George Robert Ashley - curator of the St Kilda foreshore gardens

The Catani Gardens in St Kilda were designed by Carlo Catani on reclaimed land. The reclamation work on the foreshore, began in the 1890s with a sea wall built out of rubble between St Kilda Pier and Captain Keeny’s Bathing Ship, which allowed for the creation of the Pier Lawns around the St Kilda Yacht Club by 1896. In 1899, a bluestone wall was set to further extend to Cowderoy Street, completed around 1906. Also in 1906, the St Kilda Fore Shore Committee, the special duties of which should be the work of reclamation and of beautification, according to St Kilda historian, J.B. Cooper (1).  Carlo Catani was involved in this reclamation project from the beginning and was an inaugural member of the Fore Shore Committee. The gardens on this reclaimed land were designed by Carlo Catani and his ongoing work was recognised by having them named after him in October 1927. Before the area was renamed for Carlo it was known as the Captain Cook Lawns, due to it being the location of a statue of Captain Cook (see here) and, as I said, previous to this it was known as the Pier Lawns.

Catani is deservedly credited with the garden design, but he always generously shared praise with the curator of the gardens, George Robert Ashley (1871 - 1952) and this post looks at the life and work of Mr Ashley.

George was the second curator of the foreshore gardens.  The first curator, employed by the St Kilda Fore Shore Committee, sometimes called the St Kilda Fore Shore Trust (2) was Arthur W. Kenny. He was a man of some talent and the Prahran Telegraph had this to say about him and his work -  It is very noticeable what an excellent crop of grass Mr. Kenny the curator has been able to grow this year. This is all the more creditable when it is remembered that it was the end of November before some of the seed was sown. Mr. Kenny knows his work, and the Trust are to be complimented in getting such a fine gardener. (Prahran Telegraph February 2, 1907 see here)

However, Mr Kenny soon had a 'tree change' and on May 1908 he is listed as the gardener at the guest house, Kerami, at Marysville. The grounds around "Kerame," (sic) the new tourists' resort built by Miss Glover, of Melbourne, are now completed and present a fine appearance. The work was carried out by Mr. A. W. Kenny, late curator of St. Kilda foreshore, and reflects great credit on his ability in this class of work. (Healesville and Yarra Glen Guardian, June 19, 1908 see here)

I am assuming that George Ashley was appointed after Mr Kenny left for Marysville, but I do not have proof of his appointment at that time but neither can I find evidence of the  appointment of another person. However supporting his appointment at this time is the fact that in 1906 George and his wife Alice are listed in the Electoral Rolls at 13 Budd Street, Collingwood and in 1908 they are living at 57 Clyde Street in St Kilda. So, I believe that Ashley's role as the curator of the St Kilda Fore Shore Committee commenced in 1908.

The role of the Curator was varied - he obviously created and cared for the gardens that Carlo had designed  - more of which later -  but he also had administrative duties.

Left: Auction of Katzenjammer Castle.
The Argus, September 13, 1913
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/7259067


In 1913, the Fore Shore Committee had for sale 'The Glidaway', an open air skating rink which had opened in November 1907 on the foreshore, and Katzenjammer Castle, which was part of the Princes Court, the Acme Pleasure Resort according to their advertisements, which was established in 1904 on St Kilda Road, where the Arts Centre is  now located. It closed in 1909. I assume that Katzenjammer Castle was then re-located to the Lower Esplanade in  St Kilda as in September 1912 it was advertised for sale, due to the expiration of the lease. It must not have sold as it then became the responsibilty of the Fore Shore Committee to dispose of both attractions and it was auctioned in September 1913. The point of telling you this is that George Ashley was the contact person for further particulars.

Katzenjammer Castle, 1909. Photographer: Frank Ernest Allen.

State Library of Victoria Image Image H2009.29/161

Other administrative jobs included being the contact person for people wanting to run refreshment stands on the St Kilda foreshore and giving evidence in Court cases. In May 1914, Alice Maud Cummings was charged with having damaged flowers valued at one shilling in the Luna Park Reserve. The case was heard at the St Kilda Court and Mr Ashley, who had caught Mrs Cummings cutting the flowers, was the main witness. Mrs Cummings was found guilty of stealing dahlias, cosmos and chrysanthemums and was fined five shillings with  three pounds in cost. It does seem a small matter but Ashley was concerned because much damage had been done to the beauty of the reserve. He gave evidence in a similar case in March 1917 where two sisters were charged with the larceny of a bunch of flowers. The girls were fined 20 shillings each. The Chairman of the St Kilda Court, Cr John Jeremiah Love, said that the curator, Mr. Ashley, was a generous man, and was always willing to give anyone a bunch of flowers, bulbs or seeds. 

Mr Ashley worked closely with Carlo Catani in the design and maintenance of the garden. The Prahran Telegraph had this tribute to Carlo and it shows the role that Ashley played in maintaining the gardens - Early in the morning, and on almost any morning of the week, Mr. Carlo Catani, Chief Engineer in the Public Works Department of Victoria, may be seen on the St. Kilda foreshore generally in consultation with Mr. Ashley, the curator of the Foreshore Committee, and in the evenings again, on his way home from his department; he may again be observed. His has been the artistic mind which has planned to make the sea beach of St. Kilda a place of beauty and of attraction to the countless thousands of visitors who resort to it during the summer time.....Where when Mr. Catani first assumed charge, only Mr. Ashley and a boy were engaged in these works of improvement, to-day there are five men regularly engaged. One begins from what has been accomplished to understand the design as a whole, and to appreciate the artistic ability of Mr. Catani as a landscape gardener. (Prahran Telegraph, August 19, 1916, see here)

The same issue of the Prahran Telegraph had a report about the unveiling of the plaque that was affixed to the Captain Cook statue which we mentioned before. This report also paid tribute to Carlo and Mr Ashley - Mr. Catani, with the assistance of Mr. Ashley, had been giving the citizens of St. Kilda beautiful lawns, against all the false prophecies which were made a few years ago, prophecies over which those gentlemen had triumphed. (Prahran Telegraph, August 19,  1916, see here)

St. Kilda foreshore and the arrival of the Prince of Wales, 1920. 

