One horse-power

This evocative photograph comes from a postcard loaned to us by Mrs Richards of Dee Why. It shows one of the horse-car trams which operated in Manly from 1903-1907. The postcard was sold by J W Williams, who had a tobacconist’s at 17 Corso from 1909-1914. The photograph shows the premises of Phillips and Cook, estate agents; Adrian’s Boot and Shoe Store; and Purves’ Bakery on the west side of the Corso, and Williams’ shop just beyond that. On the east side, the old St Matthew’s Church juts out into the Corso in the middle-distance. Presumably the driver of the tram is off watering the horse; meanwhile the passengers wait patiently.

Manly twitters

I came across this little story in the Sydney Morning Herald for 8 January 1885:

"On Saturday last, Captain [Francis] Wagstaff of the ship La Hogue, liberated a number of English birds, which he brought out with him last voyage at Burnt Bridge Creek, Manly. They were mostly chaffinches, green linnets and yellow-hammers, all insect-eating birds. Captain Wagstaff writes “I chose near the creek so that they would know where to find water. The little creatures were no sooner out of the cage than they flew to the water and immediately took a good bath after their long voyage from England. We watched them for some time and they seemed perfectly at home in this their new country. This creek lies about two miles from Manly, quite in the bush; and I hope they will not get shot by some of the boys we have about Manly and neighbourhood.”"

I wonder if they survived in their new environment. Does anyone know if these species can still be found locally?

Old Sweats

Courtesy of John Gorman, comes this great photo of members of the Manly AIF Swimming Club taking time out at the old Manly Baths on a sunny Sunday morning some time in the mid 1930s. There are some well-known local names here - Harry Hay, Fitz Lough, Eric Fox, Charlie Bell and Tom O’Neill among them.
Sitting left to right: Dr K Flook, E Fox, H Green, C Bell, F Garvan, F Norman. Kneeling: B Johnston, W Trickett, F Powell, J Evans, S Cook, F Lough. Standing: T O’Neill, S Donkin, S Webb, S Riddington, H Hay, P Osborne, - , R Martin, B Healy, A Barry, A Hollingworth, B Neilly, P Goldstein, C Turner, A Barling, S Gilbert.

Icarus at Clontarf

A century ago, the biggest daredevil in Sydney was Vincent Patrick Taylor (1874-1930). Taylor, who went by the name ‘Captain Penfold’ was a balloonist, parachutist and all-round stuntman who astounded crowds across Sydney with his hair-raising feats over a 20 year period. His daredevil feats included scaling city buildings, jumping from bridges and riding the rapids in an inflatable rubber suit of his own design. He also thrilled audiences abroad; in London on one occasion he jumped from his balloon wearing a Santa Claus suit. The Sydney Morning Herald (12 July 1909) described one balloon ascent he made near Clontarf, in 1909:
“Captain Penfold, who has made many balloon ascents and parachute descents in Sydney had an exciting experience at Clontarf yesterday, when instead of landing on solid earth he dropped into Middle Harbour.
The aeronaut’s ascent was satisfactory, and he hung by his legs from his trapeze, at a height of several thousand feet, calmly snapshotting the city and harbour. He then cut away the parachute, and dropped steadily towards the ground, intending to land near the Spit Point. As he neared the ground however, he saw that he was dropping straight for the waters of Middle Harbour, and he immediately started manipulating his cords in an endeavour to work the parachute over to dry earth. He missed the shore by a few yards, and leaving the parachute, swam to a boat, and was soon on the launch which was waiting to pick him up in case matters should turn out as they did. The balloon also dropped into the water close by, and both this and the parachute were afterwards recovered.”
Captain Penfold also made a number of balloon ascents from Manly Oval in 1911.

War canoes at Clontarf

A ‘Maori village’ was erected as a temporary tourist attraction at Clontarf in 1910. The Sydney Morning Herald (4 January 1910) advertised:
“The Village, which is peopled by 70 Maoris, including the famous guides, Maggie and Ella Papakura, has been erected with material specially brought from the Lake District of New Zealand and is a faithful representation of a Maori pah. See Maori carvings and curios, and historic war canoes 60 feet long.
There are novel entertainments daily at 3pm and 8.30pm. The village is well lighted by electric light and can be viewed as well by day as by night. The unique character of the performance, the beautiful open-air surroundings, the quaint village in the background, all afford a specially tempting form of entertainment for a summer evening.
Return fare including admission, 1/6, steamers from Fort Macquarie."
The Maori were from the Rotorua area of New Zealand, and their touring show later went on to visit London.

The image is from the collection of the Manly Warringah Pittwater Historical Society.

The Shute Shield

The Shute Shield was struck in honour of the late Robert Elliott Stewart Shute, who died on June 6, 1922, following a match at Manly Oval. Shute served as an infantryman in 30th Battery A.I.F. during World War One. On his return to Australia he took up his studies at Sydney University and joined the Sydney University rugby club as a front row forward in the first XV.
The Sydney Morning Herald, Wednesday 7 June 1922 reported: “As a result of injuries received while playing at Manly in the Rugby football match between the team which toured New Zealand and the Next 15, Robert Elliott Shute, a front row forward in the latter team, died at a private hospital at Manly yesterday morning. The accident occurred during the latter portion of the first spell of the match. Shute secured the ball and when tackled fell heavily. He was removed to a private hospital, where it was ascertained that he was suffering from cerebral hemorrhage. Without recovering consciousness he died at 6am. A former pupil of Sydney Grammar School, Shute, who was 23 years of age, was a third year student at Sydney University and he played for the University first fifteen. He served in the AIF for four years."
The University club had the shield made following his death and donated it to the NSWRU to be used as a perpetual trophy for the Sydney first grade competition.

