In January 1926 there was a terrible incident at the Briseis tin mine, in the northern Tasmanian town of Derby. A dump of tailings collapsed, tearing away hydraulic water pipes. Four miners working in a ‘sump’ nearby were overwhelmed by water and soil. Two were trapped; John
Read more →The words in the image below certainly apply to me. I have loved social history since I was very young, Family history is even closer to my heart, especially right now, in relation to my second cousin, Winnie. Visitors to this website will be aware that I
Read more →I must thank fellow Blue Mountains resident Stephanie Moxham for alerting me to this story. Stephanie posted the following letter on a local history FB site. It had been published In The Katoomba Daily on Saturday, May 25 1935. To the Editor Sir, – Mr George B.
Read more →MAYDA….just one letter short of an S.O.S. THE MAYDA’S LAST PORT OF CALL WAS LAUNCESTON, TASMANIA. SHE SAILED ON APRIL 23 1846, RETURNING TO LONDON AFTER MAKING HER FIRST AND ONLY DELIVERY OF CONVICTS. EMBARKING WITH A HUMAN CARGO LONDON – On August 19 1845 the Morning
Read more →Tasmania, as with most of the world, was coping with severe economic depression during the nineteen thirties. The State Government initiated capital works programmes to employ those who were ‘on sustenance’ as it was called. It was considered beneficial to the physical and mental welfare of the
Read more →Soldier Settlement was a federal, but state administered initiative which began during WWI. Land was purchased by government to provide small farms for returning servicemen, often on leasehold. One person who applied was my great-uncle Arthur Singleton, from Ulverstone. With the 12th Battalion he had taken part
Read more →Our first troops left Australia in late October 1914 following the outbreak of World War I. They disembarked in Egypt at Alexandria, and were then moved to a vast encampment near Cairo, where they continued to train in the shadow of the great pyramids. Soon, it was
Read more →Joseph Aloysius Lyons was four years old in 1883, when his father Michael moved the family to the Tasmanian seaside town of Ulverstone. Mr Lyons Snr. opened a bakery and butcher’s shop, but unfortunately he fitted the description of ‘feckless’ rather well, and lost everything betting on
Read more →One of the most successful Tasmanian racehorse owners of the 1940s and 50s was the controversial surgeon Dr. Victor Ratten. He was Surgeon Superintendent of the Royal Hobart Hospital for many years (1917-1936). Dr. Ratten’s success on the track was despite the fact that in 1911 he
Read more →In 2012 a bowl featuring the ship Star of Tasmania was offered for sale by Gowans Auction House in Hobart; Other items related to this ship have appeared for sale over the years. It must have been a very special vessel. From Launceston’s Cornwall Chronicle on Saturday,
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