Farewell Robert

Campbelltown was saddened to learn of the passing of Dr Robert Close in January this year. I had the privilege of meeting Robert a couple of times when he visited the library, and I was amazed at his knowledge and enthusiasm for koalas. He struck me as a calm and gentle man; characteristics I know would have been on display when dealing with our precious koala population.

Robert was a leading wildlife activist and conservationist, particularly for our koalas. The protection of these animals in South Western Sydney was what he was most renowned for, and his tireless work provided significant benefits for these koalas.

Over nearly 40 years, he gathered vital data that revealed a healthy, thriving koala population in Campbelltown. In 1992 small radio transmitter collars were fitted to selective koalas at random, that allowed Robert to accurately track their movements.

Robert wrote regularly for the local newspapers and his column Mac Koala featured weekly in the Macarthur Advertiser until 2013. These articles and other newspaper clippings are kept in the library's local studies collection and provide a wealth of information for researchers.

Vale Robert Close.

Minto School of Arts

Journey to any town in Australia and there is a good chance you will find a school of arts. They became popular in Sydney in the 19th and early 20th centuries, with about 140 established. They were also known as Mechanics Institutes. The School of Arts were originally established by volunteers as independent community organisations, assisted by a small government subsidy.

On Saturday 21 December 1901, Minto celebrated the opening of their School of Arts building. It was completed the previous September and an excited community celebrated with a concert and social. The build-up to the opening was enormous and the Hon. John Kidd was chosen to officially open the building. The program for the night included Miss Cookson's version of singing "The One-Legged Goose", and a rendition of the comic song "The Chinaman", by Mr Craft. One can only wonder about the lyrics of this version! The Chairman Mr Skerritt officially opened the building in the undisclosed absence of Mr Kidd.

The Minto School of Arts became an important social and cultural institution for much of the twentieth century. Over the years it was home to dances, bazaars, and meetings, and would serve the community as a library for a time.

Photographs in the library's collection show it still standing in 1993. Today the site at 6 Surrey Street is occupied by the Minto Community Hall.

The School of Arts in 1993 (Norm Campbell Collection, Campbelltown and Airds Historical Society)

Members of Minto Show Community dressed as chorus girls at Minto School of Arts (l to r. Joe Hawkes; Jack Hadden; Bob Saunders; Allan Mitcherson; unidentified; John Rays and Roy Thomas) c.1953-54

The School of Arts in 1990 (Norm Campbell Collection, Campbelltown and Airds Historical Society)

Written by Andrew Allen

Sources:

Campbelltown Herald, 8 January 1902

Freyne, Catherine 2010

The School of Arts Movement

In Dictionary of Sydney