When the troopship Geelong left Hobart on October 20 1914, it carried the Tasmanian contingent of the 12th Battalion to Egypt, and thence to Gallipoli and France. There was a unique mascot on board, a Tasmanian devil. I’m not sure whether the practice was officially sanctioned, but
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Sometimes the tiniest, least expensive gifts provide the greatest pleasure. When recipients acknowledge their delight in the manner of the examples below, the result it is a gift to us all. In 1989 The children’s author Roald Dahl received a small container filled with coloured
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On April 26 1915, the day after the dawn landing at Gallipoli, Sapper Duncan McRae (2nd Field Co. of Engineers) was shot in the shoulder by a Turkish sniper. He was evacuated to Egypt and from there to a military hospital in England. Unfortunately it was
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On May 12 1915, a 21 year old clerk with the New South Wales shire of Murrumbidgee enlisted in World War I. His name was Eric Richard Conolly. He became a member of the 3rd Battalion A.I.F. Initially, Private Conolly served at Gallipoli, and was on the
Read more →A TIME OF CHANGE Recently I found an unusual old wrist watch in a family jewel box. I can only assume it belonged to my husband’s grandfather, Wallace Conolly. The band has vanished, but otherwise it is in reasonable condition. It has a hinged, deep case reminiscent
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Much has been written about the mysterious ‘Mr Eternity’, Arthur Stace, who chalked his famous one word sermon throughout the streets of Sydney. Less well known is the fact that Stace served in France during World War I and that, as with so many veterans, the experience
Read more →A WORK IN PROGRESS – GHOSTS OF GALLIPOLI A fellow author invited me to share some information about my current work-in-progress in an author ‘interview’ called The Next Big Thing! You may expect me to talk about The Water Doctor’s Daughters, or All Along the River; Tales
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