What’s On
| 2025 Events |
| Saturday, 19 July 2025 2pm in the 3rd floor meeting room at Rockdale Library, 444-446 Princes Highway, Rockdale Annual General Meeting We will present the Annual Report and Financial Statement, elect the Committee for 2025-26, and discuss our plans for the coming year. Members of the SGHS can nominate for a committee position for 2025-26. Entry is free although gold coin donations gratefully accepted. Refreshments (tea, coffee, snacks) provided. Books for sale. This meeting is for SGHS members only. |
Sunday, 20 July 2025 10.30am at Macquarie Lodge Retirement Village, 171 Wollongong Road, Arncliffe Walk: The Milk Run Recreate acclaimed author Christina Stead's walk from Dappeto, her grandfather's former home, to Lydham Hall, her childhood home. Don't miss this rare opportunity to see inside the heritage-listed Dappeto. After your walk through our local history, enjoy lunch at the historic Lydham Hall. Click here to learn more and book. (photo courtesy of J Bar via Wikimedia Commons) |
Sunday, 20 July 2025 2pm - 3pm at Lydham Hall, 18 Lydham Avenue, Rockdale Talk: Christina Stead Learn about Christina Ellen Stead (1902-1983), an author born in Rockdale and acclaimed for her satirical wit. Her most well-known novel The Man Who Loved Children (1940) was based on her childhood in Sydney. She is commemorated with the richest and longest running state-based literary award for fiction in Australia, the Christina Stead Prize for Fiction. After the talk, enjoy complimentary admission to the museum and all our exhibits. Click here to learn more and book. |
Sunday, 3 August 2025 10am - 4pm at Lydham Hall, 18 Lydham Avenue, Rockdale Lydham Hall Historic House and Museum Open Day Back by popular demand, the St George Sutherland Scottish Pipe Band will be performing at 12pm for two 45-minute sessions. Since 1946, the St George-Sutherland Scottish Pipe Band has played for marches, dances, tattoos and general entertainment. The band plays traditional Scottish marches, strathspeys, reels, and airs as well as modern tunes and Australian favourites. In the house, meet our volunteer guides and learn how the 19th century residents of Lydham Hall kept warm during winter without electricity and air conditioning. In the cafe, we're serving a delicious range of Scottish fare. Our traditional Devonshire Tea (freshly baked scones, clotted cream, jam, tea or coffee) is always on the menu. Plan your visit. |
Saturday, 16 August 2025 2pm in the 3rd floor meeting room at Rockdale Library, 444-446 Princes Highway, Rockdale Guest Speaker: Dr Peter Hobbins - Miracle at Mascot: Surviving Sydney's 1971 Airliner Collision.Imagine two jetliners hurtling towards each other at over 200 km/hour. Imagine 240 people aboard and the possible effects of a collision between them. This is exactly what happened on the night of 29 January 1971 at Sydney's Kingsford Smith Airport. Luckily - by the narrowest of margins - the two aircraft survived the incident, although not unscathed. How could this happen at Australia's main international airport? This presentation explores the technology, politics and personal stories of that very near miss. Dr Peter Hobbins is a historian who leads the curatorial, exhibitions, library and publishing teams at the Australian National Maritime Museum. His research focuses on the histories of science, technology and medicine - especially when things go wrong. Peter was a joint winner of the 2023 Ron Rathbone Local History Competition with his detailed analysis of the 1971 airport collision. Afterward, enjoy afternoon tea with a delightful selection of cakes, biscuits, and slices, including gluten-free choices. Entry is free (gold coin donations gratefully accepted) Books and DVDs for sale. All welcome! (photo of CP Air DC-8, courtesy of clipperarctic via Wikimedia Commons) |
Sunday, 7 September 2025 10am - 4pm at Lydham Hall, 18 Lydham Avenue, Rockdale Lydham Hall Historic House and Museum Open Day Plan your visit. |
Saturday, 20 September 2025 2pm in the 3rd floor meeting room at Rockdale Library, 444-446 Princes Highway, Rockdale Guest Speaker: SGHS Member Fred Scott - Searching the Society's NewslettersOur online newsletter archive is filled with articles about St George's history: the people, places, and events. Learn how to search over 60 years of our Society's newsletters to find answers to your family and local history questions. Afterward, enjoy afternoon tea with a delightful selection of cakes, biscuits, and slices, including gluten-free choices. Entry is free (gold coin donations gratefully accepted) Books and DVDs for sale. All welcome! |
