A.G. Barlow, the proprietor of Barlow Motors, was one of A.W. Purnell’s best and most interesting clients. In 1926 Barlow Motors sponsored Francis Birtles, an Australian adventurer, and Barlow’s son Alec (a.k.a. Alex), an adventurer in his own right, to drive from Darwin to Melbourne. They did the journey in eight days and 13 hours, a record. Purnell designed houses, showrooms and stables for Barlow, which reflected the businessman’s spectacular rise and tragic fall.
That much maligned pop group The Monkees toured Australia in 1968. The cost of a ticket to see them at Festival Hall in Melbourne was only $2.10. Inflation is a truly frightening phenomenon.
The American-Chinese actress Anna May Wong performed at the Tivoli Theatre in Melbourne in 1939. Currently I’m doing research on the actress and her time in Australia. Few movie stars can surpass Anna May’s beauty and style.
‘Knowing how much the Chinese believe in lucky charms, I looked around the dressing room for some sign of this but as I could see no indication my curiosity prompted me to ask. Anna May picked up a quaint tiny shoe that had been fashioned into a pincushion, and told me it was her mascot, for it had actually enclosed one of her feet when she was a baby. When I pointed out that it resembled a boy’s shoe, she related the fact that, until the age of 10, she was brought up as a boy. It seems the first child in the family was a girl and then Anna May arrived. Her father was so annoyed because he had no heir to his name that he ordered Anna to be considered as such for nearly 10 years. It was her sister who kept Anna’s first shoes, and today she keeps the other one of the pair as a luck-bringer.’ Jonathan Swift, Sun, 13 June 1939.
Last week I attended the annual Popular Culture Association conference in San Francisco. I also visited San Jose to see the Sarah Winchester House, which was built by the widow of the gun manufacturer to appease/confuse the spirits of those killed by Winchester rifles during the Indian and Civil wars. It has 160 rooms and includes a staircase that leads nowhere and doors and windows that open onto blank walls. But the visual highlight of San Jose for me was the 1950s vintage ‘Pure Pork Sausage’ sign near the railway station.
Recently I attended the opening of an exhibition and symposium on the work of the Australian architect Arthur Purnell at the Museum of Generalissimo Sun Yat-sen’s Mansion, which Purnell designed in 1907, in Guangzhou, China. It was a very formal affair involving a ribbon cutting ceremony (I’m at the end on the left). I think Purnell would have been pleased.
More from Peter E. Sayers’ travel diary:
Saturday 14 February, Nandi, Fiji We had about 1 1/4 hours at Nandi then we took off and landed at Canton Is. just before dawn next morning. (Date still 14th.) As Canton is just below the equator (2º) we found that at this time of day it was hot & humid. We had a cool drink in reception room, then took off after dawn to see below us just a coral atol big enough for the airstrip & a few prefab huts. We landed Honolulu about 3.30 pm. (We were to have met Governor Quin at 3.00 pm but he saw us later (5.00 pm) at his home.) We passed through customs (you enter US here) very quickly & went by car (which holds 12 people (3 in each seat)) to the Reef Hotel where some of us swam in the pool, it was great. After our swim we met the Gov. then returned for tea overlooking the Waikiki beach & listening to Hawaiian music & singing. I had a Pineapple boat for tea. At 8.00 pm we lift for Franscisco. Just in the last half hour of our flight some including me got a bit sick.
Sunday 15 February, San Francisco Got in at 6.30 am (1/2 hr. before time) we were met by Australians from the consul, public relations & Qantas. We went to town at 60 to 70 mph (about 12 miles) along the freeway. After a bit of breakfast I rested in room all day while Francisco had a ‘bad storm’ a dull day with a few showers. (It was quite a contrast to Sydney & Melbourne let alone the tropics.) At night I ventured out in my new overcoat with 1/2 the other chaps to see a bit of San Francisco.
P.S. We were at the Clift Hotel a very good pub 2 to a room.
P.P.S. Flag with greatest significance to us Australians was flying for our party. Frisco was cold & wet to me both in weather and in heart but presumed that as time passed everything would turn out fine.
Monday, 16 February Went to consulate & Qantas headquarters (latter best in Frisco). Then went to City Hall & met the Acting Mayor (he met Baron Snyder) (the Mayor was on holidays at Honolulu). Then went to Berkeley Campus (University of California) by taxi (paid by us 25c) and bus (paid by us 50c). I jacked [-up, i.e. complained] here. We had lunch in the caf (50c for good meal, he [presumably Roland Hill] paid). I talked to a student in caf. We then looked over the library (about 1 million books in a building 9 storeys high) on our way back. I met at bus stop a 1956 Games fencer who was engaged to an Australian for two years from when he was in Melbourne (she’s now in England). We talked all the way back on the bus. After a press photo we had tea in Chinatown and had a look around. Shops were open selling Chinese clothes etc. at about 8.00 pm. We packed bags and I got this up to date.
P.S. We had a look at Fairmont & Mark Hopkins hotels before tea but after dark (eg. La…[?] top of the mark).
So far I’ve managed to contact two of the nine young men who travelled to the USA in 1959 with Peter E. Sayers. Apparantly their fathers had travelled to the USA in 1929 on a tour that was organised by the Young Australia League (YAL). Thirty years later they tried to revive the YAL, but when their plans stalled they organised a trip to America just for their own sons. Roland Hill, a single, middle-aged, very well-connected travel agent from Sydney, arranged the itinerary and led the tour. However, he was an inexperienced chaperon of young men and things got pretty wild by the end of the trip. This photograph, kindly supplied by Richard Blaiklock, shows the eleven tourists on 9 February 1959 at the Dunkley Hat Mills in Sydney after they had received their new Stetson hats.
