I have been reading about the wonderful Hazel Hawke recently; her often turbulent life with husband Bob and subsequently her battle with Alzheimer’s. For those not familiar with Australian politics, Bob Hawke became Prime Minister of Australia in 1983, and was in office until 1991. Did you
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My husband Rob’s maternal grandparents, Harry and Malinda (Linda) Atkins, are a bit of a mystery to me. They have been in my thoughts a lot recently, as we inherited some lovely old pieces from them. The items were in storage for a long time while we
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The kero (kerosene) tin has been part of Australian social history from the mid 19th century, when kerosene lamps lit up the country. The empty fuel containers proved even more useful than the lamps themselves. This old photo, circa 1900, shows a Chinese miner outside his hut.
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Tin-kettling was an old rural custom in Tasmania, as indeed it was around the whole of Australia. It was a kind of initiation for newlyweds; their welcome into the community as a married couple. In the early days it was carried out by the ‘young bloods’ of
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A look back at Symmons Plains….and a bit about Baskerville. What a surprise to discover that back in the 1970s my partner Rob had a brief stint as a Tasmanian motor racing journo. It has given us both a chuckle, as this otherwise very clever fellow hates
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Allan Riverstone McCulloch (1885-1925) scientist. museum curator, illustrator, journalist, and so much more. McCulloch’s legacy has been largely unacknowledged, but he is the subject of a recent biography by Brendan Atkins. I absolutely loved the book, although it may not appeal to everyone. McCulloch was born in
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I have been ‘decluttering’ as we move into our new house. One item that nearly went into the skip was an old, glass covered wooden tray. Apart from accumulated dust and dirt it had one seemingly unsolvable problem, The gold braid trim under the glass had broken.
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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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Constance Dickens (nee Desailly) was the wife of Edward Bulwer Lytton Dickens, affectionately dubbed Plorn by his father, the author Charles Dickens. Plorn was a contraction of a much longer ‘nonsense’ nickname. The pair married on July 7 1880 at the Desailly residence in outback Wilcannia, New
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