Thursday 22 December 2016

Wilks Christmas Newsletter 2016

 
Sorry this has been so late this year. As you read you may discover why we have been held up ... waiting for permission to divulge some important news.
Here we are in Watsonia, still living among the renovations, but the end is in sight. Most things have now been unpacked. Finally! We can’t wait to start working on the front garden.
The back courtyard
The front driveway
Roy's beloved fire pit
The water tanks
The front verandah railings

Roy retired three years ago (2014) so he continues to enjoy his freedom with line dancing, gardening, socialising, and some odd jobs around the house. Roy still keeps in touch with the folk at Croydon SDS. He is still involved with much to do with Duane and also goes around to Noraccom to help with gardening etc. Roy would probably say the highlight of his year getting the driveway asphalted.

Liz will retire from working at La Trobe University at the Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre at the end of 2016. It will be an adjustment, but she has a number of things planned and will continue her watercolour painting at U3A and a couple of new subjects. Liz also enjoys catching up with old friends from former workplaces. This year Liz trained and started teaching English to migrants/refugees 1:1. It has been an enjoyable experience and she is learning from her student also (e.g. The art of dumpling making). Some of her time is also taken with involvement in the Special Olympics Melbourne North committee.
 
Retirement flowers from my lovely Amy.
Retirement gift from colleagues at OTARC - something to treasure


Duane continues to work at HiCity Industries, three days a week. He has ongoing funding to attend La Trobe University Life Skills Program two days a week, which adds variety to his life. Duane still enjoys his drama activities and this year they presented “TOAST” at Essendon Grammar School theatre. Duane still enjoys dancing on Tuesday evenings and can often be found enjoying the music at Watsonia RSL with his friends on a Saturday night. Duane also benefits from a weekly session with a personal trainer.
Miles is enjoying living in his self-contained bungalow/granny flat. He loves his independence. Miles has had another successful year with his painting and photography. He exhibited in numerous group exhibitions. Miles is still a regular SteamRail passenger throughout Victoria (as well as all his travel on the MET system). He also gets his money’s worth with his annual pass to the Melbourne Aquarium. Miles’ work at Fire & Clay (Lilydale) is two days a week and he is an enthusiastic member of the work choir, Fireworks, singing in various concerts and nursing homes. Miles also sees John, a carer from Yooralla, most Sunday afternoon where they go out into the community to enjoy all sorts of age-appropriate things together.
Miles beside one of his photographs =- complete with magpie, train lines and sharks (on the mug).
 Amy and Craig have had another good year. Their two dogs, Charlie and Mittsy, and Austin, the cat, are still going strong. Craig is still working for an app developer, whilst Amy is still working for the accountancy firm in East Ivanhoe. We had some extremely exciting news on Melbourne Cup Day when Amy & Craig announced they are expecting a baby next June.
Our eagerly expected grandchild
  Liz and Amy have maintained their tradition of ‘Girl Time’ where they share high teas. The quality continues to be high and the enjoyment evident.
Yes - Liz and Amy still enjoy the odd high tea.
Liz has managed to read all the books set at the book group at the Watsonia library. Miles has enjoyed some success at Special Olympics Northern Melbourne Region. Recently he had a PB in bowling of 222. We love being within walking distance to the shops, the station, and the library and close to family. It is just a 40-minute train ride to the centre of Melbourne.
The winner of this year’s Wilks-Handley footy tipping competition was Alison again, Craig’s sister. It was a close competition with 3 players equal in the last round. Unfortunately Collingwood let Amy and Roy down. We are hoping for better things in 2017, on and off the field.
Banyule adopted the NDIS in July 2016 and we have been somewhat frustrated with what we have experienced so far. Who said no one will be worse off?
The Wilks Family (Roy, Liz, Duane, Miles, Amy & Craig) are planning a flying visit to Sydney on New Year’s Eve to watch the fireworks. Another one off the Bucket List! A one night extravaganza and home again on New Year’s Day.
The 2016 Wilks’ newsletter is coming to an end. We hope you had an enjoyable year and you are healthy. We wish you the compliments of the season and hope you will visit, if you are in the area.
Love from Liz & Roy Wilks.  XXXXXX

(Let Christmas 2016 celebrations begin!)

