Melbourne Savage Club
| Founded | 1894 |
|---|---|
| Home Page | www.melbournesavageclub.com |
| Address | Bank Place, Melbourne |
| Clubhouse occupied since | 1923 |
| Club established for | The arts, science and law |
Melbourne Savage Club is a private Australian gentlemen's club founded in 1894. Bohemian in spirit, the club was to bring together literary men, and those immediately connected or sympathising with literature, the arts, sport or science. Its membership is particularly secretive with a strong code of silence; members are traditionally the elite or 'savages' in the arts, business and politics. Travelling savages enjoy good fellowship through reciprocal arrangements with other private clubs throughout the world.
Contents
History
The Melbourne Savage Club, a gentlemen's club, was founded in 1894.[1][2] Like the London-based Savage Club, established in 1857, it was named after Richard Savage (1697-1743), an English poet.[1][2] Dr. Harvey E. Astles was the first President of the Melbourne Savage Club. In 1915, Hans Heysen donated a painting to the club.[3] Sir Robert Menzies, longtime Prime Minister of Australia, served as its President from 1947 to 1962.[2][4] The club incorporated the Yorick Club (with which it had a long and cordial rivalry, including regular cricket matches) in 1966.[5] Hubert T. Frederico, QC, was President from 1974 to 1977.[6] In 2012, the President was Robert Heathcote.[2]
Although an organisation with the primary aim of members providing their own entertainment, it regularly participates in philanthropic activities. A pair of oil paintings "The Crucifixion" and "The Annunciation" by Club member Napier Waller were presented to All Saints Church in Geelong in 1929.[7] Social events were organised with charitable and patriotic causes as beneficiaries.[8]
Building
The Club organised purchase of its building in Bank Place, Melbourne in 1923.[2] Rent was paid to Melbourne Savages Ltd; all profits were distributed to shareholders annually.[9] The building was originally designed by A. L. Smith and A. E. Johnson, with alterations conducted by Kinsgley Henderson, who also designed two of the most elegant buildings on Collins Street – the Bank of Australasia Building on the corner of Queen and Collins Streets and the Alcaston House (1929) at the corner of Spring Street. The building is of the few remaining townhouses in this area, and is a notable example of the transition Classical style between conservatism and boom and contributes to the character and townscape of Bank Place. Unusual external features include the portico with rusticated columns and first floor windows. The punkahs which ventilate the dining room are powered by electricity.[2] The staircase and some fireplaces are also notable.
Notable members
- J. C. F. Johnson (writer)[10]
- Sir Arthur Streeton (painter).[2]
- Sir John Longstaff (painter)
- Sir Tom Roberts (painter)
- W. B. McInnes (painter)
- Frederick McCubbin (painter)
- Dr Henry O'Hara (Collins St Doctor)
- Billy Schut (Supreme Court judge)
- Sir Owen Dixon (judge)
- W. R. Guilfoyle (founder and curator of Melbourne's Botanic Gardens)
- John Reed (art partron)
- Charles Victor Robertson (businessman)
- David Low (cartoonist)
- Barry Humphries
- Alfred Vincent (cartoonist who designed the Club emblem)[11]
- King Hedley (actor) [12]
- Roy Cecil Hodgkinson (artist)[6]
- Norman Macgeorge[6]
- Sir William Dargie (portraitist)[6]
- Alex Gurney (cartoonist)[6]
- Alberto Zelman (musician)[13]
- Ted Baillieu (politician)[14]
- John Elliott (prominent Australian businessman)
- Senator George Brandis QC (Attorney-General of Australia).[15][16]
- L. Bernard Hall (Director of the National Gallery of Victoria from 1892 to 1935).[17]
Other cities
Savage Clubs were formed in other Australian cities:
- The Adelaide club was founded in 1883.[18] Members in 1885 included Harry Congreve Evans and Albert T. Chandler.[19]
- The Perth club was founded in 1896. Dr. Harvey E Astles (past president of the Melbourne club) was its first president.[20]
- The Sydney club was founded in 1934.[21] Albert Collins was its president in 1936, Lindley Evans in 1954.[22]
Bibliography
- Johnson, Joseph Laughter and the Love of Friends: A Centenary History of the Melbourne Savage Club, 1894-1994
- A History of the Yorick Club 1868-1966, Melbourne Savage Club, Melbourne 1994
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Melbourne Savage Club: Welcome to the Melbourne Savage Club
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Lawrence Money, The ace of clubs, Sydney Morning Herald, 18 April 2012
- ↑ Peter Monteath (ed.), Germans, Wakefield Press, p. 406
- ↑ Allan William Martin, Patsy Hardy, Robert Mezies: A Life, Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 1993, p. 84
- ↑ "Inter-club Cricket" The Argus 13 December 1924 p.25
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 http://www.daao.org.au/main/read/3285
- ↑ "Paintings for Geelong Church" The Argus 28 February 1929 p.5
- ↑ "For the Wounded" The Argus 16 Dec 1915 p.15
- ↑ "Company News in Brief" The Argus 21 June 1941 p.2
- ↑ Wilde, W. H. The Oxford Companion to Australian Literature 2nd ed. ISBN 0-19-553381-X
- ↑ http://www.daao.org.au/main/read/6356
- ↑ "Personal" The Argus 12 June 1922 p.6
- ↑ "Zelman Memorial" The Argus 13 March 1930 p.8
- ↑ http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/members/id/58 | Parliament of Victoria, Ted Baillieu -Member for Hawthorn, Premier of Victoria
- ↑ Emma Griffiths, George Brandis defends membership of men-only Savage Club, debate sparks chest-beating in Senate,ABC, 26 September 2014
- ↑ AAP, Brandis defends joining men-only Melbourne Savage Club, The Australian, 25 September 2014
- ↑ Gwen Rankin, L. Bernard Hall: The man the art world forgot, NewSouth, 2013, p. 82 [1]
- ↑ "South Australia" The Queenslander 27 October 1883 p.691
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ The West Australian 15 August 1896
- ↑ Sydney Morning Herald 19 June 1934
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
External links
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