Issue 8: Jan-Feb 2012

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AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND

jan

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1920s HOBART house history in Tasmania

photo dating solving a family mystery

Jan–Feb 2012

motherhood

the experiences of mums since 1788

2 1 0 2 your

ea f r o r yea

din

take a bow

how to find your ancestor in the theatre

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at’s u r i t e k ? h W av o b o o f ry to s i h

spotlight

maori oral history exploring norfolk island

AUS $10.50 INCL GST NZ $11.95 INCL GST PRINTED ON FSC-APPROVED PAPER JAN–FEB 2012

darwin 1942

eyewitness accounts before and after

Tell your story

our family

AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND

PO Box 406 Erskineville NSW 2043 Australia Editor Cassie Mercer cass@insidehistory.com.au

AUS $10.50 INCL GST NZ $11.95 INCL GST PRINTED ON FSC-APPROVED PAPER JAN–FEB 2012

Online Editor Ben Mercer ben@insidehistory.com.au Designers Rohana Archer Maree Oaten Editorial contributors John Bailey Christine Clement Anthony Curtis Hazel Edwards Miranda Farrell Paula Grunseit Barbara Hall Jenny Robin Jones Alice Johnson Annie Payne Liz Pidgeon Leann Richards Jayne Shrimpton Maria Walsh Mark Webster Submissions Inside History welcomes feature submissions.

For guidelines, contact the editor Subscriptions See page 71 or subscribe online at www.insidehistory.com.au

Cover image Gosford Library in 1951 with Miss Mary Whealin, the first librarian, in the background.

Courtesy Gosford City Library

Inside History (ISSN 1838-5044) is published six times a year by Cassie Mercer (ABN 13 353 848 961) PO Box 406 Erskineville NSW 2043 Australia.

Views expressed by the authors are not necessarily those of the publisher. Copyright 2012 by Cassie Mercer and Inside History. All rights reserved.

Distributed by Gordon and Gotch Australia

Printed by Ligare Pty Ltd 138 Bonds Road Riverwood NSW 2210

Contents

On the cover

Issue 8, January-February 2012

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60

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Ask our experts We help a family with two mysterious photos, and look at Gloucestershire birth records

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On our doorstep As Darwin commemorates the 70th anniversary of a devastating bombing campaign, we talk to two residents of the city

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Was your ancestor a player?

Tracing someone who was treading the boards? Here’s where to find the best records

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Discovering Maori links We look at the resources to help with tracing Maori ancestry, plus the latest oral history collections online from FamilySearch

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A mother’s day Learn more about the experiences of your maternal forebears

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On Norfolk Island time One of the most important heritage sites for convict history is right on our doorstep

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Henry Balwin’s legacy The Tasmanian Art Gallery and Museum recreates 1920s Hobart

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Love history, love books?

We want to know your favourite history book, to celebrate the National Year of Reading 2012

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Contents 54

10 genie on the go 17

History apps We look at platforms that connect with the past no matter where you are in the world

your family 28

In their own words Annie Payne looks at how to encourage family members to record their stories

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History now How to write a non-boring family history 19 In the first of a series of six, Hazel Edwards looks Events you won’t want to miss around

Australia and New Zealand at how to get started with that book project

your history 32

Why I love my work We go behind the scenes with Maria Walsh from the Royal Australian Historical Society

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Quite a young man abroad How William Mackie Turnbull’s journey to New Zealand influenced his life in Melbourne

regulars 6

Ed’s letter

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Postie’s here!

Your thoughts, your say

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Bob’s your uncle Network with other descendants

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Digitising records at the local level; plus,

news from the history and genealogy world

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Finding gold in the records Stories of the Bathurst to Mudgee region, NSW

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Who was the real Ludwig Leichhardt?

The much maligned explorer should be proud of his accomplishments, says author John Bailey

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What we’re reading Great publications worthy of a spot on your book shelf

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One picture…1000 memories Where’s Wally? One reader shares her amazing family photo from the late 1930s

offers 70

Summer prize draw Win books and genealogy software!

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Subscribe to Inside History from just $31.50 for six months

editor’s letter

In the course of our research, it’s likely we’ve all come across an ancestor who signed their name with an “x”.

