HOW TO GIVE A HELPING HAND TO FIRE IMPACTED BLACKHEATH Despite living in Blackheath for nearly twenty years, I’m embarrassed to admit that I still make new discoveries. Hard to believe I know….it’s not exactly a huge metropolis. In this instance it was the small business centre
Read more →
My interest in John Brush saddles began when Brendan Morris found a rare survivor on his farm in New South Wales. He posted some photos in The Australian Social History Facebook Group. John Brush established a saddlery and harness store in Sydney in 1840. It was during
Read more →
ORIGINS OF THE FARM Following the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong during World War II, many farmers were destitute and unable to produce sufficient food for the enormous influx of refugees. In 1951, Hong Kong businessman Lord Lawrence Kadoorie and his brother Sir Horace Kadoorie, formed an
Read more →
Hello, Well my guardian Pauline Conolly and I have been documenting the life of a satin bowerbird. It lives in Memorial Park, Blackheath, here in the Blue Mountains. I’ve become quite friendly with him. Sometimes I take him a blue treasure, because he collects them to impress
Read more →
Sorting through documents while compiling our family history I found a section of one of my Uncle Laurie’s school copy books. It had been kept as a treasured memento by his mother after his death in WWII. Each page was dated; from May 3 1932 through to
Read more →
Ellis Cork was born in Bomaderry, NSW. He enlisted in the 31st Battalion of the A.I.F in December 1915, when he was 18 years old. In camp awaiting embarkation for active service, Ellis wrote to his young cousin, Grace. He expressed his excitement about signing up, but
Read more →
Enlistment rallies, anti-war demonstrations, peace celebrations. Yes, Sydney’s Martin Place has long been associated with Australia’s military history. From the Sydney Morning Herald on August 5, 1915; MARTIN PLACE CROWDS GROWING LARGER – ELOQUENT APPEALS Each day the crowds of people who come to hear the speakers
Read more →
I must thank my friend Rosie Wood for mentioning the possible role of cats in warfare. I can’t remember how the subject came up now, but my research produced some interesting results. It transpires that they were employed as far back as the reign of Cambyses II,
Read more →
In the northern hemisphere, Halloween is celebrated during fall, when landscapes are wreathed in eerie mist. Here in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales we are supposed to be in the full glory of spring, but there can be some surprisingly appropriate weather. There are
Read more →
One feature of cooking during the Great Depression, especially in rural areas, was home made kitchen ware. I especially like the creativity of the flour sifter; Kerosene was widely used in Australia for heating and lighting, and the empty tins provided the raw material for all manner
Read more →