Victorian Community History Awards 2019

I was thrilled to be recognised in the 2019 Victorian Community History Awards. The Awards ceremony was held on Monday, October 14 at the Arts Centre, and it was so much fun. You can read about all the winners, here, on the Royal Historical Society of Victoria website, https://www.historyvictoria.org.au/2019-victorian-community-history-awards-winners/
My Carlo blog was in the Multimedia section. The Historical Interpretation Award section was also Carlo related - CO. AS. IT, the Italian Historical Society won the category for their exhibition Carlo Catani: Visionary, Creator, Genius, which was on display from December 2018 until March 2019.

I am super excited to be honoured, but more than that I feel that that Carlo is getting the recognition that he deserves by these awards - we cannot underestimate the importance of Carlo's role in the development of Victoria and he deserves far more credit that what he has. I have done a few talks on Carlo and like to use this very neat summary of his works -
After more than forty-one years of public service that never ended with his retirement, through surveying and direct design, contracting, supervision, and collaborative approaches, perhaps more than any other single figure, Carlo Catani re-scaped not only parts of Melbourne, but extensive swathes of Victoria "from Portland to Mallacoota", opening up swamplands to farming, bringing access to beauty spots, establishing new townships, and the roads to get us there.
His park designs were sought after from Albert Park to Warragul, and from the Castlemaine Springs to the St. Kilda Foreshore. His flood protection schemes ranged from the Murray to the Yarra. He envisioned the Yarra Bend Boulevard, a Port Melbourne to Sorrento scenic motorway, he opened up the Mount Buffalo Plateau, and gave us access to Arthur's Seat, Mt. Donna Buang, and the Grampians' McKenzie Falls. That's from my friend and research colleague, Isaac Hermann. It was Isaac who invited me to join the Committee to erect a headstone on Carlo's unmarked grave at the Brighton Cemetery (read about this here) and this renewed my interest in Carlo and inspired me to start this blog.  Isaac's a treasure - supportive, encouraging,  enthusiastic, generous in sharing his own research and passionate about history.

Not only was Carlo visionary and well respected, but by all accounts he was amiable, generous and kind. I have many favourite quotes about what people thought of Carlo, but the one I like best, relates, not surprisingly (as that is where I was born, raised and live) to the Koo Wee Rup Swamp -  This is from Niel Gunson, from his book The Good Country: Cranbourne Shire   Dr Gunson quotes the memories of H.J. Boxshall of Yallock - Mr Catani was well known to most of the men employed on the drain work, no matter how far away or how small the drain, he would insist on having  a look at it to see how the work was progressing. He got to know many of the men by name and would sit on the drain bank and have his lunch with them. These trips meant long rides on horseback and often longer distances on foot, but it was all in a day's work for Mr Catani. 

Carlo arrives in Melbourne with credentials from Pope Pius IX

The Truth newspaper, based in Perth, published this article on January 29, 1910 - In 1876, three pilgrims set out from Rome for Australia. They were endowed with a blessing from the Pope and a letter to Premier John O'Shannassy. Their names were Baracchi, Catani, and Gagliardi. When they arrived in Melbourne they all got billets, Baracchi as wood and water Joey in a survey camp, Catani as chairman in the Public Works Department, and Gagliardi as attendant in the Public Library. Baracchi is now Government Astronomer for Victoria, Catani is Chief Engineer in the Public Works Department, and Gagliardi, who achieved a position which would have made him chief Librarian had he remained, flitted back to Italy. Pietro Baracchi was born in Florence on February 25, 1851, the son of Giovanni Battista Baracchi, late officer in the Tuscan Army. He married the daughter of the late George Petty, Melbourne's one time leading and wealthiest butcher, and he is a Knight Commander of the Crown of Italy. (Truth, January 29, 1910)

Four years later the January 15, 1914 issue of the Punch magazine reported this
Chief Engineer Catani, of the Public Works Department, is transforming the face of Nature from the Buffalo to the Bay. At the mountain top he has a Lake Catani, and there is also an unpremeditated Lake Catani on St. Kilda West beach. Also, there are several mounds which, with the sheets of water, have led to an old song being parodied into "By Catani 's banks and braes." Catani, by-the-way, was one of three Italians who came out to Victoria years ago with credentials from the Pope to Sir John O'Shannassy. The other two were ex-Foreign Language Librarian Gagliardi, of the Public Library, and Government Astronomer Baracchi. (Punch, January 15, 1914)

There are a few errors in both reports, for instance Ferdinando Gagliardi did not flit back to Italy, he died in Melbourne in 1898, but of interest is the fact that Carlo, Pietro Baracchi and Ferdinando Gagliardi were said to have had either a blessing and a letter or credentials from the Pope, Pius IX (who served from 1846 to 1878), which they presented to Sir John O'Shanassy.  Is this true? I cannot say for sure but here are some things to consider.  The trio had arrived in New Zealand along with Ettore Checchi in August 1876; in September 1876 Catani, Baracchi and Checchi arrived in Melbourne, with Gagliardi following in April 1877. Did Checchi also have Papal credentials?

