Transcript: Athenaeum building celebrates 170 years Australian Broadcasting Corporation Broadcast: 11/11/2009 Reporter: Lisa Whitehead Tomorrow marks the 170th birthday of one of the nation's historic cultural landmarks. Melbourne’s Athenaeum building has, in one form or other, provided education and entertainment for the Victorian colony as it became a city; and along the way, documented its growth. Transcript KERRY O’BRIEN, PRESENTER: Tomorrow marks the 170th birthday of one of the nation's historic cultural landmarks. Melbourne's Athenaeum building has, in one form or another, provided education and entertainment. For the Victorian colonies it became a city and along the way documented its growth. The building's original library and theatre still draw devotees and as Lisa Whitehead reports, a loyal band of volunteers. KEVIN QUIGLEY, ATHENAEUM PRESIDENT: There's nothing like us that has been here from day one, four years after the boat pushed ashore, here we are. It's a thread that runs through the life of Melbourne. LISA WHITEHEAD, REPORTER: In the heart of Melbourne's CBD, the Athenaeum is a celebrity in disguise, the oldest cultural icon in the city, but barely noticed. MARJORIE DALVEAN, VOLUNTEER HISTORIAN: People of Melbourne walk past this area and they have no idea what it is. RAY LAWLER, PLAYWRIGHT: It seemed to me to be a place that absolutely, or breathes Melbourne, I suppose, culture. LISA WHITEHEAD: Just four years after Melbourne was founded, the colony built a Mechanic's Institution, one of the first in the world, a place where the working class could meet and learn. KEVIN QUIGLEY: People think of it as Wild West sort of place where these hearty types drank and rushed about, but Melbourne was freely settled. It was a city of people who wanted to better themselves - entrepreneurs. And the Mechanic's Institution was that innovative idea that had grown up in Edinburgh and London about providing an opportunity for education for the working people. LISA WHITEHEAD: Mark Twain lectured there. Later, other buildings were added and a theatre to host classic plays. And it adopted its more bourgeois friendly title of the Athenaeum. Crucially from the start there was the library, the first to offer affordable lending to the working man. And it still attracts devotees. Former University lecturer Margaret Bowman, 89, comes in every Wednesday, along with her dog to join an enthusiastic band of volunteers sorting through the archives. MARGARET BOWMAN, FORMER UNIVERSITY LECTURER: Doing research is something that I find actually I enjoy more than anything. Every old lady needs to have a project and now I've got a project. MARJORIE DALVEAN: Margaret, Christine has just found out that Alfred Deakin was a member here from 1874 to 1877. This place is not flashy, we've never been flashy. But book lovers walk in here and they know this is the place for them. ARCHIVAL FOOTAGE: Old times and old names. The Athenaeum theatre in Melbourne for more than 40 years has been one of the city's best known cinemas. LISA WHITEHEAD: In the 20th century, the theatre surrendered to the new craze of talking pictures, and one particular fan was famous Australian playwright Ray Lawler. At 13, he dropped out of school to work in a Footscray factory and two years later his first trip to the glamorous Athenaeum cinema hinted at the education he was missing. RAY LAWLER: It just had a style about it which I responded to, I think. I was looking for something and this seemed to be part of it. Ray Lawler went on to write "Summer of the Seventeenth Doll" and found literary fame overseas. About a century after it had started as an educational place for the working man, Ray Lawler had, in effect, become an Athenaeum graduate. RAL LAWLER: If they had been looking for the sort of person that they were hoping to encourage along the way, I suppose I would have been somebody that might have fitted the mould, you know. LISA WHITEHEAD: In time, the cinema was returned to its theatrical roots. FRANK THRING, 1977: It has a great resemblance to the Theatre Royal in Hobart which Larry Olivier has called the best theatre he's ever worked in. And it's almost identical. It is the true Victorian playhouse. The horseshoe shaped thing: stalls, dress circle and gallery. And you're close to the audience and they're close to you. Marvellous feeling. LISA WHITEHEAD: Today, it's still a theatre. But time has brought compromises. The once vaunted art gallery has now covered its windows and become a comedy club and performance space. TV and suburban life have eaten away at the library membership. It offers an online service now, and a recent federal government grant will pay for the upkeep of its gracious interior, including the 1930s elevator Ray Lawler used to ride. For him, it's money well spent on history quietly made and discreetly observed. RAY LAWLER: It's the lack of awareness, I think, that people don't know what they've got here. They've really got the whole history of Melbourne almost. KEVIN QUIGLEY: It was a similar organisation in Sydney but we are the only one that's got a continual lineage on the same spot. We started here and we're still here and we'll be here for another 100 years. KERRY O'BRIEN: Lisa Whitehead on a great Melbourne landmark. © 2010 ABC | Privacy Policy Beginning as the Melbourne Mechanics' Institution in 1839, the Melbourne Athenaeum has a long history that reflects the cultural and social development of Melbourne. It continues to be managed as a not-for-profit organisation by a volunteer board, with a subscription library (maintained since 1839) and a leased theatre.Video broadcast ABC 7:30 Report for 11/11/2009. "Tomorrow marks the 170th birthday of one of the nation's historic cultural landmarks. Melbourne’s Athenaeum building has, in one form or other, provided education and entertainment for the Victorian colony as it became a city; and along the way, documented its growth."athenaeum, australian broadcasting corporation, kerry o’brien, kevin quigley, lisa whitehead, marjorie dalvean, ray lawler, margaret bowman, frank thring.