Immediately we can guess at their literacy skills and level of schooling, and can assume they probably weren’t taught to write, or read. But do you know that, even now, nearly half the population struggles to read a newspaper, follow a recipe or make sense of timetables? This year is the National Year of Reading (NYOR), a campaign started by our libraries and library associations to encourage people of all ages to discover and rediscover the joy of reading. To do our part and promote the campaign, we want to know your favourite history books. It’s a big call, so start combing those book shelves! To learn more, turn to page 65.

This issue is packed with terrific stories and advice to kick-start your research for 2012. Throughout this year, author Hazel Edwards will be giving us tips on how to write that genealogy book many of us want to finish. If you have any questions for Hazel relating to writing, send them in.

Her first column starts on page 35. Annie Payne shows how to encourage family members to tell their stories for future generations on page 28, and we look at how to trace ancestors who were in the theatre on page 38.

On page 50 we look at women’s experiences of motherhood over the past 223 years, visit the stunning Norfolk Island (page 54), and bring you the remarkable story of Markree House and Museum in Hobart , a much-loved family property that was gifted to the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (page 60). And our expert photo historian Jayne Shrimpton is back with some terrific advice on page 14 for a family in South Australia. Plus there’s so much more.

Whether you’re relaxing on a beach, catching up with family or escaping the heat by chasing ancestors in your local library, we wish you a happy new year!

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what’s on

History now

From high tea to inheritance records: events this summer

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Inside History | Jan-Feb 2012 |

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Webinar: Does the SAG have that?

January 16 Here is another reason to join the Society of Australian Genealogists (SAG) in 2012 (as if you needed one!): members can join their regular webinars, no matter where you are in Australia. The first one for this year is presented by Heather Garnsey, and focuses on the SAG online library catalogue — what’s on there, how to do effective searches, what the results mean, and how to ensure those searches are tailored to your specific interests. All this from the comfort of your own home. Bookings are essential.

Visit www.sag.org.au/events/webinars

Bidwill: A Botanist Cut Short February 22 Hosted by the Sydney & Northern NSW Branch of the Australian Garden History Society, this event profiles the work of early botanist, John Carne Bidwill. Arriving in Sydney in 1838, Bidwill travelled along the east coast and New Zealand, and is credited with discovering the Queensland kauri pine, among other plant species. The Branch’s committee chair Stuart Read will be giving the talk held at the National Trust Centre at Observatory Hill. Bookings are essential and light refreshments are included.

Call 02 9997 5995

Inheritance in Queensland 1859–1981 January 21 Records of property can often leave a paper trail that is a goldmine for family historians. Brisbane-based lawyer and author Paul Sayer will be looking at the different sets of rules relating to the inheritance of real and personal property in Queensland from 1867 to 1877 and changes to the intestacy rules over the following century. Bookings are essential.

Visit www.gsq.org.au or call 07 3891 5085

Hats Off!

Until February 1 Come along to Albury City’s Library Museum for a trip down milliner’s lane!

Celebrate the history of the hat as a status symbol, uniform and fashion statement at this special exhibition. Plus, on February 4 you can create your own masterpiece at a workshop with local milliner Rachael Hart.

Visit www.alburycity.nsw.gov.au Finding Antarctica: Mapping the Last Continent Until February 19 To celebrate the centenary of the expedition led by Douglas Mawson to Antarctica, the State Library of New South Wales is showcasing its magnificent collection of maps relating to the continent. View the woodcut maps of the 15th century, through to the satellite scans of the 21st century. Plus, learn about the forgotten heroes of the expedition — the Western Base Party who spent 12 months exploring the Shackleton Ice Shelf. For the very first time, hear the words of meteorologist Moreton Henry Moyes, who was accidentally left alone on the Shelf for 10 weeks!

Visit www.sl.nsw.gov.au

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Irish Catholic Records February 18 Are your ancestors Irish Catholic? Archivist Saadia Thomson Dwyer presents a seminar on how to research your Catholic Irish ancestors in Ireland from the late 18th century to modern times through the many Irish Catholic records now online.

