Page:Ian Charlton.ogg/9



Reload page to restart the player. (Did you realise as a student where Karl Langer fitted into all this?) Well I knew that he had the European background and everything and we were very impressed you know, generally. But it's only subesequently that I realised just what a gem he was.

(Sidler had a much higher profile in Australia than did Karl Langer. Maybe he was  better salesman, better connections, I don't know. He was well known in Brisbane. Were you aware of Sidler while you were here? As a student?) Yeah. He just, his mother's house was fairly recent and that was the talking point I think wasn't it? (Did you go and see it?) Get to see it? No. No. (Some people went from Brisbane down to look at it. I am sure Haze and Scott Probably.) Yeah. We didn't get round as much as students as much as probably students do today. Sydney seemed a long way away.

(The teachers did they show their own projects or did they talk about their own projects while they were teaching? You said that they were all practising architects so they were showing their own work or not really?) No. Sorry I missed the first. I should put my hearing aids in. (So when you were a student, the teachers that were teaching areas that were all practising architects would experience, were they showing their own work as examples or were they talking about their own work or not really?) Not to any great extent. We knew about Professor Cummings and Bruce Lucas did the Christian Science Church on Riverside Drive which has since been demolished but that was sort of a standard design if you like there (It's still there) out of America. (It's still there. Not demolished). The original one? (Was there one before?) I'm talking about the original one yeah. This modern one with the trophy on the top? (No, no, no. That's a Mormon Church). Yeah. Well that's where it was. (There was another church there?) Yes. (Ok.) Unless we are getting confused. I've just always thought that they demolished the old one and that was the new one. (Well, the old one was demolished but it was an old Mormon one and I think Robert Gibson had supervised but not designed? But the one, the Christian Science one was at North Quay and still there. The pale brickwork.) Yeah. No, no, no. This is the one that was at Kangaroo Point, whatever that was, one of those Mormon things. (I'm not sure about that one. but I always understood that Gibson had something to do with it but he hadn't designed it. It had come from Saltlake City or whereever those things come from.) Well, Hang on. I might be wrong. Because the brickwork and all the rest of it was the thing that I remember, sort of a tower, it's not a bad building, but yeah. (Very Scandinavian,) Yeah (in many ways. They Did another Church out at Clayfield to the.. ) Yes. I didn't really know about that. That's probably the only one that he mentioned. We knew about John Hitch's work a little bit because that had been published in the magazines and also when that book on Queensland Architects came out that.. (So he had been working for the Public Works Department) Public Works. (Regional Projects) Bundaberg Courthouse, (Rockhampton, the office block up there). Yeah. In fact John Hitch subsequently published a volume of his own work which you might be interested in seeing. (It's in our library. [Is it?]) Is it? Oh right yeah. I thought he was going to give it to me but he ended up selling them. (laughter). historically, its a great document. We always used to admire his presentations which these days you know, might look a bit old hat. When they had the thing at the exhibition and things, I forget what it was called now, he did the sketch for the entry and all the rest of it and they were quick sketches in water colour and very architectural to our eyes. Looking at them now they are all, well you think, so what, but I think all of these things have got to be thought about in their time, haven't they? (He was involved in a lot of exhibition was he?) Yes. Yes. There was an exhibition in the City Hall for example. They were done through the chamber of commerce or something like that. (He was on the committee for the exhibition of Australian Architecture that went to London with Jim Willer I think). Could be, Jim Willer was involved in one of these other ones as well. Yeah.