Local historian extraordinaire - a tribute to Les Barnes

I came across these two articles recently as I was working my way through some material on the origins of street names in Brunswick and Coburg and I was reminded all over again of the superb legacy Les Barnes left Moreland's local historians. 

The person who saved these articles did not note the name of the paper or its date. It's clear, though, that they were written at the time of Les's death, so probably June 1994. The second tribute was written by his nephew Bill, also a local historian.

Les Barnes was a Brunswickian (Brunswicker?) through and through. He was born in Brunswick, lived here and died here. He also wrote and spoke about the history of the area in his own inimitable style. His prose is instantly recognisable - his personality comes through in every word he wrote. 

Without Les, the history of Brunswick would be so much leaner. He was a trade unionist, a union organiser in the 1940s - a leftie who moved to the left of the left and became a Communist in that inter-war era when so many saw socialism as the answer to the world's woes. He was also a passionate historian, a researcher extraordinaire who was one of the group who brought the investigation of history back to the area with the formation of the Brunswick Community History Group. 

No wonder, then, that when the City of Brunswick commissioned a history of the suburb (Brunswick: One history, many voices, edited by Helen Penrose) published in 1994, it was dedicated to the memory of Les Barnes.

At the very end of the book is a section written by Les on the origins of the street names of Brunswick. There is also a book version and one for Coburg, too. 

These histories of Moreland's streets were last updated in the mid-1990s, so there is so much more to add. I've made a start, and hope others will join me. 

Let me know if you are willing to be part of my new Streets of Moreland project. The more people who participate, the more the project will be in the spirit of the grass roots history that Les Barnes exemplified.

Coburg advertisements from 1953

As seen in the 1953 edition of  the Ruskin 'All about Coburg':

Not that I would have even noticed such ads. I was only a few months old and my family was living in Kerang. We didn't come to Coburg for another nine years (with a seven year stint in Ballarat in between).

The 1891 Women's 'Monster' Suffrage Petition

In 1891 Victorian Premier James Munro agreed to introduce a bill into parliament that would grant women the right to vote, but only if it could be clearly demonstrated that ordinary women wanted the vote. 

In an extraordinary effort, a number of women's groups, including the Victorian  Women's Christian Temperance Union, the Temperance Alliance, Women's Trade Union and the Victorian Women's Suffrage Society, organised a six week door-knocking campaign in which they collected some 30,000 signatures from households all around Victoria. 

This 'Monster' Petition indicated without a doubt that ordinary Victorian women definitely wanted the right to vote. 

The  calico-backed pages of the petition were glued together and rolled onto a cardboard spindle before being presented to Parliament. It's a huge artefact - about 260 metres long - and must have been a spectacular sight when it was carried into parliament. 

Today it is looked after by the Public Record Office of Victoria and you can read more about it here.

We are very privileged that the petition can be seen online and to give you an idea of what you will see if you check it out, here's a small section of one page that relates to my Brunswick street:

You can search for names of people, or people in a street, or an entire suburb (or other location) on the Parliament of Victoria's website here. Just keep in mind that you're more likely to find a rural location if it was on a railway line (eg Bairnsdale, Casterton, Castlemaine, Horsham).

You may also be interested in reading about the Great Petition Sculpture, created in 2008 to celebrate 100 years of women's right to vote in Victoria. It's located in Burston Reserve, near the Victorian State Parliament Building. 

Two views of the Great Petition Sculpture I took last winter.

Because I'm interested in the history of my local area (Moreland), I've started a list of the Moreland women who signed the suffrage petition. I've only researched a couple of them so far (three in Coburg and all the women from my street plus a couple of other Brunswick women).

You can read about one of the women, Teresa Baxter of Wilson Street, Brunswick, here. 

Teresa Baxter, as seen in the Herald, 16 December 1916.

As you can imagine, there are many, many Moreland names on the petition. Here is just a tiny sample:

Farrell, A         290 Weston Street, Brunswick

Farrell, J          Edward Street, Brunswick

Farrell, Mary   144 Barkly Street, Brunswick

Femis, Mrs      Brunswick

Ferguson, L T  40 George Street, Brunswick

Fergusson, Fanny        5 MacKay Street, Brunswick

Fidoe, Mrs       Albert Street, Brunswick

Fielding, E, Mrs          Nash Street, Brunswick

File, Elizabeth Lydia Street, Brunswick

Findlay, J        135 Union Street, Brunswick

Finn, F., Mrs   Wilson Street, Brunswick

Fisher, Ada     Belfast Road, Brunswick

Fisher, E          Weston Street, Brunswick

Fitch, Mrs        Pearson Street, West Brunswick

Fitzgerald, E, Mrs       Clarke Street, Brunswick

Fitzmaurice, C Barkly Street, Brunswick

Fitzsimons, Ellen         Weston Street, Brunswick

Flegg, A, Mrs  21 William Street, Brunswick

Fleith, Alicia   Albert Street, Brunswick

Fleming, A, Mrs          Albert Street, Brunswick

Fleming, Jane  Edward Street, Brunswick

Fleming, K      Brunswick

Fletcher, I        Evans Street, Brunswick

Flinn, Mrs        Burchet Street, Brunswick

The few stories I've uncovered so far make interesting reading, but I'd need a lifetime (and longer) to research everyone!

It'd make a great community project, though, and if you agree with me, let me know. 

This year's International Women's Day global theme is Balance for Better, promoting greater gender balance around the world. Australia's theme is More Powerful Together. 

The 'Monster' petition is a great example of both themes. 

Wouldn't it be wonderful to commemorate the achievement of these women from a now distant past and remind all Australians that there are many ways to work together to make a difference.

Pascoe Vale Football Club in the 1950s

About three years ago, this photo was donated to Coburg Historical Society by a local man who played in the featured Pascoe Vale Football team some time in the 1950s.

There are no names to go with the players, so if you know anyone in the photo, I'd be delighted to hear from you.

I'm also trying to track down the location of the photo, so any help on that would be appreciated, too. 

I thought maybe it was Raeburn Reserve in Landells Road, but I don't recognise any of the buildings. 

The two buildings in the first snip from the main photo look a bit like army huts and the big white building in the second snip looks too big to be a domestic dwelling but I don't think it's Blessed Oliver Plunkett Church (or school), which is just across the road. Maybe you can help? 

Bruce Smalls Sydney Road shop - The Value Centre of Coburg - in 1953

Advertisement in Ruskin's All about Coburg, 1953

At Smalls you could buy bicycles (Malvern Star cycles, for sure), motor cycles, Vespas, refrigerators, washing machines and radios. Quite a selection!

Ad in the Age, 24 January 1953.

St Augustine's, Moreland quilt

St Augustine’s, Moreland quilt. Dated June 1895. (National Gallery of Victoria collection. Gift of the congregation of St Augustine's Anglican Church, Moreland, 2012)

This wonderful crazy patchwork quilt was made of many small scraps of material, then the names of the congregation were added in chain stitch. It was stitched in 1895 and presented to vicar Rev. W. Jordan. 

Reverend William Jordan, 

One foundation: a parish journey in Moreland 

by Peter Sherlock

As I looked at the names on the quilt I saw two that relate to my World War One research - Goding and Draeger. You can read about them here.

How fortunate we are that the congregation donated the quilt to the National Gallery of Victoria and that NGV has shared it with all of us online!

Promoting train travel in Coburg - 1953

This ad is from the 1953 Ruskin's All About Coburg:

The method of promotion might be different, but 66 years on, the message is still relevant:

Use your trains