It’s summertime in Sydney and with tourists swarming to popular attractions I thought I’d explore the history of tourism in Sydney. Tourism emerged in Europe during the 18th century when people began to take pleasure in the experience of travelling to new places. From the early convict days in Sydney, the real attraction was the city’s sparkling harbour coupled with the exciting urban hub of the city centre which included gambling dens, taverns, theatres and brothels. During the late 1800s, notable hotels sprung up around the city to cater for increasing numbers of tourists and regular steamship services began to grace the harbour. By the 1880s, the city had a widespread rail network which took visitors to the Easter Show, for example, and by 1907 the Sydney Morning Herald reported that the show was attracting ‘many thousands of.. hard working folk on the land' to Sydney'. The hotels, government-owned railways and steamship companies such as Burns Philp, became the dominant tourism promoters. As a result, resorts and hotels were built to entice day trippers to the city. The Sir Joseph Banks Hotel in Botany Bay was built in the 1840s and included attractions for holiday-makers such as pleasure grounds, dancing, sporting fixtures and by 1850, a zoo! Gardens across the city then sprung up including Cremorne and Clifton gardens.

Manly became a tourist hotspot from the 1850s, and ferry advertising for the suburb displayed the slogan ‘Seven Miles from Sydney and a thousand miles from care’. The ferry services to these areas transformed from a mode of transportation for commuters to one for pleasure seekers, and when the Harbour Bridge opened in 1932 they were converted to ‘showboats’ until the early 1960s. Cheap tram travel also made it easy for fun seekers to visit various popular attractions at Coogee and Bondi including aquariums, swimming baths, zoos, sideshows and amusement rides. And luckily for beachgoers, a relaxing of surf-bathing regulations after 1902 and introduction of surf lifesavers in 1908 added Sydney’s beaches to the list of leisure activities. During the late 19th century, Aboriginal people congregated at Bennelong Point, however, they were removed to the reserve at La Perouse. By 1902, the reserve attracted the attention of curious tourists, and the Aboriginal community there gradually developed their own tourist economy, making boomerangs, shields, shellwork and other souvenirs. It wasn’t until after the World War II that international tourism became a major part of tourist Sydney, as air travel increased in popularity. During the 1970s and 1980s, there was a widespread rediscovery of the city’s past and our best known historic precincts turned into tourist havens, including the Rocks and the Queen Victoria Building. More recently, Sydney’s landmarks the Opera House and Harbour Bridge climb now occupy pride of place in the city’s most visited attractions. And to finish, a fun fact from the Dictionary of Sydney: In the space of a 60-year period, the number of international visitors to Australia grew from 43,692 in 1950 to over 5.9 million by 2010. Of those, about 2.7 million visited Sydney, making it Australia's top tourist destination. For more fascinating facts about tourism in Sydney you can read Richard White and Justine Greenwood's article on Tourism for the Dictionary of Sydney here. To listen to a podcast of Nicole’s segment with Mitch on 2SER Breakfast this morning, click here. Tune in again next Wednesday at 8:20am for more Sydney history.

