What’s On: Past Events

Previous Events

Sunday 1 December 2024 10am - 4pm at Lydham Hall, 18 Lydham Avenue, Rockdale Lydham Hall Historic House and Museum Open Day. Plan your visit.

Saturday 16 November 2024 2pm - 4pm at Lydham Hall, 18 Lydham Avenue, Rockdale Christmas Afternoon Tea All members are welcome to enjoy seasonal refreshments and reflect on the reopening of our historic home. We will also draw the raffle for “Coalcliff Harbour”, a painting on canvas by the talented Australian artist and SGHS Member, Pamela Griffith OAM.

Sunday 3 November 2024 10am - 4pm at Lydham Hall, 18 Lydham Avenue, Rockdale Lydham Hall Historic House and Museum Open Day. The St George Brass Band will begin playing and singing at 10.30am. Their playlist will include some of Peter Dawson's "The World's Most Popular Baritone" favourites: "Boots", "Song of Australia" and "Road to Mandalay", and a Stephen Foster "the father of American music" medley. Plan your visit.

Saturday 19 October 2024 2pm in the 3rd floor meeting room at Rockdale Library, 444-446 Princes Highway, Rockdale Guest Speaker: Ian Hoskins - Looking Backward: Daceyville and a time of idealism in public housing The housing crisis of the 2020s is not Australia’s first. Daceyville was the showcase project of the early 20th century; the government-funded ‘garden suburb’ planned and built by the NSW Housing Board on Sydney’s south eastern fringe over a decade from 1911 to serve as a model of sound urban development. The history of that remarkable project provides insights into the thinking that made such an enterprise possible, and perhaps the attitudes that have led to the current housing impasse. Ian Hoskins is an award-winning author and one of Sydney’s foremost historians. He has worked as an academic, professional historian and curator for over 30 years. His acclaimed books are recognised nationally for their chronicling of Australian history. 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!

Sunday 6 October 2024 10am - 4pm at Lydham Hall, 18 Lydham Avenue, Rockdale Lydham Hall Historic House and Museum Open Day. Plan your visit.

Saturday 21 September 2024 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. Entry is free although gold coin donations gratefully accepted. Refreshments (tea, coffee, snacks) provided. Books for sale. All welcome! (photo of CP Air DC-8, courtesy of clipperarctic via Wikimedia Commons)

Saturday 14 September 2024 10am - 4pm at Tempe House, 1 Princes Hwy, Wolli Creek Tempe House Open Day Celebrate History Week at Tempe House and the adjacent St. Magdalen's Chapel! This gracious home, designed along the lines of a Grecian villa by the celebrated Colonial architect John Verge, has been delightfully restored and sits proudly in its Discovery Point surrounds with grounds extending to Cooks River. Highlights: - 10am and 2pm, free guided tours of the house, museum, chapel and extensive grounds. - 12pm, talk in the chapel, "Pursuing the Beautiful: Celebrating the architecture and artistic significance of St. Magdalen's Chapel". Local history books and other merchandise for sale. Your local history questions are warmly encouraged. Tempe House and St. Magdalen's Chapel is only a 5-minute easy walk from Wolli Creek Train Station. Bring a picnic luncheon or dine in one the many local cafes and restaurants.

Sunday 1 September 2024, Father's Day 10am - 4pm at Lydham Hall, 18 Lydham Avenue, Rockdale Lydham Hall Historic House and Museum Open Day. Special for Father's Day: Free entry for all Dads! Plan your visit.

Saturday 17 August 2024 2pm in the 3rd floor meeting room at Rockdale Library, 444-446 Princes Highway, Rockdale Guest Speaker: Stuart Read - Federation Gardens: An Australian Style. Federation Gardens are those created between 1880 and 1920, roughly the period in which Australia argued about, became (1901), and settled into being, a country. This era also saw widespread suburban expansion of all cities, train networks, reticulated water, and a more diverse economy, including nurseries and supplies, aiding gardeners. Skip through the period as it influenced Australian gardens - their design, components, popular plants, and squabbles over what flower would represent 'Australia'. Stuart Read specialises in landscape and garden heritage, plant diversity and movement. His publications include a chapter in Gardens of History & Imagination: Growing NSW (2016), articles in Australian Garden History and the Australian Garden History Society’s online lists of Avenues of Honour and lone pines. Entry is free although gold coin donations gratefully accepted. Refreshments (tea, coffee, snacks) provided. Books for sale. All welcome!

Sunday 4 August 2024 10am - 4pm at Lydham Hall, 18 Lydham Avenue, Rockdale Lydham Hall Historic House and Museum open. Plan your visit.