Back row, left to right: Richard Blaiklock, Phillip Brandt, James Triggs, Roland Hill (chief organiser and chaperon), Jim Black, Ross Hooker and John Hammond.
Front row, left to right: Peter Sayers, Peter Scott, Bob Foster and Trevor Combe.
From time to time I’ll transcribe Peter E. Sayers’ travel diary:
Sunday 8th February 1959, Melbourne At 2.30 am (about) I took leave of Midge (80th time out) after spending the night before (Saturday 7th) at the Comedy seeing The Summer of the 17th Doll (4th season) and after at Scot’s supper dance with Hans & (Pam) and Barry & (Barbara). About 7.00 am Dad and Mum & I left in Armstrong for Goulburn. We had a cup of tea at H.P. Downs’ house at Benalla. We arrived Goulburn about 8.00 pm & stayed at AA Motel for night.
Monday, February 9th, Sydney Got up at 5.00 am. Arrived Sydney outskirts 9.00 am. (At this time I should have been at Mr Hill’s office.) I proceeded to Dunkley Hat Mills, Waterloo (makers of Stetson hats in Australia) where I met the tour party for the first time. We were each given a hat after which we were shown over the mill. At 11.00 am we were received by the NSW Premier (J.J. Cahill) at his office. At 11.30 am we had a look at MLC building & had lunch with directors in the cafeteria which occupies a whole floor along with other staff amenities. 3.00 pm visited Harbour Bridge pylon (compliments of MLC). 3.45 visited ‘Unilever House’ (the building in front of where the new opera house is to be built). Tea in basement of Martin Hall with Mum & Dad.
Tuesday 10th National & General Insurance Co. Ltd. (Custom Credit) showed us the ground floor of their building in town, then they took us to the Rosebay flying-boat base where we saw the whole works. After that Custom Credit took us to Milano’s for a private luncheon (dinner in my book). 3.00 pm boomerang throwing in Domain. All given 2 boomerangs each, one to throw, one to give away to any important person. (Frank Donnellan gave the display & lesson, he holds all records.) 4.00 pm received by US Consul-General in Australia (Frank A. Waring). After that four of us (2 from NSW and one each from Victoria & South Australia) went to Channel 9 to go on the kids program. At night Mum & Dad & I went to Tom Holesgrove’s for tea with Tom, Robin & Louis.
Wednesday 11th 9.00 am visited Qantas building in town & maintenance plant at Mascot, also saw Super Constellation & other planes inside and out. Had lunch at Qantas staff cafeteria at Mascot. In the afternoon we looked over Sun-Herald. At night took Tom, Robin & Louis to dinner with Mum & Dad at basement of Martin Hall. Louis went to work after dinner & the rest of us went to The Big Country with Gregory Peck, Jeann Simmons & Burl Ives. A preview just for the typists & friends at a film company’s private theatre (smoking was OK).
Thursday 12th Went to Ford plant in the morning at Homebush, went to Marion’s in Russell’s car and saw their round the world slides plus Les’ New Guinea slides. Les took us home to Martin Hall.
Friday 13th Met Mayor Ald. Jensen at Town Hall. Later in afternoon Dad & I returned to Town Hall to say goodbye to Ted Holesgrove, he showed us over the place & I sat in the chair the Queen used in the Mayor’s room.
Saturday 14th Mum, Dad, Les, Marion, Tom & Louis saw us off at Mascot at 12.30 pm on our Super Constellation. At about 10.00 pm we touched down at Nandi (Fiji). Weather was mild & perfect with the stars out. We went to the hotel just next door to airport & had tea (the whole place was on native architecture if you could call it that). Richard Blaiklock lost his watch in the bathroom.
Earlier this year I bought a little notebook for $1 at a flea market in Geelong, which had belonged to J. Davies, a student at the Gordon Institute of Technology. Davies had used it to record information about a trip he made to Western Australia in 1965. He made several extensive and very puzzling lists, including this one describing the things he ‘Brought back in kit-bag: money belt; 2 (white & fawn) tennis shirts; 1 underpants; 1 socks; camera & exposed film; 2 grey & 1 navy shorts; 8 unused & 5 self-washed handkerchiefs; hat; 2 books; 3 brooches & a pin (gem stones); large packet of diverse documents & papers; arch supports; raincoat (plastic); mosquito net (& fly veil); file; small kit-bag with snorkel & rope; bag of dirty laundry; bag of toilet articles.’ He then went on to list the contents of the latter two bags. ‘Dirty laundry returned: 1 socks; 3 underpants; 5 handkerchiefs. Toilet articles: toothpaste & brush; shaver; torch; repellent — fly rid; wart goo (Satd Na2Ca3.10 H2O); pad & envelopes; bayonet plug; bandaids; string; cotton wool; buttons, needle & thread; Vaseline; Savlon; toothpics; Aspro; Kwells; matches; cellulose tape.’ The notebook also contains a few rough sketches, including the following one showing how to fold a jacket:
In 1959, seven members of Walt Disney’s The Mickey Mouse Club — Jimmie Dodd, Doreen Tracey, Bobby Burgess, Sharon Baird, Tommy Cole, Karen Pendleton, and Cubby O’Brien — toured Australia along with the pop group, The Diamonds. Many people were very surprised that ‘dorky’ Doreen, as seen on the early episodes of the TV programme, had developed into such a ‘bomb shell’ (pictured). ‘I had a mad, torrid affair going at the time with Dave Summerville, the lead singer of The Diamonds, and I used to get drunk in the lounge with Dave and that got into the [Australian] papers and was bad,’ Doreen later told Jerry Bowles, author of Forever Hold Your Banner High (1976). The death of innocence!