Latest News
• Add My News • Search Old News
La Trobe Exhibition Reveals Insight Into AdministratorA series of sketches and watercolours by Charles Joseph La Trobe aptly titled ‘A Sketcher of No Mean Pretensions’ and which celebrates fifty years of the National Trust in Victoria By La Trobe City Council - 14th December 2006 - Back to News is currently on show at the Latrobe Regional Gallery.
Acting gallery curator, Sherryn Vardy, explained that the exhibition traces the development of the man who had a significant impact on the fledgling colony of Victoria.
"Many of the works selected are from his travels in Europe, America and Tasmania. These are often incomplete pencil sketches overlaid with a sepia wash. Included, however, are a number of completed paintings which show how accomplished an amateur artist La Trobe was. Essentially, these works define him as a product of his century; a man with a fascination for the natural world, a profound interest in scientific and historical investigation and the empirical observation of landscape," Ms Vardy said.
"The greatest value of La Trobe’s impressions perhaps lies in the documentation of the colonising spirit of the nineteenth century through the artist’s ‘snapshots’ of scenes early in the history of the places he lived and visited."
In a public talk program conducted at the gallery last Friday, Dianne Reilly, the La Trobe Librarian at the State Library of Victoria and Secretary of the Charles Joseph La Trobe Society revealed a great deal about the visionary administrator and accomplished artist who was the first Lieutenant-Governor of Victoria.
"La Trobe arrived in Melbourne in 1839, four years after the first white settlement. By the time he left in 1854, Victoria was the richest and most populous of the Australian colonies. The whole framework of modern Victoria was in place, with La Trobe the founding patron of the Melbourne Hospital, the Mechanics Institute, the Melbourne Philharmonic Society and the Philosophical Society," Ms Reilly explained.
"In addition to cultivating science, culture and the arts in the colony, La Trobe’s commitment to universal education facilitated the establishment of a university soon after self-government for Victoria had been achieved. With wealth acquired from the goldfields, Melbourne also became one of the first cities in the world to enjoy a state supported free public library.
"Charles Joseph La Trobe’s passion for drawing and painting began during his education in Yorkshire, where he gained a sound understanding of the principles of scale and perspective and the capacity to produce credible impressions of the world around him. His talent for observing nature further developed through extensive travels to Switzerland, North America and Mexico as evidenced by scores of sketches of scenery he made to document these journeys.
"After his arrival in the Port Phillip District, his sketching became both a means of recording the environment as well as an antidote for the stresses associated with the difficult living conditions and intense ongoing work demands," Ms Reilly said.
"La Trobe pioneered, mostly on horseback, a route into Gippsland; he personally blazed a trail to Cape Otway after two failed attempts, and had the vital landfall lighthouse erected there; he undertook 94 extensive journeys around Victoria so that he could truly understand the territory he had been sent to administer.
"On these trips, as he had on appointments in other countries, he painted much of the scenery, and many of these paintings are part of the Trust’s touring exhibition.
"However, La Trobe was not universally popular with the settlers in the Port Phillip District. His manner could be paternalistic and he was reserved; the colonists did not appreciate why separation from New South Wales took so long; the miners certainly did not appreciate the licence fee he imposed; and his superiors did not appreciate his ways of dealing with the challenges he faced as the population mushroomed during the goldrush.
"La Trobe departed from Australia in May 1854 after long and arduous service, having just received advice that his wife had died. He soon married again to Rose de Meuron, his deceased wife’s sister. Due to the illegality of such a marriage in Britain, he was not considered for any other Colonial Office postings. In fact, it was more than ten years before he was awarded a small pension," Ms Reilly added.
‘A Sketcher of No Mean Pretensions’, a series of sketches and watercolours by Charles Joseph La Trobe continues at the Latrobe Regional Gallery until 14 January 2007.
