History & heritage

Get up close and personal with RAAF Hawk jets and PC21 training craft when Geraldton Airport throws open the tarmac to the public to celebrate 100 years of the Royal Australian Air Force.

As Stage Two of the Chinatown Revitalisation Project progresses, the Broome community will start to see the installation of several public artworks to enliven the streets of our town. The Shire of Broome has worked closely with community representatives and local Broome artists to integrate over a dozen artworks into the historic Chinatown precinct, inspired by the rich heritage and culture of Broome.

Kirstin Nicholson. A sketch of the Koondrook township has been gifted to the Barham Koondrook Historical Society (BKHS). The sketch, a pen line drawing by renowned Australian artist, Kenneth Jack, was presented to the society by Ken Guskich on Wednesday, May 5 ... The artist, Kenneth Jack, was born in 1924 and spent his life painting, drawing and exhibiting across Australia and around the world.

It was their day. There were tears, statements from the heart and jubilation at the Federal Court hearing that determined native title on 52 parcels of land in the Richmond Valley. His Honour Justice Steven Rares presided over a makeshift courtroom in a marquee on Stan Payne Oval at Evans Head on Friday.

Tie the Knot, Darby McCarthy, Les Bridge and Bob Charley are among the list of 10 thoroughbred racing greats to be elevated to the Australian Racing Hall of Fame (ARHOF) in Adelaide next month. The ARHOF spreads across four categories – horses, trainers, jockeys and associates – and induction is regarded as racing’s ultimate achievement, with the ceremony an opportunity to formally honour those who have left indelible marks on the sport.

Here we are each taking time to pause, to reflect, to remember, to hold on to something ... what is that something?

A derelict building filled with pigeons, broken windows and damp, rotting timber isn’t usually the definition of Art Deco beauty. When that building is scored for an astonishing $1 though and revived, its transformation is just one of many putting Leeton on the map as the Art Deco capital of regional Australia.

Our First Nations heritage met our digital world head-on today (April 29), with the launch of a brand new virtual reality experience and app, which will transport users to a day before European settlement at Bankfoot House. The unique immersive and interactive experiences were launched today at the Bankfoot House Heritage Precinct, during Sunshine Coast Council’s 2021 Heritage Symposium.

The biennial Cornish Festival will be held 17th to 23rd May and will welcome thousands of visitors to Australia’s Little Cornwall to celebrate our unique heritage and culture ... There is something for everyone including heritage, entertainment, Cornish food, Maypole and Furry Dancing, Classic Cavalcade of Cars and Motor Cycles, Art Prize, a street party, concerts, ceremonies, window displays, markets and parades.

A stunning projection on the waters of the Murrumbidgee River was the backdrop for an historic meeting of the Wiradjuri and Barkandji nations with Narrandera residents to return native fingerlings to the southern Murray Darling basin ... The culturally significant event was filmed by the National Museum of Australia. It was pre-empted by the historic fish kill in the Menindee on Barkindji Country in December 2018 and January 2019, with an estimated one million dead fish in the Barka/Darling River.

"Could we have come to the end of wars? Could we be the first civilisation to not have enemies? To not have something, someone else wants?"

Kendall Jennings. When the birthday ballot forcefully selected healthy 20-year-old men for compulsory two years’ military service and a further three years on a reserve list under the National Service Act of 1964 for the Vietnam conflict, it set forth a mateship that has not altered in 50 years. On Saturday, April 25, former Two Royal Australian Regiment (2RAR) met on the towns located on the banks of the mighty Murray River, Barham and Koondrook, to pay homage at the Anzac Day services.

Emma Pritchard. More than 100 people gathered at the Ramornie cenotaph on April 24 to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Kapyong, which raged for three days during the Korean War, 1950 – 1953 ... A special plaque designed by the late Major Bob Hayes as a tribute to those who served during the Korean War was consecrated by the Reverend Canon Camellia Flanagan as members of the Hayes family stood close by.

In 1865, a boy named Henry – later known as Harry –was born in Tabulam. That boy grew up to be General Sir Harry Chauvel and he was the first Australian to attain the rank of lieutenant general and later general and the first to lead a corps – as commander of the Desert Mounted Corps. At Beersheba in October 1917, his Light Horse troops used speed, surprise and bayonets to capture the town and its vital water supply in history’s last great cavalry charge.

Anzac Day in Sydney in 2021 saw the unthinkable occur. The 7th Division Banner was not marched. This is the Division of the Australian Army that fought the Kokoda Track. This is the banner that in recent years was preceded by a jeep in which sat a representative of the New Guinea Highland tribes who provided the ‘fuzzy wuzzy’ angels. It made the news every night of Anzac Day in the past decade. Not a mention of this momentous event.

Brigadier Mark Ascough was awarded his border protection medal while posted in Weipa and was chuffed to see young Private Edward Nelson Sigai awarded his. Brigadier Ascough was the guest of honour at Napranum’s Anzac Day service and reflected fondly on his time at Weipa and the Western Cape.

Private Edward Nelson Sigai said he felt “pretty proud” to be awarded the Australian Operational Service Medal for Border Protection in front of his community on Anzac Day. The 23-year-old is a Napranum local and went to school at Western Cape College ... The quietly spoken soldier said he hoped he could inspire others in the community to join the Defence Force and serve their community and country.

Ali Bohn. Last week I was thrilled to return face-to-face with our Pioneers after almost a year apart. Although we were not permitted to meet indoors, we sat under the tree out the front of Murray Haven and Barham’s stunning autumn weather did not disappoint; so much so in fact that it was cool drinks on offer in place of the usual hot cuppa. Today’s discussion topic was wartime and what our Pioneers’ memories are of such time with family members heading off to the unknown, and the uncertainty of ever seeing them again.

A Casino man lied about his age to enlist in the army in World War II. He was 17 but said he was 21. Private Raymond Leslie Geraghty was captured by the Imperial Japanese military and held in Singapore’s Changi Prison on February 15, 1942. With five other men, he stole a boat and attempted to escape.

Barellan is now on the map when it comes to historic aircraft with the Whispering Pines Aviation Museum securing the naming rights to the Australian Aviation Museum. The museum was officially opened on Saturday by Bland Shire deputy mayor Rodney Crowe. Guests flew in from Bankstown and Wagga Wagga for the occasion with around 13 planes on the property’s dirt airstrip. Among the planes surrounded by red dust and cropping paddocks are a De Haviland Dove, Scottish Aviation Twin Pioneer, a 1963 Cessna 172D, a replica Spitfire and a Clancy Sky Baby, reputedly flown by pioneer aviator Charles Kingsford Smith.

Residents flocked to the streets to applaud Bert’s return after about eight year’s absence as the pioneer aviator served in the war and followed his dream to breach the limits of flight. “Shortly after 2.30 … the buzzing of an aeroplane engine and propeller could be heard,” the Bundaberg Mail reported. “Amidst cries of its “Hinkler’s Baby Avro,” people began to swarm into the street and gazed interestingly at the machine, which by this time was doing some sensational stunting over the town.

Emma Pritchard. The unmistakable sounds of the bagpipes and drums which filled the air above Maclean during the Easter long weekend, signalled the triumphant return of one of the Clarence Valley’s most characteristic, culturally significant and popular local events. After being cancelled in 2020 due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and faced with the possibility of history repeating itself this year, the 116th Maclean Highland Gathering went ahead as planned on April 2 and 3.