The Sydney Folklore Project of the Australian Maritime Museum recorded dozens of songs which mention Sydney Harbour places. This parody number laments a visit to Manly:
TO MANLY (AND OTHER PLACES)
I went down to Manly one day,
Feeling happy and feeling gay:
A dip in the briny I thought was nice—
I have paid for it—once or twice.
Had a cheap bath, but I didn't go far,
Round by some rocks my clothes went ta-ta,
I had to go home wrapped up in the Star,
So I'll never go there any more.
Chorus. To Manly! To Manly! .
The next time I bathe I will pay my fare,
At Manly! At Manly!
So I'll never go there any more.
Thursday, January 12, 2006
First film of Manly
September 1896 saw the arrival in Sydney of the first Lumiere agent, Marius Sestier, who held the sole franchise for Lumiere equipment in Australia. H Walter Barnett was his Australian business manager.
Sestier and Barnett opened Australia’s first auditorium devoted entirely to the showing of films. Their “Salon Lumiere”, as it was called, opened 28 September 1896, at 237 Pitt Street, Sydney. At first it showed films shot in Paris the previous year.
By the end of October Sestier and Barnett decided to put their camera-printer-projector to more practical use. In late September and early October they filmed experimental footage around the shores of Sydney Harbour. This was the first motion picture film to be exposed in Australia. The material was made up into several shorts, each of around sixty feet. The most successful of these, Passengers Alighting from Ferry Brighton at Manly, showed people leaving the ferry and walking along Manly Pier. Exhibition was delayed until after Sestier had filmed the 1896 Melbourne Cup, and it was then shown as a supporting feature at showings at the Criterion Theatre and then in December 1896, 478 George Street, Sydney. However, it is not known if any copies of this pioneering footage survive.
Sestier and Barnett opened Australia’s first auditorium devoted entirely to the showing of films. Their “Salon Lumiere”, as it was called, opened 28 September 1896, at 237 Pitt Street, Sydney. At first it showed films shot in Paris the previous year.
By the end of October Sestier and Barnett decided to put their camera-printer-projector to more practical use. In late September and early October they filmed experimental footage around the shores of Sydney Harbour. This was the first motion picture film to be exposed in Australia. The material was made up into several shorts, each of around sixty feet. The most successful of these, Passengers Alighting from Ferry Brighton at Manly, showed people leaving the ferry and walking along Manly Pier. Exhibition was delayed until after Sestier had filmed the 1896 Melbourne Cup, and it was then shown as a supporting feature at showings at the Criterion Theatre and then in December 1896, 478 George Street, Sydney. However, it is not known if any copies of this pioneering footage survive.
First Fleet Records
New on the Manly Local Studies website are the first two monographs from the series of First Fleet Records compiled by local historians George and Shelagh Champion. Mr and Mrs Champion have given us permission to reproduce their research on the website for the benefit of other historians, and we hope to add further monographs from the series in the course of 2006. These records cover Arthur Phillip's first three days exploring in Port Jackson in january 1788, and Hunter and Bradley's survey of the lower part of the Harbour.You can download the articles from the Manly Council website at http://www.manly.nsw.gov.au/page.asp?z=2&c=64&p=697
Thursday, January 5, 2006
Cracking Awaba
Cracking Awaba - Stories of Mosman and the Northern Beaches during the Depression
This new book draws on seventy-two oral histories about life in Manly, Mosman, Pittwater and Warringah during the Depression of the 1930s.
This new book draws on seventy-two oral histories about life in Manly, Mosman, Pittwater and Warringah during the Depression of the 1930s.
By combining extracts of these interviews with an evocative selection of photographs of the period, author Paula Hamilton has provided a wonderful glimpse of the landscape, culture and community spirit that existed in these suburbs during a particularly difficult time in Australia’s history.
The curious title comes from an interview with Mosman boy Harley O’Regan who as a lad attempted to ride a billycart down Mosman’s very steep Awaba Street. Harley and his mates called this ride an attempt to “crack Awaba”.
This innovative project was made possible by a Library Development Grant from the Library Council of New South Wales to the Manly, Mosman, Pittwater and Warringah Libraries.
Cracking Awaba is available for $12.00 from Manly Library.
Cracking Awaba is available for $12.00 from Manly Library.
Wednesday, January 4, 2006
Greeting
Welcome to the Manly Local Studies weblog. I hope to use this space to share information about the history of Manly, NSW; to keep you informed of what we are currently researching; and to pick your brains about stuff that is puzzling us.This year, we're going to be busy compiling fact-sheets on a number of historical topics, which you'll be able to download from the Manly Council website. Feel free to point out any mistakes!
This year also sees celebrations to mark the Centenary of Seaforth, which was first laid out by the developer Henry Halloran in 1906, so any memories of Seaforth will be particularly welcome. We are on the look-out for old photographs of Seaforth, which may be used in a commemorative booklet, so let us know if you have any.
John MacRitchie, Local Studies Librarian, Manly Library
Sunday, January 1, 2006
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