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July 2016
The Ballaarat Mechanics’ Institute Newsletter
It’s been a big month at the BMI in June, and also for me being the second month in the job. What a diverse range of people utilise these spaces. Some of the highlights for June have been: Launch of the book “Paint Flowing Through the Veins” by Phil Roberts in the Minerva Space – a history of the Haymes family business. Dancemakers Performing Arts Academy presented their mid year showcase in Minerva. Parliament of Victoria hosted 16 schools from the region with education and debating sessions. Ballarat Loungeroom in the Humffray Room was a full house! Six great pianists, the very tasteful Rod Gear and crowd favourite Geoffrey Williams. Cabaret style next year in the Minerva maybe? Gerard Depardieu returned to the ‘Vegas’ -whoops- Minerva in Jean De Florette. Twilight Talks concluded their winter season after some excellent presentations. A highlight for me was Pam Baragwanath with an insightful look at Mechanics Institutes in Victoria. A new season commences on Friday October 14th. Congratulations Tegan and Joshua on their wedding, and Courtney on her 21st: both celebrated at the the BMI. In July we host the four day Australian Historical Association annual conference. The NAIDOC Cabaret is back in the Minerva Space on July 9th. Kadampa Meditation and UFS Yoga classes will commence in the Humffray Room. We recently launched our new Weddings website at ballaratmi.org.au/weddings as we develop the Mechanics’ Institute into a unique wedding venue.
The Ballarat Mechanics’ Institute is excited to announce an amazing program of events for the BMI Open Day on Saturday Septermber 3.
There will be something for everyone as the BMI throws open its doors for three days of events and live music including:
Within Our Walls
BMI venue report with David Dahlenburg Ph: 0419 677 713, [email protected]
Inherent Vice (USA)
Thursday July 14, 7:30pm in the Minerva Space.Take a dive into 1970s California noir with a memorable splash. Doc Sportello is tripping over himself to investigate the sinister
disappearance of his ex-girlfriend’s billionaire boyfriend with the paranoid, LA police bumbling not far behind. Source: Roadshow
Email Meg at [email protected] or telephone Carolyn on 5327 9585 for membership details.
Ballarat Film Society’s July screening:
• Highlights of the archives & heritage book collection • Poetry readings with Barry Breen •
• John Hosking taking a turn as Mark Twain •• Ballarat photography & camera exhibition •
• Screenings of mulitmedia work by Erin McCuskey • Kids creating mini Minervas •
• Cinema history including footage & memorabilia from The Vegas • Three days of
live music performance • A chance to share your memories of the BMI & hopes for the future • Put these dates in your diary for BMI’s amazing
Spring Celebrations!
NEW MEMBER OFFER! LIMITED TIME ONLY!Become a member of the BMI and receive a $25 gift voucher to A Joy Forever Antiques.
New members only. Offer ends 16/07/2016.
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MYSTERYThe Whites | HarryBrandt
The Night Stalker | Robert BryndzaPrivate Investigations | Quintin Jardine
Evil Games | Angela MarsonsPlay Dead | Angela Marsons
The Perfect Girl | Gilly MacMillanBehind A Closed Door | Mel Sherratt
Follow the Leader | Mel SherrattThe Spider in the Corner of the Room | Nikki Owen
HISTORICALThe Woolworths Girls | Elaine Everest
ROMANCEFlawed | Cecelia Ahern
The Apartment | Danielle Steel
NOVELThe Last Pearl | Leah Flemming
The Glittering Art of Falling Apart | Ilana FoxThis is Now | Ciara GeraghtyGunner Girls | Mary Gibson
Winter Garden | Kristin HannahHome Front | Kristin HannahDifferent Glass | Joanne Harris The Sunrise | Victoria Hislop
The Perplexing Theft of the Jewel in the Crown | Vaseem Khan
In Other Words | Jhupa LahiriThe Lubetkin Legacy | Marina Lewycka
The Other Side of the Season | Jenn J. McLeodThis Must Be the Place | Maggie O’FarrellA French Wedding | Hannah Tunnicliffe
Girls on Fire | Robin WassermanThe Wife’s Tale | Christine Wells
SCANDINAVIANHitman Anders and the Meaning Of It All | Jonas Jonasson
Closed Circles | Viveca Sten
AUSTRALIANSpecial | Georgia Blain
Our Tiny Useless Hearts | Toni JordanA Kiss from Mr Fitzgerald | Natasha Lester
The One Who Got Away | Caroline Overington The Honourable Assassin | Roland Perry
NON FICTIONA Sunburnt Childhood | Toni Tap Coutts
Talking to My Country | Stan GrantThe Convict’s Daughter | Kiera LindseyYassmin’s Story | Yassmin Abdel-Magied
Richard North Patterson
Richard is the author of The Spire, Eclipse and 14 other best selling and critically acclaimed novels. Formerly a trial lawyer, he was the SEC liason to the Watergate special prosecutor and has served on the boards of several Washington advocacy groups. He lives in San Francisco in Martha’s Vineyard with his wife Dr. Nancy Clair.
