Capital history in the news
The secret history of West Block │ Peter Dowling writes about the secret history of West Block, in the Parliamentary Triangle. ‘Cable girls’ worked in the ‘bunker’ or ‘dugout’ of West Block, during the Second World War, encrypting and decrypting vital war time communications. Note also invitation to submit articles to this column by writing to history@canberratimes.com.au.
What is this metal structure in a paddock near Bungendore? │ Tim the Yowie Man writes about the Molonglo Observatory Synthesis Telescope (MOST), a massive radio telescope, which for over half a century has been used by scientists to explore the mysteries of space. The MOST can be toured at 10.30am on Tuesday 7 May but bookings with Benita Tunks, Benita.tunks@qprc.nsw.gov.au are essential as places are limited. Also, a travelling exhibition about the MOST is currently on at the Bungendore Library.
Library's election ephemera collection growing with weird and wacky campaign pieces │ The National Library want people to donate election ephemera, including T-shirts, objects, like ‘bean polls’, as well, as printed material to them, so items can be added to the Library’s long running election ephemera collection.
National Archives review begins as agency races to save 'at risk' records │ David Fricker, the Director-General of the National Archives warns that nearly 200,000 hours of recordings are at risk under a looming six-year deadline to save the National Archives' vulnerable files. At the same time, the federal government has started an independent review of the Archive’s needs which will report in August 2019.
Michael Nelson Jagamara's huge mosaic Possum and Wallaby Dreaming at Parliament House was hard to photograph │David Hempenstall, senior photographer in the Department of Parliamentary Services is about halfway through digitising the nearly 7000 artworks in the Parliament House Art Collection. The challenge and process of photographing the 14-square-metre mosaic on the forecourt of Parliament House, Possum and Wallaby Dreaming is covered in this article.
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Acknowledgement: The image above is of the Advisory War Council in session at Canberra, 1940. Seated at the table from left are J. Beasley, N. J. O. Makin, F. M. Forde, J. Curtin, R. Menzies, W. Hughes, P. Spender, A. Fadden, and H. Holt. Perhaps this meeting was aided by the work of the ‘cable girls’ of West Block. See acknowledgement page for details.