Pope Pius IX, 1878. Photographer: William Short.

State Library of Victoria Image H96.160/53

Gagliardi was a Freemason* and Catholics were barred from the joining the Freemasons. According to https://catholicherald.co.uk Between Clement XII in 1738 and the promulgation of the first Code of Canon Law in 1917, a total of eight popes wrote explicit condemnations of Freemasonry. All provided the strictest penalty for membership: automatic excommunication reserved to the Holy See. In this case it seems unlikely that Gagliardi would have had any recommendation from the Pope. He is however, buried in the Catholic section at the Brighton Cemetery, but not sure that means anything as I know some of my relatives are buried in various sections of cemeteries in the past which had no connection to their religion. On the other hand, his first employment in Melbourne was at the Public Library of which Sir John O'Shanassy was an original Trustee.

What of the other two - Catani and Baracchi? Baracchi was married in the Catholic Church in 1886 when he married Catherine Petty** so we can assume he was a Catholic. Carlo was married in 1886, to Catherine Hanley, in the Free Church of England in Fitzroy, you can read all about this, here, so not in a Catholic Church but their first child, Edoardo,  who died as an infant in 1886 is buried in the Catholic section of the Melbourne General Cemetery. In 1880, Carlo is listed as donating £5.00 towards the construction of St Patrick's Cathedral in Melbourne, so was that because he was altruistic or because he was Catholic? Carlo and Catherine later attended the Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Balaclava and none of their children went to Catholic schools, so it seems that he converted from Catholicism to Anglicanism, presumably for social and career reasons. Catholics were not banned from working in the Public Service at the time, but it may have been easier to be promoted if you weren't Catholic.

The strong evidence that the Catani family were Catholic and of high standing was provided by Greg Catani, Carlo's great, grand nephew who came to Melbourne for the unveiling of the Catani headstone at the Brighton Cemetery (read about this here).  Greg showed us the Catani crest, which was on a gold pendant - the three C's on the crest are said to represent the three Holy Crusades the family took part in. it was wonderful to see.

The Catani Crest on a gold pendant, showing the three C's said to represent the three Holy Crusades the family undertook. 

Photo: Isaac Hermann.

So, it is likely that both Catani and Baracchi were both Catholic, and thus 'eligible' to have a Papal blessing or credentials from the Pope, which ever article is correct, but is it true? It seems odd that it is only reported, or more correctly I can only find reports, in two papers, both written about 35 years after the arrival of the trio in Melbourne. However, it would clearly be advantageous to the men to have an introduction to Sir John O'Shanassy (1818 - 1883)  who was an influential and powerful man. He had arrived in Melbourne in 1839 and was described as the 'acknowledged leader of the Irish in exile' and 'the Greatest Catholic Irishman south of the Line'***. In 1845 he founded the St Patrick's Society and he was the inaugural President until 1851. He was also a foundation trustee of the Melbourne Public Library, where as we said, Gagliardi worked.   O'Shanassy had four stints in the Victorian Parliament - both the Legislative Assembly and the Council - from 1851 to 1883 and was Premier on three occasions March to April, 1857; March 1858 to October 1859 and November 1861 to June 1863. O'Shanassy was knighted in 1870. You can read more about his life and career in the Australian Dictionary of Biography (ADB), here.

Sir John O'Shanassy, taken  c. 1864. Sir John was a man of imposing size, which you can see clearly in this photo, he was six foot five inches in height.***

Photographer: Batchelder & O'Neill. 

