The Australian born artist Hilda Rix (1884-1961) was living and working in France when war broke out in 1914. She abandoned her studio at the Etaples artists’ colony and fled to London with her widowed mother and her older sister Elsie. Many of her pictures were left
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My father was born on October 4 1917.at North Motton, a small rural community in north-west Tasmania He was christened Arthur Newman Allen. The middle name of Newman was for his father. Arthur was for his maternal uncle, Arthur Singleton. However, Dad was always called Robin ….and
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Sister Rosa O’Kane was from Charters Towers in Queensland. She was aboard the troopship Wyreema when the armistice was signed in November 1918, and the ship was recalled to Australia. After the Wyreema reached Freemantle, Rosa was one of twenty army nurses who volunteered to care for
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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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November 1919 – WWI has ended, the flu epidemic has eased, and 110,000 people turn out for race day at Flemington; the nation stopping Melbourne Cup From the Adelaide Observer, November 8 1919); ‘One of Australia’s best assets is the horse. Like the call of the bush,
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Desire La Court arrived in Australia before the outbreak of WWI as George Ohl, from Frankford. Like so many others he was interned as an enemy alien, initially in Queensland, from where he escaped, and then at the huge Holsworthy camp in New South Wales. It was
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In 1918 Nellie Melba provided the boost to the career of artist Frank Williams that he had always dreamed of. The Adelaide born Williams had been wounded at Gallipoli, and was discharged in 1916 suffering from paralysis and severe shellshock. Back in Adelaide he slowly regained his
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Joe Vial was a child prodigy, amazing audiences with his violin performances from a very young age. He was often featured in the local newspaper; ‘Last but not least was the youthful Joe Vial, who executed a number of violin solos with a perfection of tone and
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I thought it would be interesting to look back at the federal election 100 years ago. It was spookily similar. A conservative government seeking re-election after a lengthy time in office. Leader of the Nationalists Billy Hughes was dubbed The Little Digger. As Prime Minister he had
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