History & heritage

Rockhampton Regional Libraries will share tales of empire, war, love, betrayal, Spanish Influenza and youthful naivet̩, thanks to a Rotary Club donation. Local author Mark Svendsen has recently released "As Hammers Fall", a book for young adults focusing on WWI with a Brisbane perspective Рand it is now available at the Southside Library.

The Lismore Italian Film Festival at Lismore's bccEvent Cinemas scheduled for Saturday, August 7 and Sunday, August 8 2021 has been postponed.

This year marks the 150th anniversary of the proclamation of the City of Sandhurst. Now known as Bendigo, the Borough of Sandhurst was formally declared a City on July 21, 1871 in the Victorian Government Gazette. To acknowledge this occasion and pay tribute to the many generations of civic leaders who have contributed to the city over that time, the City of Greater Bendigo has unveiled a plaque and a collection of Mayoress portraits in the Bendigo Town Hall Council Chamber.

The opening quotation of Henry Lawson’s ‘Ode to Peter Lalor’ sets the tone for what is to come in this rollicking tale set in colonial Australia at the height of the gold rush in the mid nineteenth century. The themes of mateship, danger, struggle against authority and the enticement of that precious metal – gold – are all there.

Sheryl Lowe. Eighty years ago, a tragedy occurred on the shores of Beachport. It took the lives of two young sailors, Able Seaman Thomas William Todd aged 30 years and Able Seaman William Leonard Edward Danswan aged 23 years. This week, the Millicent and Robe Sub-Branches of the RSL hosted the 80th Anniversary Service of the Sea Mine Explosion at the Beachport Mine Memorial.

Emma Pritchard. Since the Lawrence Museum was forced to close in March 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Museum VP Roz Jones said the facility has undergone a significant restoration and transformation ... Several new attractions to the museum's impressive collection include a historical, agricultural and social tribute to early life in Lawrence, two 100-year-old wagons previously used by the dedicated brigades at Grafton Fire Station, a carpenter’s workshop displaying tools of the trade throughout the last century, and an arrangement of beautiful locally made clothing from several eras.

Leading Seaman Breanna Jacobs-Rochford was a long way from home when she recently attended the 150th Coming of the Light festival on Erub Island. She joined the Navy in 2016 from Giabal and Jarowair Country in the Toowoomba region to follow in the footsteps of family members and to travel the world and experience different countries and their cultures. Currently posted to the Navy Indigenous Development Program, Leading Seaman Jacobs-Rochford provides cultural support and guidance to other staff members and recruits.

History is a fascinating subject. But it takes work and extended recall. It contains lessons. Particularly about humans and States. George Santayana wrote: “those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it” (1905) and from Winston Churchill in the House of Commons: “those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it” (1948). These two were not the only people to muse on history, supposedly repeating itself.

The Manna Gums on the Malmsbury-Daylesford Road in Daylesford is the site for an Aboriginal Peoples Memorial Avenue, opened at the conclusion of NAIDOC Week. Mayor, Cr Lesley Hewitt, said the memorial is an opportunity to honour the loss of lives, the sacrifice and suffering inflicted on Aboriginal people during the frontier wars.

On 24 June, CQDLBA celebrated 70 years since the association was formed in 1951. The association has had many presidents over the years. The first president was Mrs L Thorne, who was a member of Athelstane Bowls Club in Rockhampton and remains the longest serving member to this day.

Lismore Friendship Festival will host the second annual Italian Film Festival at Lismore's bccEvent Cinemas on Saturday, August 7 and Sunday August 8 2021. Following the success of the first event in 2019 it was decided that a sweep of historic and contemporary films will attract another audience of movie buffs.

Nature Conservation Margaret River and Undalup Association will screen the inspirational conservation film Breathing Life into Boodja at the Margaret River HEART on Tuesday 13 July.

Moreton Bay Regional Council has been recognised for pushing the boundaries of urban design at one of Queensland’s most prestigious awards. The Caboolture to Wamuran Rail Trail project received commendation for the highest quality at the Minister’s Award for Urban Design, in a competition that featured the likes of Queensland Country Bank Stadium, Townsville.

Sheryl Lowe. What is the Day of the Dackel you may say? It’s when lovers of the long bodied, short legged bundles of love celebrate all things Dachshund. Approximately 100 Dachshunds converged on Edenhope for the inaugural Day of the Dackel this weekend.

Lismore City Council and Rous County Council today signed a three-year lease for Rous to rent the Lismore Visitor Information Centre on Molesworth Street. Lismore City Council’s Director of Partnerships, Planning and Engagement Eber Butron said Lismore Council will work with Rous in delivering tourist information, and environmental and cultural services.

In this issue of The Winemaker, Bill talks about some of the different ways family wine companies, from famous dynasties to smaller private companies, might handle adversity and succession.

The highly anticipated 150ZK Truth Telling: Coming of the Light 150 Years (150ZK) exhibition was officially opened with great fanfare at the Gab Titui Cultural Centre on Thursday night. Commemorating 150 years since Coming of the Light, the exhibition is the result of a successful collaborative curatorial project with Torres Strait Artists, Badu Arts, Erub Arts and Moa Arts. It investigates the impact of the London Missionary Society and Christianity on Torres Strait Islanders and the region’s way of life.

Attracting government officials, international dignitaries, visitors and community members from across Cape York and Australia, the Cooktown & Cape York Expo 2021 came to a spectacular close last night with the final performance of the Warrma and a fireworks display over the Endeavour River. The largest event in rural Queensland since the COVID-19 lockdowns, The Cooktown & Cape York Expo 2021 – which ran from 11-20 June – delivered more than 150 events, exhibitions, performances, installations, workshops, and a two-day Dynamic Business Symposium.

Denis Mathews. On 17 June 1871 Duncan Currie made his first selection in what became the land parish of Dunoon. On the same day his brother Archibald also made a selection, a few miles to the south. Archibald was already operating his store near the entrance to the Lismore race course. Currie Park is across the tiny creek which made the site so important to the budding merchant. The park is not actually on that very early selection. It is simply on the “wrong side” of the creek. Merchants were not simply selling supplies but they were buying logs floated down from the Big Scrub. The RRHS Museum has a wonderful display on our early timber industry.

Ticketed events for this month’s Cooktown Expo are close to selling out, but there is still plenty of accommodation available for those wanting to take advantage of 10 days and nights of free events from this Friday ... Cooktown’s Reconciliation Rocks precinct where Australia’s first recorded act of reconciliation took place in 1770 between James Cook and a Waymburr Warra Elder will be officially opened on Friday.