Capital history in the news
Colonial history
Eureka stories from the goldfields brought back to life | ANU Associate Professor Katherine Bode and bibliographer Carol Hetherington used new digital computational methods to locate on the National Library of Australia's Trove database over 21,000 fictional stories published in Australian newspapers between 1828 and 1914. These have been made available for anyone to explore and read online, in To be continued: The Australian Newspaper Fiction Database. Eight were also chosen for the book, Tom Morison's Golden Christmas and Other Lost Australian Goldmining Stories, the third in the 'To Be Continued' series.
Does the ghost of Hamilton Hume haunt this Yass cottage | Tim the Yowie Man (TYM) article about Cooma Cottage, the former Yass home of Hamilton Hume, who in 1825, along with William Hovell reached Port Phillip (Geelong) after a three-month journey from Lake George. Tim explains that there have been reports of ghostly happenings at the Cottage.
Exhibitions
Evans and Richo launch Hawkie the exhibition | Former Labor Minsters Gareth Evans and Graham Richardson spoke lovingly and amusingly of their late leader, Bob Hawke as they launched Hawkie! an exhibition of cartoons and artworks of Australia’s 23rd Prime Minster at the Hotel Kurrajong in Barton. Hawkie! is on until December 14 2020.
Matisse and Picasso's tale of friendship and rivalry | The National Gallery of Australia’s (NGA) major Summer exhibition will be telling the story of the lifelong connection between Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso, two towering figures of modern art. Matisse Picasso opens at the NGA on December 13 and runs until April 13 2020.
Canberra’s history
Bushfire vigilance on the range | Canberra Times history column by Matthew Higgins about the development of Canberra’s bushfire defence schemes. In 1939 bushfires swept the Brindabellas and Tinbinbilla and threatened the fledging city. From this threat the ACT Bush Fire Council started, and the government decided to establish a forward post to maintain vigilance against bushfires — the village of Bulls Head on the Brindabella Range. Abandoned in the 1960’s, Bulls Head’s importance was regained when it became the forward operational area against the bushfires that swept into the city in January 2003.
Acknowledgement: The image above is inspired by ANU’s curation of stories from the gold-mining era Tom Morison's Golden Christmas and Other Lost Australian Goldmining Stories. It is Gill, S. (1872). Diggers Night Camp 1852 / S.T.G. The image comes from the State Library of Victoria and is out of copyright. See acknowledgement page for full details.
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