Friday, May 20, 2016

Flashback Friday: Hunter sports photographs 1962-63

From the Maitland Mercury report:
Take a look into the Fairfax photography archives at the sporting clubs and stars from 1962-63 in Maitland.

Full article available at Maitland Mercury, May 20, 2016.

Throwback Thursday: The history of Maitland's vaults

From the Maitland Mercury report:
The mystery surrounding subterranean Maitland was unravelled in May 2015. Take a look at subterranean Maitland thanks to the Maitland City Heritage Group.

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

This anniversary marks 150 years since the Sisters of St Joseph’s were founded

From the Maitland Mercury report:
This year’s reunion of St Joseph’s College Lochinvar holds extra significance. t marks 150 years since the Sisters of St Joseph’s were founded.
It all began with Julian Tenison Woods and Mary MacKillop in Penola, South Australia in 1866.
Julian and Mary were inspired to find ways of serving the poor primarily through education and the support of families in rural areas.
From Penola, a foundation was made to Perthville, NSW in 1872.

Full article available at Maitland Mercury, May 18, 2016.

School reunion for students of St Joseph's College Lochinvar prior to 1992

From the Maitland Mercury report:
A reunion for ex-students of St Joseph’s College Lochinvar will be held at the St Joseph’s Convent Chapel on Saturday.
The reunion is open to any students who attended the school prior to 1992 as well as any Sisters of St Joseph’s. The school’s ex-students committee has a strong history, and a reunion is organised for previous students on the third Saturday in May each year.

Full article available at Maitland Mercury, May 18, 2016.

Exhibition and Tour – This is Where They Travelled: Historical Aboriginal Lives in Sydney

NSW History Fellowship Exhibition and Tour

It is often wrongly assumed that Aboriginal people disappeared from Sydney in the nineteenth century, or lost their cultural links to the area. NSW History Fellow Paul Irish and researchers from the La Perouse Aboriginal community in Sydney have created an exhibition, which maps the lives of a number of Aboriginal people with connections to the coastal part of Sydney, in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Their movements tell us much about their continuing cultural and family connections both to Sydney, and to coastal areas to the north and south, in a rapidly changing colonial world. The exhibition will run in conjunction with NAIDOC week and features a free guided walking tour.

The tour will take place at 10am and 1pm each day from Monday 4 July through to Friday 8 July starting at History House, 133 Macquarie Street, Sydney.

New look historic Victoria Hotel Hinton ready for grand unveiling

From the Maitland Mercury report:
It has been the lifeblood of the Hinton community for 176 years, a meeting place and a safe haven for isolated residents and farmers in times of flood.
If the walls of the historic Victoria Hotel at Hinton could talk it would be the making of a best seller.
Steeped in history the pub is about to start a new chapter with a relaunch on Friday following its untimely closure in January when former owner Michael Mullane died suddenly.
As a result the premises was sold and purchased by a local consortium, Goldthor Hotels.
Over the past four months the landmark pub has undergone a massive transformation, with a total refurbishment on the ground level.

Full article available at Maitland Mercury, May 17, 2016.

Historic Lorn homestead Warrane faces six houses around it

From the Maitland Mercury report:
Maitland councillors are expected to be asked to make a decision about a proposed subdivision in historic Lorn later this month.
Plans to subdivide land adjoining Warrane at the northern entry into the Lorn Heritage Conservation Area were deferred at the April 26 council meeting so councillors could inspect the site.
Owner Kylie Anne Hughes is seeking for the site to be turned into two lots so Warrane is separate from the land she would like developed.

Full article available at Maitland Mercury, May 16, 2016.

Friday, May 13, 2016

Chapel Jazz at Morpeth on May 13-15

From the Maitland Mercury report:
The annual Chapel Jazz festival returns to Morpeth this weekend. From Friday, May 13 until Sunday, May 15, amazing jazz bands will play traditional jazz throughout the town.
On Saturday, May 14 from 9.30am-12.30pm Swingmania will perform at a gourmet champagne jazz breakfast at Lillies and Limes.
Jazz a la Carte will perform from 11.00am-12.30pm at Campbell’s Store.A jazz lunch with Jazz a la Carte will be on at the Commercial Hotel from 12.30-2pm.
The New Empire Ballroom will play at Morpeth House from 1.30pm-4.30pm. Refreshments will be provided by the CWA.
Jazz a la Carte will perform again at Campbell’s Store from 2-3.30pm.
In the evening, Smokin’ Chops will take the stage at the Commercial Hotel from 7-10pm.

Full article available at Maitland Mercury, May 12, 2016.