Continuing our focus on this year’s Sydney Festival, there’s an array of music, dance, circus and theatre showing outside the CBD, with Parramatta Gaol being turned into a venue. So today I thought we would take a look at the history of Australia’s oldest and most intact gaol. The first gaol in Parramatta was built in 1796 near the southern part of Prince Alfred Park and was designed by Governor John Hunter to incarcerate robbers. It was made of double log and thatch, both highly flammable, and it didn’t last long. The building was torched by arsonists in December 1799 and many unfortunate inmates were ‘shockingly scorched’. In August 1802, construction began on a second gaol on the same site, this time in stone. Supervised by the Parramatta magistrate, Reverend Samuel Marsden, nicknamed ‘the flogging parson’, the building was funded by a tax on alcohol and completed in 1804. On the top floor was a linen and woollen factory where convict women worked in cramped conditions. Floggings were carried out within the confines of the gaol yard, whereas executions were conducted outside for the public to witness. And of course, that age-old instrument of public humiliation, the stocks were placed at the entrance. Over the next 30 years the gaol deteriorated and became overcrowded. Governor Richard Bourke petitioned the Colonial Office in London for a new gaol. The commanding royal engineer, Captain George Barney, designed it and construction commenced at a new site to the north of the town. Economic depression in 1842 momentarily halted construction, however, a perimeter wall, governor’s house and three two-storied wings had been completed, and it opened on 3 January 1842. Thomas Duke Allen was the first gaoler, and lasted 20 years along with his wife Martha, who was matron for the female inmates. Extensions were added to the gaol in the late 1850s and 1880s so that by 1897, Parramatta Gaol was the second largest in the colony with 364 men and eight women convicts. By June 1899 double cells were converted to single cells, the prisoners underwent physical drills, a sixth wing was added and even electricity was installed! Between 1918 and 1922 it was closed briefly and used as a mental health facility. Originally Parramatta Gaol was designed to hold habitual criminals who could be occupied with productive tasks. It went back to this original purpose and by 1929 it had become the State’s leading manufacturing gaol, producing boots, brushes, tinware, clothes and many other useful materials. Changes were made again in the 1940s and the 1970s. Between 1997 and 1998 the Parramatta Correctional Centre, as it was renamed, closed. In 2004, after over 160 years in operation, the future of the facility was thrown into uncertainty when two inmates scaled the wall undetected and escaped. During its last years of operation, it was classified as a medium-security short-term Remand Centre, Transient Centre and Metropolitan Periodic Detention Centre. It closed in October 2011 as Australia’s oldest serving correctional centre. Though the gaol has been empty for some time, its buildings remain as a historical remnant of a penal philosophy from long ago and it’s now, ironically perhaps, a stage for one of Sydney’s most popular cultural attractions - the Sydney Festival. Head over to the site to read more about Parramatta Gaol in the entry by historian Terri McCormack, a prolific and generous contributor to the Dictionary of Sydney! --- You can listen to a podcast of Nicole’s segment with Mitch on 2SER here. Don't forget to tune in next week on 2SER Breakfast to hear more about Sydney’s history on 107.3, 8:20am.

With the Sydney Festival kicking off today I’m sure there are plenty of revellers looking forward to the circus and cabaret acts that will grace the city’s nightlife. But did you know Sydney has a long history with the Circus, dating all the way back to 1850? The modern circus emerged in London in 1768. The word itself entered common usage as it referenced the open-air, circular riding tracks used by performers. Although these performers were a source of entertainment, they were considered low in the social hierarchy and were labelled ‘rogues, vagabonds and sturdy beggars’. In fact, some of England’s circus performers found themselves on the wrong side of the law and were subsequently transported to Australia, bringing their act to new audiences. In 1833, two ropewalkers, one a former convict, performed at the new Theatre Royal in George Street, Sydney. And in 1842, the Italian self-named ‘Professor of Gymnastics’ Luigi Dalle Case brought his circus troupe to a purpose-built pavilion in Hunter Street, which consisted of equestrians, ropewalkers, gymnasts, acrobats and clowns. Unfortunately he went bankrupt within a few weeks as competition sprung up across the city. It wasn’t until 1849 that two key figures in the history of circus in Australia finally arrived in Sydney, after performing in Tasmania. The two equestrians, Golding Ashton and John Jones were known by their stage names James Henry Ashton and Matthew St Leon, and started their careers Launceston. After performing in Melbourne, Ashton and his troupe travelled from Port Phillip to Sydney, and according to Ashton family legend performed outdoor equestrian exhibitions in a makeshift ring near what we all know as Central Station. Fellow equestrian, St Leon and his troupe opened in the City Theatre, somewhere opposite what is now the State Theatre in Market Street in January 1850. They featured  tightrope, slackrope, vaulting, acrobatic and equestrian acts. They took their act across the city and beyond, giving open-air performances as far as the Hunter Valley. When they returned to Sydney they opened the first circus establishment in Sydney - the Royal Australian Equestrian Circus opened three nights a week at eight o’clock in a roofless arena in the backyard of the Adelphi Hotel in York Street. For a shilling, audiences could witness the acrobatic and equestrian feats and even, shockingly for the times, short skirts and tights! The circus industry was a booming business. In 1871, 6,000 spectators gathered at a hippodrome or large oval arena on the Queen’s birthday and experienced a fun-fair, open-air circus performances, and chariot races. In 1913 the Sydney City Council built a 3,000-seat venue in Haymarket for circus performances, 'The Hippodrome', which included a mechanism for aquatic displays. Today, we call it Capitol Theatre. Now many of the travelling Australian circuses were family run, with skills and experience acquired and transferred to each new generation. I was surprised to find out that the author of the Dictionary of Sydney’s entry on Circus in Sydney is Mark St Leon, a descendent of the St Leon circus tradition just mentioned. And the Ashtons are now the oldest surviving travelling circus in Australia, spanning 165 years and seven generations of bringing smiles to Australian audiences. I think Sydney’s enduring love for the circus is plain when we look at programs like the 2015 Sydney Festival, now often combining art forms in a fusion of circus and cabaret that continue to excite and tickle audiences. I strongly encourage people visit the Dictionary of Sydney to discover in much more detail Sydney’s colourful history and love of the circus. --- Listen to a podcast of Nicole's segment with Mitch at 2SER. Thanks to Nicole for kicking off the new year for us with this terrific post. Tune in next week on 2SER Breakfast to hear more about Sydney's history, this time with an eye on Parramatta. 107.3, 8:20am. Don't miss out!

