Significant dates in the life of C. J. Dennis: 3rd October

[Stephen Whiteside]

Today is a significant date in the life of C. J. Dennis. If you would like to find out why, visit my blog:
http://www.stephenwhiteside.com.au/sign ... d-october/

[Neville Briggs]

There are a few of those commemorative sculptures around our cities and I suppose people walk past them every day and don't give a thought to the person made them.

[Stephen Whiteside]

Yes, I think that is absolutely true, Neville. They are now - quite rightly, I suppose - seen as very conventional, and are so familiar that they are virtually invisible. Yet the life of Gilbert was quite extraordinary. To think he was able to achieve all of that with virtually no formal training, and nothing really behind him in terms of financial support, I find incredible. We also take for granted the skill required to carve such fine - and convincing - detail from a block of clay or marble. Then you just throw in the First World War - and all the social disruption and grief that entailed, even if you were not actually fighting - for good measure. Gilbert is a completely forgotten figure in the city of Melbourne now. Even the Melbourne City Council were unable to provide me with any information regarding the commissioning or unveiling of the Matthew Flinders statue. One thing I do know about him is that he was very knowledgeable about Buddhism. How does a bloke born in country Victoria in 1867 develop an interest in Buddhism? That's what I'd like to know.

[Heather]

Central Victoria - Bendigo, Ballarat - Chinese - Buddhism. Could that be why Stephen?

[Stephen Whiteside]

Yes, you must be right, Heather. But how much contact would there have been between the white and the Chinese communities back then? I know Ned Kelly and Joe Byrne spent a lot of time with the Chinese during their childhood, but they were both at the very lowest end of the socioeconomic scale. Perhaps Gilbert was, too - or perhaps you didn't have to be.

[Heather]

There may have been Chinese shop keepers, opium dens. I know there were Chinese market gardeners in Kilmore. Maybe he was just curious.

[Stephen Whiteside]

Yes, all quite reasonable, I guess. Thanks.

[william williams]

Hi Stephen take a trip to Bendigo and visit the Golden Dragon Museum there were 25000 chinese in Victorian gold fields in the1850s or go to Bendigo at Easter for the awakening of the Dragon ceremony which is the largest and most spectacular in Australia

[Stephen Whiteside]

Thanks, Bill. Yes, I have been there. I just didn't make the connection, which was a bit silly of me.

[manfredvijars]

From the Wikki .....
In 1851, the first large group of Chinese to come to Australia came as part of gold rush most of whom stayed briefly for prospecting purposes rather than mass migration. In 1856, a temple was established in South Melbourne by the secular Sze Yap group. This temple was also used for Taoism, Confucianism, various cultural deities and even astrological activities. However, no clerics from China ever came to Australia, and the temple eventually declined and disappeared by the end of the 20th century.