Carlo's Linguistic Skills

We know that Carlo was persuasive and charming, evidenced by these two quotes from Table Talk-
He is a model of urbanity and discretion, and Ministers like him so well that they will be induced to father his road beautification schemes, even when they scarcely know where the money is to come from (1). 

Carlo Catani is a most interesting companion on a long train or motor trip and in the bush. Incidentally he uses his conversational prestige to push forward his beneficent schemes for the making of beauty spots, good roads, new harbors and what not (2). 

I have found three references to his skills as a linguist in English and Italian.

In October 1908, Carlo organised a trip to Mount Buffalo for the Premier, the Minister for Lands, the Surveyor General and various Government other officials. The Ovens and Murray Advertiser reported on the trip, the efficiency of Carlo's organisational skills and at the end his perfect English. The relevant section of the article is transcribed, below.

Carlo's organization skills and perfect grammar praised.

Ovens & Murray Advertiser October 24, 1908 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/198714716#

To Mr. Catani, however, of the Public Works Department, is to be ascribed the principal praise. Not satisfied with constructing the road he organised the trip, and through himself and his assistants he apparently provided for every possible want. To house and feed 40 or 50 rather sybaritish individuals on the top of a bare rock 5000 feet up in the clouds, amid the snow, is no mean task; but he did it, and did it admirably. His own chief, Mr. Davidson, did not scruple to say that no man but Mr. Catani could have managed the thing so well; and in his efforts he was excellently seconded by his lieutenants, Messrs. Clauser (3) and McCormick. Just as a further taste of his quality, Mr. Catani gave a lesson to his guests by making the only absolutely grammatical speeches delivered during the trip, and so still further surprising the party (4).

There are two references I found to Carlo speaking Italian in public. The first was at meeting held at the Melbourne Town Hall on July 31, 1916 the purpose of which was to convince people who were from Allied Nations to subscribe to the War Loan. This included Russians, French, Belgians, Italians, Servians (apparently a former word for Serbian)  and the Japanese. As a matter of interest, this meeting took place two days after his son, Enrico, was Killed in Action in France, but Carlo was at the time unaware of his son's demise. 

Advertisement for the meeting, where Carlo was a guest speaker.

The Argus July 31, 1916 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/1630281

The report the next day of the meeting was in The Argus and headlined - A Polyglot appeal: Speeches by Allies' Subjects - 
Heralded by the band playing the Belgian National Anthem, Monsieur C. Costerman, speaking in French, drew a harrowing picture of the sufferings of his countrymen. Then came a speech in Italian by Signor Catani. Those of his countrymen who had found a home in Australia had, he said, a double duty. As Australians they should give their last shilling; as Italians they should sell their innermost garment to provide funds to carry on the war. Monsieur E. Napoleon Boffard, representing France, gave as an excuse for speaking in English that he had forgotten French. The French peasants, he said, had taken their hoarded-up gold to the Treasury. "You have taken our husbands, you have taken our sons", the women said, "take our gold also, we want France to win." Monsieur Boffard concluded with a powerful appeal to his countrymen to do their duty (5).

The fact that the speakers were addressing the audience in languages other than English was apparently unusual and The Age advertised the meeting as a Meeting of Allies: Novel gathering at Town Hall (6).

The other reference I can find to Carlo speaking Italian was on his first day as a Magistrate at the St Kilda Court, which was on May 15, 1917. At the hearing Giacomo Rando was charged with having, on April 21, acted contrary to the regulations made by the Board of Public Health, under the Health Acts (for securing cleanliness and freedom from contamination of articles of food), to wit, bananas and apples, by storing them in places where things were kept which were likely to contaminate such articles of food or injuriously affect their wholesomeness or cleanliness (7).

The report in the Prahran Chronicle continued with Defendant (in his native tongue) was asked by Mr. Catani, J.P., as to whether there was a child's cot near the fruit and defendant replied that he did not know whether there was or not. The  Court found that apples were stored in the bathroom covered with old bags and rags and a case of bananas were covered with rags. Mr Rando was found guilty and fined  £3 (8).

We will return to Table Talk for another tribute to Carlo and his communication skills - 

Probably he was able to do so much with the slow-moving civil servants around him because he was blessed with unusual vigor himself, and could paint a rosy scheme in treble languages. He was about the best story-teller the department ever had (9).  Treble languages - English, Italian what would his other language be? Possibly French. His brother Ugo Catani,  attended a meeting in 1890 to establish a branch of the L'Alliance Francaise in Melbourne. Ugo was one of the entertainers and all the vocal and instrumental music were the compositions of the best French composers and all the conversation was in French (10), which suggests that Ugo spoke French, so it is possible that Carlo did as well. 