You could image how busy George Ashley and his team would have been preparing the Garden for this event. The Prince has arrived at Port Phillip Heads on May 26, 1920 on the H.M.S Renown, which was prevented from entering due to fog. He transferred to the Destroyer, Anzac, which took him up the Bay to Port Melbourne, where he transferred to the Hygeia and landed at the St Kilda Pier, where the leaders of Australia had assembled to meet him. (The Herald May 26, 1920, see here)

State Library of Victoria Image  H36170

Because this is a  post celebrating Mr Ashley skills and commitment as a curator here are two other tributes to him. In  a report about the opening of a new cafe on the Upper Esplanade, the Malvern Standard said The surroundings of the new cáfe are also very finely laid out. They were designed by Mr. Catani the Public Works Department, and valuable assistance in the work of laying out was given by Mr. G. R Ashley, curator of the foreshore, whose success as an artistic gardener shows practical evidence wherever the eye turns. The cafe building was erected by the Prahran and Malvern Tramway Trust and was operated by Mrs Leonard a lady well suited to manage and conduct a public business of the kind, according to the report.  (Malvern Standard, January 6, 1917, see here.)  The cafe was opened on December 23, 1916 and was called the Empire cafe.  It was on the corner of Acland Street,  on the same site which was at one time occupied by Baxter's Merry-Go-Round. The site was originally surveyed by Carlo Catani.

The Prahran Chronicle had an article about a perambulation the St Kilda Councillors undertook around the municipality and regarding the foreshore gardens the paper said Mr Curator Ashley is deserving of much commendation for the attractiveness and beauty which is to be seen on all sides. (Prahran Chronicle, October 27, 1917 see here)

As we know, Carlo sadly passed away on July 20, 1918 and Mr Ashley ensured that his plans and vision for the foreshore garden were completed. In October 1919 a journalist from the Prahran Telegraph paid a visit of inspection to the beach, and saw the curator, Mr. G. R. Ashley, with plan in hand. Mr. Ashley shows us how the splendid scheme of foreshore improvement designed by the late Mr. C. Catani, the State Surveyor-General, is being faithfully carried out by him. Mr. Ashley has an intense regard for Mr. Catani's works, in which, we think, most people, competent to judge, share...... Unfolding Mr Catani's plan which he carries in his pocket, Mr. Ashley shows us what has been done and what is blocked out to be done. The design, as might be expected is a composite picturesque whole. Much of the detail work was carried out as the work progressed. In this Mr. Ashley explained, Mr. Catani showed his elasticity of mind. Generally, Mr Catani imbued his ideas on Mr. Ashley's mind, and it may be said he could not have left the completion of his work in more capable hands, nor with an expert curator with more sympathetic understanding. (Prahran Telegraph, October 11, 1919, see here). How wonderful it would be to find Carlo's plan which Mr Ashley carried in his pocket.

It was another four years of work to complete Carlo's vision as The Age reported Mr. George Ashley, the curator of the St. Kilda foreshore management committee, states that he can now see signs of coming to the end of his constructive work in carrying out the plans of beautification of the late Mr. Catani, "the engineer artist," who designed the garden landscape of lawns and shrubberies alongside the beach.  (The Age November 27, 1922 see here)

I know from newspaper reports that Mr Ashley was employed by the St Kilda Fore Shore Committee until at least 1926, but I do not know when he retired. He is listed in the 1928 Electoral Rolls at 45 Clyde Street and his occupation is curator. In the 1931, when he was 60, George and Alice are living in Wilson Street in Cheltenham, so I believe he would have retired from the Fore Shore Committee at that time.

Before I get onto George's family life I can tell you that he had a love of dahlias. During the First World War there was a shortage of seeds and bulbs as they could not be imported so gardeners had to create new varieties and at a meeting of the Malvern and District Horticultural Society some of these new creations were displayed including Mr Ashley's collarette and single dahlias. At the same meeting, George Cooper, who was the curator of the Alexandra Gardens and who also worked closely with Carlo was reported to have a promising Japanese iris bed, in which there are nearly 1000 seedlings of his own raising by the judicious crossing of imported varieties. (The Herald, April 18, 1917, see here) You can read more about George Cooper, here.

 The lawn and pier, St Kilda. Photographer: Rose Stereograph Co.

Carlo Catani's design, George Ashley's work

State Library of Victoria Image H32492/605

George Robert Ashley, was born in 1871 in Collingwood to James and Mary (nee Hogan) Ashley.  He married Alice Maud Rickards in 1893. She was the daughter of William and Sarah (nee Keeble) Rickards. They had eight children, the first three were born in Carlton and the rest in Collingwood. Sadly for the family three of the children died very young.

1. Gladys Maude, 1893 - 1982.  Gladys married James Miller in  1923.
2. Sarah Florence, 1896 - 1898, died aged 2
3. Mary Ellen,  1898 - 1977.  In October 1915, when Mary was seventeen she was the subject of a drama when she was reported missing by her father. It was reported on in The Herald (see here).  Shortly after this she married Edward Rufus Schofield in 1916, had a baby Hector Ward Schofield, but  he sadly died at 5 months old in 1916. The couple then  had another baby Edward Gordon in 1918. When Edward Rufus died in 1942, Mary married Matthew Gilmore Lawson.  
4. Martha Keeble, 1901 - 1967. Martha married Donald Wallace Cameron in 1930, I believe they were divorced and she married John Sexton in 1950.
5. George Arthur,  1903 - 1903, died at the age of seven months
6. George Lewis,  1904 - 1904, died at the age of one month
7. Sarah Violet , 1905 - 1993. Sarah married John Henry Hodges in 1926.
8. Florence Emily 1908 - 1991. Florence married Bernard William Duthie in 1930. 