Crowd in the Strand Arcade on New Years Eve, 31 December 1901, Australian Town and Country Journal, 11 January 1902 p 21

Sydney is a bit of a party town. Over the years we have celebrated the new year in a number of different ways. While the harbour and the bridge are the focus of the fireworks today, and this is potent symbol of Sydney, this tradition has a relatively short history. It hasn't always been about fireworks. We have a great article in the Dictionary of Sydney written by a colleague of mine, Hannah Forsyth, that charts the changing fashions of this significant event. For a long time in the nineteenth century New Year's Day was the main focus. This reflects the Scottish tradition of Hogmanay. The Scottish connections were overtly celebrated with the popular Highland Gathering at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Picnics were also popular, and musical performances at dance halls and vaudeville venues. Things began to shift in the 1870s as people began to gather on the streets in the city in the evening. But other urban factors coalesced in the 1890s to give rise to modern celebrations of New Years Eve. First, There was a changing perception of time. Australia shifted from local time (measured by the sun) to international standard time (measured from Greenwich, London) in 1895. Sydney was now keeping time relative to the rest of the world. Second, Sydney was lit with incandescent gaslights in 1896, providing a much brighter night light. It was now possible to see much better and large crowds could gather in light rather than darkness. Consequently, thousands of people descended on the city streets on 31 December 1896. Shops stayed open late, adding their brightly lit shop windows to the festivities. George Street heaved from King Street to Goulburn Street. The Haymarket end of George Street was dominated by the working classes, while the Queen Victoria Market filled with "irresponsible youths .... Evidently factory hands". The Strand Arcade, Sydney Arcade and Imperial Arcade filled with aspiring bourgeois. There is a great photograph of the arcades at this time, taken with a new tangled flashlight. What an innovation! As the countdown to midnight neared, the crowd shifted to the GPO, where the monumental clock tower had been erected just a few years earlier. So began the first modern New Years Eve. Over the next few years, the celebrations got increasingly noisy and rowdy. People carried musical instruments, kazoos, even pots and pans, to bang in the new year. Bonfires in the streets became a problem, as did larrikins. Celebrations shifted suddenly in 1939 to Kings Cross, catching authorities by surprise. It remained the centre of festivities until the introduction of fireworks in 1977, and it took another 10 years for the crowd to shift its focus. The shift to Circular Quay was part of the new Sydney Festival. Crowds remained rowdy and dangerous until the eve of 1989 when it was rebranded as a more family friendly affair. The City of Sydney took over organising the fireworks in 1996. Since then it has bigger and glossier every year. While New Years crowds have a chequered history, we hope everyone remains relaxed and safe this Christmas and New Year. Party safely and remember you're part of a long tradition celebrating the new year. And while you're relaxing over the summer why not dip in to a bit more history? Dictionary authors and staff have put together a list of summer reading to keep you entertained until we're back in January. Thanks to everyone to listening, reading and supporting the Dictionary. See you in 2015! If you missed Lisa's segment this morning with Mitch on 2SER Breakfast, you can catch up on the podcast here.  

