The Chimes

Unearthing our stories: Role of libraries in preserving local history & heritage

The focus for the day was on “Unearthing our stories: Role of libraries in preserving local history and heritage”.

Gareth Dixon was up first at 10:30am. Gareth began working in libraries more than forty years ago at his local public library in South Wales. After university, he worked in academic libraries but shortly after migrating to Australia, returned to his first love – public libraries. Since 2017 Gareth has been the Manager Library and Heritage Services at the City of Armadale where he oversees four public libraries, a local history library, a corporate library and two museums. He spoke about the Armadale wiki that has been implemented there and incorporates World War 1 and World War 2 veterans.

The BirtwistleWiki lists the hundreds of locals who served in World War One plus those from Serpentine-Jarrahdale and Gosnells. The Wiki also lists World War Two veterans from the Shire of Armadale-Kelmscott (City of Armadale).

Janet Megarrity was up next. Janet has worked in a variety of library sectors in Western Australia including corporate, university and public libraries in addition to the WA Parliamentary Library. She now works at Victoria Park Public Library. She gave a very interesting lecture on the town of Bassendean where she worked as the Local Studies Librarian from 2008- 2023.

Sue Lefroy completed the morning speakers. Sue is an historian and coordinator of History Great Southern – Kaartdijin Biddi Albany, a regional archive of historical reference material located in the Albany Public Library.  She has worked in libraries for more than thirty years supporting community, professional and academic research projects in all aspects of history and heritage. Sue spoke about how their library in Albany preserves local history and heritage.

It was then time for lunch over in St Ildephonsus where Marlon and the team prepared a great meal for all the guests.

The day was also an opportunity for the Rodoreda family to come together from various locations and be present for the launch of the books in the afternoon. It made for a most interesting and enjoyable occasion for all who attended.

At 1pm there was an Abbey Press tour with Geoff Moor and Claire Bolton, whilst the Archives was also open and those that wanted to attend the Museum and Art Gallery could also choose to do that.

There were a number of book and journal launches in the afternoon. Marta Pérez-Rey, University of Western Australia lecturer spoke about 'The Marsá Diary' whilst Ken Spillman, Australian writer, spoke about his new book on the life of Jerome Rodoreda called 'Not by bread alone'.

Dr. Ian MacLeod, launched the latest volume of the 'Chronicles Volume 3' and the Studies Journal No. 29.

Odhran O'Brien unfortunately couldn’t attend in person. However, he provided us with an informative piece via video on Geoffrey Coad’s book, the 'Abbot Torres biography'.

The day concluded with Fr. Robert Nixon and Allegra Giagu’s superb concert. All in all, a wonderful occasion was had by all.

All books are available for purchase by contacting New Norcia Museum Gift shop via (08) 9654 8056 or museum@newnorcia.com.au

Homoeopath Association returns to New Norcia after two decades

On September 23rd this year, the association renewed their acquaintance with New Norcia when a group of fourteen homoeopaths, led by their secretary, Catherine Angel, paid a visit to the archives and the museum and were also treated to a recital by Fr Robert in the abbey church. In the archives, the party was shown original diary entries and notes by Bishop Salvado and correspondence with Florence Nightingale. Amongst these was a letter advising Salvado of the imminent arrival of his homoeopathy chest which the group were actually able to examine later in the museum.

In a subsequent email, Catherine wrote:

We all had a great trip and hope it will be the beginning of an ongoing connection...We learnt a lot about the value of paper and candlelight and also the extraordinary conditions the early missionaries encountered. Thank you for all your efforts to make our visit an uplifting day out. The group enjoyed the monastery lunch, and the piano played by Fr Robert certainly set a soulful mood for the visit. The archive collection viewing along with the museum gave us a lot of inspiration for the future.

We look forward to a return visit but hope that it will be sooner than in another twenty-one years!

(Photos kindly supplied by Catherine Angel)

Old Trading Post … New Art Gallery

Abbot John began by acknowledging the Yued tradition associated with New Norcia, descendants of the Lanigan family who lived in the building and who ran the store for many years, Mandorla founders, patrons, board members, 
and artists.