A Manly Mansion

A now-demolished property in Stuart Street, on the corner with Addison Road, had a variety of uses over the years. It began in 1885 as Elibank, the large mansion home of a Mr James Smith. Three years later, the house changed its name to Keira, possibly after Mount Keira on the outskirts of Wollongong, and the householder was Mrs Rosina FitzStubbs, widow of well-to-do land agent Robert Fitz-Stubbs. From 1905 up to the mid-1920s, a Mrs J Ritchie was the householder, and the house, now referred to as Keira Hall, was a popular bed and breakfast establishment.
In 1932, there was a change of use, and the building became the home of Manly Presbyterian Grammar School for Boys, founded by the Educational Trust of the Presbyterian Church of NSW. An advertisement described how “its commanding position, pleasant play grounds and large, sunny, well-ventilated rooms combine to render the Manly Presbyterian Grammar School ideal for the welfare and education of boys.” The Headmaster was Mr J H Irvine.
The School closed in 1939 with the approach of WWII, but then in 1940, the site was developed as ‘Keera Hall’, a house for “underprivileged and delinquent children”, run by the Social Service department of the Presbyterian Church in New South Wales. An appeal was launched for funds to provide necessary furnishings: “single iron bedsteads, mattresses, bedding, blankets, linen, also for kitchen and dining-room furniture and equipment; also for a few men, who could bring along a few tools and paint-brushes and repair and tidy the place and the grounds.”
The Boys’ Home closed in December 1962, and the site was subsequently redeveloped with a large three-storey block of units.

The band on the ferry

In pre-War days on the Manly ferries there used to be a band on board, playing the popular tunes of the day. The following anonymous poem which dates from the 1920s is supposedly by 'an old bandsman who used to come down to Sydney for the Brass Band Contest every year':

I love to go to Manly where the gentle breezes blow
And where the men and maidens in the bounding billows go.
I loved the journey over, it was bonza, it was grand,
As the ferry moved to music from the little German Band.

On the upper deck they gathered, sometimes four, sometimes three
And oh the jazzes that they played, and oh the melodee.
They played the latest numbers heard at the pantomime
And then, the way they played them, Lor’ luv me, it was fine.

Of course you couldn’t hear them from the bottom deck, you know,
Nor underneath the hatches where the courting couples go;
Still, that was but a detail for one would make descent
And offer the collection box no matter where you went!

But now the trip to Manly, with glimpse of rolling sea
With bobbing empty bottles holds never charm with me,
I miss the quaint piano, and the queer asthmatic flute
The double bass and fiddle – why the boat is cold and mute!

I always went to Sydney when contest time came round
For I loved to hear the playing and the waves of rolling sound
And when I wearied sometimes of the masters’ noble notes
I would steal away to Manly and the band upon the boats!

This year I’m doin’ nothin’, the contest won’t see me,
The men that run the show down there and I do not agree -
We sent an ultimatum, and to the Sec. I wrote,
“If you want me at your concert, put the band back on the boat!”

Manly Council's surf-boat

The Manly Daily printed this account of the launching of the first Council-purchased surf boat on 25 March 1907. The account was reprinted on 15 September 1931, and 28 July 1966 (p19). The surfboat was constructed by J Hubbard of Leichhardt Street, Glebe, and was, as far as we know, the first municipally-funded surf rescue boat in the world.
“The launching of the Manly surf boat on Saturday afternoon [23 March 1907] was a magnificent success, perhaps one of the greatest successes the Manly Council has to its credit.
This was mainly due to the efforts and activity of Mayor Learmonth, ex-Mayor Quirk and Mr D Hogan (Council Clerk) who were ably assisted by many other willing and energetic workers.
The Mayor of Manly presided and on the specially erected platforms there were also: Mr C G Wade, KC, Attorney-General; Mr C W Oakes, MLA for Paddington; Dr Richard Arthur, MLA for Middle Harbour; ex-Mayor Quirk, Alderman Walker, Alderman King, Mr D Hogan (Council Clerk), Commander M Roberts, Mr A von Tossau, Mr W Tonge, and Captain Webber (Royal Shipwreck Society).
The Manly surf carnival was a new departure in the 'pastime natatorial' and was organised for the purpose of celebrating the launching of the recently built surf boat, which, under the control of Messrs Sly brothers will patrol the water fronting ocean beach during the bathing season.
Between 40,000 and 50,000 people were present.
The Attorney-General referred to the widespread popularity of surf-bathing. It was essential, he said, that bathers should be well catered for and every effort should be made to contend against the possibility of loss of life through drowning.
Mr Wade, with a pair of silver scissors, presented to him by Mayor Learmonth (on behalf of the Council) severed the red silk ribbon and performed the ceremony of launching the surf boat.
During the afternoon ‘Appy Eyre, beach custodian, and Mr A von Tossau, gave a display of life-saving, Eyre entering the water and effecting a rescue after which the usual methods of resuscitation were adopted.
The Seagull Club (Messrs Chambers, Lane, Rosenthal, Wickham and Triglone) contributed a diving display from a pedestal erected in the sea.
The Manly Borough Band played selections during the afternoon.
After the ceremony and whilst the surf carnival was proceeding Mayor Learmonth invited Mr Wade, KC, and a few others to join him in a few toasts at the New Brighton Hotel, where host P J Byrne had placed a tempting and pleasing little spread.”
Identified in the photograph from right to left are: Dr Arthur, ex-Mayor Quirk, and addressing the crowd, Attorney-General Wade.