Caroline Ford, Sydney Beaches: A History, NewSouth books

Well, it's almost a wrap for the Dictionary for 2014 and what a year it has been! We've moved office, upgraded and transferred our IT systems, created our first walking app and published over 60 new entries for you, our readers, to enjoy. Not to mention the 52 blog posts from our weekly breakfast spot on 2SER radio. If you haven't already, be sure to sign up for our newsletters to get the full news on all that is new to the Dictionary in 2015. It's become a recent tradition to end the year with some summer reading recommendations. In 2013, our volunteer historian and researcher, Catie Gilchrist, tipped Girt: The Unauthorised History of Australia by David Hunt to be the best read of the year and she was spot on with the book winning the 2014 Indie Award for Non-Fiction. David wasn't the only winner tipped in our 2013 reading list: long-time Dictionary volunteer Garry Wotherspoon's The Sydney Mechanics School of Arts: A History, was shortlisted in the 2014 NSW Premier's History Awards alongside fellow Dictionary author, historian Ian Hoskin. Ian took out the NSW Premier's Prize for Community and Regional History for his book, Coast: A History of the New South Wales Edge. So here are our 2014 summer reading suggestions:

Alasdair McGregor, A Forger's Progress, NewSouth Books

Alasdair McGregor, A Forger's Progress: The Life of Francis Greenway, NewSouth books

As Australia's first government architect, Francis Greenway has left an enduring legacy in Sydney. Sentenced to death for forgery, than granted a last minute reprieve, he was transported to NSW in 1814. Under the patronage of Governor Macquarie he was responsible for designing Hyde Park Barracks, St James' Church, the first Supreme Court and the courthouse at Windsor, amongst other achievements. Both bonkers and brilliant, this is a fascinating insight into a very complex man. He was also pivotal in the transition from Sydney as a 'penal colony' to a society of respectable free settlers.

Babette Smith, The Luck of the Irish: How a Shipload of Convicts Survived the Wreck of the Hive to Make a New Life in Australia, Allen and Unwin

The convict ship Hive sank off the NSW coast in 1835 with 250 Irish convicts on board. Luckily for them, 'the luck' of the Irish was with them, and they all survived. Rather than cast the Irish in Sydney as second class citizens, this book instead reveals that many Irish men from the Hive found Sydney a place of opportunity, re-invention and new beginnings.

Babette Smith, The Luck of the Irish, Allen and Unwin

Raden Dunbar, The Secrets of the ANZACs: The Untold Story of Venereal Disease in the Australian Army, 1914­–1919, Scribe

Sex, scandal, the debunking of the ANZAC Legend  – what is not to like? Many returned, infected, ANZACs were immediately whisked off to the Randwick Hospital, away from the public gaze, when they returned home. These ANZAC 'heros' do not belong in the ANZAC Legend and their stories have not been acknowledged for almost a century. This is a story which reveals their reality. It is also a story of morality, shame, sex education and the official recognition that prophylactics be distributed amongst Australia's first AIF. Fascinating indeed.

Caroline Ford, Sydney Beaches: A History, NewSouth books

Today we take going to the beach for a swim or a 'bake' for granted. This, readers might be surprised to know, was not always the case. This glorious book charts the intriguing story about how the right to sun bathe, wear beach attire, and still be seen to be behaving 'respectably', had to be fought for almost over a century. An excellent and fascinating book that all beach lovers (or even all Sydneysiders) should read this summer.

