Hostel life in Canberra post WWII ?

In response to Capt RAAF wanting to know who the child was who was murdered. I was there that night with my friend who was murdered. I was 11. To my knowledge the place was called the Gowrie then and then Fenner Hall. We also came from Melbourne. If you want to know more you could find information in old newspapers as it was in the news. Sorry I don’t really want to pass on information as I don’t think it would be appropriate on this forum, but you’ll find what you are looking for in the State library.

Beserk Keyboard Warrior said :

NoAddedMSG said :

old canberran said :

There was another similar hostel in Ainslie somewhere opposite the Ainslie Rex Hotel.

Do you mean the place that is now Fenner Hall? It used to be called Gowrie I think (although I could have the name wrong) and prior to its life as a student hall it used to be a hostel of some description.

Yep Gowrie Hostel was it’s name prior to Fenner Hall. It has a tragic past. On October 4, 1977 a 9-year old girl on a school excursion from Melbourne was molested & thrown off the 6th floor of the South “tower” by a young pedofile cadet from Duntroon. She survived the fall, but the cadet made his way down and finished her off with a knife. A fellow pupil had raised the alarm bell earlier in the night when the same bloke tried it on her but was sent back to bed by her disbelieving teacher.

Sorry to drag this up, but if anyone could provide me the name of the little girl murdered there in 1977 and where in Melbourne (what school) she was from it would be appreciated. I was there, up from Melbourne on a school excursion in 1977 also 9 years old and stayed in the same building. I believe the murder took place a couple of days after we left and that the murderer was seen around the place while we were there.

As per Ann, Alan Foskett has written extensively on the hostels including the role of the Jennings Germans. The NLA has the Canberra Times online archive which is quite useful as well.

Of course there is one remnant of the former hostels still standing, McGregor Hall. The ANU claims it has no heritage value and intends to demolish it.

Funkylovebunny, out of curiosity, which university are you with?

During the years when I used the Australian Archives out at Mitchell (now moved to Parkes) a lot of the local files were returned to the ACT Government – I had a look at quite a number to do with hostels when the files were stored in the ex Royal Canberra Hospital – now gone and I don’t know where the files ended up. I found the old department of housing and construction (what it is called today I have no idea) had quite a few excellent files and maps. These along with gems that one finds from time to time such as CANBERRA UP-TO-DATE second edition for $1.00 (the first I also have somewhere which is in shillings and pence) and for the earlier period – Canberra Community News (1925-1927) written by the locals and The Angelus (RC magazine) plus The Federal Capital Pioneer (our first newspaper and magazine) just a wealth of local information.

For the researcher there is another twist to study in that many of the names were changed. Gorman House as mentioned earlier was the first Hotel Ainslie – The area we know as Fyshwick today was Molonglo and the area of Pialligo was Fyshwick – Wentworth Avenue was Interlake Avenue and this dual carriage way, like that of Commonwealth Avenue was concrete. Wentworth Avenue hasn’t as much extra material on it as Commonwealth, that is why when driving one hears the clunk….clunk….clunk etc – old exapansion joints. Brodie’s garage which was on the end of Wentworth Avenue (just pulled down) – built in 1926 with a lantern on top to light the way from Queanbeyan to Canberra, was also known as the 8 mile (from Qbn PO) – Molonglo was the four mile and Riverbourne 3 mile – and bike races were held in the thirties with good prizes.

The Advisory Council Meetings reported in the Canberra Times are also a good source of information. And many people do not know that Lewis Windamere Nott was our first MP in the House of Representatives – from memory 1949 – and he lost his seat to Jim Fraser. Nott is buried in the lawn cemetery with just a small brass plate with his name, death date and age. Yet this man was in the Advisory Council and other important positions in early Canberra –

I’ve put his obituary in Early Canberra web (see hidden canberra – click on the web info) – in the people section. Bert Sheedy’s (deceased) collection of books are in the Queanbeyan Library and he was one of the people that one always called on to answer questions – another spot to have a good read.

