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. 

http://museumvictoria.com.au/reb/whatson/royal-exhibition-building-tours/ 

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.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cg6_LSv1YR0&list=PLFB9668683EF25039

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJENpziAfyk&list=PLFB9668683EF25039&index=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nwV_b6hOTM&list=PLFB9668683EF25039

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2b_gC8sqDiA&list=PLFB9668683EF25039

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfPIobBiFhM&list=PLFB9668683EF25039

Is there justice in basketball in Victoria?

This is a cautionary tale about a mother, a daughter, a family, a team and their brush with bureaucracy and the failure of the system in a basketball club.

Sometimes things happen that are beyond your control.  You may be the innocent party, but  justice is not done.

Recently a mother received a call from one of her daughter’s teammates. She asked the mother to come to the basketball stadium immediately as her daughter had been injured during her game in the midweek women's competition. An ambulance had been called. The mother was on the scene within minutes. The daughter was lying on the floor in great pain and distress.

First aid precautions meant she had to remain where she was, without movement, due to the possibility of neck and back injuries.

The mother was told there had been a young referee and a trainee referee under the supervision of an A Grade referee on that game. The A Grade referee did not have a whistle, so control of the game was left entirely to two referees with inadequate qualifications and experience. Apparently referees supervising a junior or trainee are not supposed to blow for fouls. 

The daughter’s injuries occurred when she was shooting for goal, and was leaping with both feet off the floor. A player from the opposing team charged her from the side with such force she was rammed into the brick wall - a distance in excess of four metres. Unfortunately this was not within the padded area. Her shoulder, arm and torso took the impact with the wall. She then dropped to the floor - without being able to regain her feet - and took the impact of the floor on her pelvis and thigh. The opposition player involved was given an ‘Unsportsmanlike Foul’ and had already left the stadium. The A Grade referee told the mother that the player involved would be reported. The other player’s ‘unsportsmanlike foul’ was a clear indication her actions were intentional. At the very least, her actions were dangerous. 

When the ambulance arrived, the daughter needed morphine for pain. She was fitted with a neck brace, carefully conveyed to the ambulance, and transported to a nearby Hospital Emergency Department. Before the ambulance left, Her husband arrived, and he accompanied her in the ambulance, while the mother followed in her car. 

While in the Emergency Department, the daughter was again was administered with painkillers, two more times.

When the Emergency doctor was eventually able to examine the daughter, he determined there were no breakages, however there was considerable dislocation/whiplash, bruising and muscular-skeletal strain and soreness. Fortunately the daughter is young, healthy and fit or her prognosis may have been more negative. 

The daughter eventually left the Emergency Department at 3.30am the next morning.

The bruise on the daughter's right hip/thigh

The bruise on the daughter's right arm.

She had to take several days off work, which is a considerable disadvantage for her job at the end of the Financial Year. She still requires ongoing medical support (two months after the incident), including physiotherapy, etcetera. She will also miss her income as a referee, as well as being unfit to play. 

Her husband has also had to take time off work to care for her.

The mother also had very little sleep that night.

They will never get that time back. Basketball insurance does not cover loss of casual income.

The family has many years of association with the basketball club, in various roles, and realise that a large club has a great and ongoing need for referees. But insufficient training and maintenance of standards does not attract or retain good referees. A higher standard of refereeing will result in more control of games and less injuries and player frustration. 

To her family, the daughter is precious. They do not want her to suffer permanent disability, which could have been the result of this incident. Long term medical implications of this injury are still to be revealed.

That evening was a very frightening time for the family, but their frustration and sense of betrayal had only just begun.

The following Saturday, when the mother was the venue supervisor, the same referee spoke to her and said he was would not report the player as he had not seen the incident, because he was talking to his trainee referee at the time. The daughter and the mother then both submitted complaints to the Club, and the club’s complaints officer spoke to them. He put in a report on the daughter’s behalf, as he felt that an injury requiring an ambulance, needed to be reported.

At no time did any representative of the club contact the daughter personally regarding her welfare or personal wellbeing. She only heard about the prospect of a Tribunal hearing through the mother, when she heard it in conversation at the club. The daughter was never officially told about the Tribunal, or advised how to proceed, or how many witnesses to bring, and what evidence she should provide. 

The Tribunal hearing was held on a Tuesday evening.

The player involved admitted she had caused the foul. She argued she did not think she had hit the daughter that hard. The player who caused the injuries was supported by two witnesses - one who agreed with her, and one whose testimony was thrown out as it contradicted the reported player’s testimony.

The daughter testified, as did another member from her team, who had seen the incident. As the daughter had not received official notice of the Tribunal hearing, she was unable to give enough notice to another of her teammates, who was closest to the incident on the court, and was in the best position to see the incident. The teammate had a work commitment.

When the Senior Referee gave his testimony he then changed his story and claimed he’d seen the incident and said that the reported player had not pushed that hard, despite the daughter’s obvious injuries and the distance she was thrown. Did he change his story to deflect attention from the fact he was not doing an adequate job as a referee?

