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CORONATION 1953 AT ULVERSTONE

CORONATION 1953 AT ULVERSTONE

Celebrations for the June 2 Coronation of Elizabeth II started well before that date in Ulverstone. The biggest social event was the Church of England Coronation Ball. According to The Advocate’s expansive piece published on May 22, the town ‘made history’ by holding the first large scale

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HMAT BOONAH; AN UNEXPECTED BATTLE

HMAT BOONAH; AN UNEXPECTED BATTLE

The story of HMAT Boonah in WWI should have prepared us better for the challenges of the Covid pandemic. Arthur Thwaites was a chemist’s assistant from Parramatta. He enlisted on October 15 1917 as part of the medical corps, but was not called for overseas service until

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LAUNCESTON’S UNHOLY ROW

LAUNCESTON'S UNHOLY ROW

In June 1889, an American woman called Edith O’Gorman (her married name was Auffray) visited Launceston while on a world lecture tour. She professed to be an ‘escaped nun’, who had fled a New Jersey convent in 1868 and converted to the Protestant faith. The most colourful

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THE PINKSTONE BOYS AT LONE PINE

THE PINKSTONE BOYS AT LONE PINE

Sid and Norman Pinkstone in Cairo.

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CORONATION 1953

CORONATION 1953

Celebrations in Australia for the 1953 Coronation of Queen Elizabeth were on a scale it’s hard to imagine these days. Every town and city in the nation strived to do the occasion justice. The Blue Mountains, where I now live, certainly stepped up. At Katoomba there was

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BRONTE PARK & A CORONATION BONFIRE

BRONTE PARK & A CORONATION BONFIRE

The remote ‘Hydro Electric’ town of Bronte Park had two events to celebrate in June 1953; the Coronation of Elizabeth II and the official opening of the Pine Tier Dam. For two local youngsters it was also a celebration of their birthdays. Margaret Fiddes turned 8 and

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BAFFLING STORIES FROM BRUNY ISLAND

BAFFLING STORIES FROM BRUNY ISLAND

In 1906 there were rumours spreading on Bruny Island and mainland Tasmania that one rural Bruny family had 23 children, and that the youngsters had never seen an illustration in any form. The secretary of the charitable Victoria League’s Book Committee had expressed her concern at their

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THE LETTER HOME

THE LETTER HOME

Recently I came across a wonderful letter from my late father-in-law, Alan Conolly. In the early 1960s he was travelling the world for Silk and Textiles, the Hobart based company he worked for. Silk and Textiles was founded by Claudio Alcorso in Sydney. The factory relocated to

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EDITOR DES AND THE ANCIENT EGG

EDITOR DES AND THE ANCIENT EGG

My guardian Pauline Conolly and I were digging a hole for a little maple a few weeks ago when we found buried treasure…and that’s no yoke, I mean joke (sorry) .😛 It was hidden under dirt and decaying leaves. Pauline told me it might be one of

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HOTEL METROPOLE – 7 DEADLY DAYS

HOTEL METROPOLE - 7 DEADLY DAYS

The luxurious Hotel Metropole was built at the intersection of Young, Bent and Philip Street, Sydney, opening on January 14 1890. The following image appeared in the Sydney Mail on January 18; Along with mosaic tiled floors in the entrance areas and lavish stained glass windows, the

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