Trove List

I have created  a short list of articles on Carlo and his linguistic skills on Trove, access it here.

Footnotes
(1) Table Talk, February 15, 1912, see here.

(2) Table Talk, September 11, 1913, see here.

(3) This is George Clowser, read about him here https://carlocatani.blogspot.com/2019/07/mr-clowser.html

(4) Ovens and Murray Advertiser, October 24, 1908, see here.

(5) The Argus, August 1, 1916, see here.

(6) The Age, July 31, 1916, see here.

(7) Prahran Chronicle, May 19, 1917, see here.

(8) Prahran Chronicle, May 19, 1917, see here.

(9) Table Talk, May 3, 1917, see here.

(10) Australasian, August 2, 1890, see here.

Carlo Catani - Cyclopedia of Victoria, 1903

In the last post (see here) I looked at Ettore Checchi's entry from the Cyclopedia of Victoria, which  was published in three volumes from 1903 to 1905. The Cyclopedia was an attempt to present a comprehensive survey of the State in most of its multifarious aspects - political, social, religious, and educational, financial, commercial and industrial. In this post, I have transcribed Carlo Catani's entry, from volume 1 of the Cyclopedia.

Carlo Catani - Cyclopedia of Victoria, v. 1.

Carlo Catani

Photographer: Johnstone, O'Shannessy & Co. Image from Cyclopedia of Victoria, v. 3.

Mr Carlo Catani, Engineer for Roads and Bridges, was born at Florence, Italy, in 1852, and was educated in his native city, taking his diploma as a civil engineer at the Technical Institute, and in November, 1872, received his papers from the Minister for Agriculture, Commerce, and Industry. 

He, with Messrs. Baracchi and Checchi, came to Victoria in 1876, and entered the Lands Department. In 1882 Mr Catani was transferred to the Public Works Department, and in 1890 was Acting Engineer for Roads and Bridges, owing to the illness of his chief.  In 1892 he was appointed to that position. 

In Italy Mr Catani was employed on railway work. He qualified as a surveyor under the Land Act in 1880, a municipal surveyor in 1897, and is also a surveyor under the Transfer of Land Act. 

Between 1880 and 1890 Mr Catani was assistant engineer for harbour works, and he succeeded Mr Hynes as Engineer for Roads and Bridges, Harbour Works and Reclamation. It was under his supervision that the Yarra improvement, the Anderson Street bridge over the Yarra, works were carried out.

Ettore Checchi - Cyclopedia of Victoria, 1903

The Cyclopedia of Victoria was published in three volumes: volume 1 in 1903, and the next two volumes in 1904 and 1905. They were, as the title page said, an Historical and Commercial Review- Descriptive and Biographical, Facts, Figures and Illustrations. An Epitome of Progress. The preface explains further -  They were an attempt to present a comprehensive survey of the State in most of its multifarious aspects - political, social, religious, and educational, financial, commercial and industrial. The Cyclopedia was edited by James Smith and published by the Cyclopedia Company. 

This is the entry, from volume 1, on Ettore Checchi (1853 - 1946). Checchi had arrived in Melbourne in September 1876 with Pietro Baracchi and Carlo Catani. 

Ettore Checchi -  Cyclopedia of Victoria, v. 1.

Ettore Checchi

Photographer: Johnstone, O'Shannessy & Co. Image from Cyclopedia of Victoria, v. 3.

Mr  Ettore Checchi, Chief Assistant Engineer for Water Supply, was born in Tuscany, Italy, and educated at the Technical Institute of Florence, in which he holds the degree of mechanical and civil engineering. 

He came to Victoria in 1876, and on his arrival here entered the Lands Department, and shortly after the Public Works Department, which was then professionally directed by Mr W.H. Steele, as Inspector-General for Public Works. 

Mr Checchi was Assistant Engineer for Harbour Works in that department, and in 1888 was transferred to the Water Supply Department, under Mr Stuart Murray, Chief Engineer.  Mr Checchi for four years was in charge of the water-boring works in the Mallee country, but as the operations for striking an artesian supply of water proved to be unsuccessful, the Government decided to relinquish the work. 

Mr Checchi has the control and charge for maintenance of the Coliban and Geelong Water-works, and has carried out the Eastern Moorabool works, which, as an additional source of supply, cost £80,000. Mr Checchi is Hydraulic Engineer for the Victorian Government, and is also a licensed municipal surveyor.

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In a previous post,  I have transcribed an article on Ettore, written by J. N. Churchyard, Research Officer at the State Rivers and Water Supply Commission and  published in Aqua, the S.R.W.S.C. Journal in the 1950s, you can read it here.

