journal. Council held a special meeting on 31 January to prepare for a busy year. We also considered a budget for the 2017/18 financial year, which could provide a modest surplus if expenditure is kept steady. Council will continue the practice of meeting at 12.30pm on third Tuesdays of the month for the rest of Welcome to Dr Richard Reid, who has agreed to be co- opted on to Council at the Council meeting. Dr Reid was a previous Councillor and our Annual Dinner Speaker in December Julia Ryan President Black Mountain, an etching by Eirene Mort (see page 12)

6 CANBERRA DAY ORATION Sunday 12 March 2017 at 12 noon National Library of Australia Theatre Canberra Day Orator: Virginia Haussegger Canberra: a Grand Social Experiment Virginia Haussegger AM Award- winning journalist, media presenter and academic Virginia is Director of the 50/50 by 2030 Foundation at the University of Canberra, where she is an Adjunct Professor in the Institute for Governance and Policy Analysis. From 2001 to 2016 she was the face of the ABC TV News Canberra. Her publications include Wonder Woman: the myth of having it all (2014) and significant opinion pieces. Her investigation of the plight of women and children in Afghanistan led to her 2011 exhibition Eye on Afghanistan. In 2014, she was made a member of the Order of Australia for her advocacy of women s rights, gender equity and the media. All welcome No booking required Canberra History News Edition No. 462 March

7 Gungahlin Homestead from the CSIRO S Webpage Gungahlin Homestead and Landscape National Trust (ACT) Open Day, Gungahlin Homestead, Crace Saturday, 22 April, 10am 3pm Gunghalin Homestead was one of the three rural mansions estates, along with Duntroon and Yarralumla, acquired by the Federal Government to provide for national institutions in the ACT s early years, when the Federal Government had limited funding for development. The homestead dates from with an 1883 addition. Originally the Commonwealth leased it to private individuals for their own use but, between 1949 and 1953, Canberra University College used as a residence for diplomatic cadets. In 1953, it passed to CSIRO, which has managed it since for ecosystems- focused research including the Australian National Wildlife Collection. Access by the public is limited. So volunteering to help the CDHS with its stall at the Open Day will be your rare opportunity to discover Gunghalin Homestead! Please volunteer at least an hour of your time, or maybe two. We hope to have two or three members on the stall at any one time. Canberra History News Edition No. 462 March

8 We will provide handouts, sell our publications, and have a photographic display. It s your opportunity to raise interest and awareness of our role in sustaining Canberra s history and talk with people who share our enthusiasms. Who knows what you might learn? Who knows what they might learn? You might even encourage them to become members! If you would like to join this team and to wonder around the heritage- listed property as well please contact the Office by 22 March (details on page 2). Jefferis - Whelen Journal Workshop at CDHS, Curtin Saturday, 29 April, pm See and hear about the remarkable 1300 miles of journeys by George Jefferis and John Whelen in the Federal Capital Territory from 1926 to High- resolution copies of this unique three- volume journal are available for the workshop. Afternoon tea will be served. Entry is by gold coin donation. Non- members are welcome too but numbers are limited, so book early at admin@canberrahistory.org.au or Heritage and History Book Fair at CDHS, Curtin Friday, 5 May, 5-7pm The Society is holding a sale of new and used books and items of local, national and international heritage and historical interest. All welcome: wine and cheese will be served. Cricket Photos at CDHS Open Day, Curtin Saturday, 6 May, 9.30am - 12 noon In addition to stalls with books, plants, cakes and bric a brac for sale, a unique exhibition of Keith Carnall s cricket photographs from the Canberra district in 1920s and 1930s will be on display in the Alexander Room, CDHS Curtin. Volunteers for all the activities and donations for the Open Day sale are needed urgently. Contact the Office (details on page 2) if you can help. Marilyn Truscott and Julia Ryan Gungahlin Homestead staircase, from the ACT Government s Canberra Tracks, Track 5, Gungahlin Website Canberra History News Edition No. 462 March

