The History Of

The History of

the Blind Association

by James Campbell

with Preface by

George Scott

Second Edition Transcribed and Edited by

Bruce Maguire

2015

Written in 1939

Originally Published 1943 by

the Association of Blind Citizens and Club

473 Rawson Chambers

Pitt Street Sydney

This work is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Nonderivatives 4.0 International Licence. A full copy of this licence can be found at

Contents

Preface to the Second Edition

Preface by George Scott

The History of the Blind Association

Introductory

The Beginning of the Association

Findings of Trades and Labour Council

Conference Resolutions and their Import

The Exodus of 1912

The Acid Test

Preparing for Action

Our First Clash with Government Authority

Nationalisation

"The Blind Band"

Victimisation

Shorter Hours for Blind Workers

Our Educational Policy

Our Attitude on "Homes", and More Particularly the Boarding-in System

Our Pension Propaganda, Its Success and Its Failure

Re Libraries for the Blind

Our Fight for Registration

Travelling Facilities for the Blind, and How They Were Obtained

Our Achievements

A New Era

The Advantages of Membership

Our Social Activities

Conclusion

The Honour Roll

Appendix

James Campbell Obituary

Preface to the Second Edition

A year or so before my Auntie Olive (“Ol”) died in 1972, she gave me a braille book called The History of the Blind Association, by James (Jim) Campbell. Jim was born on June 27 1886, and Auntie Ol had married him in 1916. For the next 35 years until his death in 1951 she shared his life. A large part of their happy and productive life together was built around the Association of Blind Citizens—the same Association whose formative history Jim documented in his book. Indeed, it is no exaggeration to say that Jim and Auntie Ol were responsible for shaping much of that history.

I was a teenager when Auntie Ol entrusted Jim’s book to my care, but even then I was familiar in a general way with the Association’s activities, and I was looking forward to becoming a member of it when I turned 16. Nevertheless, a book about the early history of the Association, even with its strong family connection, was soon jostled from my reading list. From time to time I would open the book, savouring that unmistakable gluey, slightly musty aroma that old books have, and read a random page here and there; but it remained on my bookshelf, safe, valued, but largely unread.

Then, in 2013, I was asked by the Round Table on Information Access for People with Print Disabilities Inc. to give a presentation on The Rights of Citizens Accessing Information at their annual conference. I went in search of new ways to animate a well-ploughed subject, and I wondered whether Jim Campbell’s writing about the history of blind citizens in NSW could bring a prescient and fresh perspective.

Once I started reading Jim’s book non-randomly, I realised that I had found my way into a fertile crescent of ideas, resonances and synergies that united us, as blind citizens of the early 21st century, with blind citizens of a century earlier. The same issues that loom large in our lives today—income support, access to education, information and transport, unemployment, discrimination, self-determination and dignified independence—also loomed large in theirs. And just as we have triumphs and setbacks as we wrestle with stubborn bureaucracies and entrenched, disabling barriers, so, too, did Jim and the others who laid a foundation of collective advocacy on which we build.

When I thanked Auntie Ol for passing the only existing copy of Jim's book to me, I promised her that I would keep it safe. At the time, there was no straightforward way of making braille or print copies of the book. But we now live in the digital age, and it is now easy to reproduce content once it is in a digital form. After reading Jim's book more systematically in 2013 I realised that the best way of keeping it safe would be to convert it into a digital form and make it available to a new generation of blind people. In late 2014 I took two months away from my regular job so that I could undertake this work.

The most time-consuming part of the process was transcribing the original braille into a word-processor file. Jim had written the book using a hand frame ("slate and stylus") on both sides of thick foolscap paper. The braille dots are still remarkably crisp and easy to read, but there are places where some dots have faded or been partially overwritten. This meant that the original braille could not be reliably digitised using scanning and optical character recognition software. I therefore resorted to the technique that had been used for millennia to copy manuscripts, and which is still used by some blind people today if we want to copy old braille music: I read a few words at a time from the original braille, and wrote them into a computer file while they were still fresh in my memory. I repeated this process until the entire book had been written into the file. This was a laborious process, but not nearly as laborious as it was for Jim to write the book in the first place, where every dot of every letter of every word had to be formed by hand using the sharp-pointed stylus.

