G.V. Brooks High School & Tasmanian Pictorial History in Newnham, Tasmania, Australia | School

G.V. Brooks High School & Tasmanian Pictorial History

Locality: Newnham, Tasmania, Australia

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24.01.2022 A Devonport postcard.... possibly from the 60's?

24.01.2022 ~Rob You’ve heard of the saying ‘one in a million’ haven’t you? Well, I’m one in 250 million. I have been studied by medical people all over the world and I am... what is commonly called an anomaly. You may see me as just a chook farmer from Longford, but I can assure you I’m a whole lot more than that. For the last 12 years I have had to travel to the Ukraine for medical treatment. The government won’t let me bring the medication I require into this country and doctors here in Australia are not allowed to prescribe it to me because from a legal standpoint, I am a man. I was born female and male you see? The correct term is hermaphrodite or intersex. Now I’m in my 60’s I’m having massive hormonal problems. Having both male and female menopause together is very hard as they are fighting each other. I am over 85% female but the main reason I look more male than female is because they fed male hormones into me from age 5 till I was 20. When I was 8 years old, I was sent into hospital for an operation. I was not told why I was being operated on. It wasn’t spoken of. In later years, my aunty told me exactly what happened during all these years. Basically, the doctors said to Mum that because I peed out of my penis, they said I was a boy. They sewed up my vagina and put a metal ring around my testicles, sewed up my intestinal wall to prevent my testicles going up inside me then gave me a cavalcade of drugs and hormones which prevented my breasts from growing but did not cease my menstrual cycle. I was born in Launceston in 1955 and grew up on Coca Cola hill up at Ravenswood. My earliest memories were of Mum shooting hares and telling us boys to run over the road to grab them and bring them home. My father George was the drainage foreman for the St Leonards Council and he was a very mentally strong man and instilled this quality in me. He was a P.O.W in Germany during WWII and went through hell apparently. He never spoke about his war service. My sister did some research after he died and it turns out my father was a hero and received many medals for his valour but never once did he accept those medals. His infantry unit was also sworn to secrecy which is why he never spoke about his experiences during the war or stood at the front of everyone on Anzac Day. He always stood up the back. Every year. The doctors reckon that because my father was exposed to nerve gas during his time as a P.O.W, this may explain why I was born as I was. I went to St Pats up Prospect and kept my secret from others until one day an incident happened that haunted me for years. A Christian brother, who incidentally is now in jail for life for systemic sexual abuse, cornered me in the showers after a sporting day. In front of all the other students he slapped my bum with a strap and yelled Look at this one boys and grabbed my penis, lifted it up and said This one got no balls. After this, it’s fair to say I was ostracised and bullied for the rest of my school years, which is putting it mildly I suppose. As a child, Mum took me to countless medical people, professors at the Menzies Institute where they studied the population and were very interested in my condition and were consulting with many professionals overseas. As an adult, I went to see a very switched on female doctor here in Launceston who had worked all around the world and she asked me to come and strip off in front of a room full of medical students here at the uni. I was happy to do this as it allowed them to study me and it was very beneficial for their studies. The male students were quite uncomfortable observing me but the female students were fascinated by me and very curious about my bodily functions. With all the DNA testing nowadays, I went and got one and the results said I was 85% female. The doctors told me to go and have a full body scan which was going to cost me $2500. I couldn’t afford that so I said no. A professor and a doctor somehow pulled a plan together so that I could claim it on Medicare. When I actually went and had my first full body scan, the young technician had no idea why I was there and when the image came up of my internal organs, you should have seen his face. He said I think there’s something wrong. Please wait while I get my supervisor. The supervisor came in and had a look and said Well Robert, you have ovaries and a uterus and a penis so please understand the reaction of our new technician. (laughs) I said I did tell the young bloke I’m not X & Y. I’m XX & XY. I had trouble getting satisfaction from the medical community here in Tassie so I got on the internet and did some study. Would you believe that after the Chernobyl disaster, there were a lot of children being born with similar issues to me. So, I went over to the Ukraine and got the right