There is a story connected to the wedding of Sarah to John Hodges in 1926. On April 22 in that year George was found lying in the street in mysterious circumstances, the story was reported in The Argus -  At half past 4 o'clock yesterday afternoon George Robert Ashley, aged 55 vears, of Clyde street, St Kilda, was found found on the roadside in Martin street, Elwood. He told the police that he had been robbed of about £50 in notes. Senior-detective R. Brennan, Detective E. Ethell, and Plain clothes Constable Smith, of St Kilda, made premliminary inquiries into the incident, but, owing to his dazed condition, Ashley was unable to give them a coherent account of his movements. He said, however, that he has drawn the money the bank on Tuesday for the purchase of presents in connection with his daughter's wedding.

Ashley, who is a foreman gardener employed on the St Kilda foreshore, told the detectives that he had several drinks in an hotel at St Kilda yesterday morning, and that he remembered entering a motor-car driven by a man with coloured glasses. He knows nothing of his movements after that until he was found in Martin street. About £50, which he had in his possession was then missing. (The Argus, April 23, 1926, see here)

George Ashley's death notice from The Argus November 15, 1952.

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article23206087

Apart from the few years spent in Cheltenham in the early 1930s, George and Alice and family lived at three addresses in  Clyde Street in St Kilda - No. 57, No. 55 and from around 1936 at No. 45. Alice Ashley died June 14, 1959 aged 86. George predeceased her as he passed away November 14, 1952. He was cremated at Springvale and his ashes were scattered. His death notice described him as a loving father and devoted grandfather of Gladys, Shirley, Jean, Gordon, Robert, John and Brian. That's really sweet. I wish I had a  photo of George to show you, but I don't.

Holiday Makers at St Kilda - perhaps some of the many who flocked to St Kilda and left their rubbish behind for Mr Ashley to clean up (see below)

Image: The History of St Kilda from its first settlement to a City and after, 1840 - 1930 (see footnote 1)

We will finish this tribute to Mr Ashley, who not only worked closely with Carlo to ensure his vision of the St Kilda foreshore came to fruition but who was also clearly devoted to his role, with this excerpt taken from the Prahran Telegraph. The report was on the hundreds and thousands [who] flocked to the beaches. St. Kilda foreshore, from, west to south, was particularly crowded over the Christmas and New Year period..... One particular sore point about the business is that when Mr. George Ashley, the foreshore curator, gazes upon a scene such as that described, with the place littered with so much rubbish and cast off food pieces, he simply breaks down and weeps. But in course of time a transformation is brought about, and within a comparatively few hours the foreshore is looking as neat and trim as if tens of thousands of holiday makers had never been near it. It is said that George Ashley can get rid of the heaps of cast-off lunch-wrappers on the foreshore in as quick time as Byron Moore (3) can dispose of myriads of discarded betting tickets at Flemington. (Prahran Telegraph January 9, 1925, see here) 

............................................................................................................................................

Acknowledgement
The information about the early history of the reclamation works of the St Kilda foreshore was provided to me by my research colleague, Isaac Hermann. Some of the first paragraph is actually his writing, so I am, as always, grateful to him for sharing this with me. Isaac also provided me with information about the Empire Cafe including its name, the date of opening and the fact that it was built on the site of  Baxter's Merry-Go-Round.  Thank you, Isaac.

Trove List
I have created a list of newspaper articles on Trove, connected to George Ashley. You can access it here. All the articles referred to here are on the list.

Footnotes
(1) John Butler Cooper wrote the two volume The History of St Kilda from its first settlement to a City and after, 1840 - 1930. It was published by the St Kilda City Council in 1931. The quote about the role of the Fore Shore Committee is from Volume 2, page 203. The image of the Holiday Makers is from Volume 2, facing page 190.

(2) The St Kilda Fore Shore Committee is also sometimes called the St Kilda Fore Shore Trust. My fellow historian, the aforementioned Isaac Hermann who has a particular interest in the history of Elwood and St Kilda,  explained to me that [he considers]  the Trust to be the legal and financial entity, while the Committee to be the operational body of members that constitute the Trust: so the Fore Shore Committee would meet to facilitate the projects, aims, goals, statutes of the Trust.

(3) Henry Byron Moore  (1839 - 1925) was Secretary of the Victorian Racing Club. You can read his Australian Dictionary of Biography entry, here.

Carlo Catani, Andrew Stenhouse and Captain Cook's statue in St Kilda

On March 6, 1915 Carlo Catani was presented with a small silver replica of the Captain Cook statue that had been unveiled on the foreshore in St Kilda the previous December. The gift was presented by Mr Andrew Stenhouse who had donated the statue in  recognition of the work Carlo had undertaken to improve the foreshore. The presentation was reported in The Herald. (1)

Carlo Catani honoured

The Herald March 8, 1915  http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article242277405

The only other newspaper report of the presentation that I could find was in the Barrier Miner of March 11, 1915 (2). This newspaper was published in Broken Hill, so it does seem an unlikely newspaper to report on such a local event, however Andrew Stenhouse had lived in Broken Hill so it was this connection that prompted the publication of the event. This is the report - 

At a dinner given by Mr. Stenhouse, one of the members of the St. Kilda Foreshore Trust, to his colleagues on Saturday night, Mr. Stenhouse took the opportunity to present to Mr. C. Catani, chief engineer for Public works, a small replica of the Captain Cook statue, made in silver. The gift, it was explained, was in recognition of Mr. Catani's unselfish labors in designing and carrying through

the St. Kilda foreshore improvements.

Mr Stenhouse had also been presented with a replica of the statue at the unveiling in December 1914,  the Prahran Telegraph reported that the Foreshore Committee has presented the donor, Mr. Stenhouse, with a small replica to serve to remind him of his generous gift. (3) It would be interesting to know where these two replicas are now - do they still exist in the back of a cupboard somewhere or are they proudly on display in a living room? 