While transcribing the book I was faced with a number of editorial decisions. Because it was not easy for Jim to revise or correct the braille once it had been written, there were various inconsistencies of punctuation, spelling and the writing of dates, and paragraph breaks were rather scanty. I do not believe Jim would have wished these unavoidable typographical artefacts to be preserved and distract readers, and so I have corrected these inconsistencies. At the same time, however, I have tried hard to keep Jim's impeccable writing style intact, even to his consistent albeit somewhat idiosyncratic use of commas. Jim wrote at a particular time and place in history, and if we wish to gain a greater appreciation of who he and his colleagues were and why they thought and acted as they did, then we must be able to read their story as they intended it to be written.

One aspect of Jim's writing that is both endearing and frustrating is his strong preference for leaving major figures either unnamed or identified only by initials. This reflected Jim's wish for the focus to be on what he and others did collectively rather than on who they were as individuals, but even some of his contemporaries must have found this frustrating too, because the original braille contains a page that was added later and which provides the names of some specific people who are referred to at various places in the book. I have incorporated this information [in square brackets] at the points in the book where the references occur.

In one case, the book refers to the "Organiser" of the Association being victimised by the Sydney Industrial Blind Institution because of his involvement with the fledgeling Association, but this "Organiser" is not identified by name. Nor is any light shed by the additional page of information. It seemed important to rescue this mysterious Organiser from the curse of anonymity, and fortunately I found his name mentioned in one of the Association's early annual reports, which are now archived at the State Library of NSW.

Some puzzles remain, however. For example, the book refers to early meetings of the Association taking place in the school hall attached to St David's Church. I don't know which St David's Church this was; nor do I know whether the reference to "Castlereagh R." was in fact a reference to Castlereagh Street in Sydney. It would be valuable to solve these puzzles because it would add to our knowledge of particular events described in the book, but the research needed to do this is a project in itself, and would have considerably delayed the publication of this second edition if I had undertaken it.

In producing this second edition of James Campbell's book I have been enthusiastically assisted by a number of people, who have been generous with their time and skills. Patricia O'Neill, Sue Crane and Sue Hilton-Jones proofread the digital version and made many helpful editorial suggestions. Sue Crane assisted with various aspects of formatting, and Sue Hilton-Jones also volunteered as my research assistant with the archives at the State Library of NSW.

I especially thank Amanda Tink, who has been closely and joyously involved with every stage in the preparation of this second edition. She painstakingly read aloud braille version of the first draft while I checked the original braille to make sure that the transcription was accurate. This task alone took about 20 hours, spread over several days. Amanda offered many valuable insights, and her constant encouragement and unwavering support guided this second edition to completion.

Finally, I thank the Association of Blind Citizens of NSW for their early recognition of the value of producing a second edition of James Campbell's book, and for their enthusiasm in arranging for its public launch and widespread availability in various formats. If this second edition awakens a renewed interest in the Association's early and inspiring history, and if it helps to preserve the Association's noble founding vision in a challenging and changing world, then Jim Campbell's legacy will continue unquenched, and in the words of his obituary, which I have included as an Appendix to this edition, his death will have proved to be an even greater triumph than his life.

Bruce Maguire

Meadowbank, May 2015

Preface to the Second Edition1

Prefaceby George Scott

This preface, like most of its kind, will perhaps be better appreciated if read after the reader has perused the History of the Association. It is written primarily for those who know nothing of the Association; for those who do not know the identity of the author of this great History - so modest is he that those who do not know, are none the wiser after having read the History. We find at the end of the work an honour roll in which executive officers with one year of service to their credit are mentioned. We find a glowing, and justly deserved tribute to the part played by Mrs. James Campbell, but hardly a word concerning the author, who not only wrote the History, but contributed more than any other member in achieving those successes which made the History possible. It is therefore my pleasure to try and tell you something about this author: Mr. James Campbell.

Educated at the School for the Blind, Darlington, Sydney, a worker for six years at the Sydney Industrial Blind Institution, it can be truthfully said of him that he rose from the ranks, and, in passing, it is perhaps a discreditable reflection on the management of both School and Institution, that his amazing capabilities were not developed to the advantage of the community, as well as Mr. Campbell himself.

In 1915 he became Secretary of the Association, which post he held until he resigned in May 1940. For details of this period, read the History, and think of him as being almost the axis of all the Association's activities, and the confidante and friend of many of its members. He was, in the opinion of Mr. R. Greigg M.L.A, the smartest trade union secretary in NSW. Unfortunately the Association has never been able to pay him as well as he deserved, but this state of affairs did not embitter him, and when we were de-registered in 1936, he cheerfully became an Honorary Secretary, and strange as it may seem, it was during this honorary period that he won his greatest laurel, the winning of our registration through the court, for which he deserves almost the entire credit.

