Inside History: November-December 2015 (issue 31)

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AUSTRALIAN � INDEPENDENT � AWARD-WINNING

ENCOUNTERS: INSIDE THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AUSTRALIA’S NEW LANDMARK EXHIBITION

Find your

family ONLINE 9 771838 504008

Printed on responsibly sourced paper

NOV–DEC 2014 $9.95 NZ$10.95

ISSN 1838-5044

01

YOUR ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO THE LATEST RECORD SETS INCLUDING NEWSPAPERS, MARRIAGES AND WAR DIARIES

EXPERT GUIDE TO MILITARY MEDALS

HAROLD LASSETER: CONMAN OR VISIONARY?

Plus

THE BEST CHRISTMAS PUDDING RECIPE (FROM 1861)

contents

Contents 34

Issue 31, Nov–Dec 2015 16 Ask our experts How to discover more about an ancestor’s military medals

24 What’s new online Find your family with our guide to the latest record sets

28 Colonial encounters A new exhibition at the National Museum of Australia is revealing rare Indigenous objects from the British Museum

34 The legend of Lasseter’s reef Did Harold Lasseter really find — then lose — Australia’s largest reef of gold?

And design the Sydney Harbour Bridge?

Stephen Orr investigates

40 Taste of history

40 28

Want to cook the Christmas plum pudding that your ancestors may have made? We bring you the recipe, plus read about our nation’s food history

28

Together, make history Together, we we can canmake makehistory history Whether you’re looking upskill, change career oror just research your family community history, Whether Whether you’re you’re looking to to upskill, upskill, change change career career or just just research research your your family family ororor community community history, history, the University of of NewNew History courses cancan help you achieve your goals. thethe University University England’s England’s History History courses courses can help help you you achieve achieve your your goals. goals.

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your family 47

travel 58

The end of Gallipoli

The history lover’s guide to Canberra

Commemorations in 2015 have focussed on 25 April 1915, but we need to remember 20 December 1915 as well, writes historian Vecihi (John) Basarin

50 Enter our cover star competition We’re looking for our next ancest-star! Send us your photographs and your ancestor could appear on our cover

52 Clothing the colony She was a household name for more than nine decades, but who was Madame Johanna Wilhelmine Weigel?

13 Platform

Our nation’s capital, up close and historical

19

regulars 8

History now Great history events around Australia and New Zealand

Editor’s letter

23

10

History apps

Postie’s here!

Your thoughts, your say

New app reviews, from convict walks to maritime archaeology

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11 Bob’s your uncle Network with other researchers and break down those brick walls

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Historian Catherine Bishop on the careers of our colonial businesswomen; plus, the latest news from the history world

What we’re reading The latest history titles that we’re loving right now

66 One picture…

1,000 memories A treasured image and tragic tale of two sisters

Special offer 62 Big book giveaway Win one of 10 copies of World War One: A History in 100 Stories

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our family

PO Box 406 Erskineville NSW 2043 Australia Editor Cassie Mercer cass@insidehistory.com.au Features Writer Sarah Trevor sarah@insidehistory.com.au Design Alison Williams Andrea Swan Advertising & Partnership Director Krissy Mander krissy@insidehistory.com.au Editorial Contributors Vecihi (John) Basarin Ian Coates Annette Hughes Veronica Lampkin Jacqui Newling Stephen Orr Neil Smith Bernard Whimpress Christine Yeats Print subscriptions See page 62, call 02 8227 6486 or subscribe online at insidehistory.com.au Digital subscriptions For iPad, find us on Apple Newsstand For Android and PC, find us at zinio.com

Cecil Sawyer and Sarah Elizabeth King on their wedding day, 8 June 1821 in Glebe, Sydney. Image courtesy Michelle Ball and Pam King, private collection.

Warning Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers should be aware that this magazine contains images and names of people who have passed away.

Inside History (ISSN 1838–5044) is published six times a year by Inside History (ABN 13 353 848 961). Views expressed by the authors are not necessarily those of the publisher.

Copyright 2015 by Cassie Mercer and Inside History. All rights reserved.

Printed by Ligare Pty Ltd 138 Bonds Road Riverwood NSW 2210

Distributed by Gordon and Gotch Australia

Inside History | Nov-Dec 2015 |

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editor’s letter

One of the most significant exhibitions to hit our shores is here. Encounters, a new exhibition at the National Museum of Australia, is revealing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander objects from the British Museum’s collection.

And curators from the National Museum of Australia have been working with the Indigenous communities from where these objects originated, to discover their heritage, how they were used and why they were often the only means of communication between two very different cultures.

We go behind the scenes with one of the curators; read more on page 28.

We’ve been working with Stephen Orr to delve into the mysterious legend of Harold Lasseter, whose life has become the stuff of legend. Did he really lose the biggest cache of gold in Australia? Or was it an elaborate ruse? Decide for yourself on page 34.

One of my favourite genealogy memes of late is one that says ‘Ancestry went down today so I spent some time with my family.

