SHOE TREES are foot-shaped blocks inserted into a shoe when it’s not being worn to help keep the shoe in shape and stop it from developing creases, therefore extending the life of the shoe. Perhaps more important than maintaining the shape, shoe trees also play a crucial part in wicking away moisture caused by sweat –…
In October 1918 the Australian Army Corps in France broke the supposedly impregnable Hindenburg Line, carrying the neighbouring armies eastward with it in the last great counteroffensive of the war. In the preceding seven months it had taken 29,144 German prisoners and 338 guns, and had recaptured 116 towns and villages. For the first time…
On 23 October 1949, a 21-year-old pilot ran into trouble over Homebush when the engine of his Tiger Moth cut out. On a training flight from Bankstown Aerodrome, with the Truscott Flying Club, William Fraser searched desperately for a place to land. From 1,500 feet he spotted the recreation grounds of the Arnott’s biscuit factory…
Most residents of Mortlake-Cabarita and Breakfast Point know the Palace Hotel in Tennyson Road. Opened in 1926, the Palace has been synonymous with the changing character and fortunes of the district. Some residents might also be aware of an earlier Palace Hotel – the only reminder of which is Palace Lane, a pedestrian thoroughfare between…
The ‘world’s fastest man on water”, Ken Warby (83), died this month four decades after establishing his record-breaking speed of 411km/h. This was achieved by strapping a fighter jet engine onto the back of his speedboat Spirit of Australia. This record, set in 1978, has still not been broken. What many people don’t know is…
Arthur William Sutton was an important part of Five Dock history. He was a successful businessman and, in 1871, was elected the first Mayor of Five Dock Council. In 1878 he purchased (in the name of his wife Emily Mary [Robinson]), lot 125 of the Five Dock Estate subdivision, that was adjacent to their home,…
Tom Sweeney has been a driving force in the voluntary community on Sydney’s North Shore for over 40 years. His involvement in the community theatre life of Willoughby started in 1969 at the age of 22, when he joined the Willoughby Musical Society. A year later he joined the Committee as a volunteer. Both Tom…
As we farewell the Year of the Tiger, millions of people around the world are preparing to celebrate the Year of the Rabbit. Celebrated in China for thousands of years, Lunar New Year is based on a calendar that uses both the lunar (cycles of the Moon) and solar (Earth’s annual orbit around the Sun) to…
Gale Street, Mortlake Gale Street is a busy thoroughfare between Tennyson Road and the junction of Mortlake Street and Brays Road. Most travellers pass through Gale Street without realising that it is a distinct entity with a history going back more than a hundred years. Originally, Gale Street formed part of Burwood Road, a serpentine…
Wax Match Holders A match holder, a vesta case, or simply a “vesta” is a small box made to house wax, or “strike anywhere” matches. The first successful friction match appeared in 1826, and in 1832 William Newton patented the “wax vesta” in England. It consisted of a wax stem with embedded cotton threads and a tip of…
The 26 January, through 200 years or more of debate and controversy, has remained the traditional Australian celebratory day since that date in January 1788 when ‘formal possession was taken of the Colony of New South Wales. On that day, Captain Arthur Phillip became Governor of the Colony, having jurisdiction over the area bounded by…
All female convicts who arrived in New South Wales in the 1820s and ’30s without a husband or job faced a common fate: long days and even longer nights in the Parramatta Female Factory. This imposing sandstone building on the banks of the Parramatta River served as a workhouse, prison and hospital. Residents received food and…