Raden Dunbar, The Secrets of the Anzacs, Scribe

Caroline Overington, Last Woman Hanged, HarperCollins

Louisa Collins was the last woman hanged in New South Wales. Accused of poisoning two husbands with rat poisoning – the second of which was married soon after the death of her first – this book is horribly fascinating (including grave digging and post-buriel post-mortems) but also illuminates how there was a precursor to the more well-known thallium poisonings by women in Newtown and other areas of Sydney in the 1950s. But it leaves the reader wondering – Why did this mother of six not defend herself (or get a lawyer to) in court against the charges? Both morbid and moreish (if that's possible) Other titles Catie recommends are: David Hill, The Making of Australia, Random House; Rob Mundle, The First Fleet, HarperCollins; John Maynard, True Light and Shade: An Aboriginal Perspective of Joseph Lycett's Art, NLA Publishing; Thomas Keneally, Australians: Volume 3 - Flappers to Vietnam, Allen and Unwin; and Don Watson, The Bush, Penguin Books Australia Thanks Catie! But wait! There's more to read this summer: Don't forget The People’s Park: Centennial Park – A History, co-authored by Dictionary board member, Paul Aston with Armanda Scorrano and Kate Blackmore. There's also a free history walk of Centennial Park you can download and enjoy. For the inaugural Dictionary, Mary Lightfoot contributed a piece on Louise Lightfoot - Dancer, "An architect who remade herself as a dancer and remade Sydney dance culture in the process." Mary has now published part 1 of her biography, Lightfoot Dancing: An Australian-Indian Affair as an e-book on amazon au.

The Smile Revolution In Eighteenth Century Paris

And while Kim has been too busy to get to it this year, The Smile Revolution in Eighteenth Century Paris by Colin Jones is on his summer reading list. It sounds like a great piece of cultural history. Who would have thought that French society only learned the art of smiling so late? Enjoy your summer reading! We have lots to share with you in 2015 so stay tuned!  

One of the things that Sydneysiders have traditionally done over the summer period, and particularly on Boxing Day, is to descend upon Sydney Harbour and have a harbour picnic. The Dictionary of Sydney has entries on all the harbour islands, so as you travel around the harbour by ferry, or sit on a vantage point waiting for the fireworks, you can find out about the history of all the islands. Today I wanted to share with you the history of Goat Island or Me-mel. 

Goat Island is the largest island in Sydney Harbour, lying to the west of the Harbour Bridge between Balmain and Millers Point. It is a sandstone outcrop and the island covers an area of 5.4 hectares. It stands guard at the entrance to Darling Harbour and it is now part of Sydney Harbour National Park.

Bennelong told the British that Me-mel/Goat Island 'was his own property', given to him by his father. For David Collins, who recorded this and many other aspects of Aboriginal social structure in the years immediately following colonisation, Bennelong's claim seemed to be evidence of Indigenous 'real estate'. Certainly, there was proximity to the Wangal lands which Bennelong was from. Collins recorded that Bennelong and his wife Barangaroo frequented the island to feast and 'enjoy themselves'.

Me-mel, or Goat Island, is one of the few islands where a shell midden has been recorded; many others were probably destroyed by lime-burners who exploited the shell deposits. There is only one defined shell midden on Me-Mel, which contains the remains of Sydney cockle and hairy mussel, evidence of harvesting of shellfish and feasting. Me-mel was also said to mean 'the eye'; and with its prime position in the harbour with views east and west, we can see how this descriptor may have applied to the island.

In 1833 Goat Island was chosen as a safe and suitable place to house the colony's large stocks of gunpowder, required for public works. Convicts were put on the island to clear the island of trees and build the magazine. By 1837 the powder magazine had been built, together with a wharf and cooperage. The following year the officers' barracks and kitchen had also been constructed, together with a sentry box, a stone wall around the magazine and a blacksmith's shop. These remarkable and rare early stone buildings remain on the island today and bear witness to convict period structures and features.

In 1901 the island became the headquarters of the Sydney Harbour Trust, which was set up (in response to the bubonic plague) to modernise Sydney's wharfage. The Trust was in charge of dredging the harbour and all its tugs, barges and dredges were moved to the island. Later firefighting tugs also used the island as a depot.

