the craft association authorised marjorie to put a submission to dr. eric westbrook, then director of the victorian ministry for the arts, for the purchase of the market as the centre of the crafts in victoria. early talks with the ministry suggested little possibility of success and there was also fear that a case before the historical buildings preservation council by the metropolitan meat market company for deregistration might be successful and the market would be lost. very fortunately, the hearing of this case and the counter claim by the victorian ministry for the arts through its officer essie wicks, found in favour of keeping the market on the h.b.p.c. register. when continuing representation for purchase to the ministry throughout 1975 and into 1976 appeared to be making no progress, invitations were issued to a broadly representative group to meet to plan a campaign of action. this group first met on 26 may 1976. some of its most committed members, david wright, wally curran, marjorie johnson, gordon jackson, ian sprague and nola hjorth, met again, under the chairmanship of david wright, to consider possible courses of action open to it. however shortly thereafter the then premier, minister of the arts and treasurer, the hon. rupert hamer, agreed that the ministry for the arts would fund an architectural feasibility study on the proposal to convert the market into a craft centre for victoria. architects engaged to undertake the study were genser shepherd and associates of punt road, richmond, with whom marjorie johnson worked over the next few months in the development of the feasibility study. the historical architectural data in this brief history is all taken from the genser shepherd study.