The struggle for a station at North Strathfield was very much a people’s struggle. In the early 1900s there had been a general acknowledgment of the need for a station between Strathfield and Concord West by the NSW Railway Commissioners, but an alleged shortage of money – the cost was reckoned to be about £4000…
You hear this argument all the time these days. Everything is made of plastic. It’s never built to last. It breaks when you sneeze on it or drop it once. We all like to think back to the days when things were tougher, better-built, longer-lasting and looked nicer. But while some products were made from…
Memorial gates erected by parishioners and friends commemorate philanthropist Dame Eadith Walker. Dame Eadith Campbell Walker (1861-1937), philanthropist, was born on 18 September 1861 at The Rocks, Sydney, only child of Scottish parents Thomas Walker, merchant, and his wife Jane. After inheriting her father’s estate, she was to perpetuate her father’s philanthropies and generously supported…
The passing of Dame Eadith Walker has left a great blank in the life of the community. From the earliest days of the colony her father was connected with its history and progress, and as he was a benefactor in his day, so she was a benefactress and supporter of every movement which made for…
In November 1827 Governor Darling received a letter from Lord Bathurst, Secretary of state for the Colonies, authorising the expenditure £200 a year on founding and maintaining a museum for “the many rare and curious specimens of Natural history” that were to be obtained in Australia. It was known as The Colonial Museum. At a…
We recently received a donation of this set of framed photographs of several boats which carried the inscription: Presented to P. Edwards, Esq., by the boys of the Concord Dinghi Club. We have been unable to find any information of this club or of the gentleman named. Can you help, please?
Sydney is made up of many fascinating suburbs and areas, many of which are such a normal part of Sydneysiders lives that they spare little thought for the history of these areas, let alone for the names they go by. Today most are simply residential suburbs, home to countless families. Mortlake is just one such…
Following the death of Alfred Llewellyn Bray, the first Mayor of Concord, his home “Braygrove” was purchased by R. Tulloch & Company and in 1915 the Iron Works transferred from its original site at Pyrmont to Rhodes. “Braygrove” was incorporated into the Tulloch administrative complex but fell into disrepair and was finally completely demolished in…
The Atlas of the Suburbs of Sydney is a series of late-nineteenth-century commercial maps that provides a portrait of the city during a period of rapid growth and suburbanisation. It was created by Higinbotham, Robinson and Harrison, map publishers and lithographers, established in 1882 with premises in Macquarie Place. They had obtained permission to produce…
Jack, age 87, and Jill, age 79, are excited about their decision to get married. They go for a stroll to discuss the wedding and on the way they pass a chemist shop and Jack suggests they go in. Jack addresses the man behind the counter: “We’re about to get married. Do you sell heart…
We’d like to share with you a couple of items from David Sansome’s talk at our map unveiling. The photograph, circa 1900, is of Parramatta Road, Five Dock. The 8-mile signpost can be seen on the left of the pole. As one of our guests informed us, it is close to the intersection…
Catering for the swimming fraternity in the days before Environmental Impact Statements were invented wasn’t a difficult matter if the enterpreneurial activities of the Fisher family at Five Dock Bay are any indication. The fabulous story of Five Dock Bay’s famous floating baths has been told before in District News, however the full photographic splendour…
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