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Current Events
After the Griffins – stories from the Castlecrag of the thirties, forties and fifties American architects, Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin had a dream of creating an “ideal suburb” in Sydney. They founded Castlecrag in the twenties and created a very different community from any other in Australia with their vision for community, their love of children, music and dance and their passion for the environment. They left in the thirties but their ideals meant the suburb continued to attract a unique group of people. To celebrate History Week and its 2017 theme of ‘Australian popular culture’, the Walter Burley Griffin Society is organising a panel of former residents to discuss living in Castlecrag in the early years of the Griffin-inspired community, covering aspects such as entertainment, fashion, the motor car and public transport, play and toys. To accompany the discussion there will also be a slide show of photographs taken by Hermann Junge during the 1920s and 30s and further photographs from the 40s and 50s. When: Sunday 10 September, 2.00pm to 3.30pm
Inspired voices – the Griffin legacy at Castlecrag To celebrate the Australian Heritage Festival and its 2017 theme of ‘Having a Voice’, the Walter Burley Griffin Society is organising a guided walk at Castlecrag. The internationally renowned suburb of Castlecrag was designed by Walter Burley Griffin in the 1920s as a residential community inspired by the ecological and aesthetic qualities of the landscape of Middle Harbour and its foreshores. You are invited to take a guided tour past Griffin houses and through some of the reserves and walkways at Castlecrag and hear, in Griffin’s own words, the special qualities and aspects he implemented at Castlecrag. Please bring hat, walking shoes and water. Cost: Adult $20; Concession/Student $15; Child $0 Bookings essential at Meeting place for the walk – nature strip outside 136 Edinburgh Road, Castlecrag.
A circus opera The Carnival Special performances of The Carnival will raise money for the Haven Amphitheatre reconstruction project. Described as "circus opera" The Carnival debuted on London's West End in 2011 and is composed by very talented Castlecrag-born Chloe Charody. Another of Chloe's operas is currently on tour in Europe where she is rapidly becoming a leading female composer. Soprano Valda Wilson will be The Carnival's leading lady. Valda, also Castlecrag-born, won Opera Foundation Australia's scholarship to train at the National Opera Studio, London. She has been a principal soprano at the Oldenburg State Theatre, Germany since 2014 and in December 2016 sang the title role in Handel's Theodora for Pinchgut Opera in Sydney. The Carnival will be an amazing performance, and you are encouraged to purchase tickets so as not to miss this fabulous and innovative circus opera and to help fundraising for the Haven Amphitheatre reconstruction project. The performances are being organised by Haven Promotions Inc. Book now:
This amazing project by the Melbourne School of Design's Master of Architecture students led by Philip Goad at the University of Melbourne, is open until 23 October 2016. The students have manufactured over 2300 full-size Knitlock tiles in plaster of paris for this 1:1 reconstruction of the Griffins’ own tiny Eaglemont home. View video clip of the students assembling the tiles to build the replica https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlSo-qW0QDw The Pholiota Unlocked exhibition is on the ground floor (actually down steps to a lower level) of the Melbourne School of Design, located a few buildings away from Newman College. FREE exhibition.
Ethereal Eye Jonathan Mills’ musical homage to the Griffins to be performed in their Newman College Dining Hall along with stunning projections onto the hall’s magnificent domed interior. Projection artist Ian de Gruchy, plus dancing by Leigh Warren and Delia Silvan. Tickets are $28 and can be booked at https://www.festival.melbourne/2016/events/ethereal-eye/#.V_t7tiN97aw
Inside the Ethereal Eye Immersive projections exploring Newman College Dining Hall and the ceiling of the Capitol Theatre on an ultra-high-resolution 6 metre wide projection dome, by two of the world's leading new-media artists, Sarah Kenderdine and Jeffrey Shaw in collaboration with the University of Melbourne's Transformative Technologies Research Unit. FREE exhibition.