9 Canberra and Region Heritage Partnership Symposium Needs New CDHS Convenor As many of you know, the Society has been a partner in this annual Heritage Symposium held each July over the past 6 years. During that time, the day has been a useful exchange of current issues, successful case studies, and a general sharing about community and professional roles for heritage places, museum collections and oral histories. It has been agreed between the partners, CDHS, National Trust (ACT), the Canberra Archaeological Society and Australia ICOMOS, to invite new members to the co- ordination committee and, where possible, younger people. The roles for these symposium convenors include regular meetings, often held at University House Fellows Bar after work hours, initially monthly but towards the end, even weekly, although much communication is by . Tasks include: identifying the annual topic and sub- themes, preparing a flyer with a call for papers; selecting the papers from the offers made, and also approaching speakers to fill gaps if needed, as well as selecting and inviting keynote speakers, and panel; co- ordinating logistics before and on the day including location, costs, IT needs, catering, volunteers for the day; publicity; presence on the day, whether co- ordinating the speakers, or catering, and also chairing a session, etc; de- briefing and thank you s; and, throughout, briefing the Society s Council as well as ensuring that messages are sent to all CDHS members by newsletter and at key moments. Please contact Marilyn Truscott by as soon as possible if you are interested in taking on this role for the Society. Marilyn s address is mct-oz@bigpond.net.au. This is the stunning sunset which greeted guests arriving at the Society s Annual Dinner on 6 December last year (see next page). It was so spectacular that images of it were used by both The Canberra Times and the local ABC Television News the next day. Photograph: Tony Corp Canberra History News Edition No. 462 March

10 Guests arriving for the Annual Dinner at The Deck at Regatta Point were greeted by a stunning sunset over Lake Burley Griffin, setting the scene for a wonderful evening. The venue (thanks to Helen Digan) and the Christmas fare were both highly praised by many attendees who were also very complimentary of our guest speaker, Genevieve Jacobs. Genevieve grew up on the family farm near West Wyalong. After school she worked as a journalist on local and regional newspapers in NSW where she covered everything from bushfires to state politics and the odd darts tournament. As a freelance journalist, she has written for national gardening and fine arts magazines. She has presented a daily morning show on 666 ABC Canberra since 2006, examining local news and issues. Genevieve commented that we are often blind to the value of our heritage buildings. We need to recognise and explain these places to planners and politicians and to schools through outreach programs. Often a tide of her listeners phones in to say, get rid of them. Even the Chief Minister described the Northbourne Flats, for example, as ugly and boring, whereas these flats are part of the story of those who built our city. The loss of Glebe House is a depressing example of what can happen and too often we are left wondering how on earth did we let this happen when these places are demolished. McGregor Hall in Acton was built in 1949 to house builders kick- starting the establishment of Canberra after the conclusion of World War II. The Hall was the last of seven hostels to house mostly migrant workers in the new city. This building had social significance to long- standing Canberra organisations including the Canberra Pensioners Club and the Canberra Musicians Club. For Genevieve Annual Dinner Tuesday, 6 December 2016 and for Canberra, history need not be simply the long distant past but may involve elements of living memory. Buildings need new uses and a function can be found for most buildings in later phases of their existence. We all have to be vigilant to ensure that new developments are undertaken with due care and attention to heritage values. The loss of heritage in the ancient Semitic city of Palmyra and in Damascus and the destruction undertaken by ISIS elsewhere show what we should avoid. Compromise and challenge should forever be our watchwords. Marilyn Truscott then moved a vote of thanks for Genevieve s fine address and President Julia Ryan presented her with a gift in appreciation of her contribution. Following her address, Genevieve drew the prizes in the evening s raffle. With over forty prizes on offer, ranging from objets d art, books and ornaments to DVD s, there were many happy winners. Article and photograph by Tony Corp Canberra History News Edition No. 462 March

