 |
| Mary Poppins |
It is the birthplace of Mary Poppins author P. L Travers whose beloved novels were brilliantly adapted for the popular Disney movie of the same name and the award winning musical.
Maryborough celebrates its connection to Mary Poppins in many ways.
The annual Mary Poppins Festival is believed to be first in the world to celebrate Mary Poppins and the success of her creator.
Maryborough’s riverside parks and heritage streetscapes provide a perfect setting for the festival with a range of other magical Mary experiences guaranteed to delight both young and old.
Author Pamela Travers
Pamela Travers was born in Maryborough on the 9th of August in 1899 to parents Margaret and Robert Goff. They named their first born child Helen Lyndon.Her father was the manager of the Australian Joint stock Brank and she was born in a bedroom of the second storey residence of the building. After spending the first few years of her life in Maryborough, her family moved to Brisbane then Ipswich, Allora, Bowral and then Sydney.
 |
| Pamela Travers |
In Sydney, Helen began a career as a dancer and an actress appearing mainly in Shakespearean plays in Australia and New Zealand. As a young woman in her twenties she moved to England seeking literary fame and fortune, and used the name P.L Travers for her writing. (It is possible that two first initials were used to disguise the fact she was a woman - a practice also adopted by other female writers at the time).
So it was under the name P.L. Travers that in 1934 she wrote the first ‘Mary Poppins’ novel about the magical and exceedingly efficient nanny. It was an immediate success and the Mary Poppins series - there were eight books in total - went on to be translated into more than 20 languages.
However it is really the Disney Movie by the same name which made Mary Poppins - and Travers - famous. She initially did not want the movie made but Walt Disney had his heart set on turning her book into film. He first approached Travers for the movie rights in the late 1940’s - she finally relented in 1961 and signed the contract after an offer she couldn’t refuse.
The movie starring Julie Andrews won five Oscars and became one of the most successful movies of all times.
By many reports, Travers was so unimpressed with what Disney had done with her creation - with some material claiming that she sat in the audience and cried at the premiere.
The author died in 1996 aged 96. If she could fly by umbrella (as her magic nanny of her stories does) and revisit her birthplace of Maryborough, she would be most likely be very surprised at the attention she has gained since her death.
Some reference material suggests that Travers got the idea for Mary Poppins come from a woman she saw walking in Maryborough, dressed in an old-fashioned style and carrying an umbrella with a bird's head carved into the handle – but this is pure supposition.
Unfortunately, Travers rarely spoke about her childhood and would rather talk about her writing than her personal life. She was a bit like Mary Poppins, who cheerfully informs her employer Mr Banks, “I never explain anything”.
However there are some interesting associations. In the novels, the father is a bank manager – called naturally enough “Mr Banks”. Her father was a bank manager in Maryborough.
This building where she lived (for the first couple of years of her life) is just a short stroll from Maryborough’s majestic Queens Park. And is very likely she was a regular visitor to the park with her mother.
Heritage listed Queens Park is one of Australia’s earlier botanic gardens, and with its heritage listed features it shares many similarities with the park of the novels near the Bank’s home, which the children and Mary Poppins frequented.
The first book includes in a party at the zoo among the animals, and in the years before and after Travers youth Queens Park also hosted a zoo and aviary. It was also a common social practice for people to dress in their finery and promenade through the park along the river.
So it was under the name P.L. Travers that in 1934 she wrote the first ‘Mary Poppins’ novel about the magical and exceedingly efficient nanny. It was an immediate success and the Mary Poppins series - there were eight books in total - went on to be translated into more than 20 languages.
However it is really the Disney Movie by the same name which made Mary Poppins - and Travers - famous. She initially did not want the movie made but Walt Disney had his heart set on turning her book into film. He first approached Travers for the movie rights in the late 1940’s - she finally relented in 1961 and signed the contract after an offer she couldn’t refuse.
The movie starring Julie Andrews won five Oscars and became one of the most successful movies of all times.
By many reports, Travers was so unimpressed with what Disney had done with her creation - with some material claiming that she sat in the audience and cried at the premiere.
The author died in 1996 aged 96. If she could fly by umbrella (as her magic nanny of her stories does) and revisit her birthplace of Maryborough, she would be most likely be very surprised at the attention she has gained since her death.