I have also transcribed Carlo Catani's entry from the Cyclopedia of Victoria, read it here.

Ettore Checchi - River Murray Agreement and River Gauging by J.N. Churchyard.

This article on Ettore Checchi, by J. N. Churchyard, Research Officer at the State Rivers and Water Supply Commission was first published in Aqua, the State Rivers and Water Supply Commission Journal sometime between August 1956 and September 1958 and republished in Pioneers of Victorian Irrigation (pp. 20-21; SRWSC, 1976). Ettore Checchi, Pietro Baracchi and their friend Carlo Catani, arrived in Melbourne in September 1876.

Ettore Checchi (1853-1946 ) 

River Murray Agreement and River Gauging 

by J.N. Churchyard.

In an era when this country is receiving record numbers of New Australians, it is particularly instructive to consider the life of Ettore Checchi (1), one of our Italian immigrants of 80 years ago. In fifty years of service to the State, Mr Checchi performed some monumental work, the effect of which will benefit Australia for all time. It symbolises the contribution which our New Australians can make to their adopted country today.

Ettore Checchi was born in 1853 in the town of Pisa, famous, of course for its “leaning tower”. The father of the family of 12 had died when young Ettore was five years old, leaving his family in some financial difficulty, but despite this severe setback early in his life, Ettore Checchi managed to obtain his engineering degree at Florence. However, realising that there were few good prospects in Italy, he decided to emigrate, and after a difficult six-months trip, landed in Melbourne in 1877*.

It is worth mentioning that two other Italians, Carlo Catani and Pietro Baracchi, both of whom also achieved notable positions in the Victorian Public Service, were on the same ship.

Of the three, Catani, who became Chief Engineer of the Public Works Department is probably the best known. From the Commission’s point of view, the most interesting work which he did was to drain the now-fertile Kooweerup Swamp, but he is also known for the development of St Kilda foreshore, where Catani Gardens was named in his honour, and for the beautification of Mount Buffalo National Park, where Lake Catani also bears his name. Less is known of Baracchi, but he was Victorian Government Astronomer for a number of years.

However, to take up the story of Ettore Checchi, he was first employed as an assistant engineer in the Department of Lands and Public Works, where, among other things, he was largely concerned with the design of buildings of Princes and Falls (Queen’s) Bridges. But Mr Checchi’s most notable work was done during 39 years of service from 1888 to 1927, first with the Victorian Water Supply Department, and later with the State Rivers and Water Supply Commission.

Ettore Checchi

Image: https://www.ancestry.com.au/family-tree/person/tree/119404943/person/132073611441/facts

In his first few years as an assistant engineer, Mr Checchi was employed on hydrographic work, where his organisation of systematic river gauging throughout the State, under the direction of Stuart Murray, attracted world-wide attention, and laid the foundation of a scientific water conservation policy in this State (2).

In 1894, after some years as Chief Assistant Engineer, Mr Checchi was appointed as Engineer in Charge of River Gaugings, Irrigation Trusts and the Coliban and Geelong Water Supply Systems. As might be imagined, these duties kept him extremely busy; in fact, records show that for one period of six years Mr Checchi averaged only one day’s leave per annum.

However, Ettore Checchi’s greatest contribution was to supply most of the technical data in regard to water resources required in connection with the harnessing of the waters of the River Murray, a problem which had proved highly contentious for half a century. As early as 1863, proposals had been made for developing the waters of the Murray and an interstate Royal Commission had reported on the subject in 1902. But it was not until 1914 that an Agreement on the subject based on the recommendations of an Interstate Conference of Engineers in 1913. It was this Agreement which led to the establishment of the River Murray Commission.

Commissioner J. S. Dethridge of the State Rivers and Water Supply Commission represented Victoria on the Conference. Ettore Checchi was the Chief Engineering Officer and was responsible for hydrographic investigations and the examination of storage sites along the Upper Murray, including one which was ultimately chosen for the Hume Reservoir. With his unique knowledge of stream conditions over a period of 25 years, Ettore Checchi was in a better position than any other man in Australia to advise on the distribution of water between the three States concerned.

The agreement of 1914 was the reward for his work, and at that stage, Mr Checchi might have been pardoned for thinking that his work had nearly ended, since he was then 57 years of age. However, he was by no means at the end of his working life for he did not retire until, at the age of 73 – and at his own request – he terminated what must be close to a record period of 50 years of service with the State. During his last 16 years with the Commission he was intimately associated with many of the major water conservation projects in this State, including the Hume and the first Eildon Reservoirs.