11 Monthly Meeting: Tuesday, 14 February 2017 First Balts to Canberra with Ann Tündern- Smith The first meeting for the year was a great success with a crowd of over fifty gathering in the Menzies Room at the National Archives to hear Ann Tundern- Smith s captivating talk, entitled First Balts to Canberra. Ann is the first of the Australian- born children who resulted from the post- War program of Government- sponsored migrants. Her mother was one of the Estonians selected for the General Stuart Heintzelman, which brought the first group of Displaced Persons here in November Ann reminded us that the three Baltic States of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania in northern Europe were not to be confused with the States of the Balkan Peninsula in south- eastern Europe. Audience numbers were clearly boosted by Canberra s Baltic community, including Regina Meinhold, 96 years old and the only woman from the first group sent to Canberra who is still living here. She appeared on screen also, in Ann s photo images of her voyage and her arrival in Melbourne in The opportunity to reconnect and initiate new contacts after the meeting was encouraged and facilitated by Ann. After World War II, there was pressure on Australia to take some of the several million Displaced Persons in Germany. The new Minister for Immigration, Arthur Calwell, visited Britain and Europe in mid to assess the potential for migrants for himself. His visit included a camp near Bremen, where he was introduced to two of the Displaced Persons, one a Yugoslav colonel and the other an Estonian university graduate. The university graduate was to find herself among the first group of Displaced Persons on the Heintzelman and working in Minister Calwell s office. The US Army lent four troop transports to the International Refugee Organization, which had been tasked with moving Displaced Persons mostly refugees by modern standards out of Germany. Thirty of these ships, built to exactly the same pattern in the General GO Squier class, had been used to carry personnel from America to Europe and the Pacific, then back again at the War s end. They included the Heintzelman, which Calwell had inspected in Bremerhaven and which, coincidentally, was detailed to bring the first refugees from the Baltic States to Australia. Of the 844 people selected to join this ship because they were good types, healthy, educated and many already speaking some English, 112 were women and 60 of these were sent almost immediately to Canberra. The occupations which the Government intended for the women among these first Balts were housemaids, waitresses, typists, and trainee nurses. The talk focused on one of them, Zenta Liepa, a Latvian who was initially a waitress at Acton Guest House. She was recruited to CSIRO as the assistant to another refugee, Ukrainian Sergei Paramonov, a world expert on flies. Paramonov could converse easily in German with her at the Acton Guest House, whereas his new CSIRO colleagues could not understand his attempts at English. Zenta assisted in research, going on field trips around Canberra and, controversially at the time, even with her supervisor to Lord Howe Island. She continued to work in CSIRO after his retirement. When other Diptera specialists from around the world wrote to CSIRO to enquire if they could have specimens of Australian flies, Zenta was the one who fulfilled their requests. After her early death in 1987, she was immortalised in the names of one genus and 21 species of flies, in recognition of her prompt and reliable help. A number of well- considered questions were posed to the speaker, followed by socialising and networking to end proceedings for the evening. We look forward to Canberra History News Edition No. 462 March

12 reading more details of Ann s talk in a future issue of the CDHS Journal. Those interested may like to read Ann s book, Bonegilla s Beginnings, for more information on this fascinating subject. It is in the Society s collection and available for sale from the Office. Part of the audience views a photograph taken on board of the General Stuart Heintzelman s nameplate. The white- haired lady second from the left in the front row is Regina Meinhold, reacting to a photograph from the ship which brought her to Australia 69 years ago. Report and photograph by Tony Corp Eirene Mort Eirene Mort ( ) was a Sydney artist, specialising in etching, who lived and worked in later life in Mittagong and Bowral. Her work includes views of Canberra. The Canberra Museum and Art Gallery will be mounting an exhibition to be titled, A livelihood: Eirene Mort, from 7 October 2017 until 25 February The curator would be grateful for the loan of any work by this artist for the exhibition. Please contact Dale Middleby on or dale.middleby@act.gov.au if you can help. Canberra History News Edition No. 462 March

