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Getting to Geelong 2 Queen Victoria 3 The Queen Victoria Statue 5 Barwon Heads 6 Pivot—Stove & Heating 8 The Hedgehog 10

Bennelong 12

Australian Slang—W,X,Y & Z 14

Corio—The Early Days Part 1 16

Bushranger-Captain Moonlite 18

LSD 20 The River Poet 22 30 Interesting Facts 24 Jesse Owens 26 Recipe—Tuna Mornay 28 Word Search—Geelong “B” 29 Banknotes: Caroline Chisholm 30 150 Years Ago 31 Then… & Now 32

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Up until 1938 there were three ways that a traveller could commute between Geelong and Melbourne—Road, Rail and Sea.

Road—In 1920 a fully sealed highway was complet-ed between Geelong and Melbourne, with the last section near Little River opened to the public.

Automobile travel was fast becoming common, and the opening of the Ford factory in Geelong in 1925 was a sign of things to come. Incredible speeds of up to 50 miles per hour (80 km/h) were reported by horrified onlookers along the road.

Today, fixed cameras attempt to limit speeds to 100 km/h on the triple-lane highway. Still, the trip which used to take between 5-10 hours on horseback, is now comfortably completed within an hour.

Rail—The railway was opened between Geelong and Melbourne (Williamstown) in June, 1857. Not only was commuting time between the two towns cut to about 2 hours, but the quick transportation of freight made possible many industries in Geelong, as well as easy access to markets for many local farmers.

Rail travel is still popular today; so much so, that in peak travel times you will probably have to stand the entire way or even sit on the floor amidst the crush of city workers.

Sea—Until 1938 passengers could travel between Geelong and Melbourne on the steamer Edina. Between 1880 and 1938 she made over 20,000 trips, with a return ticket costing 1/6 (15c) around the turn of the century.

Day trips were popular with Melbourne tourists who enjoyed a day out on the bay, with a two hour stop-over in Geelong. From time to time we still hear of proposals to recommence sea travel between the two cities—by hovercraft, fast CATS, or even low-flying sea-planes—but none have yet proven financially viable.

Ford’s Model T—pictured here outside Johnstone Park was

launched in 1925 from the new factory in Norlane.

The Geelong Flyer departs Flinders Street Station in Melbourne on her

maiden trip in May 1926

The Edina departs Geelong on her final journey on June 29, 1938. She became one of the longest serving steamers in the world.

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For the first 62 years of Geelong’s history, Queen Victoria ruled supreme over the British Empire, including her Australian subjects. Greatly admired as sovereign, after her death on January 22, 1901, she received a special honour here in Geelong, one that still exists today. But first, what do we know about Queen Victoria?

Victoria was born at Kensington Palace in London on May 24, 1819. She was the only daughter of Prince Edward, the Duke of Kent, who died shortly after her birth. She became heir to the throne because the three uncles who were ahead of her in succession - George IV, Frederick Duke of York, and William IV - had no legitimate children who survived.

As a child, Victoria developed a gift for drawing and painting. Being educated by a governess at home, she became a natural diarist who kept a regular journal throughout her life. After William IV's death in 1837, she became Queen of England at the age of 18. For the next 63 years of her reign, the British Empire expanded to its greatest size, while in England industrial expansion along with economic progress secured Britain’s position as the greatest world power ever seen in human history. At her death, it was said she “ruled an empire on which the sun never set.”

In 1840 Victoria married her first cousin Albert, who had been raised amongst royalty in what is now Germany. Her marriage to Prince Albert realised nine children between 1840 and 1857. The Queen hated being pregnant, viewed breast-feeding with disgust, and thought newborn babies were ugly. In 1853, Victoria gave birth to her eighth child, Leopold, with the aid of the new anaesthetic, chloroform. Victoria was so impressed by the relief it gave from the

pain of childbirth that she used it again in 1857 at the birth of her ninth and final child, Beatrice, despite opposition from members of the clergy, who considered it against biblical teaching, and members of the medical profession, who thought it dangerous. Eventually, most of her children married into other Royal families of Europe.

Victoria bought Osborne House on the Isle of Wight as a family home in 1845, and Albert bought Balmoral in 1852. Victoria became deeply attached to her husband and she sank into depression after he died, aged 42, in 1861. The official cause of death given was typhoid fever, but a more recent examination of Prince Albert’s symptoms suggests

Queen Victoria’s coronation portrait (1837)

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he died from complications with Crohn's Disease, leading to bowel cancer. Victoria had lost a devoted husband and her principal trusted adviser in affairs of state. For the rest of her reign she wore black as a sign of her loss.

After Albert’s death until the late 1860s Victoria rarely appeared in public. Although she never neglected her official correspondence, and continued to give audiences to her ministers and official visitors, she was reluctant to resume a full public life. She was persuaded to open Parliament in person in 1866 and 1867, but she was widely criticised for living in seclusion. However with time, private urgings from her family, and the flattering attention of Prime Minister, Benjamin Disraeli, the Queen gradually resumed her public duties.

Seven attempts were made on Victoria's life, between 1840 and 1882. The first occurred during her initial pregnancy when an insane man, Edward Oxford fired two wild shots at her while on her way with Albert to visit her mother. Both shots missed. Although no attempts proved serious, her bravery in the face of such hostility won her many hearts.

Victoria's popularity grew with the increasing imperial sentiment from the 1870s onwards. After the Indian Mutiny of 1857, the government of India was transferred from the East India Company to the Crown with the position of Governor General upgraded to Viceroy. In 1877 Victoria was declared Empress of India under the Royal Titles Act passed by Disraeli's government.

Despite such accolades, during Victoria's reign her direct political power waned. Yet, Victoria still exerted an important level of influence on the lives of many. Publicity for Victoria and her family were taken to an unprecedented level thanks to transport improvements, and other technical changes such as the spread of newspapers and the invention of photography. For example, Victoria was the first reigning monarch to use trains, making her first train journey in 1842.

In her later years, she almost became the symbol of the British Empire. Both the Golden (1887) and the Diamond (1897) Jubilees, held to celebrate the 50th and 60th anniversaries of the Queen's rule, were marked with great displays and public ceremonies. Victoria died at Osborne House on the Isle of Wight, on January 22, 1901 after the longest reign in British history—63 years and 7 months.* She was buried at Windsor beside Prince Albert in the Royal Mausoleum, which she had purpose-built for their final resting place.

Queen Victoria with her beloved Albert

*Queen Elizabeth II, at 87 years of age has now ruled the British Empire for 61 years.

