The image, from a postcard dating to the first 10 years of the 20th century, is an evocative glimpse into a business that has long been linked to Martin Place (then Moore Street).
Martin Place had long been a bustling hive of activity, full of people going about their daily work. This bustling activity made it a perfect place for flower sellers to ply their trade, attracting passersby and many impulse sales. Yet most flower sellers did not start off in Martin Place at all, being forced off other, busier streets to make room for ever increasing traffic. Martin Place was the ideal place for flower sellers to congregate though, setting themselves up near the steps of the General Post Office and pouncing on people hurrying to mail their letters.
The earliest Martin Place flower sellers began to set up stalls in the 19th century, but it was during the 20th century that Sydney’s most iconic flower seller plied her trade. Rosie Shaw had once had high hopes of a career in opera, coming to Sydney from London in 1927 to seek fame and fortune in the land Dame Nellie Melba had called home. Rosie’s dreams never came to pass, but she grew to the status of a Sydney icon none the less. In 1931 she first set up shop on Martin Place, plying her customers not just with flowers, but with snatches of opera and tall tales of her history of a ballerina and singer. Rosie soon became very popular and increasingly influential, using her iconic status to act as one of the earliest defenders of gay men in Sydney. She sold flowers for 40 years, finally packing up her stall in 1971.
Just inside the main entrance to Parramatta Park is an obelisk which marks the spot where Lady Mary Fitzroy, wife of Sir Charles Fitzroy, former Governor of New South Wales, received fatal injuries in a driving accident on December 7, 1847. The Governor and Lady Fitzroy, accompanied by Lieut. Charles Masters, were setting out to…
Alexander Vindex Vennard (1884-1947), collected yarns, ballads and anecdotes about bush life, which were published for about twenty-five years in a regular column ‘On the Track’ for the “North Queensland Register” and “Townsville Daily Bulletin”. He adopted the pseudonym ‘Bill Bowyang’ after the straps buckled over trousers below the knees. The following article was written…
Ardill House, originally called Clermont House, was constructed in 1861 on a grant to Henry Bray, third Mayor of Concord. Henry died in 1896. Subdivision of the estate began in 1917 and in 1918 the house and existing grounds were donated by the then owner, Mr. F.K. Oliver, to the Society for Providing Homes for…
On our open days we are often asked what is the meaning of the latin on the Walker crest – “Per Varios Casus”. An approximate translation would be “Through diverse (or various) opportunities”, which would appear to be an indication of how his wealth was acquired. It’s not known if this was an old crest or whether it came…
We’d like to thank one of our special members, Patricio Parague, who has just scanned our large collection of over 700 postcards. These range from WWI, through Walker/Yaralla, local areas, Christmas cards and much more. Patricio has a great interest in postcards, having been a collector for more than 15 years. If you’d like to…
Imagine that you had won the following prize in a contest: Each morning your bank would deposit $86,400 in your private account for your use. However, this prize has rules: The set of rules: Everything that you didn’t spend during each day would be taken away from you. You may not simply transfer money into some…
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