In this area you will find a collection of short histories about various St Kilda identities.
The Michaelis family were one of the most notable Jewish families in St Kilda . One members of the family, Moritz Michaelis, lived in Linden in Acland Street which now houses the City of Port Phillip's regular art exhibitions. His brother, Frank lived in Robe street in a house called 'Orwell'. Frank's son Archie was an MLA for the St Kilda area. Some of their story is in the article below.
Rupert Charles Wolston Bunny was born at St. Kilda on September 29, 1864. Rupert Bunny (1864–1947) was born at St Kilda, Melbourne, in a house called 'Eckerberg' after his German mother's home in Frankfurt-an-Oder. As a child Bunny became familiar, first through his father, with the languages, literature, gods and goddesses of classical times. Education and liking confirmed this taste.
He was educated at the Alma Road Grammar School. St. Kilda. One of his largest and best know works is at the St Kilda Town Hall. It was considered one of the finest pieces in the St Kilda Collection at the time of the fire in the Town Hall. Despite its damage in the Town Hall fire, it still retains an vibrancy and monumentalisn which is complelling.
Herald (Melbourne, Vic. : 1861 - 1954), Monday 26 May 1947, page 5 Trove Newspaper
Rupert Bunny Was Doyen Of Australian Painters
By CLIVE TURNBULL
The death of Rupert Bunny, although at the age of 82, will come as a shock to all who knew him, for his alert and wide-ranging mind re-mained as keen as ever, and he was painting up to the time he became ill quite recently. DOYEN of Australian painters, he had won many international honors: and only last year he was paid the greatest honor possible to bestow locally by the holding of a retrospective exhibition of his work at the National Gallery, at which the artist himself was present to receive the good wishes of his admirers.
An artist for 60 years, Bunny was a contemporary of such men as Streeton and Conder, and, al-though a large part of his life was spent in Paris, he maintained a constant connection with Australia. In his last period of resi-dence here he painted many of those landscapes of scenes remem-bered in the south of France by which he is perhaps best known to picture buyers today. In many ways, he was the most eminent of Australia's artists. His exquisite taste, splendid sense of color and an appreciation of form which placed him in the line of Puvis de Chavannes and Ford Madox Brown all marked him as an heir to the great traditions of the past, an artist who, to figure painting, landscape, or the scenes from the Greek myths which he loved, brought an unfailing vision of beauty which was peculiarly his own.
SON OF JUDGE Third son of Judge Bunny, a well-known figure in Melbourne's early legal world, Rupert Charles Wolston Bunny was born at St. Kilda on September 29, 1864. He was educated at the Alma Road Grammar School. St. Kilda, the Hutchins School, Hobart, and at other places, including, for a time, Melbourne University. An early ambition to become an actor was not encouraged by his father. Eventually he became an art student at the Melbourne Gallery under Folingsby.
As a young man he went to London and to Paris, studying under Jean Paul Laurens. Abroad, Bunny was the first Aus-tralian artist to receive a Euro-pean award honorable mention for "The Tritons," hung at the Old Salon in 1890. A long series of European suc-cesses followed. Many works by Bunny have been bought by the French Government. He is represented In the Luxembourg and in the Palace of the Senate, and in galleries in the United States and other countries. He exhibited frequently at the Royal Acacemy and in the New Salon, was a member of the Inter-national Society of Painters and a Societaire of the Autumn Salon, Paris.
FAME GREW His fame at home grew steadily, if belatedly. The magnificent retrospective exhibition at the National Gallery last year made plain the full measure of his achievements. It is not only as a painter that Rupert Bunny will be remembered, however; he was a man of unusual personal distinction and charm. His talents were equalled by his modesty and by his wide range of interests — in later years he composed much music. His wife, a daughter of Colonel Morel, died some years ago in France — she is represented in one of his finest portraits. Latterly the artist had lived alone in a flat in South Yarra, composing and painting vigorously. It was one of his regrets that no opportunity was ever given him in his own country to exe-cute the murals which were his greatest interest, and that modern conditions confined him to comparatively small works when he longed for great pictures for great rooms. Nevertheless, he leaves a mag-nificent legacy. Much of his work is in his private ownership, but the National Gallery may count itself fortunate in the pos-session of such paintings as "Sea Idylls" and "Endormies," from his earlier period, and a number of later works from the retrospective exhibition, as well as his portrait of his wife and a self-portrait.
With Bunny's death an era ends. All those who, differing widely in style belonged to his generation have gone — Streeton, Conder, Withers, Phillips Fox, Ramsay, Longstaff, Lambert. He was the last and alone, and there will not be lacking people to say the greatest of them all. Mr Bunny was cremated priv-ately at Springvale Crematorium today, after a service conducted by the Rev. H. Hollis. He was a widower with no children. A. A. Sleight Pty. Ltd. had charge of the funeral arrangements.
https://nga.gov.au/exhibitions/rupert-bunnys-mythologies/ This link provides details of Ropert Bunny's work and its inspiration.
Samuel Bawtree was one of the early purchasers of land in the St Kilda East area. He was the first owner of Marlton House.
Information provided by Peter Johnson
George Walton's article about architect Samuel Jackson, one of Melbourne's pioneer architects, from The Argus (Melbourne, Vic: 1848 - 1957), Saturday 10 January 1931, page 7.
Dora the Explorer - and mountaineer, photographer, author, philanthropist, ethnologist and anthropologist.
Compiled by Liz Kelly
Founding member of the Lyceum Club and supporter of the Arts, Dora de Beer made a considerable contribution to Melbourne’s intellectual and artistic life in the early 20th century, particularly involving herself with organisations which furthered opportunities for women.