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The Queen Victoria Statue

When Queen Victoria died in January 1901, the citizens of Geelong were deeply saddened. At a special meeting held in early February, the suggestion was made to those in attendance that a statue of their beloved Queen be erected in Geelong to perpetuate her memory. The crowd gave their approval and £667 was collected from the room that very evening. A design competition to find the best style of statue was then announced.

It was hoped that the Duke of Cornwall (later King George V in 1910) and his wife, who were visiting Australia later that year would lay the foundation stone of the pedestal on which her statue would be placed. The Duke and Duchess did visit Geelong on May 13 that year, but their tight schedule only allowed them to stop for 10 minutes at the railway station to greet the 15,000 strong crowd before heading off to Ballarat.

Undeterred, the Queen’s Statue and Improvement Committee continue with plans to erect the statue, getting the Geelong Town Council to approve the site of a park, fronting Moorabool Street in Market Square.* Then, in June 1901 they announced the winner of the design competition, Mr. Clement Nash, and accepted his tender to erect the statue for £770.

Melbourne sculptor, John Swan Davie modelled the statue in clay, before a plaster cast was made and shipped to London to be cast in bronze. The final product weighed two tons, and the imposing figure was finally shipped back to Geelong in early 1904.

Finally, with much fanfare, dignitaries gathered in Moorabool Street, at the front of Market Square in May 24, 1904 to witness the State Governor of Victoria, His Excellency Sir Reginald Talbot unveil Queen Victoria’s statue. An enlarge photograph of

the statue and the unveiling ceremony was forwarded to His Majesty, King Edward VII, who sent a letter of gratitude to the town of Geelong which it received the following March.

Due to the construction of the Solomon’s store in 1912, the statue of Queen Vic-toria was relocated, and now stands in the Eastern Gardens as a sentinel looking down on the city from the top of Malop Street.

* The statue was originally sited on the spot where the information booth is located, just inside the Moorabool Street entrance to the modern-day Market Square shopping centre.

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As the name suggests, Barwon Heads is a coastal township located at the mouth of the Barwon River, opposite Ocean Grove. The river sits to the east of the town, while to the north is Lake Connewarre. It is bounded to the west by farmland and golf courses, while the famous 13th beach to the south (named after the 13th hole at Barwon Heads Golf Club which sits adjacent to the beach) hosts keen surfers who brave the cold waves that gather strength in Bass Strait before eventually breaking upon the shore.

In early European history Barwon Bluff was an important landmark for ships entering the Port Phillip Heads. Unfortunately there are a number of wrecks in the area as a result of ship captains mistaking the Bluff for the entrance to the Bay. The township of Barwon Heads itself was surveyed in 1870 but remained sparsely populated for years. A Post Office finally opening in the area on December 15, 1889. It was renamed Connewarre East in 1890 when a new Barwon Heads Post Office opened in the township.

Fishing was the mainstay of the town during its early years. However, in the

In 1959 the closing scenes of the film On the Beach based on a Nevil Shute novel about the end of the world was filmed in Barwon Heads.

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1920s and 1930s the town gradually became a popular holiday resort and a number of the more wealthy families of Melbourne built holiday houses there. The summer period today still sees a large influx of holidaymakers to the town.

Prior to 1927 the only way to cross the river to Ocean Grove was by using a motor-launch service. When the bridge was opened in that year, access to the town for locals as well as tourists improved dramati-cally. The iconic wooden bridge has proven to be a source of controversy in recent times, with many locals wanting to preserve the aging structure, while transportation and safety officials sought a modern solution to the increasing maintenance costs and growing traffic bottleneck at the bridge. As a result, a new road bridge and a parallel pedestrian bridge were constructed during 2010.

The 1952 Flood

In June 1952 the Otway’s catchment of the Barwon River received 560mm (22”) of rain in just four days. Efforts to strengthen the 1.8m high (6’) levee bank to the north of the town failed and the town was inundated, not only with water but also with snakes carried along by the flood.

To release the floodwaters back into the river further downstream, a 200m long channel was dug by local residents and army troops along Ozone Road to the riverbank, using a bulldozer, picks, shovels and bare hands. The channel can still be seen today. It took 6 weeks for the last of the water to drain away, with damage put at £150,000.

A beachfront house (Laura’s cottage), as well as a nearby boat shed were both featured in the filming of the ABC television series Sea Change. The popularity of the program saw property values soar. The boat shed has now been converted into the delightful At The Heads Restaurant & Bar.

Artist Jan Mitchell installed her first bollards in Barwon Heads, before making over 100 more for the Geelong

waterfront.

In front of 50 Hitchcock Avenue during the 1952 flood.

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For over 130 years, six generations of the Parker family have operated one of Geelong’s oldest, and much loved businesses—Pivot Stove & Heating.

John Parker was born in Kent, England and trained as a bricklayer. He immigrated to Australia in 1857, and settled in Melbourne along with his young family.

Having a little experience with iron foundry work, John saw a need to provide iron castings for the growing community, instead of having to import them all from England. He established Parker & Co., and commenced the manufacture of cooking ranges, stoves and small items of castings. The Melbourne business flourished.

By 1876 one of the John Parker's sons, James Parker, had moved to Geelong where he set up his own manufacturing business, the Pivot Stove Company at 234-238 Moorabool Street. (Pivot Stove & Heating still trades from the same address today.) James was keen to improve on the conventional stove of the day, which had been based on the original colonial oven. Housewives who used his products were soon commenting on his wares. During the Centennial Exhibition held in Melbourne during 1888-89 a Pivot stove was being demonstrated for all to see:

“Amongst a great variety of stoves, both those used for gas and those in which wood, coke, or coal are burnt, I notice the Pivot stove from Geelong. It seems highly adaptable, and works beautifully. A lady demonstrates the virtues of this stove twice a week, and the edibles prepared are sold to visitors.” —The Mercury January 12, 1889 p.2S

Working with other local foundry's, IXL Blackwells and Andrews* Iron Mongers, James went on to design and manufacture the first Australian built wood stove which incorporated a water heater. However, times were changing fast.

John and Jane Parker’s shop in Melbourne. c.1880.

An early Pivot stove *See Charles Andrews story in the November 2013 edition of the Jillong Pocket.

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Although wood-gas had been produced from burning wood chips and sawdust since 1839, and was used for cooking up until the turn of the century, the discovery of massive amounts of brown coal was soon to revolutionise the heating and cooking industry in Australia. In 1901 James’ son Charles Parker, along with his wife Margurite started promoting the newest coal and coke burners, selling the Convaire range of briquette heaters. As time passed, Charles eventually closed down the manufactur-ing side of the business and focused on the supply and installation of briquette heaters as well as wood stoves.

