Ernesto Genoni (1885-1975) trained as an artist at the Brera Academy of Fine Art. He served in the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) as a stretcher bearer on the battlefields of the Somme in WW1. He met Rudolf Steiner and introduced Anthroposophy and biodynamic agriculture into Australia.
1. Ernesto Genoni
Artist, Pacifist, Anthroposophist
Uriel Lecture
Anthroposophical Society in Australia
The Christian Community Church
Hawthorn, Victoria
14 March 2015
Self portrait by Ernesto Genoni
Dr John Paull
University of Tasmania
j.paull@utas.edu.au
2. “In the early history
of
Anthroposophical
development in
Australia, the name
of Ernesto Genoni
must be given a
prominent place”
Edith Magill, 1975
Self portrait by Ernesto Genoni
3. Self portrait by Ernesto Genoni
Peggy Macpherson, c.1991
Anthroposophical Society Victoria Michael Group …
4. Self portrait by Ernesto Genoni
Peggy Macpherson, c.1991
-1968*
Anthroposophical Society Victoria Michael Group …
1968*
1951-1953*
- 1951*
1953-1957*1957-
62*
* Dates in Red: tbc
15. Photo: John
Paull
“Back to Italy. I am 28 and indeed I am
going through the most awful time of my life
... But at last I come to the decision to return
to Australia ... 1915 ... I am working at Etna”
16. “Life was too easy and without any interest. Xmas
1915! What a poor Xmas! Alone in the bush”
Photo: John
Paull
17. “Every young man was then enlisting so I thought to enlist
too ... with the purpose of serving in the medical corps”
Australian War Memorial
18. “I mentioned to the sergeant how I enlisted to
serve in the medical corps and not as a fighter. I
was told I was a cold footed and I was left
behind”Photo: Satu
“Religion: Theosophy”
(AIF Enlistment form)
19. Google
Training
Tel el Kibir, Egypt
“I left with another contingent. During
the trip I was mess orderly and I liked
it. I remember the burial at sea ...
Egypt, Suez”
20. Tel el Kibir, Egypt
www.dontforgetthediggers.com.au
“Two weeks there. The flies! The sand
storm ... the adjoining desert” 1916
23. Somme May /June 1916)
Getty
“Poziers ... The Sargeant calls for volunteer
stretcher bearers. I came forward”
24. “... the first vision of dead bodies. My inner
trust in Christ as Lord even of the shells!”
Australian War Memorial, Canberra
25. “I saw one of the stretcher bearers hit and
fall. I gathered my courage and went out”
Australian War Memorial, Canberra
26. German Army
1916: A cloud of phosphene gas
General Photographic Agency/Getty Images
“The dying wounded in the front line during
the barrage ... The nightmare ... ”
27. British Army
1915: A wounded British soldier is stretchered back to camp.
Hulton Archive/Getty Images
“The corporal ... tells me that I am to go to
London for discharge from the Australian
Army. At first I thought it was a joke”
32. htbo.tripod.com
1917 October 24 The Italian Army is heavily defeated at the Battle of Caporetto.
“Prison ... the Colonel who told me that I
must have some saint in Paradise looking
after me, ‘Yes’ I said ‘I believe so’ ... sent to
Verona in the Medical corps ... and then to
go to the front”
33. historicalphotosdaily.blogspot.com
Two disabled soldiers on the grounds of the 4th London General Hospital.
“Military Hospital ... Rosa’s letter relating
of rumours of peace. I read the letter
loudly ... I was sent to prison”
34. Spanish flu
“The raging influenza... I went to Milan where
I found Rosa and other of the family sick with
influenza. So I stayed for few days to nurse
them. Then went back to Verona to be sent
once more to prison for being absent without
leave for weeks” Ernesto
35. hamodia.com
The Big Four of the Allies in Versailles for the Treaty of Versailles,
1919 photo.
“Autumn 1918! ... I believed at the time that
a new era was to enter into the World ... once
more to prison ...