Yassmin’s Story Yassmin Abdel-Magied
At 21 Yassmin found herself working on a remote Australian oil and gas rig where she was the only woman and certainly the only Sudanese- Egyptian – Australian background Muslim woman. This is the story of how she got there, where she is going, and how she wants the world to change.
Authorof the month
Bookof the month
Elizabeth EmmettPeter GriffithsProfessor John McDonaldJulieanne DitchfieldGayle Hart
Rosalie ChanningSimon DennisMichael TaffeBeverley OlivetrJane Valpied
Christine CrawshawRobert KoopJanine Tuntin
New MembersWelcome on board
The absence of our President Graham Gooding, allows me
the opportunity to acknowledge and thank Graham for his tireless involvement and guidance of the Ballaarat Mechanics’ Institute during his term as President. Graham is not seeking a continuation of his role as President beyond his current term, but will remain on the Board to continue his contribution to BMI.At the end of last month, June 29, we held our Annual General Meeting in the Humffray Room at BMI. Our guest speaker was Amy Tsilemanis, who has been curating the Max Harris collection and developing a program for Open Day at the BMI on September 3. We welcomed our new President, Phil Roberts, who was also awarded a life membership of BMI by our Patron Dr Frank Hurley. Phil will introduce the new Board in a future newsletter.
At last the scaffolding has been removed from the building revealing a refreshed, dramatic new façade. These works have been possible through the support of the Hugh H. T. Williamson Foundation, Heritage Victoria and the City of Ballarat. Nicholson Construction and architect Fraser Brown have respected the heritage qualities of the building and this has provided us with a remarkable example of this era. Andrew Miller
(pictured) has managed this project for BMI using his experience and energy to ensure such a successful outcome.The second season of the Twilight Talks has only recently concluded. The talks have been well supported due to the quality of speakers that our then Secretary Phil Roberts has arranged.
Pat Foster just finished her time as a volunteer, having focussed primarily on archives and filing. Her work has been both professional and invaluable. Our diligent bookkeeper, Elizabeth Coad has also finished her time at BMI and we welcome her replacement, Sue Tuddenham. Our thanks and best wishes go with you Pat and Elizabeth.
Prof. Terry LloydActing President
News from the President
Recommended Reads
Private Investigations Quintin Jardine
Former Chief Constable Bob Skinner has uncovered a horrifying sight stowed in the back of a stolen car. Having already taken on the unusual challenge of tracing a multimillion-pound yacht, vanished from its mooring, the two events couldn’t seem less connected. Yet as the body count rises, a link surfaces that could provide the key to both.
This Must Be the Place Maggie O’Farrell
As a New Yorker living in the wilds of Ireland, Daniel has children he never sees in California, a father he loathes in Brooklyn and a wife, Claudette who is a reclusive ex-film star given to shooting at anyone who ventures up their driveway.He is also about to find out something about a woman he lost touch with twenty years ago, and this discovery will send him off-course, far away from wife and home.