tablets. The medication was basically a womens birth control pill rolled in human growth promoting hormone to prevent the muscle disintegrating and also a Russian testosterone suppressant. It lasts for about 8 months. I love animals so I had ambitions of being a vet but my parents couldn’t afford to send me to W.A to study. After doing a few jobs like fencing and connecting phone lines, I got an apprenticeship as an electrician which took me four years including 12 months up at the Pioneer Tin Mine. When I was 18, I spent 9 months in hospital with peritonitis. Which is basically a ruptured appendix. Only one in 100 survive it so I was lucky really. I was crawling on my belly underneath a house to rewire it up Turners Beach when it happened. I went into hospital at 8 a.m., was rushed into surgery at 9 a.m. and woke up out of a coma three months later. I absolutely love ballroom dancing and always went to the dances at the local halls and that’s where I met Kathy. We got married and had two kids. Yes , I could have kids naturally which was a pleasant shock. I don’t want to sound conceited but I loved working and over the next 18 years after leaving school, I became very skilled and capable in many industries and was quite sought after for my skills. I worked all over Tasmania and there weren’t many jobs I wouldn’t have a go at. But at the age of 35, my working life and earning capacity ceased. Instantly. I got a contract doing electrical work for United Milk and was working by myself up at Legerwood on a tower with scaffolding. The scaffolding was not constructed correctly and it gave way and I fell 8 metres onto a concrete stairwell. All the timber and steel from the scaffolding landed on me. I broke my back, all my ribs and ruptured my left kidney. I lay unconscious on the stairs for three hours they reckon before I was found. There was no compo back then so I was stuffed. I got told to go back to work the next day whilst I was standing there pissing blood and shaking and in a very bad way. I had three months in hospital and it took me took me three years to learn to walk properly again. I was put on a disability pension and was uninsurable so therefore I have never worked for anyone since. It’s been up to me to try to make a quid here or there over the last 30 years. My mother-in law hounded and hounded my wife that she is going to have to be my carer for the rest of her life and that she should leave me. So, she took off. My daughter was only two and a half and our son was three months old. I had no idea where they were and was devastated. My life had turned on a dime and I had to garner all my strength to get through it. For years I looked for them but gave up. Then I wanted to find my ex-wife for a different reason - to serve divorce papers on her. Back then you had to personally serve papers to the other party in order to get a divorce. Anyway, a mate called me at 2 o’clock in the morning, years after my wife had shot through, and he said Hey Rob, are you still looking for your wife and kids? I said Yes I am. He said Well I’m on my way to Darwin and tonight I pulled up for a meal and she’s pulling beers at the pub in Tennant Creek I rang my lawyer and the next day the papers were served to her. I just wanted some closure. I didn’t see my kids again until my son was 18 and once he got his licence he drove out to see me or meet me rather, with his sister. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the fairy-tale reunion I hoped for but it was good to see them. I have hardly any contact with my kids which is sad but I have just accepted it. 14 years after my accident, 14 years of fighting and court cases and stressing out, I managed to get a payout of $200,000 which was equivalent to 3 years of my wages back then but unless I used that money to buy a farm, the government were going to take $70,000 of that in tax. So, I bought a little farm up at Teleta in the North-East between Winnaleah and Derby. The government told a heap of us farmers to start buying pigs because they wanted more piggeries in Tasmania. They gave us all grants of $10,000 and I put on an apprentice to help me and got the piggery up and running. Then John Howard allowed imported pork into Australia and the whole thing went to rubble. From $3.20 a kg to 80 cents a kilo and it cost me $2 a kilo to produce. A lot of farmers went belly up over all this. The house I lived in was built in 1877 and the windows had really old-fashioned swirly glass in them. One day, I was out working and my house burnt to the ground. The fire authorities came and did an inspection and surmised the source of the fire started from sunlight hitting the swirly glass and projected onto the wallpaper on the opposing wall. Can you believe it? I lost everything. Furniture, all my photos, clothing and basically everything I owned. The local copper said they suspect the fire was intentionally lit by me. I knew that wasn’t the case and said so. I am a very honest man. Always have been and would not do something like that. I can tell you how it was proved to be an accidental fire too. Starting