New-fangled motor cars

Manly Council wrote to one motor car operator in 1905 that he must not exceed 8 mph, and 3 mph around corners, in order to alleviate the 'dust nuisance' caused by his automobile. This couple, Patrick and Lilian Sheehan, are posed in one of the cars which took visitors for juants along the Steyne and back, price 6d. Their expressions suggest that they are thinking better of the whole business.

Alderman Who?

One of our on-going projects is to draw up biographical details of Manly’s early Aldermen, who were a fascinating bunch. Of the 193 individuals who have been Aldermen or Councillors, we have photographs of all but 24. We may never find photos of some of the 19th century Aldermen, of course. Web-based sources have opened up new avenues of research, however. For example, until recently we knew very little about Alderman Walter Hussey Vivian (after whom Vivian Street is named). He was elected Alderman on 8 February 1890, but did not manage to attend a full Council meeting until 1 May that year. A supporter of Mayor John Cameron, it is hard to avoid the conclusion that he was only there to make up the numbers. His frequent absences were due to his being simultaneously the MLA for the seat of The Hastings and Manning from April 1890 to June 1891, where he represented the Free Trade interest. As he also had a share-broking business in Sydney, to which he devoted much of his time, it is hard to avoid the conclusion that he was about the most useless Alderman Manly has ever had.
He was probably born in Dorset in 1852; his father became a prominent and wealthy share-dealer in London, and Walter entered the family business. He emigrated to Australia some time between 1876 and 1879 with his wife Eliza, who bore him five daughters, the last of whom was born at Manly in 1885. He was active in local land dealings, and built himself a large two-storey house named The Chalet, just off Hilltop Crescent. His three years on the Council were uncreative; typically, he was against the formation of a public library. He attended his last Council meeting on 10 January 1893, and lost his seat in the Council elections of 7 February 1893. He retained his membership of the Sydney Stock Exchange until 1903, then left NSW, ‘possibly for South Africa’, speculates one source. He features in a group photograph held in the ASX collection. The Chalet was demolished in the 1930s.

Manly Lagoon in Verse

Louise Mack (1870-1935), a friend of novelist Ethel Turner’s, was well-acquainted with the Manly area. Her pamphlet of poems, Dreams in Flower, was published by the Bulletin in 1901, and included the evocative poem The Lagoon at Manly.
Read the poem here:

Louise%20Mack%2C%20The%20Lagoon%20at%20Manly.docx

Tonic for the Troops

A recently donated photo to our collection shows action on the 'Home Front' during World War II. Staff from the Corso department store, Cooper's, are shown packing boxes with comforts for the troops. Some of the items being packed include familiar brands such as IXL peaches, CSR sugar, and Johnson's Baby Powder (much appreciated by soldiers breaking in tough Army boots). Thanks to Doff Robson for donating the photo.

Manly in Verse

In his short life, Roderick J Flanagan (1828-1862) was a poet, journalist and historian. He was born in Ireland, but spent 22 years of his life in Australia. He founded a newspaper in Melbourne and was the author of a history of New South Wales, and a study of Aboriginal life. Among his other works was a posthumously-published volume of poetry in 1887 entitled ‘Australian and other Poems’, which appeared in 1887. One of the poems, The Vale of Manly, (composed late 1850s?) is notable for being probably the earliest literary response to the beauty of Manly, at that time sparsely populated. Read the poem here:
The%20Vale%20of%20Manly.docx

Set in Stone

Enthusiastic local historian Terry Metherell has been digging up information about Manly's stone quarries. Some of Manly's finest buildings were built with local stone, but the quarries the stone came from are now largely forgotten. Dr Metherell's on-going research into the topic can be studied in this attached article, 'Manly's Stone Quarries'.
Quarrying.docx