After his retirement Mr Checchi lived for a further 20 years until his death in 1946 at the age of 93 years. It is recorded by A.S. Kenyon that he was still “in fine form” and the age of 87, no doubt largely because of the great strength for which he was renowned. Indeed, Kenyon described him in a newspaper article as “possibly the strongest man in this world”.

The same source refers to Ettore Checchi as “first of all a gentleman in the fullest Continental sense of the word”, but more than that, “a great mathematician and a sound designing engineer”. The former tribute maybe endorsed only by those who knew Mr Checchi personally, but the latter claim is obvious from the work he did, which has provided such a sound basis for the development of water conservation not only in the State of Victoria, but in New South Wales and South Australia as well.

1.The Commission is indebted for much information in this article to Dr Checchi of Willaura, a son of the late Ettore Checchi, and to a daughter, Mrs N. Muddle of Hampton.
2. See article on Stuart Murray, “Aqua” November 1956.

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* Ettore Checchi, Carlo Catani and Pietro Baracchi actually arrived in Melbourne in September 1876.

Family information

Ettore Checchi married Rebecca Rodgers, of Attunga, near Tamworth on November 13, 1889. They had four children, all the births were registered in Caulfield - Leo, Cyril, Nancy and Norman Rodger. Rebecca died on November 24, 1944, aged 74 and Ettore died July 19, 1946. They were both cremated at Springvale.

Leo, born 1891, married Gwladys Williams , in Wales, in 1933. They had two sons John Rodger - born in 1936, married June Davies in 1962 and died in 1999; Howell Rodger, born 1941, married Glenys Ewans in 1972. Leo died April 14, 1972 and Gwladys July 30, 1972. All events took place in Wales.

Cyril, born July 24, 1892, married Frances Suddaby 'Fanny' Wilson at the Elsternwick Presbyterian Church on September 19, 1916. They had a son David Alwyn born November 2, 1920. David, joined the RAAF and died in a training flight in South Australia on May 13, 1942. Their daughter, Pauline, was born in September 1922. Frances died 1984, aged 88 and Cyril died at 104 years of age, May 14, 1997. They are buried at Willaura Cemetery. Cyril was a Doctor and practised at Willaura from 1920 to 1986. He was the subject of a book, The Greatest Joy of all: the story of Dr Cyril Checchi by Paul McLoughlin (Bob Meredith, 1995). The title The Greatest Joy of all, refers to the birth of babies. 

Nancy, born February 24, 1895, married Hubert Roy Muddle, December 14, 1916. Hubert died at the age of 28 on June 17, 1919, in NSW. Their son, William Beaumont Muddle was born in 1917 in Victoria and died in NSW in 1959. Nancy died May 23, 1978, her Executor was Irene Nora Checchi. Nancy was cremated at Springvale.

Norman Rodger was born January 5, 1901. He married Irene Nora Morrison in 1927. Leo died May 13, 1987; Irene died October 30, 1988. They were both cremated at Springvale.

The family information comes from the Indexes to Victorian and NSW Birth, Death and Marriages;  personal notices in Trove and newspapers.com; records on Ancestry and Springvale Cemetery records.

You can read Ettore Checchi's Australian Dictionary of Biography entry, written by Ronald East, here. It is partly based on Mr Churchyard's article. Lewis Ronald East, was an engineer with and later Chairman of  the State Rivers and Water Supply Commission.

Italian Links with Kitchener's Hundred by John C. Trinca looks at the life and war service of Alfred John Trinca, Cyril Checchi and Leo Checchi. It is published in the Newsletter of the Italian Historical Society CO AS IT, v. 2, n. 3 July-September 1991  http://coasit.com.au/IHS/journals/IHS%20Journal007.pdf

In another post I have transcribed Ettore Checchi's entry from the 1903 Cyclopedia of Victoria, read it here. 

Streets named Catani

I have been for a few drives and photographed all the Catani street signs in Victoria. There is also a Catani Place in Monash in the A.C.T., of which I received some photos from a kind Canberrian. There is also a Catani Place at Helensvale in Queensland, north of the Gold Coast, the only sign not photographed.  For a short time (1918-1919) The Boulevard which runs between Heidelberg and Ivanhoe, was called Via Catani, and I have written about this here.

Catani Boulevard, Bend of Islands. The sealed road is Henley Drive.

Catani Boulevard, Bend of Islands

Catani Boulevard, Bend of Islands, is the most scenic of the Catani streets. Bend of Islands is an Environmental Living Zone, part of the Shire of Nillumbik and the location of the Warrandyte-Kinglake Nature Conservation Reserve. The name  comes from the fact that the Yarra River bends around and there is a small island in the bend, called Moniques Island. You can see the Bend of Islands Conservation Association website, here. 

