Blog
Colonial neighbours: Reynolds’ cottages
Reynolds’ cottages on Harrington Street, The Rocks have survived for 187 years! I spoke about them on 2SER for the Dictionary of Sydney.
“I challenge you sir!” – Duelling in colonial Sydney
Did you know a duel took place in a field in Homebush one morning in March 1827? I spoke about duelling in colonial Sydney this morning on 2SER Breakfast.
NAIDOC 2016 – Sydney’s Aboriginal people
NAIDOC 2016 is in full swing and the Dictionary of Sydney recently published new articles about two interesting characters from Sydney’s Aboriginal past – Carangarang and Willemering.
Kate Leigh: ‘the Sly-Grog Queen’
The Dictionary of Sydney has some fascinating new articles including one on the famous ‘the Sly-Grog Queen’ and ‘worst woman in Sydney’ – Kate Leigh.
Sydney’s wild weather
Wild weather just hit Sydney and images captured by awestruck residents have dominated the news. I spoke with Jamie on 2SER about Sydney’s stormy past.
Constance Kent: The ‘murderess’
In 1929, 85-year-old Sydney nurse and public servant Ruth Emilie Kaye confessed to murdering her three-year-old brother. Her real name was Constance Kent.
The Ultimo World War I Roll of Honour
For decades a World War I honour board lay in the attic of an Ultimo church. It features 36 names. These are their stories.
The Appin massacre – 200 years on
This Sunday 17 April 2016 marks 200 years since the Appin massacre, when at least 14 Aboriginal men, women and children were killed by soldiers under the command of Captain James Wallis, as part of a military reprisal raid ordered by Governor Lachlan Macquarie. I spoke about this dark moment in our history with Mitch […]
The Trocadero: Sydney’s most glamorous dance hall
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 popular venues between 1936 and the late 1960s. The Trocadero on George Street was Sydney’s most glamorous dance hall and played host to a range of VIPs, including the Queen. I spoke to Mitch about it on […]
200 years of public architecture
The State Library of NSW has just opened a new exhibition – Imagine a City: 200 Years of Public Architecture in NSW. In the Dictionary of Sydney, architects Philip Thalis and Peter John Cantrill detail how Sydney’s built environment developed from the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788 and the establishment of the Government […]