After World War II the thirst for petroleum to satisfy the automobile industry made available oil-based products for cooking and heating as well. By 1957 Lindsay Parker (son of Charles) and his wife Joy introduced the latest oil heaters, manufactured by Vulcan.

In 1985 Lindsay and Joy’s daughter Merril married Peter Hill. They chose to join surnames (to Parker-Hill) to keep the Pivot company associated with the Parker family name. During the wood heater boom of the 1980-90's the business flourished. As a result, in 1996 Merril and Peter moved from the house at the rear of Pivot's shop and expanded the showroom and warehouse to be able to cope with the growth.

In 2006 Greg Parker-Hill (son of Peter and Merril) and his wife Tammie became the sixth generation of Parkers to run Pivot Stove & Heating. Since then Pivot has expanded out of Geelong. A large showroom was established in Port Melbourne, with the largest range of working displays of gas heaters in Victoria. Pivot has also expanded to New Zealand, opening a store in Auckland. With the popularity of the internet, an online website has also been established, now making it possible to sell and deliver throughout all of Australia and New Zealand.

Let’s hope this Geelong family business lasts for many more generations into the future.

Briquettes are compressed and dried brown coal

extruded into hard blocks.

Throughout the year, Pivot runs a number of Expo's. The most popular is the Cooking with Wood Expo held in November. This 3 day event show-cases the complete range of Wood Stoves & Pizza ovens, used with cooking demonstrations. Experts are flown in from around the world - including UK, England and Canada to display their talents.

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There are some 17 species of hedgehog in Europe, Asia and Africa. Hedgehogs have also been introduced into other non-traditional ranges such as New Zealand. This small mammal is not found in Australia.

The hedgehog was named because of its peculiar foraging methods. These animals root through hedges and other undergrowth in search of the small creatures that compose the bulk of their diet – insects, worms, centipedes, snails, mice, frogs, small snakes, bird eggs, carrion, mushrooms, grass roots, berries, melons and watermelons. As a hedgehog picks its way through the hedges it emits pig-like grunts—thus, the “hedgehog.”*

Some people consider hedgehogs useful pets because they prey on many common garden pests. While on the hunt, they rely mainly upon their senses of hearing and smell, as their eyesight is quite weak.

Hedgehogs have a coat of stiff, sharp spines or quills. The hedgehog's back is made up of two large muscles, which control the positioning of its quills. There are about 5,000 to 6,500 quills on the average hedgehog, and these are durable

A Prickly Birth?

You may be thinking that a hedgehog mum may have a very painful experi-ence giving birth to their prickly young.

However, a hedgehog is born with a protective membrane covering its body, which dries and shrinks over the next several hours. In addition, the infant is born with its quills beneath the skin, like pimples. They pass through the skin only after they have been cleaned by their mother.

*In fact, hedgehogs are fairly vocal and can communicate through a combination of grunts, snuffles and/or squeals, depending on the species.

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on the outside, while being filled with air pockets on the inside. Made stiff with keratin (the key component of human hair and nails), the spines are not poison-ous or barbed and, unlike the quills of a porcupine, cannot easily be removed from the hedgehog. However, spines normally come out when a hedgehog sheds baby spines and replaces them with adult spines. This is called “quilling.” Also, when under extreme stress or during sickness, a hedgehog may also lose spines.

If attacked they will curl into a prickly and unappetizing ball that deters most predators, using muscles which draw their quilled skin to cover their full body, and pulling in the parts of their bodies not covered, such as their head, feet, and belly. This form of defence is the hedgehog's most successful, but usually their last resort. They usually sleep in this position during the day and awaken to search for food at night.

Hedgehogs hibernate during winter in colder climates. In deserts, they sleep through heat and drought in a similar pro-cess called aestivation. They remain active all year in more temperate locations.

These solitary animals typically couple only for mating. Depending on the species, the gestation period is 35–58 days. The average litter is 3–4 newborns for larger species and 5–6 for smaller ones. The young born each year remain with their mothers for only four to seven weeks before heading out on their own. Among the predators females must guard against during this period are other male hedgehogs, which will sometimes prey upon the young of their species. Hedgehog mothers have also been known to eat their young if the nest is disturbed, though they sometimes simply move them to a new nest.

Hedgehogs have a relatively long lifespan for their size. Larger species of hedgehogs live 4–7 years in the wild, (8-10 years in captivity), while smaller species live 2–4 years (4–7 years in captivity). A lack of predators and controlled diet contribute to a longer lifespan in captivity.

Anointing

Hedgehogs occasionally perform a ritual called anointing. When the ani-mal encounters a new scent, it will lick and bite the source, then form a scented froth from its mouth and paste it on its spines with its tongue.

The specific purpose of this ritual is unknown, but some experts believe anointing camouflages the hedgehog with the new scent of the area and provides a possible poison or source of infection to predators poked by their spines.

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"You are to endeavour by every possible means to open an intercourse with the natives and to conciliate their affections, enjoining all Our Subjects to live in amity and kindness with them." So wrote King George III to Arthur Phillip on April 25, 1787, as part of his instructions as commander of the First Fleet to Australia, and first governor of New South Wales.

Upon arriving at Sydney on January 26, 1788, contact was soon made with the local aborigines. However, not all interaction was friendly nor productive. Both blacks and whites initiated hostile actions against the other, and it appeared that compliance with the King’s instructions would prove difficult. Thus, in an effort to bridge the language barrier, and better inform the aborigines about white man’s customs and way of life, the governor authorised the kidnap of a black man. A man named Arabanoo was captured, but he, like many other aboriginal people near the settlement, died in a smallpox epidemic a few months later in May 1789.

On November 24, 1789, soldiers successfully kidnapped two more local aboriginal men. One of the two men, who was named Colbee, managed to escape, but the other was shackled and detained while trained as an intermedi-ary between the British white settlers and the Wangai tribe of aborigines. The captured man was named Bennelong.

Woollarawarre Bennelong was born around 1864. His wife, Barangaroo, had given birth to a daughter named Dilboong (who died in infancy) and a son who was later adopted by the Rev. William Walker, and christened Thomas Walker Coke (Thomas died after a short illness aged about 20). Bennelong was about 25 years of age when captured by the British. Despite his shackles, he took readily to life among the white men, relished their food, acquired a taste for their liquor, learned to speak English and became particularly attached to the governor, in whose house he lodged. After a couple of months he was released and allowed to wander freely around the white settlement.