Mary Poppins Inspiration
Where did the idea of Mary Poppins come from? Is it possible that Maryborough born Pamela Travers may have drawn some inspiration for her famous novels from some of her early experiences in her birthplace?Some reference material suggests that Travers got the idea for Mary Poppins come from a woman she saw walking in Maryborough, dressed in an old-fashioned style and carrying an umbrella with a bird's head carved into the handle – but this is pure supposition.
Unfortunately, Travers rarely spoke about her childhood and would rather talk about her writing than her personal life. She was a bit like Mary Poppins, who cheerfully informs her employer Mr Banks, “I never explain anything”.
However there are some interesting associations. In the novels, the father is a bank manager – called naturally enough “Mr Banks”. Her father was a bank manager in Maryborough.
This building where she lived (for the first couple of years of her life) is just a short stroll from Maryborough’s majestic Queens Park. And is very likely she was a regular visitor to the park with her mother.
Heritage listed Queens Park is one of Australia’s earlier botanic gardens, and with its heritage listed features it shares many similarities with the park of the novels near the Bank’s home, which the children and Mary Poppins frequented.
The first book includes in a party at the zoo among the animals, and in the years before and after Travers youth Queens Park also hosted a zoo and aviary. It was also a common social practice for people to dress in their finery and promenade through the park along the river.
 |
| Mary Poppins |
There is also Admiral Boom, the former naval officer who lives next door and fires his cannon to mark the time. In Maryborough, it was once practice to fire a canon every day at 1pm to mark the hour, and let the workers in the cane fields know it was time for lunch.
Discover magic, history, and timeless fun in the birthplace of the creator of Mary Poppins!
Sunday 5 July 2015
This year the Mary Poppins Festival will be a proud part of the inaugural Street Life Festival!
For two weeks in June and July the Fraser Coast iconic streets, riverside parks and public spaces will become the stage for a new colourful, high energy festival called Street Life.
Fraser Coast Street Life will showcase of incredible depths of talent on our streets and open our minds to new cultural pursuits never experienced before on the Fraser Coast.
All budding illusionists, musicians, acrobats, dancers and comedians will have the opportunity to bring it to the streets and perform before live audiences in the first ever Fraser Coast Buskers Competition.
Celebrate, collaborate and create in Chalk the Streets Interactive, a new event that will transform our pavements into vibrant artworks.
Become immersed in a world-first virtual interactive 360-degree cinema experience that lets the audience take control and step ‘inside’ performances of music by Bach, Grieg, Smalley and Piazzolla.
Join a host of Australian rock legends as they add glitz and grit to the program with performances, a Rock Icons dinner and meet and greet sessions.
This is just a taste of what is on offer at Street Life 2015. Discover more as the program unfolds and follow on facebook to keep up with the news.
Discover magic, history, and timeless fun in the birthplace of the creator of Mary Poppins!
Sunday 5 July 2015
This year the Mary Poppins Festival will be a proud part of the inaugural Street Life Festival!
Street Life 2015
Taking it to the streets! An exciting, colourful fusion of art, music and culture
For two weeks in June and July the Fraser Coast iconic streets, riverside parks and public spaces will become the stage for a new colourful, high energy festival called Street Life.
Fraser Coast Street Life will showcase of incredible depths of talent on our streets and open our minds to new cultural pursuits never experienced before on the Fraser Coast.
All budding illusionists, musicians, acrobats, dancers and comedians will have the opportunity to bring it to the streets and perform before live audiences in the first ever Fraser Coast Buskers Competition.
Celebrate, collaborate and create in Chalk the Streets Interactive, a new event that will transform our pavements into vibrant artworks. Become immersed in a world-first virtual interactive 360-degree cinema experience that lets the audience take control and step ‘inside’ performances of music by Bach, Grieg, Smalley and Piazzolla.
Join a host of Australian rock legends as they add glitz and grit to the program with performances, a Rock Icons dinner and meet and greet sessions.
Experience the world premiere of ‘What the River Told Me’, the first work in a trilogy of solo performances by award winning writer and performer Ian Brown.
This is just a taste of what is on offer at Street Life 2015. Discover more as the program unfolds and follow on facebook to keep up with the news.
No comments:
Post a Comment