Friday, January 29, 2016

Inside History Magazine - January-February 2016 edition

Inside History January-February 2016 edition includes:
  • The unique historical website aiming to link every colonial-era Australian to original record sets
  • 105+ new family history resources online
  • Why World War I repatriation records are among our most precious datasets
  • The story of an Aussie surf lifesaver come World War I ambulance stretcher-bearer
  • Mark Tedeschi AM QC’s insights on the 1960 kidnapping case that shocked the nation
  • The grand heritage mansion restored to its historic glory
  • A historical outback adventure in the Northern Territory
  • Our military history expert’s advice on tracing your Digger beyond their wartime alias
  • The New Zealand pilot caught up in the famous 1944 ‘Great Escape’
  • The latest history news, events, book and app reviews, and more.
  • Portraits of War : 80 portraits of World War One soldiers, selected from the State Library's photographic collection

    Portraits of War -  A travelling exhibition from the State Library of New South Wales
    See an extraordinary and haunting series of 80 portraits of World War One soldiers, selected from the State Library's photographic collection, in February at Maitland Library.

    Produced as part of the State Library's World War One centenary regional program, Portraits of War: The Crown Studios Project travelling exhibition reveals many fascinating stories behind the portraits and delivers a moving experience that bears witness to the individual faces of Australian soldiers, both young and old, who served their country.

    Maitland Library

    15 February - 24 February
    Free

               

    History at Maitland City Library

    New books in the Local Studies collection at Maitland City Library:


    Order of Australia Medal for Maitland mayor Peter Blackmore

    From the Maitland Mercury report:
    He started out as a fresh-faced young politician in Maitland more than three decades ago and in 1986, at age 41, became the city’s youngest elected mayor.
    Today, 36 years on, Peter Terence Blackmore has reached the pinnacle of his public life when he received one of the country’s highest honours, an Order of Australia Medal.
    Maitland’s longest-serving mayor of 21 years and believed to be the state’s longest serving mayor, Cr Blackmore said he was both honoured and humbled on hearing the news.
    Also a former state member for Maitland, Cr Blackmore received his award for service to local ­government and to the com­munity of Maitland.

    Full article available at Maitland Mercury, Jan. 26, 2016.

    Historic Clarence Town bridge closure

    From the Maitland Mercury report:
    There are fears for the future of the historic Brig O'Johnston Bridge at Clarence Town after it was closed to traffic for five hours on Thursday.
    The bridge over the Williams River was built in 1880 and is the oldest surviving timber truss bridge in the state.
    It is the major access road for residents in Clarence Town and Dungog at times of flooding and is used frequently by trucks and school buses.
    The Clarence Town and District Progress Association has been calling for immediate works to start on the bridge for several years.

    Full article available at Maitland Mercury, Jan. 22, 2016.

    Friday, January 22, 2016

    Battlefront Innovations and the Engineer's War

    Organisation Name: City of Sydney Historical Association
    Event Type: Talk / Lecture

    When: Saturday, 6 February 2016 from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM
    Where: Sydney Mechanics’ School of Arts, 280 Pitt Street , Sydney
    Cost: Members $3.00. Non-Members $5.00

    Join the City of Sydney Historical Association and professional historian Nicole Cama, as she traces the inventive engineering and innovations of World War I. From toy tanks and patriotic badges, to message rockets, battlefront inventions and the Anzac brand, Cama investigates the many designs, trade marks and patents registered during the First World War.

    National Trust 2016 Heritage Festival

    From the 16 April – 29 May 2016 join the National Trust in celebrating Australia’s cultural heritage, through talks, tours, exhibitions and events across NSW, the National Trust invites people to explore our heritage and find out what has shaped Australia.

    Discovery and Rediscoveries is the 2016 National Trust Heritage Festival theme. This year we invite you to dig up the past and re-explore your region.
    What findings will you unearth? Join the National Trust in this investigation. We want to promote your unique heritage through your local events. We want to learn something new about your past.

    More information at National Trust website.
     

    Ken Tubman and Toby Price forged motoring history for Maitland

    From the Maitland Mercury report:
    Toby Price has taken the world by storm after becoming the first Australian to win the Dakar Rally on the weekend but four decades ­earlier there was another driver from Maitland doing the endurance rounds.
    The Aberglasslyn 28-year-old wasn’t even close to being born when Ken Tubman was conquering the famous Redex Trial around Australia in 1953 and later the 1974 World Cup Rally across 11,000 miles (17,700km) of rugged terrain in Europe and Africa.
    The main difference between the two international competitors was their mode of transport – Price on the two wheels of a motorcycle and Tubman on four wheels inside a car.
    But both were ground-breaking achievements.

    Full article available at Maitland Mercury, Jan. 19, 2016.

    Friday, January 15, 2016

    Former Maitland Mayoress Daphne Unicomb : city loses a tireless community worker

    From the Maitland Mercury report:
    Former Maitland Mayoress Daphne Unicomb has died after a short illness, almost 20 years to the day her husband and former mayor, Noel, passed away.
    Mrs Unicomb died at Green Hills Nursing Home early Sunday morning from complications following a recent stroke.
    She was 87.
    Mrs Unicomb worked tirelessly as a volunteer for many Maitland charitable organisations and was always by her husband's side until his death on January 16, 1996.
    The pair were both honoured with an Order of Australia and were also named as Maitland's Citizens of the Year, Mr Unicomb the city's first recipient of the prestigious award.
    Mr Unicomb was Mayor of Maitland for six terms during the 1970s.

    Full article available at Maitland Mercury, Jan. 11, 2016.

    ANZAC stories at the National Archives U.K.