State Library of Victoria Image H141477

The ADB entry, written by S.M. Ingham,  says that O'Shanassy decided to spend a year overseas. He left in May 1866 and during his time away, in Rome Pope Pius IX appointed him a knight of the Order of St Gregory in recognition of his services for Catholic education. This gives us a direct connection between the Pope and O'Shanassy, so I feel that this increases the chance that the story of the Papal credentials is true. The letter would not have been written to O'Shanassy because he was Premier, as he wasn't at the time so the Truth has that wrong, but it would have been written to O'Shanassy because he held a position of power in Victoria - both politically and within Catholic circles and so would have been of enormous help to the three Catholic migrants from Italy.

.............................................................................................................................................
* Gagliardi's Freemasonary connections are discussed in the book Ferdinando Gagliardi: Pisa, 17/4/1843 - Melbourne 7/8/1898, Vol. 1, by Piero Genovesi (Italian Australian Institute Research Centre at La Trobe University, 2017).
** Marriage Certificate is reproduced in  From Tuscany to Victoria: the life and work of Pietro Baracchi, Carlo Catani and Ettore Checchi by Daniela Volpe  (Italian Australian Institute Research Centre at La Trobe University, 2005)
***Pioneer Catholic Victoria by Rev. Walter Ebsworth (Polding Press, 1973)

Carlo is on the panel to select the design of a Yarra River bridge from Burnley Street to Williams Road

In 1892, the City of Richmond and the City of Prahran held a series of conferences,  the objective of which was to have a bridge erected over the Yarra River to join Burnley Street, Richmond and Williams Road, Prahran.  A design competition was held - the conditions being that the bridge was not to cost more than £9,000, that it had a clear length of waterway of 300 feet, and a width of roadway of 24 feet.

There were 23 entries and an expert panel was organised to select the top five entries. The panel consisted of Carlo Catani and Mr. Clayton, surveyor, of Richmond, and Mr. Smith, surveyor of Prahran. The Prahran Telegraph, of May 11, 1892 (read full report, here) had a description of the five bridges -
"Cantilever, No. 2," a very handsome, longspan plate iron girder bridge, with the roadway on top, crossing the river at a great angle.
"Stet" another longspan top deck bridge, designed for erection on either of two routes, making a lesser angle. This is also a handsome bridge, although the iron columns carrying the centre span of 140 feet and two side spans of about 90 feet are only 2 feet 6 inches in diameter, and appear to be too small.
"Sub Rosa" is a four-span bridge, the two centre spans having arched lattice girders, standing above the roadway like those of the Cremorne railway bridge, and have footpaths outside of them. This bridge is designed for a sight at right angles to the river.

This is the Toolamba Railway bridge over the Goulburn River - the bridge design "Lever" was described as a copy of this bridge (see below)

Toolamba 1893 H 2331 GLSB/W. 

Public Records Office of Victoria: Photographic Collection: Railway Negatives: Alpha-numeric Systems (VPRS12800)

"Lever" is a three-span single system open lattice girder bridge, with a top deck. The girders are in fact copies of the successful railway bridge over the Goulburn at Toolamba. Like "Cantilever" and "Stet," its side girders are cantilevered over the piers, and the intervening space is filled in with a girder of same design, resting on single pins 6 inches in diameter, flattened to 4 inches thick, to act as expansion joints in the middle of the depth of the truss. In the others the centre girders are carried on plates rivetted on the cantilevers and form expansion joints like those in the Flinders-street viaduct.
All these bridges have iron decks covered with concrete and wood blocks, cast iron cornices and hand rails, stone or brick abutments, some of them of an ornate character, and all have their decks at a great height above the river.
"Rivet" is a bridge of more modest pretensions. It has no brick or stone abutments, iron deck, wood blocking, or iron parapet. The abutments are the sloping ends of low embankments faced with stone, a macadamised roadway carried on wooden planks, resting on rolled iron joists, which in turn are carried by 12 plate steel girders 60 feet long by 5 feet deep, supported by wrought and cast iron columns filled with concrete of the usual river pattern, but ornamented with moulded capitals and bases. This bridge has a graceful camber from end to end, the under side of the girder being 2 feet above high flood lines at the ends and 4 feet in the centre. It is full of economies, and it may be safely put down as the least expensive of any of the designs sent in. It is of the same class as the Swan-street bridge, with spans nearly twice as long, and the metal disposed of to greater advantage. A pretty adaptation to circumstance is noticeable in the end girders, which are carried on cast iron columns in the embankments, and have their ends formed as cantilevers, with the lower sides sloping parallel to the embankment, thus reducing, as far as possible, the amount of timber abutment required for expansion and retaining the metal on the roadway. 