Griffin Houses Open Day Immerse yourself in the Griffins’ Castlecrag by visiting the interiors of a number of houses designed by Walter Burley Griffin which will be open for viewing with guided walks going between the houses. This is a rare opportunity to see the interior design features of some of the Griffin houses at Castlecrag built in the 1920s and early 30s. Where: Starting point 140 Edinburgh Road, Castlecrag Cost: Adult $60; Member $45; Student/Concession $45; Family of four $150
Following the open houses there will be two illustrated talks in the nearby Marion Mahony Griffin Hall. The first talk The Melson House Revealed: An Owner’s Perspective will detail the history of this highly significant house designed by Griffin and built in Mason City, USA in 1912. The talk will be given by visiting American art historian and author Peggy Bang, from Mason City, who is owner of the Melson house.
Cost: Adult $10; Members $5; Student/Concession $5  Marion Mahony (1871–1961), photograph courtesy Art Institute of Chicago The talk will follow a specially designed coach tour of Griffin related sites in Canberra. The tour details will be finalised shortly. If you would like to take part, please contact info@griffinsociety.org
Heritage Festival events in Castlecrag 2016 To celebrate the National Trust’s Heritage Festival and its 2016 theme of ‘Discovery and Rediscovery’, the Walter Burley Griffin Society is organising two events on 16 April. 1. Rediscovering the Griffins’ Castlecrag – guided walk The internationally renowned suburb of Castlecrag was designed by Walter Burley Griffin in the 1920s as a residential community inspired by the ecological and aesthetic qualities of the landscape of Middle Harbour and its foreshores. You are invited to take a guided tour past Griffin houses and through some of the reserves and walkways at Castlecrag and learn about their history and the special community that the Griffins fostered at Castlecrag. Please bring hat, walking shoes and water. Cost: Adults $20; Children $10; Family $50; Concession $15
2. Rediscovering the Griffins’ Castlecrag: the people and places in the 1930s and 40s A panel of former residents will discuss living in Castlecrag in the early years of the Griffin-inspired community, covering aspects including how the community evolved, children's play, the landscape, memorable personalities, stories about the Griffins, knitlock, public transport; cars, houses, shops, army camps, street tree plantings. To accompany the discussion there will also be a slide show of photographs from the 1920s and 30s from a recently-discovered collection. Light refreshments provided. Where: Marion Mahony Griffin Hall, Glenaeon Infants School Cost: Adults $20; Children $10; Family $50; Concession $15 Bookings essential: www.trybooking.com/JZGG
Marion Mahony Griffin Lecture 2015 The Walter Burley Griffin Society Inc invites you to the sixth Marion Mahony Griffin Lecture. The guest speaker Dr Jennifer McFarlane will give an illustrated talk titled: A profession worked along (unorthodox) spiritual lines – Marion Mahony and Walter Burley Griffin. Brett Odgers of the Canberra Chapter of the Society will introduce the evening and speak briefly about recent planning changes and proposals for central Canberra. Trevor Lee, Canberra architect and Griffin scholar, will also speak briefly on his Recent Finds: Marion Mahony Griffin's personal esoteric library in Chicago. Tickets: WBGS Members $5; Non-members $10; Students $5 Bookings for this event can be made through:
MMG Lecture 2015 preliminary talk by Trevor Lee. The assistance and co-operation of the Anthroposophical Society in Chiago and Sydney in this research is much appreciated. Recent finds of MMG esoteric library 2015 presentation. MMG Lecture 2015 by Dr Jennifer McFarlane
Visionaries in Suburbia book launch The Walter Burley Griffin Society’s new book Visionaries in Suburbia: Griffin Houses in the Sydney Landscape was launched on 17 September at the Art Space in Willoughby Incinerator, Sydney designed by Walter Burley Griffin and his partner Eric Nicholls in 1933 and recently restored by Willoughby City Council. After more than three years of research, writing, sourcing images, designing, editing and publishing, we celebrated the launch with well over 100 members and guests. Mayor of Willoughby City, Cr Gail Giles-Gidney and heritage planner Sheridan Burke gave guest speeches and the Society’s Patron John McInerney, former deputy Lord Mayor of the City of Sydney, officiated as MC. Also present were the newly elected Mayor of Ku-ring-gai Cr Cheryl Szatow, and the former mayor Cr Jennifer Anderson, now the Chair of Ku-ring-gai Council’s Heritage Reference Committee. Attendees from Willoughby City Council included