Early Australian fairy tales

When map reading I note that we are close to the place a distant relative of grandson no 2 died and was  buried. The family story is that he was struck by lightning but a little research indicates he was struck by a tree limb that he was felling.   Something to beware of when researching: how time and re-telling changes fact. I also note how first aid practices have changed. A sad story. INQUEST MARRAWAH  An inquest was held at Marrawah  Friday, before Mr. H. G. Spicer, coroner,  and a jury (Mr. K. C. Laughton fore man) touching the death of Michael Wil liam Meeve, which occurred at Marra wah on the previous day.  Sergeant Donoghue, of Stanley, repre sented the district police, and made the  necessary arrangements for holding the  enquiry.  Bernard Charles Cronin, a farmer, resid ing near Marrawah, deposed to being ac quainted with the deceased, whom he had  employed to assist him in clearing on his  farm. Witness and the deceased, Meeve,  started to work in company on the morn ing

http://museumvictoria.com.au/collections/items/ 1399498/badge-wattle-day-australia-1914-1918 Every so often I quietly 'google' for new references to Olga Ernst and today, appropriately as it is 'Wattle Day', I was rewarded with two new references to Olga's fairy tales. I have been researching Olga's contribution for almost four years and I am thrilled to see some momentum building through the interest of others in her story. From the Storytelling Guild's blog  Q&A about Olga Ernst in this interview with Belinda Calderone Vonny Kemister is testing a story to tell at the Botanic Garden. Vonny’s story comes from Olga Earnst’s [sic] Fairy Tales from The Land of the Wattle (1904) A reference to my talk at Brighton Historical Society in 2012 My research would not be so rich or so accurate without the help of Ernst relatives who have sourced further information, fellow researchers, friends in the Melbourne Lutheran Trinity community and of course my c

During the same period that Ernst finished her schooling, began work as a pupil teacher and attended the Pupil Teachers School in Adelaide (1904) educational ideas in Victoria were also evolving under the direction of Frank Tate. Tate was determined that teachers should be well trained, cultured and championed the reform curriculum using the ideas of the ‘New Education’ movement which had its roots in Europe (Gregory, 1997: 14). With the aim of establishing universal literacy and minimising crime through improved social and personal life, subjects were taught using formal methods of rote learning, silent work and drills teaching. Curriculum included the basic elements of reading, writing and arithmetic and geography, grammar, history, singing and, for girls, needlework (Long,1908; 130,155,159). Frank Tate, Director of Education, argued against the old painful ‘unintelligent memory methods that weren’t true teaching’ and suggested that the new programme should aim ‘at training self reli

I have spent much of the holidays writing in the quiet of the domed LaTrobe reading room at the State Library where Snugglepot & Mr. Goanna welcome visitors. Ernst had begun to teach at a time when educational ideas were changing. Frank Tate, Director of Education (1902-1939), argued against the old painful ‘unintelligent memory methods that weren’t true teaching’ and suggested that the new programme should aim ‘at training self reliance and ability to acquire knowledge at first hand’. The revised program (1902) consisted of nature study (elemental) science, manual training (brushwork, paperwork, or school gardening), drawing (including geometry, freehand and use of compass, ruler, mid set square), singing, health and special lessons reading and explanation, composition, word building and spelling, penmanship, map-drawing, geography, parsing, analysis and derivative roots, poetry, tables, arithmetic, measuration, history and exploration lessons. There was opposition to the '

Headstone Tribute of Maria Heyne, Agnes Straubel and Theodor Ernst  One of the best (awesomest as my students would say) aspect of researching a writer from your own city/state is that  the places in which they lived, worked, visited are easily accessible. Visiting from Adelaide, Trevor, a descendant of Olga's uncle Christian Martin Ernst, invited me to join him to visit significant 'sites' in Ernst's life. I hoped to gain a 'sense' of the German Melbourne community in which she lived. Of course, my thesis is NOT a biography although I have completed enough research to write one! A writer's environment impacts on their work and so this 'physical' research gives me an opportunity to 'place' Ernst's writing in context.  483 & 485 Brunswick St A productive morning beginning with the search for the headstone in the Lutheran section of the Melbourne General Cemetery, visiting the East Melbourne Trinity Lutheran Church where Ernst

What happens when I finish? The end maybe in sight - well at least in the next year or so.  What then? Who is the audience, apart from supervisors and examiners?  Maybe...the Librarian ... with enough wine and chocolates to convince him that proof reading for spliced commas and other grammatical disasters is important.  How will I feel?  Elated, Ready for a long holiday!  Ready to rejoin the human race – the family and friends? Able to  do things I've been putting off?  Do I select elements of the thesis  to develop and rewrite for publication? Do I  select elements for conference presentation? Is there a book of Ernst's life waiting to be written? Ah well... the end will not be reached unless I begin my next chapter on Pedagogy and Place in Ernst's work.

J.Macfarlane's bunyip is a terrifying creature! It has been suggested that the jokey humour of ‘Mr. Bunyip’ set the tone for the description of bunyips in later books.  To an eager Mary Somerville who has strayed from the path in a ‘Red Riding Hood like’ ramble Mr. Bunyip is not a monster who wants to eat her but is a kind hearted chap giving her some social and historical pointers. The Murray River and Melbourne contrast with the magic of the talking beast and references to the old country (England). Mary has all the qualities needed to be the 'perfect' Colonial gal. She is a good scholar, winning school prizes, obeying her father, is trustworthy, neat, prayful and rises early. The disparity between her goodness with Mr. Bunyip’s admission of alcoholism and wife beating is thought provoking. Mr. Bunyip is forgiven by his wife for this lapse into the unacceptable practice of thrashing one’s wife as he was under the influence of the evil alcohol.   However, the fish i