The Trust kept two scavenging boats. In 1904 the scavenger boats retrieved an astonishing assortment of debris from the water including 2,189 dogs, 1,652 fowls, 1,033 cats, 29 pigs, 9 goats and 1 monkey.  In 1936 the Trust was replaced by the Maritime Services Board. By the 1940s, Goat Island was home to many members of the Board's Fire Brigade and their families, and was also the site of the first water police station.

There is a music connection with Goat Island, that is worth remembering. Nearly 30 years ago, Midnight Oil performed a concert on Goat Island - on 13 January 1985. The concert - known as "Oils on the Water" - was filmed, and is one of the iconic performances of the band. Goat Island has another popular culture connection. Between 1995 and 2001 Goat Island was the set and location for the popular Australian television drama Water Rats.

Goat Island is now part of the Sydney Harbour National Park and you can explore the history and heritage of of Goat Island on a guided tour. 

For more on Me-mel/Goat Island check out the article written by Catie Gilchrist for the Dictionary.   And to answer all your questions about our habour islands as you sit at your vantage point and count down to New Year, take a look at our Islands of Sydney Harbour entry written by Ian Hoskins.

To listen to a podcast of Lisa's segment with Mitch on 2SER Breakfast this morning, click here.

Nothing says Christmas like punch and last week Lisa and Mitch looked at a very rare artefact held in the Mitchell Library collection... One of the things I always associate with Christmas is drinking punch. In my family, a big bowl of alcoholic punch is part of the festive celebrations. One of the more unusual entries we have in the Dictionary of Sydney is about a very rare artefact held in the Mitchell Library collection - the Sydney Punchbowl. This is a Chinese enameled porcelain punchbowl, dating from the 1810s. It's called the Sydney Punchbowl because around the outside of the bowl is painted a panoramic view of Sydney. And in the bowl's interior are a grounp of Aboriginal figures. It is quite a substantial piece: the bowl is 45.5 cm in diameter and 17.7cm high. The panorama has been attributed to John Lewin, Australia's first professional artist. He was a favoured artist of Governor Macquarie. The original drawing by Lewin is now lost, but the engraving appeared in a publication in 1820. The reproduction of the panorama from a drawing or etching by Chinese ceramicists was common practice, so we're pretty sure that Lewin's artistry was the inspiration. The Mitchell Library's catalogue entry tells us that punchbowls made in China from the seventeenth century depicting European and American cities are well documented and highly regarded by ceramics collectors. But we only know of two punchbowls that show off Sydney: the one in the Mitchell Library and a companion punchbowl which is held in the Australian National Maritime Museum.  Chinese ceramics were really trendy in the mid-eighteenth century, along with Chinese silk fabrics and sandalwood. The trend for the Chinese style was known as 'chinoiserie', and it spread to architecture, furniture and designs for china, fabrics and clothing. The Sydney Punchbowl reminds us that the town of Sydney, from its very beginnings, was a maritime city and was a multi-national port and destination on Asian and Pacific trade routes. Today's politicians may celebrate the negotiation of a free trade agreement with China, but Sydney was trading with Canton and India since the 1790s. The Sydney punchbowl is a spectacular rarity that celebrates the newly established colony and our Chinese trade connections. So as you sip on punch this Christmas, remember the Sydney punchbowl, a treasure in our city's cultural collections. Lisa Murray You can read more about the Sydney Punchbowl on the Dictionary here and catch up on last week's podcast here. Don't forget to tune in to 2SER Breakfast every Wednesday at 8:20 am to hear more Sydney stories courtesy of the Dictionary.

Congratulations to the City of Sydney History team whose  Sydney Culture Walks app has been nominated for an FBi Radio Sydney Music Arts & Culture (SMAC) Awards in the Remix the City category. The Dictionary of Sydney team are all very proud to have been involved, as each of the Culture Walks include links to lots of additional information in the Dictionary. It also meant we added a whole lot of new places, buildings and people to the Dictionary itself based on the tour content,  which we will continue to add to as we create more links and connections. Voting finishes on December 23, so don't forget to vote in the pre-Christmas rush! The page with all the Remix the City nominations is here: http://fbismacawards.com/nominees/remix-the-city/ or you can vote directly here: http://fbismacawards.com/vote/      

Music is an integral part of our society, and something that 2ser promotes. So today Lisa and Mitch had a look at a musician and an entrepreneur who promoted music in Sydney. He is a Dutchman who came to Sydney in the mid-19th century and left his mark on Sydney. His name is William Henry Paling.

