Government House
Last weekend, the 15th and 16th October, we stayed in the city in order to visit several of Perth’s old buildings, hear stories, see a photographic display in panorama and enjoy a display of ballroom dancing which was all free as part of a program called Perth Heritage Days.
The Royal Perth Hospital Museum was our first stop, in the building that used to house young nurses. As my cousin spent her traineeship there, I was interested to hear tales of windows climbed into or out of, depending on whether the young lady was returning from a night of frivolity, or daring to disobey matron’s orders and climb out into the arms of a waiting beau.
Much of the display included weapons of surgery. I call them weapons because saws of various sizes, from neat little things used in dentistry to blades used to hack through human knees, thighs and other bones, filled me with horror. A doctor’s case, from about the 1930s, had what looked like a very large wrench, sticking out of it. Other pieces of medical equipment included glass jars in assorted sizes and shapes. Some held ether, some alcohol, but the small ones were unlabelled—for doctors’ potions I presumed.
Being anaesthetised was obviously a major hazard in the past. Metal trolleys with rubber hoses for getting the concoction from large bottles of the knockout formula to the patient, were apparently wheeled around the operating rooms. I got the impression that, unlike today, there was a lot of guesswork in deciding how much each patient would need to keep them ‘under’ while the deed was done.
A photographic display of matrons showed the grim faces of earlier mistresses of the wards—stern enough to frighten any hopeful young nurse—to the smiling images of today. One hopes that they really are a little more caring and considerate of their young charges.
We took a short trip through St George’s Cathedral, admiring the altar and the stained glass windows.
St George’s Cathedral altar
I particularly wanted to visit the State Buildings, formerly offices for the Lands, Titles and Treasury. These buildings have been there for a hundred and forty years. I expected to marvel at the timber which was used for doors, wide skirting boards and windows. The building had been left vacant for twenty years and it’s good to see it now restored and in use again, but why did someone decide to paint over that beautiful timber? Surely it could have been sanded down and restored to its former glory?
I made the same observation in Government House on the Sunday. Magnificent jarrah, a timber that is now in such short supply that finding enough for a house is difficult. Why, oh why, was someone so short-sighted? I bemoaned my disappointment to a few of the voluntary guides and was told that, due to a large supply of paint, the ‘Works Department’ in their wisdom, gave every beautiful door, window, skirting board (they were about 400mm high) and anything else that should have been sanded and polished, a few coats of very boring cream paint. Thank goodness the magnificent timber floors in Government House were covered with carpet at the time. I went into raptures on finding them unharmed.
Aside from my horror at the desecration of beautiful timber, the rest of the weekend went well. We heard stories, three minutes per teller allowed, with a polite tinkle from the leading historian followed by a clang of symbols if the tale exceeded the allotted time. A slam poem based on the life of Mollie Skinner was my favourite, but we also heard of lung disease in many of the gold miners from last century and an amusing twist on the Book of Genesis.
On Sunday we started at the Old Perth Boys School. Situated on St George’s Terrace, the building looks like a church, but was purposefully built that way so as to persuade the boys to behave in accordance with all the qualities that one would expect when attending a religious institution. Inside this building was painted as white as the rest, but the show made up for it. Perth Historical Panorama was put together and presented by Andrew Woods, with assistance from students at Curtin University. Photos from the past had been spliced together to make panoramas of Perth and Fremantle at various stages of their history. We even saw the drones that carried modern cameras to photograph the same positions today, from the sites where the old photos were taken (nowadays often inaccessible due to newer buildings, foliage, or other obstacles.) Sadly, many of the Perth buildings are no longer in existence. The one that struck me most was the absence of the Old Barracks at the top of St George’s Terrace. The little bit of arch that remains is a poor reminder of what was there, and what really could have been kept with better planning. This panoramic display can be found on google under Perth Historical Panorama for anyone interested in seeing our city as it used to be.
Palace Hotel staircase
Next stop was the Palace Hotel. Another disappointment as only the original staircase remains to
Decorated wall
show the beauty of the old timber. They had preserved some of the decoration on ceilings and walls though.
Then it was off to Government House Ballroom and the dancing display. I made my debut in that ballroom and was keen to see if it had changed. Apart from the previously mentioned desecration of timber, it just appeared smaller than I remembered, but that’s probably because similar venues these days are far more spacious. It still had an air of graciousness and everyone entering there, knew that we were privileged.
Stacked chairs were unloaded around the floor and we formed large ovals, facing the centre, anticipating something spectacular. Well, that did come eventually, with the first performance by students, aged about thirteen, many of whom had little sense of rhythm and whose lips moved as they counted out the beat. It was hilarious, and good to see their enthusiasm. One or two might even carry on and become stars.
The professionals more than made up for the youngsters. A delightful modern waltz and a graceful foxtrot had me wanting to take to the floor. The young Latin dancers were so fast, so light on their feet, doing a rumba like I’ve never seen and a quickstep that had me terrified that the girl, in staggeringly high heels, would slip and fall. It was an hour of delight and all free.
We finished the weekend with a tour of Government House,
Formal sitting room
Formal dining room
most of which remains palatial.
After returning to our hotel I saw this from the window and was amazed by the difference in today’s methods of construction.
Modern construction in our city