back in the late 60’s, I used to tie fishing flies for a bit of extra cash for Terry Charlton who owned the Fly-Fishing store in Launceston. I used to tie them for the four fishing shops in Launceston actually and was very good at it. So, I tied that many that Terry couldn’t afford to pay me so over the years, he let me buy guns from his personal collection off him at a cheap price. He had a collection of Winchester gold plated guns that were very rare and I ended up with the lot of them over the next few years. Bought the whole lot. I knew the collection was pretty rare but over the next decade or so, they were worth near $750,000 which shocked the hell out of me when I found that out. Those guns melted in the fire and that’s how the insurance investigators knew that the fire was not intentionally lit. The copper apologised to me after he was told that. I built another house but after five years I had had enough and sold the farm. When I decided to live openly about my physical condition, a lot of my mates said to me that it made a lot of things clearer for them. I have some qualities that are very female oriented. I am an excellent ballroom dancer and also teach it to other people here in Launceston. I am a very talented dressmaker and have made countless dresses for my friends’ daughters for their leavers dinners and debutante balls and all that. Whenever a bloke was abusive or hit a woman around me, I’d stick up for her and sometimes copped a belting for it. I have an affinity with women because hey, basically I am one. I am not effeminate but I have some qualities that are definitely leaning more so into the female domain. I live as a man but being 85% female, my outlook and attitude towards women has always been positive and supportive. I’m just a rough and tumble chook farmer really but I’m certainly not your average chook farmer. As a farmer I have always thought outside the square and it’s been good for me. I leased a paddock next to this place with the intention of growing some wheat. Now here in Tasmania, the average yield per acre of wheat is about 3-5 tonnes. I discovered that all the farms this side of the Macquarie River have a layer of clay underneath the soil. Not the other side just this side. I reckoned that this clay was impervious and retained all its minerals and nutrients from the last 100 or so years of farming. So, I ploughed up the paddock ready for seeding and the other local farmers came round and some shook their head and said What are you doing digging up the clay? Why aren’t you using fertiliser? I said I don’t have to. They thought I was mad and had ruined the paddock for future crops. Now, I set a record for the state by yielding 12.5 tonnes of wheat per acre. I even won a free flight to New Zealand from a pastoral company for setting the new record. Then a few other farmers followed suit and used the same method as me with great success. Another thing I did was breed a Brahman bull with my angus and that yielded an extra 120 kgs of beef than the usual beasts would. Once again, people thought I was crazy. But the local butcher didn’t. I had 8 of these crossbred bulls and he bought all of them off me and he said his customers said it was the best meat they had ever eaten. Now, others are doing it and getting the same results. I was a bit ahead of the times I suppose. Since 2008, I have been going to the Ukraine and I have made a few friends there and become involved with their thriving arts scene. I have performed in a few shows and I am very well-known over there. A local Tassie bloke named Thomas Jose Field made a short film about me called A Rare Breed and that short film has won numerous awards for Best Short film at film festivals here in Australia and all over the world so I have become a celebrity of sorts in Europe and other places. Some of the stories I could tell you about my travels would fill a book I reckon. I am also a world-renowned chicken breeder and specialise in genetically perfecting chickens called Wyandottes. If you google them, you’re bound to come up with a story about me. I have won every first prize at most of the Ag shows here in Tassie and on the mainland and I have introduced over 35 different shaded blue Wyandottes here and have pioneered a lot of breeding programs for other breeders all over the world. It’s a big business chicken breeding and I have loved being a part of it over the years. I think my fascination with genetic breeding was somehow born from my own experiences. Perhaps it’s a metaphor for my own life I don’t know really. Looks can be deceiving and I as I said before, I’m not your run of the mill chook farmer. By telling you my story, I hope that people who read it will have a better understanding of intersex people. And if anyone else is born with the same issues as me, I pray they get to have a choice about who they want to live as. I did not have a choice but times have changed and I hope nobody has to go through what I went through as a child. We all deserve to be who we really are and be given the opportunity to do so. #humansoflaunceston

