November 2022 General Meeting - Saturday 19th November

    

Guest Speaker:
David Hunt

Join us in Gordon Library Meeting Room 1, at 2 pm on Saturday 19th November 2022, when David Hunt presents...
Girt Nation - The Unauthorised History of Australia, Volume 3

Another rollicking ride with author David Hunt, as he speaks about Girt Nation, the third volume in his prize-winning 'Unauthorised History of Australia' series. The series examines the federation of the Australian colonies into the revered nation we are today; and the key political, social and economic reforms of late nineteenth century Australia.

David unashamedly tramples tall poppies of the past in charting Australia’s transformation from aspiration to nation – an epic tale of charlatans and costermongers, of bush bards (and even bushier beards!), of workers, and of women who just weren’t going to take it anymore!

Thrill as Jandamarra leads the Bunuba against Western Australia... gasp as Essendon trainer Carl von Ledebur injects his charges with crushed dog and goat testicles... weep as Scott Morrison’s communist great-great-aunt Mary Gilmore holds a hose in New Australia... and marvel at how Labor, a party that spent a quarter of a century infighting over how to spell its own name, ever rose to power!

Girt Nation also introduces Alfred Deakin - the Liberal necromancer whose dead advisors made Australia a better place to live in; Sir Henry Parkes - Australia's greatest lothario; Banjo Paterson - the jihadist who called on God and the Prophet to drive the Australian infidels from the Sudan; the Crutchy Push - Australia's most infamous all-amputee street gang against the conventionally limbed; Catherine Helen Spence - the feminist polymath who envisaged a utopian future of free contraceptives, easy divorce and immigration restrictions ‘to prevent the Chinese coming to destroy all we have struggled for’... plus a cast of Australian women who made Australia a better place for everyone!

Yes, you'll meet a colourful cast of characters from the formative period of Australia’s nationhood, and guess what - books will be available to purchase! $20 for Girt and True Girt; $25 for Girt Nation; and $15 for Hunt's kids' picture books.

Find out more, if you dare, at David Hunt’s website...

As always, please keep an eye on our website in case of any last-minute changes.

The venue is Gordon Library Meeting Room No. 1, in the Old Gordon Public School, which adjoins the Gordon Library, 799 Pacific Highway, Gordon (corner Pacific Highway and Park Avenue).

It’s just a 5-minute walk from Gordon Station.

For a map and parking information, see our Contact page.

AGM - Saturday 15th October 2022

    

AGM, with Guest Speaker:
Patrick Dodd

Join us in Gordon Library Meeting Room 1, at 2 pm on Saturday 15th October 2022. This meeting will start with our AGM at 2 pm, after which Patrick Dodd presents...
“The Holtermann Collection”

In 1951, Keast Burke, editor of Australasian Photo Review, enquired with the Mitchell Library about Bernhardt Holtermann, a name associated with several nineteenth century panoramas he’d seen in the Library. It transpired that Holtermann’s daughter-in-law, Mary Holtermann, lived in Chatswood. Recovered from her garden shed later that year were 3500 glass plate negatives in cedar boxes and smaller ones in lacquered tins, all wonderfully undisturbed for nearly 80 years.

The negatives were donated to the Mitchell Library in 1952 by Bernhardt Holtermann's grandson, Bernhard, and became known as the Holtermann Collection. The find proved to be the most important photographic documentation of goldfields life in Australia, and was included on the UNESCO Australian Memory of the World register in May 2013.

Join us for what is sure to be a very informed talk from Ku-ring-gai Historical Society member Patrick Dodd. Patrick is the Founder and President of the Macquarie Society in Australia; and a Volunteer Guide at the Australian National Maritime Museum on HM Bark Endeavour. He is also a Volunteer Guide and Public Speaker at the State Library of NSW on History and Heritage tours.

As always, please keep an eye on our website in case of any last-minute changes.

The venue is Gordon Library Meeting Room No. 1, in the Old Gordon Public School, which adjoins the Gordon Library, 799 Pacific Highway, Gordon (corner Pacific Highway and Park Avenue).

It’s just a 5-minute walk from Gordon Station.

For a map and parking information, see our Contact page.

