IN SEARCH OF OLGA ERNST

Kel engaged. Finally worked out to use end note to load online books but need more help in adding newspaper citations.
Coffee with Susan in the new ‘trying to be a trend ahead cafe with windows open (a la Carlton bar) and loud music obviously aimed at a younger clientele. Staff friendly but will it return to a purple pumpkinish attitude. Susan still amazed that we are still finding more. Waiting for Margaret (cousin), Cincinatti relatives, Donald in Waurn Ponds to reply and finally sent Helen a thankyou letter.

Tuesday 4 October 1904 p 5
From Messrs McCarron and Bird publishers, a dainty little volume of fairytales has been forwarded to us. The preface says that they are tales told by a child for younger children. The fancies in them are fresh and original, and the young authoress Miss Olga Ernst shows considerable promise. While retaining the old-world form of fairy-tale telling she has grafted in clever
and delicate fancies. This is specially the case in the first story, “The Origin of the Wattle,” The Unselfish Mermaid, “and “What the Jackass Said.” Throughout she shows an intimate knowledge of bush lore, and has evidently passed her childhood in the bush, in keen sympathy with the life about her, observant of the habits of plants and animals, and sensitive to the changing
of the seasons and to the great disasters of flood and drought. The book is excellently lllustrated by Miss Dorothy Ashley. The picture in the Bunyip and the Wizard is particularly clever while in the other stories she elaborates the authoress’s fancies in a most effective manner. The volume is prettily got up, is entitled, “Fairytales from the Land of the Wattle,” and will make an atttractive present for children.

Another google-fest revealed this just written journal article with reference to Olga Ernst.
Having risen from a swamp in 1909, Noble Park celebrates its centenary this year. Long-time resident Geoff Wachter has written a history of the town and its early families‘‘Nobody had two bob. It will always be known as Struggletown. As soon as you get more affluent, you’re out of here.’’ There are stories that the town wasonce known as ‘‘Nobel Park’’ after the company that produced the dynamite (incidentally invented by Alfred Nobel, who later created the Nobel Prizes) used to blow up red gum stumps to clear land, but Mr Wachter says this is ‘‘hogwash’’.Another explanation is that it was named after Frank Buckley’s mother,
whose maiden name was Noble.There are also stories that Frank’s second son was named Noble and it could have been named after him.
Whatever the basis of the name, one of the early stores in the town was The
Elbon (Noble spelt backwards) Store, on the corner of Noble Street and Corrigan Road.
There were two ways to Gippsland, one along Dandenong Road and the other, more of a stock route, around Noble Park. Noble Park’s biggest problem was that it did not—and still does not—have a
north-south road. The only road out was Heatherton Road and the bridge often got washed away.
The first school was established in 1911, with 26 pupils taught by Olga Ernst.

One night about 5 weeks ago I was googling the Olga names: Hans, Elsa, Olga visiting women’s history sites and somehow into the Schlesinger Library dedicated to women’s history. Why would Elsa be there? But she is – 4 mentions in the extensive collection of penologist, Van Waters, Miriam.Papers, 1926-1931 at the Harvard Law School Library Cambridge, MA 02138. Quantity: 31 boxes
Abstract: Papers from studies of juvenile delinquency directed by Dr. Van Waters for the National Commission on Law Observance and Enforcement (Wickersham Commission) and for Harvard Law School’s Survey of Crime and Criminal Justice in Boston. Bulk of the material relates to the work of courts, social agencies, and public institutions with juvenile offenders in Boston and other cities and states, particularly California, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, and Tennessee.
The Librarian checked the Van Waters files are there are about eight letters by, or about Elsa Ernst, in the collection. Most are notes/letters written to Van Waters by Ernst. One is a letter of recommendation by Van Waters for a position that Ernst was applying to in North Carolina. According to that letter, Ernst worked for Van Waters at the Framingham Reformatory in Massachusetts and also mentions Ernst’s work at he Social Science Laboratory at Harvard. The records of the social science library at held by the Harvard Univ. Archives: http://discovery.lib.harvard.edu//?itemid=%7clibrary%2fm%2faleph%7c000604145

Restrictions of the Van Waters collection prohibits photocopying from these folders but since Ernst was not a former inmate, privacy concerns should not apply. They are following-up with my colleagues to see if there is anyway that I could submit a photocopy order. Otherwise I’ll have to visit!

British writers and their influence referenced but nought by german women. Helen has news – a cousin Margaret in Adelaide has had translated the journal in German from her great-great-great Grandmother : Hamburg to Australia. Wonderful to fill the gap.
Wrote to Harvard to see if the Elas Ernst mentioned in Van Waters archives is Olga’s sister – they have research grants. Imagine researching at Harvard!

Holidays over and in between supervising the installation of IWBS and photocopying references I think I have achieved my goals:completed a biography of 6000 words and an introduction of 2000, well on the way to my Confirmation Paper of 3-10,000 words.
Pam annotated usefully and thinks I should finish early. I have split the thesis into 3 + Introduction including methodology.
Fairytales/The Magic Shadow Show/Songs and all sections having a context and content (analysis of writing) section. Split journal articles into references too, one BIG folder of first section and less on 2nd and 3rd. So will begin collecting for 2nd now which includes the Tantes and writing for my Confirmation using the Introduction as the beginning.