Catani Boulevard was established in 1929. Mick Woiwod, in his book Once Around the Sugarloaf (1) describes how it came about in March 1929, Ned Haughton subdivided his 320 acre estate into thirty-six lots - thirty-five of which had river frontages, averaging five acres apiece, with the remaining land-locked central block measuring 124 acres. Access to the river blocks was provided for by the construction of a circuitous road (Via Catani Boulevard), carved out with horse and scoop by Jack Kennedy, a local contractor.......Aware of Catani's universal popularity, Ned Haughton named the road through his subdivision 'Via Catani Boulevard' (2).

Aubrey Edward 'Ned'  Haughton was an auctioneer and real estate agent from the firm of Coghill & Haughton (3).  He admired Carlo Catani's vision of a grand boulevard which would run from Princes Bridge to Yarra Glen and in 1927 decided to take on the project. The Herald reported on his plans - Few citizens, perhaps, remember that the late Mr Catani, the noted Public Works officer, visualised a river boulevard from the city to Yarra Glen, where it would join the Healesville road, and at Healesville link up with the highway over the Blacks' Spur and the mountains beyond - to Sydney....Applying himself to the task of "seeing it through"  Mr A. E. Haughton (of Coghill and Haughton, city) appeals to citizens and Government departments concerned to help forward the great driveway scheme. 

Mr Haughton  divides the driveway into three sections, as follows: 1. Prince's Bridge to Heidelberg. This is being looked after by the Public Works Department. The Lake Thwaites' scheme has  been planned on this section.  2. Heidelberg to Warrandyte, via Eltham. This section can easily be arranged, as recent sub-divisons and existing Government roads need only a few additions to make it possible. 3. Warrandyte to Yarra Glen on the north side of  the river. This is the longest section, and the land is held by only a few owners. Mr Haughton considers that "the  Government should acquire the big timber areas before they are converted into week-end sites, which is likely to happen soon." (4). 

Sadly, neither Carlo's nor Mr Haughton's vision ever came to fruition. You perhaps might wonder if Mr Haughton's vision of the grand boulevard was influenced by the prospect of increasing his business through land sales along the route. Table Talk profiled him in 1914 and had this to say -  Land salesmanship is Mr. Haughton's forte, he combines with a sound, all-round knowledge of town and country values a persuasive address, which counts for a great deal at an auction sale (5). 

In 1975 you could have purchased 8 acres on Catani Boulevard for $21,000. 

The Bend of Islands area was previously part of Kangaroo Ground. 

The Age, November 15, 1975

Catani Court, Broadmeadows.

Catani Court, Broadmeadows, is in my 1973 Melway, but not in the original 1966 Melway, so this gives some idea when the Court was established. It is in the City of Hume. It was very hard to take an attractive photo of the sign; as you can see from the photo the housing estate was established before the days when power lines were placed underground. Catani Court is in a pocket of streets named after Victorian towns - Heywood, Dimboola, Cavendish, Coleraine, Timboon, Sorreno, Benambra amongst others. 

Catani Court, Burnside Heights

Burnside Heights is part of the City of Melton. Catani Court was proclaimed in 2006 according to the City of Melton Road Management Plan, see below. Catani Court is off Arbour Boulevard and some of the  surrounding street are named after parks - Como, Domain, Hyde, Regent, Centennial, so I presume that is the reason Catani was selected.

City of Melton Road Management Plan, March 2021

https://www.melton.vic.gov.au/Services/Building-Planning-Transport/Roads-and-traffic/Road-management

Catani Mews, Caroline Springs

Nine hundred metres from Catani Court, Burnside Heights is Catani Mews, Caroline Springs. Catani Mews was proclaimed in 2004 according to the City of Melton Road Management Plan, above. Catani Mews is also in a pocket of streets with Park names - Studley Park Way, Kings Domain, Edinburgh Lane and a street called Alexandra Gardens.

Catani Place, Craigieburn

Catani Place in Craigieburn, is also in the City of Hume. It seemed to be a very short street - 20 metres, if that, which lead to a gate, but I have just found that 4-10 Catani Place was sold in November 2016 in one lot as 6 residential properties being 'offered in one line' allowing purchasers to secure residential investments with commercial returns. Tenant: Department of Education & Training.  Lease Term: 15 years (comm. Feb 2003) plus options. These houses were all behind the gate, so it is a small gated community. This is the advertisement for the sale, here. Catani Place was in the 2003 Melway in dotted lines, which is what they use to denote proposed developments.  Studley Park Way, Fawkner Lane, Kings Glen are three close streets, so I presume it was named to fit into this Garden theme.