In May 1790 he returned to his own tribe, and no more was seen of him until September when he was spotted among a large, hostile group of natives at Manly, one of whom wounded Phillip with a spear. The attack seems to have been the result of a misunderstanding, and Bennelong himself took no part it. Indeed, he expressed concern for the governor's health and frequently appeared near Sydney Cove to inquire after him. Thus, contact was re-established with

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Bennelong and, when assured that he would not be detained, he began to frequent the settlement with many of his compatriots. In 1791 a brick hut, 12 feet by 12 feet square (10 m²), was built for him on the eastern point of Sydney Cove, now called Bennelong Point and the location for the Sydney Opera House.

The following year, with Bennelong’s English language skills improving, Governor Phillip saw an opportunity to introduce the native aboriginal people to England. So, in December 1792 Bennelong, along with another young aboriginal man named Yemmerrawanie left Australian shores with Phillip, and both were presented to King George III in London.

It would appear that Bennelong had a somewhat extroverted personality, and he was delighted at being the centre of attention. The two aboriginals visited St Paul's Cathedral and the Tower of London. A boat was hired, and they went bathing. They also attended the theatre. Sadly, Yemmerrawanie died while in Britain after contracting a serious chest infection.

After 18 months abroad, Bennelong started to suffer from homesick-ness and depression. He longed for his home country and family and was 'much broken in spirit.' He finally reached Sydney on Septem-ber 7, 1795 only to find that he was no longer accepted by the white community and even his own coun-trymen treated him initially with suspicion. He had taken a second wife, Gooroobaroobooloo, before his trip to England, but during his

absence she had found another mate, and rejected him upon his return.

Two years later he had become 'so fond of drinking that he lost no opportunity of being intoxicated, and in that state was so savage and violent as to be capable of any mischief.' By the early 19th century, he was recorded as the leader of a 100-strong clan living on the north side of the river to the west of Kissing Point (now named Bennelong Park, near the modern Olympic Stadium in Sydney).

The Sydney Gazette records his death at Kissing Point on January 3, 1813. Ravaged by alcoholism, the newspaper lamented that “His voyage to, and benevolent treatment in Great Britain produced no change whatever in his manners and inclinations, which were naturally barbarous and ferocious. . . His propensity to drunkenness was inordinate; and when in that state, he was insolent, menacing and overbearing.” Sadly, alcoholism continues to destroy the lives of many otherwise honourable Australians, even today.

The Sydney Opera House is situated on Bennelong Point, named after the early aboriginal ambassador.

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“Wag”- To play truant

“Wheelie”- A noisy skidding turn while driving

“Whinge”- To complain

“Woop woop”- Out in the middle of no-where

“Wowser”- A killjoy; a prudish teetotaller

“Write-off”- A total loss

“Wuss”- Spoilsport; afraid to have a go

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“Yank”- American

“Yakka”- Hard or heavy work

“Yonks ago”- a long time ago

“Yobbo”- A loud or stupid, uncultivated person

“Zonked (out)”- tired out; exhausted

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PART 1—The first aboriginal shooting in Victoria

The Jillong Pocket has already detailed the early exploration of British officers and settlers in the Port Phillip Bay area.* In this series we will be focussing on the impact and development of white settlement in the area to the north of Geelong, in what used to be known as the Shire of Corio. It got off to a shaky start, with armed conflict with the aborigines, the area’s first owners.

On October 7, 1803 Lieutenant-Colonel David Collins led a party of over 400 convicts, soldiers, and support staff to Port Phillip Bay, in an effort to claim the entire colony for Britain. Collin’s two ships unloaded their cargo of passengers, stores, and equipment at Sullivan’s Bay, near modern-day Sorrento. While water could be found there, the soil was very poor. So, while Collins laid out the new settlement he sent Lieutenant J. H. Tuckey out in the ship Calcutta to explore the rest of the bay, hopefully to find a better site to establish a base for the fledgling group.

Tuckey eventually headed to the western side of Port Phillip Bay, and entered Corio Bay, which he labelled North West Harbour. In his diary he describes what he saw: “A perfectly secure and commodious harbour, accessible to the largest ships by a channel with 6 fathoms of water,^ the bottom soft blue mud; at the head of the harbour, the land rises from abrupt cliffs to downs…” This was the first description of the Geelong harbour area.

It was while exploring the North West Harbour that Tuckey came across a hostile group of aborigines. They were most likely members of the Yawangi group, a part of the Wathaurong tribe which roamed the area between Geelong and the You Yangs. While Tuckey had encountered smaller, friendly groups previously, this one was different. At first, three of them appeared, and Tuckey’s crew gave them gifts of fish, bread, and a blanket each. Showing signs of aggression, they searched through the men’s equipment, wanting to handle the theodolite. When Tuckey moved to protect the precious instrument the aborigines appeared resentful before eventually leaving.

An hour later, while Tuckey himself was away exploring the vicinity on foot, they

* See the series “Indented Head—Victoria’s First Settlement” starting in the December 2012 issue of the Jillong Pocket. ^ 6 fathoms = 11 metres. Tuckey’s survey was not very thorough. Only parts of the channel down the middle of Corio Bay were this deep. In these early days at low tide a person could walk from Point Henry to Point Lillias, until the channel was deepened 50 years later.

David Collins

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came back with reinforcements, numbering about 40 men. Dividing into two groups, some surrounded the tents, while others surrounded the boat used by Tuckey’s men to come ashore. Tuckey describes what happened next:

“Their intention to plunder was immediately obvious, and all the exertions of Mr. Harris at the tent and the Master’s Mate at the boat were insufficient to keep them back; in this situation it was impossible to get the boat away, her masts, sails, oars, provisions and water being on shore; it was, therefore, thought adviseable to temporise, and wait my return if possible; for this purpose bread, meat and two pieces of blanket were given them; these con-descensions, however, seemed only to increase their boldness; and it was only by force alone that the tomahawks and people’s blankets were wrested from them.”

By the time Tuckey returned to his men, more aboriginals had arrived, now total-ling about 100 men. Soon, the men at the tent were overpowered, and one of the aborigines near the boats had clasped his arms around the Master’s Mate. One of the crew pleaded with Tuckey: “Fire, Sir. For God’s sake, Fire!” Two muskets were discharged over the heads of the aborigines. The natives paused, a few retreated to the trees, but then returned clapping their hands and shouting vehemently. The British replied with four more muskets, this time filled with bird-shot and aimed directly at the natives. The victims howled in pain and scattered to the tree-line.

