Pauline Conolly

WONGA PARENTS – CHANGE OF SHIFT
So our resident Wongas are raising yet another set of twins. They were sitting on eggs all through the March ‘big wet’ here in the Blue Mountains. The chicks need constant care and it’s time for Mr Wonga to take over the afternoon shift. His partner has...
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THE MUDDY YARRA HID EVIDENCE OF FRAUD
Where there is a commodity as precious as gold, there is a possibility of fraud. In June 1950 a twenty seven year old Melbourne man arrived in Kalgoolie hoping to do a bit of gold trading. He put the word out and soon found himself being offered...
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THE LITTLE BLACKHEATH LIBRARY THAT GREW
I was charmed to come across this little street library outside the old Presbyterian Church Hall in Wentworth Street. The first time I saw it there were even little prayer books inside. I was touched, because the church itself (next door) is struggling with a dwindling congregation....
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JARDINS….LITTLE TREASURES OF THE LOT
It is mid winter here at Blackheath in the Blue Mountains, cold and very wet. I have been watching Monty Don’s TV series on French gardens. Oh dear, the longing it evokes is almost physically painful. How long will it be before we can enjoy that beautiful...
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THE ‘WALLABY DRIVE’ ROBBERY
The poor old wallaby was considered a huge pest in the old days. Any call to protect native animals was immediately cried down by farmers; The following image is from Town and Country Journal in 1906. Even youngsters went out with guns, a bit like my bother...
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DEATH AT ANTHONY HORDERN’S
Stella and Reginald Harrison were married at Hawthorn, Victoria in May 1934. However, married life for the couple began in Sydney, where Reginald had been appointed Manager of the Mansion House Private Hotel in Elizabeth Street. The only shadow on their happiness was that in July Stella,...
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ORPEN’S ‘SOWING NEW SEED’ ….OF PROTEST!
If you visit the Mildura Arts Centre you will see this striking painting by Irish born artist William Orpen. The inspiration behind the c.1913 painting is fascinating. At that time in Ireland, government grants for art and education came from Whitehall under the direction of the Irish...
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THE WOODHEAP
I love my woodheap. Perhaps it’s because I grew up in chilly Tasmania and now live in the Blue Mountains village of Blackheath (aka BLEAKHEATH). Oh that promise of cheerfulness and warmth. It is also a perfect sun trap on our property in autumn and winter. Despite...
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The Water Doctor’s Daughters