Catani Lane, Curlewis. The Land borders Connor Park. 

Curlewis is around 20 km past Geelong. Catani Lane is in the Curlewis Parks Estate, which was established around 2011. The Estate was originally advertised as being in Drysdale, but is now called Curlewis. Curlewis itself is an old locality. Coriyule Homestead, built in 1849 for pioneer squatters Anne Drysdale and Caroline Newcomb, is located in Curlewis. Curlewis Catholic School was established  in January 1851, changed it's name to Point Henry in 1869 and closed in December 1873. Curlewis State School, No. 1559, operated form 1875 until 1880 (6).  Catani Lane is surrounded by Chatsworth Way, Hyde Way, Centennial Boulevard and streets with English names - I can't see a connection between Catani and the other street names. Connor Park was presumably named for the pioneering Connor family (7).

Catani Avenue, Koo Wee Rup

Catani Avenue, Koo Wee Rup is in the Shire of Cardinia, as is the town of Catani. It is in the Shelton Park Estate, established around 2010. In my 2015 Melway, Catani Avenue came off Rossiter Road, and it was still like that in December 2018 when Greg, Nima and Katherine Catani visited as we took a photo of them under the sign, but part of it has now been changed to Shelton Park Drive. The street was named for Carlo Catani, who was of course responsible for drainage works on the Koo Wee Rup Swamp from 1893.

This is from the 2015 Melway Greater Melbourne Street Directory, clearly showing Catani Avenue (bottom left) running off Rossiter Road. Today that section of Catani Avenue is called Shelton Park Drive and Catani Avenue starts where it turns eastwards.

Catani Court, Newborough. 

Looking south down Dinwoodie Drive, with the Strzelecki Ranges in the background. 

Catani Court is in what appears to be a 1980s sub-division. Surrounding streets include Dinwoodie Drive - there was a Dr Collin Dinwoodie who practiced in Moe in the 1920s (Moe is the town adjacent to Newborough); Howitt Street - Alfred Howitt was an explorer; Strzelecki Road - Count Strzelecki - another Gippsland Explorer; McMillan Court - Angus McMillan - yet another Gippsland explorer; McDonald Court -  presumably George McDonald who surveyed McDonald's Track from Lang Lang into the Strzelecki Ranges.  So, am I assuming that the name Catani was selected due to his work of  draining the Moe Swamp. 

Catani Place, Monash, A.C.T. 

Image courtesy of Gaia Livni  (© Gaia Livni)

Catani Place, Monash, A.C.T. Looking down William Hudson Crescent to 

Thompson Place playground. 

Image courtesy of Gaia Livni (© Gaia Livni)

Catani Place is in Monash, a suburb of Canberra. Monash is named after Sir John Monash (1865-1931) Engineer, General and Chairman of the State Electricity Commission of Victoria. Along with Carlo, other engineers are also honoured in this sub-division by having streets named after them. Here are a few - William Hudson Crescent - William Hudson (1896-1978) - Commissioner of the Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme; Scratchley Place - Sir Peter Scratchley (1835-1885), Military Engineer; Ballard Place - I presume this is Robert Ballard (1839-1912), Railway Engineer; Arnot Place - Arthur James Arnot (1865-1946), Electrical Engineer; Checchi Place - Ettore Checchi (1853-1946) - Engineer, specialising in hydrography and friend of Carlo. They migrated to Australia together along with Pietro Baracchi. Steffanoni Circuit - Victor Lewis Steffanoni (1901-1974) - Surveyor and Military Engineer. You can find more information about these chaps in the Australian Dictionary of Biography https://adb.anu.edu.au/ The only one not listed is Mr Steffanoni, I found out about him from the Australian Capital Territory Public Place Names Act 1989 Determination No. 73 of 1990 (see here).This also gives as idea of when this sub-division was created - around 1990.

Acknowledgement

Isaac Hermann, my Carlo research colleague, compiled the original list of Catani Streets. He also supplied the photo of Catani Lane, Curlewis. I added the other photos and the details, mainly using my extensive collection of Melway Street Directories, however it was Isaac who told me about Mick Woiwod's book and thus Ned Houghton's original land sub-division on the Bend of Islands. Thanks, Isaac. Isaac also organised for the photo of Catani Place, Monash, Canberra to be taken. Thank you to Gaia Livni for taking the time and effort to photograph Carlo's Canberra street sign for me.  I was so thrilled to receive the photos.

Footnotes

(1) Woiwod, Mick Once around the Sugarloaf: the transformation of a Victorian landscape and the story of its people (Bend of Islands Press, 1992).