We will have a look now at the statue and the life of Andrew Stenhouse.  The first report I could find about the statue was in 1913, when The Argus of December 18 reported that some short time since a well-known resident of St Kilda suggested to the St Kilda shore committee that St Kilda beach would be a fitting place at which to raise a memorial to Captain Cook. (4). Andrew Stenhouse offered £500 towards the purchase and the rest of the cost was later gathered from other donations. The Foreshore Committee decided that they wanted a  replica of the Cook statue in Whitby, which was the work of John Tweed (1869-1933) (5). Whitby was the town where James Cook lived for nine years from the age of seventeen, and Cook's ships, the Resolution and the Endeavour were both built there (6). The Committee contacted the Premier, who contacted the Agent General for Victoria, Mr Peter McBride, in London who investigated the issue. (7)

Mr McBride visited John Tweed's studio and he sent the Committee the following letter -

I have the honour to inform you that, as a result of my inquiries, I have ascertained that the statue of Captain Cook was presented to the town of Whitby by Mr W.G. Beckett M.P., and that the work was executed by Mr John Tweed, the sculptor. After communicating with Mr Beckett and Mr Tweed, I visited the studio of the latter gentleman, at South Kensington, on Monday last and inspected the cast of the statue which was an excellent piece of work. I now have pleasure in transmitting a number of photographs of the statue at Whitby, also views of it in situ. The pedestal of the statue is decorated in the front with the coat of arms of Captain Cook and on the back with his ship the Resolution I am also sending copy of a booklet containing illustrations and an account of the unveiling ceremony, which will be of interest to you and to the members of the committee. Mr Tweed is willing to supply a replica in bronze of the statue at Whitby with models for the panels and design for the pedestal for the sum of £1,000. Mr Tweed adds that he could, if desired, provide bronze panels representing scenes descriptive of some events in Captain Cook's life at the cost of an extra £100 each. The actual cost of a new statue of Captain Cook with pedestal and panels similar in every respect to that erected at Whitby, would be £2,400. Had the request been for an entirely original statue of Captain Cook, the cost would have been considerably greater. (8)  The St Kilda Foreshore Committee decided to go ahead with the sculpture but organised to have the pedestal and bronze made locally. 

On Monday, December 1, 1914 the statue of Captain Cook was unveiled by the Governor, Sir Arthur Stanley, in front of an audience of 200 people including Government Ministers, members of Parliament and local councillors. Before the unveiling took place, Cr. Gibbs, the president of the foreshores committee, thanked Mr. Stenhouse for his gift, and the latter, in a brief speech of acknowledgment.... mentioned the work done in connection with the St. Kilda foreshore by Mr. H. O. Allan (secretary of the committee) and Mr. Catani. (9)  

Captain Cook's statue, c. 1914

Image: John Tweed: Sculpting the Empire by Nicola Capon (Spire Books, 2013)

Carlo was recognised for his work on the St Kilda Foreshore by not only receiving the small replica of the statue, but by having the gardens named after him in October 1927. Before  the area was renamed for Carlo it was known as the Captain Cook lawns. Previous to this name change it was known as the Pier Lawns. The Captain Cook statue was moved from its original location in 1988 to allow for the construction of the Rotunda. (10)

The Captain Cook statue,  St Kilda foreshore. 

State Library of Victoria Cyril Stainer collection of glass lantern slides, Image H2013.223/36

Carlo was clearly proud of the statue, even though it appears that not all locals showed the same respect. The Age had this report in January 1915 - 

Some facetious people at St. Kilda cannot let the statue of Captain Cook, on the foreshore, alone. At Christmas time, as stated in "The Age," they tied a "straw decker" hat in a rakish manner on his head. There might have been some excuse for that freak as being conceived in the spirit of seasonable good cheer and decoration. Yesterday morning, however, the captain appeared in a "bell-topper," also tied on. The great navigator remained wearing this anachronous covering until after midday, when Mr. Catani, Chief Engineer for Public Works, and designer of the foreshore embellishment scheme, with much indignation ordered its removal, and assisted Constable Davidson to hold the ladder while the Foreshore Trust's gardener mounted upon it and untied the hat. It is a fairly good bell-topper, and is being held by the police for identification. Something may be learned from the finger prints on it, or, possibly from a water mark. Anyhow, if by any chance, the person who mounted the head gear on the statue is caught, he will be made to pay dearly for his joke, not merely on account of the violence done to the feelings of those who consider public monuments should be respected, but for the sake of the actual damage likely to be incurred by climbing the statue to fix such garniture. Mr. Catani, with impulsive generosity, has informed the police that, irrespective of what the Foreshore Trust or St. Kilda council may do, he will pay £5 reward for information leading to the conviction of the jester. As there has been talk of a lot of other statues being ultimately included in the scheme of beach adornment at St Kilda, no doubt the prospect of Shakespeare being found some morning smoking a short clay pipe with the bowl downwards, or Dante with a shade over one eye and his aim in a sling, if this sort of thing is not stopped, makes Mr. Catani keen to have the matter traced home. (11) 

On August 11, 1916 a plaque was unveiled by the Mayor of St Kilda, Cr J.J. Love, which listed the names of the 96 crew of the Endeavour. This plaque, affixed to the pedestal of the statue, was also donated by Andrew Stenhouse. (12)

 Captain Cook Statue, Catani Gardens. 

Photographer: John T. Collins, taken January 21, 1975.

State Library of Victoria image H98.251/146

The instigator of the Captain Cook statue was Andrew Stenhouse, so from various sources (13) I have complied this biography. Andrew was born in Scotland in 1836 and  trained as a shipwright / carpenter. He arrived in Melbourne in 1862, where he worked in the building industry for three years. Andrew then went to New Zealand, where he lived for 16 years and worked in building and timber industries. He returned to Melbourne around 1881 where he worked the Union Sash and Door Company until 1887 when he re-located to Broken Hill.  In 1885, Thomas Stubbins had established the Willyama Timber mill in Broken Hill and it was this business that Andrew was employed with as the manager. Broken Hill developed, the mine grew and the Willyama Timber mill grew as it supplied timber products to the mine. By 1896 Andrew had taken over the ownership of the mill and the name changed to Globe Timber Mill. Around 1900 it employed 120 men and another business was opened in Port Pirie, the closest port to Broken Hill. The Globe Timber Mill was sold by Stenhouse in 1911 to  Globe Timber Company, a registered public company, according to the Barrier Miner of April 1, 1920.

