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Statue unveiled honouring municipality’s namesakeLatrobe City mayor, Cr Lisa Price, Cr Tony Zimora and members of the Make Moe Glow committee represented Latrobe City at the recent unveiling of a three-metre bronze statue By Latrobe City - 6th December 2006 - Back to News Charles Joseph La Trobe at the State Library of Victoria. The bronze honours La Trobe's significant contributions as Victoria's first Lieutenant-Governor.
Cr Price said she was thrilled that Charles Joseph La Trobe had been recognised through the bronze.
"Many Victorians know little about Charles Joseph La Trobe, despite the fact that main thoroughfares in Melbourne and Geelong are named after him, a fine university bears his name together with a Gippsland river, region and of course, our municipality.
"Charles Joseph La Trobe did more to shape the state of Victoria than any other man, yet his achievements have gone largely unrecognised.
"He arrived in 1839, only four years after the first white settlement, when the population numbered fewer than 6000. When he left in 1854, Victoria was the richest and most populous of the Australian colonies. The population was touching 300,000, self-government had been won, the goldfields were booming, the public library and art gallery were established and a university founded. The whole framework of modern Victoria had been set up.
"La Trobe, the visionary administrator of Victoria, had much to do with the establishment of many of the cultural institutions we take for granted today. In 1853, along with Redmond Barry, La Trobe set out to establish a university and a public library in a colony not yet three years old," Cr Price explained.
"La Trobe made two journeys to Gippsland while Superintendent of the Port Phillip District of New South Wales, journeys which fortunately he recorded in his diaries, allowing us to share some of the interesting historical aspects and excitement of his travel.
"These journeys were not undertaken in comfort. Gippsland was still a very wild place when La Trobe set out on his travels, and although explorers had found ways through the forests and scrub, at the best there were merely trails to follow, sometimes seemingly impassable. Early settlers were able to supply some accommodation en route, but frequently La Trobe would need to camp.
"His first Gippsland journey of 28 February - 14 March 1845 took La Trobe via Westernport, the Tarwin River, the Agnes River (which he named after one of his children) and Tarraville, to 'Raymonds' on Lake King, returning via a similar route.
"However, La Trobe's second journey took him through the Latrobe Valley, and took place 26 November - 3 December 1847. On this occasion La Trobe travelled via Narre Warren crossing Cannibal Creek and the Bunyip, probably on a partly formed track which was being cut that year."
Cr Price said that while the Latrobe River was named after Charles Joseph La Trobe, the form used was ‘Latrobe’ not ‘La Trobe’. "A theory exists that the river was spelt with one word to make it sound less French, as La Trobe the man had allegedly missed out on outright governorship of the state for this very reason," Cr Price explained.
"While La Trobe University, La Trobe Street and La Trobe Library are all spelt with two words, the town of Latrobe in Tasmania is also spelt ‘Latrobe’."
The $90,000 statue unveiled by the Governor of Victoria, Professor David de Kretser, AC was commissioned by the La Trobe Society to celebrate the National Trust's 'Year of La Trobe' and is the creation of eminent sculptor Peter Corlett.
The unveiling ceremony attended by Cr Price was also attended by La Trobe's great-great-grandson, Dr Charles La Trobe Blake.
Source: www.gippsland.com Published by: news@gippsland.com
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