James Oatley arrived in Sydney Town as a convict on January 27, 1815. Before his sentence, he had been a little-known watch and clockmaker living in Stafford, England. Upon arrival, he was permitted to set up in business in George Street, on a site opposite the present Town Hall. He was soon commissioned by Governor …
Continue reading “Two Early Pioneers: James Oatley & Hannah Laycock”
To mark the time at which the first Australians waded ashore ANZAC Cove in 1915, thousands of people will gather to watch an ANZAC Day Dawn Service. ANZAC Day was established to honour those who served and gave their lives in the Great War. However, in the years since WWI, Australian troops have answered the …
Have you ever wondered how some of the churches in our district were named? It is well documented that St. Phillip’s Anglican Church, Church Hill in Sydney was named in honour of our first Governor and a number of this district’s early pioneers also appear to have been immortalised in the same way. St. David’s …
by R. W. Rathbone At a time when protection of the environment is a burning political issue, it is interesting to note that we, in this country at least, have been trying to clean up our act for more than one hundred years. In the early 1880’s, Sydney was one of the most polluted cities …
Continue reading “The Royal Commission into Noxious and Offensive Trades of 1883”
by B. J. Madden Mid-November 1979, saw the demolition and removal of a landmark in Kingsgrove – the Gas Holder in Kingsgrove Road opposite Omnibus Road. The Gas Holder was built during 1926-27 in order to improve the gas supply in that area, which was then undergoing rapid expansion. The Holder had a diameter of …
