A DENTIST BECOMES A DOCTOR By 1906 Chicago had grown from its origins as a tiny, frontier trading post to a metropolis of nearly two million people. After the city was rebuilt following the Great Fire of 1871 there was a wave of immigration. People arrived from
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In 1900 young dentist Victor Ratten was establishing himself at West Wyalong, in the Central West of NSW. At the time there was fierce competition about where the new railway station should be located. In August 1900, the Minister of Works was due to visit the rival
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In 1903 the Queensland government followed the example of New South Wales by introducing compulsory registration of dental practitioners Dr Victor Ratten applied to the Dental Board on July 16 that year. Ten days later he was informed that they had considered his application but were unable
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ALL THAT GLISTERS IS NOT GOLD The years 1890 to 1893 had been a period of world-wide, economic depression. In Australia the situation reached crisis point when the Commercial Bank of Australia suspended trading in April 1893. A dozen other banks failed soon afterwards. Amid this widespread
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FORWARD Just after midday on January 2 1963, a funeral cortege left a Hobart undertaker’s chapel for the Cornelian Bay Cemetery. Enroute, the procession diverted to Liverpool Street, slowing as it passed the historic Royal Hobart Hospital. The hearse was carrying the body of 83 year old
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In January 1997 my partner Rob and I were living in London. My birthday falls in January, and to celebrate I requested a tour of the centuries old Whitechapel Bell Foundry (est. 1570). It may sound an odd gift, but I adore the sound of bells. We
Read more →I was researching the Australian realist artist Herbert Badham when I came across his wonderful painting of customers in the Hasty Tasty cafe at Kings Cross, during World War II. Note the presence of soldiers and sailors, including the black GI with his white, female companion. It
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This piece on NSW Labor Premier Jack Lang was inspired by a draft article written by Miss M.E. (Joyce) Cocks, in 1932. I was researching Joyce’s life at Sydney’s Mitchell Library when I came across a diatribe she had written against Lang; ‘The present Government deliberately refuse
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Valentine Street, running off George Street in Sydney’s Haymarket, is currently more urban alleyway than street. I walk down it almost every day on my way from our apartment in Thomas Street to the Haymarket Light Rail stop. The following is an image dating from 1910, It
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ANTHONY TROLLOPE 1815 – 1882 This piece began as a review of the 1869 Anthony Trollope novel He Knew He Was Right. I so appreciated the humour throughout this great, door-stop of a book. Some may find the snail’s pace of its 900 small print
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