Advocate for the Rights of the Disabled, political journalist and activist, writer, commentator, supporter of minority groups, adviser to State and Federal Committees and close friend of Peter and Rob MacFie.
Musings on Gus’s abilities with politicians, by Peter O’Keefe
This book is the story of the forestry industry that fed the Australian Newsprint Mill at Boyer in southern Tasmania, the politics behind the enterprise and the people who worked there and lived in Maydena and the wider Tyenna Valley. Over a hundred people were interviewed for this wide-ranging book, from the General Manager of ANM to the whistle boys, and just about every job in between. These included the fallers and the first aiders, nurses and doctors who patched them up, the log measurers, loaders, road makers and the truck drivers who left their names for posterity on the tricky corners where they came unstuck. Plus so many more.
Read more about this book on the Maydena page, or buy it from the Shop.
‘The Newsprint‘ – A Social and Forestry History of Maydena. An Experimental Logging Town in the Tyenna Valley, Tasmania. 1920 – 2020
by Peter H MacFie
Australia faced WWII totally dependent on imported paper. This is the tale of Government determination to become self sufficient, using the massive eucalypt forests from the high rainfall areas of southern Tasmania. Australian Newsprint Mills (ANM) developed a mill at Boyer, near New Norfolk on the Derwent River, and built a town at Maydena and an industry to feed the mill from the forests of the Tyenna Valley, the Styx Valley and then the Florentine Valley. Peter MacFie interviewed more than a hundred of the many people who worked or lived at Maydena and surrounding areas to tell the story of ANM and their forest Concession. It began as a dense wilderness that produced urgently needed paper at any cost through World War II and on through many changes until today the mill is fed on carefully maintained rapidly growing plantation timber from those same wet valleys. Three generations of many families worked for ANM, and here they tell their story in their own words.
397 A4 pages, 157 photographs, 9 maps & charts, plus footnotes, bibliography and detailed index.
Front and Back Cover Design for ‘The Newsprint’—A Social and Forest History of Maydena by Christopher Cowles © 2020.
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The Miller’s Cottage at Richmond was attached to the now-lost Tower Windmill, both of which are visible in early paintings, drawings and photographs.
The story of the Miller’s Cottage and the Tower Windmill
I had just been appointed as a member on the Richmond Town Planning Committee in 1982. Its role was to comment on proposals before going to the former Richmon Municipal Council for final decisions. Other members were Libby Jones – National Trust member and local historian, and architect Jim Moon.
At my first meeting the committee was asked to approve the demolition of the Miller’s Cottage – which had been lived in up to four years earlier. I was appalled. The above photo resulted from contact with the Mercury newspaper, and was my first foray into heritage protection and politics. The photo below had the desired result – with the Richmond town clerk ringing me at Dulcot in a panic.
A well-attended meeting followed in the Richmond Town Hall in 1983, plus several letters of support including one from Peter Mercer, then historian with the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, and a steering committee was established.
Above photo is of the restored Miller’s Cottage 2011 – Peter MacFie with visitor when it was in use as a Teddy Bear shop. (Peter MacFie)
Jan & Bevis Ross
Justin Nichols
Andrew Jones
Wayne & Roslyn Johnson
Mike & Julie Arnold
David & Jenny Rouse
Tony & Liz Coleman
Tim Jacobs
Stephen walker
Mike & Annie Swinson
Kay & Chris Broughton
Peter & Lorraine MacFie
John Blaine & Diane Smith
Chris Cowles
Eileen Youldon
Dixie Brodribb
David & Ginny Ralph
Jon & Maryan Guerson
Allan & Robyn Brown
Eventually a small management committee was established & a $40,000 CEP grant was successfully applied for. A carpenter and 2 trainees were employed in the restoration work which was overseen by the committee.
Yours, Jerry Lee Lewis: Rockin’ at the Hobart City Hall 1959-1960, Peter Macfie, 2018. https://petermacfiehistorian.net.au
Peter MacFie’s memories of attending three Big Shows at the City Hall, Hobart, Tasmania in 1959 and 1960 as a young teenager.
The lights go down again, the audience quietens.
Waiting near me in the wings is a shy, Mexican-looking young bloke with a bad case of acne verging on boils on his neck. Chan Romero clutches his new electric guitar. The lights go down, the audience hushes. The curtains open again. Chan walks past me quickly onto centre stage. He’s only got one hit- but what a beauty- Hippy Hippy Shake– drives along, the girls are screaming a bit, the Joyboys -the backing band – rocking along.
For goodness sake, I got the…’
His song became No 1 in Tasmania, the only place in the world. (I’ve still got the 45.)
Chan Romero was followed by Freddie Cannon,
One day I took a walk in the park, down at a place called Palisade Park, (whatever that is?) to have some fun (now we understand that!)
Then a handsome, dark, older bloke with a deep voice. Jack Scott was a Canadian born country singer really, with weepy, interesting ballads.
My True Love and What in the World’s Come Over You – bah- wa-ooh.
I loved the backing singers on the American recordings. (Scott also sang Burning Bridges, serious love songs, adult love songs, about things we only became aware of later in life.)
Then Johnny Preston, best known for his hit, Running Bear, later the bane of every pub band, but in 1960, a brand new hit.
