After more than four terrible years of war rumours of Germany’s wish for a peace treaty swept the world during October and early November 1918. An armistice – a truce pending an official treaty – was finally signed on Monday, 11 November, 1918 and the guns fell silent. Official notification of the armistice was received…
Longbottom (later Concord) Post Office was introduced in 1851, the first suburban post office. This was operated by a Mr. Peter McGrath in his shop on Parramatta Road, opposite Concord Road and next to the lock-up. The next Post Office, Beaconsfield, was opened in 1882 in Wharf Road (now Burwood Road) near Wallace Street, in…
Australia is a very confusing place, taking up a large amount of the bottom half of the planet. It is recognisable from orbit because of many unusual features, including what at first looks like an enormous bite taken out of its southern edge; a wall of sheer cliffs which plunge deep into the surrounding sea….
Sticks The Stick is the one of most useful things in the universe. It is a communications device, firelighter, weapon, testing instrument, ceremonial device, and is the only known way to control camels. If that wasn’t enough it is available in some form almost everywhere, and can be easily customised to suit the individual needs…
(Dame) Eadith Walker set up “The Camp” on her Concord estate, Yaralla, to care for WWI soldiers who were suffering from tuberculosis. She also loaned her home, “Shuna”, at Leura to the Red Cross for the same purposes. We recently received a wonderful collection of family photographs from a Norman J. Aitken showing people at…
Since the Middle Ages Christmas had been celebrated in much the same way as today: 25 December was the High Holy Day on which the birth of Christ was commemorated and it kicked off an extended period of merriment, lasting until Twelfth Night on 5 January. Churches held special services; businesses kept shorter hours; people…
Yaralla House residents were invited by the NSW Department of Premier and Cabinet to a meet and greet with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex at the Sydney Opera House Forecourt on Tuesday 16th October 2018. The Duke and Duchess were visiting Sydney to open and celebrate the Invictus Games. The Invictus Games is an…
Following the death of Dame Eadith Walker in 1937 the Perpetual Trustee Company, the executors of Thomas Walker’s will, requested Lawson’s Auctioneers to offer the entire contents of Yaralla House and grounds for sale. It was deemed to have been the biggest auction ever held, taking 8 days to complete. The auction did not include…
We have recently had several calls from local residents concerned at the activity of heavy machinery on the Yaralla Estate. And we can assure you that the developers have not arrived. After a lot of time planning and working with the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage Sydney Local Health District are preparing for some…
The horror of modern war was brought home to people in Australia as reports of appalling casualties and horrendous conditions on the Western Front filled newspapers. The German assault on Verdun in 1916 cost the lives of 370,000 French and more than 330,000 German soldiers. French morale was shattered and its army on the brink…
Sister Ida Jeanette Moreton was one of twenty trained nurses from New South Wales who volunteered to serve in French hospitals and medical centres during the Great War. Affectionately known as “Bluebirds” they wore a dark blue cloak trimmed in pale “NSW blue”. The Bluebirds served with the French Red Cross and although highly regarded…
1,000 bottles/cans and a lot of effort by local Councillor, Andrew Ferguson, has given a $100 boost to our funds. We thank him for his support, in many ways, and look forward to ongoing interaction in the future. Over a 6 month period Andrew has been collecting this “rubbish” from around his local streets and…
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