émileeddé

Lebanon Ladies Maronite Ball

from Powerhouse Museum

• 7 older comments, and then…
• Giovanni Portelli said:

  1900 eh? wow

• Giovanni Portelli said:

  it's dated at 1938...can someone verify that?

• Pixel Wrangler said:

  "This was an annual ball. At the 1938 ball (during the sesquicentenary of European settlement in Australia) the President of the Republic of Lebanon, M. Edde [sic, Émile Eddé], presented the Commonwealth of Australia with six six-foot cedar saplings from the historic cedar grove, Arz-el-rub (Cedars of God). Also, the Consul-General for France, M. Tremoulet, presented to Mrs Therese Alam (wife of Anthony Alexander Alam MLC), a great worker for the Lebanon Ladies Annual, the purple ribbon of the Officier de l'Académie. This photo shows the assembled guests looking up at the camera." --Object Description A photo showing the cedars, and the presentation ceremony, is here.

• Giovanni Portelli said:

  I wonder where the saplings went.....

• Pixel Wrangler said:

  thepretenda — The Australian Lebanese Historical Society, Inc., apparently has a continuing search for the location of the six Cedars of Lebanon from 1938.

  "The Society has been in contact with the Ambassador for Lebanon, H.E. Mr. Michel Bitar who has also been endeavouring to locate the 1938 Cedars through contacts in Canberra. Although he has yet to find the location of the 1938 Cedars, he has located a small growing on the lawns of Old Parliament House which we believe were a group presented as part of the 1988 Bicentenary. Mr. Bitar was also able to advise of another specimen growing in the Melbourne Botanical Gardens, which appears to be a 19th century planting. "We are awaiting the results of our own enquiries with Environment ACT and other ACT authorities that have responsibility for Canberra parks and gardens, about the location of the Cedars."

  There's more info at their website.