Sunday 6 December 2015

The Wilks Family Update and Christmas Newsletter 2015


Here we are in Watsonia, living among the renovations, that are taking a lot longer than we expected. There are still many things to be unpacked. Infact, we can’t remember what most of it is. It’ll be a nice surprise when we finally have access to it again. Either that or the Op Shop will benefit.
Roy retired two years ago (2014) so he continues to enjoy his freedom with more line dancing, gardening, socialising, and some odd jobs around the house. Roy still keeps in touch with the folk at Croydon SDS. He and Duane regularly walk Amy’s dogs.  Roy also goes around to Duane’s place to visit or help with gardening etc.. Roy would probably say the highlight of his year is the ticket he has for the ACDC concert on December 6.

Liz is still working at La Trobe University at the Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre, three days a week. She continues her watercolour painting at U3A on Mondays, and enjoys catching up with old friends from former workplaces. This year she was involved in a community art project with Carers Victoria, that took place in Melbourne in Sept/Oct, during Seniors’ Week and Carers’ Week. This was great fun with brainstorming and developing ideas, filmmaking and recording. The activities culminated in an art installation in Southbank and the initiation of some strong friendships with carers across Melbourne.
Carers' Project
Duane continues to work at HiCity Industries, now three days a week. In July we secured funding for him to attend La Trobe University Life Skills Program two days a week. Duane travels to and from the university in the local buses, which will maintain his travel skills. We hope this will continue into the future, as Duane is enjoying the change in his routine. Duane has participated in drama company events in the Winter Festival (Federation Square) and in South Melbourne. Duane also enjoys dancing on Tuesday evenings and can often be found enjoying the music at Watsonia RSL with his friends on a Saturday night. Duane will also benefit from a weekly session with a personal trainer in 2016 (we hope).
Miles has adjusted well to living in his self-contained bungalow/granny flat. (Give him a routine and he will follow it.) He loves his independence. Miles has had another successful year with his paintings. He exhibited in at least eight group exhibitions, and a solo exhibition in Melbourne in May, which was very popular. He is enjoying photography also. Miles still enjoys regular SteamRail rides throughout Victoria (as well as all his travel on the MET system). He also gets his money’s worth with his annual pass to the Melbourne Aquarium. Miles’ work at Fire & Clay (Lilydale) offers weekly relaxation session, which he enjoys. He is also an enthusiastic member of the work choir, Fireworks, and they enjoy singing in various concerts and nursing homes throughout the year.
Amy and Craig have had another good year with a trip to Japan and Korea as their highlight. The aim of the trip was visiting an old school friend in Seoul Korea.  They also shared the large tank at Melbourne Aquarium with a number of sharks, stingrays and assorted fish. This has been a birthday present to Amy to which a number of her friends contributed…. Another one off her bucket list! Their two dogs, Charlie and Mittsy, and Austin, the cat, are still going strong. Craig changed jobs and is now working for an app developer, whilst Amy is still working for the accountancy firm in East Ivanhoe.
Liz and Amy have maintained their tradition of ‘Girl Time’ where they share high teas. The quality continues to be high and the enjoyment evident.
Mid-Year, Liz, Roy, Duane and Miles enjoyed a week holidaying in Coolangatta. The photo on this year’s Christmas Card was taken when we went to the Outback Spectacular on the Gold Coast. We also enjoyed Strictly Ballroom earlier in the year, and numerous trips to the cinema.
We have now settled in Watsonia. Liz has joined a book group at the local library. Miles has transferred to Special Olympics Northern Melbourne Region. (We were on the table that won the Trivia Night in September). We love being within walking distance to the shops, the station, and the library and close to family. It is just a 40-minute train ride to the centre of Melbourne for sporting events and the theatre. Liz can be at work in about 10 minutes, and at Jeanette’s in about 15 minutes.
The winner of this year’s Wilks-Handley footy tipping competition was Alison, Craig’s sister. We are hoping for better things in 2016, on and off the field.

Banyule will be adopting the NDIS in July 2016 and we are hoping that this will mean an improvement in services for all people with disabilities. The NDIS is new and will need some adjustment.

This year has seen the sad passing of Grandma Ede. She will be missed, especially by Duane, who loved his Grandma and looked forward to her weekly phone calls. Ede lived in Sydney but her funeral was in Melbourne, in keeping with her wish to be buried with her husband. Vale Ede!
Duane with Ede in 2011
The 2015 Wilks’ newsletter is coming to an end. We hope you had an enjoyable year and you are healthy. We wish you the compliments of the season and hope you will visit, if you are in the area.

