Organisations

Kensington Town Hall.  Photograph:  Lenore Frost, 2016.

This image used to be on the Moonee Valley Council website  but has since been removed. Photographer unknown.  These honour boards are  located in the Lodge Room of the Kensington Town Hall.  I was able to photograph the boards, and each WW1 honour board now has a page of its own: Flemington PAFS Honour Board, Flemington Branch Australian Natives Association (ANA)

HELPING THE TROOPS
CITIZENS' ASSOCIATION.
GOVERNOR-GENERAL'S SUPPORT.

The Kensington Town Hall was crowded last night, when a meeting arranged by the Flemington and North Melbourne branches of the Australian Natives' Association was held to form a citizens' military association with the object of looking after the welfare of the troops. Mr Fenton, M H R , presided, and the Governor General (Sir Ronald Munro Ferguson) was present. The  meeting was very enthusiastic. 

His Excellency, when he rose to speak, was greeted with loud and continued applause. He said -"I see that one of the objects of this movement is to promote esprit de corps between the civil inhabitants and the citizen forces of the different military districts. I do not think that the Flemington branch of the Australian Natives' Association will find much difficulty in bringing about that very desirable state of affairs in Flemington. I saw a most admirable guard of honour outside, and have concluded that you have planted the seed in most congenial soil. This proposed association can do much to promote the spirit of unity and to foster the spirit of nationality, which is so essential to the life of a community. You may have a vivid civic patriotism and a vivid state patriotism, as well as a national patriotism, and all these are essential to the life of n great community. In the country to which I belong there are all these different forms of patriotism, and just as we find them in the old country, so we find them here. And in these great societies it is very necessary   to have voluntary organisations. We be- come so scattered as units within society that such associations have an immense part to play in modern life. These great voluntary associations are the salt of society.

As the Canadians have showed their magnificent fighting capacity at one end of the line, we look forward to seeing the Australians in Constantinople after winning a glorious victory at the other end of the line. Judging by what I have seen in the camp at Broadmeadows I am satisfied that there are no troops in the whole of His Majesty' s forces who look better able to sustain the traditions of the British army   than the regiments which we have been sending in such great numbers from Australia. (Applause ) For some years past I have been connected with an association which looks after the Territorials and the national reserves in the old country and have had experience in dealing with most of the objects which you have in view.   An immense amount of good can be done by local residents in support of efficient   military training, whether it be in assisting the local representatives in Parliament, or in assisting the different organisations   which work in conjunction with the citizen forces.  A great deal has to be done to provide the necessary buildings and equip them in various centres.

"The work done by the national reserve in England will have to be done in Australia. Until three years ago in Great Britain, no attempt was made to keep together those who had gone through the ranks. When the national reserve was formed   we very soon had several hundred names on the roll. The men I have seen at Broadmeadows are well worth looking after. (Applause) I always thought that it would have helped us very much if we had had compulsory military training up to say 18 years of age. This view has been confirmed by what I have seen in Australia. Many people think we have   been slack in the old country is not having  compulsory service, but in England we have to find 40,000 recruits a year to supply the  armies in the great dependencies. Once you   depart from the voluntary system, as soon as the Government takes the responsibility   upon itself, voluntary effort shows a tendency to fall off and if we were not able to get those 40 000 recruits there would no longer be any security for the Empire. We shall have to make provision at the close of this war so that none of the advantages of training so vast a number of men shall he lost. (Hear, hear. ) Let us therefore   secure our voluntary organisations to assist the great military organisations to maintain military centres, such as clubs and miniature rifle ranges - and miniature rifle ranges are admirable for teaching shooting. I am satisfied that we can do an infinite amount   to strengthen the citizen forces, and to retain the whole value of those who have served overseas for the future of Australia,   so that in the words of our national poet, "You may have Australians standing as a  wall of fire in any moment of danger round their well-loved land. " We know Australia is worth defending, and we must stand united in making our military system such as to render Australia secure." (loud applause.

Senator Russell moved and Mr Warde MLA and Councillor Davidson seconded "That this meeting form itself into an association, with the power to add to its number, to be called the Hopetoun Citizens' Military Association."  The motion was agreed to.  On the motion of Mr T A Kennedy, seconded by Mr Crosbie, it was resolved-  "That the constitution of the Essendon Citizens' Military Association, so far as applicable  to the local area be adopted."     

Councillor Davidson was appointed president and Mr N J Johnson and Councillor J F Henderson were elected treasurer and   hon secretary respectively.

The Argus 30 April 1915

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article1513541

THE COUNT-OUT.