Visit www.gsq.org.au or call 07 3891 5085

From Ship to Shore From January 5 As every family historian knows, diaries can be a wonderful source of information about our ancestors or the context in which they lived. Through this State Library of Queensland travelling exhibition, diaries describing 19th-century immigration, South Sea Islander labour recruitment, and a post-World War II immigration voyage offer a glimpse into the activities of men and women from very different backgrounds, occupations and classes. At Atherton Library from January 16 to February 8, then Julia Creek Library from February 18 to March 12.

Visit www.slq.qld.gov.au

Inside: Life in Children’s Homes and Institutions Until February 26 Held at the National Museum of Australia, this exhibition features the voices and personal objects of the forgotten Australians who experienced institutionalised care as children. The exhibition is an opportunity for all Australians to discover an important aspect of their nation’s history that remained hidden for so long.

Visit www.nma.gov.au A Maritime Tragedy of 1886 February 7 At the Heraldry & Genealogy Society of Canberra’s first monthly meeting for 2012, guests will be joined by speaker Graeme Barrow.

Author of Who Lied? The Ly-ee-Moon Disaster and a Question of Truth, Barrow will talk about about the tragedy of the Ly-ee-Moon passenger steamer, which was mysteriously wrecked on the New South Wales’ south coast as she sailed north from Melbourne in 1886. A total of 71 lives were lost, including the mother of Australia’s only saint, Mary MacKillop. Barrow will discuss the colourful history of the ship, plus recount some of his adventures in trying to determine the correct names of some of those who died.

Visit www.hagsoc.org.au

Summer Barbecue January 27 The Mersey Branch of the Tasmanian Family History Society Inc will be kicking off the new year with its annual summer barbecue event. You can expect a fascinating talk by a special guest speaker who will be presenting at 5pm, followed by dinner from the barbie starting at 6pm.

Be sure to keep an eye on their website for further details as they come.

Visit www.tfhsdev.com

Tour of the National Archives, Perth February 23 This seminar will introduce participants to the great range of records held by the National Archives of Australia. The records are a fantastic resource for both family historians and professional researchers. The tour will include a visit to the repository as well as an opportunity to view a display of original and facsimile records. The event is free but bookings are essential.

Call 08 9470 7500

The rocky shoreline of Eden, NSW, near where the Ly-eeMoon came to grief

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Picture This City: History and Photography in Moonee Valley, North Melbourne Until February 26 This photographic exhibition at the Incinerator Gallery depicts the historical development of Moonee Valley through images taken by local photographers over the past 150 years. Artist Elizabeth Gertsakis explores the history of the community through its social clubs, theatre societies and sporting groups with a series of photographic collages and multi-media presentations. She also delves into the community’s concern about urban development and protecting the natural environment, which continues to be of relevance today.

Call 03 8325 1750

Moonee Valley resident Florrie Stephenson, photographed in the 1920s

Beginning Irish Family History Starts February 7 If you’re just beginning to trace your Irish family history, here’s something to make the process a little easier.

An upcoming course held by the Genealogical Society of Victoria will teach participants how to investigate their Irish ancestral roots in four two-hour sessions during February. Held in the meeting room at the GSV, the course will cover recording and documenting sources, investigating land divisions and records, maps and gazetteers, wills and probate and more.

Visit www.gsv.org.au

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Caring for Your Photos and Documents February 9 The Public Record Office Victoria is hosting an event where you can learn how to keep your precious photographs or paper documents in tip-top condition. Nick Selenitsch, special projects conservator at the University of Melbourne, will discuss the factors that lead to the deterioration of fragile paper items and will give advice on how to best preserve your valuable collections. Participants are invited to bring in examples of photographs or paper documents for specific conservation advice during this workshop.

Visit www.prov.vic.gov.au

Annie Payne — Magical Memory Triggers February 23 Historian and Inside History contributor, Annie Payne, will present at the February General Meeting of the South East Family History Group. Annie operates ‘History from the Heart’, an organisation dedicated to helping people preserve their family stories before time passes and memories fade. She is also the ambassador for the Living Legacy Project — an international initiative aiming to save the stories that comprise 20th century history. Annie’s talk at the SEFHG will discuss “magical memory triggers” and the secret to unlocking your memory.

