p163

. . . One o’ the cabbies, known as Bill Sizzers . . .

We don’t know for sure who Bill Sizzers is. One possibility might be William “Willie” Clark (1871 – 1957) also known as “Squid” Clark. Squid was a well known ‘Cabbie’ at Sorrento. He was also Victor’s uncle.

. . . ‘I’ve a packet of soap powder ‘ere’ he says to them. ‘If you climb the ladder standin’ by the engine and empty it down the chimney doorin’ the night it will make it blow bubbles when the driver gits up steam in the mornin’. . . .

There was certainly a strong rivalry between the ‘Cabbies’ and the Tramway.

The following is reported to us in a transcript from The Peninsula Post of 18 Mar 1948:

The visit of Tom Morce to Sorrento recalls the famous challenge fought to a finish (one blow!) at the Athenaeum Hall some years back. Tom was the publicity officer for the Sorrento cab owners while his opponent, Jack Wooster, held a similar position for the rival steam tram boss, Ike Bensilum. ¹

Was this the event described?

One day, “Puffing Billy”, the tram’s engine, was observed belching huge bubbles from its funnel, instead of the usual sooty smoke. It leaked out afterwards that Tom had lodged a large bar of soap in the boiler while the engine was not in use. ²

So it appears that, unless it was a regular occurrence, Thomas ‘Tom’ Morce (1880 -1965, youngest son of George Morce) was the instigator of Puffing Billie’s bubbling funnel!

p164

. . . A few seconds later, when the first cracker busted . . .

We have no record of the firecracker incident.

p169

. . . say one of Coppin’s institutions in Melbourne, or something similar . . .

The “Old Colonists’ Association” was formed back in 1869 . . .

George Coppin would raise funds by putting on a show at his theatre . . .

Several cottages were built at Rushall Park, Fitzroy North . . . many more were added well into the 20th century.

“Each cottage has been privately donated and is marked by a memorial stone. Coppin donated the earliest stone cottage and these were designed by G. Johnson. Rushall park is a unique complex of national significance and is of great architectural importance. ³

How the cottages were allocated is described below . . .

“When a vacancy occurs in one or more of the cottages, applications are invited by advertisement from old colonists desiring to be admitted. Each applicant must be recommended by at least three members of the Association to entitle the application to consideration. ⁴

“Members of the Association are particularly requested not to sign a recommendation of applicants unless they have some personal knowledge of them and their circumstances. A right of nominating an eligible person as an inmate is also vested in donors of 250 pounds to the buildings or endowment funds ⁵

p172

. . . at a Melbourne trade picnic. He had been told that one of the paddle-steamers would carry the excursionists to the Esplanade, not the Sorrento Public Park where the larger picnics were usually held. . . .

The ‘Trade Picnics’ were a significant source of income for the Paddle Steamers and the Sorrento community. Activities were normally held in Sorrento Park. An example of such a ‘day out’ in March 1901 is described as ‘Picnic to Sorrento’ HERE.

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1. Newspaper Notes of Peter Collins in NHS Collection ↩︎
2. Ibid. ↩︎
3. North Fitzroy Conservation Study 1978 (Extract HERE) ↩︎
4. The Cyclopedia of Victoria 1903-1905, Vol 1, p345 (Extract HERE) ↩︎
5. Ibid. ↩︎