Maryknoll buildings designed by Smith, Tracey, Lyon and Brock.

Maryknoll was established in 1949 by Father Wilfred Pooley (1912-1969) as a Catholic community based on the principals of faith, family life and co-operative enterprise. You can read more about the establishment of the town, here. I came across the following images of early buildings at Maryknoll (or St Mary's as it was originally called) designed by the architectural firm Smith, Tracey, Lyon and Brock. 

You can read about the firm on the website, Built Heritage in the Dictionary of Unsung Architects section - https://www.builtheritage.com.au/dua_smithtracey.html  This is the introduction to the article - Smith & Tracey was formed in 1949 by recent graduates Smith & Tracey was formed in 1949 by recent graduates Des Smith (1918-2003) and Dan Tracey (1916-1992).  Shortly afterwards, they were joined by Eric "Ric" Lyon (1918-2006) and Les Brock (1920-2006), and the firm re-branded as Smith, Tracey, Lyon & Brock.  It operated as such until Lyon and Brock both left around 1960, whereupon it reverted to its original name.  The article on the website also has a list of the firm's works. 

Smith, Tracey, Lyon and Brock worked on many projects for the Catholic Church including Christian Brothers College in Warnambool in 1950; St Joseph's School in Springvale in 1952; St Joseph's Benalla in 1953 and  St Vincent de Paul's Homeless Men's shelter on Flemington Road (Ozanam House) in 1954.  They also designed the Holy Family Church at Maryknoll.

 The Advocate, September 14 1950 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article172514072

This photo (above) and report of the opening of  Holy Family Church at Maryknoll appeared in The Advocate - This is Holy Family Church-School, opened by Archbishop Mannix of St. Marys Rural Settlement, Tynong North, on September 3. The building was erected from a design by Smith and Tracey, architects, Sydney-road, Brunswick, who also prepared the large-scale map of the settlement which appeared last week. The erection of the first seven permanent homes is now being undertaken and these will be occupied by settlers, at present housed in temporary quarters in the vicinity. (The Advocate, September 14 1950, see here)  

This is the  large-scale map of the settlement prepared by Smith, Tracey, Lyon and Brock, referred to in the paragraph, above. It was in The Advocate of  September 7, 1950, see here.

Presentation Convent St Mary's North Convent at Maryknoll designed by Smith, Tracey, Lyon and Brock.

The Advocate, March 20, 1952. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article172523794

In March 1952, The Advocate, published this image (above) of the proposed convent for the Presentation Sisters to be built at Maryknoll. It was never built.

Smith, Tracey, Lyon and Brock also designed houses for the Maryknoll settlement.  One of these designs was written up in The Argus of November 1, 1954.

House designed by Smith, Tracey, Lyon and Brock  for Maryknoll

Image: The Argus, November 1, 1954  http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article23459042

This is the transcription of the article about the Maryknoll house - 

 Home for County - by Harry Perrott Argus Property Writer

Until comparatively recent years, it was not unusual to see a house, originally planned for a suburban allotment, built on a farm or in a rural setting. Many country people evidently thought they could not have the convenience of "town" living without using a "town" house plan. This, of course, is not so, and the small house illustrated here has all the conveniences of modern planning, but is essentially rural in character.

The plan is a simple rectangle in shape and has a low pitched roof, covered with corrugated asbestos

cement sheets. External walls are of 10in. Baltic weatherboards. Provision has been made for another bedroom and a verandah to be added. The door into the third bedroom will be in the space now used for a cupboard between the bathroom and bedroom. The two bedrooms are 11ft. x 10ft. and 13½ft. x 10ft. and both are fitted with built-in wardrobes.

The kitchen, 13½ x 10ft., is divided by a fitment so that one section can be used for meals or other purposes. For economy, the kitchen and living room fireplaces have been combined in a common chimney stack. The sun room, 10½ x 10ft., is another interesting and useful feature of this part of the house. The living room, 15 x 12ft., has deep windows and double doors opening on to a 6ft. wide verandah. There is a service hatch from this room into the kitchen.

The house is one of a series of low cost houses designed by Smith, Tracey, Lyon and Brock, architects, for a rural community at St. Mary's, via Nar Nar Goon, in Gippsland.  (The Argus, November 1, 1954, see here) 

Plan  of the house, described and shown above, designed by Smith, Tracey, Lyon and Brock  for Maryknoll

Image: The Argus, November 1, 1954  http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article23459042

I have created a short list of newspaper articles from Trove that mention the firm of Smith, Tracey, Lyon and Brock, you can access it here.

