Fremantle History Society newsletter, 2024-07
Winter edition, July 2024.
FHS Annual General Meeting this month
The next meeting is the 2024 Annual General Meeting on Tuesday 23rd July at the Fremantle History Centre from 5.00 – 7.00 pm. Dr. Steve Errington will present a short talk based on his recently published book: ‘Locked up in Fremantle 1829 – 1856. Refreshments available from 5.00 pm. Talk begins at 5.30 pm Dr. Steve Errington is a former vice president of the Fremantle History Society and has published seven books on aspects of WA history including two histories of the Round House where he was for many years a volunteer guide. Steve will discuss what the details tell us about law and order in our early years. Copies of both Round House books will be available at a discount at the meeting. Following the talk we will hold the AGM. President Jude Robison, will deliver her report for the year. Treasurer, Pam Harris will deliver the Treasurer's report. Committee members will be elected for the 2024-25 period.
Our 30th Anniversary Coming Up!
On October 12th 1994 over 50 people attended a meeting at the Reception Room of the Fremantle City Council to officially launch the Fremantle History Society.
Prominent historian, Bob Reece, gave the opening welcome and Dianne Davidson, the driving force behind getting the Society off the ground, spoke about the objectives and types of activities that might be pursued.
Thirty years later, having weathered battles and plagues, we are still going strong and have much to be proud of in our efforts to encourage the research and enjoyment of Fremantle’s history.
Your committee organises ten general meetings a year which we endeavour to make entertaining and enlightening. This October marks the 28th Fremantle Studies Day, contributing a wealth of valuable research to the written history of the city through the Society journal: Fremantle Studies. There are now 12 volumes published and Volume 13 will be launched this coming Studies Day. The Society has now presented five researchers with history scholarships of $2000, and then we churn out four newsletters each year.
In addition to the above achievements the Fremantle History Society maintains an active voice on important local issues. Not an overtly political organisation, the Society nevertheless speaks out against what it considers to be possible threats to the authenticity of this precious city, such as unsympathetic or inappropriate development proposals. The future of Fremantle Oval is a recent issue we have submitted a response to, as well as the reinstatement of the Fremantle History Centre in the Walyalup Civic Centre.
This coming Studies Day on October 20th, and at other events throughout the coming year, we will celebrate our 30 year milestone. There will be stories told, memories shared, and of course, cake! We will let you know more as these events take shape.
Coming Events
2024 Annual General Meeting
Tuesday 23 July 5.00 – 7.00 pm Fremantle History Centre, Ground Floor, Walyalup Civic Centre,151 High St, Fremantle 6160
Annual Pub Lunch - National Hotel
Sunday 25 August 12.00 pm 98 High Street, Fremantle 6160
Please join us for the annual Pub Lunch. This year we will be dining at the National Hotel in the heart of Fremantle. The owner of the National, Karl Bullers, will give a short, informal talk about the hotel and its colourful history, then organise for us to take a look through some of the rooms available.
We will need to know numbers for the booking so I will send a reminder well beforehand and you can send me back your RSVP’s.
Author: Kim Scott
Tuesday 27 August 5.00 – 7.00 pm Fremantle History Centre, Ground Floor, Walyalup Civic Centre,151 High St, Fremantle 6160
We wouldn’t normally hold two events in the one month but this was an opportunity we thought shouldn’t be missed. Kim Scott’s debut novel, Benang: From the Heart was the first book by an Indigenous writer to win the Miles Franklin Award. It presents an enlightening but heartbreaking narrative of the impact of colonisation on Australia’s Indigenous people. Join us for an engaging talk with Kim Scott and help celebrate the 25th anniversary of this groundbreaking publication.
2024 Fremantle Studies Day
Sunday 20 October 12.45 for 1.00 pm start Fremantle History Centre, Ground Floor, Walyalup Civic Centre,151 High St, Fremantle 6160
Our four speakers and their topics this year include:
- Kiara Gormlie – Fremantle Soroptimist International. The story of the impact upon Fremantle that this women’s advocacy group has had, and the power of uniting to bring about change.
- Caroline Ingram – Margaret Cody, 2nd woman in WA executed for murder. Margaret’s case illustrates the challenges working class women faced in the 19th century, and the way in which women, perceived not to conform to middle class values of femininity might be vilified in the press.
- Nick Everett – Wobblies on the Waterfront. The Fremantle Industrial Workers of the World (Wobblies) in the conscription debate and subsequent upheaval on the waterfront 1917.
- Lucy Hair - Colonial Surgeon/Asylum Superintendent Henry Barnett and his wife Annie.
We will send out more details closer to the date.
MEETING REPORTS
Defence of Fremantle
Shane Burke – 23 April Shane’s engaging talk provided an overview of the defence of Fremantle and adjacent coastal regions from early European settlement until after WW11. Wearing his archeologist’s hat Shane made use of early survey maps of Fremantle as a primary source of evidence for understanding both the layout of key streets and the properties owned by individuals. The first military establishment was built by the British (1830-1850) at the corner of High St and Pakenham St, the swamp at the bottom of the street used as a defensive measure. Shane went on to talk of later defence establishments including the significant Arthur’s Head battery with its 6 inch guns built in 1906. At this time the Federal Government recognised Fremantle as Australia’s only western port in Australia. There was some laughter when Shane told us that the chimneys of the power station built alongside Arthur’s Head were in fact in the direct line of fire of the guns. As an outcome these powerful guns were relocated to Rottnest Island to become an important component of the defence of Fremantle. In view of a potential invasion by the Japanese, the Buckland Hill battery was built in 1941 and completed in 1942. Fremantle went on to become the largest submarine base in the southern hemisphere. While much of the machinery of the defence effort has been dismantled or weathered away, some artefacts of the defence remain, some simply too heavy to move. Examples include the gun emplacement at the western end of the South Mole which had been established to protect entry to the Swan River, tunnels at Rottnest Island, installations at Mosman Park, remains of the submarine nets erected between the North and South Moles. Shane emphasised the importance of keeping these artefacts as a primary source of evidence of the defence of Fremantle.
