Tooley Collection

Ronald Vere Tooley (1898–1986) was born and educated in London. He served in the Queen’s Westminster Rifles in World War I and was one of a minority in his regiment to survive the Battle of Cambrai. In 1919 he joined the London booksellers Francis Edwards Ltd and throughout the 1920s he produced catalogues of rare books and old maps. He eventually established his own business—the Atlas Bookshop—but it closed in 1936. After World War II he rejoined Francis Edwards and in time became one of its directors, retiring in 1976.

Plane Table Surveys Collection

The plane table was described in a number of surveying textbooks in the eighteenth century and it was widely used in surveying and mapping until superseded by aerial photography in the second quarter of the twentieth century. The plane table consisted of a flat rectangular board that was attached horizontally to a tripod. A sheet of paper was attached to the board and drawing commenced using a sighting vane or alidade, a clinometer for measuring angles, a compass and an aneroid barometer.

Johnston Collection

Francis Henry Johnston (1910–1989) was born in Melbourne and educated at Brighton Junior Technical School. He left school at an early age and worked as a commercial artist in Melbourne and as a rabbiter and station hand in central Victoria. He went to London in 1932 and worked with a press agency, a studio and an advertising firm. He and his wife returned to Australia in 1936, visiting the United States, Japan and China on the way, and settled in Sydney. Johnston worked as a commercial artist for several years before turning to publishing. In 1944 he founded F.H.

Hertz Collection

Cyril Sidney Hertz (d. 1980) was for many years a clerk in the Australian Post Office in Sydney. In his later years he worked as a travel agent, organising tours of China and other Asian countries. He began to collect military books soon after the end of World War II and over 30 years amassed a large collection. He had a particular interest in war aviation and for some time wrote a monthly article, ‘Facts and Figures’, on World War I aviation. He was the publicity officer of the Australian Society of World War I Historians and wrote occasional articles for its newsletter.

Hardstaff Collection

Reginald John Hardstaff (1922-2007) entered the Royal Australian Naval College in 1940 and joined the surveying service in 1943. He was promoted to Lieutenant Commander in 1951. He served on several surveying ships in Australian, New Zealand and British waters and commanded the Warreen (1956) and Warrego (1956–58). In 1958 he was appointed Assistant Hydrographer Charts and in 1967 he became Deputy Hydrographer with the rank of Acting Commander. He retired from the Navy in 1972.

Griffin and early Canberra Collection

Walter Burley Griffin (1876-1937) was born at Maywood, near Chicago, and educated at Oak Park High School and the University of Illinois, graduating in Architecture in 1899. In 1901 he became an associate of Frank Lloyd Wright. He started his own practice in 1906 and by 1910 he was recognised as a leading practitioner of the Prairie School of architecture. In 1911 he married Marion Lucy Mahony (1871-1961), an architect who had also worked with Wright for several years.

Gilfillan Collection

William George Rucker Gilfillan (1906–1990) was born in Fremantle and grew up in Melbourne, attending Camberwell Grammar School and Scotch College. He studied civil engineering at the University of Melbourne, graduating in 1930. In 1929 he joined the Roads and Bridges Branch of the New South Wales Public Works Department and was involved in the construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. In 1932 he transferred to the Department of Main Roads. He travelled overseas in 1938 and from 1940 to 1946 he was employed by the South African Government.

Petherick Collection

Edward Augustus Petherick (1847–1917) was born in Burnham, Somerset, the son of the village postmaster and bookseller. The family emigrated to Melbourne in 1852 and Edward grew up in Collingwood, where he attended a local public school. In 1862 he joined Robertsons, the bookselling and publishing firm that dominated the wholesale book trade in Australia. In 1870 George Robertson sent Petherick to London, where he was to live for nearly 40 years. He soon became the Home Manager of Robertsons, selecting books for shipment to the Australian colonies.