The book provides a dark account of the impact of Spanish Flu on Australia, a dramatic and alarming revelation of tragic mortality, but with numerous descriptions of heroism across the country. It should come with a warning of graphic content. It will distress most readers, but will captivate them too.
The epidemic killed between 50-100 million people worldwide and left most Australian families devastated. “Nearly 15,000 people died within a year, yet little is known of its generational impact”, wrote Dr. Peter Hobbins from the School of Philosophical and Historical Inquiry at Sydney University.
Jean Curlewis, early 1920s
Many Australian women joined the Red Cross as Voluntary Aides. One of these was Jean Curlewis, a young Sydney socialite, who volunteered for work at the Walker Emergency Hospital in Concord West. She wrote numerous letters to her family. Jean’s mother, Ethel Turner, was the author of Seven Little Australians. Dorothea Mackellar reveals Jean’s tragic fate. Henry Lawson relates of his despair while a patient at the Walker Hospital.
I transcribed Jean’s letters years ago. Recently, in National archives, more stories and first-person reports from doctors, nurses, patients, chaplains and teachers spoke from the past of an alien world becoming so familiar to us today. Social distancing, schools and businesses shut, borders closed, wearing masks; death and devastation in our communities. State versus State in lockdown. Our community failing.
“Filled with a deep humanity, it is a work that is both distressing and inspiring. It is a chapter in modern Australian history shat should never be forgotten”, wrote Professor The Hon. Dame Marie Bashir in her foreword.
Fully illustrated with graphics from the past, this book is dedicated with deepest respect to the frontline workers of today.
For more information or to pre-order the book go to https://frontlineofthepandemic.com or you can obtain a copy at the City of Canada Bay Museum, 1 Bent Street, Concord any Wednesday or Saturday from 10:00 am to 3:30 p.m.
For the modest price of $20 (plus postage is necessary) this would make a great read and a great Christmas present.
Ten days after the landing at Sydney Cove on the 26th January, 1788, Captain John Hunter with Lt. Bradley, led an expedition along one of the rivers running into Sydney Cove. This is now known to us as the Parramatta River. Having left at daylight, the expedition proceeded up the river, passing several natives in the…
At 16 I left home in Balgownie to live with my grandmother in Darlinghurst so I could get a job. I had developed into a fine young woman, the change having done me good and plenty of good food and rest. With my honest face and good looks I had no trouble at all. I…
The first Postal Act had been passed in November 1825, empowering the NSW Governor to establish a GPO in Sydney and other places. There had been a Post Office building occupying the site in George Street since 1830s, beginning with one room of the two-storeyed former police office. By 1845 the Post Office occupied the…
This post is about the shocking murder of two innocent men during the botched robbery of the local toll-gate at Parramatta in 1814. In addition to the two deaths another two men were almost executed for a crime they did not commit. On the fateful evening of Saturday 28 May 1814, the Sydney Gazette and New South Wales…
Few people today would remember war savings certificates, a type of promissory note, sold to hundreds of thousands of Australians during World War I and World War II. With the outbreak of WWII it was again necessary for the government to find ways to raise money for the war. A new 6d (sixpence) War Savings…
Gas was first produced at Mortlake on 23rd May, 1886 – gas was supplied to the public on 28th May, 1886. The last electric train ran in Sydney on 25th February, 1961, ending 100 years of tram service. It ran from Hunter Street in the city to La Perouse. The original Palace Hotel in Mortlake…
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Patricia Farrar•
The recently published book, “Sydney: A Biography” by Louis Nowra contains a lengthy chapter on Concord and the Walkers. Drawing on the work of Patricia Skehan, Nowra has produced a potted history of Concord which in itself is worth the price of the book.
The recently published book, “Sydney: A Biography” by Louis Nowra contains a lengthy chapter on Concord and the Walkers. Drawing on the work of Patricia Skehan, Nowra has produced a potted history of Concord which in itself is worth the price of the book.