Cr Judith Rutherford and Cr Lynne Saville, Chair of the Willoughby Heritage Advisory Committee. In her speech Mayor Gail stated that the book “celebrates and documents the unique legacy left to us by Walter Burley and Marion Mahony Griffin, who worked hard to preserve the natural landscape, cultivate sustainable living and create a cohesive community … As a resident of Castlecrag, I am honoured to be able to experience this astounding legacy every day – from the physical environment of the incredible buildings, streetscapes, landscapes, reserves and walkways, to the great sense of community that Castlecrag fosters. The Walter Burley Griffin Society is a local community group that has grown from this ethos and their production of Visionaries in Suburbia is a monumental accomplishment – connecting us to our past and creating an understanding and appreciation of the roots of the Castlecrag community".
The Society is most grateful to its many generous sponsors (listed in the front of the book) who made possible the task of printing a high quality book in Australia and retailing the book at a reasonable price, without having to compromise content, quality or price. Heritage planner and guest speaker Sheridan Burke’s speech. RRP: $59.95 available in good bookstores around Australia and online at:http://www.manic.com.au/Visionaries-in-Suburbia-Griffin-Houses-in-the-Sydney-Landscape.html
Sunday 7 June 2015 10.00am to 3.00pm Castlecrag Shopping Village Edinburgh Road and The Postern The Walter Burley Griffin Society will once again have a stall at the biennial fair organised by the Castlecrag Progress Association. The Society will have on display some knitlock tiles, a concrete building block developed by Walter Burley Griffin and David Charles Jenkins, patented in 1917. The segmental building system was used to build several Griffin designed houses in Castlecrag and a number in Melbourne. A new book about the fascinating Melson house, designed by Griffin at Rock Crest Rock Glen, Mason City, Iowa, USA, will be for sale. It is titled The Melson House Revealed: An Owner’s Perspective and is by Peggy Bang. Also for sale will be greeting cards with two of Marion Mahony Griffin’s magnificent forest portraits.
A guided walking tour through some of the reserves and walkways at Castlecrag created by the Griffins based on their environmental and community ideals. The internationally renowned suburb of Castlecrag was designed by Walter Burley Griffin in the 1920s as a residential community inspired by the ecological and aesthetic qualities of the landscape of Middle Harbour and its foreshores. Learn about some of the creative forces Walter and Marion Mahony Griffin brought to their work at Castlecrag and the environmental ideals and community life they fostered here. Please bring hat, walking shoes and water. Cost: Adults $20; Children $10; Family $50; Concession $15 Bookings essential: info@griffinsociety.org or phone Kerry on 02 9958 4516
Invitation to AGM Light refreshments will be served. Followed at 3.30pm by
guest speaker Adrienne Kabos Canberra centenary celebrations On the centenary of Walter Burley Griffin’s arrival in Australia, the Walter Burley Griffin Society is celebrating the Griffins’ Canberra as part of the Canberra 100 program of events. Join us to celebrate in the following events: The Walter Burley Griffin Society invites you to the fifth annual Tickets: WBGS Members $20 (earlybird bookings $15 until 30 June);
Join three leading international experts on the Griffins as they talk about the influences and ideals that underpin the Griffin design for Canberra, and its international significance. Professor Emeritus Paul Kruty Professor James Weirick Professor Dr. Karl Fischer Proudly supported by an Australian Government Your Community Heritage Grant. Tickets: WBGS Members $75 (earlybird bookings $65 until 30 June);
Bus tour – The Griffins’ Canberra Professor James Weirick will give this guided tour which will include looking at the Griffins’ land and water axes, their plans for a railway line and central station, urban centres and suburban ideals. Tickets: WBGS members $35, non-members $45
2012 — 100 years since the Griffins won the Australian National Capital Competition On 23 May 1912, the Australian Minister for Home Affairs, King O’Malley announced that the winner of the Australian National Capital Competition was entry 29, the entry by Mr Walter Burley Griffin, architect and landscape artist, Steinway Hall, Chicago, Illinois. On that day at the official announcement, Mr O’Malley stated “What we wanted was the best the world can give us and we have got it”.1 1 Canberra 1912: Plans and Planners of the Australian Capital Competition, John W. Reps, Melbourne University Press 1997, p100.