Call 08 8733 1100 Read Annie Payne’s article on page 28

Ancestry and Artefact: Exploring Who I Am Through History and Art Finishes January 29 Art students from Marryatville High School have developed an exhibition telling the story of their own personal history, their ancestry and the broader migration stories of South Australia.

Some of the artworks have been inspired by objects of the Migration Museum connected to the students’ family histories, others by the students’ own family mementoes or stories. It is a wonderful example of how the disciplines of history and art can complement each other.

Email migration@history.sa.gov.au

Waitangi Day and Festival 2012 February 4 to 6 Each year many New Zealanders gather to commemorate the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi on the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, overlooking the Bay of Islands. This year is no different, with a number of events highlighting the historical significance of February 6, including an airshow by the Royal New Zealand Air Force aerobatic flying team, free concerts and fun and games for the whole family.

Visit www.waitangi.net.nz

Planning a genealogy, history or heritage event that you would like to share with Inside History readers? We’d love to hear from you.

Contact us at the details on page 5.

Smith Street in Darwin, before the bombing campaign of 1942

Library of Quee Courtesy Darwin City Council, State Words Miranda Farrell Images

nsland

High Tea at Alberton February 23 to 26 This February you’re invited to enjoy high tea in the grounds of historic Alberton, Auckland. Built in 1863, Alberton is a romantic timber mansion famous in the 19th century for its balls, garden parties and music. Some of the property’s original family furniture remains and several of the rooms retain their 19th-century wallpaper. Guests will enjoy traditional tea service with all the romantic ambience that the historic house and garden provide. Bookings are essential.

Email alberton@historic.org.nz

Frontline Australia February 11 to 26 On 19 February 1942 two Japanese raids on Darwin saw over 240 people killed, many wounded, and civil and military facilities in the area devastated. For the 70th anniversary of this tragic event, Frontline Australia is hosting a two-week program of activities to commemorate the lives of those lost, and ensure these events are remembered by a new generation of Australians. Events include a morning service at the Darwin Cenotaph, photo exhibition, film festival, and a commemorative football match.

Visit www.frontlineaustralia.com.au

Inside History | Jan-Feb 2012 |

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your history

Finding gold in the records In our regular column, we’re featuring history and family history societies, showcasing the collections they hold, and their projects on the go. Here, we talk to Lorraine Purcell from NSW’s Hill End & Tambaroora Gathering Group about curating history in a gold-field town What areas of Australia does your society cover?

Where are you and what are your opening hours?

The goldfield areas of Hill End and Tambaroora in the central west area of New South Wales, between Bathurst and Mudgee.

As we do not currently have dedicated premises all the material is held in my workroom in Carlton, Sydney. People are welcome to make a time to use the material available by calling me on 02 95870352 or emailing me at heatgg@yahoo.com.au.

People can visit the Hill End Visitors Centre to discuss their family history with Daphne Shead.

Daphne is at the centre usually on Saturdays from 10am to 3pm or by appointment. Phone 02 6337 8218 or email hillendfh@yahoo.com.au before visiting.

When did the society open its doors?

The group started to meet in the 1930s. It has never had a home as such, and started as a reunion gathering for those who had grown up in the Hill End area. It was a meeting of those who were still living there and those who had left the area after the decline of the gold fields. They met in the Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney once a year. As the older generation passed on, the descendants of these early pioneers continued the tradition, and now it has evolved into more of a family history gathering.

We aim to try to connect descendants who may be researching the same families as well as provide information about the times that the ancestors lived and worked in the area.

What is the cost to join?

There is no charge, however we do rely on donations to print and distribute our twice-yearly newsletter.

List the five most popular records that you hold.

1 Hill End & Tambaroora Pioneer Register (600 families recorded) and additional material sent in by family members after its publication.

Above Clarke Street, Hill End in 1872 Opposite Clarke Street as it currently looks Inset A family outside their home, an image that’s part of the Holtermann Collection

Do you want to highlight the great work being done by your local society? Contact Inside History at cass@insidehistory.com.au

2 Numerous transcribed and indexed petitions and memorials from State Records New South Wales (SRNSW), listing people in the area from 1852 to 1900.

