Don’t worry, they’ve been sterilised! Far from the synthetic stitch we know and love today, horsehair was once the star of modern surgeries. To reach the operating table, where they were used as sutures, this horsehair underwent a rigorous process to ensure they were suitable for use. After being precisely collected, measured, and cut, it […]
Proposed as affordable estates, Closer Settlement Farms were a way for the government to increase the profitability of the ‘new’ nation by promoting rural settlement and agricultural expansion. Immediately following Federation, the passing of the Closer Settlement Act in 1904 set in motion the re-acquisition of ‘Crown Land’ for subdivision and sale. This 1911 Tibereenah […]
Held on Tuesday 14 July 1914, Narrabri’s Hospital Ball brought together residents from throughout North West NSW, amidst the escalating tensions in Europe and increasing financial strain on the hospital. Mrs. A. B. Bevan, the esteemed secretary of the Hospital Committee whose name is featured on this yellowed dance card, played a pivotal role in […]
The humidity was dense, and the conditions were harsh. Day after day, Private John Condon endured starvation, forced labour, and tropical diseases while being held captive in Changi’s prisoner-of-war camp. Serving as part of the 10th Medical Corps, John had been captured by the Japanese on 15 February 1942 (known as Black Sunday) among […]
Narrabri is understood to mean ‘forked waters’ in the Kamilaroi language, its location being at the convergence of three waterways – the Namoi River, Narrabri Creek and Three Horses Arms Creek. Unrelenting rain in 1955 saw these waterways swell, causing the agricultural town to flood. With water rising rapidly, many residents took a handful of […]
One Thursday evening, in 1860, the Reverend James Robert Thackery (1827-1902) was surely pleased to present to his committee this revised edition of the West Maitland School of Arts Rule Book and library catalogue. The Reverend took great interest in this organisation for almost two decades. He believed deeply in its aims, which included the […]
Across a storied lifetime of art making, Margaret Olley’s (1923-2011) flower paintings – predominantly painted through the 1960s – remain some of her most beloved work. With a palette of greens and burnt oranges, Banksia (1970), exemplified her ability to capture a subject in a warm, painterly style without sacrificing detail. In 1964, artist and […]
In her Brisbane school days, Margaret Olley (1923-2011) was ‘always rushing around, quite rebellious, doing her own thing. She wasn’t particularly academic, so she wasn’t interested in any of that.’ It was at this time that encouragement from a particularly supportive art teacher, Caroline Baker, helped spark Olley’s interest in art making – a realisation […]
Four brass matchbox covers and an ashtray (c. 1916-1918) held in Elsie White’s bedroom at Saumarez Homestead in Armidale are a small reminder of a generation who lived and fought through World War One. They are part of a disparate collection of objects categorised as ‘Trench Art,’ an object made by people from any material […]
‘Make-do’ or ‘makeshift’ chairs, like the examples pictured here, were a product of the Depression-era and an inventive way to provide both seating and storage in the home. This type of chair was illustrated in Makeshifts, a booklet published in 1925 outlining how to build one. More often made from used kerosene packing cases as […]
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