[1919] at last I was a free civilian”
36. Portrait by Ernesto Genoni
“Rosa tells me of Anthroposophy” 1919
Ernesto Genoni
37. Dornach
“1920 ... What a strange impression I
received from the first view of the
Goetheanum building” ”
Photo: John Paull of original at the Goetheanum
41. “Dornach ... I was
trying to paint in
the Anthro. way.
Again at bottom I
was not happy
with my painting”
Photo: John Paull
42. “I was admitted to the Class. My gradual
understanding of the German language at the
lectures”
Photo: John Paull
The First Class
19 esoteric lessons by Rudolf Steiner
15 Feb- 20 Sept 1924
in the Schreinerei
53. “In 1930 I went to Dornach again
to become acquainted with the
B.D farming”
Photo: John Paull
54. “Dornach ... Pfeiffer ... Riese .... Stegemann at
Marienhohe ... Bartch near Berlin .... Swarz near Bremen
... London Mirbt ... Holland. Pfeiffer farm atRosendale.
Then Dornach ... ”
Photo: John Paull
55. “Back to Etna with Fred ... Mr Meebold second visit
there. The attempt to do BD... We bought cows ...
rearing pigs ... made insilage ... sheep ... The bank
closed in and the farm got near bankruptcy ”
Photo: John Paull
56. “Angelo from Melbourne offered me
the Dalmore farm to manage. Went
to Victoria once more ... Anthro
meetings in Collins St. This is where
I first met Ileen and Mrs
Macpherson” c.1933
Photo: John Paull
58. “Ileen comes to live at the
farm [1935] ... Mr
Meebold comes to stop at
the farm ... The unhappy
struggling for making a
B.D farm ... a poor trip ...
London ... Dornach ...
Milan ... the dark clouds of
war ... Dornach ... London
... San Remo ... left for
Australia ... July 1939 ”
Photo: John Paull
59. “Ileen ... her legs begin to give way ... Mrs Macpherson bought
for me the block in Namur St ... During the war I was going to do
gardening at Mr Ruby at Sandringham ... [Ileen] could not walk
anymore. I return to live at the farm .. Ileen returns at the farm
... In 1952 we decide to build a house in Namur St ”
Demeter
Photo: John
Paull
60. “From the beginning
of 1952 we have the
monthly study of the
Leading Thoughts at
the central Group ...
we have been
meeting since 1944 ”
“From the
beginning of 1952
we have the
monthly study of
the Leading
Thoughts at the
central Group ...
we have been
meeting since
1944 ”
Photo: John
Paull
63. Self portrait by Ernesto Genoni
Ernesto’s First Class readings in Melbourne
Ernesto’s Leading Thoughts readings in
Melbourne
Readings started c.1920s & continued after
relinquishing the leadership of the Michael Group in
1968 (tbc)
67. Acknowledgements
Margaret Garner
Peggy Macpherson
Pam Martin
Anita Sharpe
David Morgan
Tony Negri
Len Genoni
Barbara Roper
Dr Robert Negri
Dr Paul Genoni
Dr Paolo Baracchi
Dr Raffaella Podreider
Goetheanum Secretariat
Goetheanum ArchivesSelf portrait by Ernesto Genoni
Notas del editor
Thank you for inviting me to address your group.
The plan is to tell some of the story of one of the founders of Anthroposophy in Australia.
The title “Ernesto Genoni: Artist, Pacifist, Anthroposophist” identifies 3 key aspects of his life.
Edith Magill was for many years the Anthroposophy bookshop manager for the Michael Group.
She wrote: “In the early history of Anthroposophical development in Australia,
the name of Ernesto Genoni must be given a prominent place”
& and that is what we will do today.
The Anthroposophical Society in Victoria, the Michael Group, was founded in 1932.
The founders Ernesto Genoni & Anne Macky had both met Dr Rudolf Steiner.
Their Anthroposophy activities in Australia predate the founding of the Michael Group
and date back into the late 1920s, at least to 1928 - so you have a long history.