REPEATED AT KENSINGTON.

Speakers Shout in Vain.

Although the Kensington Town Hall was crowded last night, when addresses in favour of conscription were to be delivered by Senators Givens and Lynch and Mr. Archibald, M.H.R., the majority of the local residents who attended to hear the speeches were prevented from doing so by an organised gang of young men. Last night they were reinforced by a number of women, whose shrieking and singing added to the tumult, and effectually prevented any of the speakers from being heard. They paid no respect to the chairman (Alderman Crichton), who attempted to introduce the speakers, and from the inception there was not the semblance of the order which usually characterises public meetings. Despite the poor prospect of obtaining a hearing, Senator Givens heroically made the attempt, and at rare intervals his voice rose above the din. He was heard to say, "We are not afraid of anything you want to say for your side. Australia should do her share. We are not asking you to do anything that any white man in Australia should not do."

High above the frightful noise that filled the hall a woman shrieked, "What about the cable that was read in the Senate from the soldiers?"

Senator Givens apparently replied, but his lungs were not equal to the strain of making his words intelligible. He struggled manfully on, however, and his next audible utterance was, "Conscription has been the law in Australia for 15 years."

A Young Man.-That's not true. Senator Givens.-It's the law of the Commonwealth now, and all you are asked to do is to extend the Government'a authority to enable it to send you to fight for Australia outside of the Commonwealth.

At this stage the anti-conscriptionists commenced to count the senator out, and a number of women sang a verse or two of a socialist song. An eccentric old woman caused some diversion by jumping about the hall after the manner of a frog, alternately waving a parasol and a white handkerchief.   This was continued for several minutes and the crowd cheered and applauded her with enthusiasm.

Realising the futility of continuing in the face of such odds, Senator Givens sat down to the accompaniment of derisive cheers.

Nothing daunted, Senator Lynch rose and faced the yelling crowd. The sober minded people in the front seats applauded him continuously. The young men in the rear recommenced the counting process and the women resumed their singing, and to add to the pandemonium another section increasingly boo-hooed him. Senator Lynch stood facing them calmly enough for some minutes and then he thundered out the question, "Are you afraid of what I am going to say?"

The eccentric old woman commenced to step-dance in a vacant space between the seats, and the yelling and cheering were deafening. Senator Lynch stopped his ears with his fingers until his attention was attracted to a woman a few seats back from the platform. He suddenly jumped down into the hall and approached this woman and the mob surged towards him. It appeared as if serious trouble was imminent, but the presence of a strong guard of police apparently restrained the more  ardent spirits and for about five minutes an animated conversation took place between the woman and the senator but what it was all about no one but themselves   knew. When he returned to the platform Senator Lynch pointed to the woman, and evidently desired to explain his action but the crowd refused to listen and drowned his voice with fierce yells the moment he opened his lips. He tried again and again to explain the nature of the altercation but the counting out was as often repeated, a young man standing on a chair giving the mob the time to shout in unison. Senator Lynch roared, "Ladies and gentlemen." but that was all he was heard to say. He gesticulated fiercely and shook his clenched fist at the mob but his voice - although he was speaking loudly and rapidly - was quite inaudible.  

The women then advanced to the platform and was heard to exclaim, "You are false to Ireland. Will you resign?"  

Senator Lynch - "I would be false to Ireland and to Australia if I did."

Mr. Archibald achieved very little more success than the other speakers though at times he managed to make some words penetrate the din. He said that there was a large number of the Labour party there that night and they ought to recollect that they would be safeguarding their own organisation in allowing free speech. The counting recommenced.  Years ago they had to win their way by free platforms.   Was that meeting the result of the Trades Hall  or what was it? (Counting resumed.)   Everything the workers had won had been won by having a free platform (further counting.)  

A woman repeated with monotonous regularity. "You tell me how a woman can live on 30 bob a week and we will listen to you."  

Mr Archibald -Once you destroy the freedom of the platform the main-spring of the Labour party in Australia is gone   (One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, out.) This is tyrant. I want you to realise what it is. Freedom of speech- The speaker, at a sign from the chair- man resumed his seat in disgust amidst wild cheers from the disturbers.

The meeting was then abandoned.

11 October 1916  http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article1624601

WELCOME TO RETURNED SOLDIERS BY KENSINGTON SCHOOL CHILDREN, KENSINGTON TOWN HALL, WEDNESDAY, 26th NOVEMBER. Photo by Allan Studios, Collingwood.   Punch 27 Dec 1917, p. 22. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article121084047

Kensington Town Hall.  Photograph:  Lenore Frost, 2011