“Said Hanrahan” is a poem written by the Australian bush poet John O’Brien, the pen name of Roman Catholic priest Patrick Joseph Hartigan. The poem’s earliest known publication was in July 1919 in The Catholic Press, appearing in 1921 in the anthology Around the Boree Log and Other Verses. The poem describes the recurrent natural cycle of droughts, floods and bushfires in rural Australia as seen by “Hanrahan”, a pessimistic man of…
I’ve grown up Aussie style, a sun-kissed Weet Bix kid;I’ve played street cricket, broken windows then hid.I’ve choked on a fly and still been a happy little Vegemite;I’ve smiled even when the mozzies have started to bite.I’ve swung from the Hills Hoist, then ran from Mum’s smack;I’ve learnt that a kid could starve if it…
Pie Birds, the Whimsical Victorian-Era Baking Tool While you’ve likely heard the nursery rhyme “Sing a Song of Sixpence,” with its “four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie,” it would probably surprise you to find a bird’s head peeking out of your fresh-from-the-oven dessert, whether or not it “began to sing” upon being sliced. Don’t…
Hen and Chicken Bay is a bay on the Parramatta River, in the inner-west of Sydney. It lies approximately 8 kilometres due west of Sydney’s central business district. It is surrounded by the suburbs of Abbotsford, Drummoyne, Wareenba, Five Dock, Canada Bay, Concord and Cabarita. It is one of the three big estuarine inlets on…
The REAL story of the man in your wallet. How many of you have ever looked at the Aboriginal man depicted on our $2 coin and just thought to yourselves, “Just another depiction of an Aboriginal to honour the first inhabitants of our country”? According to the Royal Australian Mint the design brief for the…
Make it idiot proof, and someone will make a better idiot.He who laughs last thinks slowest!Consciousness: that annoying time between naps.When there’s a will, I want to be in it.Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine.Every morning is the dawn of a new error…There cannot be a crisis today; my schedule is already full.Car…
Illuminated Address When Concord postmaster H. G. Kulmar was transferred to Emmaville his fellow citizens presented him with an illumination lauding his faithful service to the community over almost two decades. Henry George Kulmar was appointed postmaster in 1890 when Concord’s first dedicated post office was opened in a cottage on the corner of Burwood…
Despite what people tend to think, an Illuminated Address is not something you switch on and off like a light bulb. These were once important components of a celebration of achievement. They were generally very ornate and often included elements of the person’s history in the medley of images. Today the art of the illuminated…
When I’m an old lady, I’ll live with each kidAnd bring so much happiness – just as they did.I want to pay back all the joy they’ve provided,Returning each deed! OH, they’ll be so excited! I’ll write on the wall with reds, whites and blues,And I’ll bounce on the furniture, wearing my shoes.I’ll drink from…
The Legend of Bill Fisher Bill Fisher earned the sobriquet “Ol’ Man” as a mark of respect for his years of service to Drummoyne Sailing Club as well as his amazing feats of endurance and athleticism. For sailors, the term “old man” refers to a ship’s captain- used in deference to the Master’s experience and…
By far the biggest change in transport occurred with the arrival of the motor car, though it was slow to make its impact initially as its was only affordable by the rich. The first car to hit the streets of Sydney, a 1900 De Dion Bouton, chugged its way along Harris Street, Pyrmont, in April…
Concord’s New Light – Electricity for Gas – Memorial Gates to Mr. Zoeller To celebrate the installation of electric street lighting and the opening of the Zoeller memorial gates at St. Luke’s Park, the Mayor and aldermen of Concord held a dinner at Correy’s Gardens, Cabarita, last evening. The function was preceded by the official…
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