Due to the Senior referee’s inconsistent testimony the complaint on the reported player was dismissed by the Tribunal. The Senior referee’s failure to make a report on the night of the injury prejudiced the case, as the Tribunal perceived that he had considered the action as lacking intent, despite the fact he had stated to the mother that he had not seen the incident.

The family were very upset and contacted the Complaints Officer who advised that the daughter could appeal to Basketball Victoria. But members of the club’s committee, who made no effort to contact the daughter to clarify details, decided the matter had been dealt with in-house and they did not support the appeal. She was told that without the committee’s support the appeal would not proceed.

The daughter was subsequently advised to write to Basketball Victoria and state her reasons for wanting an appeal of the Tribunal’s decision.

Below were the daughter's reasons for appealing the Tribunal’s decision:

1. She was never officially informed of Tribunal hearing.
2. She was never told about the time of the Tribunal. The mother heard unofficially and had to confirm details. No one in the family received written notification of the Tribunal.
3. Confirmation of the time of the Tribunal was too late for the daughter to organise her best witness, although she did manage to bring another witness supporting her complaint.
4. Inconsistent testimony of the Senior Referee led to a dismissal of the report - regardless of the admission of the player who injured the daughter, or her medical evidence, witness and testimony. 
5. The Senior Referee flip-flopped. He stated that a report would be made at the time of the incident, but later claimed to have not seen the incident as he was instructing a rookie referee on court. He was a reluctant witness as he stated he did not want to testify at the Tribunal. His evidence was suspect. His inconsistent testimony led the Tribunal to dismiss the case because the player had not been reported 'on the day'.
6. The Senior Referee was not instructed by the club of his responsibilities to players when an injury requiring an ambulance has occurred.
7. The junior referees were not mentored regarding the Tribunal. 
8. The Club had no protocol to ensure the well-being of injured parties or to support them during Tribunal hearings.
9. Despite being a member of the club for many years, and serving the club in many capacities, the committee at no time has inquired personally about the daughter’s wellbeing and did not support her appearance at the Tribunal or her subsequent appeal.
10. The Tribunal refused to visit the basketball court, where the incident took place, to allow the daughter to demonstrate the distance she was pushed.
11. The Complaints Officer supported the appeal.
12. The Referee coordinator also suggested a personal appeal.

The daughter played basketball at that club for many years. She is also an A Grade referee. She is distressed that this part of her life is now over.

As a result of this incident:

1. The daughter has been unable to play since the incident (now nearly 2 months ago) due to her injury. She may never play basketball again.
2. The daughter is still receiving regular medical and allied health attention for her injuries.
3. The daughter has lost income as a referee
4. The daughter will not play or referee for that club again.
5. The daughter was forced to have days off from her regular employment.
6. The daughter is spending considerable time at medical appointments.
7. The mother has resigned her position at the Club, which has also meant a loss of income. The mother could not continue to work with that referee or that unsupportive club.
8. The reported player involved received no penalty, reprimand or warning and continues to play.
9. The referee involved has never addressed the issue.
10. The Club’s committee has denied the daughter natural justice and showed no concern for her welfare.
11. The Club appears to have no protocols for dealing with these matters.

The family is disappointed in the lack of concern that the club has paid to their daughter’s grievance.  

The club has lost a family of loyal members, employees, volunteers and supporters. 

In early August the family received a standard form-letter reply from Basketball Victoria.

It said:

Unfortunately, outcomes of the Tribunal process are not always what people expect of them.  Our Tribunal volunteers have a very difficult job to perform and can only make a decision based on the evidence before them.  Obviously, on this occasion, they did not believe there was sufficient evidence to find the other player guilty of any offence. 

Under the Tribunal By-laws there is a limited right to review.  You can view that procedure also on our web site at By-law 21 of the By-laws.  The link is http://www.basketballvictoria.com.au/index.php?id=87

You will see from the By-laws that any request for review must have the endorsement of the Board of the basketball association.  I note that this has been taken to the [Club's] Board and the Board has decided not to request such a review.

It is not within my or Basketball Victoria’s power to otherwise intervene in the Tribunal process.

All this could have been avoided if the Senior Referee on the night has done what he said he would do – report the player, and tell the truth. His actions prejudiced the whole sequence of events.

Lesson from this sorry tale: If your child or adult family member is injured during a basketball match and you feel the action was intentional, make sure that the referee makes a report AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT or nothing will come of it. 

Footnote: The daughter has since joined a gym. This will keep her fit and help with her rehabilitation.

She still keeps in touch with her teammates.

Life with a teenage daughter - Changes in the Kingdom

Watercolour by L. Wilks

When our daughter was sixteen, life as we knew it changed forever in our household. What happened? What calamity befell us? Was there a death? Did someone lose their job? Was the dog pregnant?

Nothing that minor!

Once upon a time our teenage daughter had been a free spirit, a golden haired princess who ran to meet us when we came home, who asked if we wanted a cuppa, who usually needed to be driven somewhere. Suddenly she had this large growth on her side. It was called ‘a boyfriend’.