Although he was a founder, Ernesto was only finally the leader of the Michael Group in 1962.
He was a reluctant leader.
He was many things, artist, pacifist, theosophist, anthroposophist, philosopher, but not an administrator.
He turned down the leadership in 1953, which Anne Macky then took up.
When she became unwell, Ernesto declined to take up as her deputy leader & subsequently John Etheridge
took up the leadership.
I was invited to write an account of the history of Organic Agriculture in Australia
This table appeared in that book chapter.
You see that I put Ernesto at the very beginning of that account.
He was the first Australian to join Rudolf Steiner’s Experimental Circle of Anthroposophic Farmers and Gardeners.
There are 2 Genonis in the list - Ernesto & Emilio -also you will also see Ruby Macpherson & Ileen Macpherson.
“The departure of Emilio for Australia in my first year of school” Ernesto.
Ernesto came from a family of more than 12 children.
Emilio was the eldest brother & Ernesto was the youngest.
The Genoni boys progressively migrated to Aus on or before they turned 18 or 20.
In this way they avoided conscription in Italy &
avoided fighting in Italy’s ill-fated colonial wars in North East Africa.
“Milano ... the beginning of my long period of sadness and nostalgia” Ernesto.
The threat of conscription may have passed by the time Ernesto turned 18.
He went to Milan to study art at the prestigious Brera Academy of Fine Art
(Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera).
“… the fifth year at Brera”.
After 5 years of art studies at Brera,
Ernesto was ready for the next adventure.
“I was always the favourite brother for Rosa”.
Rosa was the eldest of the Genoni siblings, she took on the role of family matriarch,
she played a prominent role in the peace movement in Italy & Europe,
& she facilitated the migration of her 10 siblings to Australia.
“Australia!! The great joy in having my name called from the crowd while waiting to disembark from the Austerlitz”.
Ernesto arrived in Australia at the beginning of 1912.
It was mid summer.
“Broome Hill. I find life glorious!”
Ernesto was moving from the winter of Italy to the summer of Western Australia.
“We talked all night with the brothers in Rina’s house ... how seriously [we take?] the idea of spiritualism”.
The E here is of Emilio, the eldest brother.
Emilio had arrived alone, perhaps at the age 18 - the first Genoni to arrive.
He had prospered in his new country & Etna was at this time his broadacre farm at Broomehill, WA.
“Some painting but soon I am fully into farming at Etna”.
All of the brothers had taken to the land.
As the one brother with vocational training, Ernesto must have felt conflicted -
between his art & the opportunities for prospering with hard physical labour under a harsh Aussie sun.
“Philip L’Hardy wants to settle me on the Kowerup farm. I refuse the offer and after a few weeks ... I return to Italy”.
There were opportunities in Australia that weren’t available in Italy.
However, Ernesto passed up the opportunities of Australia & returned to Italy.
“Back to Italy. I am 28 and indeed I am going through the most awful time of my life ... But at last I come to the decision to return to Australia ... 1915 ... I am working at Etna”.
This is one of the Genoni homes in Broomehill.
Ernesto was vascillating between forging a future in Italy or in Australia,
and between sister Rosa in Milan & the brothers in WA.
“Life was too easy and without any interest. Xmas 1915! What a poor Xmas! Alone in the bush”.
Back in WA, Ernesto was doing hard physical work,
working alone clearing the land.
It wasn’t fulfilling work for him & he was restless.
“Every young man was then enlisting so I thought to enlist too ... with the purpose of serving in the medical corps”.
When Britain declared war, Australia followed suit.
Despite the great irony of the brothers leaving Italy to avoid conscription, Ernesto enlisted in the AIF (Australian Imperial Force).
“Religion: Theosophy” (Ernesto’s AIF Enlistment form).
“I mentioned to the sergeant how I enlisted to serve in the medical corps and not as a fighter. I was told I was a cold footed and I was left behind”.
