In early 2020 when the Covid-19 pandemic first appeared globally, handwashing quickly became a critical line of defence. Early advice given was to wash your hands with warm soapy water for the duration of two rounds of the song ‘Happy Birthday’. If that wasn’t possible then hospital grade hand sanitiser containing sixty to eighty percent […]
On an unknown day in 1976 Max Watters (1936-2020), an established Hunter Valley landscape artist, headed north from his home in Muswellbrook in search of inspiration. After taking the Glenbawn Road, east of the small town of Aberdeen, Max crossed the Hunter River (Coquun). He navigated the wind in the road that bends around undulating […]
The Macarthur Cloak, this striking scarlet-coloured opera coat, was made in England in 1817 from Australian-grown merino wool. It was commissioned by the Macarthur family of Elizabeth Farm, near Parramatta, Sydney. John Macarthur (1767-1834) is widely recognised as a pioneer of the Australian wool industry, though he first worked in the colony as a soldier […]
Gilmore Bennet, known as Gil, was a Tamworth resident with an interest in geology – the study of the matter and processes that shape the earth, and lapidary – the art of cutting, polishing and engraving stones and gems. For over 20 years he collected geological specimens from Australia and around the world. In 2008 […]
Aboriginal Police Tracker ‘Tommy’ worked in Broken Hill from the late 1890s-1910. His employment and skill as a tracker was renowned and widely reported in the press. Tommy’s police work also saw him employed at the Silverton Police Station, along with other Aboriginal trackers. Moreover, his time at Broken Hill coincided with a craze for […]
On Easter Saturday in 1938 the Mount Panorama Circuit at Bathurst, in the Central West of NSW, was first used for motor racing. The inaugural event was part of the district’s 150 years of European settlement celebrations. The inaugural race was an Australian TT motorcycle race, two days later the Australian Grand Prix cars competed. […]
In 1923, George Kringas (formerly Krigkas) migrated from the Peloponnese to Australia in search of a better life. Just one year later he opened his Greek café named the Rose Marie in Orange. From the early twentieth century, Greek entrepreneurs like George established cafes that were a mix of the late nineteenth century British-style oyster-bar […]
On 9 November 1988 the Tamworth PowerStation Museum was opened on the site where, one hundred years earlier, the steam engines that ran the town’s first electric street lights were located and housed. The museum’s opening marked and commemorated the centenary of the introduction of the town’s electric light system – which was the first […]
Kathleen Lyttleton-Taylor’s (nee Regan) gift of eighteen stunning pieces of historic silverware, made to the Tamworth Regional Gallery in 1963, includes the works of twelve accomplished Australian silversmiths. These makers originate from three different Australian states and backgrounds, which gives the collection mixed stylistic and personal influence. The work of William Edwards of Melbourne; Evan […]
Made in 1919, a gift of over 100 paintings and works on paper led to the establishment of Tamworth’s first public art gallery. Known collectively as the Salvana Collection these works were donated by Australian artist John Salvana (1873-1956). Principally a painter, Salvana was best known for his ‘bush scenes’ or impressionistic landscapes of rural […]
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