(2) Woiwod, op. cit, p. 197 and 201.

(3) Audrey Edward Haughton was the son of William Haughton, Town Clerk of Oakleigh, He married Jessie Cameron on May 16, 1906. She was the daughter of Ewan Hugh Cameron, M.L.A. Their wedding notice was in The Argus June 15, 1906, see here. He was profiled in  Table Talk, January 29, 1914, see here.

(4) The Herald, April 13, 1927, see here.

(5) Table Talk, January 29, 1914, see here.

(6) Curlewis School information from Vision and Realisation : a centenary history of State Education in Victoria, edited by L.J. Blake. Published by the Education Department of Victoria, 1973.

(7) http://zades.com.au/gandd/index.php/bellpen/towns1/drysdale/drstreet

Carlo and the Lubecker Steam Bucket dredge

Photographs of Carlo are very rare but my research colleague and fellow Carlo Catani historian, Isaac Hermann, has just identified him in these two photographs of the Lubecker Steam Dredge.  Carlo Catani spent four months in Europe in 1912 and while he was away investigated various dredges and selected the Lubecker steam driven bucket dredge. I have written about the dredge here.

The photographs were taken, I believe, on May 21, 1914. According to the Lang Lang Guardian it was on this day that the dredge on the Lang Lang River was started in the presence of a representative official party, including Mr Hagelthorn (Minister of Public Works), Messrs Cattanach and Dethridge (members of the Water Supply Commission), with Mr Catani (Chief Engineer of the Public Works Department), Mr Kenyon (Chief Engineer of the Water Commission), Mr Drake (secretary Public Works Department), Mr Kermode (engineer Ports and Harbors), and Mr Grenlees (naval architect). There was also a representative attendance of landowners of the surrounding district and others interested in the starting of this machine, and the weather being pleasantly fine and sunny, those who attended had an enjoyable outing, as well as being greatly interested witnesses of the working of a machine which is the first of its kind to be put into operation in Australia.

The Lang Lang Guardian also reported that there had been a trial run on April 15, at which Carlo was present. You can read the full report in the Lang Lang Guardian of May 27, 1914, here.

The Lubecker Steam Bucket Dredge May 21, 1914. Carlo is second from right.

Channels and channel excavation in the Lang Lang (Koo-wee-rup) district. State Rivers and Water Supply Commission photographer. State Library of Victoria Image rwg/u866

This is a cropped section of the photo above. This is clearly Carlo on the right, with a set of plans in his hand. Compare the hat and the coat to this photograph of him, below,  at the load bearing test of the Anderson Street bridge, in 1899. Isaac and I have written about the Anderson Street bridge in our Victorian Collections story on Carlo Catani, here.

Carlo is in the front row, second from left - same style of hat and coat, as in the image above. Under his overcoat is his characteristic sac suit, read more of this here.

Test of Anderson St. Bridge, 1899. Photographer: S. Brearley. Image:  National Library of Australia

The Lubecker Steam Bucket Dredge May 21, 1914. Carlo is on the ladder.

Channels and channel excavation in the Lang Lang (Koo-wee-rup) district. State Rivers and Water Supply Commission photographer. State Library of Victoria Image rwg/u855

This is a cropped section of the photo above - that's Carlo on the ladder.

There are other photographs of the Lubecker Dredge taken on the same day at the State Library of Victoria, access them here.

Carlo and the Chalet Geneve on Albert Park Lake

The Albert Park Lake Kiosk was officially opened on December 9, 1911 by the Mayor of South Melbourne, Cr Donald McArthur. His speech was reported in The Age - The kiosk was an ornamental and imposing structure, and it would add to the improvement and beautification of the park, which, with its area of 600 acres, gave breathing space to the the residents of the city and suburbs.... The park was a national park, open to everyone in and around Melbourne (1).

Also present were other South Melbourne Councillors, Councillors from St Kilda and other officials such as Henry Allen, Secretary of the Albert Park Committee and Carlo Catani. The Kiosk, later renamed the Chalet Geneve, was operated by Rosana Savary and her sisters, Frances and Katherine Mathieu. I have written in detail about the Chalet and the Mathieu sisters and their operation of the Chalet Geneve as well as the ones in the Fitzroy Gardens and Central Park, Malvern in another blog post, here (2). 

This post is about the role Carlo played in establishing the Albert Park Lake Kiosk and his reported speech on the day. We (3) have also found a photo of Carlo and a very rare photo of his wife, Catherine, at the opening ceremony, which you will see below.

