On the stage in Watchem

Back in August 2013 the blog entry ‘Drawing the curtain’  related to stage curtains, the section of the stage which sets the scene. These backdrops were works of art, huge canvases often depicting rural/garden scenes or town/cityscapes. 

One of the most prolific artists of stage curtains in Victoria was scenic stage painter Barry Henry George Jaggers (1869-1940). Originally from New Zealand where he painted over 80 public concert halls, he was engaged by the government of New South Wales to decorate public buildings for the Commonwealth (Federation) celebrations.

Moving to Victoria, Jaggers painted a number of scenic backdrops for Mechanics' Institutes in Gippsland, and Central Victoria. And as we’ve just found in Watchem too.

Below is the stage curtain he painted in 1928 – “In the Rockies”, which is still in use in the Watchem Public Hall.

Photos up north

The magnificent Catholic Church building at Watchem

The next 'Wimmera in Photographs' Collection Day is Thursday 18th December, in the morning, sessions will be held in the Birchip Library from 10am to 1pm, and during the afternoon at the Watchem Hall from 2:30 to 4:30.
This is a chance for people in the southern Mallee to bring in photos, slides or negatives which showcase the history of the district. It would be great to see images from localities like Kinnabulla, Watchupga, Jil Jil, or Curyo - old school and railway sites, etc.
Appointments are necessary, and can be made by calling in to the Birchip Library at the Birchip P-12 College or phoning 58492 2230.

1914-1918 news

A major project commemorating World War I has digitised 216 World War One-era Victorian community newspapers and made them available online via the National Library of Australia’s Trove portal. 

Victorians everywhere can now explore the stories of their communities and family and friends who lived and fought through the Great War.
This digitised collection contains thousands of stories waiting to be found. These newspapers of the day provide, in their original format, news and public debate; letters from soldiers, sailors and nurses; death notices, images and more.
The newspapers can be freely and easily searched by anyone at anytime and anywhere, using keywords, dates or geographical regions

The digitised newspapers cover the period 1914–19. Many soldiers were still being demobbed in 1919, and mentions of celebrations for returned soldiers can be found in papers of this time. Also, many in memoriam notices can be found in papers the year after a soldier died.

The collection includes Wimmera and Southern Mallee papers: Birchip Advertiser & Watchem Sentinel, Hopetoun Courier & Mallee Pioneer, Horsham Times, Nhill Free Press, Rainbow Argus, St Arnaud Mercury, Stawell News & Pleasant Creek Chronicle, Warracknabeal Herald, West Wimmera Mail & Natimuk Advertiser, and more general papers - Stock & Land, and Weekly Times.
The digitisation of these newspapers has been supported by the State Library of Victoria, National Library of Australia, Public Libraries Victoria Network, local councils and historical societies.

In Love with the cottage

Love’s Cottage and its outbuildings, in Clyde Street, St Arnaud represents one the oldest miner's properties in the town. 

The single storey, modestly scaled, Victorian vernacular cottage is characterised by a double gable roof with no eaves, clad in galvanised corrugated iron. The original stone wall construction has been surfaced with cement render possibly in the 1940s (except for the rear wall). Two cement rendered and brick chimneys adorn the roofline. The timber framed six paned windows appear to be early, with the timber framed double hung windows at the rear introduced at a later stage. The vertical boarded front door also appears to be early. Internally, the walls and ceilings vary in materials and finish from whitewashed plaster to galvanised iron and paper on hessian. exposed remnant stone wall construction.

The combined stables & boy's sleeping area

The outbuildings on the property include a blacksmith's shop, which has collapsed and is in ruinous condition. It has a gable roof form clad in galvanised corrugated iron, and remnants of bush pole structure and sawn hardwood weatherboard wall cladding.

An external toilet is situated nearby the stables and has a simple gable roof clad in galvanised corrugated iron, with early horizontal weatherboard wall cladding and vertical boarded door. It is in a perilous condition and has almost collapsed in upon itself. Other remains of small structures include a mud brick goose pen and a timber kennel.The gardens on the property reflect its layout and many early plantings, including fruit trees, agave, phlox and agapanthus still endure.

The cottage was originally built in 1868 with layers of flat stones and rubble (from a nearby mine) between timber posts, the walls are at least 12” thick. In the 1940s the external walls were surfaced in cement render. Originally a two room cottage, it was constructed by John Tyson with assistance from William Thompson. 

A kitchen and adjacent room with packed earth floors was added, and more recently a laundry and toilet annexe added to the rear. The Tysons raised 11 children on the property. 
In 1896 the property was owned by Robert and Eliza Love and their family of nine, who built a blacksmith's forge, stables and an outside toilet in the early 1900s. In 1985, following the death of Ethel Love, daughter-in-law of Robert Love, the property was bequeathed to the National Trust of Australia (Victoria) and classified on the historic register in 1986. In 1987 responsibility for the property was given to the St. Arnaud Historical Society.