The Research Committee mentioned in the History is worthy of mention here. Mr. Campbell attended this committee month after month for years, to sit in a cold atmosphere of unfriendly officialism and defended the real outlook of the blind against those who, at least indirectly, sought to injure the Association through the said Research Committee. The fact that they did not materially succeed goes to show that even the enemies of the blind could not fault Mr. Campbell.

It is therefore not to be wondered at that, when Mr. Campbell resigned from the secretaryship, one member remarked, "the Association has lost its soul".

In conclusion let me, (who was Mr. Campbell's assistant for 15 years), add my personal tribute to him, by mentioning the pleasure it has always been to me,trying to follow his excellent example.

Preface1

The History of the Blind Association

Introductory

This little production is the outcome of a literary competition promoted by ourAssociation, in the course of which it was pointed out that in order to sustain our movement the interest of the coming generation of blind adults must be secured and toachieve this object a printed account of the history and achievements of this Association should be made available, setting forth the advantages to be derived from membership. This suggestion having been adopted we are thus embarking upon the biggest undertaking of its kind, hoping firstly, to awaken the blind to a sense of the necessity of organising in their own interest, and secondly, to show to the parents and guardians of the blind that we have sufficient knowledge of our own problems to be helpful to the younger generation. We hope that the latter will be inspired by the efforts that have been made in the past to unite themselves even more closely than we have been able to do and that they will go forward to achieve much better results.

In setting out a work of this kind it is well-nigh impossible to be absolutely impersonal, we must simply tell the truth as we believe it, hoping that the errors of the past may thus be avoided, to give place to a better understanding of the differences that must necessarily arise when we are attempting to solve our own problems. In carrying on an organisation of this kind one needs to be imbued with the highest ideals and by this very fact alone we have come into conflict with constituted authority with which we must deal more fully later on. Whatever faults are to be found with the conduct of the affairs of the Association, we may possibly have been too conservative, still we hope to satisfy our critics, that we have faithfully served the blind both individually and collectively. Our work has largely been of a reformative character, and though two definite attempts were made to blot us out of existence, we still survive to carry on the good work, which begun in a strong spirit of loyalty to our founder has stood the test of many reverses, and so we hope by means of this little booklet to stimulate the enthusiasm of the younger generation, who through being afforded the benefit of our experience will show us clearly what might have been done.

The Beginning of the Association

Having referred to the founder of our Association, Mr. A. J. Shirley, his close association with the blind boys at the School dates as far back as 1894, and after leaving the School in 1899 he still continued to manifest his interest in the boys by introducing them to such forms of enjoyment as attending football and cricket matches and by his apt description of these games rendering them quite interesting to us.

Early in 1902 he conceived the idea that the blind could find some enjoyment by attending the theatres, to which end he firstly approached Mr. W. Anderson, who then had a dramatic company showing at the Lyceum Theatre. The choice of play was a wise one, for of all forms of entertainment put onto the stage the old melodrama was the easiest to follow, and thus we were initiated into becoming regular theatre-goers with the final performance of "The Greed for Gold" on the night of January 24th 1902.

Having thus embarked on this objective, the theatrical managers of the time readily gave permission for a party of blind people which sometimes numbered 40 to attend the respective shows. Just pause and remember that at this time there was no pension for the blind, there were no travelling concessions, it was long before the age of wireless, and with little money in their pocket, this newfound enjoyment was something in the nature of a gift from heaven. This attendance at the various theatres became a regular weekly feature, and was looked forward to with interest and excitement.

We enjoyed an uninterrupted period of theatre-going of just over eight months when Madam Melba had a concert tour in Sydney. Mr. Shirley therefore arranged for a party of the blind to hear this well-known singer, and after concluding the arrangement, two of the blind workers were induced by the manager of the Industrial Institution to write a letter to the management of the concert party indicating that Mr. Shirley did not represent the blind, with the result that the arrangement was cancelled, and another substituted in its place giving the choice to the manager of the Institution. Technically, the complaint was correct, but on moral grounds there was no justification for such interference. This incident marked the beginning of a long standing quarrel, the effects of which are still in evidence, while it also served to bring into being the Association which held its initial meeting on November 24th 1902.