It was quiet romantic really. He saw her across a crowded basketball stadium and sent a go-between to ask her to meet him in the foyer at half time. Introductions were made. Phone numbers exchanged. Calls were made. He became a fixture.

He was a nice enough guy. Tall. Handsome. Courteous. (Or was I just being suspicious?)

It seems our Little Princess had grown up. She was spending large amounts of time preening in front of the mirror, talking on the phone and watching TV romances.

She had developed an interest in things that she wouldn’t give two minutes to some month earlier. Films that HE liked. Food that HE liked. Books that HE liked. (Well, there had to be some side benefits!)

As her parents, we adjusted. We learned to share. We’d always thought our daughter was beautiful, but it’s different when someone else thinks it. Apart from sharing our daughter with a boy we hardly knew, we had to share our home with the enormous fluffy toy he gave her on Valentine’s Day. It usually sat on her bed, but could be found abandoned anywhere about the house. At least it didn’t require feeding like her other pets that looked at me pathetically wondering where all her hugs and kisses had gone.

What were we supposed do?

What did my parents do? My Mum had interrogated all boys on their family history, when they crossed our front doorstep. The bare light globe often blinded them because they groped around a lot afterwards.

My Dad used to called every boy I brought home, ‘George’. On one memorable occasion, Dad hosed down a boy as he attempted the journey to the front door. Dad said he was just watering the garden. Yeah, Right!

As modern parents we were not going to be like that.

We’d play it cool. We wouldn’t play our hand too early. If we approved we’d be pushy. If we disapproved we’d drive her further into his arms.

We didn’t want to be the overprotective, nervous wrecks our parents were, when we were her age. We would do the modern thing. We would remain calm. If we took enough sleeping tablets we could just about get to sleep while we waited for her to get home. Almost!

She played it by the book. She even arranged the formal introduction. ‘Mum, Dad, this is Prince Charming. Prince Charming, this is Mum and Dad.’

Before this momentous occasion we were told firmly not to ask him too many questions. We stood like cardboard cut-out parents wondering what this boy wanted to do when he grew up, what subjects he liked at school, what footy team he supported. (That’s an important question in our home.)

These questions and a thousand more had to wait. The Princess had spoken.

After the first date I asked her if he’d kissed her. Did she like it?

She looked at me shocked. ‘It’s just too weird to talk to you about that. You’re an parent!’

What happened to all those parenting courses, those family round table discussions, those girl-to-girl chats we’d had? Had they amounted to nothing? Were these topics we would never discuss again?

It’s not that we didn’t trust The Princess. We trusted her with our lives. We could endure anything after her first driving lesson. It’s all that male testosterone we were worried about. Were all his gifts and attention aimed at a payoff? Where could we get a good sequined chastity belt for the Modern Miss?

Then I thought about his mum. Was she his taxi service, as we were hers? Did she deliver her son to our Den of Seduction and hope this Teenage Temptress would not lead her Charming Prince astray? Princes need to study too, you know.

I remembered some of the things I did when I was her age that my Mum and Dad didn’t know about. Then I really was worried. Should I suggest that my husband water the garden on date night?

I shoved that enormous fluffy animal to the back of her wardrobe. I hoped the tiara wasn’t too uncomfortable for him.

Years have passed. Prince Charming has moved on. The large fluffy toy departed during a garage sale.

A King of Hearts entered the Princess’s life and stole her heart.

As her parents, we have learned to share our beautiful daughter with a man who she loves, and who loves her. And delight, delight! The girl-to-girl chats have returned, but they are Woman-to-Woman chats now. She now thinks of her parents as more than chauffeurs and financiers.  The fluffy toy dog has been replaced with a breathing menagerie. The Princess has grown up. She is a Queen of Hearts. 

Whale watching off Coolangatta, Australia - July 2013

Photos by Steve Triance (the cruise photographer), as my photos where not as spectacular. My digital has a short shutter delay and I sometimes missed the action. My photos were similar but not as good quality. Steve had an SLR with tonnes of lenses.

Whale watching  was a highlight of our recent holiday.

It was a very exciting experience.

Apparently the Humpbacks (these ones) are the only whales that leap (breach) from the surface like this.

We were about 4 KM off shore and watched the whales leaping every minute or so for over an hour while we were following a pod of juvenile males up the coast. They were real show offs.

The whales even swam under the boat and resurfaced in front of the bow and we could smell the air they expelled from the air hole on the top of their heads. The captain said they were unusually active on this occasion. We also had the benefit of a marine biologist on board, who gave us information about whales and their habits. I strongly suggest you take sea sickness tablets before taking a whale watching cruise. We were okay, but others did not fare as well.

We were on a three-hour round trip. The whales were still leaping as we reluctantly headed back to port. That evening we could see some whales breaching from the shore at Coolangatta, but they were a lot closer in the morning.

I went whale watching off Alaska a couple of years ago and Coolangatta was much more exciting. 

The Alaskan whales were smaller, and never breached, and only occasionally showed their tales before they dived down for several minutes.

Fare well till next time.

You can view a great action video of whales breaching at my friend's blog.