The Park Avenue entrance gates to Blackheath’s Memorial Park were funded by public subscription. They were officially opened on May 18 1938, by Minister for Works and Local Government Mr Eric Spooner. The project commemorated the reign of King George V (1910-1936). 300 people turned up
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A BRIEF RECAP. In 1912, highly respected Dr John Stewart shocked everyone by deserting his wife and family in Perth, W.A. He bought a practice in Bangalow, N.S.W. and for two and a half years lived there quietly with his mistress, Muriel Meallin. Muriel was known to
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On May 30 1912, The Northern Star newspaper announced that Dr Bracken of Bangalow had sold his practice to Scottish born Dr J.M.Y Stewart, late of Sydney and Melbourne. Dr and Mrs Stewart moved into the departing Dr Bracken’s old home. The couple settled in and were
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My interest in John Brush saddles began when Brendan Morris found a rare survivor on his farm in New South Wales. He posted some photos in The Australian Social History Facebook Group. John Brush established a saddlery and harness store in Sydney in 1840. It was during
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In August 1915 a function was held in the small, rural village of North Motton, in North West Tasmania. Local people were saying goodbye to seven young men from the district who were leaving to fight in WWI. After the speeches one fellow stepped forward; ‘Mr A.L.
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Susan Stephens from Lapstone in the Blue Mountains treasures a hand knitted jumper brought home from WWI by her grandfather, Hedley Stephens. Fighting in France in May 1916, Corporal Stephens went ‘over the top’ with a senior officer to check on their men. The pair were severely
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HAVE YOU EVER BEEN CONVICTED BY THE CIVIL POWER? Australian residents enlisting in World War I were required to answer a series of personal questions. At the time, military authorities had no idea what lay behind recruit Robert Coombes’ answer to No. 6, regarding apprenticeships; ‘Mr Pike,
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On February 19 1922 my great uncle, returned WWI veteran Arthur Singleton, was arrested. According to a later report by the Ulverstone police he was in a disturbed mental state. Like many men, he had never recovered from his war service. As one of the first Australians
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Below is a photo taken in 1933, during the Great Depression. It is a field of Christmas lilies on a property at Pennant Hills, in New South Wales. The farm produced 100,000 cut flowers for the Australian florist trade that year. Ladies could pick up a fragrant
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I first heard of the Wheeldon case in July 2017, on The Australian Broadcasting Commission’s Radio National. The story looked back to a day in 1986. Retired Macquarie University professor Peter Mason had gestured his daughters Diedre and Chloë to play an old video. He could only gesture because he
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