[SHEET MUSIC] Hullo girlie : the popular White City waltz song

 / words by T.H. Eslick ; music by W.H. Romaine. Sydney, NSW : London Music Agency, [1916]. Folio (350 x 250 mm), pictorial wrappers wet-stamped ‘Special White City Copy / Sixpence and with early ownership stamp of Hannah Morgan, Howe Street, Lambton (wrappers with light creasing); [3] pp music notation (arrangement for piano); some old tape reinforcement to the inner edges, but a good copy.

This scarce piece of World War One Sydney sheet music has lyrics composed by T. H. Eslick, who designed and built the White City amusement park in Rushcutter’s Bay. Open to the public between 1913 and 1917, when it was destroyed by fire after being struck by lightning, White City was the largest entertainment attraction in Sydney of the time, and certainly the most famous forerunner of Luna Park, which did not open until 1935.

This is a desirable association copy, as it was one of those designated for sale on-site and was purchased by a visitor to White City at the special discounted price of sixpence.

Trove locates only two copies (NLA; SLNSW), but it appears neither has the ‘Special White City Copy Sixpence’ stamp.