Subiaco Stories...School Girl Fundraisers (1954).

Subiaco Stories...School Girl Fundraisers (1954).

The article is from Trove, the database of the National Library of Australia. No copyright infringement. 

Daily News, 25 November 1954.

Their Hour

TWO 12-year-old girls stood shyly on the assembly hall platform at Subiaco State School today as about 470 of their schoolfriends watched. 

For Leonie Dyson and Judith Hall, it was a moment of triumph — the climax of many days of organising and planning a school concert which raised £9/10/ for the St. John Ambulance. 

Leonie and Judith, co-producers of the concert, filled the role of honour  today when St. John Association president Dr. B. C. Cohen presented a certificate of merit to the school.

The idea of the concert was born when two schoolfriends of Leonie and Judith were taken to hospital by St. John ambulance early this year. Leonie and Judith decided to learn something about the association. 

When they found it was a voluntary affair, they felt they wanted to do something to help. For weeks they worked on auditions from every class in the school. The concert was held last week.

SCHOOLGIRLS Leonie Dyson (left) and Judith Hall put up their school's award today.

Subiaco Stories...Doreen Place, Union Secretary (1943).

Subiaco Stories...Doreen Place, Union Secretary (1943).

The article and photograph is from Trove, the database at the National Library of Australia. No copyright infringement intended. 

Daily News, 20 November 1943.

Woman Becomes Union Secretary

Miss Doreen Place, of Sadlier Street, Subiaco, has been appointed secretary of the Cleaners and Caretakers' Union.

She is one of the few women to hold office as union secretary. She succeeds Mr R. A. Hartley, who has been appointed secretary of the Metropolitan Council, Australian Labour Party. Miss Place has been assistant secretary of the union for about three and a half years. Apart from her secretarial duties, she has been associated with musical activities and is an operatic soprano.

Subiaco Stories...A Brick Builder (1950).

Subiaco Stories...A Brick Builder (1950).

The article is from Trove, the database of the National Library of Australia. No copyright infringement intended. 

Daily News, 5 June 1950.

She Knocks Off To Make Bricks.

With some help from her mother and other relatives, a young Subiaco woman in her spare time has, since March 4, made nearly 10,000 cement bricks for her future home.

Miss M. Villiers, of Nicholson-rd., Subiaco (pictured above on the job) has a full-time office job, has made the bricks in the evenings after work and at weekends. She said that she would need about 28,000 bricks for the house.

An ex-WAAF, Miss Villiers said that she and her mother and expected to have the rest made in about three months, had been living in rooms for about eight years and had 'had it.' Her sister and brother-in-law, both ex-service people, were also living in one room with their young child and were expecting another. 

A cousin was arriving from England as a migrant in August. 'After trying in vain for three years to buy a house, mother and I decided to try to build one for the seven of us,' said Miss Villiers. 'We got a self-help permit and began making the bricks.' They could now buy bricks but as she had made so many she decided to make the rest herself. 

She averaged 1000 bricks a week, once turned out 100 in an hour, exclusive of time taken for mixing. 'Shovelling sand for mixing is the hardest part of it,' Miss Villiers said. The weather was also an important factor, and she had to take advantage, of every fine day. On Saturday Miss Villiers started making bricks at 7 a.m., stopped at 8 a.m. for breakfast, then went on with the job.

Subiaco Stories...Janina Cunovas, Ballet Dancer (1954).

Subiaco Stories...Janina Cunovas, Ballet Dancer (1954).

The article and photograph are from Trove, the database of the National Library of Australia. No copyright infringement intended. 

Daily News, 8 June 1954.

Ballet life

AUSTRALIA has meant a new life for ballet dancer ; Mrs. Janina Cunovas, of Subiaco. With her ballet dancer husband Boris and daughter Inga, she came here five years ago - speaking little English. 

For Mrs. Cunovas, who had been a professional ballet dancer all her adult life, it meant cooking, shopping and housework for the first time. "I knew nothing about such things and even had difficulty buying my own groceries," she told me. 