23.01.2022 Launceston's first basin in its original form, so different from today's eye view>

22.01.2022 This is where I believe this photo to be taken.

22.01.2022 The Cataract Gorge was originally a sacred site for the local Aboriginal peoples. William Barnes, the European land owner, leased the land to the city of Launce...ston for 200 years. In 1889 the Launceston City and Suburban Improvement Association undertook fund raising for the construction of the footpath that runs from King’s Bridge to the picnic grounds. These gates at the King’s Bridge entrance to the Gorge were built in 1891. Beyond the gates is the ticket kiosk and turnstile. Originally the entry cost was one penny and a total of 243 was collected in the first year - this equals over 58 000 visitors. The gates and turnstile were removed in 1951, but the kiosk is still there. This photograph was taken by Alfred Masters. #LibrariesTasmania #TasArchives See more

21.01.2022 The first Launceston General Hospital opened in 1863. It was situated on land that was then called Mulgrave Square in Charles Street. With beds for 100 patients..., the new hospital was considered state of the art and included a lift so that patients could easily be moved from floor to floor. The second General Hospital opened in 1937 and the original was due to be demolished. The outbreak of the Second World War gave it a short reprieve but the demolition went ahead in 1944. The third General Hospital opened in 1982 and the second is now the Mantra Charles Hotel and occupies the site of the first hospital. This photo was taken by William Cawston after 1881 when an extension was added onto the left hand side of the building. PH30-1-2 #LibrariesTasmania #TasArchives See more

20.01.2022 On 27th October 1899 a contingent of 80 volunteer soldiers departed from Launceston to fight in the Boer War in South Africa. The soldiers paraded through the s...treets of Launceston. They started in City Park and marched along Brisbane Street, and then St John Street to the wharf where they boarded the S.S. Coogee. This photo shows the parade in St John Street with St Andrew’s Church and the Union Bank in the background. The photographer was Frank Styant Browne and it was published in an album commemorating the event by Ebenezer Cummings. LPIC85-1-21 #LibrariesTasmania #TasArchives See more