Andrew Stenhouse, looking every inch the Colonial gentleman. 

Image from Cyclopedia of South Australia, on Find My Past

I am unsure when Andrew Stenhouse moved to St Kilda,  possibly around 1907. Here's what I know about his family life. Andrew was married to Mary Matilda Shiels (nee Barrett)  in 1872 in New Zealand.  She had been married before, to Robert Shiels, this marriage had taken place in Tasmania in 1860. Mary and Robert had four children -  George (born 1861 in Tasmania), James (born 1863 in Tasmania), Millicent Elizabeth (born 1865 in New Zealand)  and Robertina Mary (born 1867 in New Zealand). I have not yet found out when Robert died. Andrew and Mary had one son together, Andrew, who was born in New Zealand in 1873.  Robertina,  died on April 11, 1893 at the age of 25 at Redan Street in St Kilda.  Robertina had been operated on for  a tumour, she had been progressing well, then had a relapse and sadly passed away. She was buried at St Kilda Cemetery. Andrew and Mary's son,  Andrew Junior died February 3,1896 in Adelaide at the age of 22, and he was buried in the same grave at St Kilda Cemetery.  (14)

Marriage announcement of Andrew Stenhouse and Mary Shiels, which took place in Hokitika in New Zealand. 

West Coast Times March 8, 1872

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/WCT18720309.2.7

Mary Stenhouse died in on August 19, 1909 at the age of 72, and her obituary said that she had arrived in Broken Hill in 1889, but had lived in St Kilda for two years. She died at their house Willyama, 7 Beaconsfield Parade, Willyama being the original name of their Broken Hill timber mill. Her  obituary also said she was the mother of  George Shiels of Melbourne and James Shiels of Broken Hill. She was buried in the family grave and when Andrew died at the age of 81 on August 6, 1918 he was also buried in the grave. (15)

Apart from funding the Captain Cook statue Andrew was also involved in other civic projects. In December 1913, he donated two life saving stations - one contiguous to Brookes's boat shed, and the other on the west beach near the Beaconsfield Hotel. The report notes that In both places it was customary for open sea bathing to be indulged in. Each station had cost £100, and Mr. Stenhouse had shown his generosity also in supplying seats and marble topped tables for picnickers in Shakespeare-grove. (16)

I will end this post with a family story - my grandparents, Walter and Veda Thewlis, lived in Middle Park for  a time at 199 Beaconsfield Parade. This was a block of four flats, at the time called Colbinabbin. They had the flat on the ground floor, on the right. They rented there from late 1936 to late 1939. My Mum said that when she was about 4 (it was 1938 - the year her sister was born) whenever her Mum needed some peace with the new baby, her Dad used to take her for a walk to see 'Jimmy Cook' - the statute of Captain Cook on the foreshore!  (17)

Postscript - On the morning of January 25, 2024 destructive vandals senselessly cut down the statue at the ankles and dumped it on the grass and graffitied the plinth. The Police are investigating and the Premier of Victoria and the City of Port Phillip have vowed to have the statue reinstalled. (18)

Cook's boots on the plinth, after it was vandalised on January 25, 2024.

Image: Isaac Hermann January 26, 2024.

Trove lists - I have created a list of newspapers articles on Trove on the Captain Cook Statue and on the life of Andrew Stenhouse and his family, you can access it, here.

Footnotes

(1) The Herald, March 8, 1915, see here.

(2) Barrier Miner, March 11, 1915, see here.  

(3) Prahran Telegraph,  December 12, 1914 see here.

(4) The Argus, December 18, 1913, see here.

(5) John Tweed https://victorianweb.org/sculpture/tweed/index.html Photograph and an account of his career - The Age, August 22, 1936, see here; 

(6) https://www.captaincooksociety.com/ 

(7) The Argus, December 18, 1913, see here.

(8) Ibid

(9) The Leader December 12, 1914, see here.

(10) In conjunction with my colleague, Isaac Hermann, I  have written about this here https://victoriancollections.net.au/stories/carlo-catani-an-engineering-star-over-victoria/st-kilda-foreshore-gardens 

(11) The Age, January 18, 1915, see here.

(12) Prahran Telegraph, August 19, 1916, see here. 

(13) Andew Stenhouse entry in the Cyclopedia of South Australia, published in 1907, available on Find My Past; Article in the Barrier Daily Truth, May 11 2010 about the Globe Timber Mill (as at January 2024, no longer on-line); The Argus April 2, 1914 on Andrew Stenhouse, read it here.

(14) New Zealand Births, Deaths and Marriages    https://www.bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz/ ; Tasmanian Archives https://libraries.tas.gov.au/tasmanian-archives/  Family notices in the newspapers, see my Trove list, here.

(15) Family notices in the newspapers, see my Trove list, here.

(16) The Age December 22, 1913,  see here.

(17) I have written more about this here       https://victoriaspast.blogspot.com/2021/08/walter-and-veda-thewlis-and-their-happy.html

(18) Melbourne Statues of Queen Victoria and Captain Cook vandalised on Australia Day eve https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-01-25/melbourne-captain-cook-queen-victoria-statues-vandalised/103386996

Unnamed street in St Kilda given the name Cavell Street.

There are a few landmarks named after  Carlo such as the town of Catani, Lake Catani at Mount Buffalo, Catani Gardens in St  Kilda; the Boulevard in Ivanhoe was for a short time called Via Catani and Meredith Park near Colac was for  a while known as Catani Park. The other day I wondered what else might been proposed to have been named after Carlo, so I put the search term 'named after Catani' into Trove and I came up with this article from the Malvern Standard of  March 28, 1914, entitled An unnamed street - from Upper to Lower Esplanade, you can read it here.

