ARC Engineering Pty Ltd World War I prompted the British Reinforced Concrete Company to begin operations in Australia and in May 1920 the company opened works in Victoria under the name of Australian Reinforced Concrete Engineering Pty Ltd. Eight years later the company expanded into New South Wales with the purchase of 2.8 hectares of…
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”…
On Saturday, 26h October firefighters were called to a fire at the Arthur Walker Reserve, Concord West, home of the Concord West Cricket Club. The clubhouse was totally enveloped when the five fire trucks and a cherry picker arrived shortly after 4:00 am. It took firefighters more than three hours to extinguish the fire. The…
Rick Steves’ European Christmas book (a companion book to the public television show), outlines the history and many European variations on Santa Claus. Here’s an excerpt: Our American Santa Claus — a plump, jolly old fellow dressed in red — is just one of many gift-giving characters who preside over the Christmas season. Depending on where you are…
The involvement of Australian women in each war is closely connected to their role in society at different times, and the nature of each war. Australia has been involved in a number of wars including The Boer War (1899–1902), World War I (1914–1918), World War II (1939–1945), The Korean War (1950–1953), The Vietnam War (1962–1972)…
Sir – last Wednesday afternoon something quite of a novel character might have been witnessed at the Sydney Mortuary. At the time fixed for the dispatch of the funeral train for Rookwood, an omnibus marked “Woolloomooloo” and numbered “32” was driven up, and from it emerged several mourners; a coffin was next taken out of…
On Tuesday 29 October 1929 the Wall Street stock market in New York collapsed. Twenty-six billion dollars was wiped from the market, which continued to decline for the following three years. Economic markets around the world were ruined. Income from Australian exports fell, local industries came to a standstill and unemployment rapidly increased. Australia had…
More Industries of the West Berger Paints (continued) During the 1960s the Rhodes site changed markedly in appearance. First, a modern paint factory arose on the site of the old corroding shed. Its single span construction was the largest in the southern hemisphere, and it had a two-storey mezzanine above the main floor which carried…
One of Australia’s greatest Antarctic explorers, Douglas Mawson was responsible for one of the most extreme survival stories of all time. A scientist before all else, he sought information and knowledge rather than fame, fortune or ‘firsts’. Born in England on 5 May 1882, Mawson migrated to Australia at the age of two. An outstanding…
Doing their bit for the boys who did theirs. Within days of the declaration of war in August 1914 a vast civilian “army” of voluntary workers began to mobilise to support the war effort. The Australian Red Cross was first off the mark. Soon hundreds of local groups were established across Australia to support particular…
Thanks to the prowess of the New South Wales scullers, the Parramatta River course is celebrated all over the world; and is justly entitled to be called the champion course from the number of races not only for the championship of the colony, but of the world, which have been contested over this run of…
Twenty-seven people were all there were when Shackleton’s Antarctic expedition went awry. Luckily for us (they were lucky enough, all surviving after months and months), one of those was a photographer, Frank Hurley, whose amazing photographs documented the 22 months spent stranded on the world’s most remote continent. Ernest Shackleton set out in 1914 for…
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