The AIF didn’t quite see eye to eye with Ernesto’s idea of service in the medical corps.
“I left with another contingent. During the trip I was mess orderly and I liked it. I remember the burial at sea ... Egypt, Suez”.
Nevertheless, after a few weeks of training in WA,
Ernesto left for the Great War - it was supposedly the war to end wars.
They disembarked in Egypt and they spent several weeks on more training.
“Two weeks there. The flies! The sand storm ... the adjoining desert” 1916.
From Egypt the new Aussie troops went to Marseilles, France.
Then to a camp outside of Paris & from there ...
The 16th Battalion were about to be bloodied on the Somme.
Hundreds of 1000s of Allied troops were sacrificed by British commanders.
60K diggers died in WW1, of these 46K died on the Western Front.
“Poziers ... The Sargeant calls for volunteer stretcher bearers. I came forward”.
The battle at Poziers is infamous as the slaughtering ground for 1000s of Allied soldiers.
They were ill trained, badly commanded, and gunned down as cannon fodder.
To be a stretcher bearer under bombardment shortened the odds even further of being killed.
“... the first vision of dead bodies. My inner trust in Christ as Lord even of the shells!”
The barrage of incoming shells was ongoing
and the stretcher bearers worked under continuous fire.
“I saw one of the stretcher bearers hit and fall. I gathered my courage and went out”
<Bean>
“The dying wounded in the front line during the barrage ... The nightmare ... ”.
“The corporal ... tells me that I am to go to London for discharge from the Australian Army. At first I thought it was a joke”.
The unexpected event & Ernesto is rescued for the battlefields of the Somme.
When he was discharged from the AIF in London,
he gave his address as sister Rosa’s peace advocacy group in Milan.
Ernesto as an Australian soldier.
The SB armband identifies him as a stretcher bearer.
This photo may have been taken in London immediately before his transfer to the Italian army.
He had been conscripted off the battlefield of the Somme.
This is the monument in Broomehill.
22 volunteers from Broomehill died in WW1
from what was, & remains, a very tiny town.
“After a few weeks I was an Italian infantry soldier”.
From the Somme, Ernesto was sent to London and then via France to Italy.
He had been conscripted into the Italian army.
“The refusal to repeat the [soldier’s oath of allegiance] ... prison ... another prison”.
The Italian army was not so understanding of their conscientious objector soldier
& his vision of medical corps service.
Unlike the Australian army, the Italian army was an army of conscripts.
“Prison ... the Colonel who told me that I must have some saint in Paradise looking after me, ‘Yes’ I said ‘I believe so’ ... sent to Verona in the Medical corps ... and then to go to the front”.
The constant in the 3 years in the Italian army is military prison
punctuated with service in medical service roles.
“Military Hospital ... Rosa’s letter relating of rumours of peace. I read the letter loudly ... I was sent to prison”.
“The raging influenza... I went to Milan where I found Rosa and other of the family sick with influenza. So I stayed for few days to nurse them. Then went back to Verona to be sent once more to prison for being absent without leave for weeks”.
Ernesto had been sent to escort a wounded Italian soldier home.
On the way home he made a detour to Milan. He found Rosa ill with the Spanish flu.
“Autumn 1918! ... I believed at the time that a new era was to enter into the World ... once more to prison ...
[1919] at last I was a free civilian”.
Ernesto was finally demobbed in 1919.
He had, back in London, relinquished his right to repatriation to Australia.
“Rosa tells me of Anthroposophy” 1919, Ernesto Genoni.
Remember that when he enlisted, Ernesto stated his religion as Theosophy.
Throughout the war he had maintained his interest in spiritual matters.
Rosa now introduced him of Anthroposophy.
& he began attending meetings of the Milan Anthroposophy group
He joined the Milan group
“1920 ... What a strange impression I received from the first view of the Goetheanum building”.
Soon after Ernesto made his first visit to Dornach.
