A HAUNTED mirror once owned by the doomed captain of the Titanic is set to go under the hammer for £10kUK ($12,775AU) This antique is believed to be possessed by the ghost of Edward John Smith – who left it on his dressing table before setting sail on the ill-fated ocean liner’s maiden voyage. His…
Industries of Exile Bay The industrial development of Exile Bay was largely a result of the boom in local industries that followed World War I. All the industries on the northern arm were first established during or immediately after the war. Wunderlich Limited The first large company to move to the area was Wunderlich Limited,…
The Gas Employees Union was one the earliest associations of organised industrial labour in Australia. The New South Wales branch, which was established in the wake of the NSW Trades Union Act, 1881, granted workers the right to be represented by a registered union. The subsequent 1885 Factories and Shops Act provided for the inspection…
If the Titanic’s sheer size did not overwhelm and impress its passengers then a tour of its lavish interior surely would. The interior of the Titanic was often likened to a floating palace containing some of the finest examples of craftsmanship and interior design ever seen in an ocean liner to this day. During Titanic’s…
Industries of Mortlake-Cabarita (continued) Dulux Australia Limited The other major industrial complex in Mortlake – Cabarita was Dulux Australia Limited which began operating in Concord in 1921 as British Australian Lead Manufacturers Pty Ltd (BALM). The company was formed in 1918 as a result of the wartime prohibition of the export of white lead –…
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. …
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