‘Bigger than Ben Hur’. the saying goes. Well that was certainly true of the fire that engulfed Sydney’s Her Majesty’s Theatre in 1902. Impressario J. C. Williamson’s production of Ben Hur had been wowing audiences since opening night on February 8. It was the biggest and costliest
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The first case of bubonic plague in Sydney occurred in January 1900. Sporadic cases occurred long after the initial outbreak and the Zoological Gardens at Moore Park did not escape. In 1902, they were forced to close, at least temporarily; Naturally the question arose of how the
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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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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 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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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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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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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 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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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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