September 2022 General Meeting - Saturday 17th September

   

Guest Speaker:
Ian Burnet

Join us in Gordon Library Meeting Room 1, at 2 pm on Saturday 17th September 2022, when Ian Burnet presents...
“The Tasman Map”

Our September guest speaker is author, historian and voyager Ian Burnet, who will present The Tasman Map - the Dutch East India Company and the first Dutch discoveries of Australia.

Every visitor who passes through the vestibule of the Mitchell Library stops to admire the magnificent marble mosaic of the Tasman Map, which fills the entire vestibule floor.

This story of the first Dutch voyages to discover Australia is set against the background of the struggle of the newly formed Dutch Republic to gain its independence from the Kingdom of Spain, and the struggle of the Dutch East India Company for trade supremacy in the East Indies against its Portuguese, Spanish and English rivals.

From 1606 to 1644, based on sixteen separate discoveries, the first map of Australia took shape. The Tasman Map shows a recognizable outline of the north, west and south coasts of Australia, that was not to change for another 125 years until James Cook charted the east coast in 1770.

In 1925 and 1933 the Mitchell Library acquired the Tasman Huydecoper Journal and the Tasman Bonaparte Map. The fascinating story of how the library managed to acquire these treasures of Dutch exploration and cartography brings new recognition to these icons of both Dutch and Australian history!

About Ian Burnet

Ian grew up in South Gippsland and graduated with a degree in Geology and Geophysics from the University of Melbourne. He first went to work in Indonesia in 1968 as a young geologist and became fascinated by the diverse cultures and rich history of the archipelago. Ian has organised many sailing voyages around the Spice Islands for those interested in exploring the eastern archipelago, sailing in a traditional Indonesian wooden schooner.

He has spent thirty years living, working and travelling in Indonesia and is fascinated by the diverse history and culture of the archipelago. This is reflected in his books Spice Islands; East Indies; Archipelago - A Journey Across Indonesia; Where Australia Collides with Asia; The Tasman Map - The Biography of a Map; and his latest, Joseph Conrad’s Eastern Voyages.

A review of The Tasman Map states “Ian Burnet in this stunning volume brings alive the many voyages of discovery that linked the exploration and Dutch conquest of Indonesia to a growing awareness on the part of the Dutch of the great, but as yet unknown, land to the south”.

Ian's website is www.ianburnetbooks.com

Join us in person for what is sure to be a fascinating presentation on Saturday 17th September!

As always, please keep an eye on our website in case of any last-minute changes.

The venue is Gordon Library Meeting Room No. 1, in the Old Gordon Public School, which adjoins the Gordon Library, 799 Pacific Highway, Gordon (corner Pacific Highway and Park Avenue).

It’s just a 5-minute walk from Gordon Station.

For a map and parking information, see our Contact page.

August 2022 General Meeting - Saturday 20th August

    

Guest Speaker:
David Rosenberg

Join us in Gordon Library Meeting Room 1, at 2 pm on Saturday 20th August 2022, when David Rosenberg presents...
“Pine Gap: The Inside Story of the NSA in Australia”

Our August guest speaker is author and US spy, David Rosenberg.

In 1966, Australia and the US signed a treaty that allowed the establishment of a jointly-run satellite tracking station, just south of Alice Springs. For more than fifty years it has operated in a shroud of secrecy, and been the target of much public and political controversy.

The intelligence collection mission at Pine Gap, and the partnership between Australia and the United States, has made Pine Gap the most important satellite ground site in the Intelligence Community.

David Rosenberg – a US high-tech spy who worked at Pine Gap for 18 years – was the first to speak out to give an insider’s account of what happens behind those locked gates in the middle of the Australian desert. When he left in 2008, he was the United States government’s longest serving technical liaison officer in Australia.

In his book, and in his presentation, David details his career with an American intelligence agency during a tumultuous period in history that covered the terms of three American Presidents, four Australian Prime Ministers, the end of the Cold War, a peace treaty between Israel and Jordan, two wars in Iraq and genocide in Rwanda, as well as the ‘War Against Terror’ and the emergence of North Korea as a nuclear-armed nation.

Join us in person on Saturday 20th August for this top secret presentation!

As always, please keep an eye on our website in case of any last-minute changes.

The venue is Gordon Library Meeting Room No. 1, in the Old Gordon Public School, which adjoins the Gordon Library, 799 Pacific Highway, Gordon (corner Pacific Highway and Park Avenue).