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Mobile Library towns - back in time

Casey Cardinia Library Corporation (CCLC)  has a Mobile Library which services various towns throughout the Cardinia Shire.   If you aren't  a regular Mobile Library user but happen to be meandering around the country side then you should pop in and take a look if you see it stopped and open for business. The Mobile has a good collection of  items - books, DVDs, CDs, magazines etc - you just use your regular CCLC membership card.  Click here to access the timetable. If you want to read about the history of Mobile Library services in the region, click here.

I thought it would be interesting to take a look back in time, at the towns where the Mobile Library stops.

On Monday, it stops at Bunyip, Garfield and Tynong.

Bunyip - Main Street,  1908.

Photograph: Call of the Bunyip by Denise Nest.

Garfield - Looking down Main Street, 1910.

Photograph: North of the line: a pictorial record

Tynong - Looking west

Photograph: North of the line: a pictorial record

On Tuesday, it stops at Beaconsfield Upper and Gembrook.

Beaconsfield Upper - Wilson's store

Photograph: Upper Beaconsfield: an early history by Charles Wilson

Gembrook - Walker's Store

Photograph: North of the line:  a pictorial record

On Wednesday,  it stops at Beaconsfield.

Beaconsfield - Woods Street

Photograph: Beaconsfield History Group

On Thursday, it stops at Maryknoll and Cockatoo.

Maryknoll - Post Office and General Store, 1969.

Photograph: Maryknoll: history of a Catholic Rural Settlement by Gael White (2002)

Cockatoo - Fairbridge's store

Photograph: North of the line:  a pictorial record

On Friday, it stops at Lang Lang and Koo-Wee-Rup. 

Lang Lang - Main Street

Photograph: Koo-Wee-Rup Swamp Historical Society collection

Koo-Wee-Rup - Rossiter Road, 1923

Photograph: Koo-Wee-Rup Swamp Historical Society collection.

On Saturday, it's back to Bunyip.

Bunyip - Pearson and Company store, c. 1905.

Photograph: Call of the Bunyip by Denise Nest

If this has inspired you to visit the Mobile Library then click here for the link to the time table. 

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Maryknoll

Father Wilfred Pooley (1912 - 1969)
Image: Maryknoll: history of a Catholic Rural Settlement by Gael White (Artistic Wombat, 2002)

Maryknoll was established in 1949 by Father Wilfred Pooley (1912-1969) as a Catholic community based on the principals of faith, family life and co-operative enterprise. This was part of a broader movement in the Catholic community, encouraged by the Melbourne Archbishop, Dr Daniel Mannix, for Catholics to move away from the distractions of the city to a rural environment and become closer to God. A National Catholic Rural Movement was established in 1939 to support Catholic farmers and Father Pooley was very keen to establish a 'City of God' in a rural community and paid a deposit of 100 pounds on 218 hectares (540 acres) in Tynong North, on March 25th, 1949. The rest of the purchase price of 4,400 pounds was lent by the Handley family of Dandenong, and was initially in the name of Margaret Handley. The settlement was known as St Mary’s until 1955 when the name was changed to Maryknoll to avoid confusion with other towns called St Mary’s.

Margaret Handley,  is pictured in the back row of the St Mary's Parish Ladies Tennis team. 

Image: A Parish carved from the bush : a centenary history of the Dandenong Parish by Greg Dickson (St Mary's Centenary Committee, 1983)

The first settlers lived in 'temps', very basic dwellings without running water, electricity , gas or other 'mod cons'. Families then moved onto two acres block, where a modest three bedroom house was built.

 Ted Knox and son, Martin,  taken 1959, outside their home in Maryknoll.

Image: Knox family collection.

The cornerstones of community life, the Holy Family Church and the Holy Family School were both opened by Archbishop Mannix on September 3. 1950 attended by more than 3000 people. The Archbishop reiterated the rationale for the Maryknoll settlement in his address - We are tired of listening to people talk about the drift from the country to the cities and the necessity of decentralization. People and Governments talk much but little is done. Father Pooley, however, doesn't talk very much, but he is certainly very active, and I am confident he will succeed in this great project  (The Advocate, September 7 1950, see here)

The Holy Family Church and some of the houses in Maryknoll were designed by the architectural firm of  Smith, Tracey, Lyon and Brock, read about this, here.

Holy Family Catholic Church, Maryknoll, 1963.
Image: Knox family collection.

Maryknoll had a number of co-operative industries including a housing co-operative, a joinery, hardware store and an aerated water factory. Other towns in Casey and Cardinia were established as stopping places on transport routes, or to serve the surrounding farming community and for Maryknoll to be established on the values of faith and religion gives it a unique place in the history of Casey and Cardinia. More information on Maryknoll can be found in the book Maryknoll: history of a Catholic Rural Settlement by Gael White (published by Artistic Wombat, 2002)

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