Love from
Liz & Roy Wilks.
XXXXXX

(Let Christmas 2015 begin!)

Monday 8 December 2014

The Wilks Family Update and Christmas Newsletter 2014


Well, anyone who didn’t know we moved house this year must be hard of hearing, because it’s been broadcast far and wide.
We sold the house at Lower Templestowe and ‘downsized’ to a smaller place in Watsonia, although we are extending as I write. We built a self-contained bungalow/granny flat in the backyard for Miles, and we lost one of the original bedrooms in gutting the house for a larger meals area and bathroom, so we are building on another bedroom and outdoor decking, bringing it back to three bedrooms. This will all be more or less under the same roofline.

Miles' bungalow, during building
The back extension in progress
The renovations are long and arduous, so we will still be living in rubble into 2015. We will both be happy to get it all finished and finally be able to unpack the rest of our things and stop having to move our stuff around as areas are renovated. Jeanette will be happy to get her garage back too, as that’s where many of our possessions still remain.
Roy retired last year so he is enjoying his freedom with more line dancing, gardening, socialising, and sometimes helping with the renovations. Roy still keeps in touch with the folk at Croydon SDS. He is quick to down tools to join Amy walking her dogs or to pop around to Duane’s place at Noraccom, to visit or help with things that come up.
Liz continues to work at La Trobe University at the Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre, three days a week. She is happy to continue her watercolour painting at U3A on Mondays, and enjoys catching up with old friends from former workplaces. She is involved in a community art project with Carers Victoria, that will take place in Melbourne in May 2015, so stay tuned.
Duane started working at HiCity Industries at the beginning of 2014. His previous employer (VATMI) was unable to offer enough work and Duane had been struggling to keep himself occupied with work only 2 days a week. He is now working full-time and much happier. In the past few months he received funding to access some outreach activities, which he is using to attend a local gym and do other physical pastimes to increase his stamina and lose some weight. We are hoping this funding will be renewed when the current funding runs out in March 2015.

Duane, cunningly disguised as a ninja turtle.
Miles loves his bungalow and his new independence. As his parents it is a delight to see him happily using his vacuum cleaner (a SHARK) and hanging up his washing and washing his dishes etc. At the latest state election he took himself to the polling booth and voted unassisted - a new milestone. Miles has had great success with his paintings this year. He exhibited in numerous exhibitions, including the Melbourne Art Fair, where he sold all nine works he had exhibited, and also was invited to have a solo exhibition at a mainstream gallery in Melbourne in May 2015. Invitations to this event will be sent when details are confirmed. We are all excited at the prospect. He has had success in photography also and loves seeing his photos at exhibitions. Miles still loves trains and sharks.

Miles in front of some of his paintings at the Melbourne Art Fair 2014
Displaying his medals at the Special Olympics National Games.
Amy and Craig have not learned from our renovation experiences and will be extending their house next year, more than doubling their floor space. Their two dogs, Charlie and Mittsie, and Austin, the cat, will be happy to have more space. It is lovely to have Amy and Craig living a ten-minute walk away. Amy changed jobs during the year and now works for a firm of accountants in East Ivanhoe, 20 minutes from home. She is much happier now.
Liz and Amy have set up a tradition of ‘Girl Time’ where they share high teas. Every month or so they can be found sipping tea and eating scones in various establishments around Melbourne. The quality has been high and the enjoyment has been evident.

One of our high tea excursions in 2014.
In January 2014 Liz, Roy, Duane and Miles enjoyed a two-week cruise from Sydney, via Hobart, to New Zealand. Duane and Miles loved shipboard life and soon got their ‘sea legs’. We’re sure they would be happy to cruise again. We sailed up the east coast of NZ stopping at delightful spots along the way, including an enjoyable day in Wellington with Jan and Kent Atkinson, and ending in Auckland and flying back to Melbourne. Liz will write blog posts about this trip, and the renovations, in the near future.