It’s just a 5-minute walk from Gordon Station.

For a map and parking information, see our Contact page.

July 2022 General Meeting - Saturday 16th July

   

Guest Speaker:
Ian Thompson

Join us in Gordon Library Meeting Room 1, at 2 pm on Saturday 16th July 2022, when Ian Thompson presents...
“More Iconic Australian Inventions”

Every day, throughout the world, over a billion people rely heavily on Australian inventions. Every time they drive a car, fly, eat or communicate, there’s a good chance it’s due to Aussies!

We all know some of the great and iconic inventions by Australians – the Victa lawnmower, the Hills Hoist, the wine cask bladder, Vegemite... but our guest speaker, Ian Thompson, knows a whole lot more!

Ian will take us through the people and science behind some more iconic inventions and innovations, from colonial to contemporary times – so if you missed Ian’s first talk, catch up with this one – there’s so much more than the Hills Hoist and the Victa!

About Ian Thompson

After graduating in Chemistry in 1969, Ian worked in Sydney as an Industrial Research Chemist for over 20 years, concentrating on developing products to control insect pests that affect crops, farm animals and pets.

For the past 25 years, and before retirement in 2008, Ian then worked as a Research Scientist in the area of Urban Entomology, developing products for controlling insect pests and other critters that invade the home - in particular, those that can carry disease, such as mosquitoes, cockroaches, houseflies and the like.

During the past 10 years of this research Ian became involved in the drafting of patents for urban pest control - and he now has six to his name!

Ian regularly presents to Sydney U3A, Probus and other volunteer organisations. His leisure interests include photography and bushwalking.

As always, please keep an eye on our website in case of any last-minute changes.

The venue is Gordon Library Meeting Room No. 1, in the Old Gordon Public School, which adjoins the Gordon Library, 799 Pacific Highway, Gordon (corner Pacific Highway and Park Avenue).

It’s just a 5-minute walk from Gordon Station.

For a map and parking information, see our Contact page.

June 2022 General Meeting - Saturday 18th June

  

Guest Speaker:
Dr Reinhard Ronnebeck

Dr Reinhard Ronnebeck at the van Gogh Museum

Join us in Gordon Library Meeting Room 1, at 2 pm on Saturday 18th June 2022, when Dr Reinhard Ronnebeck presents...
“Grace Cossington Smith - a Ku-Ring-Gai local”

Reinhard’s talk will explore the life and work of Grace Cossington Smith (1892-1984) – a quiet pioneer of modernism who practised her art in Turramurra.

Many of her scenes give a glimpse of the ordinary suburban home of her time: still lives, doorways and window sills. She also painted important events, such as the World Wars and the arrival of the Prince of Wales in Sydney, which show a broader view of what was happening in Australia and the world at the time.

Her paintings of the area around Turramurra show the development of the northern suburbs, and her paintings of the Sydney Harbour Bridge as it was being built are some of the best painted at the turn of the century.

About Dr Reinhard Ronnebeck

Reinhard was born, grew up and went to school in Berlin. His tertiary education took place in the USA and he holds a PhD in Clinical Psychology. Before his retirement he was head of the Department of Psychology at Royal North Shore Hospital, and Principal Clinical Psychologist with the NSW Department of Health. His book on child psychology, 7000 Days, was published by the ABC.

As part of his tertiary education, Reinhard completed several courses in art history, and this has remained a life-long interest. He has made numerous presentations on a variety of artists to the University of the Third Age (U3A) and at the Sydney Mechanics’ School of Arts (SMSA).

As always, please keep an eye on our website in case of any last-minute changes.

The venue is Gordon Library Meeting Room No. 1, in the Old Gordon Public School, which adjoins the Gordon Library, 799 Pacific Highway, Gordon (corner Pacific Highway and Park Avenue).

It’s just a 5-minute walk from Gordon Station.

For a map and parking information, see our Contact page.

May 2022 General Meeting - Saturday 21st May

 

Guest Speaker:
Margaret Cameron-Ash

Join us in Gordon Library Meeting Room 1, at 2 pm on Saturday 21st May 2022, when Margaret Cameron-Ash presents “Lying for the Admiralty”

Our guest speaker will be Margaret Cameron-Ash, lawyer and former visiting fellow of the University of NSW. Margaret worked and lectured in law in both Sydney and England, after which she embarked on research which included early Australian history, cartography and stories about James Cook.

