Perhaps you’ve packed, compiled or received a Christmas hamper full of goodies in the last few days. About this time 99 years ago, the Anzacs who had evacuated from Gallipoli were eagerly awaiting their Christmas hampers. Our lead photograph shows women distributing Christmas billies to men in Cairo, Egypt, December 1915. Driver Jack (John) O….
In these times, when people are trying to erase or re-write history, we should look back on what others have had to say about the past. History is the version of past events that people have decided to agree upon. – Napoleon Bonaparte. People are trapped in history and history is trapped in them. –…
The Australian Gas Light Company (AGL) was formed in Sydney in 1837 to produce town gas for street lighting. The original works at Darling Harbour with its outstations at Woolloomooloo and Haymarket were supplemented with smaller works at Balmain and Five Dock. As Sydney expanded, the use of gas for domestic and industrial purposes became…
Can anyone explain to me why we are so obsessed in knowing a person’s age? The media, in particular (and I assume they are influenced by their audience’s fascination with the matter) rarely fail to state the ages of the people they feature. Inevitably you will read or hear about:- “A 23 year old man…
An interesting social and community book, An Enduring Flame, covers the history of St Patrick’s Parish, Mortlake from 1885 to 2020. The book has been produced as part of the 125th anniversary of St Patrick’s Church, which was expressly built to serve the workers and families of the (now former) Gas Works. This scholarly 164-page-book carefully examines the…
The Moustach Cup The moustache cup is an unusual drinking vessel, uniquely gender-specific. that contains a semi-circular edge around its rim. This ledge has a small opening that allows liquids to pass through and functions as a guard to keep moustaches dry. British potter Harvey Adams, born in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, is generally considered to be…
Why do we have honour boards? It seems almost too obvious. They are a way to remember those who fought and died for us in past wars. But what do we really know about those men and women whose names appear in columns of neat gold lettering? What can we ever know of their lives…
I really am getting to be a most experienced nurse in the sleeping line. Jean and I arrived home at 12.20 pm made cocoa and sandwiches and ate them, retired to bed at 12.45 and I honestly believe were asleep at 12.46. Certainly I woke ten minutes before the bell rang, which was a mistake,…
The book is now available from the City of Canada Bay Museum, 1 Bent Street, Concord at a cost of $20.00. We are open every Wednesday and Saturday from 10:00 am to 3:30 pm. It’s a great read and would make a unique Christmas present. The following article tells of how the Commonwealth Bank dealt…
Almost exactly 100 years ago, another pandemic was causing devastation around the world. At a time where digital banking and contactless payments couldn’t easily substitute the use of cash, Danny John and Juli Liddicoat investigate what the world looked like for Commonwealth Bank employees and customers, as seen through the eyes of the Founding Governor…
Cabarita Point was first named in the 1856 Survey Map. At the time there was a property known as “Cabarita House” near Kendall Bay. It is not clear whether the location took its name from the house or if the house was named for its location. Cabarita is presumed to have derived from a local…
Commode A commode is often assumed to be a euphemism for a toilet. Originally it referred to a chest of drawers or cabinet used for storing personal items. The name derives from the French word meaning convenience or suitable. French furniture makers in the 18th Century fashioned highly decorated cabinets topped with marble. These were…
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