by Ian Stephenson, 6 May 2021, from Bulletin 3 of 2021

This is one of the photos that accompanied the Women’s Weekly article about Prince Phillip’s visit to Sydney in 1956. The caption read:
Browsing around the bookshelves at the Branch Public Library, Glebe, was only part of the Duke’s inspection. Later he saw the library’s well-equipped room for old people.
(Photo: City of Sydney Archives)

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, died last month.

On 29-30 November 1956, as part of his tour to open the Melbourne Olympics, the Duke of Edinburgh spent two days in Sydney. On the first day university students presented him with an ersatz Olympic torch in the form of a flaming chromium smokers’ stand.

On the second day he travelled by helicopter with the Lord Mayor of Sydney, Pat Hills, to see a parking station, watch boys boxing at the Sydney Police Boy’s Club, visit the Victoria Park Swimming Pool and inspect the old Glebe Public Library (then located at 191-195 Bridge Rd).

According to the Australian Women’s Weekly:

Walking around, he stopped beside a book with a bright yellow cover. Its title: ‘How to Avoid Work.’

His Royal Highness held the book up, and turned to the watching librarians and Press. ‘Any of you people here interested in this?’ he asked.

As the cover shows, the tome was by William John Reilly. The City of Sydney no longer seems to have a copy in its library, but it can still be found in the State Library of Queensland.

The full Australian Women’s Weekly article can be viewed on Trove: https://tinyurl.com/dfzensbx.