Carlo creates an underground grotto of palms and ferns for 'Ye Olde Englishe Faire'

Ye Olde Englishe Faire was held at the Melbourne Town Hall to raise money for the Red Cross on June 1st, June 2nd and June 4th (the King's Birthday) in 1917. The Faire was opened by the Governor, Sir Arthur Stanley, who was accompanied by Lady Stanley, the President of the Victorian Division of the British Red Cross. The Town Hall was set up as a (fairly ornate, see the photo below) English Village and various Community groups had a stall, housed in a typical English building such Bishop Sparrow's House, Ann Hathaway's Cottage and Chequers Inn. It is Chequers Inn that we are interested in. Read on and you will find out why -

'The Chequers Inn', partly in possession of the Lyceum Club, presented a most attractive appearance. Pickles, jams, tried recipes, and many other household wants were purveyed by the learned members at reasonable prices, also many dainties. Lady Spencer presided, and was assisted by Mrs. Phillips, Mrs. Webb, and Misses Allan, Viv. Byrne, Marjorie Rollason, Doris Madden and L. Slaweska.

A corner of  'Chequer's Inn', or rather an enclosure off it, was given the Flowers and Plant Stall, designed by Mr. Catani and Mr. Cooper. These clever landscape gardeners had converted the enclosure into one of the most artistic bits in the Fair. It was like an underground grotto of palms and ferns, whose outstretching fronds were hung with myriads of pale pink and mauve petalled poppies, each fairy like bloom centred with a globule of electric light. Branches of orange tree, on which grew the tiny Tangye fruit, and branches of heather and heath formed arched outlines that framed the entrance and show windows. Within were grouped beautiful blooms, including some very rare roses. 

Mrs. W. W. Cabena and Mrs. G. F. Holder were in charge, and were assisted by Mesdames F. Gabriel, J. Giles, W. Edward, J. W. Swanson, H. Taite, and the Misses Queenie Preston, D. Holden, Jago, Barr, M. Pearce, R. Tomlins, F. Revel, G. Kerr, D. M'Kenzie, D. Ludbrook, Bonnie Gill, M. Hewison, Bloomfield, Len. Andrews and her sister, and Miss R. C. Ballantyne.
(Punch, June 7, 1917)

Yes, even though Carlo was a busy man concerned with all the matters the Public Works Department was involved in, he still found time to create a wonderful garden for a stall for a Red Cross fund raiser. I wonder why he was involved with this function? Did he have a connection to Mrs W.W. Cabena? This was Mrs William Whyte Cabena. William was a City of Melbourne Councillor for twenty years and was Lord Mayor in 1918/1919. According to his obituary in The Age of December 12, 1928 he was the grandson of Guiseppe Cabena, who left Italy owing to Papal persecution and settled in Ulster. his birthplace was Londonderry.  He died at the age of 75, thus born around 1853 which makes him the same age as Carlo. Mrs Cabena was born Mary Ann Raisbeck. So was it the Italian connection or was he connected to one of the others? I don't know.

Photos of the Faire - they are very elaborate stalls.

Weekly Times June 9, 1917

See the original here - https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/121118994?

I have created a short list of articles on 'Ye Olde Englishe Faire' on Trove, access it here.