History & heritage

Emma Pritchard. Members of the Glenreagh Rail and Station Preservation Society (GRASPS) fear a historic building they have been campaigning to save and restore for many years will soon be demolished. Concern for the future of the 106-year-old Glenreagh Railway Station Precinct was heightened this week after GRASPS learned the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) had recently visited the site and fenced it off.

The iconic Australasian Bittern is the focus of a summit in Leeton on 1-4 February 2022, designed to advance the conservation of this cryptic species ... “The Bittern holds a special place in Indigenous culture and Australian folklore, with its booming call thought to be behind the legend of the bunyip,” said Senior Local Land Services Officer and conference lead Anna Wilson.

Warwick O'Neill. There are very few upsides to war. But one very faint silver lining is that most wars tend to throw up personalities of the type you just don’t see in peace time. People who, for that short period, capture the imaginations of their countrymen for whatever reason ... people such as the notorious Australian Souvenir King of World War I, John ‘Barney’ Hines.

Queensland Government Minister for Tourism and Sport, Stirling Hinchliffe MP visited the South Burnett on Saturday 6 November 2021. Minister Hinchliffe opened Blackbutt’s new Bicycle Building School and Museum, the brainchild of renowned Penny Farthing historian, Mr Brett Richardson.

Tennant Creek Girl Guides celebrated its 80th birthday on Saturday morning with an Open Day at the Showgrounds. Everyone was welcome to come along and see some of the history of Guides in Tennant Creek, and also to get a look at what the girls get to do under the careful guidance of their leaders, not to mention the special treat of being able to take a ride in the Bushfires vehicle courtesy of Keven Stout.

Lisa Stewart stood on the burnt ground among the charred trees at Rappville and looked across the railway line to the grand 1911 hotel. She was drawn to buy it, she said, although at the time she didn’t know why the pull was so strong. That was 18 months ago and with partner Colin Foyster, they have transformed the pub.

Narrandera Shire Council rejected its own DA for the State-listed heritage lattice railway bridge project at the October Council meeting. The DA provided for the conversion of the bridge to a pedestrian bridge as part of the State Gov't-funded Playground on the Murrumbidgee project ... The converted bridge was to have been added to the town’s bike and hike trail enabling locals and visitors to cycle and/or walk along the bridge from the northern side.

John O'Donnell. In contrast to the temperate southern regions of Australia, fire events in Central Australia are driven by above average rainfall in the preceding years, rather than below average rainfall or drought in the current year. Widespread fire events in Central Australia were found to be associated with two or more consecutive years of above-average rainfall. Fuel loads in long-unburnt grassland can get to high levels.

The Northern Australia Committee has tabled the final report of its  Inquiry into the destruction of 46,000 year old caves at the Juukan Gorge in the Pilbara region of Western Australia.  The report follows on from the work of the Committee’s interim report  Never Again  tabled on the 9 December 2020.

2019 saw the celebration of the 90th anniversary of the Mt Tarrengower hill-climb ... There are not very many combined car and motorcycle events in the Australian historic events calendar. This combination contributes to making the Mt Tarrengower hill-climb a unique event and one of the oldest such events in Australia ... The event was so popular in 2019 that capacity was reached within a week of entries being opened.  

Kel York. On 2 June 1916 the Maldon News reported there was some excitement around Sandy Creek following the discovery of gold on the property of Mr Gordon, just below Cookman’s Ranges, about three miles (five kms) south of Maldon.  The lucky prospectors were John Annand and A Thomas. John had discovered gold in that locality in 1902, and had been prospecting there since.

The town’s anniversary celebration attracted a big crowd, who were able to enjoy billy cart racing, entertainment by Renee’s Dance Group, history displays, rubber duck racing, rocket making as well as horse and cart rides.

John Anderson. White-tailed black cockatoos have one of the most evocative and haunting bird calls in Australia. Around Denmark, they can often be seen and heard in the evening flying in small groups to their roosting sites. Occasionally, massive flocks of hundreds of birds converge on a favoured watering hole or swamp to drink, such as Yanchep National Park, north of Perth.

Emma Pritchard. The Church of the Holy Apostles in Copmanhurst is widely admired and loved by many, having served the Copmanhurst community and surrounding districts for more than a century. Strong family connections and lifelong memories have been formed, along with an intense interest in its history and preservation. And it has also generated plenty of interest in the property market.

In many ways this captivating book describes the relationship between the author, Lachlan Hughson, and his much loved Australian Outback. In travels rivalling those of Odysseus in extent, the author takes us across the vast expanse of the ancient Australian continent, mixing geological insights, historical background, and personal experiences with vivid descriptions of nature in all its forms.

Warwick O'Neill. A quick question for you, Dear Readers. Apart from the bombing of Darwin and Northern Australia, and the torpedo attack in Sydney Harbour, on what other occasion did Japanese and Australian troops clash on the mainland? ... But why did up to 900 prisoners charge the barbed wire and bullets? Where did they think they were going to run to? And who were the Australians who suddenly found themselves staring down hundreds of charging Japanese?

Chris Murray. From the mid-1920s until 1941, when the palm seed exports collapsed during World War II, ratting was no recreational pastime, but an obligation for all Islanders who received income from palm seed sales via the Island Board’s shareholding system (and that included all Island men, women and children) ... Mary Marlowe takes up the story of a typical rat hunt in some detail ... The dogs, all three of them, were quivering at the rumps and lifting their forepaws from the ground in anticipation of jumping for the rat the instant it should appear out of the banyan log ...

Kirstin Nicholson. Ali Bohn. Ernie O'Rourke from Leitchville has a strong connection to the Melbourne Football Club, playing for the Demons in the Victorian Football League (VFL) from 1945 to 1948. Ernie was part of two grand final teams in 1946 and 1948, both games against Essendon ... Ernie watched Saturday’s grand final match from his lounge room with his partner, Gwen, who is a long-time Footscray supporter.  

Mark Knowles. The life and legacy of a Far North adventurer who, together with Traditional Owners, fought for the protection of the ancient Quinkan rock art near Laura, is being showcased in an exhibition at Cairns Museum ... “Percy Trezise was a force and an amazingly talented man who raised awareness on the national stage and beyond of Queensland’s significant indigenous cultural heritage in the rock art of Cape York” : Fleur Anderson, Cairns Historical Society.

John O'Donnell. The Black Thursday bushfires were a devastating series of fires that swept the state of Victoria, Australia, on 6 February 1851, burning up 5 million hectares. This was 170 years ago.

Thursday Island has put on a spectacular display of Torres Strait Islander culture for the Winds of Zenadth festival ... “It may have been limited to only a two-day festival, but reached deep into our hearts as the sounds of the warup (island drum) and trum/luumoot, combined with our songs, brought joyful tears to all who attended" : Torres Shire CEO Dalassa Yorkston.

Kendall Jennings. Koondrook Barham was graced with a visit by the paddlesteamer Emmylou on Tuesday afternoon, September 14. Built in Barham in the 1980s and named after American country singer Emmylou Harris, the vessel is a small motel catering for 16 passengers and a small crew of three or four. This was the first visit from PS Emmylou in 38 years and was shadowed by the Pride of the Murray on its Echuca return leg. The Pride of the Murray is returning from Swan Hill, where it was in the dry dock for maintenance.