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Swan River Mechanics' Institute
The Swan River Mechanics' Institute was the Swan River Colony's first cultural centre, established on 21 January 1851. In time it was to house an extensive and well-used subscription library and a natural history collection, including botanical, zoological and mineral specimens. A new building replaced the old in 1899, and in 1909 the institute was renamed Perth Literary Institute. In 1957 the institute became the City of Perth Library, which moved to another building in 1963. The original building, which was located on the south-west corner of Pier and Hay Streets in Perth, was demolished sometime in the 1970s. Foundation The Swan River Mechanics' Institute was established on 21 January 1851. Its founding president was Surveyor-General John Septimus Roe, who held the position until his death in 1878. Other officers included Joseph Hamblin (chairman), Bernard Smith (treasurer) and Harry Hughes (secretary). Roe's botanical collection, which was kept at the institute, won hi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Swan River Mechanics Institute Library Paste Down
Swans are birds of the genus ''Cygnus'' within the family Anatidae. The swans' closest relatives include the geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form the tribe Cygnini. Sometimes, they are considered a distinct subfamily, Cygninae. They are the largest waterfowl and are often among the largest flighted birds in their range. There are six living and many extinct species of swan; in addition, there is a species known as the coscoroba swan which is no longer considered one of the true swans. Swans usually mate for life, although separation sometimes occurs, particularly following nesting failure, and if a mate dies, the remaining swan will take up with another. The number of eggs in each clutch ranges from three to eight. Taxonomy and terminology The genus ''Cygnus'' was introduced in 1764 by the French naturalist François Alexandre Pierre de Garsault. The English word ''swan'', akin to the German , Dutch an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Toodyay Public Library
Toodyay Public Library is located on Stirling Terrace, Toodyay, Stirling Terrace in Toodyay, Western Australia. Early stages One of the forerunners to the library was the Newcastle Mechanics' Institute, which formed in 1866. Charles Harper (minister), Charles Harper was elected president. By 1869, however, the Institute had begun to decline from lack of public support. The Toodyay Young Men's Reading Club was founded on 30 August 1871 and operated from the government schoolroom into the early 1870s. This club presented lectures; its first lecture was given by Rev. J. M. Innes on Charles Dickens, and another was given Rev. Charles Harper father of Charles Harper (politician), Charles Harper, pastoralist, newspaper proprietor and politician in colonial Western Australia on "Phenomena connected with Sound". On 3 September 1873 a "tea-meeting" (replete with singing and comestibles) was held to discuss the merging of the Mechanics' Institute and the Toodyay Young Men's Reading ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Council House, Perth
Council House is a 13-storey office building on St Georges Terrace, Perth, St Georges Terrace in Perth, Western Australia. Located beside Stirling Gardens and Government House, Perth, Government House in the city's Perth central business district, central business district, the building was designed by Howlett and Bailey Architects and opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1963, after Perth hosted the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games. For most of its history, it has served as the headquarters for the City of Perth. Built in a Modern architecture, modernist style, the building has been the subject of vigorous public debate about its heritage value. Some parties, such as the Royal Australian Institute of Architects, consider the building to be an important example of modernist architecture in the city, whilst others consider it ugly. These conflicting views led to animosity in the 1990s, when the Government of Western Australia, State Government refused to Western Australian Re ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Perth City Council
The City of Perth is a local government area and body, within the Perth metropolitan area, which is the capital of Western Australia. The local government is commonly known as Perth City Council. The City covers the Perth city centre and surrounding suburbs. The City covers an area of and had an estimated population of 21,092 as at 30 June 2015. On 1 July 2016 the City expanded, absorbing 1,247 residents from the City of Subiaco. History In 1829, Captain James Stirling founded Perth as part of the Swan River Colony. A Perth Town Trust was formed in 1838, but remained largely non-functional for many years due to lack of finance and administrative capacity leading to its dissolution in 1858. The City of Perth was officially declared on 23 September 1856 with Council meeting for the first time in December 1858. In 1871, the City of Perth was reconstituted as a Municipal Corporation. In 1915, following the efforts of WE Bold and the greater Perth movement, the City absorbed ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pound Sterling
Sterling (symbol: £; currency code: GBP) is the currency of the United Kingdom and nine of its associated territories. The pound is the main unit of sterling, and the word '' pound'' is also used to refer to the British currency generally, often qualified in international contexts as the British pound or the pound sterling. Sterling is the world's oldest currency in continuous use since its inception. In 2022, it was the fourth-most-traded currency in the foreign exchange market, after the United States dollar, the euro, and the Japanese yen. Together with those three currencies and the renminbi, it forms the basket of currencies that calculate the value of IMF special drawing rights. As of late 2022, sterling is also the fourth most-held reserve currency in global reserves. The Bank of England is the central bank for sterling, issuing its own banknotes and regulating issuance of banknotes by private banks in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Sterling banknotes issu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Forrest
