Blue Friars Club, Sydney, photographs, ca. 1930s-1960s

PXE 1487

fonds

Graphic Materials, Textual Records, Photographs

910019

38 photographs - 26 x 31 cm or smaller - col. and b&w
6 sheets of textual material

The Blue Friars club was a group of leading professional and business men in Sydney who formed themselves into a novel organisation with the object of finding the richest and best Australian wines.

They called themselves "The Blue Friars" after an ancient order of monks founded in the 13th century, among whose activities was the distilling of various cordials from herbs which they mixed with wine and used for medicinal purposes.

The group met at intervals in secret throughout Sydney. Once a year, the president of the club, Mr. Leo Buring would entertain members and their partners at his home in Leonay, at Emu Plains.

References
Sydney Morning Herald, Sydney, 11 May 1939
The Daily News, Perth, WA, 9 July 1932

Material is arranged in two sequences, numbered 1-39 and 276-310.

1 'Some notes on The Blue Friars, August 1974' [typescript]

2 'Mr Buring, Mrs. Albert, 1939'

3a-b, 4a-b, 5a-d [Unidentified photographs at club function]

6-7 'The Blue Friars' [typescript]

8a-b, 9a-b [Unidentified photographs at club function]

10 Weinkeller, Sep. 1963

11-12 [Men delivering speeches at function]

13-24 [Unidentified photographs at club function]

25-26 [Group member wearing cloak, smoking cigar]

27 [Excerpt from Tattersall's Club Magazine, November 1975]

28 'Blue Friars at Weinkeller, 18.10.66'

29-37 [Unidentified photographs at club function]

38-39 [Close-up portraits of group member holding wine glass]

Description of photographs 276-310 from accompanying contents list:

276-279, 281, 283-284 Visit of the Dowager Lady Swaythling to the Cellar (Lady Swaythling was Vice President of the Wine and Food Society, London). U.d. Guest of Leo Buring and Blue Friars

287, 289-290 Blue Friars barbecue at Leonay, Emu Plains. Leo Buring present. U.d. Others unidentified

292-294, 296-297 Blue Friars dinner party prob. at Leonay, Emu Plains. Various scenes. Identification of subjects inscribed on back of photo

299 Blue Friars luncheon Y.O.C. September 1960. Sir Herbert Schlink (and Mr. A.J. Costern?)

300 Blue Friar E.J. Brck [?], Miss Peggy Stephens U.d. prob. 1960's.

301 Two unidentified Blue Friars U.d.

302 Blue Firars wine tasting 12 August 1939. Comment and identification on back

303 Unidentified group with Blue Friar (probably Leo B) at Y.O.C. U.d.

305 Unidentified Blue Friar seated near wine barrel at Y.O.C. U.d., although possible date of 1949

Photos 280, 282, 285, 286, 288, 291, 295, 298, 304, 306, 307, 308, 309, 310 are not in the collection.

This pictorial material is part of Blue Friars records, 1931-1942, 1974-1984 at MLMSS 4462

Second sequence of photographs is not arranged in numerical order due to housing requirements.

Copyright restrictions may apply

Pic.Acc. Upgrade Project - Information transferred from Pic.Acc.5852 as part of the eRecords Project 2012-13

Each photograph is numbered on verso. Many also note the people featured in the photograph, the date and the photographer's name.

Photographs taken by Sam Hood, The "Herald" Women's Thursday Section, Consolidated Press, Gervaise Purcell. Some are unattributed.

No Date