Adelaide Ironside (1831-1867) was a Sydney girl, considered to be a child genius. She was taken under the wing of the Reverend John Dunmore Lang; clergyman, educator and politician. Adelaide Ironside became the first Australian born woman to study art abroad. In her case this was to
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Ironing is not the most romantic of occupations, although remember that old fold song? ‘Dashing away with the smoothing (steaming) iron she stole my heart away.’ The steam iron was born along with baby boomers like myself.. The following is from the Melbourne Argus, on June 30
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On January 2 1941, Eric Ross Robinson was working alone on night-shift at Tasmania’s Moonah railway station. He had joined the railways in 1935, employed as relieving porter at various stations around the State. The 26 year old lived a quiet life with his parents and younger
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Agnes Grant Hay was the very wealthy widow of South Australian pastoralist, merchant and politician, Alexander Gosse Hay. She was an inveterate traveller…and an author; After spending many months in England and Scotland during 1908, Mrs Hay and her unmarried daughter Helen (Dolly) returned home on
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Hello, this is your Christmas correspondent, Editor Des. Have you heard of a Santa’s Nice List? Well a lovely lady called Amelia at our village laundromat put one up in her front window. It’s in Wentworth Street at Blackheath. That’s in the Blue Mountains in case you
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Grandma Shadbolt was born Jane Whitton. She was from Lichfield in Staffordshire. In 1848, when she was 19, she was transported to Van Diemen’s Land (Tasmania) for seven years. In a first offence she had stolen the sum of three pounds. Unfortunately we don’t have a photo
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Cricket matches, especially Ashes series, do not usually engender goodwill between Australia and England. However, as Christmas approached in 1932, Australia made a remarkable gesture. A giant, Ashes themed cake was sent to London to be distributed to the city’s hospitals and children’s homes . It weighed
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Rivers Paterson (nee Staines) was born on the day her father Thomas drowned in the Bell River, between Molong and Wellington, in the central west of New South Wales. Thomas Staines was an ex-convict; a former blacksmith and farrier from Leicestershire. He was transported for life in
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A magnifying glass provided as much enjoyment to children of the Baby Boomer generation (Yes, I’m one) as expensive toys. The following photo was taken at my birthday party in 1957. It’s hard to spot, but the little boy is holding our large magnifying glass to his
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I do realize that Katoomba is a long way from Paris, but we Blue Mountains residents adore croissants as much as anyone else around the world. This sulphur crested cockatoo is no different. But which ones to choose? Well don’t look at me mate, it’s entirely your
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