As members of the Historical Society enjoyed a wonderful spread at our Annual Garden Party in February, many of us cast our minds back to that day, exactly thirty years ago when the Cottage was opened to the pubic. It was Saturday 14th February 1976, when the Mayor councillor Bob Poppins unveiled the plaque in front of the verandah formally marking the occasion and Sir Raymond Garrett declared the Cottage open, using the original key to open the front door.
Councillor Muriel Green the then President, outlined the five years of effort by many people, principally from the Historical Society who assisted in the removal, rebuilding and setting up the interiors and grounds. She detailed the work of the Town Clerk Mr Jack Thomson and the City engineer who designed the floodlighting, still in use today. The expertise of the council Parks and Gardens under Mr Max Holmyard helped design and landscape our grounds. At that time there was so much to do. The house to furnish and decorate, garden to plant, paths to form, as well as the administrative jobs such as roster schedules and training for members who were unused to the tasks involved in weekly openings to the public.
Some of our newer members may not be aware of the story of Schramm’s Cottage and how it came to be in its present site in Victoria Street.
This material has been gleaned from an article from one of our earlier newsletters.
The Schramm family had built the old cottage in Doncaster Road, in 1875. Max von Schramm had sold his old “Common School” to the newly formed Education Department and constructed this new stone building as a residence and Lutheran school. Kate Schramm enjoyed furnishing her new home and chose red curtains tor the dining room the colour of which was replicated when the Cottage was re-opened. The kitchen was most inconvenient being inaccessible to the rest of the house, so food had to be carried along the verandah and through the front door to the dining room. Later when the school had closed meals were cooked in the schoolroom and the kitchen became the boys’ bedroom. The girls slept in the room, which later became the present study.
In 1908 Max von Schramm died. Kate Schramm lived on in the house for a while and died in 1928. The house was leased for quite a number of years and later sold to Mr Tully.
In 1955, some influential members of the public felt that the house and surrounding land should belong to the Council. The next year Mrs Tully generously agreed to sell the land to the Council and later in 1967 when our society was formed, the Council gave the Historical Society permissive occupancy of the house.
In 1970 there were plans to widen Doncaster Road. The district was rapidly becoming a busy residential suburb and with the opening of Westfield Shoppingtown traffic had escalated.
Because Schramm’s Cottage stood in the way of the road widening, people began to discuss what should be done to preserve the Cottage. After much public agitation and urging from the Historical Society the Council called a meeting to discuss the future of the Cottage. At that meeting a steering committee was formed charged to find a new site for Schramm’s Cottage, to arrange for its removal and to raise finance for the project.
This committee consisted of: Irvine Green (Chairman); Muriel Green (Secretary); Nell Elliot; Loris Webster; Eric Collyer; Ted Rieschieck; Paul Zweek; Mark Wierzbowski; Councillors Ian Peter-Budge and Les Cameron represented the Council.
Eventually the Trinity Lutheran Church donated their old church site and cemetery for the re-erection of Schramm’s Cottage and the setting up of an historic centre. The site was most appropriate, as Max von Schramm had conducted his first school in the old Waldau church on this land. Quite a time period elapsed while the land transfer took place, so it was 1971 before the dismantling of the Cottage commenced. Interior timber was marked and sorted into groups. The wall stones were removed and numbered. Volunteers carried out the dismantling and the Council provided transport for materials to be removed to the new site.
As Schramm’s Cottage was taken apart, interesting details of its construction were discovered. The internal walls were framed with Oregon with the studs morticed into plates. The internal framework was lined with lath and plaster and packed into bricks.
The mortar and plaster was made of sand and lime. About thirty dray loads of sand must have been used in the building. The eighteen-inch thick stone walls would have weighed 250 tons, the largest blocks weighing 600 lbs. When the sitting room fireplace surround was removed, several Christmas cards were found dated 1887.
Source: 2006-03 DTHS Newsletter
Schramm's Cottage in 1976. On the left of the path are young camellias donated by Mr. Len Hobbs, on the right old fashioned roses.
Schramm’s Cottage Project Committee realised that it was not sufficient merely to re-erect Schramm’s Cottage on a new site. So later in 1971, the Committee published the aims of the project.
“Basically the aim is to preserve the past. To show life led by the pioneers, and the conditions under which they lived, it is desirable that one of each of the tools, appliances and articles of furniture they used, be obtained and preserved in their original condition. These are necessary to have, not because they are quaint, or just a tourist attraction, but because they will form a permanent record for the future. This must be done in such a manner that the museum will be looked at because it is interesting and aesthetically pleasing.”
It was decided that if Schramm’s was to qualify for a government grant, it must provide material of historic interest individual to Doncaster and not already covered by other Museums. In the submission for funding, two themes were presented:
1. The German settlement of Waldau, a subject of Australia wide interest.
2. Fruit growing, as Doncaster district was the leading orchard area in Victoria.
A grant was obtained from the State Government and work of re-building commenced in March 1973. At weekends, volunteers sorted the stones, laying them out around the cottage ready for Gerhard Heilmann the stonemason, to lay during the week. Soon the stone walls were erected and later the roof and framework of the interior walls were built. After some delays and various problems, carpenters from the Council eventually completed the Cottage and early in 1975 a meeting of the Historical Society held the February meeting in the newly erected building. The Cottage was not entirely finished with the interior details and painting incomplete.
During 1975, the Council was given a Commonwealth Employment Grant to re-erect Finger’s Barn. Doncaster Apex dismantled and moved the bam donated by Mr Ted Rieschiek.
On 14th February 1976, Schramm’s Cottage was opened in the presence of 200 visitors. The Mayor Cr. Bob Poppins gave the Doncaster-Templestowe Historical Society permissive occupancy of the Cottage and land, Sir Raymond Garrett opened the Cottage, and the late Cr. Muriel Green, the President received the key of Schramm’s Cottage for the Historical Society.
Since that time the Schramm’s Cottage precinct has been added to and improved. Members built the Vehicle shed, Doncaster Rotary completed the Implement shed, the Gazebo has been added, the Tram shed and Wheel Wright’s shop added also.
Later Atkin’s House and the Sloyd room have been sited on the North Lawn and a Pergola built as a Pioneer Memorial. In 1998 the Irvine Green memorial garden was built on the left inside the entrance gate, completing the garden setting for the Cottage.
To quote a comment that was made at the tenth anniversary of the re-opening of Schramm’s Cottage - “Here is a piece of history that has been well worth preserving. ”
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