Thinking the skirmish was over Tuckey quickly ordered his party to decamp and leave. However, a few moments later he noticed the aboriginals regroup and once more advance in a threatening manner. Tuckey then shouted a warning to their leader, the most belligerent and aggressive of the crowd, that if he did not stand aside the white men would fire upon him. Unable to understand the English language, the chief continued to advance to within 50 metres. Three gunshots rang out. Hit by two of the musket balls, the chief fell dead. The rest of the group fled, allowing the exploring white men to depart without further incident. Yet, the first aboriginal killed by a white man in Victoria lay motionless.

From the Yawangi group of aborigines we obtained the words Balliang and Anakie, well known locations around Geelong today. Although no further deaths are recorded as coming from this tribe, atrocities committed by both whites and blacks continued to plague early Victorian history.

Meanwhile, the flood of white settlers to the Corio district was about to begin. . . The story continues next month.

(story with help from Ian Wynd’s book So Fine a Country)

A Wathaurong aborigine in his canoe on the Barwon River

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Preacher Turned Bushranger

In the early evening of May 7, 1869 a masked man burst into the bank at Mount Egerton, a gold mining town near Ballan in Victoria and demanded money from the manager, L. J. Bruun. The bandit forced Bruun to write a note stating 'Captain Moonlite has stuck me up and robbed the bank'. After signing the note with the deliberately mis-spelt name of Captain Moonlite, he raced off into the growing darkness.

The shaking and bewildered manager ran to the police station and swore that he recognised the bandit's voice as that of Andrew Scott, the local lay preacher. The police refused to believe him, and charged Bruun with faking the robbery. Before Bruun’s trial, however, the local preacher ‘conveniently’ found it necessary to travel interstate on religious business. Andrew George Scott had just pulled off what seemed like a perfect crime. The townsfolk even gave him a gold watch as a farewell present!

Andrew George Scott was born in Ireland on July 5, 1842, the son of an Anglican clergyman. Throughout his early years he was high-spirited and, on occasions, mischievously violent. In 1861 the family moved to Auckland, New Zealand, where Scott enlisted in the military. However, in 1868 he returned to Australia and was appointed a lay reader to the Church of Holy Trinity at Bacchus Marsh, Victoria. Twelve months later he was transferred to Mount Egerton, where he successfully relieved Mr. Bruun of £1000 during the robbery as noted above.

While Bruun was languishing in prison, awaiting trial, Scott was enjoying the sights of Sydney on his ill-gotten bounty. As the funds ran low he began passing fake cheques, one of which he used to buy a yacht named Why-not. As he was setting sail for Fiji he was picked up by the water police and subsequently spent twelve months in the Maitland jail.

Meanwhile, Bruun was acquitted of the charge against him, and had then set out to find the real criminal, hiring detectives to track him down. And so in time, when Scott was released from Maitland jail he found himself immediately re-arrested and charged with the Mount Egerton robbery. After seven years in jail at Ballarat he was discharged in March 1879. However, he was by no means reformed. On his release, Andrew Scott decided to turn bushranger!

Resurrecting his old name of Captain Moonlite, Scott enlisted five accomplices to

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assist him with his criminal activities, including Augustus Wernicke. At 15 years of age Wernicke became the youngest known Australian bushranger.

In just a few short months Scott and his gang managed to engendered fear into many of the residents of northern Victoria as well as southern and central New South Wales. Although he was almost as well known as the Kelly gang, Scott was decidedly more hostile. He never hesitated to use violence, even on those in no position to retaliate.

Moonlite and his gang eventually met their match while occupying the Wanta-badgery homestead near Wagga Wagga. After riding into the homestead on November 18, 1879, they held the station's resident family and employees hostage for two days, while they gorged themselves on turkey, ham and wine, and rampaged through the homestead smashing china and furniture. When a member of the gang stabbed one of the hostages in the side Moonlite callously ordered a woman servant to sew up the gash with needle and thread.

By the end of the two days nearly fifty people were being held by the gang, including the patrons from a nearby pub that Moonlite had robbed. However, a station hand managed to escape and raise the alarm with the police at Wagga Wagga. Alerted to their presence, Moonlite and his band fled to an isolated hut, but the police managed to follow their trail and soon had them surrounded. In the melee that followed Sergeant Bowen was shot dead and two of Moonlite’s gang were killed. One of these was young Wernicke.

The four survivors, including Moonlite, yielded when their fate became obvious. They were taken to Sydney and tried for the murder of Sergeant Bowen. Moonlite conducted his own defence, arguing that Bowen had been shot by a stray bullet from one of his own men. His fabricated explanation proved a futile one however, and so he concluded by saying “If the law has been so broken that it must be avenged by a human life let me be the victim and spare these youths. God created them for something better than the gallows.”

On January 20, 1880 Andrew George Scott, alias Captain Moonlite, and his co-conspirator Thomas Rogan were both hanged. The two other surviving members of the gang, Bennett and Williams, had their death sentences commuted to life imprisonment.

The trial of Captain Moonlite

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LSD is a most potent, mood-changing drug, available on Geelong’s streets. It is manufactured from lysergic acid, which is found in the fungus that grows on rye and other grains.

It is produced in crystal form in illegal laboratories, mainly in the United States. These crystals are converted to a liquid for distribution. It is odourless, colourless, and has a slightly bitter taste.

Street names:

Street names for LSD include: acid, blotter, cubes, microdot, yellow sunshine, blue heaven, Cid.

What is it?

LSD (Lysergic Acid Diethylamide) is a potent hallucino-gen that dramatically alters your thoughts and your perception of reality. It was discovered in 1938, and even today has a high potential for abuse.

Why do some take it?

Some LSD users experience an intense bliss they mistake for “enlightenment.”

But in reality the effects of LSD are unpredictable. They depend on the amount taken, the person’s mood and personality, and the surroundings in which the drug is used. It is a roll of the dice—a racing, distorted high or a severe, paranoid low.

Normally, the first effects of LSD are experienced thirty to ninety minutes after taking the drug. Often, the pupils become dilated. The body temperature can become higher or lower, while the blood pressure and heart rate either increase or decrease. Sweating or chills are not uncommon.

LSD is sold on the street in small tablets (“microdots”), capsules or gelatine squares (window panes). It is some-times added to absorbent paper, which is then divided into small squares decorated with designs or cartoon characters (“loony toons”). Occasionally it is sold in liquid form. But no matter what form it comes in, LSD leads the user to the same place—a serious disconnection from reality.

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LSD users often experience loss of appetite, sleeplessness, dry mouth and tremors.

The user’s sense of time and self changes. Sizes and shapes of objects become distorted, as do movements, colours and sounds. Even one’s sense of touch and the normal bodily sensations turn into something strange and bizarre. Sensations may seem to “cross over,” giving the user the feeling of hearing colours and seeing sounds. Not only do they disassociate from normal activities in life, but users also feel the urge to keep taking more of the drug in order to experience the same sensation again.