NZ photos taken by Miles
Now that all five Wilkses are residing in Watsonia we feel quite at home. It is great to be able to walk to the shops, the station, the library and visit other members of the family. It is just a 40-minute train ride to the centre of Melbourne. Liz can drive to work in about 10 minutes, and we can be drinking cups of tea at Jeanette’s kitchen table in about 15 minutes.
Well, that is the Wilks’ news for another year. We hope you have had a satisfactory year and are healthy and enjoying life. We wish you the compliments of the season and hope you will join us for a ‘coldie’ on our outdoor decking when the renovations are finally finished! (… Or before that!)

Love from
Liz & Roy Wilks.
XXXXXX
(Let Christmas 2014 begin!)

Tuesday 3 December 2013

2013 Wilks Christmas Newsletter


Wilks’ Twelve Days of Xmas

On the twelfth day of Christmas 
My true love gave to me:
Twelve Lite ‘n’ Easy dinners
Eleven Steamrail excursions
Ten lawns Roy’s a-mowing
Nine iPad games of solitaire too many
Eight more tea chests a-needing packing
Seven more family birthdays
Six mobile phones a-ringing 
Five art exhibitions
Four Wilks a-cruising
Three Diamond Valley Actors’ performances
Two love birds (Amy & Craig) a-tweeting
And a Christmas pudding from Aunty Jeanette.

“What have the Wilks family done this year?” I hear you ask. “What have they been up to?” Well 2013 has been pretty much like the year before, but we are all one year older. But we are reaching some milestones. This year has been Roy's last year at Croydon SDS. Next year will be Roy's first year of retirement. Roy felt his time at Croydon had come to a close, as the kids are getting bigger and he is not getting any younger. He is counting down the last few days and looking forward to whatever retirement might bring. He will continue gardening for a group of friends, family and acquaintances. He still enjoyed his line dancing and country music.

We are also preparing for the process of downsizing from our home of over 30 years to a smaller home nearer to Duane, Amy & Craig, and public amenities. By this time next year we hope to have moved to Watsonia. There's a lot of downsizing of household goods to be done, with items to the auction rooms and op shop, and probably a garage sale in the near future - as well as making 158 Templestowe Road attractive for a new owner.

Amy and Craig have celebrated their first anniversary and appear to be enjoying their lives together. In July Amy decided to retire from basketball due to receiving a painful injury resulting in an ambulance trip to hospital. Read about this scary night at this posting. Amy has replaced basketball with a gym membership, which she is enjoying three times a week. She is still keeping in touch with her basketball buddies, but on a social basis. In 2014 Amy will be attending the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow as a member of the administration of the Australian Commonwealth Games Association. She is looking forward to receiving her uniform and marching in the opening ceremony. Later in 2014 Amy and Craig are planning a holiday in Africa, to give Amy quality time with wild animals. 

When Amy quit basketball Liz resigned her position as a member of staff at the basketball Club. This was in response to our disappointment with the club committee’s poor handling of Amy’s injury and their failure to reprimand or penalise the player who deliberately injured her, and the club’s failure to show concern for Amy’s welfare after 18 years membership.
With Saturday afternoons and Tuesday evenings free, Liz is enjoying new freedom to pursue her other interests - watercolour painting at U3A, attending clubs and galleries, and enjoying a couple of high teas with Amy on Saturdays.

Liz is still working at La Trobe University at the Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre and intends to remain there as long as she is happy and useful. Hopefully someone will tell her when she needs to go.

Duane has endured a year where he has had his working hours cut back, leaving him with only two days work each week. This is not enough to keep him happy and active so we have been applying for various options and we hope 2014 will bring some good news for his future. If his working hours do not increase he is hoping to enroll in a day program that will help him maintain his skills and provide some variety and stimulation in his life. Duane's drama group put on a three-performance season of their own production “A Cosmic Love” at the Carlton Courthouse Theatre in October. The show played to full houses and appreciative audiences.

Miles has continued his usual activities and is creating some lovely artwork. This year Miles has varied his creativity into photography, as well as ceramics, painting and animation. His photo below was exhibited at Arts project in July and the run of three prints was sold out at the opening of the exhibition. This photograph was also featured on the cover of the Arts Project Annual report this year. Late this year we accessed extra funding for Miles to access an outreach carer to facilitate some new options in his social life. Miles has enjoyed the times he has done so far, enjoying walks by the river at Warrandyte and a tasty cappuccino at the local bakery, We hope these activities will include joining a bush walking group and the Eltham miniature railway association, to which John will accompany him. Miles’ bowling scores are getting consistently higher – he often scores over 200 points. 