They seem like nice people.’ If you fancy cooking for those folks, then we have the recipe for you! Gastronomist Jacqui Newling

has adapted a Christmas pudding recipe from 1861. And read her thoughts on how food transcends generations from page 40.

This issue we’re also covering the end of the Gallipoli campaign 100 years ago. What can we learn from those who were there?

Find out on page 47.

Also featured are fascinating stories about our colonial businesswomen (page 13 and 52), book and app reviews and lots more.

Plus we have a fabulous Christmas offer for you — subscribe to the magazine for yourself or a friend (or both!) for 12 months and receive a bonus six months free! That’s nine issues for just $50. Check out this great offer on page 62.

Seasons greetings from the Inside History team and, as always, happy researching,

Congratulations

In issue 29 we were giving away three family history packages from Ancestry, which included an Ancestry DNA kit and a World Heritage Membership, valued at $448 each.

We’ve published the names of the winners on our website. Check insidehistory.com.au/ category/special-offers to see if your name is there!

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Image Courtesy State Library of Victoria, ID H2012.171/20.

to our competition winners from issue 29!

our family

This issue we ask our

CONTRIBUTORS What’s a favourite recipe in your family?

Neil Smith ‘Ask our experts’, page 16 Apricot chicken. You need ¾ cup plain flour, 5 chicken thighs, 300ml apricot nectar and 1 packet french onion soup mix. Preheat oven to 180°C, mix flour, salt and pepper in a bowl then roll chicken pieces in until well coated. Heat apricot nectar and soup mix until thick and pour over chicken. Cover and bake for about 1 hour. Garnish with parsley and serve with rice. Better than Army tucker.

Vecihi (John) Basarin ‘The end of Gallipoli’, page 47 An eggplant dish that has additional ingredients of olive oil, garlic and parsley. It is called ‘the imam [priest] fainted’, reputedly because of the huge amount of olive oil (hence the high cost) used.

Veronica Lampkin ‘Clothing the colony’, page 52 Yorkshire pudding! You can take the girl out of Yorkshire but not the Yorkshire out of the girl! A stellar accompaniment to any roast dinner.

Inside History | Nov-Dec 2015 |

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inbox

POSTIE’S HERE! NEWLY DISCOVERED AND MIGHTILY IMPRESSED Today, I picked up issue 29 of Inside History. I was nonplussed that I had not come across your publication earlier. Perhaps it is a matter of availability in rural areas. Of all the increasing number of genealogical magazines on the market, I am the most impressed with your publication, so much so, that I have already bought my three-year subscription.

Congratulations on the comprehensive coverage of all aspects of the genre.

And I will also be ordering the commemorative Magna Carta coin from the Royal Australian Mint.

— Kay Ryan, Dalby, QLD ALL CORNERS OF THE GLOBE I am thoroughly enjoying the varied articles in your magazine and it has spurred me to print the family histories — from convicts and building contractors to musicians and adventurers, now with relations in Scotland, England, Ireland, Canada, United States, Venezuela, Norway and Australia. All should be written down for the future generations.

— Vanessa Kiessling, Glen Iris, VIC PHOTO-DATING GUIDANCE Thank you to Inside History and Jayne Shrimpton for answering

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my query about photo-dating the copy of portrait that I sent (issue 28). Jayne doesn’t just answer a question; she gives guidance and information to explain her reasoning.

Congratulations on publishing another informative and enjoyable issue. I look forward to reading each magazine when it arrives and afterward, I head off with your tips and pointers to research my family tree. I wish you continued success.

— Christine Ruffle, Annandale, QLD

(‘Postie’s here’) regarding the small churches many properties seemed to have. When my husband and I were travelling around the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia and commented on them, I was told they were crofters’ or shepherds’ cottages that had been deroofed due to a tax on habitable buildings.

As a consequence, these heritage buildings were crumbling away due to weathering inside as well as out. I thought it was such a shame.

— Rowena Summers, Loftus, NSW

A CRUMBLING SHAME I’ve just been reading issue 29, and I loved ‘Cup of Tea’ with Tanya Evans. I can’t wait to get my hands on a copy of her book.

Perhaps I have an answer for Lyle Story’s question in issue 29

SUBSCRIBER LOVE I really love your magazine — and I’m a subscriber. You’re doing a fabulous job there. Keep up the good work!

— Lyn Robinson, Reservoir, VIC

Each issue the writer of our star letter will receive a recently released history book for writing in. This issue, Kay Ryan will receive a copy of Betsy and the Emperor: The True Story of Napoleon, a Pretty Girl, a Regency Rake and an Australian Colonial Misadventure by Anne Whitehead (Allen & Unwin, $32.99).

Want to have your say on “Postie’s here”?

Write to us at contribute@insidehistory.com.au

Like us on facebook.com/ insidehistorymagazine

Join us on twitter.com/ insidehistory

Image Courtesy State Library of Victoria, ID H91.315/34.