The Burnley Street/Williams Road bridge turned out to be saga. The bridge was not built at the time and in 1894 the newspapers had a flurry of reports about a renewed push by the councils  to have the bridge built, however by then the Prahran Council said that finances would not allow the council to proceed with the work (The Argus, October 2 1894)

The matter was back on the agenda in 1900 when the Councils had a meeting with the Minister for Public Works and the suggestion was made to move a redundant iron footbridge  to the site and enlarge and strengthen it. However, Mr. Fink, M L A., who was at the meeting said it would be better to wait and erect a Monier bridge, which would be a cheap structure. This idea was accepted and the councils and Mr Davidson, Inspector General of Works, would confer with the council as to the cost of  Monier Bridge. (Prahran Telegraph, March 17, 1900)  I do no have any proof but I would assume that Carlo would have been involved in this process as he had already worked with the Monier reinforced concrete method of bridge construction with the Anderson Street bridge.

In 1927, there was another attempt to have the bridge constructed when A letter from the Richmond Council to the Board of Works asking the board to consider the advisability of erecting a bridge in Burnley street, Richmond and Williams road Prahran to enable motorists living east of Chapel street to pass through Richmond from the city on their way home, thus relieving congestion at Princes' Bridge, and at Church street bridge was unfavorably received. (The Herald, July 5, 1927) ' 'Unfavorably received' the proposal may have been by the Board of Works, but that didn't stop the Councils in their quest to get their bridge. There are few reports in the papers in the 1930s for renewed attempts to have the bridge erected, but the hopes of the two Councils were finally crushed by Sir Macpherson Robertson.

Sir Macpherson Robertson (1859 - 1945), businessman and entrepreneur and established the MacRobertson Steam Confectionery Works, who made the  Freddo Frog, Cherry Ripe and Old Gold Chocolate, amongst other products. To celebrate Victoria's centenary, Robertson provided £100,000 for public works. MacRobertson Girls' High School was one of the projects and another was for the Centenary bridge across the Yarra. The Government decided that the bridge should be at Grange Road. A meeting was held in August 1933 of nine councils -  Brighton, Caulfield, Hawthorn, Heidelberg, Kew, Prahran, Richmond, Sandringham and St Kilda and they were largely against the proposal that the bridge be located at Grange Road, they preferred Burnley Street/Williams Road. Their protestations were to  no avail and the Centenary Bridge was built at Grange Road and officially opened on November 5, 1934.

With the construction of the Centenary Bridge so close to the Burnley Street/ Williams Road potential crossing, this bridge was never going to be constructed, so Carlo's efforts in selecting the five best designs in 1892, were wasted, but perhaps they may have been used for other bridges somewhere else,  I do not know. Next time I am at the Public Records Office, I will see if the bridge designs still exist.

These are two photos of the construction of the  MacRobertson Centenary Bridge from the Public Records Office of Victoria.

 Construction of the  MacRobertson Centenary Bridge at Grange Road, which ended all hope of a bridge connecting Burnley Street, Richmond to Williams Road, Prahran.

Grange Road MacRobertsons Bridge Construction c. 1930'S GLS bridge. C 0903.

Public Records Office of Victoria: Photographic Collection: Railway Negatives: Alpha-numeric Systems (VPRS12800)

 Construction of the  MacRobertson Centenary Bridge at Grange Road, which ended all hope of a bridge connecting Burnley Street, Richmond to Williams Road, Prahran.
Grange Road MacRobertsons Bridge Construction c. 1930'S GLS bridge. C 0907.

Public Records Office of Victoria: Photographic Collection: Railway Negatives: Alpha-numeric Systems (VPRS12800)

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

Carlo prepares a sumptuous repast in the High Country

In 1915,  a Ministerial party, which included Carlo Catani, traversed the country between Maffra and Mansfield and discovered a veritable tourist paradise,  with striking mountain scenery, varied with picturesque high plain grazing country in  winter snow-clad and in summer equable and refreshing in atmosphere. The trip was 133 miles, which required a number of overnight stops at which one Carlo provided the party with the evening meal.

The trip and Carlo's meal at the camp was reported in The Age, February 25, 1915. The journalist describes Carlo as of extremely optimistic temperament. The article confirms other accounts of Carlo's genial personality, his practical nature and the ease with which he mixed with all 'classes of society' as it it would have been called 100 years ago. You can read the full article, here.