13 Almost a Second Hopetoun Blunder by Michael Hall Canberra s nomenclature is a closely guarded feature of the national capital. The origins of the naming of Russell have been discussed before (see CDHS Newsletter, December 2005, for example) but the circumstances under which it was adopted are probably less well known. 1 The office buildings on the slopes of Mount Pleasant were already being referred to as the Russell Offices before the suburb was named. The term came into common usage after the National Capital Development Commission (NCDC) adopted it when preparing plans for the Offices. The name came from the trig station on Mount Pleasant named Russell by Charles Scrivener in 1910 after a Senator Russell. (There were two at the time.) He probably did so because he couldn t use Pleasant. There was already a trig station known by that name on the border of the proposed Federal Territory near Uriarra Crossing, a site marked in field books by surveyor Percy Sheaffe, also in Pleasant Trig overlooks the ford over the Murrumbidgee near its junction with the Molonglo River, on the New South Wales side of border in this 1920 Sketch Map of the Federal Territory, Commonwealth of Australia. 2 There may have been a third Pleasant in Tuggeranong, as identified by two of the newer members of the CDHS, Alison and John Hutchison. John is descended from Queanbeyan builder James Hutchison who, together with his sons, purchased two 40- acre blocks covering an area in south west Kambah near Namadgi School. They built a house straddling the blocks and farmed their property which they called Mount Pleasant. The property was in the shadow of an unnamed hill which is now known as Urambi. This was the name of the holding company used by the lessee of a block of land at the northern end of the hill from the early 1960s. As it is the only hill in the vicinity of the Hutchison property it is possible that it was the original Canberra History News Edition No. 462 March

14 name of Urambi Hill. You certainly get a pleasant view from the top. The earliest use of Kambah only dates to 1914 when Obadiah Dulhunty applied the name to the former Hutchison property. An advertisement for the Hutchison s land in the Queanbeyan Age, 9 February 1871 The gold line highlights blocks 21 and 22, which were still recorded as belonging to the Hutchisons when this map of the Parish of Tuggeranong was drawn in June James Hutchison s name on block 21 has been replaced by that of its purchaser, Annie Gibbes, presumably the wife of Augustus Gibbes, owner of the block to the immediate northeast and also owner of Yarralumla during 1859 to Since Gibbes had died in 1897, the base map may not have been entirely up to date. The Murrumbidgee River is visible under the text Sale in the lower left corner of this map portion. All of this area is now part of the Urambi Hills Nature Reserve. 3 Canberra History News Edition No. 462 March

15 In the early 1960s, Defence personnel began transferring to Canberra and occupying the Russell Offices. However, the division or suburb of Russell still did not exist at the time, even though there had once been a Russell Hill settlement for several decades. The area was shared between the suburbs of Campbell and Parkes. A committee representing Defence, Navy, Army and Air met in 1963 and suggested that there was merit in creating a unique address or suburb name for the area around the office complex. In response the Secretary of Interior, Richard Kingsland, suggested that a new division be created and named after Sir George Pearce, a long- time Defence Minister. 4 The Woden District, from the 1920 Sketch Map of the Federal Territory, Commonwealth of Australia (see endnote 1 below) Pearce was a popular name, as it was also proposed for the area around the Woden Town Centre. In the end Sir George had to settle for being commemorated by a residential suburb in Woden rather than the more prestigious Defence complex or the commercial centre for Canberra s first new town. Those divisions were gazetted as Russell and Phillip on 12 May 1966 as was Pearce. Woden was not the original name of the area which was part of the Yarralumla Creek valley and had once been covered by the land parishes of Narrabundah and Yarrolumla. As land resumptions began in the Territory a century ago, the Commonwealth progressively changed the old cadastre and abolished the existing land parishes. A new system of land administration was created with redrawn property boundaries within new land districts generally named after prominent properties such as Lanyon, Gungahlin and Belconnen. Canberra History News Edition No. 462 March

