To all our wonderful members, volunteers and loyal newsletter subscribers. . . .
New is the year, new are the hopes, new is the resolution, new are the spirits, and new are our warm wishes for you and yours.
As you pursue your hopes and dreams, may this year bring you much success and may your journey be wonderful.
The Japanese invaded Sumatra in 1942 and, using the engineers from the infamous Thai Burma Railway, put over 120,000 newly captured slaves to work building a railway. These slaves were not only local Indonesians, but also POW’s captured as the eastern colonies fell. This is the history of that railway… Very early on the Dutch government in Indonesia had investigated the…
Why do we give our houses names? In the past it was a way of connecting with our roots – a way of identifying with an English, Irish or Scottish background. Names such as “Alban” the Gaelic name of Scotland or “Erin” for Ireland were widely used, as were names that incorporated the word “Rose”…
Before the reform of Australia’s marriage laws in 1975, getting divorced was a difficult and generally humiliating experience. One party had to prove their spouse was at fault in an open court of law. Lawyers could challenge the other side’s deposition, while seeking to show their client as the aggrieved party. This often exposed intimate…
Tooth Pick Holder Toothpicks. Whether you use them to pick up an appetizer, test the doneness of a cake, or clean your teeth, these handy little devices are used worldwide But in 1869 a wooden toothpick-making machine was invented and Charles Forster, a marketing genius, acquired rights to the patent. Once machine-made toothpicks became widely…
What would have happened if the three wise men had been three wise women? They would have . . . asked for directions arrived on time helped deliver the baby cleaned the stable brought practical gifts made a casserole. And what would they have said as they left the manger? “Have you heard that Joseph…
The melody of this song is based on traditional Irish folk music. Although it has had many iterations, the tune remains easily recognisable and has endured in popular memory. Over the centuries the lyrics and their intent have changed. It has been a drinking song, (“Johnny Fill the Cup”) a love ballad (using the words…
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