3 Hill End Family History database with more than 17,000 individual names, prepared by Daphne Shead.

4 A compilation of births, deaths and marriages in Hill End and Tambaroora, with additional material added from primary sources. This includes variations on spellings of names as well.

5 Indexes to early books and local histories on the area.

As told to Cassie Mercer

What are your current projects?

One of our on-going projects is to complete the transcribing and indexing of the SRNSW material for our database. We’re in the midst of producing our next publication, called A Visit to the Western Goldfields.

It’s a contemporary account from the Sydney Morning Herald in 1858–9. Due out in mid-2012, it will include additional material and early maps of the area.

Plus, we’re working on a biographical record of the soldiers from the Hill End area who enlisted for WWI, in preparation for the centenary in 2014. We would love to hear from anyone who has photos or information about these soldiers.

What record at your society is underutilised?

The society has access to the Holtermann collection of photographs through the State Library of NSW

(SLNSW). The collection came about after a meeting between gold miner Bernard Otto Holtermann and photographer Beaufoy Merlin in 1872.

Holtermann had been associated with the recent discovery of the world’s largest specimen of reef gold, weighing 145kg, extracted from nearby Tambaroora. Merlin had just opened a studio in Hill End. In January 1873, the two announced their plans for Holtermann’s Great International Travelling Exposition, which would publicise the potential of their adopted country to the world through photography. Holtermann’s patronage enabled Merlin and his assistant Charles Bayliss of the American & Australasian Photographic Company to photograph the goldfields towns.

Around 3500 negatives have survived and are held by the SLNSW. Many of the photos are named and descendants have found their ancestors’ portraits and homes among the collection.

What’s happening over the next 12 months?

In addition to our on-going projects, our next gathering will be on March 10, in Rhodes Park, Sydney. We welcome anyone with Hill End connections to come along. We also hold a market day in Hill End on the Easter weekend and the October long weekend. Please email me for more details. 

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your history

On our doorstep

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or most Australians, WWII was experienced through the harsh realities of life on the homefront — rationing, munitions factories and the constant fear for those caught in the fighting; soldiers close at heart but geographically a world away.

For the residents of Australia’s Top End, however, it was a period defined by repeated direct attacks, when Japanese bombing raids brought a war to Australian soil for the first time. A terror that would last for almost two years, it was heralded by the first bombing of Darwin city on February 19, 1942, inflicting a death toll of 240. Numerous bombings were to follow, with targets including Livingstone Airfield, Bynoe Harbour and the small town of Batchelor.

This February marks the 70th anniversary of the remarkable historic event. To commemorate it Darwin City Council is hosting Frontline, a two-week program of events to recognise the people who were impacted when the war came to Australia, both civilians and servicemen. Darwin Lord Mayor Graeme Sawyer is hoping that February 19 will eventually be recognised a new national day of remembrance, as a way of ensuring that the events of 1942 are not forgotten. “The formal recognition of a national day of observance will ensure the

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older generation will have an opportunity to pass the baton of remembrance on to younger Australians,” says Mr Sawyer.

For many of the survivors of the Darwin bombings, it is an event that remains clearly etched in their memories despite the passing of time.

Alva Curtis, who was serving as an Adelaide River nurse during the war, explained her memory of the raids came from it coinciding with the cycle of the moon. “Planes didn’t have the technology then that they do now so the pilots relied on the light of the moon to know where to bomb.

“Darwin was bombed every full moon. Whenever the siren went off, it was lights out, under our beds and no one was allowed to smoke — everyone smoked back then.”

One of the many close calls Alva experienced during her time stationed there, was spent sheltering in a dugout trench for more than five hours. “We were travelling back to Adelaide River when we were stopped at Winnellie by troops who said the planes were coming. It was only 6:30 in the evening but boy those planes came.

“They [the Japanese] were dropping ‘daisy cutters’ and it lasted hours. When we thought it was safe we got back into the jeep and had another go,

Images Courtesy Darwin City Council

On February 19, 2012, Australia will pause to remember the 70th anniversary of the bombing of Darwin. Alice Johnson explores the legacy of this defining moment in Australia’s military history

Darwin Post Office, where more than nine people lost their lives in the first bombing Inset The evacuation of civilians begins Opposite Switchboard operators in Darwin. The date of the photo is unknown, but is presumed to the early ’40s

but we didn’t get too far before we had to make another run for it,” says Alva.

