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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…

A year in review

wp-image-11751https://home.dictionaryofsydney.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/BodgieStyle.jpgBodgie Styles for Spring 1951 . Almost-deserted Sydney beach (except for pretty, dark-haired Joan Francis) was chosen by bodgie David Roper, 17, to air leopard-skin trunks, with tail. From the collection of the State Library of New South Wales [TN18]…

Pauline Curby, Randwick

Pauline Curby, Randwick (Randwick, NSW: Randwick City Council, 2009). 1–404. ill. (some col.), ports., col. maps, facsims. ; 30 cm. Published to mark the occasion of 150 years of local government in the City of Randwick. ISBN: 9780908510085. RRP: $69.95 …

Jillian Brown, The University of Sydney: Postcards 1899–1955 and Photographs

Jillian Brown, The University of Sydney: Postcards 1899–1955 and Photographs (Sydney, NSW: Jillian Brown), 1–141. ISBN 978 0 646 92881 4. Jillian Brown, The University of Sydney: Postcards 1899–1955 and Photographs (Sydney, NSW: Jillian Brown), 1–141. ISBN 978 0 646 92881…

Tony Allan, Typewriter: The History, the Machines, the Writers

Tony Allan, Typewriter: The History, the Machines, the Writers (New York: Shelter Harbor Press, 2015), 1–96. ISBN 978 1 62795 034 3. RRP: $16.99 Tony Allan, Typewriter: The History, the Machines, the Writers (New York: Shelter Harbor Press, 2015), 1–96.…

Jacqui Newling, Eat Your History: Stories and Recipes from Australian Kitchen

Author Jacqui Newling with her new book, Eat Your HIstory: A Shared Table, at Vaucluse House, Sydney. Photograph by Jenny McInerney. Jacqui Newling, Eat Your History: Stories and Recipes from Australian Kitchen (Kensington, New South Wales: Sydney Living Museums and Newsouth…