Echoes of Care

The rhythmic tap of heels on lino floors, the soft beeps of monitors, and the murmur of hushed voices – the Glen Innes hospital has been a place of care for more than 130 years. First established in 1887 after petitioning from the local community, the hospital has continued to grow from its humble beginnings […]

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Under the Skin

Exposed organs, popping eyeballs, and the lumpy, snaking texture of a brain might not be a sight you’d like to start the day with. However, for those in the medical profession, understanding what goes on under the skin is often essential to providing proper health care. Historically, doctors often used cadavers to provide insights into […]

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Unparalleled Excitement

Once a ‘sleepy hollow’, Glen Innes in northern NSW became a ‘scene of unparalleled excitement’ when tin was discovered in the district in the 1870s. There was a huge influx of miners and ‘hotels were thronged with eager and excited visitors from all parts of the world.’ ‘Shops of all descriptions sprang into existence.’ As […]

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Under the Bonnet

Handmade of high-quality fabrics and in the typical style of the period, this pleated grey bonnet was one of Martha Ann Cotterell’s (née Tarrant) (1825-1891) most prized possessions. Martha grew up in the middle of London, where she met Thomas Cotterell (1825-1903). On their wedding day in 1848, Martha was dressed to the latest fashion, […]

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Salt and Patience

Thomas Nichols of Bonshaw, a small town on the border of NSW and Queensland, must have been a patient man. Crafted in 1917, this rope required a process that took him several weeks.  Made from the skin of a bullock owned by Len Mott of Llangothlin, a town 150km south of Bonshaw, the first step […]

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Pillar of Trust

In Australia, particularly in regional or isolated communities, pharmacists were some of the most trusted and respected people as they applied their knowledge to keep their community healthy. Pharmacy in Australia was largely based on practices that had been established in England, where pharmacies were separate from doctors and held sole dispensing rights for prescribed […]

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Painful Ideal

We know Ethel May Snow (née Lynn) (1900-1965) of Glen Innes in northern NSW, preferred to be called May because, in her portrait, she wears a brooch with that name at her throat. In the studio photograph, May is impeccably dressed in the idealised fashion of the 1910s. It was a style that would soon […]

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Kwong Sing & Co

Established in Glen Innes in 1886, Kwong Sing & Co was more than a store — it was a sensory experience. Visitors were met with the clatter of horse-drawn carts, the aroma of sawdust on wooden floors, the soft chime of tonic bottles and coins against shop counters. The emporium supplied everything from medicines and […]

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Kindly Heart

There are ‘few better loved women’ in Glen Innes, northern NSW, than Miss Kate McCann. As the longest-serving teacher at Glencoe Public School just south of Glen Innes, McCann (also known as Biddy) had a ‘kindly heart’ and ‘sterling character.’ McCann was born in Ireland in 1865 and emigrated to Australia with her family. At […]

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Giving and Marching

two pale, rectangular wooden boxes attached to paddle shapes which act as a handle. They are labelled "BAND"

Lucky number 160? The Glen Innes Salvation Army Corps may think so! In 1887, they became the 160th Salvation Army corps to be established in Australia. The corps (church) was opened by first officer Captain Ernest Booth, who some believe was a relative of the founder of the Salvation Army in London, General William Booth. […]

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