E.W. Cole by Richard Broinowski

 Under the Rainbow, The Life and Times of E.W. Cole by Richard Broinowski

A regular listener to ABC Radio's Late Life Live, I was intrigued in August 2020 to hear Phillip Adams interviewing author Richard Broinowski abut his most recent book Under The Rainbow.

I was astonished. How was it that, having lived my whole life in Victoria, I had never heard of E.W. Cole? I immediately put in an order for the book as part of my Fathers Day presents from the family. It duly arrived and I devoured it in a few days. 

Here's the blurb:

Under the Rainbow is the life story of E.W. Cole, a colourful and much loved figure of 19th century Melbourne. Best remembered for his Funny Picture Books, his sense of the absurd and his marketing genius, his wonderful arcade was the first 'department store' in Melbourne, replete with a live orchestra, an aviary and monkeys alongside books, ornaments, art, curios and tearooms But there was more to Cole than his merchandising prowess: he scandalised the clergy with his sacrilegious views about Christianity, campaigned passionately against the White Australia policy, and advocated education for all. Cole's journey from an impoverished sandwich seller on the streets of London to owner of one of the most memorable establishments of early Melbourne is remarkable. His passion for learning, insatiable curiosity, and enduring faith in the essential goodness of humanity make him a figure worth celebrating.

His Arcade/Bookshop eventually stretched from Bourke St to Collins St, occupying the space now given over to the David Jones department store. His family home in Essendon, a wonderful building, is now the centre piece of Lowther Hall school. It features on the school website front page (https://www.lowtherhall.vic.edu.au/).

His Cole's Funny Picture Books charmed generations of people. My son Matt has a friend who actually has one of the editions. Wow!

If I could avail myself of a time machine and travel back in time to some era in Melbourne's past, I would choose the 1880s, when Melbourne was awash with money and optimism and E.W. Cole Book Shop was in full swing.

See this wonderful youtube feature on Cole: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrQmyyStKVc.

He reminds me of Sidney Myer, another penniless immigrant who made his fortune in Australia and created a business empire. If you ever source a copy of Alan Marshall's wonderful 1961 biography Gay Provider : The Myer Story, snap it up. It is a wonderful story, echoing so much of E.W. Cole. The older Cole and the younger Myer must have known each other. One wonders if Myer ever borrowed any of Cole's entrepreneurial ideas in building his own empire. The main Myer store sits directly opposite the site of Cole's emporium in Bourke St.

Cole - a man who loved books, a polymath who wrote tracts on many topics, who was passionate in his rallying against the White Australia Policy, his advocation for universal education and so much more. We will never see his like again.

The book is a wonderful biography that captures the essence of the man and the times.

Five stars!