History & heritage

Nothing will stop the popular weekend this year - after a postponement then a cancellation in 2022 everyone is ready for an action packed two days of displays, demonstrations and swap meets this Saturday 28th and Sunday 29th January.

Enjoy a trip through the pioneering days of the Australian wool industry at the Jondaryan Woolshed’s Back to the Woolshed event from January 26-28, 2023 ... “The three-day family event opens on Australia Day (Thursday, January 26, 2023) and runs across the following two days”: Toowoomba Region Mayor Paul Antonio

Rodney Stevens. A development application for an Artisan Food and Drink premises in the former Grafton Brewery has been lodged and council are calling for public submissions on the proposed development. The application, lodged with Clarence Valley Council CVC by Rick Firth is for the “Establishment of an Artisan Food and Drink Industry comprising of a brewery, distillery and roastery within an existing industrial site.”

Environment Minister Meaghan Scanlon visited Maryborough on 17 January 2023 and said a record number of First Nations groups would share in funding of more than $1.5 million, from organisations on Mabuiag and Muralag Islands in the Torres Strait in the north, to near Birdsville in the west and Gatton in Southern Queensland.

In November 1917 Maldon was bitterly divided over the question of military conscription. On 28 November the Tarrangower Times reported that the Maldon Anti-Conscription League had constructed a 20-foot long sign reading ‘VOTE NO’ on a hill off Parkins Reef Road. 

Emma Pritchard. While many people journey to the Clarence Valley to experience its regional charm, culture, scenery, and its vibrant communities and townships, its unique history and heritage are on public display at Schaeffer House Museum in Grafton. And for the next two months, the museum is showcasing a special exhibition.

Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s now famous poem ‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner’ embodies the seaman’s superstition ... somewhat bizarrely, whilst researching the story of the Lord Howe Sylph through various newspaper reports in the 1850s, 60s and 70s, I was somewhat (superstitiously?) struck by the proportionately high number of Sylphs that sailed into deeply troubled waters in those decades.

In Australia in 2022 we saw pink sunsets. The evening of 14 December 2022 was one such occasion. Those who follow the heavens might see this as a sign of an auspicious new year present for us all ... The question is what impact Tonga Hunga might have on earth’s weather or climate?

Patricia Gill. Historian Malcolm Traill officially launched Ian Osborne’s book, The Osbornes of Group 41 Carmarthen, at the Osborne farm on December 4. The event marked the century since Ian’s grandparents, Group Settlers George and Edith Osborne, took up the property and a century since the 15 Group Settlers arrived in the district.

An insight into how Christmas in our region was celebrated in the past can be found in Steele Rudd’s On Our Selection, Chapter XXVI, which ends with this: “All night they danced—until the cocks crew—until the darkness gave way to the dawn—until the fowls left the roost and came round the door—until it was Christmas Day!”

Sarah Martin. A project telling the story of the first recorded act of reconciliation in Australia has resulted in the Cooktown Museum taking out a major gong at the Gallery and Museum Achievement Awards in Brisbane. The Cooktown Museum, owned and managed by the National Trust of Australia Queensland, was a joint winner for its Reimagining James Cook project, which tells the fascinating story of the Guugu Yimithirr people’s interactions with Cook from both a European and First Nations perspective.

Chris Oldfield. A bright red rose named Fields of Fromelle is one of Hynam hybridist George Thomson’s most famous roses. It is the first and only Australian bred rose ever to be planted in France.

A History of the Castlemaine to Maryborough Railway is a recently published book written by Ken James and David Langley. At 428 pages, it’s a doorstopper of a book that is painstakingly researched, well-illustrated and comprehensive in its scope. For railway tragics and history buffs, it’s a must-buy; and for others, it’s a cracking good read.

This intriguing book was launched in Warwick last week by Chair of Darling Downs-Moreton Rabbit Board (DDMRB) Lockyer Valley Regional Councillor Janice Holstein. It tells the Board’s story and that of rabbits in Australia. The DDMRB maintains the oldest and longest purpose-built, rabbit-proof barrier fence still in use in Australia, if not the world.

Notebooks, illustrations, photographs, letters and transcripts of some of our best-loved songs, poems and stories have been brought together for the first time. Banjo's great-grandson and sole executor of the poet's literary estate, Alistair Campbell, has curated this rare collection and provides intimate commentary on his famous relative.

Eighty-three year-old Narrandera woman Marjory Longford has set the record straight on the origin of an unusual 19th century meat smoker that has been preserved at Griffith’s Pioneer Park Museum ... The smoker is made from a hollow log cemented to the ground and connected to an underground tunnel three metres long, which leads to a firebox smoker ... it came from her grandmother’s farm near Bringagee Station.

Two of the world’s leading palaeontologists along with scientific researchers and educators have gathered to discuss the importance of the Bass Coast Dinosaurs Trail in Inverloch ... "It is a true legacy project for Council to be at the forefront of creating a world class tourism experience that celebrates the work of scientists, volunteers and the international significance of polar dinosaurs to the Australian Continent": Bass Coast Mayor Michael Whelan.

The Allora District was deeply affected by the passing of Lyn Wright on Tuesday 8th November. As well as being a good friend to many locals, Lyn put her heart into making Allora a better place ... One of Lyn’s biggest achievements was the 150 Years Allora celebration week, as President of the Historical Society.

Internationally recognised geologist Dr John Jackson’s exhibition “The Art of Scottish Geology” opens at the Old Kirk, Yamba Museum on Tuesday December 13 ... The artworks depict what the earth’s activity and landscape looked like from 350 million years ago moving into the present day, including Australia.

The Glenreagh Bridge is back to its former glory following the completion of painting on the 104-year-old structure. Clarence Nationals MP Chris Gulaptis said the steel truss bridge was built at the end of World War I and is unusual for a bridge of its time.