Three cars were attacked by a gang of hoodlums in Collingwood late at night on Wednesday 21 February 2007. Three men approached a 43 year old woman stopped at lights on Hoddle St, threatened to kill her, and ordered her to get out. She did, and it was later found dumped. Continue reading “More crime: an evening of multiple carjackings”
3MBS and Neighbourhood Justice Centre up and running
3MBS had its open day at the Abbotsford Convent yesterday, but I didn’t make it. I would like to hear from anyone who did. When you walk past the building with its St Hellier’s Street frontage, though, you can peer in the window at the announcers doing their thing live, and see the vast CD library as well. The current broadcast is piped through a speaker at an appropriately demure volume.
Meanwhile, the Neighbourhood Justice Centre at 241 Wellington St in Collingwood has actually heard a case now, on Wednesday morning, and is set to get into full swing this week. It has only one Magistrate at the moment, former social worker and lawyer David Fanning, until recently Tasmania’s Commissioner for Children. This Age article is worth a look. I’ll pop my head in soon and give a fuller report. It seems that there is to be an open day on 16 May 2007 as part of Law Week. The government says of the Centre:
Continue reading “3MBS and Neighbourhood Justice Centre up and running”
More on the Collingwood Town Hall
This from the State Library’s archives. And the St. Kilda Historical Society has fascinating information about George Johnson, including that his great-grandson is practising as an architect in St. Kilda, representing a unique architectural and building dynasty of 6 generations:
“Over some two hundred years, the Johnson family have for six generations been involved in the building industry: as carpenter, builders, engineer, but no less than four as architects. Probably George Raymond Johnson (1840-1898) architect is the best known. I’m not aware of another such dynasty in Melbourne …
George was the son of William, journeyman (employee) carpenter and builder from Marston-on-Dove, Derbyshire. He was articled to George Hall, architect to the Midland Railway Co. He practised briefly in London before immigrating to Queensland in 1862. He worked as surveyor and builder as Godfrey & Johnson (1863-64), then came to Melbourne in 1867. He was soon a successful architect here, designer of three groups of almshouses, including: the Jewish, at 619 St Kilda Road, St Kilda (1869) and the Old Colonist Homes for George Coppin, the famous theatrical entrepreneur, at North Fitzroy (1870) and then fifteen theatres, including the Prince of Wales Opera House (1872), the Theatre Royal, Adelaide (1877), the Bijou, Bourke Street (1889), all now demolished and the Theatre Royal, Perth (1897) as well as many shops and hotels.
But George Johnson’s greatest works are splendid town halls: Hotham (North Melbourne, 1875), Daylesford (1882), Maryborough (1887), Fitzroy (1887), Collingwood (1885-90), Northcote (1888-90) and Kilmore (1893-95), as well as the Metropolitan Meat Market (1879-80 & 89), the 1888 extensions to the Royal Exhibition Building and the Hospital for Incurables (the Austin, 1881). … George Johnson’s practice collapsed in the 1892, losing all his assets in the subsequent financial crash. He left Melbourne for Perth with his architect second son, Harry M.G. Johnson (1867-1931).”