Ann

One last point – the Prince of Wales laid the stone that marked the centre of the city on Capital Hill 21 June 1920. The stone had a surveyer’s ‘stick’ (sorry don’t know the proper name) in the centre and from a recent article I read there was a small dot somewhere to mark this centre. The stone had photographs placed under it and a few years later the whole lot was removed and articles in the papers suggest that it was ‘lost’. Obviously refound. However another comment that I read mentioned that the orginal site was the area that was used as a quarry in the 1920s and the stone had been removed for safe keeping. The stone was near the one Kurrajong tree on the hill that gave the earlier name to the hill – Kurrajong. Nearby was another old gum which I always called ‘fireplace’ trees – there are still some in the vicinity of Stirling Park. HM Rolland took a photograph of his family and visitors to the site that shows the stone and surrounds clearly.

Another bit of trivia – one of the early strike meetings was held in the quarry on Capital Hill in 1925. The first strike was in 1922 – again another story. Ann

Couple of points – the Hostel opposite the Ainslie Rex which was the former Hotel Ainslie – now Olems – was – still there I think – Ainslie Hostel – for married couples.

Some may be interested in some of our early buildings that still survive – The Ainslie Hall in Corroboree Crescent Ainslie began its ‘life’ as the Masonic Hall at Acton built by Contractor John Howie’s men who also built the Hotel Canberra – Can’t recall the exact year, but around 1925 – It was moved to Russell Hill Settlement (near the Campbell Shops) in 1926 where with a few modifications it became the Russell Hill School. This school closed in 1929 and the building was then moved to its present site. Many of Howie’s timber buildings have the timber on the exteriors placed vertically. Another survivor is a building from the Engineers’ Mess which was opposite the Power House and obviously – for the engineers – this building was moved to a site down near the Railway Station around 1926 where it served as a Friendly Society Hall – in the 70s (I think) it moved to its present site in Hovea St (O’Connor? – can’t think of the suburb)where it now a Scouts Hall.

Also, in Stirling Park are a few reminders of pre and early Canberra History – On Stirling Ridge on the end near the Canberra Mosque – marked by three bright yellow posts is a survey marker marked on the early maps as GAP – another is on Attunga Point marked QUARRY. There are others on the ridge and throughout the park but the two mentioned I think were placed there in 1909 when the original survey work for the 36 square miles was carried out. The surveyors camp was in Surveyors’ Gully where Scrivener’s Plan Room (concrete) is – on Capital Hill.

The site of this camp which continued in use for a number of years was near a major track that comes up from the Uriarra Road that continued on to cross the river etc. Joining this major pathway was another track that came from the Quarry and curved across the hill opposite Lotus Bay (now Block 3, Section 128 Stirling Park, Yarralumla.) The Quarry supplied stone for St John the Baptist Tower – mid 1860s – the other source was Black Mountain quarry. The old track still exists on the hill opposite Lotus Bay and this is the area of Howie’s cottages – on the upper side of the old road a number of the house sites are still clearly seen – along with concrete slabs and on an old track that goes up the hill there is another survey mark without the surrounding concrete posts.

As one walks along this old road from the side of the creek opposite the Southern Cross Yacht Club (site of Briar Farm) one also crosses the old quagmire area – still wet – would be fed from a spring. On the other side of the quagmire on the upper side of the hill is the area where the Tradesmen’s Camp ablution buildings were erected. The trenches used as part of the removal of water are still in situ.

I finally worked out the Camp Hill and Capital Hill ‘problem of understanding’ – the 1913 naming etc was on Camp Hill not Capital Hill – but the two hills – or rather the sections of both enclosed by State Circle became Capital Hill – the big cutting on the lake side of the circle cuts through the former Camp Hill – and I believe the earth removed filled in part of the gully in the area that is now Block 2, Section 128 Stirling Park.

Incidentally a small section of the old Uriarra Road survives near the Brickyards in Yarralumla – that’s another story. Ann

While I have never met this Ann Gulger, I salute her input to RiotACT and the subject of Canberra history.

Purely out of interest, and in order to prevent a Canberran variety of Dog and Forest history, what are other potentially interesting subjects that get suprisingly little coverage?

Is there some kind of CanberraHistory wiki\lookup service for who is studying what to prevent unnecessary overlap or otherwise encourage productive collaboration?