But she has overcome those difficulties now. She manages to run her home efficiently, teach ballet and dance in city and country towns. One of her pupils is daughter Inga, now 16. The Cunovas lived in Lithuania until the communists started to move in there. The family then moved to Vienna, where Mrs. Cunovas danced in the Opera House. In a refugee camp in Germany after the war, she I was permitted to join a ballet company to dance for the American troops, "These were hard times," she said. "We were moving from place to place, there were no hotels, and we had no new I material to make costumes. 

At times we stayed up ; all night converging old costumes." Ballet runs in the family — Mrs. Cunovas' sister is! also a professional dancer. 

Subiaco Stories...A Lady And Her Pet (1937).

Subiaco Stories...A Lady And Her Pet (1937).

I love ordinary stories about the women of Subiaco. 

The article and photograph is from Trove, the database at the National Library of Australia. No copyright infringement intended.






Sunday Times, 5 December 1937.

WHERE'S TEDDY ?

Subiaco Lady Misses Pet Dog

Has any "Sunday Times" reader seen Teddy?

A light wolf sable Pomeranian with almost the intelligence and behavior of a child, and just as loveable as a kiddy, he is a treasured pet, whose loss has brought sadness into the Subiaco home from which he mysteriously disappeared on October 24.

"Whatever you do look after Teddy." They were practically the last words of the late Mr. Beckwith to his wife,

WHERE IS HE ?

Teddy. His vanishing from his Subiaco home has left Mrs. F. E. Beckwith, of 183 Thomas street, greatly grieved at losing him before he died nearly seven years ago.

Teddy was then five years old, and Mrs. Beckwith, who resides at 183 Thomas-street, Subiaco, became so attached to the "pom"' that he became part and parcel of her life.

There have been times when she has been on the point of tears, grieving over the loss of him, and up and down many a street, as well as a number of lanes, she has trudged, with eyes skimming everywhere for a sight of Teddy. Twice she

HAS ADVERTISED FOR HIM

in the Press, and last Tuesday she had an announcement concerning him put over the air. Cared for like a human being by Mrs. Beckwith, the dog hung about her like a shadow. It was typical of his shrewd doggy sense that he had a liking for one particular tit-bit in the form of chocolate, and would eat no other. Like a, kiddy, he would wait for his evening romp before he was put to, bed. And faithful eyes mirrored his deep canine love.

Teddy has biscuit-colored legs and bead, grey chest and cream tail, and a rather dark grey back. News of his whereabouts will bring a great deal of happiness into the life of the Subiaco lady who treasures him so highly.

Subiaco Stories....Florence Couper, Overseas Volunteer Aid (1950).

Subiaco Stories....Florence Couper, Overseas Volunteer Aid (1950).

The article is from Trove, the database of the National Library of Australia. No copyright infringement intended. 

Western Mail, 19 October 1950.

Guiding in Germany

CARING for the welfare of displaced persons in the British zone of Germany was the work of Miss Florence Couper, of Subiaco, who is a member of the Guide International Service, an organisation of voluntary workers for the Girl Guide Association. She returned to Australia last week after an absence of three years.

One has only to speak with her for a few minutes to see how enthusiastic she is about guiding and her work of helping to solve the numerous problems of those unfortunate Europeans with no country of their own. Many of them hoped to migrate, but there were difficulties such as having to leave older relatives behind because the age limit for migrants is generally around 45 years.

Then there were large numbers of suspects and sufferers of tuberculosis whose position was hopeless because they could not be accepted for migration and who would probably have to spend the rest of their lives in a camp or hospital in Europe. In Miss Couper's opinion the only solution was to allow at least some of them to migrate. Sweden had taken the lead in this, she said, by accepting 150 of them.

Working with a team of seven other guides of whom five were English, one Canadian, and one other Australian, Miss Couper made regular visits to camps and hospitals, mental homes, and homes for children and the aged. They distributed stores sent to them by the guides and other organisations, and Miss Couper also taught English in the camps. At the camp schools the standard was surprisingly high considering how difficult it was to obtain books.

Altogether there were about 30 members of the service working in Germany, and another West Australian mentioned by Miss Couper was Miss Desma Cohen, who is now in England. In Germany there has been a change, the welfare of displaced persons being placed largely in the hands of the Germans, and only 13 guides have remained there.

