The Caroline Chisholm Library

The Caroline Chisholm Library is a Catholic theological lending and reference library situated in central Melbourne (Level 3, 358 Lonsdale St - opposite St Francis Church). Opening Hours are 11am - 5pm Monday to Friday.


All members of the public are welcome to browse the library, use it for reference purposes or attend lectures. Persons interested in borrowing books can become library members (membership forms are avaliable at the Library).


The library catalogue is available online at the Library's website at http://www.cclibrary.org.au/


This blog will give details of events at the library, text of talks given at the library as well as reviews of books in the library collection.

Saturday, 13 December 2014

In memoriam: Dr Les Hemingway


Dr Les Hemingway, who was a General Practitioner in Warnambool for many years, died recently. 

Three of his books are in the CCL: The Modern World and Self-control, Rent as Revenue, and Sharing the Earth


Les left school at fourteen to become a fitter and turner. He under- took further studies and graduated from Melbourne University as a doctor in 1955. He be-came a Catholic soon after leaving university, and was guided by his Faith in his medical prac-tice.


During his time in Warrnambool he caused a stir by refusing to prescribe the contraceptive pill. He and his wife Verna had eleven children. (I remember him joking at a conference on economics that people would infer from his large family that he must be a Catholic!). 


Les had a wide range of interests, including swimming, engineering and woodturning. But espe-cially economics. He followed the land philoso- phy of the nineteenth century economist Henry George, applying it to Australia to- day, and arguing cogently that the application of George’s principles would solve the dilemma of the land prices that prevent so many people from owning their home. He stood as an independent for the House of Representatives seat of Wannon at the 1993 general election.


Les was very generous with his time and advice, as I experienced about twenty years ago when I sent him a draft of my book The Natural Economy. He sent me a long and very helpful analysis after only a few weeks – and apologized for having taken so long!

He worked as a GP for nearly fifty years, mostly at Warrnambool, until ill-health forced his retirement. Some three years ago, with his health beginning to fail, he wrote to a friend that he had had to cut down his daily swimming to 600 metres! 


JohnYoung 

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