Count Lionel Moreton de Chabrillan (1818-1858) French Consul and Celeste de Chabrillan (1824-1909) actress, author and diarist, lived in Hotham Street, East St Kilda.
Stanley Melbourne Bruce, born in St Kilda, was Australia's eighth Prime Minister from 1923 to 1929.
Alfred Deakin was Australia’s second Prime Minister; a position he served on three occasions - September 1903 to April 1904, July 1905 to November 1908 and June 1909 to April 1910, During the last decade of the 19th century he devoted his attention to the federation of Australian states which was achieved in 1901. Long before his parliamentary fame he was a resident of Marlton Crescent St Kilda......
Liz Kelly - March 2021
.David Seddon arrived in Australia in 1848 to lead the first congregation at Christ Church, Acland Street St Kilda. He came with a dark history which has been provided to the Society by a contributor from Engand who has been investigating the Rev David Seddon and exploring his history by way of court transcripts. This sordid history has been collororated by work done by Liz Kelly confirming that in in 1868 he was again suddenly forced to depart- this time for England due to further accusations of misbehaviour........
Jeffrey Stafford, the author, submitted this story from England.
James Groom Short was a Suffolk-born tinsmith who arrived at Port Phillip with his wife and daughter on 11 December 1850. His success running a tinsmith store alongside a business run by his wife in Nelson Street St Kilda enabled him to become a land speculator. His history of convictions and litigation in England was however repeated in Melbourne. His ownership of land in Fitzroy Street left a lasting legacy whilst his his colourful identiy was as colourful as anything the twentieth century could produce.....
by Ken Norling 2022
During the recent Covid lockdowns in Melbourne, Julie Millowick kindly donated a huge collection of images of St Kilda to the SKHS. The images give us insight into the social history of the St Kilda area during the 1970's...........
While living at St Kilda's Etloe Hall (Oberwyl) with her parents, young Kate Johnson attracted the attention of Melbourne Punch magazine for her cross-dressing escapade. And became an instant media sensation. Was she St Kilda's first celebrity?
By Ken Norling. Images courtesy National Library of Australia
James Henry Fox came to Australia from England and built his career as an architect mainly in and around the township of Hamilton in the Western District where we can confirm him as being the architect for at least two significant grand homes in that area: Chatsworth House and Werribee Park (with Mr. P. Colquhoun - chief designer). His work on these buildings is largely unacknowledged though there seems little doubt from the testimonials and information collected by the Society and recorded below. It appears he may have done some further work in the St Kilda area where he died at the age of 73 years and is buried in the St Kilda Cemetery.
James Henry Fox England 1827 DOB Died 1900 and was buried in the St Kilda Cemetery departing from 101 Chapel Street St Kilda.(cnr Pakington Street and Chapel Street). Wife Matilda. One daughter: Juanita Evelyn DESAXE nee Fox
David Moore was a prominent business man of considerable wealth and property and Member of the first Parliament of Victoria, where he was a firm advocate of free trade policy.
John T Collins (1907–2001) was an art teacher and honorary photographer for the Victorian division of the National Trust of Australia for many years. His collection of almost 20,000 black-and-white negatives has been digitised and is available online via State Library Victoria catalogue. Ranging in date from 1950 to 1988, the photographs provides a unique visual record of Victoria's architectural heritage.
David Rosenthal, a Polish migrant who arrived in Melbourne in 1852, built the successful jewellry business Rosenthal, Aronson & Company.
Freddie McEvoy, born in St Kilda, was the first Australian to win a medal at a Winter Olympics
Robert Bennett, stonemason, Melbourne Mayor, and member of Victorian Parliament, was born at Tandragee, Armagh, Northern Ireland in ca. 1822. He lived at Tandragee, 17-27 Fitzroy Street, St Kilda from 1853 until 1864.
John Bennett, attorney, owned Tandragee, 17-27 Fitzroy Street St Kilda from 1864-1869.
William Shiels,16th Premier of Victoria, lived in Summerland Mansions from 1890-1904.
Arriving in Melbourne in 1876, Harriet earned an income from giving swimming exhibitions, teaching swimming and entering swimming races at Captain Kenney’s St Kilda sea baths.
Article submitted by Wayne Salt 2008
Mirka loved St Kilda’s raffish bohemian charm and made it her home for nearly two decades.
Clarice Lawrence was a WW1 Army Nurse who nursed Gallipoli casualties on the Greek island Lemnos.
John Moore Cole Airey was a politician, grazier and land speculator who purchased Lot 2 in St Kilda's first ever land sale in 1842.
Frederick Brooke was a well-known St Kilda fisherman and boatman.
Frederick Piggott was a superindendent of Police and a forensic science pioneer.
Architect Lloyd Tayler was particularly active in St Kilda in the mid to late 19C designing several houses and mansions including 22-24 Princes Street (1856), ‘Fernacres’ (1863), ‘Marlton’ (1864), ‘Yanakie’ (1868), ‘Decomet’ (1870) ‘Hereford’ (or ‘Herford’, 1870), and ‘Pladda’ (1889).
Information from David Helms CoPP Heritage Architect
Crouch & Wilson was established in 1857 as a partnership of Tasmanian-born Thomas J. Crouch (1833-1889) and Ralph Wilson (1827-1886) who had recently emigrated from London. They conbined to set up a prominent and distinguished architectural firm in Melbourne during the nineteenth century, designing some of St Kilda's most prestigous buildings.
This article, by Peter Pereyra, focuses on William Arnott, St Kilda's first circulating librarian, where he maintained his business at three different locations in High Street.