Minutes of Public Meeting 13 March 2005

Minutes of Public Meeting

Held on Sunday 13 March 2005

Venue: Linnwood, Byron Road, Guildford

Apologies: Coral Hamilton, Pat O'Brien, Hazel Keepence, Russ and Beth Werner, Pam Zopf, Diane Jogia, Merle Warwick, John Warwick

The Minutes of the Public Meeting held 9 January 2005, which were mailed or emailed to members, were accepted by the Meeting.

Following members' agreement for the Friends of Linnwood to contribute to the Tsunami appeal, John McKenna advised the meeting that a cheque for $100 was sent to the Red Cross.

Good afternoon everyone and welcome to Linnwood once again. It's frightening to think it's March already, although it's nice to look forward to having some cooler weather.

I always think each meeting that I will only give a brief report - that not much has happened since the last meeting and so it won't take too long to go through, but when I sit down and start to put this together, it just amazes me all that does happen in 2 months!

So, we'll start with the usual show and tell, but what a list! We have had so many donations come in lately it would take all afternoon to do the showing and telling, so I will just briefly outline some of our new acquisitions :- From Mr Bill Redfern we have received an ALCON radiogram which he bought from the Alcon shop at Fairfield in about 1948, and it still works! A portable DECCA wind-up gramophone, still in working order, complete with spare needles that has a very interesting history. It was apparently given to his grandmother in England by a Salvation Army missionary who supposedly took it with him to play music to the natives in either India or Africa and then she brought it to Australia when she emigrated. Mr. Redfern has also donated a very unusual shoe stretcher owned by his grandfather and it has an 1882 date stamped on it.

From members Don and Phyl Messer we have received a beautiful ladies hat pin, a boot hook, a Beechams Pills timber pill box, a sewing needle book still with needles inside, and 2 beautiful pieces of baby's clothing, probably from the late 1920's.

From Mrs Edna Bowerman we received some ladies lingerie, covered coathangers, some hankies and serviettes and an old dressmakers mannequin in terrific condition which we can certainly use when we have clothing to display. Mr Len Hibble has kindly donated 4 bags of old knitting, tatting and pattern books from his mother, some dating back to the 1930's and 1940's.

Again, Kevin Woodward has found lots more gadgets, tools and old receipts etc. at home and has very kindly donated them to our collection and, with many thanks from the kitchen workers, Kevin has donated a radio for us to listen to while we work!

Adriana De Haas has donated some metal hair clips - now ladies, be truthful, who remembers using these in their hair? Just today we have received a lovely ceramic biscuit barrel with, we think, a silver handle, from Margaret Wonson. A Mr Eric Davidson has very generously donated lots of items, too numerous to mention individually, but I will tell you a few of them: Lots more cameras to add to our collection including an old movie camera, projector, some Super 8 films, and some editing equipment, together with a very old pewter inkstand, a very unusual kerosene bath heater from the 1940's that came out of his parents' home in Station Street, Guildford, a bible previously owned by Mary Bursill, a book about London dated 1878, 2 unusual metal plates with the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh on them, a portable electric washing machine and a WWI trenching tool. Eric has ties to our local area through the Davidson, Bursill and Flewitt families and has also given Pat and I some wonderful photos of his ancestors and their homes and businesses - does anyone remember Alcorn and Davidson, Produce Merchants in Guildford? Eric's father was also a volunteer fireman at Guildford and also worked on the building of Prospect Reservoir during the depression. So keep an eye out for some really good pictures that we hope to have ready for our next Open House.

As you may already know, Pat O'Brien and I have started our own pictorial, research project into the history of our area, and we do the displays at each Open House Day. We have recently also received some great photos from Mr Reg Young - again some great shots of the old Guildford and Merrylands - his family had Young's Hardware stores in Merrylands (which eventually became Goldmans and then BBC) and also at Guildford. So, if you have any old photos of the area and would allow us to copy them for our displays, please let us know - we would really appreciate them. Our thanks to Don Messer for putting castors on the remaining display boards - it makes life just so much easier to be able to roll those boards around instead of having to pick them up!

The Australian Lace Guild has moved in and are now based at Linnwood for their meetings. If you haven't seen their display, please have a look after the meeting, there are some exquisite pieces over in the display cases and we understand that they will change this display on a regular basis, so have a look each time you come in.

Over the last couple of months we have had some water problems in one way or another on the site. The small pipe that sticks out of the ground down near the front gate has 'blown its plug' twice and flooded the front lawn. Hopefully it has been fixed properly now - although it was looking very green down there for a while with the good soaking the grass got! Unfortunately after one of the very heavy downpours in recent weeks we did have some water come into the house. Not where we thought it would be - in the front room - but out here in this back room. The internal box gutter must have had a blockage in it and unfortunately overflowed all over our lovely big rug - it was absolutely soaked. So we now have to remember to roll it up after each use so that it doesn't suffer any more damage.