The Hotel Manly

A small display in Manly Library shows photos of the Hotel Manly being demolished 20 years ago. The Hotel Manly was built for Deatons Limited to replace the Pier Hotel, which had stood for over sixty years on the site opposite Manly Wharf. It was designed by architect S H Buchanan of 26 Hunter Street, Sydney, in 1923. Building commenced in May 1924; the builder was L O’Neil. When the hotel was opened in 1924 it was described as one of the finest hotels of its kind in the southern hemisphere. A seven-storey addition (the work of prominent architect Emil Sodersteen) was opened in 1935 and a new ballroom was also part of the renovations. The hotel dominated the corner of Belgrave Street and East Esplanade for half a century, and was renowned for its comfort and luxury.
Tooth and Co Ltd owned the hotel in the 1970s, and proposed further extensions. Throughout the 1980s there were a series of proposed redevelopments as the hotel went through several changes in ownership. In 1988 Jennings Industries bought the hotel for $15.25 million, and in February 1989 Manly Council approved a $64 million redevelopment proposal from the company. The hotel’s doors closed on 5th March 1989, and demolition followed quickly. The life-size statue of Governor Phillip by Rayner Hoff which graced the Belgrave Street façade was preserved and relocated; but Smokey, the hotel’s mascot cat, was left behind in the confusion – he was found by passers-by and given a new home.
The site lay vacant for several years, becoming known locally as the ‘hole in the ground’. It was sold in 1993 to Denham Pty Ltd, who proposed the Grande Esplanade development, incorporating retail units, with serviced apartments above. All 82 units were sold before construction began, and the Grande Esplanade building was officially opened in August 1996.

Heroes of the Surf

For the 2009 Heritage Festival, we have mounted a display of photographs from our collection showing scenes from Manly Beach, over the past hundred years. The photographs mainly come from two sources: a collection of photos made by Rex Phillips, one-time stalwart of Manly Life Saving Club, donated to us by Mr Cramer Ball; and a collection compiled by the late Ken Watson, donated to us by Mr Peter Blake. Included in the display is what may be the oldest photo of a group of ‘nippers’, taken on South Steyne in 1907. The display, Heroes of the Surf, can also be found on flickr, at http://www.flickr.com/photos/manly-library/sets/72157616404842329/

Conan Doyle stung in Manly

The author of the Sherlock Holmes stories, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, visited Manly in December 1920. Following a busy lecture tour of Australia, he and his family had a ten day rest at the Pacific Hotel, Manly. He wrote:
“Here we all devoted ourselves to surf-bathing, spending a good deal of our day in the water, as is the custom of the place. It is a real romp with Nature, for the great Pacific rollers come sweeping in and break over you, rolling you over on the sand if they catch you unawares. It was a golden patch in our restless lives. There were surf boards, and I am told that there were men competent to ride them, but I saw none of Jack London’s Sun Gods riding in erect upon the crest of the great rollers. Alas, poor Jack London! What right had such a man to die, he who had more vim and passion, and knowledge of varied life than the very best of us. Apart from all his splendid exuberance and exaggeration he had very real roots of grand literature within him...
There is a grand beach at Manly, and the thundering rollers carry in some flotsam from the great ocean. One morning the place was covered with beautiful blue jelly-fish, like little Roman lamps with tendrils hanging down. I picked up one of these pretty things, and was just marveling at its complete construction when I discovered that it was even more complete than I supposed, for it gave me a violent sting. For a day or two I had reason to remember my little blue castaway, with his up-to-date fittings for keeping the stranger at a distance.”
In Conan Doyle's late collection of Holmes stories, The Case Book of Sherlock Holmes, published in 1926, there is a story The Lion's Mane, which hinges upon the devastating effects of a jellyfish sting. i wonder if the Manly incident was in Doyle's mind as an inspiration for the incident? In the story, Holmes remarks: “You will know, or Watson has written in vain, that I hold a vast store of out-of-the-way knowledge without scientific system, but very available for the needs of my work. My mind is like a crowded box-room with packets of all sorts stowed away therein -- so many that I may well have but a vague perception of what was there.” A perfect description of the author's own technique!