18.01.2022 ~Caroline I have so many memories of my travels around the world and I suppose because now I spend most of my days in bed, I know how important it is to live e...ach day to the hilt because we never know what’s around the corner. My parents were free spirits and quite restless and I think that explains why I have always been a wandering spirit and lived in so many places. It wasn't until I moved to Launceston that I managed to settle in the one place for a considerable amount of time. I was born in 1963 in Stoke-On-Trent in Staffordshire, the same town where the pop star Robbie Williams is from. My father Bill was a journalist, a really good one actually and he worked for numerous newspapers all over the world. In 1969, when I was aged 6 and my brother Laen was 4, my very adventurous mum Pauline and her best friend Anne decided they would like to live abroad, so they convinced their husbands (although Dad didn't need that much convincing) to make the emigrate. They considered Spain, South Africa and Canada but were enthralled by the mystique of Australia and the fare of just ten pounds each, so the unanimous decision was made to sail down under for a new adventure. We sailed across the world on the liner 'Fairstar' and I think our wanderlust was born on that journey. We landed in Melbourne, but soon continued on and crossed the Nullarbor on the Indian Pacific train to Perth in Western Australia, where my father got a job on the West Australian newspaper as a sub-editor. It was so different to England, with the arid landscapes and extreme heat, the beautiful beaches and exotic wildlife. I loved it and it was such a fantastic place to grow up, but Mum was homesick for the UK and was missing her parents (she is an only child and adored her Mum and Dad) so we moved back to Britain. We settled in Cornwall in the beautiful South West of England and my parents bought a lolly shop. Dad worked on the Plymouth Herald and Mum ran the shop. Callington, the little village we lived in, was like something off an episode of 'Escape to the Country'. It was surrounded by rolling green hills and fairy-tale country settings. It was really beautiful and we began to settle into country life. However, the wanderlust that had taken us across the globe and our love of Australia was still calling to my parents, so we soon found ourselves selling up and moving on. We came back to Australia and lived in Melbourne for a few years, then moved on to Queensland. I completed my final year at school at Miami High School on the Gold Coast and then got my first job at a chicken shop, where I saved my pennies to travel the world. Unfortunately, that never really panned out as life took some sad turns and I had to go to Britain to nurse my dying grandfather and then to arrange his funeral. I then became a carer for my sick grandmother. Soon after that, my other grandfather got cancer and then he too passed away. They were both in their mid-sixties, so it was a shock that they had died so young. It was a very sad few years for our family as we were all so close. Anyway, after all that I ended up staying in Britain for about three years and developed a great group of friends, got a boyfriend and saw a fair amount of England and Wales. I worked, saved and then spent the next few years travelling the world. I returned to Australia and lived in Sydney for a few years, living in Mosman on the North Shore of the harbour and working in the city for a wool exporter, then a PR company and I also did a bit of moonlighting at the Taronga Zoo convention centre as an events co-ordinator. In 1990 my brother and I went backpacking through India, where I did some volunteering for Oxfam, caring for orphan children. Just feeding them and holding them while they were getting vaccinated, playing with them, cuddling them and just basically being a loving presence in their lives. They had no one else and although it was heartbreaking, it was also an enormously rewarding experience and a personally satisfying thing, to be a positive influence in otherwise sad lives. It was a hard thing to leave, but I had made commitments, so my brother and I continued on to Egypt and then Greece, Italy, France and finally Britain again. Just over 18 months after I had left Sydney I came home again and I decided to make the move down to Tasmania. My parents had moved here a few years before and I had visited the state several times since then. The beauty of Tasmania, the friendly people, the clean air and the greenery had enthralled me every time I came here, so I decided that this was where I wanted to set down my roots. I scored a job at Scotch Oakburn College as the principal's secretary and then later as the Enrolments Officer. I had to travel quite a bit to China and Japan for my job, organise visas, travel and a new life for international students and my previous experiences, which until now had simply been my personal life skills, suddenly became my core strengths and I adored my job. My parents live in Trevallyn and I had come to love this part of Launceston, so I bought a quaint little house not far from them, overlooking our fair city and backing onto the Gorge Reserve. I joined the bushwalking club and saw a huge amount of Tassie's hidden gems, I indulged in my 2 hobbies of SCUBA diving, sailing and gardening, and I studied belly dancing. I loved the Flamenco dancing in Andalucía, but it was the belly dancing that I first saw in Turkey and Egypt that became my lifelong obsession. I became aware of a belly dancing group in Launceston after seeing them perform at Festivale and I joined almost immediately. My best friend Lisa and I trained a lot and we got quite good at it, eventually getting (quite well paid) gigs at markets, council events, Harmony Days and functions. But to be honest, we would dance anywhere at the drop