Inside History magazine - issue 33, March-April 2016

Inside History magazine is for people passionate about Australian family history and heritage, with features and practical tips to help you trace your family tree and discover the life your ancestor led. Whether you want to explore convict history, find your Anzac, identify photographs or trace your family tree, our trusted expert advice will help you discover your past.
In issue 33, the Mar-Apr 2016 edition of Australia’s favourite history and genealogy magazine, you’ll discover:
  • 148 new family history resources now online
  • Our expert’s tips on using census records
  • A tale of two trailblazers: Ernestine Hill and Daisy Bates
  • The story of an iconic Pozières war monument – and the secret left behind
  • The rise and fall of a Sydney dynasty
  • How 1900s Fremantle was struck by plague
  • Handy hints on tracing Aussie World War I ancestors who served in the British Army
  • How South Australia’s Migration Museum makes history fun for kids
  • Port Arthur’s new initiatives
  • The latest history news, events, book and app reviews.
Available at Maitland City Library as an emagazine

Historical Obsessions – Sydney Writers’ Festival

What makes one historian enchanted by the Middle Ages and another obsessed with Stalingrad? Winners of the 2015 New South Wales Premier’s History Awards Alan Atkinson, Carolyn Holbrook and Babette Smith reveal to Caroline Butler-Bowdon how and why they fell in love with their subjects. These are the untold tales behind Australia’s best history writing – the late-night discoveries that made the hours of research worth it and the moments where history truly came to life.

This is a Sydney Writers’ Festival event presented by the History Council of New South Wales  .
When: 10-11am, Thursday 19 May 2016
Where: Sydney Dance 2, Pier 4/5 Hickson Road, Walsh Bay, Sydney 
Cost: Free, no bookings

New home for the Dictionary of Sydney

From June 2016, the Dictionary of Sydney will enter into an exciting new partnership with the State Library of New South Wales. With assistance from the Dictionary’s long-time supporter, the City of Sydney, the Dictionary will move its main website to a new platform at the library. The library will preserve and maintain the Dictionary of Sydney website, ensuring that we can all enjoy the Dictionary of Sydney for many more years to come.

According to the Dictionary, since it first started in 2009 over 1.5 million words have been published including 940 entries, 4,217 multimedia items, 12,735 entities and 38,639 factoids. With a free mobile app, resources for schools linked to the national history curriculum and regular local radio spots on Sydney’s history, their audience continues to grow.

Anzac Centenary Print Portfolio

To mark the First World War centenary, the Australian War Memorial has commissioned the Anzac Centenary Print Portfolio, comprising contemporary artistic responses to the First World War by five Australian and five New Zealand artists.

The Australian and New Zealand experience of the First World War can never be fully comprehended by those who did not participate, so the aim of the Portfolio is not to try to represent the experiences of those men and women. Instead, the aim is to creatively explore the legacy of the First World War and the Centenary itself as a way of linking our past with our present and future.

Further information available at Australian War Memorial website.

Friday, May 6, 2016

Flashback Friday: The Hunter’s farming past

As the Hunter’s population grows it is sometimes easy to forget the region’s days as a farming community. We take a look back into the archives at the Hunter’s farming past.

Full pictorial article available at Maitland Mercury, May 6, 2016.

Holly McNamee's new exhibition the Maitland Collection

From the Maitland Mercury report:
Local artist Holly McNamee has spent the last eight years labouring over her latest body of work – The Maitland Collection.
The meticulous renditions of Maitland landmarks are drawn from photographic reference but overflow with the colour of personal memory.
“These are the parts of Maitland I love and grew up with, most of which are still there,” Ms McNamee said.
Each image pays tribute not just the architecture of a building from a particular slice of time, but also the lives and memories welded to the town.

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

New Collections in Trove

From university archives to objects and oddities, you can now explore four new collections in Trove.

The Wesley Hobart Museum collection includes a teapot able to contain a gallon of tea, while Cartonographer features Australian fruit and veg boxes depicting quirky illustrations of 'grumpy tomatoes' and 'feline bananas'.
Also available are the University of South Australia Archives and the Geelong RSL collection of military memorabilia.

Gould Genealogy & History news - Inspiring Genealogy Blogs

Inspiring Genealogy Blogs

Five Things You Need to Know About Digitizing Photos
Let’s face it, scanning is tedious. You can spend hours and hours scanning, labelling and filing your photos, slides and documents. But are they then useable? Here’s some very wise words from Alison Taylor on what you should be doing when you scan your photos. Read the full article …
The Easy, Low-Tech Way to Label Scanned Photos
You’ve scanned some family photos. Great! But who is in them? With file names like IMG_1092.jpg, it isn’t readily apparent who is in the photo. Amy Johnson Crow gives us some easy low-tech ways to label our photos. Read the full article …
For Photo’s Sake Stop Scanning Every PictureWe’ve been hearing for several years now on the importance of scanning all documents and photos, so to hear that we shouldn’t scan “every” photo, is something different. Read why Denise says we shouldn’t scan  every-single-photo! Read the full article ….

Old George and Dragon Restaurant tipped to draw huge investor interest at auction

From the Maitland Mercury report:
An institution in Maitland’s dining history is about to go under the hammer.
The iconic Old George and Dragon Restaurant in Melbourne Street, East Maitland will be auctioned on Thursday May 12 at Fort Scratchley.

Built in 1837, the inn was granted the state’s fourth liquor licence. From 1937 to 1977 the Robinson family held the licence with Mrs Dorothy Robinson the licensee for 30 years.

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

Petition urges government to buy back former Morpeth Bowling Club site

From the Maitland Mercury report:
Morpeth Heritage Conservation Group has collected more than 1100 signatures in a petition that calls on the state government to buy back the site, which used to be Crown land and part of the Morpeth Common, and reinstate it as a recreation area.
Mr Brooker said the site was listed on Morpeth’s 1840 town plan and the proposed development would have a negative impact on the town’s heritage and character.

Full article available at Maitland Mercury, May 2, 2016.