Share your thoughts with the Inside History team.

BOB’S YOUR

UNCLE

Images Courtesy Douglas Stewart Fine Books, douglasstewart.com.au; State Library of Victoria, ID H12394.

Are you looking to connect with other descendants or historians across Australia and beyond? Each issue we feature who and what people are researching so you can make contact.

SEEKING PEDDIE DESCENDANTS I am wanting to make contact with descendants of Peter Peddie and Marian Nicholson, who were married at Emerald Hill, Melbourne, in 1859.

Marian was a widow when she married Peter. It is possible that the family may also have lived at Port Melbourne. Their family were Agnes, born in 1860 in Melbourne, Letetia, who was born in 1862 at Emerald Hill, and Daniel who was born in Melbourne in 1865.

If any descendants of Peter and Marian wish to contact me I am very happy to exchange information about a New Zealand line of Marian’s family.

— Lynne Hyde, kevynne@xtra.co.nz COCKREMS AND COCKRAMS I am looking for any help in tracing the descendants of William Cockram and Prudence Yeo of Devon, England, who had 12 children.

Elizabeth, Thomas, Mary Ann, John, William, Richard, Lucy and Clara stayed in England or Wales, while three migrated to Australia

together in 1882, settling in Far North Queensland.

From then on, they were known as Cockrem rather than Cockram. These three were Alfred (1857–1940), who married Maria Gibbs and later Rhoda Coles Willis (I don’t think they had any children together, but Rhoda has descendants in the Willis family); Herman (1862–1902), who married Louisa Lee and had six children; and Frederick (1865–1940), who married Mary Walsh and later Herman’s widow Louisa, and had at least five children.

And finally, my great grandfather George Cockram (1851–1943) migrated to Canada in 1875 and changed his name to Thomas Smith. I’m hoping that someone descended from any of these lines might hold the key as to why George Cockram became Thomas Smith or why Rhoda Cockrem apparently committed suicide in 1927.

— Linda Stack-Hawkley, thehillslady@gmail.com

HELP WITH PINE MOUNTAIN DIGGERS The Pine Mountain and Districts Historical Society with government funding under the Anzac Centenary Grants Program is erecting a World War I memorial to honour the 13 soldiers who volunteered from our small community near Ipswich in southern Queensland.

We will also be producing a book, which will be available early next year. It will have extensive information on each of our diggers and unit history, but we have been unsuccessful in sourcing photos for three of our heroes. If anyone can help provide a photo or information on Private Wilfred Bray (service number 3748); Sapper Hudson Cox (service number 6922 & 7053) or Lance Corporal Thomas Arthur Fell (service number 7233) then we would love to hear from you.

— Michael Mahon, 0406 482 402; mmahon@bigpond.net.au

Lots of researchers have been linking up and knocking down their research brick walls via “Bob’s your uncle”. To place an ad, email contribute@insidehistory.com.au. Adverts are free!

Inside History | Nov-Dec 2015 |

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Bring your past to life Discover your family history with a 14 day free trial

@ findmypastAU findmypast

www.findmypast.com.au

platform

CUP OF TEA

with Catherine Bishop, historian Though tricky to trace in the historical record, the businesswomen of colonial Sydney led fruitful and fascinating lives, as Catherine Bishop tells Sarah Trevor.

What inspired you to research colonial businesswomen in Sydney?

They kept inconveniently popping up! I was doing a PhD and trying to establish why and how women had apparently disappeared into domesticity especially after 1830 in Australia.

But then, as I started looking in the newspapers and trade directories, I realised that while a lot of women were domestic servants and getting married and having children, and while there weren’t a lot of ‘career’ opportunities as we might think of them, women were running small businesses — and a terrific variety of them as well.

What were some of the challenges involved in pursuing this topic?

Finding anything out about the personal motivations of these women was almost impossible — these were busy working tradeswomen, without time to write diaries and letters, and even if they did, those letters and diaries have not necessarily been preserved in libraries and archives to the same extent as those of upper middle class women.

Then there was the frustration of not being able to identify individuals with the same name. Even women with more unusual names proved difficult to find. The deliciously named ‘Blessington Flood’ appears in Mudgee in the early 1850s but I can’t find records of marriage or immigration before that.

Which discovery most surprised you?

The fact that women seemed to be accepted in what might be considered male occupations.

The best evidence for this was the case of Elizabeth Gold. She took over her husband’s plumbing business when he died and was awarded contracts by the City of Sydney in the 1830s. I don’t think she did any actual plumbing (although she may have done!) but the fact that she owned and managed the business didn’t seem to worry the City of Sydney.

The other great image was of Rita Macnamara, who was not only a butcher but a

carcass butcher in the 1860s, and according to one observer wielded the meat cleaver like a toy!

Such physicality is not usually associated with 19th-century women in our imaginations.

Also, finding out that my office at the Australian Catholic University was in a building that was for a short time the boarding house owned by one of my scandalous businesswomen — I love to think that I am walking the same corridors!

