Item MM 7068 Negative - Gentlemen's Motoring Party Outside Duggan's Livery Stables, Castlemaine, Victoria, circa 1911

Summary

Photograph of a motoring party outside Duggan's Livery Stables, in Templeton Street, Castlemaine, about 1911.

Despite operating one of Castlemaine's most prominent livery stables, hiring out horses and horsedrawn vehicles, the proprietor of the stables John Robert Duggan was an early convert to motor cars. Newspaper reports indicate that 'a motor-car belonging to Mr J.R. Duggan, of Castlemaine' caught fire at Kyneton, on the evening of Sunday 12th May 1912, while the driver was replenishing the petrol-tank from a fuel tin. The fire was fortunately quickly put out. A further misadventure was reported in 1914, when a motor car driven by Mr. J. Duggan overturned after breaking a wooden-spoked wheel while crossing a bridge at Chewton, returning from a Sunday drive to Taradale. The driver and passengers were again fortunate receiving only minor injuries, although one Mr W.B. Williams was thrown from the car.

By the First World War, J.R. Duggan had also established a motor car hiring and chauffeur service and motor garage. In July 1917, Duggan announced by advertisement in the local press that he had secured the local agency for the Maxwell motor car, 'which is one of the cheapest running cars on the market'. He was also an agent for Dunlop and Barnet Glass tyres for motor cars and cycles. By December the same year he was also acting as agent for Studebaker motor cars and Harley Davidson motor cycles. In April 1918, J.R. Duggan announced that owing to an increase in the business of his motor garage, he had decided to sell his livery and letting stables as a going concern. John Robert Duggan died on 11th April 1950, in his residence at 61 Templeton Street, Castlemaine, at the age of 73.

Description of Content

An early motor car (possibly a 1910 Talbot, one of Duggan's hire car fleet) with wooden-spoked wheels and an open touring body parked in front of J. Duggan's Livery Stables in Castlemaine. Five well-dressed men in suits are seated in the car - four wearing caps and the fifth a bowler hat. The driver is John Robert Duggan, owner of the livery stables, who in later years also ran a motor hiring business and motor garage adjacent to the stables. The four passengers are all older men with moustaches. The passenger in the front seat beside the driver is Dr Maxwell. He has a flower pinned to his lapel and what looks to be a cigar in his hand. He also has a travel rug spread over his knees. The back seat passengers are left to right - W.H. Hewston, Dr Hill, Mr Corbell or Corbel (possibly the owner of the Coffee Palace). In the background are two children standing on the window sill of a stone building. They are wearing white lace collars, bowed neck ribbons, broad-brimmed hats and high lace-up leather boots. The children have been identified by descendants as sons of J.R. Duggan, Fred (born 1905) at left, and Jack (John Robert Duggan, known as Jack) (born 1907) on the right. The motor car has the number '264' in large white letters painted on a black background on the front of the radiator. The car is fitted with two large brass acetylene headlamps either side of the front radiator and two large brass kerosene lamps on either side of the dashboard and windscreen. There is a small acetylene gas generator sitting near the front of the passenger-side running board. The advertising sign painted on the wall of the stone building in the background reads: 'LIVERY STABLE / CABS COACHES / & BUGGIES / ON HIRE / ORDERS TAKEN / AT Private Redience [italics] NEXT DOOR / WEDDING AND / PICNIC PARTIES / ATTENDED TO / J. DUGGAN / Proprietor'.