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.
Illuminated Address When Concord postmaster H. G. Kulmar was transferred to Emmaville his fellow citizens presented him with an illumination lauding his faithful service to the community over almost two decades. Henry George Kulmar was appointed postmaster in 1890 when Concord’s first dedicated post office was opened in a cottage on the corner of Burwood…
One autumn morning in August 1919, Frederick Zahra, a storeman and first aid officer at Mortlake Gasworks, became aware of a commotion at the nearby tar stills. As he ran towards the huge tanks he could hear shouting and cries for help. Reaching the scene he became aware that there were four men trapped inside….
Doing their bit for the boys who did theirs. Within days of the declaration of war in August 1914 a vast civilian “army” of voluntary workers began to mobilise to support the war effort. The Australian Red Cross was first off the mark. Soon hundreds of local groups were established across Australia to support particular…
Members of the City of Canada Bay Heritage Society would be aware that No. 1 Bent Street is the address of the Heritage Society’s Museum, located in the former Concord Library. Bent Street was named for Ellis Bent (1783-1815) who, before travelling to Sydney, accepted an appointment as Deputy Judge-Advocate of N.S.W. He arrived aboard…
On Valentine’s Day 1966 Australians woke to a brand-new currency. The decision to change from the Australian pound (with its awkward shillings and pence) to a decimal currency — the Australian dollar — had been a pragmatic, economic one. Yet decimalisation became an opportunity for Australia to assert itself as an increasingly self-assured and forward-thinking…
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…
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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.