of a hat and many a quiet meal at a restaurant ended up with a half dozen girls dancing between the tables to the delight (and bewilderment) of the other patrons. We were part of a group of about six other dancers and we had a ball together. A big part of belly dancing are the costumes and Lisa and I would often travel to Bali, Malaysia, Turkey and Morocco for holidays, coming home with suitcases full of exotic costumes. We would use them in our dance routines, sell some to our friends and then more and more, people would ask us to get them something 'fabulous' on our travels. With my downstairs store room becoming an Aladdin's Cave of exotic clothes, jewellery and accessories, Lisa and I began running a little market stall at Evandale. We sold so much stuff that we were able to fund our next overseas jaunt and so the pearl of an idea began to form. We could run our stall throughout the summer and finance an annual holiday from the takings. We branded ourselves as 'Carolisa' (i.e.: Caroline and Lisa) and have had a stall at Evandale for the last decade or so. When I was in my early forties, I decided to challenge myself and so I quit my job at Scotch Oakburn and moved to Spain. I didn't know anyone there and I didn't speak the language, so I rented out my house in Trevallyn and moved to a 10th century fortified village in Andalucía called Vejer de la Frontera. I studied dancing (of course) and also Spanish language. Spain is an amazing place and I adored the people, the food the dancing and the culture. Living was cheap, food was spicy, the dancing was passionate and the beach was free. My friend Lisa visited me a few times and I was having a lot of fun. But though it was cheap, I still had to have some money and the only income that I had was from renting my house. I also felt the need to do something useful, so I decided it would be a good idea to get a job. I had previously done a course in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) while I was living in Tassie, so I thought that I would try my hand at being an English teacher. I made contact with a lady who ran an English language college in Conil de la Frontera, right on the beach and about 20km from Vejer. I had bought a little car, a baby blue Renault Twingo, so I had transport and being right on the beach meant that I could teach in the morning and swim in the afternoon. Somehow, due to a tight schedule and the desperate needs of my prospective employers, I ended up unexpectedly having a job interview on the beach in a large Arabian tent, sitting on bean-bags in my bathers, drinking a jug of Mojito. Maybe it was my sales pitch and maybe it was the booze, but either way the lady thought that I would make a great teacher and so she offered me the job right there and then, on the beach. A week later I was teaching English to Spanish people who were on holiday from all over Spain, then going to the beach with them for tapas and Sangria. I loved my job. I stayed in Spain for about 3 years and in 2010 I came back to live in Launceston. I moved back into my home and began working for the University of Tasmania. I still took annual leave and travelled overseas. I did a lot of travelling in the Middle East, Africa, Zanzibar, Croatia and South East Asia. In 2013, while working as student admin officer for UTAS and planning for another European holiday, I found a lump in my breast the size of a golf ball and was diagnosed with breast cancer. I got my diagnosis the morning that I was due to fly out to Paris and my bags were already packed and sitting next to the front door. I cried a river of tears and I admit that my world fell apart for a while and for the next year, my life was all about surgery and chemotherapy, MRI scans, medication and radiation therapy sessions. It was very draining but I had an intense desire to beat it. Thankfully I went into remission and was soon back to working and travelling and enjoying all that life in Tasmania has to offer. In the middle of 2019, I joined my brother on his sailboat in the Whitsundays and we travelled for a few weeks through the Barrier Reef sailing, diving, swimming with whales and dolphins ... enjoying life and putting my wretched battle with cancer behind me. A few months later at the end of 2019, I decided to take a trip to Japan and was in the middle of making preparations when I unexpectedly suffered a seizure. A battery of scans discovered a brain tumour that had come from my previous breast cancer and I had to get flown to Hobart to have more surgery, chemo and disruptions to my otherwise charmed life. Once again, I began the fight back to recovery ... then COVID-19 added a whole new layer of crazy to everyone's life, but I was still grateful to be living in Tasmania with clean air, great medical support and relatively little disruptions from the madness of the wider world. So here I am at the age of 56 living in a nursing home, but with the love and support of my family and a network of friends and exceptional medical experts, I feel optimistic that I can reclaim that quality of life that I have enjoyed for so long. Being down isn't the same as being beaten. But there is no denying that my life has taken a dramatic turn. I have had a bit of my brain removed (no, the doctors wouldn't let me take it home in a jar ... I asked) and my left leg and arm are not really pulling their weight, but I'm still alive and I still see a positive future. If years of travel and adventure have taught me anything, it's that life doesn't always turn out like we planned, but it's how you deal with what you're faced with that defines your character. I am unbeaten because that is the person that I choose to be and I intend to live my life to the fullest, until my last breath. ... and I'm grateful to have been allowed to tell you my story. Thank you. #humansoflaunceston