Sunday, 5 October 2025 10am - 4pm at Lydham Hall, 18 Lydham Avenue, Rockdale Lydham Hall Historic House and Museum Open Day Plan your visit. |
Saturday, 18 October 2025 2pm in the 3rd floor meeting room at Rockdale Library, 444-446 Princes Highway, Rockdale Guest Speaker: Stuart Read - Aspects of Chinese-Australian Heritage: Landscape TracesThe Chinese have long known Australia. As ‘sojourners’, fleetingly chasing sandalwood, trepang, gold, and ‘stayers’. They marked landscapes of transit, harvest, making, growing, and trade. This included harvesting food and timber, ringbarking, mining, water use, and gardening. At first vegetables, later, much more. China has long had sophisticated horticulture and a rich flora. We owe it much – many garden plants are Chinese and got here early. Find out more! Stuart Read is a landscape architect, horticulturist and historian, with ongoing curiosity on cultural introductions, influences, and patterns of blending. He is the Sydney Branch Chair and past national Australian Garden History Society Co-Chair. Afterward, enjoy afternoon tea with a delightful selection of cakes, biscuits, and slices, including gluten-free choices. Entry is free (gold coin donations gratefully accepted) Books and DVDs for sale. All welcome! |
Sunday, 2 November 2025 10am - 4pm at Lydham Hall, 18 Lydham Avenue, Rockdale Lydham Hall Historic House and Museum Open Day Plan your visit. |
| Sunday, 7 December 2025 10am - 4pm at Lydham Hall, 18 Lydham Avenue, Rockdale Lydham Hall Historic House and Museum Open Day Plan your visit. |
| Previous 2025 Events |
| Sunday, 6 July 2025 10am - 4pm at Lydham Hall, 18 Lydham Avenue, Rockdale Lydham Hall Historic House and Museum Open Day Learn about the original Victorian-era residents and how they kept warm during winter without electricity and air conditioning. In the cafe, we’re serving a delicious range of winter fare: Hot Soup of the Day Beef Pie with mashed potato and peas Bread and Butter Pudding with cream Our traditional Devonshire Tea (freshly baked scones, clotted cream, jam, tea or coffee) is always on the menu. Plan your visit. |
Saturday, 21 June 2025 2pm in the 3rd floor meeting room at Rockdale Library, 444-446 Princes Highway, Rockdale Guest Speaker: SGHS member Rose Ellis - Bee Miles: Australia's Famous Bohemian RebelClick here to watch the recording of this presentation. Bee Miles was a truly larger-than-life character. Famous for being outrageous in public, or, as she said, living 'recklessly', she shocked and intrigued cities and towns across Australia. But she was no ordinary wanderer. Born into a wealthy family, Bee moved in Sydney's literary and artistic circles in the 1920s and 1930s before she took up residence on the streets. A consummate performer and a perceptive critic, she caught the public's imagination with her spectacular acts of defiance, emerging majestically from the surf with a knife strapped to each thigh, stopping a country train in its tracks, hitchhiking across remote Australia and drawing large city crowds with her Shakespeare recitations. She was once even voted more famous than the Prime Minister. She was also repeatedly incarcerated in prisons, confined to mental hospitals and treated brutally by a succession of authority figures, starting with her father. Bee constantly defied conventional expectations of female behaviour. The public found her captivating and fragments of her story have been told again and again in many forms. Until now, no-one has uncovered the real story behind the colourful legend. Rose will share a fascinating glimpse into a dark side of Australia's history. In 2023, Rose Ellis published a biography, Bee Miles: Australia's Famous Bohemian Rebel, and the Untold Story Behind the Legend. It was shortlisted for the 2024 National Biography Award. Afterward, enjoy afternoon tea with a delightful selection of cakes, biscuits, and slices, including gluten-free choices. Entry is free (gold coin donations gratefully accepted) Books and DVDs for sale. All welcome! |