Of course the effects of war continued to linger long after the final bombs were dropped. Margaret Stevens moved to Darwin in 1948 to work as a stenographer. As a 21-year-old dreaming of an adventure to London, Darwin’s higher post-war wages made it an adventure worth her while.

“In Sydney I was only being paid £3 a week, but in Darwin working for the police department I was easily earning £8 a week. It seemed very appealing at the time.

“In those days I was only a girl, and like most girls my age I wanted to go to England,” explains Margaret. “I went to Darwin and lived in a women’s hostel and worked in the only jobs available — government jobs. I met my husband-to-be who was working in Darwin as a police officer after serving in New Guinea throughout the war, and we were married in 1950.”

The rebuilding process of the city was a slow one.

The angel statue adorning the Catholic church where Margaret and Jack were married was riddled with bullet holes, a visible symbol of the war’s legacy.

“When we arrived there were burnt-out buildings everywhere, the destroyed ships were still in the

harbour,” says Margaret. “It was such a shock, we just didn’t really know about it. It was never clearly spelled out to us in other areas of the country. It wasn’t widely known that the Japanese had entered the mainland. We knew they were in New Guinea, but we didn’t really know Darwin or Broome had been so widely attacked, or to such an extent.”

“It was all a bit much for me as a young mum.

The place had been so badly damaged and there were very few families, just people who were attracted by the pay like us. When an opportunity came up in Randwick, Sydney, we moved back and settled there.”

Margaret and Jack returned to Darwin in the mid 1990s to discover a thriving new city, bearing little resemblance to the scarred town of their post-war years. It’s a discovery that will be made by the hundreds of civilians and diggers expected to return for February’s commemorative program, to remember one of Australia’s defining military periods. 

MORE For more on the event program, turn to

page 23 or visit www.frontlineaustralia.com.au

Inside History | Jan-Feb 2012 |

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your family

Quite a young man abroad 46

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Below The Melbourne Lying-in Hospital in 1858, now called the Royal Women’s Hospital. Opposite Dr Turnbull was honorary physician at the hospital from 1858 to 1867

The Royal Women’s Hospital in Melbourne, as it is now known, was Australia’s first hospital to train nurses and, in 1865, to teach obstetrics and gynaecology to medical students. It also harboured, as one of its earliest obstetricians, an argumentative Scot by the name of William Mackie Turnbull. Jenny Robin Jones uncovers the story of a transformative voyage in 1842 that brought him to the Antipodes

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he Melbourne Lying-in Hospital and Infirmary for Diseases of Women and Children was founded in 1856 at the insistence of a committee of public-spirited women and two doctors to meet a pressing need. The flip side of all those diggers pouring in from the end of 1851, scouring Bendigo, Ballarat, Ararat and Mount Alexander for immediate wealth, was too many destitute and pregnant women for the gentry to ignore.

Two years later one of the doctors, John Maund, died and Dr Turnbull, who ran a large thriving practice in Melbourne’s Russell Street, replaced him as honorary physician, a post he held until his death in 1867. He played a vocal role, often engaging in battle with the other doctor, the flamboyant Richard Tracy. He won some, he lost some. Calvinist to the core, he prided himself on his honesty and willingness to express an unpopular view.

Where did these early doctors come from and what were their formative experiences? Some of the answers regarding Dr Turnbull came to light during research for my new book, No Simple Passage: The Journey of the London to New Zealand, 1842.

From the early 1840s, when emigrants from England began sailing to New Zealand, eager young men applied for the position of surgeon on the voyage. They were given a cabin, ate at the captain’s table and were paid upon the safe arrival of their charges. Many of them had negligible qualifications and no experience of medicine whatsoever.

