In the period 1880 to 1900 the full potential of the three basic energy systems for domestic lighting was finally realised. Oddly, an efficient method for using gas and oil lighting took hold just as electricity was being accepted and moving toward its ultimate triumph. The patenting of the impregnated silk mantel by Baron von…
One of our members, John Byrnes, who is also a member of the newly formed Strathfield Homebush Historical Society, would like to hear from anyone interested in researching any aspect of Homebush Bay. If interested, reply to john.mail@ozemail.com.au to keep in touch. John is about to commence a review of Aboriginal history across the Bay…
During WWI approximately 160,000 Australians had been wounded, some of them permanently incapacitated. They would need to be restored to health and those unable to resume their former occupations needed to be re-trained and supported. Many needed assistance for the rest of their lives. During that time Eadith Walker formed a close relationship with soldiers…
The hospital began life as an asylum for destitute children In 1920 the Prince of Wales, later King Edward VIII, was visiting Australia. On his itinerary was a hospital in Randwick that had once housed destitute children but had recently been converted to a military hospital. Photo shows the Prince of Wales, later King Edward …
Beginnings of a national identity? “… the first man not bred in England to win the great prize of the championship of the world who had won honour for the people of the whole of these colonies”. Words of praise from the then Premier of New South Wales, the Hon. Sir John Robertson… In 1876, Australia…
This sampler is one of the oldest pieces in our collection. It was worked by Maria Darling in 1834. Unfortunately, we don’t know who the young lady was or how it came into our possession. As well as the lettering, decorations and border there is a short verse: What is the world, all things here. …
The Interesting Story of High Heels and How They Were Originally Meant for Men Just like the weird story of how pink was once considered a masculine color while blue was more of a feminine color, it’s surprising to know that high heels were originally designed for men long before they were worn by women….
Industries of Mortlake – Cabarita Australian Gas Light Company Concord’s most significant industrial complex was also one of its earliest. The Australian Gas Light Company was established in Sydney in 1837, only twenty-five years after the world’s first gas company had been formed in Britain. In the 1830’s the city of Sydney was lit by…
While much of the world is seen as a ‘man’s world’, there’s no doubt that women have had a huge influence in just every field in history, you just don’t tend to hear about it. I could have written about queens, warriors, suffragettes, and other well-known females who did make an influence on the world,…
Bounded by Chalmers Street, Cleveland Street and Central Railway, Surry Hills, Prince Alfred Park played a major part in Sydney’s early history. Prior to the arrival of Europeans this area contained a tributary of Blackwattle Creek. It was known as Cleveland Paddocks after Cleveland House, built in the 1820’s and still standing at the corner…
Mostly there’s no blockbuster exhibitions, gift shops or touch screens, and no dinosaur skeletons or Egyptian mummies either. Yes, small volunteer-run museums can seem like a world away from their better-known city counterparts. These city museums find it easy to focus on the “big history”: significant events of the past; wars, natural disasters, political events,…
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