Miles capped off his year by winning the Christmas Hamper Raffle at the Special Olympics Christmas break-up.

In August we enjoyed a week in Coolangatta at timeshare - Liz, Roy, Duane and Miles enjoyed the usual delights of the Gold Coast, and we were wowed with a whale spotting trip off Coolangatta. In August we enjoyed a week in Coolangatta at timeshare - Liz, Roy, Duane and Miles enjoyed the usual delights of the Gold Coast, and we were wowed with a whale spotting trip off Coolangatta - see link.Another milestone we have reached this year - Amy and Craig are hosting the Christmas Day celebrations. A time of generational change!

Another interesting highlight was a tour of the Melbourne Royal Exhibition Building. Read my blog about this beautiful old building.

You are welcome to browse my other irregular blog postings for the year.

Mittsy has joined Amy & Craig's menagerie. A playmate for Charlie and an irritation for Austin.

Well, here we come to the end of our news. We hope you enjoy our annual catch up, and we hope you'll let us know what you've been doing too. Have a very happy Christmas time and a healthy and safe New Year.
With lots of love from the Wilks family.

If all goes to plan we will be moving to a new (old) home in the first half of 2014.
Still the same email address and the same mobile phone numbers, but our new address will be in Watsonia 3087

We are moving because the Watsonia house is:
  
Within easy walking distance of
  • Shops, station and library
  • Duane’s house 
  • Amy & Craig’s house

  With a backyard big enough to put a self-contained bungalow for Miles
  
On a flat block
  
At a price we could afford and still have money left for renovations.

We are excited to be downsizing, and a little daunted by all the stuff we will have to get rid of to accommodate the move.

Seasons Greeting from the Wilks Family

XXXXXX
(Roy, Liz, Duane, Miles, Amy & Craig)

Wednesday 6 November 2013

The Royal Exhibition Buildings, Melbourne


Visiting a grand old Dame on a bright Melbourne afternoon
Viewed from the North side.
Until the early 1950s Melbourne was a low-rise city. The dome of the Exhibition Buildings was the tallest structure in the Melbourne area. As a child I can remember the egg-shape dome on the horizon in the direction of the Central Business District. It was visible from the Cooper Hill, Bundoora, in the North and from Doncaster Hill in the East. The Exhibition Building seems to have always been a part of Melbourne, but it was not until a recent tour of the building that I became aware of the integral role this building has played in the historic events of Melbourne. I knew, as did all Australian school children of my era, that the first Australian Federal Parliament was held in this building in 1901. But the story goes back further than that.

A large piece of land, to the north of the city, was reserved for the Carlton Gardens in 1839. Paths and garden beds were designed by Edward La Trobe Bateman on this elevated area in the 1850s. Later, the designer of the Exhibition Building, Joseph Reed, also contributed to the design of the gardens. A well known Melbourne horticulturist, William Sangster was employed to lay out the gardens with perennial shrubs, hedges and trees in 1879-1880, but it took several years for the trees to grow enough to give the crowds shade.

Like the Sydney Opera House, a century later, the Exhibition Building’s design was the result of a competition. Eighteen entries were submitted in 1877 and the winner was Joseph Reed of the architectural firm of Reed & Barnes. Reed won first place recieving 300 pounds for his Rundbogenstil (round arch style) design. The Victorian Governor, Sir George Bowen, laid the Exhibition Building’s foundation stone in February 19, 1879. David Mitchell, a prominent Melbourne builder, won the tender to construct the main building. Exhibitors were able to occupy the space by May 1880.


1880-1881

On October 1, 1880, over 6000 people visited the main hall of the Exhibition Building to see the Governor, the Marquess of Normanby, open the Melbourne International Exhibition. Thirty-three nations participated with displays. Over 32,000 exhibits were displayed from every corner of the world. Displays included Great Britain, France, Germany, India, Japan, China, the United States of America and all Australian colonies. By April 30, 1881, over 1.3 million people had visited the Exhibition. Victoria’s population at the time was only 250,000.

New trading relationships were the reason for Melbourne’s 1880 International Exhibition. Manufacturers competed for prizes, as the medals and certificates awarded by the exhibition’s organisers. This attention generated business for the participants.

