Whether it’s sharing cross-word clues in the library, cheering on the local boxer, learning to sew, discovering talent, a family reunion, or catering for a centenary celebration, Institutes spark treasured memories. The four Personal Stories here come from suburban Clarence Park, Minlaton
In the first year of the SA Institute (1856) there was a request for the Institute libraries to supply books in the German language. When three years later the Institutes could subscribe to circulating boxes of books, German books were also offered
A drive back from Port Fairy this October was a chance to visit some former Institutes and alert them to the website. We stopped at buildings in nine towns: Mount Gambier, Millicent, Rendelsham, Beachport, Robe, Kingston, Meningie, Tailem Bend and Monteith. The
This year I have been combing through the Institutes Association Journal which was issued three times a year from 1901 to May 1964. It included short reports from individual institutes, book recommendations, ideas from interstate institutes and libraries, information about popular authors
Last week Ken and I travelled around Yorke Peninsula to spread the word about the website. Three years ago, we were there in the initial stages of locating and photographing Institutes. This time we showed the website to Information Centre volunteers at
It is curious that as well as the 352 affiliated Institutes, we have found 34 that were sometimes called Institutes but did not affiliate with the SA Institute. All but three of these erected a building for their communities and a few
Readers are responding to the short articles in the Adelaide East Herald and the Adelaide Hills Herald. Carolyn Spooner, the Community Engagement Librarian at the State Library read the piece about Stirling in the Hills Herald and checked out the website. She
A new section, Publications, has been added to the website. Joelie has been providing articles on the Institutes to various publications to publicise the history and significance of South Australia’s Institutes. Some articles are carefully referenced, such as the two on the
The 1950s were a time for Debutante Balls, including Mock and Miniature Deb Balls. Both Pat Scholefield (nee Cundy) and Terry O’Dea have fond memories, as well as photos, of their chance to shine in the Williamstown and the Wasleys Institutes. Les
Last month, on October 15, I joined the Zoom Conference for the Edinburgh Mechanics Institutes Conference. I was most interested the papers that focused on the early years of individual Institutes – in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Manchester, London, Launceston and Sydney. I share some of