“... the bewildering impression of the interior of the Goetheanum building. I could not enter in such saturated life of the spirit”.
The Goetheanum that Ernesto experienced was the first Goetheanum.
“... the short conversation with Fraulein Vreed ... chilly!”
Dornach is the German speaking part of Switzerland &
it seems the reception was sometimes frosty.
Dr Elisabeth Vreede was head of the mathematics section at the Goetheanum.
“... the meeting with the Doctor ...”.
Ernesto first met Rudolf Steiner in 1920 at Dornach.
This was Steiner’s house at Dornach - Villa Hansi - at that time.
“Dornach ... I was trying to paint in the Anthro. way. Again at bottom I was not happy with my painting”.
It seems that Ernesto, the artist, was always somewhat discontented with his art.
“I was admitted to the Class. My gradual understanding of the German language at the lectures”.
Ernesto was admitted to the First Class.
The First Class = the Michael School = the Esoteric School = School for Spiritual Science.
The First Class; 19 esoteric lessons by Rudolf Steiner; 15 Feb- 20 Sept 1924.
in the Schreinerei
1924 Koberwitz (Kobierzyce) -The Agriculture Course.
There were people from 6 countries - but no Italians were there,
& Ernesto wasn’t there.
The lecture room for Rudolf Steiner’s Agriculture Course at Koberwitz.
There were no English attendees at the Agricultural course.
The Australian Lute Drummond - who was later the second General Secretary in Australia -
may have been at nearby Breslau (Wroclaw) where Steiner ran a course in the evenings.
It is said that Steiner was poisoned at the Christmas Conference of 1923/.
He spent the last 7 months of his life (28 Sept 1924 to 30 March 1925) confined to this studio.
As you see the conditions are far from salubrious ... or even comfortable.
I imagine it was miserable through the winter of 1924/5.
“The big Michael painting. In September of that year [1924] the Doctor became ill. I returned to Milan”.
Ernesto was at Dornach until late 1924.
Rudolf Steiner retired from public life on 28 September 1924 & Ernesto left Dornach.
Ernesto went back to Milan.
This is Ernesto’s art that was published as anti-war postcards.
He produced portraits, landscapes, still life art, and some Anthro-style narrative art works.
“... the sad marriage” [Lydia, b. Austria].
At some point he married an Austrian woman, Lydia.
It was a short and sad marriage.
However she was never prepared to grant him a divorce
and this caused him some grief.
Finally - after 10 years away- Ernesto decides to return to Australia
He returned to Australia with aspirations of a career in art.
He was to set up a studio, hold an exhibition, & exhibit other Italian artists.
It seems that many paintings arrived but no such exhibition ever materialised.
“I discovered Mrs Macky at the New Conservatorium. We started some Anthro. meetings” 1928.
Ernesto met Mrs Macky, Anne Macky, a composer and musician, in Melbourne
& together they started regular Anthroposophy meetings in Melbourne.
The same year (1928), Ernesto joined the Experimental Circle of Anthroposophical Farmers & Gardeners.
Ernesto was the first Australian to join Steiner’s Experimental Circle.
This is his well worn copy of the Agricultural Course which is in the Michael Group library
- with binding reinforced, some underlining & some annotations.
His copy of the Agricultural Course is the German edition.
“In 1930 I went to Dornach again to become acquainted with the B.D farming”.
Ernesto was back in Switzerland to learn about biodynamics.
The new Goetheanum had been built in the intervening years (in 1925-1928).
This time it was reinforced concrete.
“Dornach ... Pfeiffer ... Riese .... Stegemann at Marienhohe ... Bartch near Berlin .... Swarz near Bremen ... London Mirbt ... Holland. Pfeiffer farm at Rosendale. Then Dornach ... ”.
Ernesto embarked on a grand tour of biodynamics in Europe in 1930.
He visited England, Holland, Germany & Switzerland in pursuit of biodynamics.
Dr Ehrenfried Pfeiffer was at the time coordinating the work of the Experimental Circle.