PS: Here’s a resonable historic local newspaper archive, of the Canberra Times from 1926 – 1954, part of the NLA’s Newspaper Digitisation Project. I look forward to the 1954 – Today set, to chart the variable fortunes of the paper, while still catching having a reference for historical media coverage.

Here are a few places to look for information related to the Hostels:

1) ArchivesACT can provide access to ACT Government files older than 20 years. As the hostels were government operated they should have some information on them.
http://www.archives.act.gov.au/

2) The National Archives of Australia has a lot of information on Canberra Hostels.
http://www.naa.gov.au/

2) The ACT Heritage Library has a large collection of local history material. In particular they have copies of books by Ann Gugler and Alan Foskett who have both written histories of the various hostels.
http://www.library.act.gov.au/find/history

Alan Foskett has written several books on the Hostels and is at present updating that information. Alan lives in Campbell and I am sure he would like to hear from people who are interested in the hostels. Alan prepared the first 1958 NCDC report with great maps – unfortunately I loaned mine or put it somewhere very safe – it will surface eventually – but this one plus others that I have are great source of information. In (from memory) the 1967 roll – I have put a copy of the accommodation available and costs.

I have also written about the hostels with emphasis on the early ones. Incidentally Gorman House was built in 1925 for the single lady typistes (with ‘e’ – femine form typist – male) and was named Hotel Ainslie. When the Hotel Ainslie was opened in 1927 it was named Hotel Ainslie and the first one became Gorman House – named after the 2nd Commissioner Gorman who died that year. There were some married people at Gorman House, but mainly for the single women. The young men – white collar workers – lived at the Bachelors Quarters (opened October 1912) – later named Acton Guest House and now Lennox House – part of the ANU.

I have put on my web page http://hiddencanberra.webs.com/ a number of the electoral rolls – 1928, 1935, 1943, 1949, 1955, 1967 (and still have to add 1959) – 1916 is in another file – the rolls are organised according to suburbs, hostels etc – alphabetically – I also have a second web page early canberra – collections of articles etc from the 1909 to 1930s which can be of use to people searching because they tell what was here at those time. To go to the second web click on the web title –

I remember when the Narrabundah pre-fabs went up – known as Rainbow Valley because of the colours – and recall that the next thing to happen, as well as a hall being provided – was that trees were planted to hide them.

I particularly remember Capital Hill Hostels and the earlier Capitol Hill Camp. I, like many Westlake children, rode my bike to Telopea Park School and the track went across Capital Hill passed the hostels. My hubsand Florian, lived at Capital Hill Hostel.

I do remember well the arrival of the New Australians after the war. They brought with them a wealth of new cultures including food and many languages were heard. The men who lived in the single men’s construction workers’ hostels that included the Capital and Hillside Hostels (on Capital Hill), Riverside, Turner, Fairbairn, Brickyards, Eastlake (near Causeway) and the surviving ones from the pre-war years, Causeway and Capitol Hill Camp were in many ways isolated in the sense that they were not really able to invite women to visit – and before I forget – a number of cubicles were provided at Capitol Hill Camp for married couples – New Australians.

The segregation of single men in these hostels was reinforced when I read the documents in Archives re the decision of where to place Hillside Hostel – one of the possible sites was closer to Westlake cottages, but this was turned down in favour of the site on Capital Hill because it would have been too close to women and children.

I’ve updated some information in A Story of Capital Hill – available in libraries.

Ann Gugler

NoAddedMSG said :

old canberran said :

There was another similar hostel in Ainslie somewhere opposite the Ainslie Rex Hotel.

Do you mean the place that is now Fenner Hall? It used to be called Gowrie I think (although I could have the name wrong) and prior to its life as a student hall it used to be a hostel of some description.

Yep Gowrie Hostel was it’s name prior to Fenner Hall. It has a tragic past. On October 4, 1977 a 9-year old girl on a school excursion from Melbourne was molested & thrown off the 6th floor of the South “tower” by a young pedofile cadet from Duntroon. She survived the fall, but the cadet made his way down and finished her off with a knife. A fellow pupil had raised the alarm bell earlier in the night when the same bloke tried it on her but was sent back to bed by her disbelieving teacher.