Again, we have had more reports of people using the courtyard area of Faulds House for night-time get-togethers - they are very well set up with chairs and a fireplace to keep them warm. Whilst they don't appear to be doing any real damage, there is always the risk of their fire not being put out properly and getting out of control and that is our main concern. Security have been informed, but do not seem to be able to do much about moving them on and I have been told that some neighbours have called police on a number of occasions when they have seen people around at night, but unfortunately the response time is not great and the 'visitors' have gone by the time the police arrive.

We have now received the final, approved and stamped edition of the Conservation Management Plan from the Heritage Office if any of you would like to have a look through. It's taken a while, but it's finally 'official'.

The latest news from the Heritage Office is that they are still negotiating with Treasury about the sale of the rear of the property and when that is finalised, the sale will be tendered out to be managed by an independent project manager. While we wait, we will continue with our Open House Days to raise much needed money for any repairs or renovations we might be allowed to assist with.

We have also put a proposal to the Heritage Office to clean out and then have the use of the two rooms off the back verandah. The smaller of these rooms appears to have been used as a storage or workroom and needs a big cleanout, and the other room appears to be empty. We thought that if we could use these rooms for storage it would free up the two rooms inside the house that we are currently using for storage of our 'collection' items - thus making it a possibility for these rooms to be used by other community groups. We'll keep you posted as to how we go.

Our February Open House day was a great success with the unlikely combination of a display of Christening Gowns and Ladies Underwear, teamed with a Trash 'n' Treasure sale. Many thanks to Christine and Pam for arranging the display and also to those members who lent treasured family heirlooms for the day - it really was a wonderful exhibition and full credit to our two hardworking committee members for putting it all together. We had quite good advertising for this day and thanks must go to Bronwyn McKenna for modelling some of the ladies wear for the Parramatta Sun's article. Our thanks also to those members who donated items for the trash 'n' treasure - it's a great fundraiser!

On the day, we had an unexpected visit from Mrs Susan McCredie Miles (a grand-daughter of George McCredie), and her husband, together with a nephew and his wife. It was lovely to talk to some McCredie family members and it was really interesting to see some old photos of Linnwood and its grounds and to hear that there were originally 4 statues in the grounds, each representing a season of the year. Our sincere thanks to Mrs Miles for then sending us copies of some of these photos and I have them here for you to look at. It's interesting to see what was here in the 'McCredie' era.

At our last committee meeting we discussed the possibility of using some of the money we have received as donations to start a collection of pottery by Nell McCredie. We have found that Nell McCredie was a niece of George McCredie's and quite a well known potter of the early 1900's. Whilst there is no direct link to Linnwood, the fact that she was a McCredie and her work is considered to be 'collectable' these days led us to think it a good idea to use the money to start our own

'McCredie' Collection and hope that you will have no objection to using the money in this way.

We also recently received some 'official' photos of the wedding that was held here last July, and when you see them, I'm sure you will agree that Linnwood makes a beautiful backdrop for such an occasion. The photos are just gorgeous.

Our next Open House Day is 10 April and looks to be a 'men's' day doesn't it, with the Travelling Nomad from the Aviation Museum and model trains from the Guildford Model Railway Group. The museum has sent through a photo of the Nomad and it looks to be much more than just the 'nose' of a Nomad aircraft, so should be very interesting.

After the last Open House it became clear that we need to provide some outdoor seating for our visitors to be able to sit and eat their lunch in comfort. With that in mind it was decided to look around for some plastic outdoor tables and chairs and we hope to have these ready for April's Open day. We will also probably purchase a few more trestle tables as they are also very much in demand.

We have now had confirmation that the Sydney Antique Machinery Club will be here in August, something I'm sure the men will be interested in, with quite a few old steam engines puffing away out on the front lawn. We have also made contact with the African Violet Association and they are very keen to come to one or more of our days, probably later in the year. See, we try to cater for everybody! By the way, the African Violet Association has asked that I mention they are having a show at Burwood RSL on the weekend of the 9th and 10th April if anyone would like to go.

The week after our April Open House is Holroyd CityFest and as mentioned before, we will be having a stall on the day of the parade Saturday 16th , and then on Sunday 17th not only will we be having our Rhymes, Rhythms, Writings and Refreshments evening with local writers and musicians, but with many thanks to committee member Carol Duane for organising this activity, we will be having a "Pleasant Past Times" day from 11am till 3pm. Flyers are available listing all the things that will be here, but if you have ever wanted to try a new hobby or craft or want to put yourself in the hands of a reflexologist, then there will be something here for you on the day. Entrance is free to both functions, but there may be a small fee for some of the crafts if you want to 'have a go' and there will be refreshments available to buy.