Tuesday 23 July 2024 6.30pm – 9pm in Bexley RSL, 24 Stoney Creek Rd, Bexley Inaugural Society Fundraiser: Christmas in July Join Society members for an historic night with good food, good company, good fun, and good raffle prizes! Partners, family and friends welcome. All proceeds raised from the night will fund restoration of key objects in the collection and the ongoing maintenance of Lydham Hall.

Saturday 20 July 2024 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 2024-25, and discuss our plans for the coming year. Members of the SGHS can nominate for a committee position for 2024-25. Entry is free although gold coin donations gratefully accepted. Refreshments (tea, coffee, snacks) provided. Books for sale.

Sunday 7 July 2024 10am - 4pm at Lydham Hall, 18 Lydham Avenue, Rockdale Lydham Hall Historic House and Museum open. Plan your visit.

Saturday 15 June 2024 2pm in the 3rd floor meeting room at Rockdale Library, 444-446 Princes Highway, Rockdale Guest Speaker: Beverley Earnshaw - Reluctant Pioneers, the stories of some of our unwilling first settlers. Entry is free although gold coin donations gratefully accepted. Refreshments (tea, coffee, snacks) provided. Books for sale. All welcome! (sketch of a settler's bark hut near the Cooks River, circa 1860; courtesy of Bayside Library)

Sunday 2 June 2024 10am - 4pm at Lydham Hall, 18 Lydham Avenue, Rockdale Lydham Hall Historic House and Museum open. Plan your visit.

Saturday 18 May 2024 2pm in the 3rd floor meeting room at Rockdale Library, 444-446 Princes Highway, Rockdale Guest Speaker: Dr Garry Darby - A History Of the St. George Sailing Club Entry is free although gold coin donations gratefully accepted. Refreshments (tea, coffee, snacks) provided. Books for sale. All welcome!

Wednesday 15 May 2024 10am - 11am at Clive James Library, Kogarah Town Square, Belgrave St, Kogarah Heritage Festival: Historic Lydham Hall The Victorian era Lydham Hall was recently reopened after years of renovation. Join volunteers from the St. George Historical Society for a light morning tea and a fascinating exploration of this grand sandstone house’s history and some of the characters who have called it home. This event is sold out. Please register at Eventbrite to join the waitlist.

Sunday 5 May 2024 10am - 4pm at Lydham Hall, 18 Lydham Avenue, Rockdale Lydham Hall Historic House and Museum open. Plan your visit.

Saturday 20 April 2024 2pm in the 3rd floor meeting room at Rockdale Library, 444-446 Princes Highway, Rockdale Guest Speaker: SGHS Member Janette Pelosi - The latest research into the early history of Lydham Hall. Entry is free although gold coin donations gratefully accepted. Refreshments (tea, coffee, snacks) provided. Books for sale. All welcome! (photo of Joseph Davis, courtesy of Bayside Library)

Sunday 7 April 2024 10am - 4pm at Lydham Hall, 18 Lydham Avenue, Rockdale Lydham Hall Historic House and Museum open. Plan your visit.

Saturday 16 March 2024 2pm in the 3rd floor meeting room at Rockdale Library, 444-446 Princes Highway, Rockdale Guest Speaker: SGHS Member Rhonda McKinnon - Growing Up In Dolls Point Entry is free although gold coin donations gratefully accepted. Refreshments (tea, coffee, snacks) provided. Books for sale. All welcome! (photo of Dolls Point Kiosk, under construction in 1961; courtesy of Bayside Library)

Sunday 3 March 2024 10am - 4pm at Lydham Hall, 18 Lydham Avenue, Rockdale Lydham Hall Historic House and Museum open. Special event: The St George Brass Band will perform from 11.30am! They will play a variety of pieces (jazz, film scores, marches, rock, and more) during two 45-minute performances. Plan your visit.

Saturday 17 February 2024 2pm in the 3rd floor meeting room at Rockdale Library, 444-446 Princes Highway, Rockdale Guest Speaker: Alan Russell - Life in Arncliffe during World War 2 Entry is free although gold coin donations gratefully accepted. Refreshments (tea, coffee, snacks) provided. All welcome!

Sunday 4 February 2024 10am - 4pm at Lydham Hall, 18 Lydham Avenue, Rockdale Lydham Hall Historic House and Museum open. Historic Lydham Hall, one of the oldest homes in the St George area and the only dedicated museum in Bayside will officially reopen with a wonderful day to celebrate. Plan your visit.

Saturday 25 November 2023 Lydham Hall, 18 Lydham Avenue, Rockdale Christmas Afternoon Tea This will our first afternoon tea at Lydham Hall since 2018! All members are welcome to come, enjoy a cuppa and some nibbles and view the progress made towards opening the house to the public again.

