[Editor: This article about Wattle Day was published in The Advocate (Melbourne, Vic.), 19 August 1926.]
Wattle Day.
Wattle Day has been fixed for Friday, 27th inst., and sprigs of wattle and buttons will be sold in the streets on behalf of the various children’s homes and orphanages. An energetic committee is working in the interests of each participating institution, and every effort will be made to raise a large sum. The street sections have been allotted, and the workers in the respective sections will leave nothing undone to induce the public to respond in a generous manner.
It is desired that the Catholic people should concentrate on their own institutions, which are specially in need of assistance. The first allocation to the institutions will be based on the amount collected by each body of workers, and it is therefore vitally necessary that the Catholic charities should be well supported. With the generous co-operation of the public, this year’s effort should result in a record collection.
Santa Casa Home.
It is desired to suitably stock the Santa Casa stall on Wattle Day, 27th inst. With the object of raising funds for this purpose a bridge and gift afternoon will be held at Mrs. Condon’s home, “Fermoy,” Cotham-road, Kew, on the 24th inst. It is expected that there will be a large and representative gathering at the function.
St. Joseph’s Home.
Well-wishers of St. Joseph’s Home, Surrey Hills, amongst “Advocate” readers are once again reminded that donations and gifts in kind require to be sent to reach Mrs. Marion Miller Knowles by the 26th inst., the Thursday, before (6 Grant-street, East Malvern, if by post; and Caulfield railway station if by train). Also, gifts for St. Joseph’s Home stall (corner of Bourke and Swanston streets from Miller’s feather shop to Buckley’s emporium) may, if from city friends, be left there, or at the Catholic Women’s Club Hostel, “Ardee,” 433 Victoria-parade, East Melbourne, in care of the matron and business secretary, Misses O’Leary and Keogh. The section at Camberwell for St. Joseph’s Home will be in control of Miss Kenneally.
St. Augustine’s Orphanage.
St. Augustine’s Orphanage, Geelong, has been allotted the whole of Lonsdale-street for collecting. This section will be presided over by Mrs. J. A. Gorman, wife of the popular president of the Old Paradians’ Association. Mrs. Gorman appeals confidently to all friends of the Christian Brothers and of the orphanage for their support. The services of ladies to assist in collecting are particularly desired. A kiosk for the sale of goods will be erected in Lonsdale-street, near St. Francis’ Church, and Mrs. Gorman will be grateful for gifts of jams, pickles, or any other goods suitable for sale. Gifts may be left at the Christian Brothers’ College, Victoria-parade, East Melbourne.
St. Catherine Girls’ Orphanage.
This year St. Catherine’s sympathisers are anxious to make the returns eclipse those of other years. A strong committee is formed. Members will be grateful for goods for the stall which is to be placed at the entrance to the Bank of New Zealand, Collins-street. Gifts may be left at the office of T. M. Burke Pty. Ltd., 403 Collins-street, on 26th inst.
St. Anthony’s Home, Kew.
The Women’s A.C.F. Organising Committee has undertaken a section on behalf of St. Anthony’s Home, Kew. The section is in Bourke-street, from the Leviathan corner to Gaunt’s Arcade. Ladies desirous of assisting on Wattle Day should forward their names to Mrs. O’Connell or Miss D. Mason, care A.C.F. offices. Boxes and buttons are now available.
St. Joseph’s Orphanage.
St. Joseph’s Orphanage, Abbotsford, has been allotted sections from Spring-street to Exhibition-street, on. both sides of Collins-street, also from the entrance to Kodak, Collins-street, to Elizabeth-street. Tables will be placed outside the Oriental and Occidental-Hotels and at the Kodak entrance, stocked with cakes, sweets, fancy goods, home-made preserves, etc. The committee of the Good Shepherd Convent will be pleased to have a visit from their many kind friends who have so generously helped them in the past. Any gifts to assist in furnishing the stall may be left at either of the above sections on Wattle Day morning.
St. Vincent De Paul’s Girls’ Orphanage.
From the Auditorium to Swanston-street, in Collins-street, is the section allotted to this splendid charitable institution which confidently looks forward to its many friends assisting it on Wattle Day.
Source:
The Advocate (Melbourne, Vic.), 19 August 1926, p. 33
Editor’s notes:
A.C.F. = Australian Catholic Federation, a lay organisation, founded in 1911, dedicated to promoting Catholic interests in Australia, which engaged in political lobbying for Catholic causes (such as State aid for church schools)
See: 1) Jeff Kildea, “Troubled times: An overview of the history of the Catholic Federation of New South Wales”, in: Journal of the Australian Catholic Historical Society, vol. 23, 2002, pp. 9-22 [also available at Academia.edu]
2) C. E. Close, “The organisation of the Catholic laity in Victoria, 1911-1930”, The University of Melbourne [abstract of a 1972 Masters Research thesis]
3) Greg Patmore and Shelton Stromquist (editors), Frontiers of Labor: Comparative Histories of the United States and Australia, Urbana (Illinois, USA): University of Illinois Press, 2018, p. [235]
Buckley’s emporium = Buckley & Nunn, a department store, located in Melbourne (Vic.), which operated from 1851 to 1982 (when the business was sold to the David Jones department store)
See: “Buckley & Nunn”, Wikipedia
Christian Brothers = the Congregation of Christian Brothers (also known as the “Christian Brothers”), a worldwide Catholic organisation, formally founded in Ireland in 1820; the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools (also known as the “De La Salle Brothers” and “Christian Brothers”), a worldwide Catholic educational organisation, founded in France, and formally recognised by the church in 1725
See: “Congregation of Christian Brothers”, Wikipedia
inst. = instant; in this month; a shortened form of the Latin phrase “instante mense”, meaning “this month”; pertaining to, or occurring in, the current month
Leviathan = a menswear retailer, founded in Melbourne (Vic.) in 1865
See: “Leviathan (clothing)”, Wikipedia
Old Paradians’ Association = an organisation founded for former students of Parade College (an independent Catholic secondary school for boys, located in Melbourne, Victoria)
See: “Parade College”, Wikipedia
Pty. Ltd. = an abbreviation of “Proprietary Limited” (a type of private company which has a limited number of shareholders, and in which the legal liability of shareholders is limited to the shares they own)
See: 1) “Pty & Ltd – what does it actually mean?”, Chamberlains [law firm], 2 December 2019
2) Paul Cooper, “What does Pty Ltd mean?”, LegalVision [legal services provider], updated 20 October 2021
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