We are also organising another reunion for Linnwood Girls and Staff to be held early in May and will be sending out invitations shortly in the hope that some of the girls may come back for a visit. This will be a day for the girls only as it is still quite traumatic for some of them to come back to Linnwood. There will only be a few of us here in the background on the day to help with the refreshments. Representatives from CLAN will also be here on the day to offer assistance.

We have had an enquiry recently as to what age our insurance policy covers our volunteers. Helen has looked into this and you will be glad to know that you can volunteer for us right up until you are 86! So, no excuses! We do ask however, if you do want to do any voluntary work, especially in the grounds, that you check with the committee first and that you do not come and work here on your own - this is for your own safety and also so that we are aware of any work proposed to be done, as it may conflict with scheduled work by either the Heritage Office or LJ Hooker.

You may remember last year some of our garden group members went on a little excursion to 'Combewood' out near Penrith. The owner then actually contacted us wanting information on how to form a "Friends' group as she desperately needed help in maintaining her historic home. Last week we were invited to a meeting for anyone interested in forming such a group. Unfortunately, none of our committee members could attend but I am pleased to report that they have now formed a group - 'Combined Carers to Conserve Combewood Inc.' and will be sending application forms to us if anyone would like to join. The cost of membership is the same as ours and monies raised will go to maintaining 'Combewood' as a house museum. It was also pleasing to hear that Penrith Council is going to assist in some way by helping to maintain the driveway to the house and may also assist with a grant to help waterproof the roof. Once we receive the application form we will do some copies so that if anyone is interested in helping to support this group they can sign up.

On the subject of our Garden Group - we have some very good news. We were recently approached by 3 FOL members, who you all probably know as the Girl Guide ladies - Sue, Flo and Del who have had a stall at most of our Open House Days, to raise money for the Girl Guides. Well, due to a change in circumstances, these ladies are no longer raising money for the Guides but came to us with the proposition that they would like to continue having a stall at Linnwood, but instead, raise money for the Garden Group. So to these ladies, on behalf of the rest of the Friends, we offer you a very big thank you and very much appreciate your offer.

I believe Winston will be giving his report from the Garden Group later and there will be a meeting afterwards for anyone who would like to join the group and volunteer some time to work in the gardens. This group has achieved a great deal in the short time they have been going and again we thank these members for volunteering their time in not only having working bees, but also the ongoing maintenance such as weeding and watering.

Last Thursday we had a tour by the local branch of the National Seniors Association which went quite well. Thank you to those members who came on the day and helped with the tour and the morning tea. Your help is much appreciated. If anyone would like to help on these days please let us know, it helps if we can share the load a little.

We still have a vacancy or two on the committee if you would like to come on board. Please let one of us know after the meeting if you would like to join or have any questions about it.

My apologies for the long report, but hopefully it brings you up to date with everything that has been happening and what hopefully will be happening in the next few months.

John McKenna advised the meeting that we have had a very good financial year to-date. From July 2004, we have raised almost $8,700 and as we haven't spent as much so far this year compared to the last financial year, we are about $4,000 ahead. To give members an idea of some of the income and expenditure for the financial year to-date:

We intend to spend about $700 on more trestle tables and plastic outdoor furniture to improve facilities for our members and visitors during Open House days and outside functions.

Christine McKenna advised that this committee has been in recess since early December, mainly due to time constraints (and the President going back to part-time work!). There have been a lot of donations lately, however none of these will go on display until they have been properly catalogued. If anyone wishes to assist with this process and can spare a couple of hours on a Monday or Tuesday morning, please contact Christine (9632 7878) or Pam Zopf (9632 6454).

Winston Tattersall advised that there have not been any working bees so far this year, however this did not stop the Linnwood Diggers. Those indomitable ladies have been out there, on hands and knees, tugging and pulling at the almost unstoppable invasion of weeds that seem to grow so rapidly in the hot and humid days that we have endured this past summer. The Linnwood Diggers have also been maintaining their watering roster, and the few rain periods we've had have been a major blessing.

Despite the very adverse weather conditions, all the plants in the various garden beds have, in the main, thrived, due entirely to the very dedicated and tender care given them by these ladies. We have had one casualty however - the garden bed that was created in the main body of the old fountain. Towards the end of last year we had it filled with mulch and then a lot of containerised plants, creating a very decorative and pleasing result. Unfortunately we did not account for the rising temperature of the mulch once it got a bit wet - this meant that all the plants were getting roasted at both ends, and naturally they didn't like it. Pam and Roland Zopf mounted a rescue mission and transferred the plants into a much kinder environment to recuperate. Unfortunately all the plants have had to be removed from the fountain.