The Risks

LSD disrupts how your nerve cells and the neurotransmitter serotonin interact throughout the brain and spinal cord. By disturbing the normal functioning of the brain, LSD distorts visual judgment, sensations, moods and feelings. An LSD user might try to step out a window to get a “closer look” at the ground. He might consider it fun to admire the sunset, blissfully unaware that he is standing in the middle of a busy intersection.

Users call an LSD experience a “trip,” typically lasting twelve hours or so. When things go wrong, which often happens, it is called a “bad trip.” Some users experience terrifying thoughts, feelings of despair, fear of losing control, fear of insanity or even death. When completely unable to get a grip on reality, it becomes very easy for an unexpected, fatal accident to happen.

The long-term effects:

Flashbacks are a strange but relatively common experience of LSD use. Suddenly and without warning, a few days or even a year later, the brain can produce feelings and thoughts that replay the effects of being on the drug. In some people, these flashbacks can occur over and over, causing a debilitating condition known as Hallucinogen-Induced Persisting Perceptual Disorder (HPPD).

Flashbacks or not, LSD use has been linked to long-lasting psychoses (a complete loss of contact with reality) and severe depression.

The bottom line:

LSD disrupts normal brain activity, making you see images, hear sounds and feel sensations that seem real but are not. As one of the most important organs of your body, your brain works tirelessly to oversee all of the feelings, actions and operations of your body. To disturb the brains normal functions puts the person at great risk of harm to himself and others around him.

“The visual changes [ I experienced,] as well as the extreme changes in mood were like some strange scary trip—one in which I felt like I had no control over my mind and body.”—Edith

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James Lister Cuthbertson While Australia may boast better known poets like A. B. Banjo Paterson, Henry Lawson, David Campbell and Les Murray, Geelong also has had its share of those who enjoyed describing their world in the form of verse. Perhaps the best known of these local poets is James Lister Cuthbertson, and his book, Barwon Ballads and School Verses.

James was born in Glasgow, Scotland in 1851. At school he studied to become part of the Indian Civil Service, but after failing the necessary exam at university at Oxford, he decided to sail for Australia, arriving in 1874. The following year he took up the position of Master of Classics at Geelong Grammar School.

Amongst the various legacies he left to the school was the precursor of the Corian, the school's quarterly magazine. He was a regular contributor both during his time as a teacher and afterward, signing his pieces as "C." His love of rowing, hiking, camping and the outdoors was frequently expressed in his poetry, and much of this also reflected the time he spent on the Barwon River.

Cuthbertson’s verse generally reflected the 19th century public school values of

The above poem describes the various camping spots used by the Geelong Grammar School’s rowing team between Fyansford and Barwon Heads.

Which Camp Is Best The Junction, with the green hills o’er us bending To the green plain below, Where Barwon, o’er its rocky falls descending, Meets Moorabool’s calm flow? The Willows sweet, with pale green tresses sweeping To the brown-bosomed stream, Where lazy crews an idle watch are keeping, Content to doze and dream? Or is it Cormorant, the stony shelter Under the lignum shade, Where oft we’ve listened to the wavelets welter Before the start was made? Is it the Point, whose brow is bright with roses, That looks o’er lake and land To where the azure of the sea uncloses, Beyond the shining sand?

Or are there those who love the lone Heads better, And the fast-running tide, Where the great billows that no hand can fetter With force resistless glide? No! on the river bank that spot we single Which honeysuckles bound, Where the dwarf gum and white-flowered ti commingle, With clematis encrowned. Where smooth and thick the sward, where ever nearest The deep-voiced breakers sound— This is the camp that still to us is dearest Above all others found. But far it lies, and few there be that know it, Behind the track’s deep fern, Beyond the lakes: and so your river poet Gives it a quiet turn.

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the day. One of his favourite camping spots and a recurring theme in his poetry was a place known as The Willows, which was in the vicinity of the St Albans Homestead. Whilst today's view of willows along Australian waterways is any-thing but flattering, the citizens of the 19th century saw them very differently.

Despite the use of English clichés, Cuthbertson also showed a great appre-ciation for his adopted country and Geelong’s surroundings. He repeatedly referred to gum trees, ti tree (tea-tree) and in particular, the golden blooms of the wattle trees. He also showed a sense of humour in his work. For example, when in discussing the "joys" of camping he noted the "mosquitoes that bite like a dog."

On numerous occasions he described extended excursions to Barwon Heads and back with rowing crews starting out well before dawn or rowing on into the night. His poem The Anabasis of the Alice is a good example. In fact, he often named the boats crewed by the boys. The Alice was mentioned on more than one occasion in his poems, and even carried the crew of 1889 to victory in the Head of the River—held that year on the Yarra in Melbourne.

But beneath all the eloquent words and the tales of sporting prowess, Cuthbert-son was a troubled man, and a raging alcoholic. Boys were assigned to look after him when he was incapable of doing so himself. This was known as "Cuthy duty," and it required pulling him out of the gutter at times. It appears that when the headmaster, John Bracebridge Wilson died, the new headmaster Leonard Hartford Lindon was not so tolerant and Cuthbertson was soon forced to leave.

James Cuthbertson spent his retirement, after a brief return to England, first in Geelong and then in the Melbourne suburb of Cheltenham. Throughout the rest of his life he maintained his connection to the: "...fair school, that in our hearts is queen, With purpling ivy mounting o'er its tower..."

Cuthbertson died suddenly on January 18, 1910 as a result of an overdose of the sleeping pill, Veronal, while staying with a friend in Mount Gambier. Four years after his death in 1914 Geelong Grammar moved to its present site in Corio, and one of the newly opened boy’s boarding houses was named after him. Cuthbert-son House or "Cuthy" as it is now known, stands overlooking Limeburner's Lagoon as a lasting tribute to one of the school's most influential masters, and Geelong’s River Poet.

Geelong Grammar School, Maud Street, 1895

Story with help from the Barwon Blogger—Jo Mitchell

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1. Dentists recommend that a toothbrush be kept at least 2 metres from a toilet to avoid airborne particles resulting from the flush.