Margaret examined lots of Cook’s original journals, charts and other information with forensic detail and has produced the book, Lying for the Admiralty, which is richly illustrated with many landscapes, ships, maps and charts. This highly successful book is now in its second printing.

Through meticulous research, Margaret set out to explain how Cook could have overlooked such obvious features as Bass Strait and the entrance to Port Jackson. Her conclusion: he didn’t miss them - he hid them!

Never have Cook’s journals and charts been subjected to such unbiased, forensic examination. His discoveries had to remain secret until Britain could afford to send an occupation force to fortify the place and keep out the French - hence the publication of Cook’s censored journal and charts.

From the Foreword by John Howard: "The author mounts a strong circumstantial case that Cook both discovered Bass Strait and actually gazed upon Sydney Harbour. Her proposition is that Cook and some of his party walked overland from Botany Bay to the Harbour... She argues that deliberate obfuscation and distortion were tools of trade for the British Admiralty... Such was the colonial rivalry of the time that paranoia about Admiralty leaks were an incentive for deliberate inaccuracies to be included in formal reports of voyages and exploration."

As always, please keep an eye on our website in case of any last-minute changes.

The venue is Gordon Library Meeting Room No. 1, in the Old Gordon Public School, which adjoins the Gordon Library, 799 Pacific Highway, Gordon (corner Pacific Highway and Park Avenue).

It’s just a 5-minute walk from Gordon Station.

For a map and parking information, see our Contact page.

April 2022 General Meeting - Saturday 9th April

Please note: our General Meeting for April is being held on 9th April, which is one week earlier than usual, so that it doesn't coincide with Easter Saturday.

Guest Speaker:
John Ramsland, OAM, FACE

Join us in Gordon Library Meeting Room 1, at 2 pm on Saturday 9th April 2022, when John Ramsland presents “Exciting, Adventurous and Heart-Rending – Rayner Hoff’s Memorial Masterpieces as a Sculptor”

Our guest speaker will be John Ramsland, OAM, FACE, Emeritus Professor of History at the University of Newcastle.

As one of the most significant artists in early post-World War I Australia, Hoff translated his sculptural forms into the egalitarian values of Australians – as a neo-heroic race that rivalled the Ancient Greeks!

Authorities agree that Hoff’s innovative work on the Hyde Park Anzac Memorial was his crowning glory. He captured war’s grim, gritty reality in a vast complex visual essay on the entire war. His group sculpture, 'Sacrifice', at the Memorial’s heart, is the greatest achievement of his entire career.

Hoff was one of the rare memorial sculptors to convey a duality of meaning of the relationship of male-female; masculine-feminine; timelessness and modern-ancient; sacred-profane; and past-present-future elements. He expressed both the sacrifice and horror of war on the youthful manhood and womanhood of the nation.

About John Ramsland

John was born in Manly in 1942 and educated at Manly Boys High School, Bathurst Teachers College, and the Universities of New England, Sydney and Newcastle. He is the author of many historical books, book chapters, journal articles, conference papers and press features. In 2003, he became Emeritus Professor of History at the University of Newcastle after serving there as Dean of the Faculty of Education, and later, Dean of the Faculty of Arts.

Book Launch

Immediately following John Ramsland’s presentation, military historian and battlefield war guide, David Wilson, will launch John’s latest book, 'Rendezvous With Death – Anzac Stories of the Great War' (Brolga, 2021) on behalf of Ku-ring-gai Historical Society.

Rendezvous With Death has been described as “an elegantly crafted anthology of epic heroism”. The book’s 564 pages hold many moving stories of men and women caught up in the tragedy of World War I. Each chapter deals with the life of historical figures – known and unknown, celebrated or forgotten – with the final chapter, “Remembrance of Things Past”, being on the life and work of George Rayner Hoff.

Copies will be available for signing at the special price of $20 – cash only, please, as we do not have credit card facilities.

As always, please keep an eye on our website in case of any last-minute changes.

The venue is Gordon Library Meeting Room No. 1, in the Old Gordon Public School, which adjoins the Gordon Library, 799 Pacific Highway, Gordon (corner Pacific Highway and Park Avenue).