Miss Couper represented Australia at the World Guide Conference at Oxford recently, and was only in Perth for one day last week before she left for Melbourne to attend the conference of the Federal Guide International Service, and the Federal Girl Guide Conference. However, she is looking forward to returning home after a week in the Eastern States.

Subiaco Stories...Kiddies, Rats And An Infectious Disease Hospital (1938).

Subiaco Stories...Kiddies, Rats And An Infectious Disease Hospital (1938).

This is an interesting story and photograph of children hunting rats at the local rubbish dump at West Subiaco as a result of a plague. The thought of children playing at a local rubbish dump and killing rats would be horrific today.   

The article and photograph are from Trove, the database of the National Library of Australia. No copyright infringement intended. 

Mirror, 27 August 1938.

Rat-Infested Dump Is Subiaco' s Danger Spot

TWO KIDDIES with rats they killed at the huge dump at West Subiaco this morning. Many kiddies wage relentless war on the rodents, but officialdom doesn't seem to bother about the rat menace. (See story and other picture).





Mirror, 27 August 1938.

MILLIONS OF RATS MENACE A HOSPITAL

Hungry Horde Moves Toward Infectious Diseases Institution

Millions of rats are swarming within half a mile of the new Infectious Diseases Hospital. Screeching, scampering, eating, fighting among themselves on a huge rubbish tip, they have grown so cheeky that they no longer take notice of visitors. Enormous, filthy looking things, they live on the pestiferous and decaying refuse that smells high to heaven, and scamper about the flat top of the dump in hordes.

A fortnight ago the authorities eeased dumping rubbish on this tip, but made no attempt to cover it. And the rats, having almost eaten themselves out, are now making for the nearest place — the Infectious Diseases Hospital. From there it is a stone-throw to Subiaco, which, unless the whole thing is cleared up, is threatened with a plague of the rodents. Decaying bags, vegetable refuse, rotting paper — a huge paddock of it — forms the diet of the rats. 

The stench from it is almost unbearable. At times the whole dump looks like a moving mass. Irony of it is that a huge cat has made a home there with her two half-grown kittens. But, so full of the creatures ie she, that she sits sunning herself while they scamper harmlessly around her. What will happen if a few thousand of them, disease-laden as they must be, cover the few hundred yards to the hospital, ie best left to the imagination. 

'THE MIRROR" VISITED THE SPOT THIS MORNING AND WHAT WE SAW WAS ENOUGH TO TURN ANY STOMACH. 

Tragedy of it is that this pestiferous dump is the playground of barefooted children. With, sticks in their hands, they roam over the huge heap digging out the rats from the millions of fruit, milk and jam tins that cover the dump and make wonderful hide-outs for the creatures. Then, as the rale run into the open, they swing their slice. laying the things flat around them. The slightest cut on the kiddies' feet would almost inevitably result in tetanus. 

A Disgusting Sight Twenty yards away is an experimental sanitary digester that was erected 18 months ago to supplement the filter beds some distance away. This was later abandoned. But it still remains e disgusting, horrible uncovered vat, with microbe life swarming over it. 'The Mirror' has no hesitation in saying that the open digester and rat-infested rubbish heap are posi five menaces to the public health, and invites the Minister for Health (Mr. Alec Panton) to visit the spot and form his own conclusions. For the sake of the patients in the infectious Diseases Hospital, and the health of Subiaco and districts, to which, the filthy rodents will undoubtedly go in the search for food, 'The Mirror' demands that immediate steps be taken to eradicate this plague spot.

A FEW OF THE RATS WHICH INFEST THE TIP AT WEST SUBIACO PUTE POSESSION OF A TASTY MORSEL.

Subiaco Stories...Jean Downe And Her Pets (1936).

Subiaco Stories...Jean Downe And Her Pets (1936).

This is one of a number of stories about ordinary women and young girls from Subiaco. 

Jean Downe was the 15-year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. H. L. Downe, the Mayor and Mayoress of Subiaco. During the week Jean boarded at a local private school and came home on the weekend. This story is about the pets Jean kept that included domestic animals such as a dog, cats, canaries, finches and goldfish.

"A dish of water is placed on the lawn every day, and kept constantly full, and the birds take their daily bath of their own accord. They have a great time splashing about in the water. In the summertime, however, Gully prefers a shower-bath under the sprinkler. The kookaburras are locked up at night in a cage at the back of the lawn, and about bedtime they will trot off to this cage and wait patiently to be fed and put to bed."   