When owner who restored the old shop put it on the market David THOMPSON photographed the original stableFive photos taken 2009 by David THOMPSON of stables behind restored Bellion shop at 175 Stokes Street. (.01) Swallow and Ariel biscuit label (.02) Swallow and Ariel cake label (.03) Roofs (.04) Stables (.05) Stablesbusiness and traders - grocers and supermarkets, built environment - commercial, benjamin bellion, william j bellion, helen leitch, a peterson

Invitation to the opening of the exhibition at the Gold Museum "Objects Faces Places", photograph by Julie Millowick at the Gold Museum 2/3/2009. Has a photo of No. 27 on the top of the invitation card and details of the exhibition on the rear. The BTM provided a number of objects to the exhibition.Date stamped by BTM and letter number "5838"trams, tramways, exhibitions, gold museum

Typical example of replacement from mansions to flats. Three storey walk ups, by three buildings. In the modern style. Brick.black and white photograph, mounted in good condition.Flats Barkly Street, site of former St Margarets, 56 Barkly Street, taken in 1964. Old house demolished and flats erected.'

This hat belongs to the 1964-1968 uniform era.Complements the collection of air flight crew attire.Blue woollen hostess pillbox hat with white inside lining and blue sweat band and mesh front and rear inner. White label Nivek Headwear.Thin chin strapuniform, hat, khaki, hostess, stewardess, flight attendants, nivek headwear

A decorated cardboard box containing newspaper cuttings from the 'Bendigo Advertiser' column titled, 'The Mayor Speaks.' -.1964-1965. Related to Mayor Norman Joseph Oliver -Mayor who Officiated during 1964-1965 , 1970-1971Mayor N.J. Oliver Speaksnewspaper, bendigo advertiser, major speaks, lydia chancellor, collection, newspaper, the bendigo advertiser, n.j. oliver, bendigo mayor

A cream coloured cover with black writing. At the top right hand side of the cover reads 2009-500 (pamphlets)united states - armed forces - service manuals, portable mine

Two copies of the Bendigo South Cluster Magazine. One from September 2009 the second from September 2016bendigo, church, golden square methodist church

The Norman Oliver collection. Norman Oliver was three times Mayor of Bendigo - 1950-51, 1964-65, 1970-71. Agenda of Monthly Meeting, 15 April 1965, and the Annual Report 1964-65 of the Administrative Council of the Bendigo Technical College. Seven typed pages, six stapled together. Includes a list of Office Bearers 1964-65, winners of scholarships/studentships, and staff members.bendigo, education, mechanics institute school of mines, norman joseph oliver , councillor norman oliver. mayor of bendigo. bendigo technical college. school of mines.

Double-side Poster - Fortuna Garden Fete 14/11/1964 Description of stalls, raffles, afternoon tea and children's entertainnment. Other side (reverse) has map of grounds with location of activities, toilets, St.John's Ambulance.buildings, residential, fortuna villa

Eureka is a significant event in Ballarat's History1963 & 1964 Annual Reports of Eureka Improvement and Progress Association. Foolscap typed documentseureka improvement and progress association, eureka, mrs e. parsons, mr f. pearce, orphange christmas tree, arthur jones

Full page (57) of paper, showing 11 photographs of 33 people. Many ex-students attended the unveiling of the commemorative plaque (item 00007)Photocopy of newspaper article, Weekly Times 1st April 1964. enlarged copy, laminated.

Police Moto Guzzi motorcycle with Ian Taylor as rider with a garden in the background. Circa 1964police vehicles; wireless patrol; motor transport branch; motor transport section; motor cycle patrol; police motorcycles; moto guzzi motorcycle

No.30 tram (Birney) leaving depot displaying destination as Quarry Hill, C 1964. '3/64' on back written in pencil on top left.basil miller

Pink Certificate of Registration of a Shop for 1 Oct.1964 in the name of J. W. Swatton.person, receipts, j w swatton, j w swatton collection, government of victoria, department of labour and industry, certificate of registration of a shop, labour and industry act 1958, m walsh

Yellow Certificate of Registration as a Tobacco Seller in the name of Mr. J W Swatton for 1964.person, receipts, j w swatton, j w swatton collection, government of victoria, tobacco sellers act 1958, department of labour and industry, certificate of registration as a tobacco seller, m walsh

Black and white photograph of Williamstown High School form 2C from the year 1964.See image above.williamstown high school, 1964, form 2c, class photographs

Black and white photocopy of photograph of Margaret Court in 1964. Materials: Photographic emulsion, Papertennis

Photographic images of properties in Port Melbourne. Image may have been taken by a PMHPS member or scanned from a past resident or taken for real estate sale purposes. Homes in Esplanade East. Numbers 220 (December 2009) ; 326 (November 2014)built environment - domestic, esplanade east