In nineteenth-century NSW, owning horses and cattle was common. An important asset for many, losing a horse, cow or bullock could mean losing your transport or livelihood. Livestock was a favoured target of thieves who were only abetted by patchy fencing and primitive communications. In the 1860s, newspapers fretted that cattle stealing had reached ‘alarming […]
The Berry Central Creamery was built in 1895 and within a few years became the first factory in NSW to adopt pasteurisation technology. Farmers from across the region delivered their milk to the Creamery, then described as ‘the largest and most complete butter factory in the colony.’ This advertisement was printed and distributed in England. […]
Made before decimal currency was adopted in Australia, this bank bag was used in Berry by customers and staff of the local English, Scottish and Australian Bank (ES&A Bank) up until its closure. In 1884-5, the ES&A Bank began building a branch in the country town of Berry. The building was one of five small-scale […]
This printing stone was used by The English, Scottish & Australian Bank to make blank cheques for its customer, the Berry Central Butter Factory. Cheques made from this stone were used by the company to pay its bills, including to local milk producers. Cheques came into existence as far back as the seventeenth century and […]
In her photographs of Tamworth, Judith Ahern shows us the characters and camaraderie of its famous country music festival with unflinching honesty; capturing everything but the sound of the music itself. Ahern took her camera backstage, into the pubs, and out to the streets during the festivals of the late-1980s, when Tamworth was cementing its […]
Christenings are an important life occasion. Surrounded by family and friends, parents lovingly hold their infant over the church font while a priest or pastor blesses the infant with consecrated water. A new infant is introduced to its community and the child’s name is formally announced. Historically, pregnancy and birth were very private affairs, and […]
One day while Bert Jorgenson was in the bush near Berry, he found a strong-looking sapling branch, perfect for the purpose he had in mind. He needed a whip to use on his bullock teams that hauled the massive trees felled from the local forests. Rather than buy one readymade, Bert found what he needed […]
‘Now I can’t fly but I’m telling you, I can run the pants off a Kangaroo.’ These are the beloved lyrics of John Williamson’s song, Old Man Emu, featured here in an original Australian release of the song’s sheet music. John Williamson AM was born into a wheat farming family in 1945. In 1965 Williamson […]
Two kilometres south of the town of Berry, on Broughton Creek in Dharawal Country, is a peaceful boat ramp. Today, when standing at this serene spot, it is hard to imagine the scene over one hundred years ago when the busy Berry Wharf was operated from here, by the Scottish-born settler David Berry (1795-1889). The […]
With everyday commodities rarely provided to Australian Prisoners of War (POW) held at the Changi Prison in Singapore during WWII (1939-1945), former prisoner Bob Kelsey recalled that he and others made a host of items from anything they could get hold of. This included smoking pipes, made from bamboo, guava wood, or clay like the […]
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