2. The liquid inside young coconuts has been tried as a substitute for

blood plasma. 3. No piece of paper can be folded in half more than 7 times. 4. Donkeys kill more people annually than plane crashes. 5. You burn more calories sleeping than you do watching television. 6. Oak trees do not produce acorns until they are fifty years of age or

older. 7. The first product to have a bar code was Wrigley's gum. 8. The king of hearts is the only king without a moustache. 9. A Boeing 747s wingspan is longer than the Wright

brother's first flight. 10. American Airlines saved $40,000 in 1987 by eliminating 1 olive

from each salad served in first-class. 11. More people fear spiders than those who fear death. 12. Venus is the only planet that rotates clockwise. 13. The plastic things on the end of shoelaces are called

aglets. 14. Most dust particles in your house are made from dead skin. 15. Honey is the only food that doesn’t spoil.

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16. All US Presidents have worn glasses. Some just didn't like being

seen wearing them in public. 17. Walt Disney was afraid of mice. 18. Pearls dissolve in vinegar. 19. The three most valuable brand names on earth are: Marlboro,

Coca-Cola, and Budweiser, in that order. 20. It is possible to lead a cow upstairs...but not downstairs. 21. A duck's quack doesn't echo and no-one knows why. 22. Some butterflies can taste with their feet. 23. On average, 100 people choke to death on ball-point pens

every year. 24. Elephants are the only animals that can't jump. 25. Only one person in two billion will live to be 116 or older. 26. The automatic popup bread toaster was patented (1919)

before the bread slicing machine (1928). 27. Twelve people have walked on the moon. 28. Giraffes can go without water for longer than a camel can. 29. Cold weather makes fingernails grow faster. 30. It takes about 7 minutes for the average person to

fall asleep. . . but hopefully not before you’ve finished reading these interesting facts!

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Winning four gold medals at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin has made Jesse Owens the best remembered of all Olympic athletes. His outstanding performance not only discredited Adolph Hitler, but also affirmed that individual excellence rather than race or national origin distinguishes one man or woman from another.

James Cleveland Owens he was born in Alabama on September 12, 1913, the seventh child of share-croppers Henry and Emma Owens. "J.C." as he was called, was nine when the family moved to Cleveland, Ohio. When his new school teacher asked him his name he replied “J.C.,” but she thought he said "Jesse." “Jesse Owens” became the name he used for the rest of his life.

Owens athletic career began in 1928 when he set new world records for Junior High Schools by jumping 6.0’ (1.83m) in the high jump, and 22’ 11 3/4” (7.0m) in the broad jump. During his high school days, he won all of the major track events, including the state championship for three consecutive years.

At the National Interscholastic meet in Chicago, during his senior year, he set a new world record for high schools by running the 100 yard dash in 9.4 seconds to tie the world record, and he created a new high school world record in the 220 yard dash by running the distance in 20.7 seconds. A week earlier he had set a new world record in the broad jump by jumping 24’ 11 3/4” (7.6m).

Owens and Minnie Ruth Solomon met at Fairmount Junior High School in Cleve-land when he was 15 years old and she was 13 years old. They dated steadily through high school. Ruth gave birth to their first daughter in 1932. They married in 1935 and had two more daughters together. They remained married for life.

While attending Ohio State University, Owens supported himself and his young wife, Ruth, with a variety of jobs—as a night elevator operator, a waiter,

pumping gasoline, and working in a library—all between practice and setting records on the field in intercollegiate competition. He easily won selection for the USA team sent to the Olympic Games in Berlin.

While at the Games, Owens travelled with and stayed in the same hotels in Germany as whites, while at the time Black Americans in many parts of the U.S. had to stay in

Just before competition commenced at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, Owens was visited in the Olympic village by Adi Dassler, the founder of the Adidas athletic shoe company. He persuaded Owens to use Adidas running shoes, the first sponsorship for an African-American athlete.

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segregated hotels while traveling. (In fact, to attend a reception held in his honour after he returned from Berlin to New York, Owens had to ride the freight elevator at the Waldorf-Astoria to reach the reception room, since he was refused permission to use the main guest elevator in the hotel.)

On August 3, 1936 Owens won the 100m sprint with a time of 10.3 seconds. The next day he won the long jump with a leap of 26’ 5” (8.0m). On August 5, he won the 200m sprint with a time of 20.7 seconds. On August 9, Owens won his fourth gold medal in the 4x100m sprint relay when coach Dean Cromwell replaced two Jewish-American sprinters (at the request of German authorities) with Owens and Ralph Metcalf. They teamed with Frank Wykoff and Foy Draper to set a world record of 39.8 seconds in the event. This performance was not equalled until Carl Lewis won gold medals in the same events at the Soviet boycotted 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

After the games had finished, Owens decided to capitalize on his success by returning to the United States to take up some of the more lucrative commercial offers. United States athletic officials were furious and withdrew his amateur status, ending his career immediately. Owens was bitterly disappointed.

Prohibited from amateur sporting appearances, and hence, out of the public eye, Owens found the commer-cial offers all but disappeared. In 1946, he joined Abe Saperstein in the formation of the West Coast Baseball Association (WCBA), a new Negro baseball league. However, the WCBA disband-ed after only two months. He then tried to make a living as a sports entertainer. He would give local sprinters a 10-20 yard start and beat them in the 100-yd (91-m) dash. He also challenged and defeated racehorses. As he revealed later, the trick was to race a high-strung thoroughbred that would be frightened by the starter's shotgun and give him a bad jump. Owens said, "People say that it was degrading for an Olympic champion to run against a horse, but what was I supposed to do? I had four gold medals, but you can't eat four gold medals."

After athletics, Owens ran a dry cleaning business and worked as a gas station attendant to earn a living. He eventually filed for bankruptcy. In 1966, he was even prosecuted for tax evasion. At rock bottom, the U.S. government handed him a lifeline, allowing him to travel the world as a U.S. Goodwill Ambassador for a number of years.

In 1979 Owens, a pack-a-day cigarette smoker for the previous 35 years, was hospitalized with an extremely aggressive and drug-resistant type of lung cancer. He died in Tucson, Arizona, on March 31, 1980, with his wife and other family members at his bedside. He was 66 years old.

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Ingredients:

50g butter, chopped

1 brown onion, finely chopped

1 large celery stalk, trimmed, finely chopped

1/4 cup plain flour

2 cups milk

2/3 cup grated cheddar cheese

425g can tuna in spring water, drained, flaked

1 (100g) medium bread roll

Olive oil cooking spray

Baby Cos lettuce and cherry tomatoes, to serve

Method:

Step 1 Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan-forced.

Step 2 Heat butter in a saucepan over medium heat for 2 minutes or until melted and foaming. Add onion and celery. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until onion has softened. Add flour. Using a wooden spoon, stir to combine. Cook, stirring, for 1 to 2 minutes or until mixture bubbles.

