History & heritage

Peter Argent. Klynton Kitto has recorded numerous sporting highlights throughout his lifetime, perhaps the most notable is taking 10/36 in a single innings playing for YP in the 1960 SA Cricket Association Country Carnival.

Bruce Stewart. On Christmas Eve, 1906, Reginald Fessenden made the first radio broadcast in history … "A Saviour has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord". Luke 2: 11. These are the first words spoken on radio in human history.

Bill Moore. As you walk along the verandah of the 1960s brick building that was the former Shire of Maldon offices, have you noticed the two round metal plaques attached to the wall near the main door? These plaques are a part of Maldon’s recent history...

Just over six months after it was destroyed by a car, the Cambooya War Memorial has been reconstructed and again stands prominently at the end of Eton Street.

There wasn’t enough room to fit such a large number of candles on the cake, but the team at local radio station 2GF are proud to celebrate its 90th birthday this month ... 2GF has been a valued resource within the Clarence Valley community, and is widely renowned...

Diana Cantrell. Tuntable Creek Public School finally closed its doors after a century of teaching ... Small rural schools are precious, and they are an endangered species ... Hundreds of people turned up to remember and relive their time when the school was the bustling centre of a small rural community.

Ian Osborne. As summer comes around again, our thoughts turn to the threat of bushfires. Every foreign navigator who sailed the coast of Australia, from William Dampier and Abel Tasman to Captain Cook, and later those carrying the immigrants who would settle the new south land had noted the prevalence of fire along the continent’s edge .. It was, Cook said, 'the Continent of Smoke'.

Over 50 years ago, in 1972 Colin Ubergang acquired the Versatile Tractor Company distributorship in Australia ... To mark the 50 Year anniversary of the first Versatile Tractor in Australia a celebration will be held at next year’s Allora Heritage Weekend on 27 and 28 January.

It was around 5pm on December 11, 1943. They were more than halfway across the Clarence River, returning to the mainland after attending a picnic on Susan Island, when a storm began to form in the western sky ... Only a small number of the boys could swim.

After years of neglect, the glory days of Babinda’s historic nursing quarters have been returned with a new lease of life, transforming the Art Deco beauty into a popular guesthouse in the heart of nature’s playground ... In carrying on her mother’s tradition of bringing old buildings back to life, Maggie Perpetua Nelson’s daughter, Kim Marsden, undertook the considered renovation of Babinda Quarters, reimagining it into a fresh iteration oozing creativity, character, and a good dose of quirk.

In Spanish, Reposado means ‘calm or peaceful rest’, but being shipwrecked could hardly be described as a ‘peaceful’ event ... It was an inglorious end to a top-end boat that had begun life as the Taconite, a luxury motor cruiser commissioned by Bill Boeing, the founder of the Boeing Aircraft Company.

Narrandera father and son Gary and Jake Myers have won the 2023 Milwaukee Street Machine of the Year 2023 award with their spectacular Mustang. Readers of Street Machine magazine elected the stunning machine for the top award.

It’s official - Muttaburrasauras langdoni is the State’s fossil emblem with the passing of the Emblems of Queensland and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2023 by the Queensland Parliament. The 100-million-year-old, plant eating ornithopod had a convincing win over 11 other fossil contenders in last year’s popular vote of Queenslanders to become the State’s first fossil emblem.

The Lighting the Way Ambassadors, selected for their genuine affinity with the Flying Doctor, work within their region to advocate for improved health and wellbeing outcomes for rural and remote Queenslanders ... Established in 1943, the Charleville Base services a waiting room of more than 622,000 square kilometres, connecting the residents of the South-West Queensland region to leading, and often lifesaving, health services.

The Notaras family is honoured that the Saraton Theatre and its pioneers Jack and Tony Notaras have been recognised. It is an incredible recognition of the living history of the Saraton Theatre and celebrates the contribution of Greek migration to the regions more broadly.

The Notaras name now ranks in Australian history amongst legendary cultural figures including Sir William Dobell, Caroline Chisholm, and Dorothea McKellar, after Ioannis (Jack) and his brother Antonios (Tony) were awarded a Blue Plaque by the NSW Government for their contribution to the state’s history through their construction of the iconic Saraton Theatre.

The state government has committed to nominating Moonta Mines for World Heritage Listing. The Australian Cornish Mining Sites: Burra and Moonta Mines is now one step away from tentative listing after Deputy Premier Susan Close announced the government would support the bid...

We are excited to announce that the Indigo Shire and Baw Baw Shire Councils are joining the Goldfields World Heritage Bid, taking the local government partnership from 13 to 15. Following the advice of World Heritage experts, the investigation area now encompasses not just Central Victoria but areas further afield…

Today many in the Euroa community are celebrating a win for all who value the heritage and the broader history of their town.  Just as importantly the Euroa Community has again proven the strength of a strong community voice in dealing with a large uncaring corporation.  

Until the crowds gathered for the unveiling of the memorial to explorer, Sir Paul Edmund Strzelecki, nobody could have guessed the treat that was in store ... His Excellency Ambassador of Poland, Professor Maciej Chmielinkski, along with Towong Mayor, Cr Andrew Whitehead, unveiled the memorial on Towong Hill Road

Fond memories were rekindled recently at a reunion of Denmark’s John Clark Memorial Band, which officially marked the band’s 60th anniversary ... WA’s longest running public school band has undergone a resurgence in recent years and now has 70 students from the Denmark Primary and Senior High Schools.