Visitors came from around the world. The size and scale encouraged repeat visits. A program of daily events (in a daily free newspaper, printed on site) added to the attractions, including piano recitals, demonstrations, refreshments and temporary shows. Promenading the main avenues was an essential element to visiting the exhibition. For young women of ‘good family’, the exhibition was the first large event in Melbourne that they could attend unchaperoned.
Josef Hochgurtel, a immigrant from Cologne, and his colleague August Saupe, won a competition to design the fountain at the southern entrance of the Exhibition Building. The fountain has rich iconography, featuring young boys (innocence and the purity of youth), industry, commerce, science and art; and representations of Victorian flora and fauna.
The "French Fountain" was originally inside the building for the 1880 exhibition, but was later moved to outside the Eastern entrance.
On October 1, 1881, building’s management and eight hectares of Carlton Gardens was transferred to the Exhibition Trustees by the Melbourne International Exhibition Commissioners. The Trustees’ responsibility was to maintain the building for ‘future public exhibitions and … general public instruction and recreation.’
The Trustees completed this role in 1996, when management of the building was transferred to Museum Victoria. The philosophy of the Trustees in 1881 continues to inform operations at the Exhibition Buildings.

Visitors to the Exhibition Buildings used to be able to ascend to the dome promenade where they had a ‘fine view’ of the city. Prior to the installation of a lift, in 1888, visitors had to climb 80 steep steps to reach the viewing platform. This area is not accessible to the public today.

In 1885 an aquarium, picture gallery and museum opened in the eastern annexe. Aquatic creatures, natural history specimens, antiquities, fine arts, a suit of armour worn by a member of the Kelly gang, a cyclorama, a children’s theatre and a planetarium were displayed here. This complex was destroyed by fire in 1953.

1888-1889
The Melbourne Centennial International Exhibition, 1888-1889 opened on August 1, commemorating 100 years of white settlement in Australia. The opening was accompanied by great fanfare and publicity but when closed on January 31, 1889, the exhibition was deemed a financial failure. It had cost Victoria 238,000 pounds.

Two million visitors (double the population of Victoria at the time) had travelled to the exhibition with displays from nearly 40 nations. Many visitors rode the newly installed cable tram along Nicholson Street. With the instalment of electric lighting, the exhibition was the first in the world to offer night-time viewing.

In 1888 the temporary annexes and permanent buildings covered 31 acres.  

The western nave was transformed into a concert hall. A false ceiling and partitions were installed, along the galleries, to improve acoustics. An organ was built and installed by George Fincham of Bridge Road Richmond. Its bellows were in the basement of the building, but the organ never performed well and it was removed by Fincham & Sons in 1965. The last concert performed on the organ took place in 1922. Above Left: The organ in its heyday. Above Right: The organ being dismantled.
Music was one of the main attractions of the Centennial International Exhibition. The conductor, Frederick Cowen of the London Royal Philharmonic Society, was employed to oversee the musical festival. Frederick Sargood, Vice-President of the Exhibition Commission, covered all expenses, including Cowen’s hefty fee of 5000 pounds.

The orchestra included 73 professional players and a choir of 700 voices. In the 6 months of the exhibition, the Centennial Orchestra gave 263 concerts. Cowen returned to England at the end of the exhibition, but his orchestra continued until 1891.

Politician and temperance advocate, James Munro, tried to ban the display and sale of alcohol at the exhibition. He was unsuccessful. 
The cellars in the basement underneath the great hall were divided into bars, where visitors to the exhibition could sample colonial and foreign wines. A German ‘lagerbier kiosk’ situated on the South Terrace of the Exhibition Building 1888-1889, served beer to thirsty patrons.

Federation 1901
Twelve thousand guests filled the Exhibition Building on May 9, 1901, for the opening of the first Federal Parliament of Australia by the Duke of Cornwall and York (later to become King George V).

The Royal party was seated on a raised dais under the southern transept. The new Commonwealth parliamentarians were seated under the dome. State politicians were seated behind them in the northern transept. Other dignitaries occupied the seats in the east and west naves, while the galleries were filled with members of the press and invited guests.

