Benjamin Edward (Ben) Strange (1868-1930), cartoonist, was born on 10 May 1868 at the cavalry barracks, Newbridge, County Kildare, Ireland, son of Benjamin Strange, private in the 10th Hussars, and his French wife Augustine, née Menefoz. After serving in India, his father retired and Ben attended a London board school. He learned drawing and painting […]
The Great Unwashed Preserver of the Peace:
29/02/2020 By Leave a Comment
Constable JOLLY – Coolgardie, Western Australia 1909 Nick-named ‘The Great Unwashed Preserver of the Peace’ Constable Jolly blamed the scarcity of water for his economical use of it which in turn, caused some dissatisfaction among his fellow police officers who finally planned to lure him to Silverthorne’s dam and push him in. This drastic step […]
The Atlas Chambers – Coolgardie
22/02/2020 By Leave a Comment
The Atlas Chambers was an imposing building with front windows designed on novel lines. There were a large number of tenants occupying the commodious suites of rooms upstairs and the spacious shops below. The elegant displays by Elliotts, framed as they were with arched windows, would have done credit to any city store. The site […]
A Life in Pictures – Hemus and Hall
15/02/2020 By Leave a Comment
The first professional photographers were well ahead of their time even using the clumsy and painfully slow wet-plate method, they set about creating a marvelous gallery of portraits and scenes. They caught the picturesque, raffish, ponderous and pioneering spirit of the period in a remarkable fashion just as the character and enthusiasm of the golden […]
The Railway Coffee Palace- Coolgardie
15/02/2020 By Leave a Comment
The above photograph is of Harrisons Guest House and Coffee Palace which was in the Railway Chambers and also contained the Westralia Dining Rooms. This building, built in 1897, was directly across from the Coolgardie Railway Station in Woodward Street, Coolgardie. It was also know as the Railway Coffee Palace. The man on the far […]
