The Iluka Memorial Hall was fit to burst. One hundred and fifty guests in their best formal attire had gathered to celebrate the 21st ‘birthday boys,’ John Collis and William (Bill) Coombes. Attendees sat along formal dining tables decorated with fragrant flowers and Bangalow palms, filling themselves up with generous servings of crab sandwiches and […]
Since Australia’s colonial beginnings, Irish migrants have played a major role in the development of townships across the country. The Hickey family in Iluka, a small fishing town at the mouth of the Clarence River, was no exception. John Hetherington Hickey Sr. (d. 1926) and Eliza Gore Hickey (née Phillips) (1861-1894) were originally from Clonmel, […]
Prior to Federation, the six colonies were truly separate entities, each with borders maintained by their own small militia. But small permanent forces supported by volunteers and British naval patrols were not going to cut it long-term. The fallibility of these forces was broadly understood and so the formation of the Commonwealth of Australia in […]
Sydney Wentworth (Syd) Nicholls (1896-1977) was the creator of one of Australia’s favourite comic strips, Fatty Finn (1924-1977). It followed the weekly high jinks of a rambunctious schoolboy and was drawn in a 1920s style which kept the series frozen in time. Though Nicholls predominantly lived in Sydney throughout his life, the success of his […]
Herbert ‘Bert’ Oxenford (1897-1966) was hooked on rifle shooting as soon as he won his first club championship in 1919. However, it would slowly become a family affair. Bert’s sons, John and Rex (1927-2017), were only teenagers when they first accompanied their father to the club (then situated in South Grafton). His passion was infectious […]
In 2006, as international visitors flocked to Melbourne for the Commonwealth Games, another event managed to draw their attention from sporting fields to stages. Festival Melbourne was a cultural program of free events coinciding with the Games which promised eleven days of non-stop music, dance, street theatre, and visual arts in venues around the state. […]
When it comes to the history of circus arts, Australia has a major claim to fame: tightwire artist, Con Colleano (1899-1973). Born in Lismore, Colleano started performing when he was just a child and later become an international success by perfecting the forward somersault on a tightwire – a feat previously considered impossible seeing as […]
When Felix’s father dies in a bushfire, it seems a long-standing promise has been broken. However, after the ten-year-old is whisked away to the big city, a magical book takes him on a rollicking journey across foreign lands which might help him come to terms with the loss of his father. Of course, not without […]
When the Nanjing Acrobatic Group returned to Albury, what once felt totally unconventional had become a warm reunion between friends. Most of the trainers had conducted the three-month training program which had happened two years prior. Now, the troupe (which included Lu Yi, Lu Guangrong, Chen Meihong, Yang Xiaodi, Liu Yinghai, and Qian Jianping) were […]
As the train ambled into the Albury train station in 1983, it was met by a motley crew of excitable children and adult circus performers. An admittedly off-kilter marching band announced the arrival of the Nanjing Acrobatic Group as they cautiously stepped onto the platform and eager clowns rushed to greet them. One attendee wore […]
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