Heritage Guided Tours of the Capitol Theatre, Melbourne Guided tours of the magnificent theatre interior, designed by the Griffins in 1922, are conducted on the 3rd Friday of March, May, June, July, August, September, October and November on a continuous basis from 10am until 3.00pm (last tour start time). Trained volunteer guides tell visitors of the history of the Theatre, the changes that have been made over 80 years and show them through the foyers and the auditorium. There is a short audiovisual presentation on the screen at the end of the tour. A Gold coin donation, per person, would be appreciated. No bookings are required for groups under five persons; over five it would Marion Mahony Griffin Lecture The Walter Burley Griffin Society Inc invites you to the fourth annual Marion Mahony Griffin Lecture. In the centenary year of the Griffins' winning design for Canberra, join conservation planner Sheridan Burke as she reflects on Canberra in relation to recent listings of modern heritage places through the World Heritage Convention. Sheridan’s commitment to the Griffins includes curating and conserving their first Castlecrag house for the Historic Houses Trust of NSW, and preparing the Heritage Assessment and Conservation Plan for Lake Burley Griffin for the National Capital Authority. She leads the Canberra office of heritage consultants Godden Mackay Logan and is the President of the International Council of Monuments and Sites Twentieth Century Heritage Scientific Committee, adviser to UNESCO. Tickets: $20.00 (WBGS or NMA Members); $25.00 (Non-members) Seating limited. Bookings essential: http://www.trybooking.com/BMNQ
Book launch After a long gestation David van Zanten’s Marion Mahony Reconsidered is out. Authors include Americans David van Zanten, Alice Friedman and Paul Kruty, and Sydney academics James Weirick (UNSW) and Anna Rubbo (University of Sydney). According to the book cover, “the essays take us on an ambitious journey from Mahony's origins in the Chicago suburbs, through her years as Wright's right-hand woman and her bohemian life with her husband here (US) and in Australia – whose new capital city, Canberra, she helped to plan – up until her golden years in the middle of the 20th century”.
Anticipating the lead up to Canberra’s 1913 centenary, Marion Mahony Reconsidered provides new insights into the co-designer of Canberra. The Sydney launch at Gleebooks will be hosted by the Walter Burley Griffin Society. Professor Alec Tzannes, Dean of the Faculty of the Built Environment at UNSW, will lead a conversation with James Weirick and Anna Rubbo. Marion Mahony Reconsidered, David Van Zanten (ed.), Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2011, 176pp.
PUBLIC MEETING This public meeting with a panel of eminent speakers has been called Operating behind closed doors and indifferent to overwhelming The Walter Burley Griffin Society is concerned about the adverse impacts
Walking tour As part of the National Trust Heritage Festival 2011 and its theme of “Amazing Stories”, the Society will take two guided tours of the Griffins’ Castlecrag. They will go past Griffin houses and through walkways and reserves. Hear how the Griffins planned the ideal suburb where dwellings were subordinate to the landscape and the Middle Harbour foreshore was dedicated to the community.