The article and photograph is from Trove, the database of the National Library of Australia. No copyright infringement intended. 

Daily News, 2 July 1936.

Subiaco Girl's Miniature Zoo: Quaint Pets And Their Habits

Three kookaburras, a sea gull, two Persian cats, a pomeranian dog, about 40 canaries and finches, and two goldfish are the pets of Miss Jean Downe, the 15-year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. H. L. Downe, Mayor and Mayoress of Subiaco. She had two white mice, but they died!

Each pet has a name. The dog, Timmy, is 11 years old, and by reason of his superior age, is the spoilt member of the family. About a year ago he unfortunately found himself outside the gate, and at the mercy of a dog at whom he was very fond of barking, when be hind the shelter of the fence. 

Timmy came off worst in the encounter, but he learned his lesson. He is quite content to stay inside these days. The cats, Bill and Spitty, are beautiful animals. Spitty is a real aristocrat, in spite of his name, and never runs when he is called. He also begs for his food like a dog, and will sit up in the kitchen for a quarter of an hour, patiently waiting for any tit-bits. 

The other cat, Bill, prefers to stretch out in front of the fire, and allow Spitty to clean him thoroughly. Jealous Seagull Gully, the seagull, is very jealous. Any interlopers have a hard time with Gully around. He is also very wily, as he will wait underneath the rail where the kookaburras ; perch when being fed, to pounce on any stray bits which may fall. The three kookaburras — Jack, Jill and Bobby— attract many of their wild friends, who perch on the neighboring wireless masts and chimney pots. 

There is no excuse for late rising in the Downe household, as the kookaburras start laughing in the very early morning. Jack is distinctive because he has a crooked beak. He insists on treating each piece of meat as a worm, and banging it on the rail to 'kill' it. This has probably made his beak the shape it is. This little habit has cost Jack many a morsel, as while he is busy banging it, one of his mates will frequently reach over and take it from him. The kookaburras are also very fond| of celery and stumps of cauliflower. 

Birds' Daily Bath'

A dish of water is placed on the lawn every day, and kept constantly full, and the birds take their daily bath of their own accord. They have a great time splashing about in the water. In the summertime, however, Gully prefers a shower-bath under the sprinkler. The kookaburras are locked up at night in a cage at the back of the lawn, and about bedtime they will trot off to this cage and wait patiently to be fed and put to bed. 

Miss Downe is a boarder at St. Hilda's College during the week, and comes home for the week-end. Her first thought on reaching home is to dash outside to see how her pets have been getting on in her absence. 'We have kookaburras at the school which start laughing in the early morning, and one or two cats, so this makes it more like home,' she explained.

Subiaco Stories...Missing Subiaco Schoolgirls (1948).

Subiaco Stories...Missing Subiaco Schoolgirls (1948).

In 1948 three schoolgirls went missing from Subiaco (Beryl Nicholls, Ida Ward and Yvonne Harvey). 

Despite an extensive search of Trove there were no articles available about what happened to the schoolgirls. After revisiting the story I was able to find an article to state the school girls left home as a prank. 

The article and photograph is from Trove, the database of the National Library of Australia. No copyright infringement intended.

Daily News, 16 July 1948.

Three Subiaco schoolgirls have been missing from their homes since yesterday evening. One took a case with her when she left home but none, as far as their parents know, had any money. Their parents have no idea where the girls could have gone. The girls are close friends, apparently met at a rendezvous in Subiaco about 6.45 p.m. yesterday. 

Missing are 13-year-old Beryl Nicholls, of Denis st, 13-year-old Ida Ward, of Hay-st. West, and 12 year-old Yvonne Harvey, of Forrest-st. Descriptions are: Beryl Nicholls— about 4ft. 9in., well built, dark hair, wearing dark blue printed frock, nigger brown coat, black shoes and white socks. Ida Ward — small build, light brown hair, wearing bottlegreen frock, grey coat, black shoes and white socks. Yvonne Harvey — auburn hair, probably wearing pink frock.

TWO of the three missing girls — Ida Ward (left) and Beryl Nicholls.