  • read more personal stories in our blog
  • discover more about the Cocos battle, 1914
  • learn about the New Zealand and Australian support for the imperial war effort
  • listen to our podcast ‘Marjories War: four families and the great war’
  • explore Discovering Anzacs from The National Archives of Australia and New Zealand
  • Gallipoli

    Find out more about the Gallipoli landings from the newly digitised War Diary of Indian Army Captain C A Milnard. Our partner Findmypast has also released over 43,000 records relating to prisoners of war, including Gallipoli, records that form part of a wider collection held at The National Archives.
    Explore photos of Gallipoli in our Flickr gallery.

    Historic Maitland fountain remains a mystery

    From the Maitland Mercury report:
    Mystery surrounds the disappearance of an historic Maitland fountain removed from the former Maitland Saleyards site in December 1985.
    The Cobb Family Fountain was moved or demolished when the saleyards relocated from its original site opposite Maitland Hospital  to new premises in Kyle Street, Rutherford.
    The Mercury recently reported on the fountain and how family members were trying to track down the missing piece of Maitland’s history.
    Maitland City Council heritage officer Clare James said council had carried out some preliminary investigations but had not uncovered any information about what happened to the iconic landmark.

    Full article available at Maitland Mercury, Jan. 7, 2016.

    Torryburn people remember words of former resident and renowned poet Dorothea Mackellar

    From the Maitland Mercury report:
    Dorothea Mackellar’s love of a sunburnt country – with its droughts and flooding rains – is alive in the people of Torryburn as they strive to recover from another flood just eight months after the devastating April super storm.
    When Dorothea Mackellar set foot in Torryburn as a ­teenager the area was in the midst of one of the worst droughts in living memory.
    Her father, Sir Charles Mackellar, had bought a homestead and property there as a country retreat in 1898, and during one of her visits she watched the drought break and the parched ­paddocks transform into a field of green.

    Full article available at Maitland Mercury, Jan. 7, 2016.

    Australian Beer Can Collectors Association hold annual Can-A-Thon at Maitland

    From the Maitland Mercury report:
    Old beer cans are far from garbage, Tenambit man Lindsay Watson says, they are pieces of history.
    The Australian Beer Can Collectors Association will hold its annual Can-A-Thon at Maitland Basketball Stadium this weekend.
    The association’s only Maitland member, Lindsay Watson, said he was expecting collectors from across the nation to descend on the city for the event.

    Brewing company Toohey’s has created a special commemorative can for the Maitland event which will be unveiled on Saturday, but won’t be available in stores.

    Full article available at Maitland Mercury, Jan. 6, 2016.

    Tuesday, January 5, 2016

    Cobb family searches for fountain that was opposite Maitland Hospital

    From the Maitland Mercury report:
    The family members of one of Maitland’s earliest settlers are on a mission to find a fountain donated to the city by one of their ancestors in 1898 and to have the final resting place of two family members restored.
    A reunion of the Cobb family was held in Maitland recently and one of the burning questions was “where’s the family fountain?”
    Alfred Cobb, who owned ­pastoral land across the city in the late 1800s and early 1900s served several terms on West Maitland Municipal Council and was also an active member of the Maitland Hospital Committee.

    Full article available at Maitland Mercury, Jan. 4, 2016.

    Catherine Bishop - Minding Her Own Business : Colonial Businesswomen in Sydney

    Recently released book by Catherine Bishop : A history that populates the streets of colonial Sydney with entrepreneurial businesswomen earning their living in a variety of small – and sometimes surprising – enterprises.
    There are few memorials to colonial businesswomen, but if you know where to look you can find many traces of their presence as you wander the streets of Sydney.

    Full information from NewSouth Books.


    Though tricky to trace in the historical record, the businesswomen of colonial Sydney led fruitful and fascinating lives, as historian Catherine Bishop – author of Minding Her Own Business: Colonial Businesswomen in Sydney – tells Sarah Trevor. 

    From the Inside History Magazine blog.

    Maitland's Steamfest 30th anniversary

    From the Maitland Mercury report:
    The Burton Automotive Group Maitland Steamfest is tipped to feature a number of firsts this year to celebrate the event's 30th anniversary.
    A four-train race, a record crowd and the opening of the railway line through to Cessnock are just three of the highlights organisers hope they can pull off.

    One of the event's organisers and Maitland councillor Peter Garnham said Steamfest 2016 had attracted widespread national and international attention and he tipped an 80,000-strong crowd to visit Maitland over the two days on April 9 and 10.
    "Some of the events we have planned this year can't happen every year, but we are committed to getting them off the ground for this very special anniversary," Cr Garnham said.

    Full article available at Maitland Mercury, Jan. 4, 2016.

    Maitland Mercury evolution continues

    From the Maitland Mercury report:
    In 2016 your Maitland Mercury is changing the way it delivers the local news, photographs, videos and social media conversations that inform, entertain and inspire our community.
    From next Monday, January 11, the Mercury will become a tri-weekly newspaper. Our print and e-editions will be published each Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

    Full article available at Maitland Mercury, Jan. 3, 2016.

    Historic Lorn home tipped to break Maitland's residential sale record

    From the Maitland Mercury report:
    Historic Lorn property Warrane is tipped to break the record for residential sales in Maitland with calls for expressions of interest over $2 million.
    Selling agent Rhonda Nyquist of PRD nationwide hopes the Belmore Road home breaks the $2 million mark and fetches $2.5 million.

    Warrane’s owner Kylee Hughes bought the property 12 years ago and has carried out extensive renovations to the home, which is believed to be about 130 years old.
    Warrane was built by Richard Windeyer Thompson, the son of surveyor-general John Thompson and his wife, Ann, who was the eldest daughter of Charles Windeyer, the first police magistrate in Sydney.

    Full article available at Maitland Mercury, Jan. 3, 2016.