A Long Life of Service

To say that Esther Batstone (1888–1992) led a full life is an understatement, a life that appears etched into her face. These two photographs show Esther in the latter years of her life. The first, aged 92 at home in Guinea Street and still looking sprightly and the second, aged 103 at the Marianella Aged […]

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One Family, Two Uniforms

The two uniforms presented here belonged to Arthur Donald (Donald) Watson (1889–1934) and his daughter Patricia Elizabeth Watson (1920–2003) respectively and cover both World Wars with the ribbons, patches and badges detailing their service and rank. Donald’s service is a story in two parts. After serving with the 9th Regiment of the 1st Australian Light […]

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The Many Faces of Ernest Dunton

As demonstrated by the maker of this clock, Ernest Dunton, and his employer, Morris Blasbalk, to be a watchmaker in the late nineteenth century required more than just the skill of making and fixing clocks. Ernest John Dunton (b. 1878) was born in Wagga Wagga and completed a watchmaker apprenticeship with D. P. Symington in […]

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The Peculiar Print

Standing in front of this portrait of Queen Victoria you might wonder why there are vertical lines running through it but stepping to either side solves this mystery. A step to the right reveals a portrait of Prince Albert, the Prince of Wales, and a step to the left reveals a portrait of his wife, […]

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The Best Business Sites in Town

In 1902, the real estate agency Holmes, Wickham, and Co. received instruction to sell by auction a subdivision belonging to J. E. Spurr in Germanton (now known as Holbrook). On the 14th of March, the day prior to the sale, The Albury Banner and Wodonga Express reported that Germanton was quickly developing, and that this […]

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Pigeons, Pansies, and Putt-Putt Golf

The young couple in the first photograph are Jane Wilhelmina Esther (Esther) Arnold (1888–1992) and Albert John Batstone (1885–1965). They were married in a ‘quiet ceremony’ on 1st August 1911 at St Matthew’s Church in Albury. This marriage brought together two old business families of Albury. Albert’s father, John George established a cabinet-making and furniture […]

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Purl One For Climate

The ‘Knitting Nannas’ knit in public, and they knit for a purpose – to promote awareness and action around renewable energy. A regular feature around town in Albury, the ‘Nannas’ are prolific producers of climate change scarves which they describe as an alarmingly graphic representation of scientific data.     […]

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Drysdale’s German Shopkeeper

The budding gardener in this photograph, Gustav (Gus) Friedrich Wagner (1881-1950) was the third of the six children of Peter Christian Wagner and his wife, Johanna Hermina ‘Mina’ (nee Rosler). Gus would become a mainstay of Jindera society, operating Wagner’s store for 36 years until his death and was reputedly the subject of Russell Drysdale’s […]

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A Man of Many Parts

This photograph shows Herbert Norman Palmer (1857–1931) in his Mounted Police uniform, minus hat, and is thought to have been taken upon his retirement in 1917. Palmer joined the NSW Mounted Police in 1891 and was posted across a number of stations in the Greater Hume region including Albury, Gundagai, Wagga, Tumut and Coolamon. In […]

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A Bit of Love in Every Stitch

This elaborately embroidered coat was once worn by Gustav (Gus) Friedrich Wagner (1881–1950) and is thought to have been made by his mother, Johanna Hermine (Mina) (1857–1921) in the nineteenth century German style. The coat is made from black cotton velvet with white embroidery and lace trim and bone false buttons. The side view of […]

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