Saturday, 14 June 2025 6.30pm at the Scots Club, 29 Burrows St, Arncliffe St George Historical Society Annual Dinner We invite everyone with a love of St George’s history and heritage to join us for a special evening on 14 June. Celebrate the previous year’s highlights, especially the reopening of Lydham Hall to the community. Enjoy a two-course dinner with a guest speaker, raffle prizes, and a few surprises. Bookings now closed. We're looking forward to hosting our guests. Learn more. |
Sunday, 1 June 2025 10am - 4pm at Lydham Hall, 18 Lydham Avenue, Rockdale Lydham Hall Historic House and Museum Open Day For the first day of winter, we're serving hot soup with traditional Aussie damper. Choose from Roasted Tomato and Winter Herbs or Butternut Pumpkin. Plan your visit. |
Sunday, 18 May 2025 11am - 3pm at Lydham Hall, 18 Lydham Avenue, Rockdale Lydham Hall Historic House and Museum Open Day: Australian Heritage Festival All welcome! To celebrate the 2025 Australian Heritage Festival, National Trust members receive half-price adult admission. All exhibits are open for visitors. The cafe is closed for this event. Plan your visit. |
Saturday, 17 May 2025 2pm in the 3rd floor meeting room at Rockdale Library, 444-446 Princes Highway, Rockdale Guest Speaker: SGHS member Elaine Phillips - Australia's First PianoClick here to watch the recording of this presentation. In 1787-1788, the Sirius, the flagship of the First Fleet and one of the eleven British ships that sailed to Botany Bay (surprisingly) carried a small portable piano. After 1793, it disappeared from the records. A piano, claimed to be the First Fleet piano, was flown back to England for refurbishment, while a Sydney collector with a very similar piano believes he has the First Fleet piano in his living room. Elaine will examine the claims to reveal the more likely candidate for the First Fleet Piano. Afterward, enjoy afternoon tea with a delightful selection of cakes, biscuits, and slices, including gluten-free choices. Prepared with the expertise of members from the Australian Culinary Federation. Entry is free (gold coin donations gratefully accepted) Books and DVDs for sale. All welcome! |
| Thursday, 15 May 2025 11am - 3pm at Lydham Hall, 18 Lydham Avenue, Rockdale Lydham Hall Historic House and Museum Open Day: Australian Heritage Festival All welcome! To celebrate the 2025 Australian Heritage Festival, National Trust members receive half-price adult admission. All exhibits are open for visitors. The cafe is closed for this event. Plan your visit. |
Sunday, 11 May 2025 11am - 1pm at Lydham Hall, 18 Lydham Avenue, Rockdale Mother’s Day High Tea Brunch Sold Out This event is fully booked. We’re looking forward to hosting our guests for this special day. Enjoy a glass of sparkling wine on the verandah overlooking the gardens of Lydham Hall Historic House and Museum, whilst indulging in a specially curated menu of sweet and savoury treats. Plan your visit. |
| Sunday, 4 May 2025 10am - 4pm at Lydham Hall, 18 Lydham Avenue, Rockdale Lydham Hall Historic House and Museum Open Day: Australian Heritage Festival All welcome! To celebrate the 2025 Australian Heritage Festival, National Trust members receive half-price adult admission. Plan your visit. |
| Thursday, 1 May 2025 11am - 3pm at Lydham Hall, 18 Lydham Avenue, Rockdale Lydham Hall Historic House and Museum Open Day: Australian Heritage Festival All welcome! To celebrate the 2025 Australian Heritage Festival, National Trust members receive half-price adult admission. Plan your visit. |
Sunday, 6 April 2025 10am - 4pm at Lydham Hall, 18 Lydham Avenue, Rockdale Lydham Hall Historic House and Museum Open Day Our April Open Day is a celebration of chocolate. We'll serve a special chocolate-themed menu with delights including Cherry Ripe Cake, Chocolate Crackles, and various chocolate scone varieties. Our traditional Devonshire Tea is always on the menu. Special event (sold out): At 11am and 1pm, "The History of Chocolate In Australia" by Chef Adam Moore. Discover the intriguing evolution of chocolate and the inventive chocolatiers, delightful products, and unique Australian trends. Take a nostalgic look at the "Rocky Road" story, the history of Darrell Lea and its legacy in the St George Area. Renowned as a distinguished figure in the culinary realm, Chef Adam Moore stands as a preeminent corporate chef, captivating public speaker, accomplished TV presenter, and a globally recognised award-winning innovator. Buy entry tickets online or at the door. Plan your visit. |
