My older sister gave me a late night, graphic account of Hitchcock’s The Birds after going to see that creepy movie many years ago. She was such a good storyteller that I lay awake in a state of terror. However, since then I have become an absolute
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Tasmania’s Advocate newspaper provides incredibly detailed information for social historians and those researching family history. It has recorded daily life along the state’s north-west coast for generations. How it missed the story of the backyard lion is beyond me. In 1893 Esther Powley of Cressy married Alfred
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Ceratopetalum gummiferum, is a small tree commonly known as the New South Wales Christmas Bush. Its sepals turn bright red/pink in December. In Victorian times, native foliage such as Christmas bush was very popular as a festive decoration in Sydney. It was growing in the heart of
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So much has been written about William Dobell’s controversial portrait of his friend and fellow artist Joshua Smith. It was awarded the prestigious Archibald Prize in 1943, but branded by many as a caricature due to Smith’s exaggerated features. A law suit followed, brought by two unsuccessful
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Rations and ‘comfort parcels’ for Scottish relatives were part of Jean Nicholson’s childhood memories in wartime Sydney, when her family were living at Eastwood. This is an extract from her brief memoir of those years. Food was rationed from 1942. Mum had coupons that were exchanged for
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In a lengthy interview in 1899, the famous Tasmanian soprano Amy Sherwin spoke of how the family’s precious piano escaped a bush fire during her childhood. ‘…it was to the piano we devoted all our energies at this domestic crisis. It was covered with wet blankets and
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My sincere thanks to Angela Griffiths, a descendant of the Calvert family, for sending me the letter from Amy Sherwin that inspired this piece. In 1928 the Orient shipping line celebrated their jubilee. To mark the occasion, the company organized a competition for export apples at Sydney’s
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When I was a child we had a table-top horse racing game featuring Melbourne Cup winners such as Peter Pan, Pharlap and…..CARBINE. I seem to remember that Carbine was the pale green one, second from right. The famous, bay stallion was born in New Zealand, but let’s
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Now I do like wearing a hat. I think this trait was inherited from both my mother and my paternal grandmother, particularly the latter. Buying a new one (even a basic sun hat) is the only ‘apparel shopping’ I enjoy. No need to struggle out of your
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In 1954 Queen Elizabeth made her Coronation Tour of Australia. To celebrate the visit it was decided to present her with a very special gift; something uniquely Australian. And what better choice could there be than the country’s native flora represented in a spray of precious gems?
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