Sir John Forrest (22 August 1847 – 2 SeptemberSome sources give the date as 3 September 1918 1918) was an Australian explorer and politician. He was the first premier of Western Australia (1890–1901) and a long-serving cabinet minister in federal politics. Forrest was born in Bunbury, Western Australia, to Scottish immigrant parents. He was the colony's first locally born surveyor, coming to public notice in 1869 when he led an expedition into the interior in search of Ludwig Leichhardt. The following year, Forrest accomplished the first land crossing from Perth to Adelaide across the Nullarbor Plain. His third expedition in 1874 travelled from Geraldton to Adelaide through the centre of Australia. Forrest's expeditions were characterised by a cautious, well-planned approach and diligent record-keeping. He received the Patron's Medal of the Royal Geographical Society in 1876. Forrest became involved in politics through his promotion to surveyor-general, a powerful positio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Premier Of Western Australia
The premier of Western Australia is the head of government of the state of Western Australia. The role of premier at a state level is similar to the role of the prime minister of Australia at a federal level. The premier leads the executive branch of the Government of Western Australia and is accountable to the Parliament of Western Australia. The premier is appointed by the governor of Western Australia. By convention, the governor appoints as premier whoever has the support of the majority of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly, the lower house of the Parliament of Western Australia. In practice, this means that the premier is the leader of the political party or group of parties with a majority of seats in the Legislative Assembly. Since Western Australia achieved self-governance in 1890, there have been 31 premiers. Roger Cook (politician), Roger Cook is the current premier, having been appointed to the position on 8 June 2023. History The position of premier is not ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Western Mail (Western Australia)
''The Western Mail'', or ''Western Mail'', was the name of two weekly newspapers published in Perth, Western Australia. Published 1885–1955 The first ''Western Mail'' was published on 19 December 1885 by Charles Harper and John Winthrop Hackett, co-owners of ''The West Australian'', the state's major daily paper. It was printed by James Gibney at the paper's office in St Georges Terrace. In 1901, in the publication ''Twentieth century impressions of Western Australia'', a history of the early days of the ''West Australian'' and the ''Western Mail'' was published. In the 1920s ''The West Australian'' employed its first permanent photographer Fred Flood, many of whose photographs were featured in the ''Western Mail''. In 1933 it celebrated its first use of photographs in 1897 in a ''West Australian'' article. The ''Western Mail'' featured early work from many prominent West Australian authors and artists, including Mary Durack, Elizabeth Durack, May Gibbs, Stan ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
His Majesty's Theatre, Perth
His Majesty's Theatre is an Edwardian Baroque theatre in Perth, Western Australia. Constructed from 1902 to 1904 during a period of great growth for the town, the theatre is located on the corner of Hay Street and King Street in Perth's central business district. At the time the theatre was opened, it was the largest theatre in Australia, and had seating for over 2,500 people. It is also thought to be the first reinforced concrete building constructed in Perth. Over its life, the theatre has hosted large-scale musicals, ballet, opera, Shakespearean plays and many other events. It has been renovated numerous times, most notably in the late 1970s when the state government purchased it and performed an ornamental restoration whilst modernising the facilities provided. Since that time, it has been the home of the West Australian Ballet and West Australian Opera companies, both of which perform regularly. The importance of His Majesty's Theatre to the cultural fabric of West ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Western Australian Museum
The Western Australian Museum is a statutory body, statutory authority within the Culture and the Arts Portfolio, established under the ''Museum Act 1969''. The museum has six main sites. The state museum, WA Museum Boola Bardip, is located in the Perth Cultural Centre. The other sites are: the WA Maritime Museum and WA Shipwrecks Museum in Fremantle (suburb), Fremantle, the Museum of the Great Southern in Albany, Western Australia, Albany, the Museum of Geraldton in Geraldton, and the Museum of the Goldfields in Kalgoorlie, Kalgoorlie-Boulder. History Established in 1891 in the Perth Gaol, Old Perth Gaol, it was known as the Geological Museum and consisted of geological collections. In 1892, ethnological and biological exhibits were added, and in 1897, the museum officially became the Western Australian Museum and Art Gallery. The museum employed collectors to obtain series of specimens; J. T. Tunney, Tunney ventured across the state from 1895 to 1909 obtaining animals and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Perth Gaol
The Perth Gaol (often referred to as the Old Perth Gaol) was a gaol built in Perth, the state capital of Western Australia, between 1854 and 1856 to house convicts and other prisoners. It is located just west of Beaufort Street. It operated until March 1888 when the last prisoner was transferred to Fremantle Prison. The main gaol building, minus the yards, stands today adjacent to the Western Australian Museum in Perth. History Prior to the construction of the Perth Gaol, the Swan River Colony had only the Round House in Fremantle, the partially completed Fremantle Prison (construction began in 1851 and completed in 1859) and a six-cell lock-up which had been built in about 1830 opposite Government House in Perth. With the growth of the city it was deemed that the latter was an inappropriate location for a gaol and it was demolished in 1855 (the site now occupied by The Deanery). A new site was selected by the Colonial Secretary, Charles Piesse and the Surveyor-General, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Charles Fitzgerald
Charles Fitzgerald ( – 29 December 1887) was an officer in the British Royal Navy and Governor of The Gambia from 1844 until 1847, then Governor of Western Australia from 1848 to 1855. Son of Robert Fitzgerald and Lucinda Jackson of Kilkee, county Clare, Ireland (then part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland), Fitzgerald joined the Royal Navy in March 1809, passed his examination in 1815, and was commissioned in March 1826. While in the naval service Fitzgerald was assigned to the Royal Navy's West Africa Squadron which was tasked with interdicting the Atlantic slave trade, where he served with distinction. Either during this time or possibly before, Fitzgerald became a staunch abolitionist and fierce opponent of slavery. In 1839 he seized two Spanish slave ships falsely flying the American flag. For legal reasons he escorted the ships to New York where the courts ruled them to be unlawful and Fitzgerald was allowed to take the freed slaves bac ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