It’s just a 5-minute walk from Gordon Station.

For a map and parking information, see our Contact page.

April 2022 Family History Group Meeting - Saturday 2nd April

Guest Speaker:
Patrick Dodd

Join us in Gordon Library Meeting Room 1 at 2 pm on Saturday 2nd April 2022 when Patrick Dodd presents 'The Dreadnought Boys'

Patrick Dodd will speak on 'The Dreadnought Boys' – a fascinating and also horrifying story of child and youth migration to Australia.

There were numerous schemes to bring out children and young people to Australia starting in mid-Victorian times. The Dreadnought Scheme was a program designed to promote and assist the migration of British youths willing to become farm workers in Australia. Funds which had been raised by public subscription for the purchase of a battleship were diverted to establish the scheme, when the Commonwealth instead decided to build an Australian Navy.

On arrival in Australia, the teenage boys were assigned to a state government farm for three months of agricultural training, after which the boys could be sent to work on any farm in the state.

Ku-ring-gai Historical Society member Patrick Dodd will speak about these schemes and the experiences of his late father-in-law, David Hogg, who was a Dreadnought Boy; as well as his own experiences as a ‘Ten Pound Pom’. It’s bound to stimulate plenty of discussion!

PLEASE NOTE: The election of the Family History Group Committee will also be held at this meeting. The nomination form has been distributed to members at the same time as the March Newsletter.

As always, please keep an eye on our website in case of any last-minute changes.

The venue is Gordon Library Meeting Room No. 1, in the Old Gordon Public School, which adjoins the Gordon Library, 799 Pacific Highway, Gordon (corner Pacific Highway and Park Avenue).

It’s just a 5-minute walk from Gordon Station.

For a map and parking information, see our Contact page.

March 2022 General Meeting

    

Guest Speaker:
David Wilkins, OAM

Join us in Gordon Library Meeting Room 1, at 2 pm on Saturday 19th March 2022 when David Wilkins, OAM presents "The Three Vietnam Wars from 1946 to 1975"

Military historian and Ku-ring-gai Historical Society member David Wilkins will discuss the causes and impact – and the controversies – of the “American War”; as well as the colonial war that preceded it, and the one that followed.

He will discuss whether the US strategy in the second war was appropriate or misguided; the fall of Saigon; whether or not it should be regarded as an American defeat; plus the impact of ‘public relations as a principle of war’.

David graduated from the Royal Military College, Duntroon, in 1963 and his career in the Australian Regular Army spanned 26 years.

In 1969-70, as a Captain, he saw active service for 14 months with the 5th Infantry Battalion in the Vietnam War.

Upon his return from active service, David embarked upon a new career direction in Law.

He is now fully retired with interests in history and writing, and was involved in the coordination, writing and editing of the four volumes of Ku-ring-gai Historical Society’s celebrated series Rallying The Troops: a World War I Commemoration.

It was for his involvement in Rallying The Troops that in 2019 David was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia “for service to community history”.

PLEASE NOTE: This meeting will also be our deferred AGM in which we will pass the Minutes of the 2019 AGM; review and endorse the financial statements for the years 2019-20 and 2020-21; appoint the auditor; and receive the President’s Report. The election of Committee members will take place at our usual AGM in the second half of this year.

As always, please keep an eye on our Events page in case of any last-minute changes.

The venue is Gordon Library Meeting Room No. 1, in the Old Gordon Public School, which adjoins the Gordon Library, 799 Pacific Highway, Gordon (corner Pacific Highway and Park Avenue).

It’s just a 5-minute walk from Gordon Station.

For a map and parking information, see our Contact page.

Rallying The Troops - special offer for ANZAC Day

The commemoration of ANZAC Day is always a reminder of the extraordinary achievements of our proud forebears - 104 years ago.

The Ku-ring-gai Historical Society produced, over a six year period, the multiple award winning four-volume series "Rallying the Troops: a World War I Commemoration".

The original focus was the war service of those who were born and bred in Ku-ring-gai, but as the series grew it revealed so much more about the first decades of 20th century growth within Australia.

This growth led to many stories about men and women who came from over 80 towns and villages dotted throughout New South Wales; from all over Australia; as well as from New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Europe and as far afield as Russia - but all had links of one kind or another to Ku-ring-gai.