The light-hearted article starts thus by the erection of Luna Park and the Palais de Danse, a new street has been formed from the St. Kilda Esplanade towards the sea shore. It goes on  It hasn't a name, and therefore stands a chance of  having no lawful visible means of support! It is a vagrant amongst streets, and it is therefore up to the St. Kilda Council to do a kindly act by giving it a name at the earliest opportunity. A splendid chance is here given for one of the city fathers to have his name immortalised by having the street named after him. It is an honor that anyone should covet. 

The journalist offers few helpful suggestions - such as naming it after Cr Hewison (1), Cr Molesworth (2), or Cr Love (3).  In fact, "Love street" would sound particularly appropriate. Again, why not name the street after the Mayor (Cr O'Donnell (4))? As for Cr Barnet (5), he is so unassuming that he would be one of the first to commit an act of self-sacrifice by allowing the honor to fall thickly upon someone else! "Catani street" wouldn't sound too badly, either! 

So, what did they do? Well, nothing at all for close to two years, which is a bit surprising because in the past Councillors everywhere have been extraordinarily keen to name things after themselves. It wasn't until December 1915 that the St Kilda Council came to a decision. The Malvern Standard of December 11, 1915 reported the roadway from the junction of the Upper and Lower Esplanades, adjacent to Luna Park, be called "Cavell" street. The recommendation was adopted. Cr Barnet mentioned that the name was suggested by the Town Clerk in honor of Nurse Edith Cavell, who was so cruelly shot by the Germans. Nurse Cavell (added Cr Barnet) was noted for her fondness for children, and he trusted that in the near future they would name one of their public reserves after her.

Edith Cavell, was born in 1865. She was nurse, served in the Great War and joined the Belgium Resistance. Nurse Cavell was arrested by the Germans, found guilty of treason and executed  by firing squad on October 12, 1915. There is a website on her life, Edith Cavell 1865-1915, see here and an interesting post about her, on the History Press website, see here.

I thought there might have been more streets in Victoria named in honor of Nurse Cavell at the time, but it seems St Kilda was the only council to honor her. In  November 1915,  a councillor to Ararat Council put a motion to rename High Street in honour of Nurse Cavell, but the motion failed to find a seconder.  There was also a  report that Richmond wanted to rename Hamburg Street to Cavell Street in June 1916, this never went ahead, but in 1940 when anti-German feelings were strong again, it was renamed to Cotter Street. There is a memorial to Nurse Cavell that was erected in Kings Domain on November 11, 1926. You can read about the monument on the Monument Australia website, here. The sculptor was Margaret Baskerville. Her other works include the statue of Thomas Bent, Victorian Premier, which is in Brighton and the James Cuming memorial at Footscray. You can read about her in the Australian Dictionary of Biography, here. Margaret Baskerville founded the Yarra Sculptors' Society in 1898, with others including Charles Douglas Richardson (1852 - 1932) whom she married in 1914. You can read more about him, here.

So, even though I am a big fan of Carlo and would be happy to have streets named everywhere after him,  in the end naming the small street after Nurse Edith Cavell was a great and rare tribute to her.

Edith Cavell memorial, Kings Domain. 

Sculptor: Margaret Baskerville. Unveiled November 11, 1926.

State Library of Victoria Image H94.145/11

Biographical footnotes:
(1) Hewison, Joseph Henry. Elected to St Kilda Council in 1910 and Mayor 1914/1915. Died in 1923 aged 56.  You can read his obituary in the Prahran Telegraph, here.
(2) Molesworth, Robert Arthur.  Died 1920, aged 76. He was a serving Councillor when he died. There is an account of his funeral, here.
(3) Love,  John Jeremiah. Mayor of St Kilda 1915/1916.   Died 1937, aged 69.  You can read his obituary, here. I have a bit of an interest in Church Architecture and Cr Love's son Allan was an architect with the firm of Scarborough, Robertson and Love and they designed, amongst other buildings, the Presbyterian Church in Elwood which opened in 1939.*
(4) O'Donnell, Edward. Mayor of St Kilda six times. O'Donnell Gardens in St Kilda is named for him and Cr O'Donnell unveiled the bust of Carlo Catani on August 22, 1932, which is at the foot of the Catani Clock Tower on the Upper Esplanade. Died in 1933, aged 88. You can read his obituary, here, and a short account of his life, here, in the Friends of St Kilda Cemetery newsletter.
(5)  Barnet, Henry Florian. Mayor of St Kilda 1916/1917. Died 1933, aged 74. You can read his obituary, here.

* I have to thank my research colleague, Isaac, for telling me this interesting snippet of information.

I have created a short list of articles on Trove about the naming of Cavell Street, you can access it, here. All the articles referenced here, are on the list.

Mr Catani eulogised

This interesting report of a meeting of the St Kilda Council, from the Malvern Standard of May 26, 1917 is, as the headline suggests, a eulogy to Carlo, who had just retired from the Public Service.  What we learn, inter alia, is that his work on the St Kilda foreshore was admired, that he had retained his juvenility notwithstanding the great work he had done throughout the State - that's a bit of an old fashioned way to say young at heart (or I think it is, anyway). We also find out that he had no interest in becoming the Mayor of St Kilda and that in 1879 it was his duty to plan out the Lower Esplanade. 1879 - only three years after he arrived in Victoria. Carlo also reveals that he could not see how any objections could he raised to the taking of sand for the work of beautification because the foreshores were just as much public property as the sun that shined to give us warmth. Apparently, not everyone agreed with that view and yes, it is hard for me to write that not everyone thinks he is perfect, but there you go. Finally, another thing we learn about Carlo is that he made reference to indecorum on the beaches, saying that while police efforts were put forward to put down soothsayers, so firm steps should also be taken to stamp out the indecorum referred to. Interesting that he equates indecorum on beaches with soothsayers, clearly he didn't approve of them as well.

You can read the article on Trove, here, and it is transcribed, below.

St Kilda Esplanade, 1875. Artist: Elizabeth Parsons. 