What are your tips to learn more about our ancestors’ business ventures?

Trove, insolvency records, bank account records (still not digitised but in those wonderfully dusty brown ledgers in inaccessible archives!), and the serendipitous mentions in other people’s letters or memoirs or in the columns written by ‘Old Chum’ in Truth at the turn of the 20th century. 

Minding Her Own Business: Colonial Businesswomen in Sydney (NewSouth, $39.99) is out now

Inside History | Nov-Dec 2015 |

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expert Q&A

experts

Ask our

Here, our resident experts answer your queries. This issue, Neil Smith looks at what war medals can reveal about your ancestor’s service.

Q

I’m looking for more information about my 2 x great grandfather, Arthur Morgan. In this photograph from World War I, he stands second from the right just behind the seated row.

I also have a photograph of his medals – but nothing else.

I know he was born in Ireland, and after World War I he and his family came to Australia.

My great grandmother was a teenager at the time. Besides that I know nothing about his service, and would love to know more. Any light you could shed on this would be very appreciated!

— Matt Smith, Melbourne, Vic.

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Join us on Facebook for more expert tips, or ask our community of nearly 10,000 history followers for help with your research. Visit facebook.com/insidehistorymagazine

A.

What a pity we can’t see the medals. If we could, we would have the necessary details instantly. All World War I medals to British Commonwealth veterans were impressed with the essential army number, rank, initials, surname and regiment. With the disc medals, the details are around the rim and for the star, on the reverse.

The medals you believe were issued to Arthur Morgan are, from the left of the photograph, the 1914–15 Star, British War Medal 1914–1918 and Victory Medal 1914–1919.

For the last mentioned alone over six million were issued.

Having the three medals tells us the recipient proceeded on active service overseas to areas such as Egypt, Gallipoli, Palestine, the Balkans, the Western Front and elsewhere from 1915 at the earliest.

Another medal, the 1914 Star was issued to those British Troops who served in France and Flanders in the closing months of 1914. Examination of medal records on Ancestry (ancestry.com) reveals that over 250 British soldiers named Arthur Morgan served in World War I. The two loose ribbons in the photograph are for the Queen’s and King’s South Africa medals which were both silver discs with provision for battle and other clasps earned during the Boer War 1899–1902.

If you look at the photograph there is a connection with Arthur Morgan and the Boer War as the two ribbons are faintly visible on his left breast. The photograph tells us very little else. The soldiers are British Army and wear a variety of uniforms, most of which are a work dress rather than something more ceremonial. In the front row, there are two officers with Artillery badges who are flanked by several non commissioned officers.

Clearly, the photograph is taken in the winter months in a barracks area and I suspect the group was gathered from various units to undergo some form of training. Apart from Arthur, few others are wearing service ribbons. This suggests the photograph was taken before the Great War and that the soldiers were Territorials, on part-time service.

If only we had those basic medal details, research would no doubt reveal a history of long and outstanding service spanning two wars. There is still a chance though. Given that Arthur came to Australia,

Apart from Arthur, few others are wearing service ribbons.

This suggests the photograph was taken before the Great War and that the soldiers were Territorials, on part-time service. it is possible that the old Repatriation Department records may still hold details of his time in the army, even though he was British.

Most state offices of National Archives of Australia (naa.gov.au) have access to at least index cards with brief details and reference to more substantial files, some of which contain copies of British Army service dossiers.

It’s worth a try.

Lieutenant Colonel Neil C Smith AM is head of Mostly Unsung, which publishes on Australian and British military history. Visit mostlyunsung.com.au

NEIL’S TIP War medals can be informative sources on an individual’s war service. For instance, all World War I medals to British Commonwealth veterans were impressed with the essential army number, rank, initials, surname and regiment. With the disc medals, the details are around the rim and for the star, on the reverse.

Even if you don’t have a copy of the medal for yourself, though, the type of medal or medals granted can give an indication of where the recipient proceeded on active service overseas.

Inside History | Nov-Dec 2015 |

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latest resources

WHAT’S NEW

ONLINE Billions of family history records at your fingertips. Millions more added every month. Sarah Trevor discovers the latest genealogical and historical collections available online to keep you up to speed.

ANCESTRY • • •

• • • • •

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1851 England Census Camberwell and Waverley Rate Books, 1857–1927 Find A Grave Index for Burials at Sea and other Select Burial Locations, 1300s–current Gloucestershire Wills and Inventories, 1541–1858 Leeds, Beckett Street Cemetery, 1845–1987 UK, City, Town and Village Photos, 1857–2005 Victoria Rate Books, 1855–1963 West Yorkshire Select Removal and Settlement

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Records, 1689–1866 Western Australia Public Service Lists, 1871–1905

•

Visit ancestry.com.au

FINDMYPAST • • • •

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Britain, Directories and Almanacs (various) Coffs Harbour District Schools Index, 1912–84 Ireland National School Registers, 1860–1920 National School Admission Registers and Log-Books, 1870–1914 (covering England and Wales) New South Wales

