The Register (Adelaide) June 5, 1912.
Carlo was a well known man and various papers had reports on his trip telling us that he is visiting Italy - the land of his birth; Italy - his native country or Italy - where he is making a short visit to his own people. This was the first time he had been back to Italy since his arrival in Victoria in 1876. The Public Works Department held a bon voyage party where Mr. Edgar, Minister for Public Works, eulogistically referred to the manner in which Mr. Catani had fulfilled his duties and presented him with a travelling bag and rug. (Geelong Advertister, May 31, 1912) Another function was held by the St. Kilda shore committee and a number of St. Kilda councillors gave a complimentary dinner to Mr. C. Catani at the Savoy Cafe (The Age Jun 1, 1912)
The papers were also predicting glorious things for Carlo on his return - the Weekly Times of June 1, 1912 said that it is probable that when the National Roads Board is constituted Mr Catani will be chairman and Punch May 30, 1912 said that possibly when his furlough ends will become next Inspector-General of Works, a post which he has earned by much fruitful service. Neither of these happened - the Inspector General of Public Works position held by William Davidson was abolished when Mr Davidson retired in September 1912. I believe the National Roads Board that was referred to may have been the Country Roads Board, the Legislation for which came into effect on January 1, 1913. There was conjecture that Carlo would be Chairman of the CRB, read about this here.
R.M.S Macedonia - the ship that took Carlo to London in June 1912
What did he do when he was overseas? The Ballarat Star of October 15, 1912 has this report Mr C. Catani, Chief Engineer of Public Works, who has just returned from a four months tour in Europe, returned to duty yesterday, and was cordially welcomed back by Mr. Edgar, Minister for Public Works, and the officers of the department. In the course of a chat, Mr Catani said that he was very much impressed with the beautification and cleanliness of Berlin. The gardens were charming, and were most carefully looked after. While in England and Scotland he was unfortunate in encountering unpleasant weather. With Edinburgh as a city he was much pleased. He had brought back a few ideas with him, which he hoped he would be able to use for the benefit and delight of the public. Reports regarding dredge building, and others matters are to be submitted to the Government by Mr Catani.
It was obviously one of Carlo's projects to source a dredge - Mr. Catani, chief engineer of the Public Works department, was deputed to secure a dredge in Germany, so that the main canal could be dredged from Cora Lynn to the sea (The Age, October 12, 1912) and the dredge he acquired was the Lubecker Steam dredge which arrived around June 1913, read about it here There is an account of other dredges that he looked at when he was overseas in Proceedings of the Victorian Institute of Engineers vol. XVI 1916 (14) - read it here on the University of Melbourne Digitised Collections page.
Carlo also brought back some seeds when he was overseas (clearly no biosecurity concerns back in 1912). The Malvern Standard of February 15, 1919 had an enthusiastic article about the beauty of the St Kilda foreshore and how the Esplanade is clad in a raiment of superlative finery that has perhaps never yet been equalled. It also mentioned that Some pittosporum have their origination from seed brought from Monte Carlo by the late Mr. Catani. A previous article from 1913 about the beautification of the Port Melbourne foreshore, had Carlo praising A species of pittosporum, known as the Cheniese, which was illustrated growing close to the water's edge, was also loudly praised and said to be suitable. He also suggested the planting of tree palms, and said he had plenty of these in Melbourne. (Port Melbourne Standard, April 12, 1913) Whether they were planted in the end at Port Melbourne, I don't know, but the St Kilda ones were due to be planted in 1914 according to the Prahran Telegraph of September 6, 1913 - The article compared St Kilda to various resorts overseas - Nice, Cannes, Monte Carlo and Naples - Yet at Cannes will be seen a hedge of pittosphorum cinensis actually growing most luxuriously in the sands of the foreshore, a living rampart to screen the promenaders from the sea spray, flanked, along the boulevard, by magnificent palms, sometimes forty or fifty feet in height. Next season similar pittosphorum cinensis, the seeds of which have been imported, will be planted out at St. Kilda. The article also said that the St Kilda Foreshore Trust has had the great advantage of the advice and assistance of Mr. C Catani, chief engineer of the State Public Works Department, a gentleman with an artistic taste for landscape gardening, an enthusiast in the adornment of public parks, who has only recently returned from a trip to Europe, in the course of which he collected many fresh ideas for transplantation in Victoria.
The plant on the left, which is casting its shadow on the Catani Archway, is a pittosporum - is it a pittosporum cinensis, perhaps grown by a seed brought back by Carlo from Monte Carlo in 1912? I like to think it is! Plus we see three palms of which Carlo was so fond.
Photo: Isaac Hermann.
Finally, the Prahran Telegraph of October 19, 1912 had a light-hearted look at the proposed construction of the breakwater at St Kilda to protect the yacht club - this was a Public Works Department project and they had this to say about Carlo's trip abroad - Catani, the apostle of the beautiful, is back from Europe with his head full of ideas and his notebook bulging out with sketches, and is to put in hand at once the work of enclosing the sacred waters of the golden strands whereon the white wings wander. I wonder what happened to the notebook?