"Rallying The Troops" commemorates these brave souls who defended our nation. Each chapter contains examples of their involvement, training, soldier settlement schemes, going-home awards and much more.

Each volume contains appendices on Australian Military Structure in the AIF; an illustrated World War I glossary; lists of those who lost their lives; who were decorated; where they are commemorated overseas; and those who received honours and awards. Each volume is indexed, and photographs abound — many not previously published.

You can preview "Rallying the Troops" at www.khs.org.au/rallying-the-troops - including Table of Contents, Index and Sample Pages for each volume.

The Indexes include Personal Names, Detailed Battles & Campaigns, Place Names, Schools, Colleges & Universities and more.

AS A SPECIAL FOR ANZAC DAY WE ARE OFFERING THESE WONDERFUL BOOKS AT REDUCED PRICES!

Until 30th April 2022, Ku-ring-gai Historical Society is making this award-winning series available for the reduced price of just $30 per volume - plus there is a very special offer of just $100 to purchase the entire four-volume set - a fantastic gift idea!

Postage is $15 per volume, or you can pick up in person from our rooms in Gordon, NSW.

Buy or order online up until 30th April 2022 to receive this very special pricing at www.khs.org.au/rallying-the-troops - where you can also find out much more about this outstanding series of books.

This project has been supported by grants from Ku-ring-gai Council and the Federal Government.

March 2022 Family History Group Meeting

   

Guest Speaker:
Judith Dunn, OAM

Join us in Gordon Library Meeting Room 1 at 2 pm on Saturday 5th March 2022 when Judith Dunn, OAM presents "The Cemeteries of the Parramatta Area"

Members may recall that Judith hosted a tour group on a very successful walking tour of The Rocks in 2021. She has authored seven books, five of which are on the subject of the Parramatta Cemeteries - so there is no greater authority on this subject than Judith!

She is a sought-after public speaker and educator, and has received a Medal of the Order of Australia for services to history and heritage through the Parramatta and District Historical Society (PDHS). Judith also holds a PDHS Fellowship for researching and recording Parramatta’s history.

All of the proceeds of Judith’s cemetery series have been donated to the PDHS, of which Judith has been a member since the 1960s.

Judith has also taken part in archaeological digs in and around Sydney as a member of the Industrial Archaeological Society, and one of her first digs was on Elizabeth Farm, Parramatta.

On retiring after 25 years in school administration, Judith studied Tourism (Tour Guiding) at TAFE and became Course Coordinator at Baulkham Hills TAFE. Thereafter she began her own business ‘Past Times Tours’ over 20 years ago, taking tours focussed on the history and culture of intra and interstate Australia.

Join us for what we’re sure will be a most interesting presentation!

Kindly note that Ku-ring-gai Historical Society is following COVID-safe practices including mask wearing and proof of vaccination for all attendees.

Please keep an eye on our website in case of any last-minute changes!

The venue is Gordon Library Meeting Room No. 1, in the Old Gordon Public School, which adjoins the Gordon Library, 799 Pacific Highway, Gordon (corner Pacific Highway and Park Avenue).

It’s just a 5-minute walk from Gordon Station.

For a map and parking information, see our Contact page.

February 2022 General Meeting

  

Guest Speaker:
Associate Professor Greg de Moore

Join us in Gordon Library Meeting Room 1 at 2 pm on Saturday 19th February 2022 when Greg de Moore presents "Finding Sanity – An Australian Story"

Australia’s greatest mental health achievement - the discovery of lithium for the treatment of bi-polar disorder – is the subject of this talk by psychiatrist and historian Greg de Moore.

Associate Professor Greg de Moore is an author, historian and consultant psychiatrist at Sydney's Westmead Hospital. Born in Melbourne of parents who migrated to Australia from Sri Lanka, Greg has lived in Sydney for over twenty years.

He was nominated for the national biography award for his 2008 book Tom Wills — First Wild Man of Australian Sport.

Greg's latest book is Finding Sanity. From the jungles of a Second World War prison camp to modern medicine, Finding Sanity is the story of Australia's greatest mental health achievement.

Kindly note that Ku-ring-gai Historical Society is following COVID-safe practices including QR code check-in, mask wearing and proof of vaccination for all attendees.

Please keep an eye on our website in case of any last-minute changes!