16 Another of the new districts was named Woden and it extended from the Cooma railway line (at Hume) westward over the Yarralumla Creek valley to Weston Creek. Woden is the name of a property near the Monaro Highway at Hume, bought in 1837 by James Fitzgerald Murray, brother of Terence Murray who once owned Yarralumla. It was James who named it after the Norse god of war. The planning for Canberra s first new town, in the valley of Yarralumla Creek, began after the formation of the NCDC in the 1950s. What to call the town? Yarralumla couldn t be used, the planners decided, as it was already the name of a suburb. The Secretary of the NCDC, Bob Lansdown, wrote to the Nomenclature Committee of the Department of Interior in July 1961 with a suggestion. While acknowledging that Woden had been used as the district name for the valley for many years, Lansdown felt, that it will be necessary to establish a name which will differentiate the valley to be developed from the district as a whole. The NCDC believed that the whole residential area should bear a name other than Woden and we suggest that than an appropriate nomenclature would be Hopetoun. On 19 December 1900, the first Governor- General of Australia, the Earl of Hopetoun, commissioned the premier of the most populous colony as Prime Minister to lead a government until elections could be held in March The man he chose, Premier of New South Wales Sir William Lyne (after whom Lyneham is named) had been a strong opponent of federation. He was unable to garner support from leading colonial politicians, forcing him to return his commission. Hopetoun then commissioned Edmund Barton as Australia s first prime minister. Hopetoun s error in calling on Lyne to form a government became known as the Hopetoun Blunder. 5 The Department of Interior was unsure of what to make of the NCDC s peculiar suggestion and didn t even consider the suitability of the name. John Noble Rogers, who was Surveyor- General and an Assistant Secretary in Interior (Mount Rogers in Belconnen and Rogers Street in Fraser are named after him), seemed bewildered by the suggestion. The Department does not favour this suggestion, he wrote, and finds it difficult to understand the necessity for the creation of a new District because the area is in fact part of Woden District. Fortunately Interior asserted its control over Canberra s nomenclature and a second Hopetoun blunder was averted. 1 Commonwealth Department of the Interior file 61/1176, Districts Ordinance , Part 1, includes the background to Russell, the letter from Kingsland and the NCDC proposal to name Woden as Hopetoun. This file, also held by ArchivesACT now, is the main source for the article. 2 This map is headed, Copy of Plan presented to His Royal Highness, the Prince of Wales, KG, on the occasion of Laying the Commemorative Stone at the Capitol, Canberra, June, 14th, 1920 (sic), was prepared by the Home and Territories Department s Lands and Survey Branch, Melbourne, in April The original was at a scale of 3 miles to the inch (1:190080). Part of a cartouche is visible in the top right of the section used: It is headed, Seats of Government Acts, etc., and the text visible is part of a statement that, The City was named Canberra by Her Excellency, Lady Denman, on 12th March, The Society has a copy, as does the National Library of Australia at MAP G Parish plan from the NSW Government s Land and Property Information Image Viewer, one of six located after a search of Charting Maps and Historical Parish Maps using the Keyword Tuggeranong. Available on- line at 4 Commonwealth Department of the Interior file 65/383, Districts Ordinance , Part 2 includes the proposal to name Phillip as Pearce. This file is now held by ArchivesACT. 5 JA La Nauze, The Hopetoun Blunder: The Appointment of the First Prime Minister of Australia, December 1900, Melbourne University Press, Melbourne, Canberra History News Edition No. 462 March

17 1948 Switch Room Kingston Power House Historic Precinct by Nick Swain Plans to build a multi- storey car park in Kingston Power House Historic Precinct appear to involve the potential demolition of a building listed on the ACT Heritage Register as an intrinsic part of the Precinct. Approval for that demolition that has subsequently been confirmed and was news to the National Trust and the local residents association. Current legal status The Kingston Power House Historic Precinct (Section 49, Kingston) has been entered onto the ACT Heritage Register under the Heritage Act The 1948 Switch Room is listed as a feature intrinsic to this precinct. The listing states that demolition of any of the structures, including the 1948 Switch Room, shall not be permitted, other than in exceptional circumstances, including circumstances in which the buildings are structurally unsound and beyond economic repair or there are significant public health and safety reasons to warrant demolition. (ACT Heritage Register, entry 20048). There are additional safeguards in the listing. There are also conditions placed on any alterations, additions and new buildings (such as multi- storey car parks). Local residents made several requests to the Heritage Unit to clarify the heritage status of the 1948 Switch Room. Finally, the following reply was sent in January an extract is quoted below. The 1948 Switch Room within Section 49, Kingston, is identified as a feature intrinsic of the heritage significance of the Kingston Power House Historic Precinct, which is registered on the ACT Heritage Register. However, a Development Application for the demolition of the 1948 Switch Room (DA ) was approved by the ACT planning and land authority on 3 October This DA authorises the demolition of the 1948 Switch Room to commence within five years, by 3 October Prior to submission of the above DA, LDA consulted the ACT Heritage Council (the Council) in accordance with the provisions of the Planning and Development Act While the 1948 Switch Room is still described within the ACT Heritage Register entry for the Precinct, Heritage Act 2004 provisions allow for its demolition Until such time as demolition occurs, the Council does not anticipate that the register entry will be amended. Lovell Chen Heritage Report extracts This report was published as part of the Heritage Strategy for Section 49 Kingston (the land in which the Kingston Arts Precinct will be built). The reference is: KINGSTON SECTION 49. Appendix 1. HERITAGE STRATEGY Prepared for Land Development Agency, November 2011 (Revised May 2013) by Lovell Chen, Architects and Heritage Consultants Switch Room The former Switch Room is of contributory significance It is an extensively modified building. In its present form it has limited ability to communicate the function for which it was designed The building can be modified or adapted as required. It is also considered that demolition is an action that would not materially affect the cultural heritage values of the former government services/industrial area The building was graded C (on a grading system of A- D) in the Kingston Power House Precinct, Conservation Canberra History News Edition No. 462 March

