My Articles

X-RAY MYSTERY AT LITHGOW

X-RAY MYSTERY AT  LITHGOW

In the 1930s the general public still regarded an X-Ray plate with incomprehension and wonder. When a 65 year old coal miner underwent an X-ray of his lungs at Lithgow Hospital the bizarre result only increased that feeling. Beside Thomas Jackson’s ribs was a clear picture of

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THE MURDER OF MARY FAHY

THE MURDER OF MARY FAHY

Irish born 62 year old Miss Mary Fahy owned a two storey property on the corner of The Corso and Marine Parade in Sydney’s Maroubra. She ran a successful mixed business, and lived in a flat behind the shop. Her upstairs tenants were the Potter family; 47

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GWEN MEREDITH…A SUBVERSIVE? ๐Ÿ˜Ž

GWEN MEREDITH...A SUBVERSIVE? ๐Ÿ˜Ž

Gwen Meredith was the writer of one of Australia’s best loved radio serials; The Lawsons. I had no idea there had been a propagandist element behind its creation. In 1943 John Curtin’s Labor Government approached the ABC about highlighting the need to grow soya beans to help

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WHITE CLIFFS OPAL ROBBERY

WHITE CLIFFS OPAL ROBBERY

On January 19 1902, a buyer at the remote NSW mining town of White Cliffs received an order to supply several hundred pounds worth of opal to a jeweller in Melbourne. Being Sunday, the buyer was unable to insure or register the precious parcel. A risky decision

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EDITOR DES – ARCHAEOLOGIST (Amateur)

EDITOR DES - ARCHAEOLOGIST (Amateur)

Hello, Editor Des here. We have been doing a lot landscaping around our new house, digging trenches for pipes and stuff like that. I was helping the men the other day when I spotted something VERY interesting. It looked a bit like the moon, or a miniature

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GOLDEN GIFTS FOR A GOVERNOR’S DAUGHTER

GOLDEN GIFTS FOR A GOVERNOR'S DAUGHTER

Mary Stewart (nee FitzRoy) was the only daughter of Governor Charles FitzRoy. She was living in England with her husband Keith Stewart when her mother, Lady FitzRoy, was killed in a tragic carriage accident at Government House, Parramatta in December 1847. At this point the Stewarts had

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MAATSUYKER LIGHTHOUSE PIGEON POST

MAATSUYKER LIGHTHOUSE PIGEON POST

Maatsuyker Island lighthouse opened in 1891, back in the days of whaling. This is Australia’s southernmost light, 10km from the Tasmanian coast. It is surrounded by reefs and is in the direct path of gale force winds dubbed The Roaring Forties. Elias Dollery was in charge of

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VICE-REGAL BOARDING HOUSE

VICE-REGAL BOARDING HOUSE

In 1878, Old Government House at Parramatta opened as a genteel boarding house. When the local bowling club was looking for a green in 1882, they approached the proprietor, Mrs Abrahams, about leasing a piece of land behind the house. To sweeten the deal they suggested her

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NITRO-GLYCERINE & A BIG BANG IN SYDNEY

NITRO-GLYCERINE & A BIG BANG IN SYDNEY

In March 1866 a 100lb shipment of a new material, nitro-glycerine, arrived in Sydney and was stored in the Bridge Street warehouse of Messrs Molison and Black. The substance, also known as Nobel’s Blast Oil, was to be tested by the importer as a means of blasting

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Marianne, Governor Macquarie’s niece.

Marianne, Governor Macquarie's niece.

Marianne Macquarie was born on the Isle of Mull in 1820. She was the niece of Lachlan Macquarie, Governor of  New South Wales between 1810 and 1821.  Her father was Charles Macquarie, the governorโ€™s only surviving brother.   Marianne’s mother and only  sister had both died when she

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