Saturday 21 October 2023 2pm in the 3rd floor meeting room at Rockdale Library, 444-446 Princes Highway, Rockdale Guest Speaker: Anne Field, "Message in a Bottle" In March 1912, Agnes Gibson set sail for Sydney on a journey that would change her life. She kept a detailed log of her voyage, which was passed on to her descendants. One hundred years later, her grand-daughter, Anne Field, put a story about her life into a bottle and committed it to the Southern Ocean. This was a special tribute to her Glaswegian grandmother. Hear Anne tell a story of adventure, which honours the bravery of our early British immigrants, and discusses our social history. Entry is free although gold coin donations gratefully accepted. Refreshments (tea, coffee, snacks) provided. All welcome!

Saturday 16 September 2023 2pm in the 3rd floor meeting room at Rockdale Library, 444-446 Princes Highway, Rockdale A shark on display at an aquarium coughs up a human arm bearing a distinctive tattoo. The investigation uncovered insurance fraud, smuggling on Sydney Harbour and gang violence. What was the Cronulla connection? Why were Port Hacking and Gunnamatta Bay searched by the Navy and Air Force? Those who knew the truth kept their secrets to the grave. Guest Speaker: Phillip Roope, co-author of "The Shark Arm Case" Phillip is a former high school English and History teacher, and location manager on 45 feature films and TV series, ranging from Blue Murder for TV and Baz Lurmann's The Great Gatsby. Entry is free although gold coin donations gratefully accepted. Refreshments (tea, coffee, snacks) provided. All welcome!

Saturday 19 August 2023 2pm in the 3rd floor meeting room at Rockdale Library, 444-446 Princes Highway, Rockdale Guest Speaker: Julie Evans - Extraordinary Places on Sydney Harbour. Owing to their natural beauty, heritage buildings and layered histories, the Harbour Trust's visitor destinations are a rich source of exploration and discovery. Sites include North Head Sanctuary in Manly, Sub Base Platypus in North Sydney, Headland Park in Mosman, Cockatoo Island on Sydney Harbour, Woolwich Dock and Parklands, and the home of Australia’s oldest lighthouse – Macquarie Lightstation in Vaucluse. Collectively, they represent an opportunity for visitors, including families, adventure-seekers and history buffs, to enjoy diverse experiences against the backdrop of Sydney Harbour. Learn about each destination and plan your next trip. Entry is free although gold coin donations gratefully accepted. Refreshments (tea, coffee, snacks) provided. All welcome!

Saturday 15 July 2023 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 2023-24, and discuss our plans for the coming year. Members of the SGHS can nominate for a committee position for 2023-24. Entry is free although gold coin donations gratefully accepted. Refreshments (tea, coffee, snacks) provided. All welcome!

Saturday 17 June 2023 2pm in the 3rd floor meeting room at Rockdale Library, 444-446 Princes Highway, Rockdale Guest Speaker: Hugh Tranter - Pioneering Flights over Botany Bay 1910 - 11. Hugh revisits the exciting stories of Percival and Herbert Woodward, and Joseph Joel Hammond, the ‘magnificent men in their flying machines'. He won an Encouragement Award in the 2022 Ron Rathbone Local History Competition. Entry is free although gold coin donations gratefully accepted. Refreshments (tea, coffee, snacks) provided. All welcome!

Saturday 20 May 2023 2pm in the 3rd floor meeting room at Rockdale Library, 444-446 Princes Highway, Rockdale Guest Speaker: Bill Phippen - Kathleen Muriel Butler, the "Godmother of Sydney Harbour Bridge". In 2019, a Sydney Metro Tunnel Boring Machine was named Kathleen, yet few people would know of Kathleen Muriel Butler, Confidential Secretary to John Bradfield during the building of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. In the 1920s, she played a vital role in the bridge construction both in Sydney and in London where she was sent to represent Bradfield and the NSW government in their dealings with Dorman Long and Co, the British contractors for the work. All welcome!

Saturday 15 April 2023 2pm in the 3rd floor meeting room at Rockdale Library, 444-446 Princes Highway, Rockdale Guest Speaker: Leonie Bell - Stannumville. Leonie won the 2022 Ron Rathbone Local History Competition, for her entry, "Stannumville: suburb in the sand". Stannumville was a tent town for families during World War I. It was in present-day Maroubra. Leonie examines the reasons why the government initiated the project, living conditions in the town, and the reasons for its demise. All welcome!

Saturday 18 March 2023 2pm in the 3rd floor meeting room at Rockdale Library, 444-446 Princes Highway, Rockdale Guest Speaker: Alan Russell - Eve St Wetlands. Alan will share his childhood memories of Arncliffe. He won an Encouragement Award in the 2022 Ron Rathbone Local History Competition for his entry, "Eve St Wetlands". All welcome!

