Balwyn Historical
Society Newsletter
May 2015
Meetings
Thursday 14 May 2015 – 8pm
Speaker: Dolores San Miguel
Topic – Lionel San Miguel
Dolores San Miguel, author of The Secret Love Letters: a Family History, will speak about her
family research and her uncle, the architect Lionel San Miguel. Lionel San Miguel designed
Our Lady of Good Counsel Church Deepdene and several houses in the Balwyn area.
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Thursday 11 June 2015 – 8pm
Speaker: Janis Sheldrick
Topic: George Goyder of the Goyder Line
Janis Sheldrick, author of Nature’s Line, will speak about George Goyder, Surveyor-General
of South Australia (1861-1894). Goyder was a major figure in the shaping of South Australia
and founder of Darwin.
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Thursday 9 July 2015 – 8pm
Speaker: Associate Professor Don Garden
Topic: Water, Rolling Countryside & Fresh Air: How the
Environment shaped Boroondara and Balwyn
All meetings are held at the Balwyn Evergreen Centre,
45 Talbot Avenue, Balwyn
Email: [email protected]
website: www.vicnet.net.au/~balwynhs
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Recent Speaker – Ken James
Ken James spoke most enthusiastically about
how his research into his forebears and the
history of Lyal led him in an unexpected
direction when he came across Lyal State
School rolls with five students named Ah
Gooey and another named Ah Fooke.
Extensive research into land records,
newspapers, claims and lease registers
revealed a substantial Chinese population in
the area in the 19th century. One map even
showed a Chinese settlement in the area.
Chinese miners were mainly involved in
alluvial mining and once the gold petered out
many moved to market gardening. However
Henry Ah Gooey was to become the
respected local store keeper.
While the introduction of the White Australia
Policy prevented many of the miners from
being reunited with their families, at least one
man returned to China on a number of
occasions to visit his wife and children.
Besides his book on the history of the Lyal
District, Ken has written a number of other
local histories. Among them are a history of
the West Melbourne Literary Institute and
Surrey Hills Literary Institute: A History.
These can be purchased from Ken.
Boroondara Remembers: Stories of World War 1
cleverly intertwines the personal stories of
some of Boroondara’s lesser known citizens
who signed up for the war and the nurses who
cared for those wounded with the events
happening on the home front. It covers the
way in which the many local community
groups raised funds to help the war effort as
well as providing an insight into the
conscription debate, the care of returned
soldiers in Boroondara and the area’s post
war years.
The authors write in an engaging and highly
personal style and their research has
uncovered a wonderful collection of
photographs, many from the families of those
mentioned in the book, others from library
collections and the Red Cross Archives.
This book, by Fiona Poulton and Katherine
Sheedy, was recently published as part of
Boroondara’s Gallipoli and Beyond 2015
commemorations.
It is “the story of how the people of
Boroondara experienced the war”. It very
As the Mayor, Coral Ross, says in her
introduction: “There will be many histories
written for the centenary of Gallipoli. But
this is a deeply personal local history and we
are the richer for knowing about the lives of
just some of Boroondara’s Anzacs.”
Copies of the book will be available at our
May meeting. Cost $15.00
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Smythe, Robert Sparrow (1833–1917)
This article by M Shillingsburg was first published in the Australian Dictionary of
Biography, Volume 12, (MUP), 1990.
Robert Sparrow Smythe
Photo http://dictionaryofsydney.org
Robert Sparrow Smythe (1833-1917),
journalist and entrepreneur, was born in
March 1833 at Lambeth, London, son of
Robert Smythe and his wife Elizabeth. He
served in London as a proofreader for
Robson, Levey & Robson, printers, and
probably studied law reporting, for he was
competent in shorthand. Migrating to
Australia in 1855 in search of better health,
Smythe became parliamentary reporter on the
Register in Adelaide and later editor of
the Illustrated Post (Illustrated Australian
News), one of the first pictorial papers in
Australia. Moving to Melbourne, he wrote for
the Age and in 1859-80 part-owned and
edited the Chronicle (St Kilda). After
working as a music and drama critic for
newspapers in New South Wales and South
Australia, he lived for many years at
Deepdene, Melbourne.