Here, to use the description of Mr. Catani, was set "a sumptuous repast." Bread baked on the spot, and far superior to the product of any Melbourne bakery, was a feature of it. Mr. Catani, who had provisioned the expedition in a first class manner right through, added to it some Italian appetisers. Opening a brief bag, which had been much in evidence during the trip, he addressed the party en masse. "Who," he said, looking at a bushman who rejoiced in the name of De Courcy O'Donovan, and who was in charge of the pack horses, ''will have some Mortadella de Bologna ?" De Courcy, with the courage of the old crusader who bore his name, although he did not know what it was he was being offered, said he would try a little. Dinny and Jack, his mates, seeing Mr. Catani produce a Bologna sausage, also ventured and Ted, the cook, doubtfully said he would have a slice. Mr. Catani handed them a slice each as a trial, and having distributed tinned tunny, anti-paste salame, anchovies aux truffles and other delicacies among the party, proceeded to question the bushmen as to their experiences with the Bologna. "How do you like it, De Courcy ?" he asked "The polony was good." said De Courcy, "I'll have a little more.'' "Do you like it, Dinny?" was the next query; "Yes, Mr. Catani." was was the reply. "Well, have a little more," said Mr. Catani. "No thanks," replied Dinny, amid laughter. "How about you, Ted?" said Mr. Catani. Ted pondered, put his head on one side, and very slowly articulated, "Well, Mr. Catani, you know I can eat it." A roar of laughter greeted the verdict, and Ted had no more Bologna (1). 

There was another account in a paper of the trip of Carlo's sumptuous repast, this time describing the main meal. It was in the Gippsland Mercury of March 9, 1915, and was written by the aforementined De Courcy O'Donovan. The full article, which has a very interesting account of the trip,  can be read, here.

We arrived there early in the afternoon, and had a billy of tea and some luncheon. Then Mr Catani and I set about getting dinner. "We will have a most sumptuous repast," he said, and going to the bag which contained a lot of tinned vegetables he began picking out some tins, saying, "'We will have a leg of mutton boiled, and we will have green peas; we will have asparagus with melted butter on it; we will have plum pudding," and, pulling out a small bottle, he said, "We will have capers with the mutton." Someone remarked - I think it was the Surveyor-General -"I hope that the dignity of the Ministerial party will not be lowered by capers." (2).

Bryce's Hut, c. 1930 - where Carlo prepared the sumptuous repast for the Ministerial Party.

Image: Victorian High Country Huts Association Facebook page

De Courcy O'Donovan's article sets the sumptuous repast at Bryce's Hut, The Age journalist sets the event the next day at a camp erected by the lessee of the Plains, Mr Phillip's, of Mansfield. Or were there two sumptuous feasts?  It doesn't really matter, but in the interests of historical accuracy, I feel obliged to mention it.

Footnotes

(1) The Age, February 25, 1915, see here.

(2) Gippsland Mercury, March 9, 1915, see here.

Carlo witnesses Halley's Comet

Carlo, actually witnessed the rare Halley's Comet! My star engineer witnessing the most famous shooting star, how fitting! Halley's Comet, as you would know, can only be seen about every seventy five years (the next opportunity you may get to see it is 2061). Carlo saw it in 1910, apparently that year it was 'only' 22.4 million kilometres from earth and was the first time it was captured on camera. There is an interesting article on  Halley's Comet on the Space.com website, read it here.

Carlo's experience was reported in the Weekly Times of April 23, 1910.  It is transcribed below, or you can read it here, on Trove.

SEEN FROM MOUNT BUFFALO.
From Bent's Lookout, at the "Gorge," on Mount Buffalo, on Sunday morning about 5 o'clock, the Minister for Public Works (Mr Baillieu) saw Halley's Comet, and expressed his indebtedness
to Mr Catani, Chief Engineer of Public Works, who had called him up to view it.

"Viewed by the naked eye," said Mr Catani, "the comet looked like a tadpole diving for food. The body seemed to be about 2ft. long, and the tail about 4ft. long. At the junction with the body the tail appeared to be about 8in. wide and tapered off to a point. The best view was obtained from Bents' Lookout at the Gorge, but it could be clearly discerned from the verandah of the new State hospice just completed on the Mount. The situation approximately was ten degrees above the horizon, a little north of east."