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1828 Census Householders’ Returns New Zealand, Nelson, Petition after the Wairau Incident, 1843 Prisoners of War, 1715–1945 Probate Calendars of England and Wales, 1858–1959 Various British and Irish newspapers

Visit findmypast.com.au

BRITISH NEWSPAPER ARCHIVE •

Army and Navy Gazette, 1860–62

• • • •

Daily Mirror, 1939–41; 1943–45 Glasgow Gazette, 1849–52 Kentish Gazette, 1788–96 Kings County Chronicle, 1845–52; 1855–71

Visit britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/home/ LatestAdditions for more

DECEASED ONLINE • •

Lancashire Burial Records Lewisham, London, burial and cremation records

IRISH NEWSPAPER ARCHIVES • • •

Visit irishnewsarchive.com

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Miscellaneous Durham birth, baptism, burial and marriage records

•

• • • •

Visit durhamrecords online.com •

FORCES WAR RECORDS • •

Hitler’s Black Book — List of Persons Wanted, 1940 Imperial Prisoners of War held in Japan

Visit forces-war-records. co.uk

•

Illustrated London News, 1842–89

Visit thegenealogist.co.uk

IRISH GENEALOGICAL RESEARCH SOCIETY •

Dublin Presbyterian Colporteur’s Notebook, 1875 (containing biographical notes of some 10,000 Dubliners)

Visit irishancestors.ie

British Jewry Book of Honour, 1914–18 (of Jews who served in the British and Empire forces during World War I) British Red Cross and Order of St John, Enquiry List, 1917 Imperial Prisoners of War Held In Italy, 1943 UK Air Force List, 1940 UK Armed Forces Awards and Mentions in Dispatches from the London Gazette, 1914–47 UK Army List, 1918; 1936; 1939; 1942; 1952 UK Royal Air Force (RAF) Formations List, 1918

Visit myheritage.com

ROOTS IRELAND •

THE GENEALOGIST •

•

First World War diaries (relating to the Battle of Loos — free to search, but fees apply to download the documents)

Visit nationalarchives.gov.uk

MYHERITAGE

Visit deceasedonline.com

DURHAM RECORDS ONLINE

Irish (Cork) Examiner, 1841–1989 Sligo Champion, 1950–current Strabane Chronicle, 1908–79

THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES, UK

Thurles, Tipperary, Roman Catholic parish records, 1795–1900

Visit rootsireland.ie

SCOTLANDSPEOPLE • •

•

FREE RESOURCES AUSTRALIAN HISTORY RESEARCH •

List of Second Fleeters who died on Norfolk Island

Visit australianhistory research.info

BENDIGO REGIONAL ARCHIVES CENTRE •

Bendigo Petitions to the People, 1870–99 (ongoing)

Visit brac.vic.gov.au

CLARE COUNTY LIBRARY •

• •

Baptismal Records for O’Callaghan’s Mills Parish, 1835–45 Kilrush Union Minute Books, 1849 McMahon Archival Collection (various records)

Visit clarelibrary.ie

1855 Valuation Rolls Deaths of Seamen, 1897–1974 (Scottish and other crew members serving on Britishregistered vessels) Returns of Deaths at Sea, 1902–05

Visit scotlandspeople. gov.uk

Inside History | Nov-Dec 2015 |

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• •

Records, 1843–1998 (updates) Warwickshire Parish Registers, 1535–1984 Various Welsh parish registers

Second World War archive (of casualties)

FEMALE CONVICTS RESEARCH CENTRE

PLACENAMES DATABASE OF IRELAND

Convict Petitions (updates)

IRELAND GENEALOGY PROJECTS ARCHIVES •

Visit cwgc.org

CO. TYRONE GENEALOGICAL WEBSITE •

Various parish records and family notes

•

They Served with Honour e-book on 13 Western Australian Aboriginal servicemen who served at Gallipoli

Various records and headstone inscriptions from various Irish counties

•

IRISH GENEALOGY •

Indexes to the Historic Civil Records (updates of birth, marriage and death records)

Visit irishgenealogy.ie

PORT MELBOURNE HISTORICAL AND PRESERVATION SOCIETY •

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE VICTORIA (PROV) •

List of Attendees at Fenian Commemorative Parade in Limerick, Ireland, 1867

•

Visit limerickslife.com •

Visit daa.wa.gov.au/ community-development/ they-served-with-honour

LONDON FAMILY SEARCH CENTRE •

DIGITAL REPOSITORY OF IRELAND •

Photographs of Dublin after the 1916 Easter Rising

Visit dri.ie

FAMILYSEARCH • •

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1841 and 1901 England and Wales Census New Zealand Probate

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England Jurisdiction Maps, 1851 (depicting the boundaries of different counties, dioceses, etc)

