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 […]
One glimpse at the map illustrated on this pamphlet would suggest that if a hydrogen bomb were to be dropped on Newcastle, the effects would extend beyond Maitland, Cessnock and Lake Macquarie, making the chances of survival slim. Luckily for the citizens of the Greater Newcastle area, the Cold War era local civil defence organisations […]
Silver spoons were very nearly Alexander Dick’s (c.1791-1843) undoing. A free settler who arrived in 1824, he was a working silversmith with a prospering business in Sydney in 1826 when he made a deal that cost him dearly. Anxious to produce an order of silverware for a client, he knowingly bought a set of ‘old’ […]
Jewellery is a very personal item and as such is usually held within a family and passed down through the generations. This beautiful silver locket was owned by Johanna Hermine (Mina) Wagner (née Rosler) (1858–1921) and has been handed down through the Rosler family. It is unknown when Hermine received the locket but as a […]
The Revolving Pantry or Rotary Canister Cabinet, Patent No. 6865, was something very different from Metters Limited, a company known more for its stoves especially the Bega fuel stove and the Early Kooka. The pantry contains 28 hinged drawers of increasing size each with a label holder and in total could hold 3cwt (152 kilograms) […]
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 […]
The marriage of Gustav (Gus) Wagner and Ottilie (Tilly) Schmidt in October 1907 was definitely an important and notable event in the social circles of Jindera and represented the coming together of four of the original German settler families: the Wagners, Roslers, Schmidts, Kalms and if Ottilie’s mother’s family is included, the Schultzs. The young […]
This trunk, in its simplicity, symbolises one family’s search for and achievement of a new life. It was owned by Johann George Krautz (1833-1921) a 32 year old shoemaker who, with his wife Anna (1825-1879) and four children immigrated from Preilack in Prussia in 1865 aboard the Iserbrook bound for Port Adelaide. After the death […]
This style of gaiters were best known for being part of the uniform for Australia’s famed WWI Light Horse troops, but they were also worn by Australians in artillery, medical and transport units. Francis Stowasser and George Winter patented this design in the UK and US in the late nineteenth century. But only Stowasser’s name […]
Before the 20th century, ironing was hot, exhausting and dangerous, and therefore a dreaded chore. As with other housework ironing was usually done by women, whether by maids or by wives or daughters of a household. During laundering, a proper mangle was sometimes used to partially smooth and flatten items to reduce the need for ironing. […]
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