The Dictionary of Sydney was archived in 2021.

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Horse Drawn: John Rae and 'The Turning of the First Turf'

John Rae c1884, Mitchell Library, State Library of NSW (ML MSS A807) John Rae is, perhaps, my favourite dead white male. On the surface, he’s really rather ordinary. An administrator who was meticulous and ambitious, he was a career public servant.…

Chinese New Year

Tuesday was the official day of Chinese New Year, a festival that has been celebrated for generations in Sydney,  so today I thought we'd look at the long history of Chinese people in Sydney. Listen to the whole conversation with Lisa…

Remembrance Day: 100 years on

The Sydney Mail, 20 November 1918 Last Sunday, 11 November, marked 100 years since the official end of World War I. Initially called Armistice Day, it became known as Remembrance Day after the end of World War II. An article in…

Anniversary Day, Australia Day, Survival Day, Invasion Day

Aboriginal Day of Mourning, 26 January 1938 Man magazine, March 1938 Courtesy Mitchell Library, State Library of NSW (a429002 / Q 059/9) The debate about the name and date of Australia Day has been contested for a very long time, and…