Trove Tuesday - Hot March

Our ABC reported recently that "Sydney's hot spell is the longest ever, with temperatures soaring above 26 degrees Celsius for 36 days in a row."

It's interesting to note that on March 15, 1943 and March 15, 1915 newspapers from all around Australia were reporting on hot temperatures around NSW. 

1943 'HOT WEATHER', Barrier Daily Truth (Broken Hill, NSW : 1908; 1941 - 1954), 15 March, p. 2. , viewed 15 Mar 2016, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article141325915

1915 'HOT IN SYDNEY.', The Journal (Adelaide, SA : 1912 - 1923), 15 March, p. 2. (4 P.M. EDITION), viewed 15 Mar 2016, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article203535128

1915 'HOT WEATHER IN SYDNEY.', The Telegraph (Brisbane, Qld. : 1872 - 1947), 15 March, p. 7. (SECOND EDITION), viewed 15 Mar 2016, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article175962595

1915 'HOT IN SYDNEY', Kalgoorlie Miner (WA : 1895 - 1950), 15 March, p. 4. , viewed 15 Mar 2016, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article92601976

Gordon Mar

Gordon Mar our first guest speaker for 2014 delivered an 

enthralling talk at our January General Meeting. Gordon delivered his talk in the Ku-ring-gai Library Meeting Room that had been his First Class classroom when he was a student at Gordon Public Room over sixty years ago.

Gordon Mar at KHS

Gordon described himself as an ABC (Australian Born Chinese) as his parents migrated to this country around 1920. In his broad ranging talk "One Small Step out of the Village - The Australian-Chinese story through the eyes of one family" Gordon told of of the history of Chinese people in Australia who first arrived in the 1840s from the Canton region. He described the living conditions and prejudices they have endured and reminded us that Chinese are a hardworking, peaceful and loyal people whose culture has strong family relationships,  the Chinese  value education. Coming to Australia for these people was like taking "a giant leap to another planet".

We learnt that there are presently 700, 000 ethnic Chinese in Australia and 300, 000 in Sydney many of whom are more recent arrivals than the Mar family.

Gordon's family were merchants who ran a successful business, Wing, Sang & Company in Sydney's Haymarket for over 50 years. As in many Chinese families 

Sign from Powerhouse Museum Collection http://from.ph/380423

the Mar children gained tertiary qualifications and entered various professions. Gordon, who was an accountant, took over the family firm but sold it in 1984.

During his talk that was illustrated with photographs from his collection Gordon explained various traditions from Confucianism to bound feet. His talk that was at times serious was laced with humour and jokes.

It was an excellent start to the year for our educational program at KHS.

Shooting through on the Northside

Members and visitors are invited to join us for our monthly meeting on this coming Saturday, 15th June, at 2:00 pm in the Gordon Library Meeting Rooms, 799 Pacific Highway, Gordon.

Peter Kahn, from The Sydney Tramway Museum at Loftus, will talk about a time when Sydney was one of the world's great tram cities. Peter joined the Museum in 1959 and since that time has served in various offices, taken an active part in restoring old trams and regularly promotes the Museum  with talks to community groups.

In its heyday, Sydney’s tram network was the largest in Australia and the second largest in the Commonwealth (after London) and one of the largest in the world, with about 1,600 cars in active service during the 1930s. 

AUSTRALIA DAY 2013 at the RAHS

The following details are copied from the RAHS website http://www.rahs.org.au/news-and-events

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Pot Luck with History   10am – 4pm

On Australia Day drop in and visit our Victorian-era townhouse, History House at 133 Macquarie St, Sydney, the home of the Royal Australian Historical Society for a real experience of history There will be Pot Luck with History talks of ten-minute duration every half hour between noon and 3.00pm. Grab a chance to hear one of our historians speak about events, people and places that contributed to Australia’s history.

Entry to History House and lectures are free but you might spend some money at our book sale.

Macquarie Street will also host one of the largest vehicle displays in the southern hemisphere - Australia Day CARnivale proudly sponsored by Supercar d’Elegance with over 600 vehicles on display throughout the day. There will also be veteran and vintage cars in abundance on display.

Time: 10.00am – 4.00pm

Location: Macquarie Street to the corner of Park and College Streets