Frederick Matthias Alexander is internationally known as the founder of the Alexander Technique. That he was born in the hamlet of Alexandria and grew up in Wynyard still comes as a surprise to some people, and the plaque on Table Cape naming him as ‘one of the 200 people who made Australia great’ is easy to miss.

However, it was people and experiences in Wynyard and Waratah that made him who he was, and although he spent only four years in Waratah, it was there he made the transition from a boy of sixteen to a young man of twenty. His job in Waratah as a bookkeeper and accountant- in-training was not an obvious fit for his dream of a career on the stage, but while researching in old newspapers for my novel on Alexander, the Waratah of 1886-1890 had quite a few surprises.

Destination Waratah The marvels of the tin mining operation and the lively town that was established around it attracted a steady stream of sightseers to Waratah.

Fortunately for our understanding of the history of the day, quite a few ‘occasional correspondents’ wrote detailed, chatty reports of their travels. Through these articles, the town of Waratah comes alive as a place of movement and noise generated by ‘giant’ machinery that was in constant movement day and night. A small railway ran from the workings on Mt Bischoff to the battery sheds across the road from where Fred Alexander lived in his uncle’s hotel. The visitors would stand on the outside rail and hold tight as the train rattled its way up to the workings on the mountain, ‘ladies as well as gentlemen’.

In July 1886 Waratah was described by a sightseeing visitor as ‘bristling with activity and business excitement.

Here are to be found a town hall, public library, bank, hotels, butchers, bakers, drapers, grocers, barbers, photographers, chemist, booksellers, and all the trades and professions which go to make up a modern town.’

Waratah – dance the night away As well as numerous dramatic and musical performances, balls and dances were the order of the day. Here’s a snippet from the Launceston Examiner about a ball held on Monday 20 June 1887: ‘the ball was a great success, and was thoroughly enjoyed by nearly seventy couples. The dancing was kept up with great spirit till half-past five o’clock.’

Joining a skating craze, by 1888 there were no fewer than three roller skating rinks in Waratah, and on some occasions skating and a ball were combined, as in the celebration of a local club in 1887. It commenced with a skating parade to the music of a brass band, ‘the ladies and gentlemen being attired in ball costumes.’ After a couple of hours there was a tug of war on skates, then ‘at half-past nine the floor was cleared of skates and dancing commenced which was kept up till the small hours of the morning.’

A first for Waratah Historical facts are notoriously slippery, and it’s often mistakenly reported that, in 1888, Tamworth in NSW was the first town to use electricity. However, electricity was already in extensive use in Waratah as early as 1885. This report from HWF Kayser, the Mt Bischoff mine manager, appeared in the Launceston Examiner on 30 January of that year:

‘Electric light – After a great many trials and unpleasantness, all the Waratah sheds, workshop, store, and office are supplied with lamps, with the very best results.’

The mine manager’s own house was also lit by electricity. When one considers that electrically generated street lighting was first used in Paris in 1877, it is astounding to think the new technology had made it to Waratah a mere eight years later.

Out of the Ordinary This novel recreates the early life of FM Alexander, founder of the Alexander Technique. Beginning in 1879 it explores the people, places and events that shaped his development from a troublesome school boy to the man of twenty-six who discovered the connection between body posture and health. It follows Fred Alexander from his school days in Wynyard, to his time working for a mining company in Waratah, his move to Melbourne and a triumphant visit to Hobart in his mid-twenties. All the characters and events in the book are anchored in historical records and the novel offers a fresh look at FM Alexander, providing new insights into the key influences on his early life and the development of his technique.

Out of the Ordinary is available online, as an e-book, and in Dymocks Hobart, Fullers Bookshop, Hobart Bookshop, State Bookstore, Black Swan Bookshop in New Norfolk and through the State Library.