What you never knew about top-secret facility. From employing hundreds of Aussies to playing a key role in the US defence missile shield. Pine Gap’s secrets are slowly starting to emerge. It is considered one of the country’s most secretive and strategically important sites. But unless you work at Pine Gap, or have spent decades…
The news that Gundagai’s Dog on the Tuckerbox had been damaged recently made national headlines and prompted an outpouring of love for the beloved pooch. But why does the dog sit five, and not nine, miles from Gundagai? And what does the side-altar at London’s Westminster Cathedral have to do with it? Somewhat surprisingly, this…
When this book was originally published in 1979, mental illness was a closed book to the general public. It is not surprising that in the climate of widespread ignorance, mental illness was a taboo subject. It was rarely mentioned in the media, useful information and professional help was hard to find and so it was…
“Whatever happened to the spare paddock?” asked William Olson in his nostalgic essay in the Sydney Morning Herald 1st August 1970. “It has gone, suddenly. Buried under Progress. . . . The spare paddock was wholly Australian. A wonderful place where a generation of young Australians grew up”: In the outer suburbs the spare paddock…
The first day of spring is the little-known but uniquely Australian celebration – National Wattle Day. Wattles have always been part of our country’s landscape and the lives of its people. For Indigenous Australians, wattle trees were a source of food, medicines and wood for many different utensils and weapons. Indigenous peoples of Australia soaked the gum…
Industries of the west A glance at an old map of the municipality of Concord will show just how closely the industries in the western part of the district follow the northern railway line. Most of these industrial complexes were on the western side of the railway, although a few lay between Concord Road and…
He was an Australian photographer and adventurer. He is best remembered for his graphic photographs taken when he participated in a number of expeditions to Antarctica and served as an official photographer with Australian forces during both world wars. His artistic style produced many memorable images. He also used staged scenes, composites and photographic manipulation. ANTARCTIC EXPEDITIONS In…
On Christmas Day 1914 there was an unofficial ceasefire along the Western Front. In the week before German and British soldiers crossed the trenches to exchange seasons’ greetings, gifts and even prisoners. There were joint burial ceremonies and some meetings ended with the singing of Christmas carols. One of the most enduring images of the…
What a great day we had on 6th July when Lyndon Lockrey, Trickett’s Great, Great Grandson was our guest speaker. His stories of Edward Trickett and the glorious days of world championship sculling on the Parramatta River kept us all enthralled. On 30th June 1877, one year after Trickett won the world championship, he made…
The history of rowing in Australia began in the early 19th century when crews of Merchant and Naval vessels competed against each other on Sydney Harbour. In 1840 the first Regatta was held on the Parramatta River. By this time rowing had become an integral feature of the riverscape with frequent races and perennial training…
More Industries of Exile Bay Major Brothers & Company The third company to purchase industrial land in Phillip Street was Major Brothers & Company, a manufacturer of marine paints, boot polish and floor wax. The company was founded in 1915 and moved to its 1.6 hectare site at Concord in 1924 when it had outgrown…
General Law Nothing is as easy as it looks. Everything takes longer than you think. Anything that can go wrong will go wrong. If anything simply cannot go wrong, it will anyway. If everything seems to be going well, you have obviously overlooked something. It is impossible to make anything foolproof because fools are so…
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