Paling arrived in Sydney in 1850s. In 1855 to celebrate the opening of the first train line from Sydney to Parramatta, Paling composed the Sydney Railway Waltz, complete with locomotive sounds - the rhythm of the train, the sound of the whistle. You can view the complete sheet music on the National Library's website http://nla.gov.au/nla.mus-an6340871 and listen to it here on the Australian Railway Story site,  as performed by the NSW Transport Insitute Band. He put on concerts and taught music at private colleges, but it was his music shop that really took off. William Paling was the founder of WH Paling & Co. It became a Mecca for Sydney's music lovers. He imported musical instruments and published and distributed sheet music. Palings Christmas annual with new and poplar songs with choruses was very popular festive season entertainment in the 1880s and 1890s. Paling moved with the times. As his business grew he moved from Wynyard Square to George Street, eventually building a large showroom at 338 George St and associated music practice rooms in Ash Street. These buildings were connected by Palings Lane. He  embraced the latest technologies for music, selling the Edison phonograph and later in the 20th century his music store sold radio sets and promoted the latest movie stars at the talkies. Paling was also a generous philanthropist. He donated a large farm at Camden and £10,000 to establish the Carrington Convalescent Hospital. He also served the community, as an elected alderman for Petersham Council from 1876 to 1889. He was Mayor in 1881-2, apparently the very first Dutch-born mayor in Australia. Paling died of a heart attack in 1895, and is buried in Waverley Cemetery. The name of Palings survived in the music chain stores that William founded. Palings stores survived into the 1980s and until their closure claimed the mantel of the oldest music shop in Sydney.   For more on the amazing William Paling see the Dictionary's entry by Edward Duyker http://dictionaryofsydney.org/entry/paling_william_henry and the Australian Dictionary of Biography http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/paling-william-henry-4356

One of the first interviews the Dictionary commissioned when it started was with Luigi Coluzzi, one of the men who introduced Sydneysiders to espresso coffee in 1957. You can hear Luigi's story here on the Dictionary here: http://dictionaryofsydney.org/audio/19970 The lifting of government controls on the import of coffee in the 1950s coincided with the arrival of hordes of coffee-loving immigrants. By the early 1960s coffee 'lounges' were appearing in Sydney's suburbs, heralding the beginning of Sydney's current love affair with its coffee. Luigi's Bar Coluzzi was special. A charismatic and charming man, and a former boxing champion, Luigi attracted boxers, actors, lawyers and theatre-goers to his bar. Initially located on William Street, Bar Coluzzi moved to Victoria Street in 1970. There were crowds of people and it was partly due to Bar Coluzzi that we got outdoor dining and the cafe culture we have today. Luigi Coluzzi contributed to East Sydney's and Darlinghurst's Italian feel. Other resturants also opened in the 1950s: in Stanley Street, La Veneziana opened in 1952 and No Name in 1959; nearby, in Yurong Street, Giuseppe Polese opened his famous Beppi's Restaurant in 1956 (decades later, in 1992, Polese establish the restaurant Mezzaluna in Potts Point). Other iconic meeting places for Italians were the Atlanta Club, Mario Abbiezzi's Garibaldi Bar in Riley Street, the Bar Coluzzi in Darlinghurst, and the Cafe Sport in Leichhardt. You can read more about the Italian influence in Sydney in our article by Gianfranco Cresciani on the Dictionary. Mr Coluzzi died last week at the age of 84. You can read his obituary in the Sydney Morning Herald which tells the full story of this great immigrant who gave us good coffee. Or check out an article about Luigi in Sydney Time Out from 2008. --- If you missed Lisa's segment with Mitch on 2SER Breakfast last week, you can catch up here. Listen in this Wednesday morning for more Sydney history at 8:20am, 107.3