Source: www.gippsland.com Published by: news@gippsland.com
Related Articles- Latrobe City Council invites community feedback on Moe Town Centre future through draft plan exhibition and consultation sessions
Latrobe City Council is seeking community feedback on Moe’s draft town centre plan, guiding future development, transport, public spaces and economic growth. Submissions close 24 November 2026, with community information sessions scheduled. - Latrobe City endorses draft Moe Activity Centre Plan to guide future town centre growth and development
Latrobe City Council endorsed the draft Moe Activity Centre Plan for public exhibition, outlining long-term CBD growth, planning reforms, improved public spaces and transport, with Planning Scheme Amendment C155 exhibition proposed for late 2026. - Latrobe City Council welcomes enforcement action targeting illegal tobacco and vape trading to improve community safety and support local businesses
Latrobe City Council has welcomed enforcement action by Tobacco Licensing Victoria and Victoria Police’s Viper Taskforce against illegal tobacco and vape trading, supporting community safety, lawful businesses and safer town centres. - Latrobe City Council ranks among Victoria's Top Five for Community Satisfaction in 2026 Snap Send Solve index
Latrobe City Council has ranked fifth in Victoria for community satisfaction, scoring 64.6 in the 2026 Snap Send Solve Index, exceeding both national and Victorian averages. - Latrobe City Council records strongest planning performance, leads Victoria in statutory decision timeframes
Latrobe City Council has achieved its strongest planning performance, with 95.44 percent of applications decided within statutory timeframes following streamlined delegation reforms introduced in May 2025. - Stallholder applications open for 2026 Latrobe City Children's Expo connecting families and community services
Stallholder applications have opened for the 2026 Latrobe City Children's Expo, offering organisations and entertainers the chance to connect with thousands of local families during National Children's Week celebrations. - Morwell Historical Society opens exhibition celebrating Northway Family’s pioneering legacy and Hazelwood’s early history for community visitors
Federal and state MPs opened Morwell Historical Society’s Pioneering Northway Family Exhibition, showcasing three generations of Hazelwood pioneers through photographs, documents and maps until November 29. - Martin Cameron backs Regional road funding to fix dangerous, neglected Latrobe Valley roads and bridges
A proposed $288 million Country Roads and Bridges program would give Latrobe City $1.5 million annually for four years to repair and upgrade local roads and bridges. - West Gippsland Arts Centre opens 2027 exhibition applications for artists and creatives across all visual disciplines and genres
West Gippsland Arts Centre is inviting artists across visual disciplines to submit expressions of interest for its 2027 exhibition program, with submissions closing October 12, 2026. - Parliamentary inquiry reveals CFA resource shortfalls after years of Labor neglect, leaving Gippsland communities increasingly vulnerable
A Parliamentary inquiry has highlighted declining CFA volunteer numbers, ageing firefighting vehicles, workforce shortages and poor fuel management, prompting Nationals' Danny O'Brien to demand urgent action to protect Gippsland communities. - Berninneit Gallery celebrates 'Forests Through Hoa Nguyen Immersive Art Exhibition' from 12 September to 25 October 2026
Berninneit Art Gallery presents Becoming the Forest, featuring three large-scale drawings by Hoa Nguyen celebrating Bass Coast forests. The exhibition opens September 12, with a Living Earth Gathering on October 3. - Moe Inline Hockey Championships secure five-year council funding, expected to boost $15M into local economy through visitor spending
Latrobe City Council will provide $100,000 over five years to support Moe’s Australian Inline Hockey Club Championships, expected to generate $15 million locally through visitor spending and accommodation. - Labor government invests $750,000 to support young Gippslanders into education, training and employment opportunities
The Victorian Labor government is investing $750,000 in Ladder Step Up Latrobe Valley, supporting 120 young people facing barriers to education, training and employment through 2028. - East Gippsland communities transform emergency water tanks into vibrant murals celebrating resilience, recovery and local stories
East Gippsland communities have transformed emergency water tanks into vibrant murals celebrating resilience and recovery, with artworks completed at four locations and three more projects planned for Gipsy Point, South Buchan and Benambra. - Gippsland Water backs biochar research to transform biosolids into sustainable soil health and waste management solutions
Gippsland Water is supporting national research into converting wastewater biosolids into biochar, aiming to improve soil health, advance sustainable waste management, and assess contaminant destruction, including PFAS, through innovative recycling. - Sailors Grave Brewing celebrates ten years, turning East Gippsland's produce and remote coast into a destination
Sailors Grave Brewing celebrates ten years, growing from an Orbost butter factory brewery into a celebrated Marlo destination showcasing East Gippsland’s produce, landscapes, creativity and community through distinctive beers and local food.
|
|