The refreshment kiosk at Albert Park Lake was one part of grander plans for the Park proposed by the Albert Park Committee or Trust. In 1907, there were newspaper reports that £10,000 would be spent beautifying the park and that a scheme be prepared by Mr. Catani, engineer of the Public Works department, and the engineers of the two councils for consideration (4). Nothing came of this, but two years later the South Melbourne Council proposed a £20,000 scheme for improving Albert Park. It was suggested that once again Mr Catani should prepare a comprehensive scheme for the improvement of the park (5).  However, in the end the Council decided that they should call for competitive designs for the park and the winning designer would receive £50 (6). As the money for this scheme was not forthcoming it did not go ahead, however the Albert Park Committee, of which Carlo Catani was a member, proceeded with the idea of building a kiosk (7).

The Chalet Geneve, photographed on the opening day, December 9, 1911.

Punch, December 14, 1911 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/177535383#

Carlo was invited to speak at the opening and his speech was reported in the Prahran Telegraph thus - Mr C.Catani, C. E., said that to improve the park £25,000 would be required - as a beginning. They would have to begin by making a promontory to take off the flat look and to show the landscape. They required to raise the ground, and they wanted to get rid of the
Tips to the right of us,
Tips to the left of us,
Cows all around us.
They wanted the Government to give them a big waggon to bring plenty of good soil, so as to raise the level of the ground by two feet, and they wanted to plant trees properly. That would take money. It was up to the Trust to raise £25,000, and he would undertake that it was spent properly (8).

Tips to the right of us....

Prahran Telegraph, December 16, 1911, see https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/165112312

The report of the opening in the Prahran Telegraph had the heading - Albert Park Tea Kiosk. Official Opening. 'The Cow Ranch' (9). The Albert Park Committee allowed the agistment of cattle and other livestock in Albert Park, because it was a source of income. In 1907 it was reported that there were 129 horses, 210 cows and 43 calves in the Park (10).  At the opening of the Kiosk in December 1911, Cr Baragwanath of South Melbourne said the Trust had been doing a good bit of work up to date, but he would not be satisfied until the cows and horses were out of what he called the Cow Ranch (11).  Cr O'Donnell of St Kilda, responded to this the Trust had done its level best to improve the park, but he didn't know about getting rid of the cows which Cr Baragawanath talked of. The cows gave them an income of £600 a year, which enabled the Trust to improve the park (12).

One of the  tips which Carlo referrred, was still there in 1930. The burning off in the tip was apparently a source of distress to the thousands of people who attended the football at the Park, even though Miss Fitzpatrick, who was then the owner of the Chalet had no complaints (13).

Guests at the opening ceremony of the Chalet Geneve, December 9, 1911.

Punch, December 14, 1911 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/177535383#

This post is a brief look at the role Carlo played in the development and opening of the Albert Park Chalet. The guests at the ceremony are pictured above.  Seated at the first table on the left is the Mayor of South Melbourne, Cr Donald McArthur. Next to him is Henry Allen, then the dignified woman with the fur stole is Catherine Catani and next to her is Carlo. I have never seen a photo of Catherine before, so even though it is very grainy, it is gold.

The very rare photograph of Catherine Catani and Carlo.

Opening ceremony of the Chalet Geneve, December 9, 1911. Punch, December 14, 1911   https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/177535383#

Acknowledgement

It was my colleague, Isaac Hermann, who on closer examination of the photo of the guests at the opening of the Chalet Geneve, discovered that Carlo and Catherine were front and centre in the photo.  It was an amazing discovery. As I said, we have never seen a photo of Catherine before. Great work, Isaac. 

Trove - I created a list connected to the Albert Park Chalet and the two other refreshment kiosks operated by the Mathieu sisters - one in the Fitzroy Gardens and the other at Central Park, Malvern. Access it here.

Footnotes
(1) The Age, December 11, 1911, see here.
(2) https://victoriaspast.blogspot.com/2021/04/the-chalet-geneve-on-albert-park-lake.html
(3) I say we, but it was actually, Isaac. See the Acknowledgment.
(4) Emerald Hill Record, June 8, 1907, see here.

(5) Prahran Telegraph, August 28, 1909, see here.

(6) Prahran Telegraph, August 28, 1909, see here.

(7) Barnard, Jill & Keating, Jenny People's Playground: a history of the Albert Park (Chandos Publishing, 1996) p. 74.

(8) Prahran Telegraph, December 16, 1911, see here.

(9) Prahran Telegraph, December 16, 1911, see here.

(10) Barnard & Keating, op. cit, p. 70.

(11)  Prahran Telegraph, December 16, 1911, see here.

(12)  Prahran Telegraph, December 16, 1911, see here.

(13) Emerald Hill Record, June 7, 1930, see here.