Minutes March book: A City Lost & Found: Whelan the Wrecker's Melbourne

A City Lost and Found: Whelan the Wrecker's Melbourne 

by Robyn Annear

(chosen by KE)

Theme: This is Melbourne




KE chose this book as it fulfilled the 'Melbourne' brief...but also because she thought it would be a good choice to dip in and out of, not having to necessarily read it from start to finish. Most Melbournians of our age remember the Whelan the Wrecker was here signs, so it feeds our nostalgia too. 

About the author:

Robyn Annear is an ex-typist who lives in country Victoria with somebody else's husband. She is the author of A City Lost and Found, Bearbrass, Nothing But Gold, The Man Who Lost Himself, and Fly a Rebel Flag. She has also written several pieces for The Monthly magazine.

(biographical detail from the the blurb on the book)

What the publisher says about the book:

The demolition firm of Whelan the Wrecker was a Melbourne institution for a hundred years (1892-1992). Its famous sign – 'Whelan the Wrecker is Here' on a pile of shifting rubble - was a laconic masterpiece and served as a vital sign of the city's progress. It's no stretch to say that over three generations, the Whelan family changed the face of Melbourne, demolishing hundreds of buildings in the central city alone.

In A City Lost and Found, Robyn Annear uses Whelan's demolition sites as portals to explore layers of the city laid bare by their pick-axes and iron balls. Peering beneath the rubble, she brings to light fantastic stories about Melbourne's building sites and their many incarnations. This is a book about the making – and remaking – of a city.

'Old landmarks fall in nearly every block . . . and the face of the city is changing so rapidly that the time is not too far distant when a search for a building 50 years old will be in vain.' Herald, 1925.

What we discussed about the book:

• Who already knew about Whelan the Wrecker?
• Was there enough focus on the Whelan family in the book to satisfy us as readers? Was the 'Whelan the Wrecker' focus a vehicle to tell a story about past Melbourne buildings?
• Occupational health and safety considerations in the past - particularly with regards demolitions.
• The structure of the book - was there a clear narrative?
• What were the wider socio-political contexts of some of the demolitions/redevelopments? Was there sufficient about this in the book? 
• How the 'Whelan the Wrecker was here' signage permeated popular culture...and the references were much wider. 

And then we were sidetracked into:

• What is the 'lives with someone else's husband' comment in the author's biography about?
• How did this compare with Bearbrass as far as telling a story of a past city go?
• What makes a location 'significant'? 
• Renovations on heritage homes - pros and cons for imitation heritage vs contemporary additions
• How quickly do you forget previous buildings once they've been demolished and something else built? 
• Is demolition and redevelopment a necessity? 
• The tradition of six o'clock closing in the pubs. How that has influenced the development of Australia's drinking culture.  

In other news, we discussed:

• Rowing - the pros, the cons, the commitment, the parental involvement..
• Year 11 and 12 formals - all the lowdown on dresses etc 

Ratings:
Range: 6 to 7
Average: 6.5

Next book: Foe by J.M.Coetzee (chosen by Gypsy)