Visit londonfamilyhistory.org

NATIONAL LIBRARY OF SCOTLAND •

Ordnance Survey maps of various English counties

Visit nls.uk

Biographical details of various World War I enlistments from Port Melbourne

Visit portmelbfirstworld war100.org.au

LIMERICK’S LIFE •

Irish Historic Towns Atlas — Dublin, 1610–1847

Visit logainm.ie/en

Visit igp-web.com

Visit cotyroneireland.com

DEPARTMENT OF ABORIGINAL AFFAIRS, WA

Evening Star, 1865–1920

Visit paperspast.natlib.govt.nz

Visit femaleconvicts.org.au

•

•

Visit familysearch.org

•

COMMONWEALTH WAR GRAVES COMMISSION

PAPERS PAST (NATIONAL LIBRARY OF NEW ZEALAND)

•

Ballarat and Ballarat East Town Allotment Survey Plans, 1858–1938 Index to Body Cards (cardboard files including death records reported to the Melbourne Coroner’s Court), 1959–85 Index to Deeds of Composition (relating to financial dealings in Melbourne), 1871–98 Victorian Female Prison Registers, 1855–1934

Visit prov.vic.gov.au

QUEENSLAND STATE ARCHIVES • •

Index to Land Orders, 1865–66 Index to Stage Licences 1891–1904

Visit archives.qld.gov.au

ROYAL IRISH ACADEMY •

Irish Historic Town Atlas — Kilkenny

• • •

Visit ria.ie/research/ihta/ online-resources •

SCOTTISH INDEXES •

Sheriff Court Paternity Case Index (updates)

• •

Visit scottishindexes.com

STATE LIBRARY NSW •

Photographs of the 1965 Freedom Ride from the Tribune (on Flickr)

Visit sl.nsw.gov.au

STATE LIBRARY OF QUEENSLAND • •

•

• •

World War I papers of Francis Henry Staunton World War I papers of Herbert Thomas Moffitt Mallyon The Fighting Ninth journal (of 9th Battalions Association), 1947–87 World War I journal of Walter Malcolm Campbell World War I letters of John Bain Moncrieff

• •

•

• • •

• • • •

•

Visit slq.qld.gov.au

STATE RECORDS NSW •

Victoria Cross Winners with the AIF (from New South Wales and beyond)

•

•

The Millicent Times, SA, 1891–1905 The Colonist, TAS, 1888–91 The Colonist and Van Diemen’s Land Commercial and Agricultural Advertiser, TAS, 1832–34 The Derwent Star and Van Diemen’s Land Intelligencer, TAS, 1810–12 The Tasmanian Daily News, TAS, 1855–58 Tasmanian Tribune, TAS, 1872–76 Tribune, TAS, 1876–79 The True Colonist Van Diemen’s Land Political Despatch..., TAS, 1834–44 Bell’s Life in Victoria and Sporting Chronicle, VIC, 1857–68 The Maritime Worker, VIC, 1938–54 The Beverley Times, WA, 1905–77 The Black Range Courier and Sandstone Observer, WA, 1907–15 The Evening Star, (Boulder) WA, 1898–1921 Laverton Mercury, WA, 1899–1919 Meekatharra Miner, WA, 1909–18 The Moora Herald and Midland Districts Advocate, WA, 1914–30 Narrogin Observer and Williams District Representative, WA, 1905–18 The Southern Argus and Wagin-Arthur Express, WA, 1905–24 The Southern Cross Times, WA, 1900–20; 1923–40

• •

The Swan Express, WA, 1900–54 Truth, WA, 1903–31

Visit trove.nla.gov.au for more titles

UCL INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION (UK) •

Educational Times academic journal, 1847–56

Visit archive.ioe.ac.uk

UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND •

Diary of Refik Bey, a Turkish soldier who fought at Gallipoli (including English translation)

Visit library.uq.edu.au

WESTERN AUSTRALIAN GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY •

Index to Colonial Secretary’s Office — Inwards Correspondence, 1829–35 (surname index is freely accessible, but only members can access the individual volumes)

Visit membership.wags.org.au

Visit records.nsw.gov.au

TROVE • • • •

Statements from Prime Ministers for last 70 years The Protestant Standard, NSW, 1869–95 Tribune, NSW, 1939–54 Adelaide Times, SA, 1848–58

Handy Hint Do you have Irish ancestry? You can download a free copy of the 2015 edition of A Primer in Irish Genealogy, a guide written by Irish genealogist and author Sean J Murphy.

Visit homepage.eircom.net/~seanjmurphy/epubs/primer.pdf

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your history

Colonial encounters

This November, a new exhibition at the National Museum of Australia will reveal 149 Indigenous artefacts from the British Museum’s collection. Co-lead curator of Encounters, Ian Coates, talks to Sarah Trevor about working on this landmark event.

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NCOUNTERS IS part of a multiyear collaboration between the National Museum of Australia, the British Museum and 27 Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander communities from which these 149 objects had originated. It brings together these historic artefacts from around the country, alongside contemporary responses from local Indigenous communities, captured in film and art.