William Mackie Turnbull was more nobly called. Training in Edinburgh, he soon possessed a solid grounding in the medicine of his day and obtained his MD with a thesis on uterine haemorrhage. He was lucky enough to study under the great obstetrician and midwifery professor, 

Inside History | Jan-Feb 2012 |

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travel

On Norfolk Island time It’s a tiny speck in the vast ocean between Australia and New Zealand. Yet Norfolk Island packs a punch when it comes to history. Cassie Mercer discovers that it’s full of sites to explore, experiences to enjoy, and wonderful hospitality from the residents who call it home

The view over KAHVA looking south to Nepean Island. The buildings along Quality Row sit in the foreground

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good place to get a feeling for what it is to be part here is a tradition on Norfolk Island, that of the Norfolk community. KAVHA is of such when a resident turns 100, that same number significance to our understanding of convict of Norfolk Island trees is planted in their honour. history, that it was added to UNESCO’s World To be able to spend a lifetime on this idyllic and Heritage List in 2010. peaceful island is worthy of celebration indeed, I learn that the island’s official history is although some of the first European settlers divided into three settlement periods; the first, would have thought the opposite.

1788 to 1814; the second, 1825 On the day I arrive, it’s a comfortable 23°C, and I’m “Quality Row dates to 1855; and the third, from 1856 onwards. There is excited to start exploring the from the 1830s, evidence the Polynesians island. But what to do first? Do and is incredibly visited the island in the 14th I walk the 2km to the top of Mt or 15th century, but they did Bates for a bird’s eye view of the impressive in its not appear to settle long-term. entire island? Head straight to Georgian scale.”

It was on March 6, 1788, the Kingston and Arthur’s Vale that a party comprised of 24 Historic Area (KAVHA) that I’ve settlers: eight free men, 15 convicts and the heard so much about? And what about the commandant, Lieutenant Phillip Gidley King island’s very old cemetery? I can’t wait to visit landed on Norfolk Island and hoisted up the that. Luckily it’s National Heritage Week on British colours. The purpose of the settlement was the island, so there’s even more history events to provide pine and flax to refurbish the ships happening than normal. My first port of call is now stationed around Port Jackson, as a farm to KAVHA, where I attend a fascinating lecture on feed the colony, and to deter any thoughts the  the history of the settlement on the island. It’s a

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Inside History Explore your past, enrich your future

d City Library Image Gosford Library 1951. Courtesy Gosfor

Love history, love books?

To celebrate 2012 being the National Year of Reading, we want you to nominate your favourite history book!

Inside History is delighted to share in this year-long celebration. We’re one of the partners of the National Year of Reading 2012, a campaign about children learning to read and keen readers finding new sources of inspiration. It’s about supporting reading initiatives while respecting the oral tradition of storytelling. And it’s about helping people discover and rediscover the magic of books. Read more about the initiative at www.love2read.org.au.

Over the next few months, we’ll be asking you to nominate your favourite history and genealogy books! It’s a big call we know, so get thinking about publications that made you love history, or that contributed to your research. Enter as many titles as you wish. Then, in mid-2012, we’ll publish the top 10 nominations and ask Inside History readers to vote for their favourite, to be announced in late 2012. A few rules: the book must be non-fiction, and published in Australia or New Zealand in English. To nominate a book, email cass@insidehistory.com.au or write to Inside History PO Box 406 Erskineville NSW 2043. Entries close 5pm, April 24, 2012.

Inside History | Jan-Feb 2012 |

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b2

1920s HOBART

We have all the tools and historical records you need to get started.

house history in Tasmania

Create your family tree online using our FREE family tree tool.

Grow your tree with the help of Ancestry Hints™ which list possible matches of people in your tree to historical records and other member trees on the site.

photo dating solving a family mystery

Add further generations to your tree by accessing 7 billion searchable family history records from Australia and around the world, including the most comprehensive online index of Australian birth, marriage and death records.

Get started today and you will be amazed at what you can discover.

Jan–Feb 2012

Learn more about your ancestors by viewing authentic images of historical records such as passenger lists from the First Fleet and other original Australian documents dating back to 1788.

Plus you can also access original documents from the UK, Canada, the US and Europe.

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jan

Research and build your family tree online

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AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND

motherhood

the experiences of mums since 1788

2 1 0 2 your

r yea

of

d rea

take a bow

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