15.01.2022 William Aylett and osmiridium diggers on the upper Nineteen Mile Creek. North West - Tasmania. Colouring courtesy Jan van Oevelen.

14.01.2022 A late sunny afternoon side view from High St of Queen Victoria Tower in Launceston. Well known as Launceston's maternity hospital in its heyday. According to ...an online article by Centre for Tasmanian Historical Studies the site has operated as such from 1935. A recent article in The Examiner talked about births continuing until 1995. See more

14.01.2022 Here is a derelict, decaying mansion on Mona Street, Battery Point, hiding itself in shame despite the views of the magnificent Derwent River below . a sad, l...onesome, falling-down haunted house estranged from all other houses in the world almost as if its soul was rotting with boredom. This is how 8 Mona Street was described by Alannah Hill in her book ‘Butterfly on a Pin when she lived there in the 1970s - then known as the Tantallon Boarding House. It was sold this month for $4 million plus. See more

09.01.2022 The Springs Hotel, while very beautiful, was an immense headache for the Council for decades. Money was continually needing to be poured into its upkeep and it ...never turned a profit. Here is just one example of the problems, this one dated 1946. It's a detailed report on the condition of the building by the Building Surveyor to the Town Clerk: "The main source of trouble in the bedrooms appears to be coming from the chimneys. These have had repeated attention to flashings but the mortar joints are so fretted by driving winds and rain that sufficient water penetrates the brickwork and joints to by-pass the flashings. All the chimney valley gutters are leaking according to the direction of the wind. The recent heavy snow fall which covered the roof areas for a period, three to six days, has caused water damage where previously there was no trouble. Many of these leaks are probably caused by condensation. The leaks in two places have been so considerable as to cause damage to ceilings and walls of the ground floor rooms below. Seven bedrooms and two passageway ceilings are stained and wet and one lounge and a pantry have been stained by water penetrating from rooms above. The first floor sun balcony roof has leaked in a number of places, the water penetrating to the Refreshment Room and Milk Bar below. This has necessitated stock being removed and stored separately. It has been suggested that one cause of the continued leaks in the roof is caused by a comparatively light roof framing which "works" during a heavy blow. The "working" of the roof would enlarge nail holes and open joints sufficiently to cause capillary entry of water. Wind has recently broken a plate glass window, 8' 5-5/8" x 4' 1-5/8". Enquiries are being made regarding the purchase of a new window. Salvage of plate glass not damaged would be 4' 8" x 4' 1-5/8. One small casement window was blown from its hinges and glass broken. One small pane of Artic glass in the first floor sun verandah has been broken. The horizontal bars of the plate glass windows have been temporarily strengthened with light battens, and small single irons are being ordered to permanently strengthen the sashes to prevent further damage. Wind has blown down and damaged the flue pipe chimneys to two 14D "Ideal" hot water boilers which provide the hotwater for the house service. Twenty-four feet of new 5" flue is required. Enquiries are being made concerning the cleaning out and putting into service of the "County" type White Rose No. 8 boiler which provides water for the central heating system. This has only been used once this season. It is reported as being out of order owing to silt. The boiler house floor is covered with water which is penetrating a small retaining wall at the back and coming under a raised concrete gutter. The electric circulating motor and pump are likely to be damaged by lack of care and maintenance and water flowing over the floor. The wooden piers supporting the laundry block and what was the Bus drivers room are rotting and causing a subsidence of portion of the structure. Mr. Deegan stated that he would be prepared to replace the piers with concrete if the cement was provided. My attention was drawn to the public convenience at the rear of the hotel. These require cleaning and painting inside and out. The pans are very dirty and uncared for. The lower public shelter shed is in a state of disrepair. The southern wall has broken away from the supports and leaning about 6" out of plumb taking the roof with it. The foundations are rotten and some of the roof ties have been removed. I consider that the building should be shored up on the south side or demolished and rebuilt if necessary. In its present condition it is unsightly and bordering on being dangerous. The new fowl house which was blown over has been righted but requires some straightening up and attention. The structure was not bolted to its foundations. Mrs. Deegan as asked that two small badly lighted and unsatisfactory bath rooms now being used as stores be redesigned and altered to provide further facilities for W. C.'s, bathing and showers. This could be done but additional light would have to be obtained from sky-lights which are not considered satisfactory in this location. Mr. Kock prepared a plan for this work but the alterations were not proceeded with. The present lighting is from an enclosed lobby. It is difficult to decide where to start and finish on this particular job. It would be practically impossible to sufficiently specify all the work to be done and so many unsuccessful attempts have been made to repair the leaks in roof etc. that the only course now open would be to take bold action, which, though costly, will overcome for all time the defects which are most certainly deteriorating the property. I recommend the entire roof covering be removed progressively; strengthen the roof framing and bracing, and cover the battens with 60/60 "Sisalkraft" or similar waterproof building paper, re-roll and solder up all nail holes and refix the iron with bituminous felt washers at each fixing. Renew all valley gutters to 3'0" wide and in refixing roofing, provide additional side and end cover, joints being painted with waterproof mastic. Renew all chimney gutters and flashing if necessary. Waterproof render the outsides of all chimneys and provide cover slabs over chimneys not already fitted. Provide new rain heads at downpipes and at valley at southern end. Fit snow boards over valleys at western side. All ridges and hips to be renewed with 24" wide ridges. Repair broken and damaged plaster, flat out all stains and recolour all damaged rooms. Where leaks occur under windows, remove weatherboards and fit galvanised iron flashing and refix weatherboards. In places the exterior is badly in need of painting and the whole building required at least one good coat. The roof would have to be repainted after repairs. Approximately one third of the verandah floor needs renewing. The night latch bolt recess on front door has been broken off and repair to door jamb is necessary. The estimating of the cost of these repairs is difficult owing to the hidden nature of some of the work and the extent of repair necessary. Briefly the costs would be: Repairs to roof. 240.0.0 Render Chimneys. 40.0.0 New Fuel Shed. 70.0.0 Painting outside. 200.0.0 Colouring inside. 40.0.0 Miscellaneous. 20.0.0 Unforseen. 15.0.0 (total) 625.0.0 Remodelling bath rooms. 80.0.0 Repairs to shelter shed. 25.0.0 (Sgd.) B. L. Dechaineux." (Postcard from our collection)

09.01.2022 June 22 1911 Rooke Street was full of people!! Coronation Day for King George V. Photo: AW Marshall. Tasmanian Mail TM1911062904 TAHO

09.01.2022 Launceston GPO to Hobart GPO record holders. I've updated with other photos further down in post.

07.01.2022 Interesting memories!

05.01.2022 horsing around in the old school yard at brooks community school Launceston Len fox on the left Graeme Bartlett on the right me in the log Jim Taylor photo abought 1954

02.01.2022 Elizabeth Town made it onto the Netfilx series The Crown