Step 3 Remove pan from heat. Slowly add milk, 1/4 cup at a time, stirring constantly to prevent lumps forming. Return pan to medium heat. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until sauce boils and thickens. Remove from heat. Stir in cheese and tuna.

Step 4 Divide mixture between four 1 cup-capacity ovenproof dishes. Tear

bread roll into small pieces. Sprinkle over mixture. Lightly spray with oil. Place dishes on a baking tray. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden. Serve with lettuce and tomatoes.

Recipe by Vanessa Horton. For more recipes like this one go to www.taste.com.au

Prep time: 10 min.

Cooking time: 25 min.

Difficulty: easy

Serves: 4

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Word Search–Geelong “B” N R E H C L E B D O O L B B G R M O

D B A R T E L E A A M E B N R B R S

C A B H K I S I B T N R A B A A B D

A N R R C O A S B D M I R L E E C A

B J U A W A O R E N L A Y A A C L E

L O V T B T E R B L W A N B R N B H

B S A Y I A S B A N N O C K B U R N

A E L N M A W B S G R W R E L B O O

Y R E L B E O O N L N U O B L E U W

F B E D E B R O W N L O W R E W G R

M A K T R W U E O B W E R E B S H A

S T Y D N O K R R L O O B A R R A B

K C E N E A F C B N T L E K B B M U

A B L A K E I S A U S I L W E S B N

E B K R A P L L E B R E L A A E N Y

L A C B E L M O N T I Y B T R B S I

L B U R N S E N I R A L L E B D C P

O N B G C I N A T O B B Y R N E S R

BACKWELL

BAIRSTOW

BALLIANG

BALYANG

BANJOS

BANNOCKBURN

BARONGAROOK

BARRABOOL

BARTEL

BARWON HEADS

BATESFORD

BATMAN

BAY FM

BELCHER

BELL

BELLARINE

BELLBRAE

BELL PARK

BELLS BEACH

BELMONT

BENDERS

BENITO

BEWS

BLAKE

BLICAVS

BLOOD

BOLLARDS

BOTANIC

BOURKE

BRACE

BRANDT

BREAKWATER

BREAMLEA

BROUGHAM

BROWN

BROWNBILL

BROWNLESS

BROWNLOW

BUCKLEY

BUNCE

BUNYIP

BURBURY

BURNS

BYRNES

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On the old $5 banknote is:

Caroline Chisholm

Caroline Chisholm was born near Northampton, England in

1808. At aged 22 she married Captain Archibald Chisholm of the East India Co. He was 13 years her senior, and Catholic, to which faith she converted. In 1832 Chisholm was posted to Madras (modern Chennai in India) where Caroline founded the Female School of Industry for the Daughters of European Soldiers.

The Chisholms decided to travel to Australia and arrived at Sydney in September 1838. At the time rural labourers were needed, but the government had no plans for dispersing the throngs of new immigrants who remained in Sydney without employment. Mrs Chisholm met every immigrant ship and became a familiar figure on the wharves. In spite of the anti-Catholic feeling around at the time, she was granted use of part of the old immigration barracks for her Female Immigrants' Home, which sheltered up to ninety-six women. Her next concern was to disperse the unemployed into the country. She soon had resting stages and employment agencies at a dozen rural centres.

After Archibald retired from the army, they travelled throughout New South Wales and collected over 600 statements from immigrants about their lives in Australia, to serve as a guide to those in England who wished to emigrate. With her husband, Caroline then left for England in 1846. She was already a legend in New South Wales, although her work was constantly jeopardised by ongoing religious friction between Catholics and Anglicans.

In London Caroline Chisholm spoke frequently on the subject of emigration to Australia, receiving support from noted author, Charles Dickens. She even gave evidence before two House of Lords committees, a rare tribute to a woman. Her house became an Australian information centre and for several years she and her husband received an average of 140 letters a day. She fought for lower colonial postage rates and the introduction of colonial money orders. Her comments on shipboard conditions ensured the passing of the Passenger Act of 1852. By 1853 Mrs Chisholm was one of the most famous women in England, becoming the subject of many poems, articles and cartoons.

The Chisholm’s returned to Australia in 1854, where Caroline’s social work continued in Melbourne and the gold fields. Unfortunately, by 1857 Caroline had developed a kidney disease. Later, she was forced to go to Sydney for medical attention but she continued giving public lectures there. In June 1866 the Chisholms returned to England where Caroline later died on March 25, 1877.

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About this brochure: This brochure has been produced as a community service by participants in the Work For The Dole scheme at Workskil- Corio branch office. This is part of a Job Services Australia initiative. All comments and views expressed in this publication are the opinions of the participants in the scheme and not necessarily the views of Workskil or Job Services Australia. If you have any comments about information contained in this brochure, or suggestions for future issues please write to: Workskil WFTD Unit 1001 Corio Shopping Centre.

Bacchus Marsh Rd. Corio 3214 Ph: (03) 5245 3000 or email: ssharp@workskil.com.au

Geelong– 150 years ago this month

“Sir—It is very hard on poor people’s children that they cannot

bathe. Is it right, Sir, for the likes of me—and I am a poor woman

with a large family—to be kept from the sea, and to be told that if I

dip my children the police will take me into custody? I wish, Sir,

that you would take the matter up and settle it. Who does the sea

belong to I should like to know? And who has got a right to prevent

poor people from going into the sea, and bathing their children? I

cannot afford to pay 3d. (3c) a piece for my little ones every day, but

I could dip them myself and save the money every morning; but I

am told I must not.—Yours, &c.,—.”

In an editorial note appended to this letter it is stated that “the

sea belongs to the police” at Geelong, and that no one is allowed to

bathe except upon the allotments occupied by the Bathing Compa-

nies, who, of course, charge so much per head for the privilege.

(South Australian Register Tuesday January 19, 1864 p.2)

The Jillong Pocket is available online. Go to www.workskil.com.au and select the “Community Programs” tab.

Families bathing at Eastern Beach, Geelong in 1912.

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Fairy Dell, Clifton Springs Mineral springs were discovered in the beautiful bay-side setting of Fairy Dell in 1870. The government analyst pronounced the springs to be superior to imported mineral waters, and a pleasure ground was developed the following year. The springs, with iron, magnesia and sulphur were expanded. Hotel facilities were added and visitors flocked to the area from Melbourne, via steamboat. A nearby pier used for the transport of flour from the Bellarine Mill was also used by tourist steamers. When this became too busy a second pier was built in 1873. Today, spring water dribbles from under an iron plate on the seashore. Soil erosion has taken its toll on the landscape, and the ‘Dell’ is currently undergoing refurbishment.

Source: La Trobe Library, Melbourne

c.1890