Just wanted to say a big congratulations to my dear friend and fellow researcher and historian Criena Fitzgerald on the launch of her latest book “Turning Men Into Stone’ a Social and Medical History of Silicosis in Western Australia. It was launched last night at the Hannans North Tourist Mine where an appreciative crowd listened […]
Archives for April 2016
The Prison Log and “Sky Blue Goannas”
26/04/2016 By Leave a Comment
In the early days of Coolgardie, there was no provision for holding prisoners pending their appearance in court so Corporal McCarthy chopped a four-foot log from a three-foot thick trunk of a blown down salmon gum to which they were chained by a strong steel staple at one end and handcuffs at the other. (A […]
Billy Goat Racing – An Excellent Sport
17/04/2016 By 2 Comments
Im sure that we have all heard of the term ‘Billy Cart’ which refers to a small cart with no power or pedals which was usually constructed and ridden by children. However the term originally came from Billy Goat Carts which were small carts pulled by one or sometimes two goats hitched to a small […]
On This Day In Australia – The Warburton Expedition
15/04/2016 By Leave a Comment
Tuesday, April 15, 1873. : Colonel Warburton sets out to cross the continent from central Australia to Perth. Peter Egerton Warburton was born on 15 August 1813, at Northwich, Cheshire. He joined the navy at the tender age of 12, initially serving as a midshipman on the HMS Windsor Castle. He then served for many […]
A Blast From the Past – Blacker’s Store
13/04/2016 By Leave a Comment
Many of you will be sure to remember Blacker’s Store at 25 Ward Street, Lamington. When Mr Blacker sold the business in 1964 and it became a grocery/liquor store and today it is the Goldrush Tavern. The photographs were sent to me by his son, Kevin Blacker, and I am showing them with his kind […]
