Update on Australian Newspapers online

National Library of Australia have announced the migration to Trove of online newspapers.
All the features of the Australian Newspapers service (blue standalone version) http://newspapers.nla.gov.au/ including the advanced search have now been replicated in Trove (green version) http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper
 
Sydney Morning Herald
Digitisation of the Sydney Morning Herald from available microfilm and issues from 1831 to 1954 are now available in the service.

Australian Museum introduces behind the scenes tours

Australia’s first Museum is opening its doors with the Behind the Scenes tours - offering people a unique insight into the Museum’s extraordinary collection of over 16 million scientific specimens and cultural artefacts.
Where: Australian Museum , 6 College Street , Sydney
When: Daily at 11am
Cost: Members $110 / Non-members $130
Contact: Bookings essential on (02) 9320 6009
Further information: http://www.australianmuseum.net.au/

Forgotten history comes to life in gallery exhibition

From the Maitland Mercury report:
Maitland was home to a thriving Jewish community made up of businessmen, tailors, photographers, watchmakers and their families during the 1800s and into the early 1900s. Historian Janis Wilton OAM and partner Maitland Regional Art Gallery cultural director Joe Eisenberg OAM have worked to unearth the city’s Jewish chapter.

Full article by Emma Swain available at Maitland Mercury, 26 May, 2010.

1st/15th Royal NSW Lancers Memorial Museum collection

1st/15th Royal NSW Lancers Memorial Museum collection has been listed on State Heritage Register. The unique museum collection of Australia ’s oldest and most highly decorated regiment, the 1st/15th Royal NSW Lancers, has been listed on the State Heritage Register. Minister for Planning, Tony Kelly, said the 6000-piece collection, housed at historic Parramatta Barracks, has been listed for its historical and cultural significance.

Trooper’s family link revealed - Fred Avard

From the Maitland Mercury report:
When Christine Avard of Morpeth was a young girl, she would get off the bus near Maitland Town Hall so she could walk up the steps to read a plaque dedicated to Trooper Fred Avard. One of Maitland’s most famous sons, the war hero was killed in action in the Anglo-Boer War in October, 1900.

Full article available at Maitland Mercury, 20 May, 2010

Anglo-Boer War heroes honoured

From the Maitland Mercury report:
Maitland RSL sub-branch was among the first in NSW to recognise the Hunter region’s Anglo-Boer War veterans with a memorial wall bearing the servicemen’s names. The Anglo-Boer War memorial wall opened in Maitland Park in 2004 and this year a special day of commemoration has been set aside to honour the war heroes.

Full article by Rebecca Berry available at Maitland Mercury, 20 May, 2010.

Maitland 1955 flood: Men reunite to relive ordeals for the camera

From the Maitland Mercury report:
A group of men who were teenagers together on the high ground of Telarah during the 1955 flood relived their ordeals for the camera on Thursday. It was a reunion of sorts for David Sciffer, Geoff Brown, Bob Benson and Vince Brooks who were the first to be interviewed for a documentary recounting personal experiences of Maitland’s worst flooding disaster.

Full article by Briony Snedden available at Maitland Mercury, 21 May, 2010.

Accolade for book: Hearths & Homes

From the Maitland Mercury report:
Hearths and Homes: Maitland Architecture 19 Decades of Residential Design added another accolade to the list when it was highly commended in the 2010 EnergyAustralia Heritage Awards. But Maitland City Council heritage officer Clare James said the book, by historian Cynthia Hunter, had also captured the imagination of Maitland people interested in learning more about their homes. It had been a constant seller since it was published in 2008.

Full article by Briony Snedden available at Maitland Mercury, 19 May, 2010.

Flags at half mast for Tom Bullen

From the Maitland Mercury report:
Tom Bullen was a generous and kind community-minded gentleman and a visionary businessman who could see the future of supermarkets in the city’s west. Mr Bullen died on Monday at Maitland Private Hospital. He was 89 and had been battling illness for several years. Mayor Peter Blackmore said flags would be flown at half mast out of respect for Mr Bullen until his funeral on Friday.

Full article by Rebecca Berry available at Maitland Mercury, 19 May, 2010.

U.K. National Archives: merchant seamen's records

You can now search and download another 155,000 merchant seamen's records on The National Archives' DocumentsOnline service. The records list the recipients of the British War Medal and the Mercantile Marine Medal in the First World War: 
Campaign Medals awarded to First World War Merchant Seamen

Les Darcy Grave Restoration

From the Maitland Mercury report:
An American benefactor with links to Maitland has donated the final amount needed for the restoration of Les Darcy’s gravesite to go ahead.
Geoff Bible contributed more than $33,000 for Maitland City Council to begin the conservation of the Darcy family vault in East Maitland Catholic Cemetery as soon as possible.

Full article by Briony Snedden available at Maitland Mercury, 14 May, 2010.

International Museums Day - 18 May 2010

Each year, museums around the world celebrate International Museums Day, a day of recognition of the challenges facing museums and provides museum professionals the opportunity express them publicly. International Museum Day was first initiated by International Council of Museums in 1977. This year the theme for International Museum ’s Day is ‘Museums for social harmony’ and museums across the globe will celebrate their role in safeguarding cultural diversity as common human heritage and promoting social harmony.
For more information about International Museums Day visit International Council of Museums.

Society of Australian Genealogists new web site

SAG website has changed, with new shortcuts, pictures and news. In the coming months SAG be adding many more new features, including a new online library catalogue.
Check the website for Upcoming Learning Opportunities. Society of Australian Genealogists.

Clock to wind back for special exhibition

From the Maitland Mercury report:
Family photographs from the 1920s, ’40s and ’50s will provide the backdrop for the Australian Museum of Clothing and Textiles tableau vivant in Maitland next month.
The theatrical event and cocktail party, created by Letitia Plume, will be staged at Maitland Repertory Playhouse in High Street on May 8 from 4.30pm.

Full article by Rebecca Berry avilable at Maitland Mercury, 29 Apr, 2010.

Can you handle it?

Museums & Galleries NSW presents Can you handle it?, a two-day conference arming delegates with the skills to confidently and safely manage the storage, transportation and installation of special objects, from new media art to fragile and culturally-significant works. Based at the Australian Museum with visits to satellite locations around the city, the event includes plenary presentations, practical workshops, a networking evening, and behind-the-scenes storage and security tours.

When: 29 – 30 July 2010
Where: Australian Museum, 6 College Street, Sydney
Cost: $220 full price / $150 concession
More information:  contact Zoe Johnson on email:  zoej@mgnsw.org.au  or (02) 9339 9914.

Collections Council of Australia closes

30 April 2010 is the last day of the Collections Council of Australia. The Collections Council was initiated and supported by the Cultural Ministers Council from 2004 to 2010, to work strategically for the sustainability of collections in Australia . The Collections Council of Australia is pleased to announce new custodians for four of its major projects:
Significance 2.0 is being handed over to the Australian Government’s Department of the Environment, Heritage, Water and the Arts (DEWHA)
DEWHA is also taking custody of the OzCOR, the Australian Collecting Organisations Register, and aims to keep this register current.
Collections Law: Legal Issues for Australian Archives, Galleries, Libraries and Museums is being handed over to the Powerhouse Museum
SAGE (a.k.a Standards And Guidelines: an E-directory) is also being handed over to the Powerhouse Museum