On the Open House day on 13 February, three former Girl Guide ladies, Sue Evans, Flo McMaster and Adela Donohoe, were using their considerable entrepreneurial skills to raise money for the Linnwood gardens. They have decided to set up their stall on Linnwood Open House days and sell their beautifully handcrafted creations, and plants, to the browsing public. They managed to raise a very tidy sum for their efforts in February.

Winston advised that the first anniversary of the Linnwood Gardening Committee is just around the corner - the first meeting was held on 4 April 2004. Should anyone be interested in joining the Gardening Committee this year, or would like to come along for the working bees, do not hesitate - We Need You. Working bee dates are Sunday 1st May, Sunday 3rd July, Sunday 25th September and Sunday 27th November, so come along any time between 9.00am-3.00pm.

Winston also gave a brief financial report - out of the $500 given to the Gardening Committee, there is a balance left of $16.55!

Stan Thomas advised the meeting that at the last Open House, he noticed people walking up the drive from the street - they didn't realise there was car parking available due to the "Private Road" sign on the front fence. Stan suggested we should probably put a sign on the fence letting everyone know they can drive their cars onto the property. The Committee will organise an appropriate sign.

John McKenna welcomed today's guest speaker, Ruth Budge, from the Australian Lace Guild. Ruth said she was glad to talk to us about her passion in life - lace making - and that the overwhelming feeling of the Lace Guild regarding their new home - Linnwood - is excitement and enthusiasm. At a recent workshop there were Guild representatives from Sydney, Orange and the South Coast, and they all hope to hold future workshops at Linnwood as it is so much easier to access than their old home at Annandale. During the workshop the whole place was "alive" with lace makers, some of them moving out onto the front verandah.

Ruth gave us a history of the rise and fall of hand lace making. At one stage it was a very big commercial industry all around the world, particularly England and Europe. There are many different types of lace making, including crochet and tatting, and there is sometimes more than one technique used in an article. The making of lace has evolved over many hundreds of years, from very simple methods to the massive, intricate work produced on the Continent in the late 1700's.

Making lace by hand is a very time consuming process. If the lace maker is creative enough, she first has to design her own pattern on graph paper. The patterns are called "pricking"- the pattern was a series of pin holes pricked on to parchment. In more recent years some have started to use a special computer programme, which has to be extremely accurate otherwise the article worked will be inaccurate.

Ruth showed members a couple of different "pillows" on which lace makers work, depending on the size and pattern of the lace they are going to work. Traditionally, pillows were made with straw - now they are filled with very high density polystyrene foam.

The threads are wound onto bobbins - the shape and size of which depend on a number of things - local custom and preference of the lace maker. Spangles on the bobbin are to give a little weight and to stop the bobbing rolling, otherwise the thread may come undone and may split and break. In bygone times, it was quite common for bobbins to be given as gifts with a personal greeting engraved on it.

There are only two stitches to be learned when making lace - just as in knitting where all patterns are made from 'plain' stitch and 'pearl' stitch, in lace making you have 'half stitch' and 'whole stitch'. Starting is the hardest part of lace making - Ruth then described the process of how to make a stitch and put everything together, but this is a little difficult to describe here on paper! Unlike knitting, lace does not unravel so it takes a long time to correct a mistake if not detected early.

In years gone by, one of the major sources of income for a poor family was lace making, often taught to children between the ages of 4 and 12. Their hair was tied up so that a strand of hair could not get worked into the lace, their neck and arms had to be bare so they could be hit if they made a mistake or misbehaved! In the long winter evenings groups of volunteers gathered together sitting around a candle, and made lace. The more experienced sat nearest the candle as they were doing more intricate work.

Smuggling lace from one country to another was very common. Lace from the Continent was more highly prized because it was more intricate, and was often smuggled in coffins coming into England until Customs put a stop to that. A popular way of smuggling lace into France was to bring a small dog to England, beat it and starve it until it was skin and bone, then wind yards and yards of lace around it, put on the pelt of a larger dog, then take the dog back to France.

A couple of events which created the death knell for hand lace making was that children were required to learn reading, writing and arithmetic - they then did not have time to produce lace so the income gained by them was lost. The French Revolution also changed the way people dressed, so the demand for lavish and fancy wide lace was no longer required.

In the last 20-30 years efforts have been made, in particularly in the UK, to ensure this ancient art of lace making by hand is not lost.

The next Public Meeting of the Friends of Linnwood will be held on Sunday 15 May at 2.00pm, and our Guest Speaker will be Peter Crittenden, whose topic will be "A Walk Around Old Government House".