Pfeiffer was based in the Glass House
“Back to Etna with Fred ... Mr Meebold second visit there. The attempt to do BD... We bought cows ... rearing pigs ... made insilage ... sheep ... The bank closed in and the farm got near bankruptcy”.
These were difficult times for those on the land with the Depression hitting hard.
“Angelo from Melbourne offered me the Dalmore farm to manage. Went to Victoria once more ... Anthro meetings in Collins St. This is where I first met Ileen and Mrs Macpherson” c.1933.
Ileen Macpherson becomes his partner & Mrs Ruby Macpherson becomes his patron.
This is a portrait by Ernesto of Ileen Macpherson.
“Ileen comes to live at the farm [1935] ... Mr Meebold comes to stop at the farm ... The unhappy struggling for making a B.D farm ... a poor trip ... London ... Dornach ... Milan ... the dark clouds of war ... Dornach ... London ... San Remo ... left for Australia ... July 1939”.
By the time Ernesto gets back, Ileen’s health is faltering.
The farm of Ernesto & Ileen was called Demeter; they were the first in Australia to use the name for a biodynamic enterprise.
“Ileen ... her legs begin to give way ... Mrs Macpherson bought for me the block in Namur St ... During the war I was going to do gardening at Mr Ruby at Sandringham ... [Ileen] could not walk anymore. I return to live at the farm .. Ileen returns at the farm ... In 1952 we decide to build a house in Namur St”.
When Ernesto returned in 1939, Ileen’s health was already faltering and it continued to get worse.
Ileen subsequently spent decades in a wheel chair with Ernesto as her devoted carer.
“From the beginning of 1952 we have the monthly study of the Leading Thoughts at the central Group ... we have been meeting since 1944” Ernesto Genoni.
In the early days of Anthroposophy in Australia many books were in typescript,
and others were handwritten.
Here Ernesto is staking his claim, during WW2, to this handwritten book.
Perhaps Nurse Arnold was involved in the care of Ileen?
Ernesto’s final visit to Europe was in 1963 or thereabouts.
This was the last time he would see Rosa and Dornach.
Although she oversaw the migration of her 10 siblings to Australia,
Rosa herself never visited Australia.
Ernesto’s First Class readings in Melbourne & Adelaide.
Ernesto’s Leading Thoughts readings in Melbourne.
Readings started c.1920s & continued after he relinquished the leadership of the Michael Group in 1968 (tbc).
From the farm, Ernesto & Ileen moved to Namur St., Noble Park.
It is 4 contiguous blocks of land.
A weatherboard house was built back from the road & shielded by trees;
there was reportedly a glass house towards the rear of the block & a cow.
The house was where the playground appears in this photo.
Ileen outlived Ernesto by 9 years - house put up for sale by auction - Ileen to hospital - died - sale cancelled.
Land given to the Council as a park.
Sign that was once there is now gone - no sign there at all now.
From 1962-1968 Ernesto is leader of the Michael Group
(age c.77-83 yrs). 1975 RIP (age 89 yrs).
Stories need memories, stories need documents. Some of the people who have enabled the telling of this story are with us today.
Further reading:
Paull, John (2014) Ernesto Genoni: Australia’s pioneer of biodynamic agriculture. Journal of Organics, 1 (1), pp. 57-81. http://orgprints.org/27514/18/27514.pdf
Paull, John (2013) A History of the Organic Agriculture Movement in Australia. In: Mascitelli, Bruno and Lobo, Antonio (Eds.) Organics in the Global Food Chain. Connor Court Publishing, Ballarat, Australia, chapter 3, pp. 37-61. http://orgprints.org/26110/7/26110.pdf
Paull, John (2011) Attending the First Organic Agriculture Course: Rudolf Steiner’s Agriculture Course at Koberwitz, 1924. European Journal of Social Sciences, 21 (1), pp. 64-70. http://orgprints.org/18809/1/Paull2011KoberwitzEJSS.pdf