The Convict Valley
The story of the second British penal settlement in Australia, where a notoriously brutal convict regime became the template for penal stations in other states. Mark will explore the relations between the white settler and the local Aboriginal landholders and uncover a long-forgotten massacre.
Saturday 2nd November 2pm
LYONS ROAD, DRUMMOYNE Most of us would be familiar with Lyons Road, which runs from Drummoyne, through Russell Lea, Wareemba and finishes in Five Dock West. Lyons Road is named after Samuel Lyons, who purchased the Five Dock Farm estate in 1836. He subdivided the Estate for housing and built the first roads in the…
For those who love the philosophy of ambiguity (as well as the idiosyncrasies of English).One tequila, two tequila, three tequila, floor!Atheism is a non-prophet organisation.If man evolved from monkeys and apes, why do we still have monkeys and apes?I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman, “Where’s the self-help section?” She said if she…
One man is central to Australia’s understanding of its protracted defeat at Gallipoli a century ago. C.E.W. (Charles) Bean, Australian War Correspondent, Official Historian and unofficial curator of the Anzac legend. Bean’s overwhelming influence over how Australians remember Gallipoli, Anzacs and the Great War is undeniable and nowhere more evident than in his first Anzac…
Henley Marine Drive This street is renowned as one of the most picturesque in Canada Bay, as it skirts the waters of Iron Cove Creek and Iron Cove, from Five Dock to Drummoyne. Henley Marine Drive was named after Sir Thomas Henley, born on the 4th of February 1860 at Wootton Bassett in Wiltshire, England….
There’s some confusion about exactly when the first camels and their handlers arrived in Australia, and for what purpose. We do know that “Harry” was the first camel to arrive in Australia after landing in Port Adelaide on 12 October, 1840. The animal was shipped from Tenerife, Spain, by the Phillips brothers, Henry Weston and George. Camels…
Just a reminder that our November speaker, Andrew Tink, will be talking about ‘Honeysuckle Creek: the story of Tom Reid, a Little Dish and Neil Armstrong’s First Step. His talk is about the pivotal role that the tracking station at Honeysuckle Creek played in the first moon landing. His book gives a gripping account of…