18 Management Plan Review, However, the construction of the 1948 Switch Room was not in itself related to the reactivation of the Power House. Rather, the function of the building was to receive, control and distribute power Today, in a planning sense, the building relates most directly to the modern Telopea Park substation (1984). This connection is reinforced through the design parallels between the 1948 Switch Room and the main entry to the substation, including the general scale of the buildings, their simple gabled roof forms, the use of face brick and dark concrete roof tiles (Figure 33) It is considered that the building can be modified or adapted as required. It is also considered that demolition of the building is an action that would not materially affect the cultural heritage values of the former government services/industrial area. What does this mean? Two issues arise: 1. If the 2013 Lovell Chen assessment is taken at face value, the heritage listing for the Kingston Power House Historic Precinct should have been amended. 2. The Heritage Council s decision not to amend the heritage listing until after demolition means that they do not have to undergo the public process required for changes made to the listing BEFORE the demolition. It is not hard to work out why they are avoiding this. First Czechoslovaks in the ACT? The role of Czechoslovak men as eucalyptus oil distillers in the Territory in the 1930s and 1940s is highlighted in ArchivesACT s Find of the Month for February You ve probably seen the rusted remains of their machinery in the Tidbinbilla Reserve and maybe the collection of old shoes on a rock ledge. Some text in the Find of the Month article describes the men as Czech but please note that the Czech Republic and Slovakia have been separate nations since 1 January Without looking into the records of Martin Tekel, G. Simkovic and their colleagues in the National Archives and elsewhere, such at the ACT Government s death registers, to find a place of birth, it is not possible to say whether the men were Czech or, indeed, Slovak. One of Martin Tekel s employees, Jan Jandura (surname Pucek on arrival in Australia) has the distinction of being the first non- British subject to achieve Australian citizenship in the first ever citizenship ceremony on 3 February 1949 in Canberra s Albert Hall. By the time you read this, the Find of the Month for March 2017 or a later date may be up. Scroll to the bottom of the page for the links to earlier Finds. Ann Tündern- Smith Next Issue: Taylor Place Names Two place names chosen for the new Gungahlin suburb of Taylor are of particular interest to members. Bischoff Street honours Theo Bischoff, late husband of our long- term member, Phoebe Bischoff. Grenville Street commemorates the Society s foundation member, Grenville Rudduck. More in the next issue. Thanks to Michael Hall for this breaking news Irish Embassy Anniversary Ireland sent Thomas J. Kiernan as its first diplomatic representative to Australia in New Councillor Richard Reid is in discussion with the present Irish Ambassador about a celebration of the Embassy s anniversary this year, possibly in July. If you want to be invited, please let the Office know, as numbers will be limited. You ll get more information as plans develop. Canberra History News Edition No. 462 March