This is only four years before Carlo said he started his work on planning out the lower Esplanade in St Kilda; this view must be almost as he had seen it for the first time.

State Library of Victoria Image H36676/17

MR. CATANI EULOGISED.
At the meeting of the St Kilda Council on Monday evening Mr. C. Catani, who recently resigned from the Public Works Department, was present by invitation. Another visitor was Mr. R. G. McCutcheon, M.LA.

The Mayor (Cr. Barnet) said it was the desire of the council to express appreciation of Mr. Catani's services not only to St Kilda, but the whole of the State. Mr. Catani had had a great deal to do in making Elwood what it was, and it was his mind that had also brought the beautification work along the foreshore generally. They all admired the great work he had done. It was admired not only by citizens of St. Kilda, Victoria, and from other parts of the Commonwealth, but from other parts of the world. From early morning till late at night Mr. Catani had given his time to beautifying the foreshore. It would ever stand as a monument to his handiwork. For 41 years he had been connected with the Public Works Department, and during that time he had been associated with important works in other parts of the State. It was well to know that Mr. Catani would continue to act as a member of the St. Kilda Foreshore Committee. They all hoped that Mr. Catani would live long to continue the good work he had only commenced. They were proud of Mr. Catani, and were deeply appreciative of what he had done for St. Kilda.

Other councillors also added their quota of praise of Mr. Catani.

Cr. Love said Mr. Catani still retained his juvenility notwithstanding the great work he had done throughout the State. He looked forward to the time when Mr. Catani might possibly occupy the position Cr. Barnet occupied that evening as Mayor (Mr Catani smiled, and shook his head in the negative). Mr. Catani's fine work of beautification would stand as a monument to his memory.

Cr. Hewison spoke of Mr. Catani's strong individuality, which, he said, no doubt was the cause of his having such marked influence over his fellow members of the foreshore committee.

Cr. Sculthorpe said he would have liked to have seen more of Mr. Catani's handiwork at Elwood. Crs. Hart, Allen, Hughes and Pittard added their eulogies of Mr. Catani's work.

Mr. McCutcheon said he was extremely sorry that Mr. Catani had resigned from the public service. He had given magnificent service to the State, and during his long career in the Public Service he had gained the good-will and esteem of all with whom he had come in contact.

A summer day on the Beach at Elwood  - it looks about the 1930s. 
I cannot see any indecorum going on there, nor any soothsaying for that matter, but perhaps that type of behaviour only happened in St Kilda, not Elwood.

State Library of Victoria Image H32492/1216

Mr. Catani, in rising to respond, was received with applause. He said that he really did not feel worthy of all the kind things said of him, but he would not be human if he were not deeply appreciative of the kind sentiments expressed. It was because of private reasons (Mr. Catani said) that he had resigned from the Public Service. Becoming reminiscent, Mr. Catani gave some interesting particulars of the early days of St. Kilda, and said that it was in the year 1879 that it was his duty to plan out the Lower Esplanade. Even at that period he was inspired with the great possibilities that were in store for the Esplanade. Making reference to the sand question. Mr. Catani said he could not see how any objections could be raised to the taking of sand for the work of beautification. He hoped to see a foreshore drive from Port Melbourne to Sorrento. What had already been done was only a decoy duck. The Brighton Council say they want their beach left as it is, but the whole of the foreshores were just as much public property as the sun that shined to give us warmth. In conclusion, Mr. Catani made reference to indecorum on the beaches, saying that while police efforts were put forward to put down soothsayers, so firm steps should also be taken to stamp out the indecorum referred to (Applause.)

Mr. Catani was subsequently chief guest in the mayoral parlor.

Catani Clock Tower unveiled at St Kilda in 1932

The residents of St Kilda erected a memorial to Carlo Catani, in the form of a clock tower,  which was unveiled on August 22, 1932, on the Upper Esplanade.  The St Kilda Council had set aside £750 at their Estimates meeting in November 1929 for the memorial. In the December it was announced that Competitive designs are to be invited, under the auspices of the Royal Victorian Institute of Architects. The cost of the tower is not to exceed £2500. A premium of £50 will be paid for the best design, and £25 for the second (1).  

The St Kilda Foreshore Committee matched the Council's contribution and donated  £750 (2). The Prahran Telegraph reported on how the rest of the finance would be obtained -  Town Clark, Mr F. Chamberlin (3) , explained that the rest of the money would come from allocations of local carnivals in past years [where] there is available the sum of £635; Messrs. H. F. and L. Phillips, of the Palais de Danse, have promised a donation of £50. The article goes on to say that although there will be no direct appeal for subscriptions voluntary contributions would be gladly received by the Town Clark, St Kilda. (4). 

The competition received 46 entries and they were assessed by Thomas Buchan (5)  President of the Royal Victorian Institute of Architects. In July 1930, he selected, and it was accepted by the St Kilda Council, a design  in the Italian Renaissance style by  Geelong Architect, Norman Schefferle. (6)  A review of all the designs was written up in  Building: the magazine for the architect, builder, property owner and merchant, Vol. 46 No. 276 (12 August 1930) - you can read it here.

The Clock Tower under construction. Photographer: Albert Jones.

This image has been cropped, see the original at the State Library of Victoria 

here http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/43083

Carlo's daughter, Enid, was in attendance at the unveiling where the Chairman of the Memorial Committee, Frederick Michaelis (7), said the tower was a worthy memorial to a worthy friend of St Kilda (8). At the foot of the clock tower was a bust of Carlo Catani, by sculptor, Paul Montford (9).  The bust is mounted on a sandstone plinth, with a bronze plaque which includes the words A great Public Servant of Victoria 1876 - 1917.  The bust was unveiled by long-term St Kilda Councillor, Edward O'Donnell (10), who also had the honour of starting the clock's mechanism.

This fabulous photo, by Isaac Hermann, shows the bust of Carlo at the foot of the clock tower, with one of Carlo's palms in the background and the shadow of a palm on the tower.