Saturday 18 February 2023 2pm in the 3rd floor meeting room at Rockdale Library, 444-446 Princes Highway, Rockdale Guest Speaker: Robin Walsh - Portrait of a Lady : Elizabeth Macquarie 1778 – 1835. Robin is a retired Research Librarian from Macquarie University Library, home of the Lachlan & Elizabeth Macquarie Archive. All welcome!

Saturday 19 November 2022 2pm in the 3rd floor meeting room at Rockdale Library, 444-446 Princes Highway, Rockdale Christmas Afternoon Tea All Welcome!

Saturday 15 October 2022 2pm in the 3rd floor meeting room at Rockdale Library, 444-446 Princes Highway, Rockdale Guest Speaker: Zofia Laba, The Craft of Faith: John Radecki, Stained Glass Artist. All welcome!

Saturday 17 September 2022 2pm in the 3rd floor meeting room at Rockdale Library, 444-446 Princes Highway, Rockdale Guest Speaker: Dr. Pam Como, author of “Laughter, Love and Loyalty”, a history of Singleton and the Hunter Valley. Pam will be telling us stories of the many floods that have engulfed its towns over the period 1855 - 1975. All welcome!

Saturday 20 August 2022 2pm in the 3rd floor meeting room at Rockdale Library, 444-446 Princes Highway, Rockdale Guest Speaker: Catriona Carver - The history of Gardiner Park, Banksia. Catriona is one of the “Friends of Gardiner Park”, a Banksia resident, and a member of our society. She has an interesting story about this local gem. All welcome! (photo courtesy of Robert Chick)

Saturday 16 July 2022 2pm in the 3rd floor meeting room at Rockdale Library, 444-446 Princes Highway, Rockdale Annual General Meeting The new SGHS Committee will be elected. There will be a proposed amendment to Section 9 of our Constitution to include the election of Society members to the Lydham Hall Management Committee.

Saturday 18 June 2022 2pm in the 3rd floor meeting room at Rockdale Library, 444-446 Princes Highway, Rockdale Guest Speaker: John MacRitchie, Local Studies Librarian, Georges River Council - "Marking Our History", about the Georges River Council's Historical Markers Programme. This programme has been running for four years, based on suggestions received from the community.

Saturday 14 May 2022 2pm in the 3rd floor meeting room at Rockdale Library, 444-446 Princes Highway, Rockdale Guest Speaker: Pauline Curby - The Sutherland Shire Historical Museum.

Saturday 19 March 2022 2pm in the 3rd floor meeting room at Rockdale Library, 444-446 Princes Highway, Rockdale Guest Speakers: Laurel and Rob Horton - Highlights of Rockdale's history, and the St. Peter's Church Museum's latest acquisition.

Saturday 20 November 2021 2pm at Rockdale Senior Citizens Centre, 36 George St, Rockdale Resolutions passed: - “That the present Committee of the St. George Historical Society continue to carry out their duties as defined in the Society's Constitution until the Annual General Meeting in July 2022.” - St. George Historical Society logo update. Guest Speakers: Dan McAloon - The Man in White at Pemberton's Ramsgate Baths Tina Workman - Lydham Hall Draft Conservation Management Plan Raffle prizes awarded: First prize: Family Pass to the Australian National Maritime Museum Second prize: Box of chocolates

Saturday 19 June 2021 2pm at Rockdale Senior Citizens Centre, 36 George St, Rockdale Guest Speakers: Tina Workman - What's Happening at Lydham Hall? Dr. Garry Darby - Kogarah Historical Society's Local History Prize

Saturday 15 May 2021 2pm at Rockdale Senior Citizens Centre, 36 George St, Rockdale Guest Speaker: Dr. Greg Jackson, Archaeologist and volunteer with the Australian National Maritime Museum: North Head Quarantine Station From the early 19th century, arrivals to Australia who were suspected of having an infectious disease, were held in quarantine until it was considered safe to release them. What was it like to be in quarantine? Exploring the history and archaeology of Sydney’s North Head Quarantine Station will answer this question.

Saturday 20 Feb 2021 2pm at Rockdale Senior Citizens Centre, 36 George St, Rockdale Minutes Guest Speaker: Kieren Hannon: The Cato Street Conspirators In 1820 these English radicals intended to kill the British Prime Minister and members of the cabinet to inspire an uprising. There was an informer in their midst and their plan was thwarted. The conspirators who were not executed for treason were banished to Australia. Kieren has studied the subject intensively and followed what happened to those who were exiled.