S.S. TALUNE AND A DEADLY CARGO OF FLU VIRUS

S.S. TALUNE AND A DEADLY CARGO OF FLU VIRUS

Struggles around the world with the Covid19 virus have  reminded us of the terrible flu epidemic that began in the final weeks of WWI.  Good grief, as if there hadn’t been enough suffering! Then as now, quarantine measures were of paramount importance. There was one South Pacific

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AN AUSTRALIAN ABOARD THE TITANIC

AN AUSTRALIAN ABOARD THE TITANIC

Evelyn Marsden (picture above) was always a spirited type.  Growing  up in rural  South Australia at  Hoyleton she became an accomplished horsewoman.  She spent holidays on a farm at Murray Bridge. It was here she was taught to row on the Murray River, even fighting her way 

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THE KATOOMBA ART UNION AND THE ‘BABY’ ROLLS

THE KATOOMBA ART UNION AND THE 'BABY' ROLLS

A THOUSAND POUNDS FOR A SHILLING! In 1920, an art union lottery was established in the Blue Mountain’s town of Katoomba, conceived and administered by Mr Edgar Booth. The object was to raise money for the improvement of the local showground. First prize was originally a  £1,000

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‘WAR’ AT WYALONG, AND A CART LOAD OF COCK’S EGGS

'WAR' AT WYALONG, AND A CART LOAD OF COCK'S EGGS

Gold was discovered in the central west of New South Wales in 1893, at Wyalong.  It was feared the diggings might pollute the water supply; a dam known as White Tank.  Accordingly, the official  town was laid out about three miles to the east. But the miners,

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THE MYSTERIOUS FIRES AT WEST WYALONG

THE MYSTERIOUS FIRES  AT WEST WYALONG

 BUILT ON GOLD Gold was discovered at Wyalong in 1893 and within a few years it was pronounced  the most productive goldfield in the colony of New South Wales.  Three miles away, West Wyalong was unplanned, growing up along a winding  bullock track.  It became the main

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DOCTOR STEWART PART II- LOVE AND WAR

DOCTOR STEWART PART II- LOVE AND WAR

A BRIEF RECAP.  In 1912, highly respected Dr John Stewart  shocked everyone by deserting his wife and family in Perth, W.A.  He bought a practice in  Bangalow, N.S.W.  and for two and a half years lived there  quietly  with his mistress, Muriel Meallin.  Muriel was known to

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Dr and ‘Mrs’ Stewart of Bangalow; Love Changes Everything!

Dr and 'Mrs' Stewart of Bangalow; Love Changes Everything!

On May 30 1912, The Northern Star newspaper announced that Dr Bracken of Bangalow had sold his practice to Scottish born Dr J.M.Y Stewart, late of Sydney and Melbourne.  Dr and Mrs Stewart moved into the departing Dr Bracken’s old home. The couple settled in and were

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SYDNEY HARBOUR BRIDGE – A RIVETING STORY!

SYDNEY HARBOUR BRIDGE - A RIVETING STORY!

How many nuts and  bolts are there in the Sydney Harbour Bridge?  Well, oddly enough, only a handful. Rivets were used instead, some 6,000,000 of them. The majority of the steel  for the bridge’s girders came from  Britain, but the government contract stated that all rivets were

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THE FLEMING CASE; THE COURT OF PUBLIC OPINION

THE FLEMING CASE; THE COURT OF PUBLIC OPINION

FOLLOWING ON FROM THE TRIAL OF TOM FLEMING Following the acquittal of Tom Fleming over the death by poisoning of his wife Betty, his mistress Norma Lokkerbol became the target of  public outrage.  On September 9, 1951 The Sunday Mail (Brisbane) published the following piece after speaking

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