Canberra International Music Festival 2011 The festival aims to celebrate the centenary of the creation
of the ACT and of the designs of Canberra by Walter Burley
Griffin and Marion Mahony (and the 50th anniversary of
Marion’s death). The design of the city will be explored by
performing concerts at the key nexus points with a strong A full and varied program of 34 concerts will be performed
Marion Mahony Griffin Lecture The Walter Burley Griffin Society Inc invites you to the third annual Tickets: Members $10; Non-members $15 (seats limited, booking payments essential)
The Marion Mahony Griffin Lecture is an initiative of the Walter Burley Griffin Society Inc and organised by the Society’s Canberra Chapter with the support of the ACT Government. The lecture is part of the Canberra and Region Heritage Festival 2011 and is sponsored by the Canberra100 Taskforce.
High tea at the Winter House Designed by Walter Burley Griffin and built in 1935, the Winter House is one of the most significant 20th century houses in western Sydney. This is the last opportunity to view the house before it is sold. The Walter Burley Griffin Society is grateful to the Winter family for kindly allowing it to have this event in the beautiful garden of their home. ‘High tea’ will be served in the garden, and you are invited to view the interior of the house with its carefully-conserved original interiors, finishes and details. Cost: $20 WBGS members; $30 non-members.
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TOP: View of sculptural detail, Café Australia, Melbourne, c.1916–1919. National Library of Australia, Eric Milton Nicholls collection, PIC/9929/670, Album 1092/3 ABOVE: Detail from distant view of opening of Randwick Incinerator, Matraville South, NSW, 1932. This photograph is part of the Eric Milton Nicholls collection acquired by the National Library of Australia in 2006, PIC/9929/1002, Album 1092/7 |
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The Walter Burley Griffin Society Inc.
cordially invites you to its twenty second
Annual General Meeting Marion Mahony Griffin Lecture The Walter Burley Griffin Society Inc invites you to the second annual
The Marion Mahony Griffin Lecture is an initiative of the Walter Burley Griffin Society Inc and organised by the Society’s Canberra Chapter with the support of the ACT Government. The lecture is part of the Canberra and Region Heritage Festival 2010 and is sponsored by the Canberra100 Taskforce. FREE entry MMG Lecture 2010_transcription.pdf
The inaugural Marion Mahony Griffin Lecture Walter Burley Griffin Society Inc invites you to the inaugural
The talk will be followed by light refreshments. The Marion Mahony Griffin Lecture is an initiative of the Walter Burley Griffin Society Inc and organised by the Society’s Canberra Chapter with the support of the ACT Government. The Lecture is billed as the inaugural lecture as the Society is planning the Lecture to be an annual event. Cost: Members $10; Non-members $15
Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol
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ABOVE: The official opening of the Griffin Federation Track with Mr Joe Hockey, Member for North Sydney and Minister for Financial Services and Regulation, and Cr Pat Reilly, Mayor of Willoughby City Council, at the ribbon cutting ceremony on 16 September 2001 at Turret Reserve, Castlecrag. The track links the Willoughby Incinerator with the Griffin Conservation Area at Castlecrag, and was funded by a grant, from the Commonwealth Government's Federation Community Projects Program, awarded to the Walter Burley Griffin Society Inc., and by additional funding from Willoughby City Council.
ABOVE: Interior view of the “banquet hall” showing sculptural details, Café Australia, Melbourne, c.1916–1919. This photograph is part of the Eric Milton Nicholls collection acquired by the National Library of Australia in 2006, PIC/9929/665, Album 1092/3 |
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LEFT: Official opening of the Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin Festival, Castlecrag 1995. L to R: Mayor Cr John Squire, President WBGS Adrienne Kabos, Mayoress Anne Squire, heritage consultant Jennifer Hill, guest speaker David Marr. Photographer Theo Junge. | |||||
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