At the foot of the clock tower is a bust of Carlo by Paul Montford. 

Photo: Isaac Hermann.

This article from The Argus reports on the unveiling. 

An account of the unveiling of the Clock Tower, which is transcribed, below.

The Argus August 23, 1932 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/4469746

The report of the unveiling of the Clock  Tower, from The Argus - 

CATANI CLOCK TOWER - Unveiled at St. Kilda.

After the death of Mr. Carlo Catani, a former chief engineer of the State Public Works department, in 1918, it was decided to erect in his memory a clock tower on the upper esplanade at St. Kilda. The tower, which occupies the site of the old band rotunda on the esplanade, was completed at a cost of about £2,800, collected from residents of St Kilda. It was unveiled before a large gathering yesterday. Among those present was Miss Enid Catani, a daughter of the late Mr. Catani. The tower, which is built in brick in Italian renaissance style, was designed by Mr. N. E. Schefferle. It will be illuminated at night. At the foot is a bronze bust of the late Mr. Catani by Mr. Paul Montford.

The chairman of the memorial committee (Mr. P. D. Michaelis) said that the tower was a worthy memorial to a worthy friend of St. Kilda. The mayor of St. Kilda (Councillor H. Moroney) said that the State was full of monumental tributes to Mr. Catani's genius. Councillor Edward O'Donnell, who unveiled the bronze bust and started the mechanism of the clock, recalled Mr. Catani's enthusiasm for the beauty of the St Kilda foreshore. The Minister for Public Works (Mr. Jones) was represented by the chief engineer for public works (Mr. G. Kermode).

The Clock Tower is a landmark in St Kilda, and the subject of many photographs and postcards, some of which you can see here.

Footnotes

(1) The Herald, December 17, 1929, see here. 

(2) The Age December 18, 1929, see here.
(3) Frederick William Chamberlin, City of St Kilda Town Clerk . According to his obituary he was born in England, arrived in Victoria in 1881, appointed assistant Town Clerk in 1897 and became the Town Clerk on  May 1, 1913.  Mr Chamberlin died suddenly on October 11, 1934 when he collapsed outside the Town Hall on his way to a Council Public Works Committee meeting. He was 62 years old.  You can read his obituary in The Argus, here and The Age, here. This is irrelevant to the clock tower story, but of interest - Chamberlin's daughter, Marie (1902 -1993) was a Senator. She married  Robert Tweeddale Breen in 1928, he was a Mayor of the City of Brighton and this gave Marie a public role and she was involved in groups such as the Brighton Baby Health Centre Association and Victorian Family Council. In 1945 she joined the newly established Liberal Party,  and stood for the Senate in the 1961 election, she did not seek re-election when her term expired at the end of June in 1968. She was made Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in June 1979. Dame Marie Breen died in June 1993. Read more about her, here, on the Senate website.

(4) Prahran Telegraph, March 14, 1930, see here.
(5) Thomas Johnston Buchan (1874 - 1962) became President of the Royal Victorian Institute of Architects in 1930. He was a partner in the Architectural firm of Laird and Buchan. He began his career in 1891 in Geelong when he was articled  to  J. A. Laird, where in 1906 he became  a Partner in the firm. He studied at the School of Architecture at the Gordon Institute of Technology. The firm designed Churches, banks, houses and some outstanding architectural memorial, which are among the leading ornaments of Geelong. Source: The Herald, February 25, 1930, read the article here.
(6) Norman Edwin Schefferle (1899 - 1983),  also studied at Gordon Technical College in Geelong, but he as he was younger than Thomas Buchan, so their time at the College did not overlap. Schefferle was with the firm Schefferle and Davies.  He designed Geelong's Art Deco Carlton Hotel built in 1936, the Point Henry Signal Station ( the Geelong Harbour Control building) built 1939 and the Kilmore Hospital in 1953.  As well, he designed the Caulfield War Memorial, unveiled in 1932. Read more about Norman Schefferle, here.
(7) Frederick David Michaelis (1861 - 1935) was a partner in the firm of Michaelis, Hallenstein & Co, leather merchants. He was a member of the St Kilda Foreshore Committee and the St Kilda Cemetery Committee and on the Board of Management of the Alfred Hospital. He was also a supporter of Wesley College, where he went to school. Like Carlo Catani, Mr Michaelis, had a son who died in the First World War - his son Frank Moritz Michaelis (Service number 31586) enlisted on August 23, 1916 at the age of 24 and died of disease on May 14, 1917. Another son, Archie, was a Lieutenant in the Royal Field Artillery, you can read his biography in the Australian Dictionary of Biography, here.  You can read Frederick Michaelis' informative obituary in the Hebrew Standard of Australasia, here and shorter obituaries  in The Age, here and in The Argus, here.
Michaelis, Hallenstein operated a very large tannery in Footscray, you can read about it and see photos of it on the Living Museum of the West (LMW) website, here. They were said to be the first employers to introduce the eight hour day for their employees. The Company also had their own World War One memorial to their nineteen employees who lost their life in the War - Frank Michaelis is listed on the memorial as well.There is a photo of the memorial on the LMW website. I have done a blog post on the Michaelis, Hallenstein Tannery war memorial on my Victoria's Past - Rescued and Retold blog, here.

(8) The Argus August 23, 1932, see here.  

(9) Paul Montford. Paul Raphael Montford (1868 - 1938)  was born in England and worked there until he came to Australia at the age of 54. His work includes the statue of Adam Lindsay Gordon in Gordon Reserve in Spring Street and the George Higinbotham sculpture near the Old Treasury Buildings. You can read his Australian Dictionary of Biography entry, by Jenny Zimmer, here.
(10) Edward O'Donnell was a St Kilda City Councillor for 44 years, inaugural member of the St Kilda Foreshore Committee (formed in 1906) and Chairman of the Committee from 1919. He died in 1933 at the age of 88.  O'Donnell Gardens in St Kilda is named for him, where there is an elaborate fountain erected as a memorial, which was unveiled in August 1935. You can read his obituary in The Argus, here