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
(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.