As well as other visitors and locals, participants in the Artist Retreat weekend were also present.

He also thanked the many people involved in giving new life to this significant building in the New Norcia town streetscape – builders, painters, electricians, lighting experts, along with New Norcia staff and volunteers.

Celebrating forty years of the Mandorla Art Prize, the opening exhibition has provided an opportunity to showcase all winners throughout this forty-year history of artists interpreting biblical texts through their art and prayer.

Various Mandorla personnel including Angela (Chair), Tania (Committee) and Erin (Curator) addressed the gathering, and the inaugural Mandorla Artist in Residence Helen Seiver explained her work.

After spending time viewing the exhibition, the gathering made their way to the Hostel, enjoying Benedictine hospitality.

We are delighted that the Mandorla collection now has its own permanent home – a place of beauty, creativity and of contemplation – a place where new stories will unfold.

Typographic Survivors - A specimen of some of the typefaces from the Abbey Press Collection.

The result is a small book of thirty-two different faces, from rare Victorian castings to some later Monotype founts. One border has also been added and there are two pages of contents, listed by typefounder, and three pages of some background to the Press. All these faces are survivors, some from their original location in Perth, and all from the scrapping of the little used founts in the 1960s, when the Press needed to raise enough money to buy an offset litho press.

All the specimens have been hand set in metal type and printed as single leaves on an Arab Crown Folio treadle platen by Claire and David Bolton, at the Abbey Press, New Norcia. Comprising forty leaves sewn into paper covers with a Japanese-style binding, measuring 215 x 163mm.

Only twenty copies have been printed in a very limited edition, priced at $50.00 (plus shipping charges).

Available for purchase by contacting New Norcia Museum Gift shop via (08) 9654 8056 or museum@newnorcia.com.au

Abbot Placid Spearritt Memorial Scholar for 2026 announced!

Dr Paul Watt is an award-winning musicologist and adjunct professor at the Elder Conservatorium of Music at the University of Adelaide. He is renowned for his work on musical criticism, history and biography; literary and intellectual history; popular music; and religious studies. He is the author or editor of ten books published to international acclaim and is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society (UK). Paul is currently writing a cultural history of Gregorian chant in Australia, which drew him to the archives at New Norcia.

Professor Watt’s project is titled Music at New Norcia. This book will comprise a critical edition of Dom Eladio Ros’ Music at New Norcia (A Historical Survey). Ros’ typescript captures the main threads of New Norcia’s musical life from the establishment of the mission in the 1840s until the 1970s. Paul will update Ros’ book with explanatory notes and will provide material from 1970 onwards to bring the book up to date; he will also write a series of journal articles on aspects of music-making at New Norcia that are not extensively examined in the book.

This project will, for the first time, provide a critical and comprehensive account of one of the most significant music archives in Australia. It will also contribute a richly nuanced new book to world research on music in monasteries and convents outside European cities.

Abbot John and the Committee welcome Paul to New Norcia and wish him every success with this important and exciting venture.

New release: Abbot Torres biography

Written over several years by Geoffrey Coad, 'Torres: New Norcia into the twentieth century', provides a new and fascinating perspective on Torres’ reign between his appointment as Salvado’s chosen successor in 1901 and his death in 1914. In his book, Geoffrey discusses notable achievements such the foundation of the new mission on the Drysdale River in the far north of the state and his monumental creation of the two secondary colleges of St Gertrude’s and St Ildephonsus’.

Geoffrey is a retired lawyer having graduated from the University of Western Australia in 1971. Following his retirement in 2007, he completed a Master of Philosophy degree at Notre Dame University in Fremantle then. Since 2009, he has volunteered in New Norcia’s archives translating the monastery chronicles from Spanish, as well as other documents. His chronicle translations are available from the museum shop.

The new Torres biography, described by Emeritus Professor of History, Bob Reece, as a “welcome addition to the historiography of the Church in Western Australia” is available for purchase by contacting New Norcia Museum Gift shop via (08) 9654 8056 or museum@newnorcia.com.au

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