Planning to visit the German Church in East Melbourne, in the original ‘Churches Precinct’ : Catholic, Presbyterian, etc set out in the early days of Marvellous Melbourne. Susan was coming but her back has given in…so make my way into the city alone avoiding a busker and a seller of mags as I have no cash and feel guilty. If I can’t donate should I be humming the song up the steps at Parliament Station.
The huge gothic spires of Saint Pat’s loom over the Trinity Church. Tourists stop to take photos of St Patricks missing the pint-sized German Church across the road. Sitting on the bluestone kerb next to a sculpture that has the absorbed remains of 3 people trapped until the 5th dimension. Did some -one really add their cremated remains?? Can’t find any info on it via google. Occassionally a tourist turns around and takes a photo as if an afterthought – they don’t read the inscription – a nameless photo or probably digitally deleted.

Did Olga Sen. walk sedately with her brother down the laneway between hall and church or perhaps play chasey?

The archive room, toilet block rebuilt by the Hilton – who wants their guests to look on at the remaining bush dunny in the city from their 5 star room.

Renatas (one and two) organised and efficient. Everything ready for me in their tiny space.
-Ida Heyne running a bookshop in Adelaide at the time when Olga lived there.
- Ads for Theodor’s shop and tracking down when he bought
- Can’t read in German but kindly being translated
- Tantalizing crumbs.
A frentic day at the library finding bearings, getting lost, finding a new cafe with luke warm coffee and home made muesli – my fav place now.
Grad card doesn’t work – but when it does I can access the amazing 1888 building 24/7!

Spent the day avoiding writing commissions (they pay!) and seeking journal articles. Got in to Grad part of Library and downloaded and ordered everything in sight.Now I have a whole NEW folder of readings neatly filed that explore: personal experiences in narrative, fairytale analysis, german heritage, national identity. Up early to complete this article for Voice as promised by Sunday night but figure 6am is OK. Have to make time to meet with EHY to discuss our presentation in November – too early.
Bought the catalogue – maybe it will become a collector’s item. It is on route from Sydney.

Fairytales in the bush

I grew up on a diet of British fairies at the ‘bottom of the garden’ and Snugglepot and Cuddlepie. Our Aussie fairyfolk mingled in a distinctly bush environment with talking goannas and sneaky snakes. I was fascinated by their adventure seeking quests and naive honesty.

My passion for Australian literature led to my chance discovery of Olga Ernst. I took Australian Children’s Literature as part of my Bachelor of Education and one assignment required a review an early Australian writer. With two small children in tow, a trip to the State Library was an organisational dilemma so I asked colleagues for assistance – hoping in a school as old as Mt. Dandenong Primary there might be some archival material hidden.

Some-one pointed me in the direction of Helen Dixon, our volunteer Christian Religious Education Teacher, so loved that recently a new playground was named after her. She looked at the list of books over a cuppa in the staff room and pointed – ‘That author is my mother. She wrote the book at 16.’

After a couple of recess time chats with Helen and using Helen’s handwritten notes I had my assignment complete. The placing of traditional fairyfolk in the Australian environment initially challenged my idea of a ‘real’ fairytale: mermaids swimming up the Yarra; giants stomping through the Australian Alps and Oberon completely out of place in the bush. However I successfully used the book as part of a Fairytale Unit with my Year 5 students.

When Olga Ernst wrote Fairytales from the Land of the Wattle it was part of a new development in Children’s Literature, which leaned towards the creation of an Australian Bush fantasy genre. The tradition of Australian folk characters such as Snugglepot, Blinky Bill and the Magic Pudding was made possible by authors such as Ernst who experimented by populating the Australian bush with European fairyfolk.

The idea that I should research her contribution to the creation of a bush identity in Australian children’s literature stayed with me. Working with Dr. Sally Godinho in 2008 I shared my concept and she encouraged me to meet with Dr. Pam McIntyre who is supervising my research.

Ernst published three books (one under her married name of Waller). The first
‘Fairytales from the Land of the Wattle’ was written as a publisher’s note suggests that Ernst hopes that the book will,

‘not only amuse the young but also win approval to whom a loving study of tree and flower, bird and insect and the association of familiar elements of old-world fairy lore with Australian surroundings, commend themselves.’

‘The Magic Shadow Show’ was written while she was studying for her BA and MA at University of Melbourne and private papers suggest many may have been essays. A third book ‘Songs of the Dandenongs’ was written to teach her children the names of the mountains, as seen from their holiday home in the Dandenong Ranges.

Not quite believing some-one who loved to write would only publish three books I have sought to find more examples of her writing. Slowly I have uncovered short story competition prizes, catalogues written for artist William Ricketts and submitted newspaper articles, some published, others not.

My research is in the early stages. I have spent the last year looking through old country newspapers (luckily the new teacher is always news in country areas so there are many references), school and teaching records. I have visited Historical societies in the areas she lived in and spent some happy hours reminiscing with her daughter over tea and cupcakes.

The first country school Ernst attended at the age of 5, Wandiligong published an article in their school newsletter, as have local Croydon, Orbost and Yarrawonga newspapers. Brighton and Mount Dandenong Historical Societies, the German Club, The German Lutheran Church and Yooralla have been generous with their support in my quest for more information that will shed light on the remarkable life and writings of this forgotten author.

Have spent the day finding references to read, looking for libraries around the world (may be they need a visit!- Cinicinatti, Princeton, Harvard, Bethnal Green – wonderful doll’s houses but no book, Uni of Reading and CHILDE) that may hold the book but no- only State Libraries hold:
Fairytales: Symon Library SA, Queensland Library, Mitchell Library NSW, NLA, SLV.
Songs: Qld, Western Australia, Mitchell Library NSW, SA, NLA, SLV
Mountain Gallery Catalogues: Mitchell Library, SA, NLA