19 Nick Swain is compiling information about Telopea Park with the aim of producing a booklet or maybe a journal article if there is enough interesting material. Telopea Park PhD thesis on TC Weston, Linda Young s Lost Houses of the Molonglo, which includes the GH Rottenberry farm, and in reply to a request on the Society s Facebook page. He has a smattering of material gathered for other purposes. Some of the topics which interest him include spies, the creek, now a drain, the infamous toilets, and memories of special events such as family gatherings or community activities. Old photographs are always great, as buying them from the Canberra Times is especially expensive. Feel free to nick_swain@yahoo.com or leave a message on Speaker s Chair at 20 Telopea Park, circa 1940s, fashioned by Manuka Butcher, TL Adams. Photograph kindly supplied by Larry Adams, grandson of TL Adams. The park is very special place as one of the first passive recreation areas in Canberra and now a valuable open space for the rapidly growing population in Kingston and Barton. Much has happened there since 1922, when the first trees were planted. So far Nick has retrieved useful information from The Canberra Times through Trove, John Gray s wonderful The real Speaker s Chair about 1927, photograph 47 from the CDHS Collection, available on the Society s Website as Resource ID Canberra History News Edition No. 462 March

20 Searching for Very Early Documents One of our members, Graham Hannaford, is looking for help in locating very early documents (up to about 1855) relating to European settlement on the Limestone Plains. In particular, he is looking for letters, diaries, farm records, government correspondence, church records or mentions, etc., that give some idea of how the early Europeans interacted with the Aborigines already in occupation prior to the arrival of the white men. The request is for help with a PhD with Federation University Australia's Collaborative Research Centre for Australian History. It grew from Graham's completion in 2015 of a MLitt degree in History of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland from the University of the Highlands and Islands. The current study seeks to determine whether the attitudes of those early Europeans towards the Aborigines may have been influenced by their own experiences with the infamous Highland clearances or the enclosure laws in England. If you can help, please contact Graham can be on or grahamhannaford@hotmail.com. Australian Capital Territory Post Offices and their Postmarks New Society member and Murrumbateman resident, Tony Curtis, has started a blog site at His records may well prove useful to members researching the district s history. Tony will be known to some of you because of his career in Canberra as a Commissioned Officer with the Australian Federal Police and later, as Chief Executive of the ACT Gambling and Racing Commission and as Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of ACTTAB. Tony was awarded the Public Service Medal in the 2003 Australia Day Honours for outstanding service and in 2001 received an Australian Group Bravery Citation in his role as Australian Police Contingent Commander at the UNAMET Mission in East Timor in Tony retired from employment in late Tony is a collector of ACT and NSW postmarks and his blog is a compendium of the post offices of the Australian Capital Territory, many of which have long since closed or changed name. While Tony s blog is, as he puts it, a work in progress, he has made a lot of progress already to create a very interesting and informative read. Tony would be pleased to receive feedback or queries and may be contacted at curtistony1953@gmail.com. More Pictures Sought Do you have or know of an image or series of images that encapsulate some aspect of our district s history? Sometimes a picture can reveal a place or event or circumstance that thousands of words fail to describe adequately. The editors of the Canberra Historical Journal are looking for such images to publish in the Journal. They should be accompanied by enough text to explain the context, up to 600 words, and of course acknowledgement of the source. Suggestions can be sent to Kay Walsh at kaywalsh@netspeed.com.au. (Continued on next page.) Canberra History News Edition No. 462 March

21 Where was this photograph taken and what occasion in the history of Canberra does it depict? Who are the people shown? Clue: It is image in the CDHS digitised collection, Five people at unidentified occasion. The speaker in the centre of the group is the only one identified at this time, as someone who was known to dilly- dally. We know nothing more about this occasion. Can you help? And if you have photos of Canberra and district, even if you know nothing more about them, adding them to the CDHS collection could lead to new discoveries when they jog someone else s memory. Please contact the Office if you have something to offer. Or Kay Walsh (see previous page) if you ve got a photo with a story. Note to Advertisers Canberra History News welcomes advertisements of interest to our members, which help with the cost of producing this means of keeping them informed of what our Society is doing. In this respect, we thank local real estate agency, Blackshaw s (see next page), for their support this year. Our reasonable rates are below. Size Rate per issue Rate for 4 issues 1/8 page $7 $25 ¼ page $15 $50 ½ page $30 $120 Full page $60 $200 Insert $60 $200 Canberra History News Edition No. 462 March

