Time capsule contents discovered in Harbord Literary Institute after 101 years hidden way
It lay hidden for 101 years, now the contents of a northern beaches time capsule have been revealed.
Manly
Don't miss out on the headlines from Manly. Followed categories will be added to My News.
The contents of a dusty 101-year-old time capsule discovered in an iconic northern beaches building have been revealed.
Back in August the glass jar was found hidden behind the marble foundation tablet at the Harbord Literary Institute in Freshwater.
It had been placed there on July 13, 1918 when the stone was unveiled by the then Education Minister Gus James.
But the capsule’s location was always a bit of a mystery.
It was only solved after Alan Wright, who out walking in Rickard St. Balgowlah, spotted an old scrapbook that had been thrown out as part of a council clean-up.
The book, which belonged to Thomas Sterland, a Warringah councillor and president of the institute, contained a number of Manly Daily articles.
Mr Wright gave the book to local historian Sean Rout. It was only when Friends of Freshwater member Wendy Machon, Mr Rout’s neighbour, read one of the stories about the unveiling of the foundation stone and that a time capsule had been set behind the stone.
The Manly Daily story said that “behind the tablet had been placed a copy of the local and city papers of that date, along with coins of the realm, also a typewritten history of the hall, which was read.”
Northern Beaches Mayor Michael Regan was on hand for the opening of the capsule at the institute on Wednesday. Members of the Sterland family, including Thomas’ grandson Keith and great grandson, Mark were there for the big reveal.
The State Library of NSW’s conservation and preservation manager for books and papers, Jonathan London, was called in to break the seal on the capsule and carefully remove its contents.
While the glass capsule’s perished rubber seal came away easily, revealing a 1914 Australian penny and a front page, and three more pages of the Manly Daily dated July 13, 1918.
But a rolled up newspaper that had been crammed into the jar would could not be prised out, even with Mr London’s gentle use of a number of wooden ice cream sticks.
The jar is now being sent to a professional glass cutter so the newspaper — the masthead cannot be seen — can be removed.
The Manly Daily pages, however, show a myriad of advertisements as well as commercial and community announcements.
There are ads for the latest movies, including Charlie Chaplin’s “first million-dollar comedy”, “A Dog’s Life” playing at the Britannia Theatre, at 4 Sydney Rd. “Les Miserables” was playing at the Paramount, at 5 South Steyne.
A notice telling readers that the Manly Band was playing on the “Ocean Beach” at South Steyne was prominent near an ad for the Fresh Food & Ice Co, 13 The Corso. They deliver “pure fresh milk, rich dairy cream and choice butter at your home”.
Mr Regan thanked those who helped solve the time capsule mystery, the Friends of Freshwater and council staff who worked to find and protect the capsule and its contents.
“It’s really cool,” he said. “I’m so enthused by this discovery and we are so luck to have found something like this.”
Mr Rout, who is also the Harbord RSL sub-branch president Sean Rout, said he hoped the contents of the time capsule might be placed on temporary display in the foyer of the Diggers club.
“Thomas Sterland was one of the founding fathers of the Harbord Literary Institute, a former councillor, the first president of the Harbord Literary Institute and a member of the Building Committee,” he said.
“How incredible to be part of releasing the capsule Mr Sterland buried for us just over a hundred years ago.”