On the banks of the river, sat Running Bear, young Injun brave. On the other side of the river, sat his lovely Indian maid, Little White Dove… (Oogah, Oogah)
The audience sings along to the chorus
Running Bear, loved Little White Dove, such a lovely sight to see….
Ah, if only race relations were as easy as the way we absorbed those simple lyrics.
After Johnny Preston comes off, there’s a pause. The curtain’s drawn again for the star act. Jerry Lee Lewis’ pushing the piano into the middle of the stage, his backing band consisting only of a drummer and electric guitarist. He brushes his crinkly, blonde hair off his face, takes off his coat, throws it to the manager, adjusts the collar and shirt sleeves of his striped shirt, a final tune of the guitar, Jerry Lee ripples a few trial runs on the keyboard. He sits at a bentwood chair, stands over the piano.
Kevin Jacobsen is looking over my shoulder.
‘Watch the way he hits the chair when he gets going.’
Jerry Lee positions the chair behind his legs.
To read more, download the pdf as above.
Andre Segovia, 9
Armstrong, Louis, 9
Avalon, Frankie, 1, 2, 3
Berry, Chuck, 1
Big Bev, 9
Bill Haley, 1
Bing Crosby, 1
Bobby Day, 4, 5
Bogey, Johnny, 6
Bridge, Dave, 6, 9
Cannon, Freddie, 7
Cash, Johnny, 5
Chan Romero, 6, 7, 9
Chuck Berry, 1
City Hall, Hobart, 1, 4, 5, 6, 9
Clooney, Rosemary, 1
Cochran, Eddie, 1
Col Joy, 4, 6, 9
Col Joy and the Joy Boys, 4
Cole, Nat King, 1
Como, Perry, 1
Crosby, Bing, 1
Dave Bridge, 6, 9
Dawson, Smoky, 1
Day, Bobby, 4, 5
Day, Doris, 1
DeeJays, 2
Doris Day, 1
Downie, Angus, 6
Eddie Cochran, 1
Eddie Edwards and the Sharks, 2
Edwards, Eddie, 2
Elvis Presley, 1, 5
Frankie Avalon, 1, 2, 3
Freddie Cannon, 7
Gale Storm, 6
Gene Vincent, 5
Gordon, Lee, 2
Haley, Bill, 1
Hank Williams, 6
Hirst, Nola, 6
Irwin, Laurie, 6
Jack Scott, 7, 9
Jacobsen, Kevin, 6, 8
Jerry Lee Lewis, 1, 6, 8, 9
Jerry Lee Lewis Big Show, 9
Johnny Bogey, 6
Johnny Cash, 4, 5
Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Two, 5
Johnny O’Keefe, 1, 2, 4
Johnny Preston, 7, 8, 9
Joy Boys, 4, 6, 7, 9
Joy, Col, 4, 6
Laurie Irwin, 6
Lee Gordon Big Show, 1, 6
Lee, Lonnie, 6, 7
LeGarde Twins, 1
Lewis, Jerry Lee, 6, 8, 9
Little Richard, 1
Lola Sheppard, 3, 4
Lola Taylor, 3
Lonnie Lee, 6, 7
Louis Armstrong and the All Stars, 9
Luke, Robin, 4
Luther, Perkins, 5
Max & Stella Reddy, 1
Morris, Gladys, 9
My True Love, 7
Nat King Cole, 1
Nola Hirst, 6
O’Keefe, Johnny, 1
O’Keefe, Johnny, 2, 4
Orbison, Roy, 9
Paul Shirley, 4, 5
Perry Como, 1
Playmates, 4
Presley, Elvis, 1, 5
Preston, Johnny, 7, 8, 9
Reddy, Max, 1
Reddy, Stella, 1
Reece, Eric, 1
Robertson, Geoffrey, 1
Robin Luke, 4
Romero, Chan, 6, 7, 9
Rosemary Clooney, 1
Roy Orbison, 9
Sands, Tommy, 2, 4
Scott, Jack, 7, 9
Segovia, Andre, 9
Sheppard, Lola, 3, 4
Shirley, Paul, 4, 5
Sinatra, Nancy, 2
Smoky Dawson, 1
songs
Ballad of a Teenage Queen, 5
Beep Beep, 4
Bigger than Texas, 2
Blue Suede Shoes, 2, 5
Burning Bridges, 7
Dark Moon, 6
Five Foot High and Rising, 5
Freight Train, 5
Great balls of Fire, 8
Hey Venus, 2
Hippy Hippy Shake, 7
Luther Played the Boogie, 5
Palisade Park, 7
Rocking Robin, 4
Running Bear, 7
Suzie Darlin’, 4
What in the World’s Come Over You, 7
When the saints, Go Marching In, 3
Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On, 6, 8
You leave me… Breathless, 8
You make me Wanna SHOUT, 2
You Win Again, 8
Storm, Gale, 6
Taylor, Lola, 3
Tennessee Two, 5
Tex Morton, 6
The Beach Boys, 9
The Platters, 1, 2, 3, 4
The Sharks, 2
Tommy Sands, 2, 4
Tony Williams, 3
Vincent, Gene, 5
Williams, Hank, 6
Williams, Tony, 3
Wilson, Dave, 1, 2, 4