The Wife’s Tale Christine Wells
An unforgettable novel that transports the reader from modern-day Australia to the windswept Isle of Wight and the courtrooms of London in the 1780s. With her marriage on the rocks, workaholic Liz Jones agrees to visit Seagrove, a stately home on the Isle of Wight, while she quietly investigates its provenance on behalf of a client.
BMI’s Andrew Millercatches up with Minerva during the facade facelift
Ballaarat Mechanics’ Institute
Established 1859
117 Sturt St Ballarat, Vic 3350
www.ballaratmi.org.auP: (03) 5331 3042e: [email protected]
Library hours:Mon - Fri: 10am - 4pmSaturday: 9:30am - 12pm
For venue hire enquiriese: [email protected]: 0419 677 713
Can anyone help us identify this unknown Ballarat building from the Max Harris collection?
Aside from the dapper and nonchalant gents standing out the front, the only strong clue we have is a sign in the window that reads ‘W.C. Smith - Colonial Land Auctioneer.’People supplying information will go into the draw to win a print from the collection to be drawn in September. Drop us a line: [email protected]
Picture This!Celebrating Ballarat photography at BMI Open Day
Max Harris CollectionMystery Spot
This month we meet Roger Burrows, BMI volunteer and photography buff, and Stu Rapley from Instagram based love letter The Ballarat Life, who will be helping to celebrate Ballarat photography old and new at the BMI Open Day on September 3.
Rodger will have items from his amazing vintage camera collection on display, and a collection of the best photos tagged #theballaratlife will be exhibited as part of In the Picture - a collaborative photography project. These will be exhibited in conjunction with the launch of the Max Harris Collection at the BMI and the Ballarat Historical Society’s Capture the Vision project.Photography has been a passion for Roger for the last 65 years, since it first piqued his curiosity the Enid Blyton books of the Famous Five and Secret Seven.
“With much scrimping and saving I bought my first camera - a Baby Brownie for 52 shillings and sixpence. A film was thrown in and I still have the camera.”Rodger is now assisting with archiving the BMI’s visual treasures, which includes library plates and old adverts from our directories.Having started collecting cameras about 20 years ago, Rodger will display a progression of cameras from 1890 to 2010 at the BMI Open Day, including glass plate types, cut film types, and early digital. “When digital started to take off and all these wonderful old cameras were
being tossed out, I decided to try and preserve what I could. So it grew into a passion for preservation of the old skills and crafts embodied in camera making.”
Out of the rise of mobile phone photography and photo sharing sites such as Instagram comes The Ballarat Life and its curator Stu Rapley, sharing great images of Ballarat everyday.Inspired by a friend of his who runs the hugely successful Perth Life Instagram tag, Stu thought it would be a great idea to run a similar one here that shared the best photos of Ballarat and its surrounds. Anyone can tag #theballaratlife and have the chance of being featured, and Stu has chosen 50 of his favourites for display at the BMI in September. “I have tried to find a balance of photos, architecture, the lakes, the countryside, daily life, the people and much more. Basically a cross section of Ballarat life as seen through the photos of our contributors.” Stu says he found it very hard to choose out of over 1000 photos that each say something unique about living in this wonderful city. “I’ve since come to realise that most of the people in Ballarat already know how beautiful this part of the world is, they were just keeping it a bit of a secret.”
We can’t wait to welcome you into the BMI this September to enjoy images of Ballarat both old and new! Do you have images of your own you would like to have archived? The Ballarat Historical Society will also be on site with their Capture the Vision project as part of this
exciting collaboration. Contact Amy at [email protected] for more info.
BALLARAT MECHANICS’ INSTITUTE OPEN DAY - SATURDAY SPETEMBER 3
Written by local historian and incoming BMI President Phil Roberts, the book ‘Paint Flowing Through the Veins’, detailing
the first 80 years of Ballarat icon Haymes Paint, is now available for purchase at the BMI library. Full of intriguing photographs and tales, copies of the book are available for $50 each at the library desk. Thanks to the generosity of the Haymes family, all the proceeds from the book are being donated to the Institute.
Roger Burrows with part of his
collection
Ballarat Station by Stu Rapley
Drippingwith HistoryProceeds from book to flow through to the BMI