West Australian,17 July 1948.

MISSING GIRLS "PRANK" Three schoolgirls who were reported missing from their homes in Subiaco on Thursday night were found on the Central railway station yesterday afternoon. It was stated that they had left home for a prank.

Subiaco Stories...Noel White (Oxford Scholarship) (1954).

Subiaco Stories...Noel White (Oxford Scholarship) (1954).

The article is from Trove, the database of the National Library of Australia. No copyright infringement intended. 

West Australian, 22 December 1954.

A Young Physicist Wins Studentship For Oxford 

A young physicist who was told that she was the first woman to gain first-class honours in physics at the University of Western Australia, was among the five students granted a Hackett studentship by the Senate on Monday.

She is Miss Noel White, the daughter of Mrs. I. C. White, of Subiaco, and for the last two years she has been doing research work with Professor C. J. B. Clews in X-ray crystallography. 

Miss White will leave towards the end of next year to study for two years at Oxford University. Before she leaves she hopes to complete a doctor's degree. Her branch of science was introduced to the university by Professor Clews only two years ago, she said, and be hoped to develop it here. Last year she received a grant from the Medical Research Council to undertake her research into the molecular structure of organic chemicals. 

The purpose behind the research, she said, was to understand more of the function and composition of substances which, for example, appear naturally in the human body. Many of the chemicals were used in medicine and once the structure was known much of the practical use was left to the chemists..

Miss Noel White.

Recently in America, said Miss White, considerable experiment had been made into the composition of penicillin, and now that its structure was known its uses could be extended. Haemoglobin, the component of blood which caused clotting, had also been given study recently, so far without success. 

The woman doctor at Oxford, said Miss White, under whom she would work, was studying, among other elements, vitamin B. Miss Miss White, who has been at the university for six years, received a Government exhibition from Perth Modern School to attend the university. 

She received a degree of bachelor of science and in her honours year made a study of ultra-violet spectrosophy. For the past two years she has been a physics demonstrator. The only woman among the four students who received Hackett scholarships worth £200 was Miss Jocelyn Howieson, of Northam, the daughter of Mr. Jack Howieson, headmaster of the Northam High School. She is an honours graduate in English literature and the grant will enable her to study for her master's degree. 

Miss Howieson is also a student at the Teachers' Training College. War Brides Seven women who first met each other on board ship nine years ago when they came to this State as war brides met for luncheon yesterday for their annual Christmas reunion. They were Mesdames W. Cryer and L. Solomon. formerly of Edinburgh, E. Mills and S. Dalton. of Glasgow, N. Arthur. of London, L. Mellor. of Doncaster. and F. Roberts, of Dundee. They were all married in Britain to West Australian members of the Royal Australian Air Force and now live in various parts of the metropolitan area.

Subiaco Stories...Gwendoline Hutton (Trainee Accountant) (1946).

Subiaco Stories...Gwendoline Hutton (Trainee Accountant) (1946).

The article and photo is from Trove, the database at the National Library of Australia. No copyright infringement intended. 

Daily News, 25 October 1946.

Outnumbered by men 263 to one. 

Outnumbered by men 263 to one, Miss Gwendoline Hutton, of 3 Cullen Street, Subiaco, is the only woman reconstruction trainee accountant undergoing full-time training. Fair haired, blue eyed, highly popular in her class of about 22 men, she has reached the stage in her studies where she is ready to sit for her intermediate accountancy examination. 

A prewar clerk with a motor cycle firm, she joined the WAAF at 19, in 1942, trained as a telegraphist, and was stationed, in Melbourne a year, before being posted to Pearce aero drome where she remained till discharged. She said today she decided, on discharge, that the prospects of a successful business career would be improved with training in accountancy. She was found eligible and suitable for training, was soon at work. She expects to be qualified by the end of 1947, and ready to take her place in business. 

Asked if she felt at a disadvantage among so many men she said, 'Among all these male intellects I appear to be holding my own. We all help one another. The men will always rally around a damsel in distress.' She said that she had her share of 'ragging.' When the instructor was conducting a 'quiz' among the students there was always a shout of masculine voices, 'Women first.' 'It is always said that women talk a lot. You ought to hear men at school,' she said.

GWENDOLINE HUTTON