In 1862 Smythe turned to theatrical
management, accompanying the tenor and
soprano duo, the Bianchis. Then followed a
five-year tour with French violinists Poussard
and Douay in whose musical company he met
English-born Amelia Elizabeth Bailey, a
popular coloratura soprano, whom he
eventually married in Melbourne on 18
October 1881. He also managed the French
pianist Boulanger, the magician Robert
Heller, the German tragedian Daniel
Bandmann and others. During Smythe's 1863
tour of Asia, India and South Africa he
claimed to be the first manager to conduct a
company into Japan after the 1854 port treaty,
and to take professionals to the Himalayas
and the Transvaal.
His first Australian 'discovery' was the
popular lecturer Rev. Charles Clark. Smythe
piloted him around Australia annually for
four years, and eventually on tours of North
America and South Africa. After this success,
Smythe began about 1872 to specialize in
lecture management, taking Australians to
Europe and America, and bringing scientists,
explorers and literary personalities from there
to Australasia. He accompanied English
astronomer R. A. Proctor, war correspondent
Archibald Forbes, journalist G. Augustus
Sala, authors Annie Besant and Professor M.
D. Conway, preacher Dr Talmadge and
explorer Henry Stanley.
During the 1890s Smythe acted as agent for
the French writer Paul Blouet ('Max O'Rell'),
baritone Charles Santley, and Sir Charles and
Lady Hallé, and was widely respected as one
of the best managers in Australasia. In
September 1895 he announced tour
management as his full-time occupation. His
most triumphant 'lion' was Mark Twain who,
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as a bankrupt in 1895, accepted Smythe's
longstanding invitation to tour the world.
Smythe's varied experiences, geniality and
excellence as a raconteur made him a popular
companion. His short, stocky stature and
bushy moustache provided the stuff of
caricature for the press. Active in
management until 1913, he died at Deepdene
on 23 May 1917 and was buried with
Anglican rites in Box Hill cemetery. His
estate was sworn for probate at £14,956. His
wife, two daughters and a son survived him.
The son Carlyle Greenwood Smythe (18651925), journalist and manager, was born on
16 September 1865 at Ambala, India, while
his parents were in the Punjab. He grew up in
Melbourne where he was educated at
Hawthorn Grammar School and Trinity
College, University of Melbourne (B.A.,
1888). During a brief journalistic career, he
was for three years editor of the Belgian
Times in Brussels and author of a history of
Belgium. From the Twain tour of 1895 he
became Robert's partner in lecture
management. When his father retired, Carlyle
conducted Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Mrs
Besant, Max O'Rell and Captain Amundsen,
and wrote several magazine pieces about his
experiences. On 11 November 1903 he
married Elsa Dorette Bode at St Barnabas
Anglican Church, Balwyn. After suffering
serious burns to his hands, he went to live at
Deepdene; he became a music and drama
critic as well as a writer on international
policy for the Argus and other papers.
Survived by his wife, he died on 15
December 1925 at Nice, France, where he
had undergone surgery. His estate was sworn
for probate at £19,825.
Select Bibliography
Punch (Melbourne), 24 July 1913
Age (Melbourne), 24 May 1917, 18 Dec 1925
Argus (Melbourne), 24, 26 May 1917, 18 Dec
1925
Referee (Sydney), 30 May 1917
Australasian, 26 Dec 1925.
Citation details
M. Shillingsburg, 'Smythe, Robert Sparrow (1833–
1917)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National
Centre of Biography, Australian National University,
http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/smythe-robertsparrow-8568/text14955, published first in hardcopy
1990, accessed online 26 January 2015.
Highgate (on the Hill) – Burke Road, Deepdene
Built for Robert Smythe c. 1885
Photo: Courtesy Gwen McWilliam
Balwyn Historical Society - Contact details
Balwyn Historical Society is a program of the Balwyn Evergreen Centre.
President
Secretary
Treasurer/
Membership
Speakers/
Publicity
Archivist
Newsletter
Bill Pritchard
9857 8001
Pat O’Dwyer
9836-3652
Barbara Russell
Judith Cleary
Robin Kelly
9836 6589
Phone – 9836 9681
Webmaster
Neil Swansson
Non-Committee Assistants
Newsletter mailout Lynette Woolley, DeidreWoolley
Resources
Heather Alford
Pam Herrington
Pat O’Dwyer
9836-3652
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