The venue is Gordon Library Meeting Room No. 1, in the Old Gordon Public School, which adjoins the Gordon Library, 799 Pacific Highway, Gordon (corner Pacific Highway and Park Avenue).

It’s just a 5-minute walk from Gordon Station.

For a map and parking information, see our Contact page.

February 2022 Family History Group Meeting

 

Guest Speaker:
Crime novelist, Dr Tanya Bretherton

Join us in Gordon Library Meeting Room 1 at 2 pm on Saturday 5th February 2022 when crime novelist Dr Tanya Bretherton will speak about the research process for her four novels, especially her latest book, ‘The Husband Poisoner’

Dr Bretherton has published four true crime history books. She has a PhD in sociology with special interests in narrative life history and social history. She has also published in the academic and public spheres for close to thirty years, and has worked as a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Sydney for fifteen years.

• Her first book, ‘The Suitcase Baby’, was shortlisted for the Ned Kelly Award, the Danger Prize and the Waverley Library Nib Literary Award, and longlisted for a Davitt Award.
• ‘The Suicide Bride’ was shortlisted for the Danger Prize and longlisted for a Davitt Award.
• In 2020 she won the Danger Award for ‘The Killing Streets’.
• And in 2021, her latest book, ‘The Husband Poisoner’, was shortlisted for a Danger Prize and longlisted for the Nib Literary Award. The book was also shortlisted for a Ned Kelly Award.

Dr Bretherton's specialty is converting detailed research into thought-provoking works which are accessible to a general readership.

Join us for what's sure to be a fascinating insight into what goes into Tanya's research process for true crime novels!

This will be our first in-person meeting at Gordon since before lockdown - but please keep an eye on our website in case of any last-minute changes!

Kindly note that Ku-ring-gai Historical Society is following COVID-safe practices including QR code check-in, mask wearing and proof of vaccination for all attendees.

The venue is Gordon Library Meeting Room No. 1, in the Old Gordon Public School, which adjoins the Gordon Library, 799 Pacific Highway, Gordon (corner Pacific Highway and Park Avenue).

It’s just a 5-minute walk from Gordon Station.

For a map and parking information, see our Contact page.

January 2022 General Meeting (via Zoom only)

 

Laila Ellmoos presents "Out of the Dark, Into the Light – Curating the ‘Developing Sydney’ Exhibition"

Join us via Zoom only at 2 pm on Saturday 15th January 2022, when City of Sydney historian and curator Laila Ellmoos will relate how a lost Sydney emerged from the City archives during research for the current photographic exhibition, Developing Sydney: Capturing Change 1900-1920.

Drawing on thousands of photos and glass negatives for the exhibition, Laila will show how digital technology revealed a “lost city” of buildings and streetscapes, replete with rich details of Sydney life a century ago.

The day-to-day lives of previous Sydneysiders are often ignored when researching the history of the city’s built heritage. In this fascinating talk, we’ll hear about the making of the exhibition and Laila’s unexpected finds – from barefooted urchins and backyard marsupials, to billy carts and missing shoes!

Before you attend Laila’s presentation, it would be a great idea to take a look at this wonderful exhibition, either online here or by visiting Customs House in Circular Quay – see opening hours and more details here. Whether online or on-site, the exhibition is FREE.

EDIT, 30th January 2022:

Following on from Laila's talk, she has kindly compiled the links she posted in the chat for circulation to our members.

Here is the link to virtual exhibition of ‘Developing Sydney: Capturing Change 1900-1920’ at Customs House
https://www.sydneycustomshouse.com.au/visit/exhibitions-events

You can browse the photographic Demolition Books through the City Archives catalogue here
https://archives.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/nodes/browse/?tax=eyJudGlkcyI6W10sInZhbHVlIjpbIkV4aGliaXRpb24gY29udGVudFxuRGVtb2xpdGlvbiBib29rcyJdfQ==

All the images featured in the exhibition are pulled together in the City of Sydney Archives catalogue here
https://archives.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/nodes/view/1894649

The City Archives catalogue home page
https://archives.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

And the link to cleansing operation photos during the bubonic plague outbreak of 1900 - held in State Library of NSW
https://collection.sl.nsw.gov.au/record/9WZMaZLY/8MjgMg4JWVPZ4