Capital history in the news
The ‘Palace letters’
'Palace letters' between Sir John Kerr, Queen released, revealing information about Gough Whitlam and 1975 constitutional crisis | The 'Palace letters', 211 letters exchanged between the governor-general Sir John Kerr and Buckingham Palace at the time of the dismissal of the Whitlam government in 1975 were released online by the National Archives of Australia on 14 July 2020.
What the 'Palace letters' told us about the Queen's role in Gough Whitlam's dismissal | Assessment of what the ‘Palace Letters’ tell us about the role the Queen played in Australia's biggest constitutional crisis, the dismissal of the Whitlam government. Concludes that the Queen did not really do much at all, leaving it to her private secretary to deal with the back and forth between the Palace and the governor-general.
Archive and Gallery on-line
50 wonderful surprises | National Film and Sound Archive haven chosen 50 items from their collection to gladden the heart, pique the curiosity and get the feet tapping despite the uncertain times we are facing.
The history, Jackson Pollock and Blue Poles | During the National Gallery of Australia’s COVID-19 shutdown the Gallery embarked on a major conservation project on Jackson Pollock’s Blue poles (1952) and documented the history of the painting in a new on-line archive.
Indigenous family history
Family History Month 2020 | To celebrate Family History Month this August, the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) are hosting two free online events featuring special guest, Imarnte woman Kath Travis, author of her self-published ‘her-storical biography ‘ Minnie, Mum and Me: The Black Headed Snake.
Early Canberra
One of the last workers' cottages at The Causeway stands as a lonely reminder of Canberra's dairy history | Nick Swain writes about the Big Gun Dairy cottage built in 1925 and located on the edge of The Causeway. The cottage is a reminder of several important aspects of Canberra's history, including the evolution of Canberra's dairy industry, the massive Amiens gun captured during WWI, the early wooden buildings of the Causeway and dairy owner David Cargill's many contributions to Canberra life.
Acknowledgement: The image above is inspired by Nick Swain’s article about the Big Gun Dairy cottage which took its name from ‘the Amiens Gun’. It is of the German railway gun being exhibited in Paris in 1918 prior to it being sent to Australia as a war trophy where it was displayed near the Canberra Railway Station close to the Big Gun Dairy. The image comes from the Australian War Memorial, the eventual home of ‘the Amiens Gun’. Further details here.
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