Saturday, 15 March 2025 2pm in the 3rd floor meeting room at Rockdale Library, 444-446 Princes Highway, Rockdale Guest Speaker: Dr Mark St Leon - Sir Joseph Banks Hotel and the development and demise of Beaumont & Waller's Zoological and Botanical Gardens, Sydney’s first significant pleasure resort.Fifty years after Sydney's foundation, Botany Bay still had a wild and disconsolate appearance, and the "cart track" from Sydney to Botany Bay was in a wretched state. Despite this, entrepreneur Thomas Kellett saw the area's potential. In 1840, Kellett began constructing a two-story stone inn at Banks Meadow, on a part of the Old Botany Road called Bunnerong Road, later renamed Botany Road. Initially called the Banks Inn, Kellett soon renamed it the Sir Joseph Banks Hotel. Along with hosting private dinners, piano recitals, wedding parties, and honeymooners, Kellett developed the location into a popular spot for bathing, boating and shooting. In January 1847, he leased the Sir Joseph Banks Hotel to William Beaumont, who took on the role of licensee. By September 1848, with his business partner James Waller, Beaumont had begun transforming the gardens and grounds into a pleasure resort, which became known as Beaumont & Waller’s Botanical and Zoological Gardens. Dr Mark St Leon descends directly from the St Leons, Australia’s earliest family of entertainers. In 1991, Mark launched Australia's first national conference of circus people, the Circus Summit. He is the author of Circus: The Australian Story. Copies will be available for purchase at this event. Afterward, enjoy afternoon tea with a delightful selection of cakes, biscuits, and slices, including gluten-free choices. Prepared with the expertise of members from the Australian Culinary Federation. Entry is free (gold coin donations gratefully accepted) Books and DVDs for sale. All welcome! (image courtesy of clipperarctic via Wikimedia Commons) |
Sunday, 2 March 2025 10am - 4pm at Lydham Hall, 18 Lydham Avenue, Rockdale Lydham Hall Historic House and Museum Open Day The St George Sutherland Scottish Pipe Band will be performing at 12pm for two 45-minute sessions. Since 1946, the St George-Sutherland Scottish Pipe Band has played for marches, dances, tattoos and general entertainment. The band plays traditional Scottish marches, strathspeys*, reels, and airs as well as modern tunes and Australian favourites. Plan your visit. *Slow graceful dance tunes originating around the early 1700s in the valley (Scottish Strath) of the River Spey in Scotland. Strathspeys are in a 4/4 time signature, slower than reels with a 2/2 time, and "airs" refer to the melodies. |
Saturday, 15 February 2025 2pm in the 3rd floor meeting room at Rockdale Library, 444-446 Princes Highway, Rockdale Guest Speakers: SGHS members Bob and Laurel Horton - From Arncliffe to Bexley: A Historical JourneyBexley's hidden treasures from the past, its grand houses and public buildings, are today overshadowed by the problem of traffic congestion. Beginning as farms, today with multi-storied buildings, Arncliffe has a diverse and interesting history. As members of the St Peters Cooks River History Group, Bob and Laurel research and present the history of people and places connected with St Peters, Sydenham, and Tempe. Afterward, enjoy afternoon tea with a delightful selection of cakes, biscuits, and slices, including gluten-free choices. Prepared with the expertise of members from the Australian Culinary Federation. Entry is free (gold coin donations gratefully accepted) Books and DVDs for sale. All welcome! (image courtesy of Bayside Library) |
 Sunday, 2 February 2025 10am - 12.30pm at Lydham Hall, 18 Lydham Avenue, Rockdale High Tea (Sold Out) Both High Tea and Lydham Hall originated in the Victorian Era, making this the perfect place for the refined indulgence of a tantalising selection of sweet and savoury treats paired with fine teas and fresh coffee. Plan your visit. |
 Sunday, 2 February 2025 10am - 4pm at Lydham Hall, 18 Lydham Avenue, Rockdale Lydham Hall Historic House and Museum Open Day Opera in the House Guests will be mesmerised by the enchanting Mezzo Soprano Yasmin Arkinstall, singing operatic arias, musical theatre standards, and popera hits. With her angelic voice, this is a harmony of music and heritage not to be missed. Starting at 11.30am. Free with entry. Plan your visit. |