Capital history in the news
Heritage in the news
Stone quarry and Aboriginal places heritage listed | The ACT Heritage Council has decided to provisionally register Mulligans Flat Aboriginal Stone Quarry and two Aboriginal Places in Hume. Chairperson of the Council, David Flannery said ‘these are important places that are tangible links to the traditions of the Aboriginal people of the ACT.’
Manuka pool upgrade has Merv's approval | The heritage Manuka Pool was refilled after a $2.4 million upgrade and got the tick of approval from its longest resident swimmer, ninety-seven-year-old Merv Knowles who started swimming at the pool when it first opened in 1931.
Icon water hoses down row over old red fire hydrants | An inner-south advocate, John-Paul Romano, says Icon Water is stripping the older parts of Canberra of its heritage by removing ageing red fire hydrants. He is also calling for a broader discussion about the future of historic street furniture in Canberra saying the approach to date has been ad hoc and underwhelming.
Historians in the news
Palace letters compared to messages from bureaucrats | Historian Professor Jenny Hocking is appealing in the High Court the National Archives refusal to release the palace letters. These letters are exchanges between the Queen and Governor-general Sir John Kerr in the lead up to the 1975 dismissal of the Whitlam Government. Lawyers for Jenny Hocking have provided the High Court with written arguments that the palace letters are not personal letters but government records like those written to the governor-general by other officials.
Historians back East Timor book | Three official war historians have stressed the importance of ensuring that an uncensored history of Australia’s involvement in East Timor is published following reports its release was delayed because of concerns it may impact on Australia’s relationship with Indonesia.
The Australian War Memorial
Support for frontier wars commemoration in AWM public consultation | Consultations on potential galleries in the expanded Australian War Memorial’s found that commemorating the frontier wars was a common theme in the feedback.
Exhibition
Hugh Ramsay the bright star of Australian Art | Article about the Hugh Ramsay major retrospective at the National Gallery of Australia (NGA) which will include paintings, drawings, sketches and letters from collections around Australia. It opens at the NGA on November 30 and runs until March 29. Entry is free.
Other history news
Ceremonial challenge greets HMAS Canberra on return to namesake city | HMAS Canberra exercised its freedom of entry to the city for the first time since 2015. The commanding officer Captain Terry Morrison explains that this custom comes from medieval times when cities would defend themselves against warring factions and the locals challenged anyone appearing with weapons.
Air mystery of the mountains | Matthew Higgins article about the Southern Cloud, Australia’s first major civil aviation disaster. The aircraft and its pilot, co-pilot and six passengers disappeared in 1931 en route from Sydney to Melbourne. It was found just over 60 years ago (1958) when Tom Sonter, a Snowy Scheme worker, stumbled across the wreckage while bushwalking.
Acknowledgement: The image above is the memorial to the Southern Cloud at Cooma. The image comes from the State Library of NSW and is part of the Charles T.P. Ulm collection of historical aviation photographs. It is out of copyright. See acknowledgement page for full details.
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