Marginal Notes 30: Belonging
My husband, Jonathan Burdon, and I recently attended the funeral of our long-standing friend, John Drury OAM. During the service moving tributes were paid by John’s wife, Dr. Dianne Reilly AM, and members of his family, recalling the many talents and special characteristics of this remarkable man. Our experiences with John, apart from those of friendship, were in connection with his role as co-founder of The C. J. La Trobe Society.
The C. J. La Trobe Society was founded in 2001 by Dianne, John and Richard Heathcote, with the aim of promoting understanding and appreciation of the life, work and times of Charles Joseph La Trobe, Victoria’s first Lieutenant-Governor. At the time, Dianne was La Trobe Librarian at State Library Victoria, and she and John have been pivotal in all the Society’s various activities over the decades - Dianne as Secretary and John as Treasurer and Manager. Jonathan and I joined as foundation members, more out of loyalty to Dianne and John than an interest in C.J. La Trobe. In ensuing years, through the Society’s many lectures and social events, we became deeply invested in the history of La Trobe, particularly in regard to his cultural legacy in Melbourne, including the Melbourne Public Library (State Library Victoria), the Philosophical Society (Royal Society of Victoria), the Mechanics’ Institute (Melbourne Athenaeum), the Royal Melbourne Philharmonic Society, and the Royal Botanic Gardens
During a quiet time at John’s funeral I started to reflect on the importance of ‘belonging’ – not only to family and friends but also to groups and associations that have formed through specific interests. Jonathan and I enjoy membership of a number of such bodies: The C. J. La Trobe Society; Book Collectors Society of Australia (Victorian Branch); Bibliographical Society of Australia & New Zealand; New Australian Bookplate Society; Royal Historical Society of Victoria; Royal United Services Institute of Victoria; Private Libraries Association; Melbourne Athenaeum Library; Friends of the Baillieu Library; Friends of Libraries Australia; and Melbourne Maritime Heritage Network. There are other associations and Friends groups that interest us, including The Johnston Collection, Ephemera Society of Australia, The Johnson Society of Australia, Mechanics’ Institutes of Victoria, along with many others devoted to specific authors or events.
And so I pose the question: Why not belong?
