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Sydney's Royal Easter Show
wp-image-12160https://home.dictionaryofsydney.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/SideShowAlley1957.jpgSideshow alley at the Royal Sydney Easter Show 1957 By Raymond Morris. Contributed by National Museum of Australia [Slide 164, via NMA's Flickr set] (Raymond Morris Collection, courtesy of the photographer)600386/> Sideshow alley at the Royal Sydney Easter Show 1957…
The Trocadero: Sydney’s most glamorous dance hall
Radio station 2CH's children's Christmas party, Trocadero 1936, Credit: State Library of New South Wales (hood_20090 / Home and Away 30090) There’s been a lot of talk about Sydney’s night life lately so I thought I'd look at one of the city's most…
International Women's Day
Violet McKenzie with wireless c1922. 1920 - 1926 Reproduced courtesy of the Ex-Wrans Association NSW. March 8 is International Women's Day. And what better way to celebrate the day than to look back and acknowledge the extraordinary contribution women have made…
200 years of public architecture
Convict Barrack Sydney N.S. Wales c1819, attributed to GW Evans Credit: Mitchell LIbrary, State Library of NSW (a1120005 / PX*D 41, 5) The State Library of NSW has just opened a new exhibition - Imagine a City: 200 Years of Public…
William Chidley: an eccentric campaigner
'Mr W J Chidley will lecture to men and women on health, diet and clothing', Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales (a128079 / V/120) Speakers’ Corner in Sydney’s Domain has become known as a place where individuals can share…
Soldier's Riot of 1916
'Unionism in Excelsis - Soldiers on Strike', Liverpool 14 February 1916, Daily Telegraph, 15 February 1916, p 7 The soldiers of the Australian Imperial Force who fought in WW1 are usually remembered as heroic and patriotic. But they weren't always compliant…
Colonial scandal and murder
John Jenkins 1834. By John Gardiner Austin. Contributed by National Library There is nothing like reading about a colourful historical figure to remind ourselves how rich and complicated our society actually is. This week I was struck by the story of…
Sydney's hydrofoils
Hydrofoil in Sydney Harbour, 1970. Pic: Mark Faviell / Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0) (https://www.flickr.com/photos/markfaviell/5601046844) A couple of weeks ago when I was last in, I commented upon the hydrofoil footage in David Bowie's film clip China Girl and it transpired that…
New tour! Sydney Harbour Islands
Bennelong Point c1804, Mitchell Library, State Library of NSW (a1528483 / V1/1810/1) The Dictionary of Sydney has launched a new tour! Following on from Convict Parramatta, we can now explore Sydney’s harbour islands on our mobile devices, from the Royal Australian…
David Bowie's Sydney film clips
Scene in the Strand Arcade 1982. Contributed by National Archives of Australia [A6180, 13/12/82/18] Well, it's a sad opening to 2016 for music fans with the gob-smacking announcement of the death of David Bowie on Monday night. So I thought we…