22 Note to Contributors Canberra History News welcomes articles up to 1500 words in length about your research into the history of Canberra and the broader district. Longer articles should be offered to our sister publication, the Canberra History Journal. Priority is given to articles from CDHS members. On matters of writing style, our authority is the 6th edition of the AGPS Style Manual, on the shelves of the Main Reading Room in the National Library of Australia. 1 The News can cope with most word- processing outputs, but not PDF. A PDF file will be accepted for publication only in exceptional circumstances, such as advertising. Photographs should be in the JPEG format, although GIFs are acceptable also for simpler images. This is not an academic journal but, as the CDHS takes copyright law seriously, all sources used should be cited, even if not previously published for example, personal communications and manuscripts. The News uses the Oxford referencing system, also known as the AGPS Style Manual documentary- note system. 2 Credits must be supplied for all photographs, including those taken by the author. Deadline for the June issue is Wednesday, 3 May 2017 Membership Matters We are pleased to welcome to the Society new members Josette Wells, Hilary Hewitt and Margaret Ryan. Richard Reid has renewed his membership as well as allowing himself to be co- opted onto the Society s Council. Our condolences go to the family of Alan Ashley, a former member and auditor of the Society. We record with regret the resignation of Fr Brian Maher, a member of the Society since 1980, but thank him for his most generous donation. Other donations were received from Esther Davies, Max Hill, Hilary Hewitt, Ron Irlam, James Kositcin and Dawn Waterhouse. We thank them all for their generosity. The Society s collection has been enhanced by the donation of numerous books from former President, Daryl McIntyre, facilitated by current Vice- President, Alan Roberts. As noted in the President s Council Report on page 5, some will be available for sale to members, and others will be offered for sale at the Heritage and History Book Fair on 5 May. In this way, Daryl s donation also will be a most helpful addition to the Society s finances. The collection has been enhanced also by the donation by Diane Harris of A History of the Berrima District by James Jervis and the same author s updated A History of the Berrima District Peter Forster has donated Curtin Turns 50: the story of a Canberra suburb Nick Swain has donated two of the three volumes of the Canberra Bicentennial History, Lyall Gillespie s volume Canberra and Eric Sparke s on Canberra Nick also has donated a copy of Josephine Flood s 1980 book on The Moth Hunters: Aboriginal prehistory of the Australian Alps. We thank these generous donors. Please ensure your membership subscription is up- to- date or you might miss out on the newsletter and journal. Donations are always gratefully accepted and anything over $2 is tax deductible. 1 Style manual for authors, editors and printers, 6th ed., Milton, Qld, John Wiley & Sons Australia, Pages of the Style manual. Canberra History News Edition No. 462 March

23 Canberra & District Historical Society Inc. FOUNDED 10 December 1953 ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP Annual subscriptions for the 2016/17 Financial Year were due on 1 July Payment may be made at General Meetings, at the Society s Office at Curtin Place, Curtin ACT, or by post to PO Box 315 Curtin ACT A Visa/MasterCard facility is also available. The mailing of Newsletters and Journals cannot be continued to members whose subscription was unpaid at the date of the Annual General Meeting, held on 8 September 2016, unless memberships are renewed. The Treasurer Canberra & District Historical Society Inc PO Box 315 CURTIN ACT 2605 I enclose herewith my/our subscription for 2016/17: Membership Fees: 1 year 2 years Ordinary Single $60.00 $ Joint Membership $70.00 $ Pensioner Single $42.00 $78.00 Full-time Student $42.00 $78.00 Seniors Card Single $56.00 $ Educational Institution $60.00 $ Corporate $ $ Donations $ ($2 and over are Tax Deductible and receipts will be issued) New members on or after 1 May are regarded as being financial for the following Financial Year NAME... ADDRESS... I wish to pay by: Cheque Cash Money Order Visa MasterCard Credit Card No.....CVV Name on Card Expiry Date.. Signature...Date... Canberra History News Edition No. 462 March

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