The opening of Australia’s first Federal Parliament was a great occasion for Melbourne society. There were ten days of festivities to mark the occasion and honour the royal visitors.
Charles Nuttall’s depiction of the opening of the first federal Parliament was commissioned be the Historical Picture Association, a syndicate of private gentlemen. There are 344 identifiable heads in the painting, which measures 3.6 x 2.4 metres. Painted in a studio within the Exhibition Building, it was unveiled by the Governor General on June 19, 1902. The artist Tom Roberts also painted this occasion but the Nuttall painting is more historically correct, although the artists manages to paint his own portrait within the crowd. Reproductions of the painting were produced by Goupil et cie in France. In the early 20th century, copies were hung in schools, municipal buildings and Australian homes. Many Australians will remember this painting from their school days.
In 1901, there was no Federal capital and no Federal parliament building. Plans to retro-fit the Exhibition Building were drawn up, but it was decided that the Federal parliamentarians would occupy the Victoria State Government building on Spring Street, while State Parliamentarians moved into the western annexe of the Exhibition Building. During its 26-year tenure much important legislation was passed, including the Vote for Women in 1908.

Dame Nellie Melba performed at the Exhibition Building in December 1907.

The exhibition hospital
On February 4, 1919, the Exhibition Building was converted to a hospital to treat Melburnians struck down by the Spanish flu.
Initially with 500 beds, the hospital grew to accommodate 2000 patients. Females were housed between the concert platform in the western nave and the dome, while male patients occupied the spaces beyond. The morgue was in the basement.
The hospital was said to be ‘draughty and cheerless’, so nurses called for donations of plants and flowers, and electric lights were slung from wires above each bed.

A team of professional nursing staff and volunteers cared for the patients. Many of the staff also fell ill, causing shortages. At one stage the Catholic Church offered the services of the Sisters of Charity and the Sisters of Mercy, but a sectarian argument caused the offer to be rejected.

The exhibition hospital closed on mid-August 1919. In the six months 4046 patients had been treated, with only 391 deaths.

After the hospital
In 1921, 80,000 visitors came to the eastern annex to see an exhibition of photographs on display in the new Australian War Memorial Museum. 
On ANZAC Day 1922, a permanent display of military relics and dioramas of battle scenes opened in the Australian War Memorial Museum. Over 800,000 people visited this display before its relocation to Sydney in January 1925, then to Canberra in the 1930s.
After State Parliament departed in 1927, the western annexe became the offices of the Country Roads Board, joined by the Motor Registration Branch in 1932, and the Transport Regulation Board in 1934. The three agencies co-existed in the cramped office spaces until the 1960s. Between 1927 and 1960, the courtyard on Rathdown Street was a vehicle inspection area, and temporary buildings, including a weighbridge, were constructed behind the annexe.

Between March 1941 and December 1945 the RAAF No 1 School of Technical Training occupied the Exhibition Building. 2000 personel were camped on the floors of the great hall and a shower block was set up in the vestibule behind the organ. The concert hall in the western nave was transformed into a recreation room, and a kitchen, hospital and laundry block and store room was built on the area to the north of the building. It is thought that the demise to the organ started during this period when troops were known to remove parts of the organ to sell to a scrap metal merchant in Richmond to get drinking money.

In 1949 the Exhibition Trustees leased the oval behind the Exhibition Buildings to the Commonwealth government to establish a migrant reception centre. When it closed in 1961-2, the centre included 29 bungalows and covered 1.4 hectares. The centre had given temporary accommodation for thousands of new arrivals from Britain. The bungalows were said to be freezing cold in winter and stifling hot in summer.

In 1952 the Royale Ballroom reopened in the eastern machinery annex with two air-conditioned ballrooms, decorated in shades of rose. At its peak it hosted 250 functions a year. The ballroom closed for renovations in 1968 and never reopened. It was demolished in 1979.
In the mid 1950s, in preparation for the 1956 Olympics, the circular garden to the west of the building was asphalted. The area to the north of the building became a car park. Fencing competitions were held under the dome during the 1956 Melbourne Olympic games. 
The Exhibition Building narrowly escaped demolition in the 1960s when a vote to demolish the building was defeated by one vote in State Parliament.

The concert hall in the western nave continued to attract audiences well into the 20th Century, and the exhibition oval was a popular venue for early bicycle races.

Royal Exhibition Building
An International Centenary Exhibition was held to mark the Exhibition Building’s 100th Birthday in 1980. HRH Princess Alexandra of Kent, on behalf of her cousin the Queen Elizabeth II, declared the exhibition open on October 1. She also opened the newly constructed Centennial Hall, a mirrored extension to the building. It was during this visit that the Princess bestowed the Royal title on the Exhibition Building.

