Dr. F J WALDEN, Australasian Club Edinburgh

[flowerpotmum]

Can anybody give me information about the Australasian Club in Edinburgh please? I know it was accommodation for Australian and NZ medical students at the University. Does anyone know the address of the club in the 1880's or if it is possible to get any club records from that time. I am looking for any info. about WALDEN Frederick J. Student in Medicine, born in Melbourne, Australia in 1865. He first registered as a medical student in 1883 and graduated MD, CM in 1898. He held positions in Dublin, and possibly Manchester and Leeds before returning to Australia, and eventually became the head of the Australian Army Medical Service. There is also the possibility of a marriage between these dates.

[Peter Goodey]

Does anyone know the address of the club in the 1880's

By googling...


From the 1880s to the First World War many (mainly) Scottish Australian medical students flocked to Scottish Universities to complete their medical training. They formed the Edinburgh Australasian Club with plush premises in Archibald Street.

[geneius]

He is shown on the 1891 census
Frederick Q WALDEN
as a lodger at
40 Gillespie Ct
Newington
Edinburgh St Cuthberts
Midlothian

b 1865 Victoria Australia as a student of medicine

H/hold Francis TAYLOR aged 60 a civil servant

[helachau]

Scottish PO Directories http://www.nls.uk/family-history/directories/post-office

You can search here for possible address. Several newspapers adverts in 1897 put the Australasian Club at 11 Melbourne Place. This is supported by the PO Directories eg 1890/91.

Checked 1885/86 and found an Australian Association, 6 Chambers Street but not an Australalsian Club.

[geneius]

Strange how I searched TROVE earlier today and got no hits, now a page of them....

http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/result?q=dr+Frederick+WALDEN


One obit identyfies him as the husbane of May & father of John & Patricia

[callies]

I wrote a book in 2003 on the first British Lions rugby tour of Australia and New Zealand. During my extensive research for the book I found information on the Edinburgh Australian (or Australasian) Club which had been formed to cater for the hundreds of Australian (and New Zealand) medical students that studied in Scotland from the 1870s to the First World War.
My book -"Football's Forgotten Tour: The Story of the British Australian Rules Venture of 1888", (ISBN 0958101809), traces the 19 games of Australian Rules football the British rugby tourists played in addition to the 34 rugby games they played in 1888.
I became acquainted with the existence of the Edinburgh Australian (Australasian) Club when I found a letter written by the entrepreneur who brought the British rugby team to Australia in 1888 in which he mentions his plans to bring an Australian Rules team to the UK to play a series of exhibition matches against the Edinburgh Australians.
The Club was formed in1874 and initially was located in George Square. It later relocated to Melbourne Place and eventually to well established premises at 12 Archibald St, Edinburgh.
I obtained some illustrations of sporting personalities at the Club from old records of the Edinburgh University 'Student' magazine.

[flowerpotmum]

Thank you very much. My daughter Karen will find this interesting as she plays Rugby! Currently playing for Eccles Ladies, she previously played for Southampton Trojans and then The Jersey Ladies team. I will ask Dr. Freds daughter if she knows if he played Rugby, and if so will have a look at these records. Can you please tell me where they are held?

[callies]

I obtained information on The Edinburgh Australasian Club from the Edinburgh University library as well as the Edinburgh Central library (eg searching in past copies of the Edinburgh Australasian Club 'Student' magazine). Another very useful source of information are the newspapers of that era eg 'The Weekly Scotsman' . From the latter you can find the names and details of many students from the exam results lists.
I am not sure when the Edinburgh Australasian Club ceased to exist or where its records ended up.
I hope this helps.

[flowerpotmum]

Thank you so much, that will be a great start for me!