FREMANTLE STUDIES DAY 2023

29 October 2023

Volume 12 of Fremantle Studies was launched this day by Cr Jenny Archibald.

Kristi McNulty, Secretary, writing in the Spring 2023 Newsletter:
Fremantle Studies Day 2023 – Sunday 29th October
The Fremantle History Society Studies Day was held on October 29th in the Local History Display Area at the Walyalup Civic Centre, Fremantle. About 40 people attended the meeting.
The day commenced at 1 pm with a welcome from the Vice President, Allen Graham, as the President Jude Robison was away.
There were just three speakers this year as unfortunately Nick Everett had to cancel his talk on 'Wobblies on the Waterfront: The Industrial Workers of the World in Fremantle during WWI due to his involvement with the Palestinian community'. It was a sad reminder how a war on the other side of the world has effects far and wide.
The first speaker was Bruce Menzies who spoke about his involvement with the Orange People in Fremantle. This started in the late 1970s and lasted until the movement imploded in 1985.
Trained as a lawyer, Bruce spoke about his own personal journey as the movement progressed and explored both the positive and negative aspects of being part of such a community. His eventual disillusionment led him to repair his relationships with family and friends and re-enter mainstream society. The talk stirred memories for many members of the audience who lived in Fremantle at the time.
Steve Grant gave the second talk of the day. Steve, who has been the editor of the Fremantle Herald for the past 16 years, detailed the evolution of the newspaper from its beginnings 35 years ago with Andrew Smith as owner/editor, to the present day. Steve paid tribute to Ron Davidson, the first ever letter-writer and thereafter one of the newspaper’s most important mentors. He talked about the challenges of editing an independent newspaper, especially with regard to controversial topics. Although he says it can be a lonely job at times, Steve is obviously passionate about the importance of maintaining the Herald as an independent, local voice which aims to reflect the diversity of community opinion. While hard copies are still important the Fremantle Herald is embracing the digital age.
The next item on the agenda was the launch of the latest FHS journal, Fremantle Studies Volume 12.
It was introduced by Cr. Jenny Archibald, who summarised the six papers which cover a wide and interesting range of topics.
Cr. Archibald also announced this year's recipient of the Ron and Dianne Davidson Research Scholarship. Caroline Ingram was the winner and she will be investigating the life of Margaret Cody who, in 1871, was the second woman to be executed in Western Australia for murder.
The meeting then broke for a very welcome afternoon tea and a chance to meet and chat with some old and new friends.
The last speaker of the day was Grant Donnes. Grant spoke about his great grandfather, Mick Donnes who was a returned serviceman after World War 1. Mick Donnes was also a member of the Australian Labour Federation. Using information gleaned from military intelligence and police records, a complex story emerged of events that took place on the wharf in Fremantle in 1919, involving gold, Japanese warships in the harbour and surplus wheat and flour exports to Germany. Grant's research is ongoing and he currently has a FOI request for more details with the Perth Mint.
The meeting was closed by Allen Graham who thanked everyone for a successful day. Special thanks went to Stewart Alger for his involvement and hard work in setting it all up, and everyone who contributed to the delicious afternoon tea.

Freotopia

This page incorporates material from Garry Gillard's Freotopia website, that he started in 2014 and the contents of which he donated to Wikimedia Australia in 2024. The content was originally created on 11 August, 2023 and hosted at freotopia.org/fhs/fs/fsday/fsday2023.html (it was last updated on 9 November, 2023). The donated data is also preserved in the Internet Archive's collection.

Fhs/fs/fsday/fsday2023.html

FREMANTLE STUDIES DAY 2023