Since 1980 the Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens have hosted bazaars, exhibitions, commercial events, trade shows, international meetings and community events. They continue to be used in this way today.

Royal visits to the building included 
HRH Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York 1901
HRH Duke and Duchess of York 1927
HRH Queen Elizabeth II 1954
HRH Princess Alexandra of Kent 1980

The longest-running continuous event is the Hot Rod Show, which first booked the Exhibition Building in 1965. 
Another regular booking is for university exams, which have been held in the Exhibition Building for more than 80 years.

Symbolism and design
A visitor to the interior of the building cannot help but notice the richness of decoration within the building. 
The lunettes lunettes (above the central archways) were rich with allegorical symbolism. They are Federation (West), The Arts applied to Peace (North); Government (East); Arts applied to War (South).
The sylphs decorating the piers of the dome represent Summer, Justuce, Autumn, Night, Spring, Morning, Winter and Truth.
The mythological figures (representing Hercules, Mercury, Venus and Mars) are in the pendentives.
Four mottoes are painted under the windows of the dome: Die Grecia (By the grace of God); Carpe Diem (Make the most of the day); Aude sapere (Dare to be wise) and Bendigno numine (With benign power). 
Eight plaques representing eight different nationalities are above the lower archways under the dome. To the viewer today they appear to convey racial stereotypes, but rather they were meant to signify that all the nations of the world were represented at the exhibitions held in this building.
Restoration
In the 1980s the building was re-floored, and the installation of 1880 light fittings according to the 1888 lighting plan was carried out. In the 1990s John Ross Anderson’s 1901 decorative scheme was reinstated. The interior conservation work was completed in 1995. 
A replica gasolier based on a John Danks and Company design of 1880, adapted for electric use.
The building’s 1980 interior facelift coincided with the building’s centenary celebration. The exterior was painted following the advice of heritage consultant Peter Lovell who used paint-scrape techniques to determine the colour scheme. 
Looking South from the Northern Nave.
Looking East from the Western Nave.
The Trustees commissioned conservation architect Allan Willingham to prepare the first conservation analysis of the Exhibition Building. His 1982 report was too late to save the two machinery annexes. The Western Annexe was destroyed between 1962 and 1967, the Eastern Annexe between 1971 and 1979. However, Willingham’s report established the criteria for all future work on the building, and ultimately led to the restoration of its interior and exterior.

The Building was fully restored to its former glory in 1996. Allan Willingham’s conservation analysis outlined a ten-year program of restoration.
Looking up into the central dome is a spectacular sight.
All the corrugated iron was replaced between 1980 and 1995. In 1992 the external slate cladding was restored on the dome. The lantern at the top of the dome was regilded in 22-carat gold leaf at this time.

During the 20th Century the landscape around the Exhibition Building has seen much change, but Reed’s 1880 layout remained unchanged.

John Mather (1880), John Clay Beeler (1888) and John Ross Anderson shared similar approaches to their decorative treatments of the interior of the Exhibition Building: allegorical and emblematic art treatments, virtuous mottoes and stencilled ornament.

In July 1, 2004, the Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens were inscribed on the World Heritage List. The Royal Exhibition Building is the only 19th Century Great Hall to survive largely intact, in its original landscape setting, and still used as a palace of industry. Earlier listings by the National Trust of Victoria (1958), the Victorian Register of Government Buildings (1972) and the Australian Heritage Commission (1975) helped ensure the building’s survival in an age of modernisation.

In 2013 the Exhibition Building still stands beautifully within its environment, reflected in the glass walls of the adjoining museum, to its North. This gracious old dame of Australian architecture holds the optimism of early Victorians and their pride in their fledgling colony. In a city where skyscrapers punctuate the skyline this grand building holds a majestic presence within the landscape and the hearts of Melburnians.

A visit to the building will be an enjoyable interlude for visitors to Melbourne and locals alike. The Museum runs tours of the Exhibition Building for $5 or $3.50 concession. 
Tours are held most days at 2pm, subject to availability. Tours may not run when the building is in use for certain events and exhibitions. Call 13 11 02 prior to your visit to confirm.

Source: Museum Victoria
I would like to acknowledge the huge amount of information displayed in and around the Exhibition Building as the primary source used in this article.

Related links to videos about the REB and the Carlton Gardens produced by Museum Victoria.