Agency:
Weindorfer Memorial Service Committee
Agency Number:
Start Date:
30 Sep 1975
Description:
This Committee was formed to commemorate the life of Austrian-born Gustav Weindorfer (1874 - 1932) the naturalist, mountaineer and conservationist of Waldheim Chalet, Cradle Mountain and perpetuate his memory by organising the Weindorfer Memorial Service each New Year's day at his gravesite. ;;Gustav Weindorfer was buried at Waldheim in 1932. In November 1932 Gustav's sister sent a bunch of everlasting flowers and four candles to Tasmania, asking that they be placed on his grave on New Year's Day, as was the custom in their Austrian province of Carinthia. In following years this became a trandition with Austrian relatives from Gustav's birthplace at Spittal an der Drau, Karten, an alpine province of Austria, also sending candles and Eidelweiss flowers each New Year's day to Waldheim. A granite cairn was created over his grave in 1938, making a more prominent site for a memorial. The simple flower and candle laying ceremony was continued until the outbreak of World War 2. While the ceremony was revived in 1954, it was expanded in the 1970s by the North West Walking Club with local flowers and candles that were still sent from Austria. ;;To ensure the tradition of a New Year's day service did not lapse, the 'Weindorfer Memorial Service Committee' was formed by a small dedicated group of about ten from the Walking Club. Their inaugural meeting was held 30/9/1975. Since the 1980's the Committee has also screened on that day a film and slide show for people attending the memorial service. The 1928 film by H J King, 'Weekend at Cradle Mountain', depicts the lifestyle and activities of visitors to Cradle mountain during Weindorfer's time. The original is held by the National Film and Sound Archive. ;;Prominent members of the committee have been Dr John Pickford, Mr Alan Richmond (Devonport), Miss Ann Stocks (Devonport), Mr Merv Summers (Burnie), Mr Arnold Rowlands (Burnie), and Mrs Jenny Pearce (Leith).
Information Sources:
Gustav Weindorfer, Australian Dictionary of Biography; notes provided by Mrs Jenny Pearce, Leith.
Related Agencies:
James "Philosopher" Smith and Family (NG234) | 01 Jul 1827 | 15 Jun 1897 |
Gustav Weindorfer (NG528) | 23 Feb 1874 | 05 May 1932 |
Frederick Smithies (NG573) | 16 Aug 1885 | 13 Oct 1979 |
Arnold Rowlands (NG2167) | 17 Apr 1925 | 01 Oct 2009 |
Series Created By Agency:
NS2523 Frederick Smithies Lantern Slides | 01 Jan 1919 | 01 May 1932 |
NS7180 Collected Papers | 07 May 1920 | 10 Nov 2008 |
NS7178 Correspondence | 14 Jan 1975 | 12 Feb 2008 |
NS7179 Minutes of Meetings | 30 Sep 1975 | 09 Feb 1998 |
NS7182 Photographs of 2009 Weindorfer Memorial Service | 01 Jan 2009 | 01 Jan 2009 |