Yarra River flood of July 1891

The Yarra River flood of July 12, 1891, left 1,000 people homeless. The Age of July 13, 1891 had a full report of the damage the flood caused (read it here) but here are a few stories- a house in Cremorne Street, Richmond had water to within a few feet of the roof, in Dover street, the water was  within a foot of the top of the some of the street lamps..... The Johnston Street bridge.... as a rule is considerably over 50 feet clear of the flood level, but last night the water was within 14 feet of the decking.  The flood also submerged 207 houses in South Yarra - the worst streets being  Clara, River, Tivoli and Karlsberg (The Australasian July 18, 1891, read full report here)

Great flood of July 1891 -  Looking east from Princes Bridge

State Library of Victoria Image H12675

A Board of Inquiry into the Yarra River flood of  July 1891 was established.  The Inquiry was investigating  (1) the causes and extent of river floods in and about Melbourne, and the extent to which they are contributed to, or intensified by, artificial or preventable causes , and (2) the measures that might be adopted for controlling or mitigating the effects of such floods, and for preventing, future damage therefrom.

The Board members were Mr Clement Hodgkinson, chariman; Mr. W. Davidson, Inspector general of public works; Mr Stuart Murray, chief engineer Victorian Water Supply department; Mr A. C. Mountain, city surveyor of Melbourne; Mr William Thwaites, engineer in chief to the Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works; Mr P. J. Nolan, city surveyor of South Melbourne; Mr H. Tolhurst, city surveyor of Collingwood; Mr A Clayton, C. E., city surveyor of Richmond; Mr H.T. Haynes, city engineer of Hawthorn; Mr William Calder, city surveyor of Footscray; Mr A. V. Heath, borough surveyor of Port Melbourne and Mr. T. B Muntz, C. E., engineer of the shire of Malvern. (The Argus, October 14, 1891)

The Great Flood of 1891 - Punt Road Richmond.

State Library of Victoria Image H12674

The Inquiry heard from a number of expert witnesses - Carlo Catani, being one and his friend, Ettore Checchi being another. Ettore, Carlo and their friend Pietro Baracchi,  had journey from Italy to New Zealand then onto their new life in Victoria in 1876. The other evidence that was given by the expert witnesses can be read in The Argus of October, 14 1891, here.

Carlo and Ettore's evidence was reported in The Argus of October 21 (see here) Ettore's evidence is interesting as it shows the huge volume of water that swept down the Yarra during this flood.

Mr Ettore Checchi of the Victorian Water Supply department, the first witness examined submitted a number of plans showing the levels of the floods at different points of the river. At Warrandyte the volume of flood water was 1,650, 000 cubic feet per minute ; and at Dights Falls he estimated the volume to be 2,290,300 cubic feet per minute. Other authorities had formed different estimates as to the volume at the last-named and a mean average of 2,167,600 cubic feet per minute was given. At Gardiners Creek the mean average as to the volume of the flood water was 2,206,200. At Prince's-bridge the discharge would be practically the same at at Gardiner's Creek. The discharge of water at the St Kilda road was 495,800 cubic feet per minute, with a volume of 147ft per minute. The mean volume of water at the Saltwater River was 1,188,600 cubic feet per minute. The total discharge of water at the junction of the Saltwater River was 2,899,000 cubic feet per minute, with allowance for diversion at Prince's-bridge only. The total discharge of water into the bay was 3,395,000 cubic feet per minute. (The Argus of October 21, see here)

Mr. Catani of the Public Works department,  said there was a discrepancy between the levels supplied by him and those furnished by the officers of the Harbour Trust as to the flood waters at the Queen's-bridge. Above and below the bridge the same level of water he found obtained, the abutments of the bridge offering no obstruction to the continuous flow of the water. The levels he had marked on his plans were in agreement with those obtained by the Railway department. From his own observation he had fixed the levels of the flood of 1891. (The Argus of October 21, see here)

One of the solutions to stop the Yarra River flooding was to widen the river and straighten it's course and this work, between the Princes Bridge and the Cremorne Railway Bridge, was undertaken by Carlo Catani and the Public Works Department in 1896 and 1897, you can read more about it here. This work also led to the creation of Alexandra Avenue and the Alexandra Gardens, two other projects of Carlo's.

Kelso Street, Richmond, July 1891 flood. Photographer: Paul and Gerald Turner.

State Library of Victoria Image H96.160/1996



Twenty nine houses were 'rendered uninhabitable' by the flood, and you can see why by this photo.
Clara Street, Hawksburn, 1891 flood. Photographer: Cyril Robert Stainer.
State Library of Victoria Image  H2002.130/6

There are many photos of the 1891 flood on the State Library of Victoria website, www.slv.vic.gov.au