The origins A shield taken during Captain Cook’s first visit to Botany Bay in 1770. A striking c.1920s pearl shell ornament from the Kimberley. In total, 149 Indigenous artefacts from the British Museum’s vast collection will return to Australia for the National Museum of Australia’s landmark exhibition, Encounters. Being co-lead curator on the project is exciting and daunting: collected during various stages of colonisation, these priceless objects capture our frontier history — and two colliding worlds.

The idea came about during my stint in London at the British Museum — it was mine and that of my colleague Lissant Bolton, who is now the Keeper of the Africa, Oceania and the Americas Department of the British Museum.

She’s also an Australian. Initially I went there to better document their collection of that material.

As I started reconnecting the objects with the letters and archival material that had been sent into the museum at the time it was donated or purchased, I began constructing both the histories around those objects as well as thinking about what was really missing. I realised that we’ve made the connection between the European collectors and those objects from the past, but what’s really missing is the connections of these materials to Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander peoples today.

For anyone working in museums that hold that kind of material, there’s an ethical responsibility to be, as far as

possible, making information about that material available to communities today.

Initially Lissant and I thought, ‘Let’s do an exhibition in London at the British Museum.’ [The result of this was on display in London earlier this year, in the exhibition, Indigenous Australia: Enduring Civilisation].

Then we thought, ‘Let’s explore whether it’s possible to do an exhibition in Australia around that.’ We knew we wanted to talk with people from where the objects had originated, how they thought it should be displayed, what material they thought should be displayed and the kind of stories they thought should sit alongside those objects. It’s been a long and complex process, but it’s been very rewarding. You can’t always predict things people are going to say or how they feel about this material.

Top A dugong charm from the Torres Strait collected by Alfred Cort Haddon in 1888. The charm was believed to bring success when hunting dugong.

Left A shield made of red mangrove bark, believed to have been collected at Botany Bay during James Cook’s week-long visit in April 1770.

Opposite The Wingecarribee River, New South Wales, in 1824 by Joseph Lycett. Courtesy State Library of Victoria, ID 30328102131561/19.

The collaboration We wanted to bring together the British Museum, which holds this material (and there really isn’t anything quite like it in Australia) — and the expertise that the National Museum of Australia has in undertaking collaborative projects with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. And we’re two very different institutions: we have different histories, and different policies around various things.

But we both felt that it was a really important opportunity to link that earlier material with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities today. In many cases, they hadn’t known of that material and didn’t know what those objects were and if they were still around.

The collaboration with the communities evolved as we went out and visited the areas from where that material was collected, going back to 1770. And we worked with them, in the first instance, to make them aware of that material, showing them images and information available in various booklets.

But it wasn’t just about what the objects were; we were also trying to give them some of the history that goes with them.

That is, where they were collected from, who was involved, what they were doing there, when it happened. Because that’s often just as important as knowing what the objects are.

There was a huge range of responses among the Indigenous communities.

Some did know a bit about the objects.

But to others, it was a great surprise.

In some ways, in those very early moments of encounter when you don’t have a shared language or a shared culture, the exchanging of objects becomes a universal language.”

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At times there was a grieving process because people hadn’t been aware that this had been acquired — however it was acquired, whether it was gifted or taken, in some instances. By bringing it back into their knowledge, it almost came to operate as a signifier for other things that had been lost, like land and sometimes language. So it was a double-edged sword — it was great to find out about the material, but it was also an indicator of just how much had been lost.

But people are very sophisticated and there’s no one simple kind of emotion that covers it. Because, on the other hand, some people were really excited

Above “On Murray Island”, a watercolour painting by Tom Roberts, 1892.

shed insight on the objects. For example, in Cardwell in northern Queensland, there had been some objects collected there and one of them had been described as a kangaroo net. And they said, “Well, you don’t get kangaroos around here, because we’re in the rainforest!” So it would have been a turkey net or a bird net rather than a kangaroo net. What the collector at the time thought was going on isn’t what was going on.

Another example was from Albany in Western Australia, where there were some characteristic artefacts called ‘taap knives’, which you only find in southwestern Western Australia. And those communities looked at them — at these knives made in the mid-1830s — and they said, “That one wouldn’t have been made to be used because the flakes are all the wrong size and it’s made from the wrong material; they must have used it as a souvenir.”

That’s one of the great things about objects in museums: whenever you look at these objects, they give you a different insight into history to paper-based records, because they are tangible. How it’s made, and the material from which it’s made can give you — if you look at it properly — different insights into that history.

So looking into the materials that the knives had been made from, whether they were glass or stone, gave us insights into the kind of relationship that was going on in that place at that time. about the potential for knowledge about these objects to inform artists in making new objects or inspiring people to go out and try whole new traditions of weaving and things. For example, in the Richmond River area of northern New South Wales, where we worked with groups of women weavers, it inspired them to start making bags and baskets — initially the same as the ones in the collection. But then it continued, where the designs informed new things, such as fashion. It becomes a catalyst for renewed artistic endeavour.

