‘La Donna’ was a journalist for many years at The Advocate, a Tasmanian newspaper known affectionally as ‘The Spud Digger’. In 1935 she wrote a fascinating, lengthy article on Mary Shadbolt, widow of my relative Linden Shadbolt. I always wondered about La Donna’s real identity, and have
Read more →
Venture into any antique or collectibles shop in Australia and you may well find a piece of vintage, hand crafted Weeda Copper. The business began in my hometown of Ulverstone, Tasmania in the early 1950s. A lot of Dutch migrants came to Ulverstone and the neighbouring town
Read more →
For many years the general hospital at Ulverstone , on the north west coast of Tasmania, was located on the corner of Victoria and Patrick Street. It was not far from my grandmother’s flat in Victoria Street. In the early hours of July 14 1954 Nurse
Read more →
I have a single English blackbird in my Australian garden. But oh dear, what a mess he makes of my paths with his incessant scratching around for worms and insects. 😨 I have been tempted to pop him in pie. OK, let’s begin with some words
Read more →
Picking blackberries and collecting field mushrooms…oh the simple pleasures of a 1950s Tasmanian childhood. There were a couple of uncultivated paddocks on our farm that produced basketfuls of mushrooms every autumn. We used to eat them fried on toast for breakfast. Plain old white bread in those
Read more →When WWII began, the Tasmanian government did not consider that air raid shelters and measures such as blackouts would be necessary. However, when Japan bombed Peal Harbour on December 7 1941 and subsequently attacked Darwin, everything changed. ‘Surface shelters in Tasmania should soon be an accomplished fact…….The
Read more →
In 1925, the North Motton football team (which had topped the ladder), met the Ulverstone Juniors in the Leven Association’s Premiership. North Motton was captained by J. Hearps and Ulverstone by W. McMahon. There have been some controversial footy finals in Tasmania over the years, and this
Read more →
In the old days, a Town Hall was as much the heart of a community as the pubs or the parish church. But building a new one requires co-operation and consensus. My Tasmanian home town of Ulverstone drew tourists from very early times, due to its lovely
Read more →
At about 3.00am on Sunday January 9, 1921 fire broke out behind a shop in Reibey Street, Ulverstone. A barman at nearby Furner’s Hotel raised the alarm at 3.05am.The hotel is pictured behind the telegraph pole in the following photo. The fire brigade arrived very promptly, but
Read more →
Celebrations for the June 2 Coronation of Elizabeth II started well before that date in Ulverstone. The biggest social event was the Church of England Coronation Ball. According to The Advocate’s expansive piece published on May 22, the town ‘made history’ by holding the first large scale
Read more →