There were instances where the Indigenous communities themselves

The objects As for the diversity of the exhibition, there’s about 6,000 objects in the British Museum, so we wanted to get a geographical spread as well as a chronological range. But it’s not a straight chronology.

As it turns out, one of the strengths of the British Museum’s collection is its really early material. It has the earliest suite of objects from the Swan River settlement in Perth for example, dating back to 1838, which is within 10 years of the establishment of the settlement. And there’s nothing like that in museums in Australia. Similarly, some of the Victorian and Tasmanian material is

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from the beginnings of the long colonisation process that unfolded.

This diversity of objects tells us a couple of things. One is that there’s no single narrative that describes what settlement or colonisation was like. There were lots of different people involved and they all had their motives and they all did things differently.

What these objects remind me is that many of them are the result of a personal encounter between a settler and an Indigenous person. And while they’re operating within a colonial system, they are individuals and they are making choices. There can be a range of contradictory things going on: there can be friendship; there can be violence.

Often there’s a lot of misunderstanding.

In some ways, in those very early moments of encounter when you don’t have a shared language or a shared culture, the exchanging of objects becomes a universal language. So it can get you past the language barrier. That’s not to say that there’s not power inequities involved in there. But every culture in the world is used to trade and trading objects.

But I think also that what the diversity of objects reveal is the tenuous nature of relations: one day people can be getting along fine and the next day, not so. Because the artefacts tie you to a particular place and a particular time, you can really start to unpack what’s going on in that place at that time. And hopefully get a sense of just how diverse that colonial history is across the nation.

The Torres Strait material is really extraordinary. There are masks dating back to the 1840s — wonderfully beautiful coral human figures. Some of the really amazing stuff was collected

by Alfred Cort Haddon, who was a zoologist at the time in 1888 and arrived at the Torres Strait intent on studying marine biology. He was so struck by the richness of the culture that he quickly started collecting incredibly ornate masks and all sorts of charms and material culture. And when he returned to England, he announced his intention of becoming an anthropologist rather than a zoologist. Ten years later he returned, leading the Cambridge Anthropological Expedition to the Torres Strait, which more or less changed the nature of anthropology.

And his photographs from his earlier trip are stunning.

There’s also an exceptionally beautiful dugong made out of stone that Haddon collected — it’s very striking.

But on that first trip, Haddon befriended an elder from the island called Tudu. The elder’s name was Maino. And Maino accompanied him on trips around the Strait, and imparted a lot of his cultural knowledge of what these objects were.

At one point Maino gave him some things that had belonged to his father and said, “I want these to go in a museum.”

In doing so, Maino realised the role of museums in grounding history and perhaps wanted to firm up his father’s place in the history of the Torres Strait. But now, we look back

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and it’s unexpected that someone would know that placing things in a museum has that kind of historical role.

The encounters The exhibition is called Encounters because it involves three sorts of encounters. The first are the ones that occurred between the people who collected the objects and the Indigenous people back in the 19th and 18th centuries.

The second encounter is the one that occurred between the British Museum’s collection and Indigenous people in communities today. The exhibition features their responses to that material — whether it be through quotes, new objects that we’d collected to display along the older ones, or films that they might have made.

The third encounter is the one which happens when visitors to the exhibition look at this material and reflect on what it tells us about the history that’s unrolled in this country and how we are all connected to that history. And, most importantly, that we need to acknowledge the impacts of British settlement on the Indigenous people in Australia, and have that as part of our national narrative.

The other thing about these objects — and another reason why I’m so excited about the exhibition — is that they offer us a different way into Australia’s history. There is something that happens when you look at these objects; the

time between then and now collapses.

For example, the shield and spears from Botany Bay that were collected by the crew of the Endeavour, probably James Cook or Joseph Banks — you can read about their encounters in documents of the time, but when you’re actually faced with these objects, you realise that they came from that moment in April 1770 when the British first stepped foot on the east coast of Australia. And the history that unfolds from that moment is what brought us to this point today — we wouldn’t be here if that hadn’t happened!

Suddenly you’re not 240 years away, you’re actually there; that object is there, reaching out to you from the past. 

Left Wooden shield from Shoalhaven, New South Wales.

Given to the British Museum in 1809.

Below left Mask made from turtle shell plates, Mer, Torres Strait islands.

Acquired by an unknown collector before 1855.

Opposite, from top Model of a water vessel from Oyster Cove, Tasmania, c.1850; Spears from Botany Bay, New South Wales, April 1770. Given to Lord Sandwich, Cook’s patron, and later to Trinity College, Cambridge. These are two of the four spears which remain from the 40-plus spears collected at Botany Bay in late April 1770. All images courtesy The Trustees of the British Museum, Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Cambridge and the National Museum of Australia, unless otherwise indicated.

Encounters is on show at the National Museum of Australia in Canberra from 27 November.

Visit nma.gov.au/exhibitions/ encounters

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