Edition 27, 2024

Traces

Uncovering the past

Traces1 min read
Traces
Editor: Eden Cox Designer: Sam Garland Editor in Chief: Giulia Heppell Editorial submissions: eden.cox@executivemedia.com.au Contributors (in order of first appearance): Dr Mike Epworth, Ann Wilcox, David Huggonson, Angela Garrick, Dr Peter Hobbins,
Traces3 min read
Heritage News
The Heritage Council of Victoria’s latest report, ‘Why Heritage?’, sheds light on the immense value of preserving cultural treasures. Authored by Extent Heritage’s Dr Leo Martin and Vivian Lu, and Kate Clark, from Public Value Consulting, the study u
Traces2 min read
The Bush Inn, New Norfolk, Tasmania
Established in the early 1800s, the history of the Bush Inn is closely linked to that of the Derwent Valley. Settled in 1808, New Norfolk – a town on the River Derwent – was established when convicts were transferred to the valley from Norfolk Island
Traces4 min read
Rescuing The Past From The Wreckage
I was in my first year of high school, living with my two younger brothers and parents at Nightcliff, near the beach. In the evenings before the great storm, cooling tropical sea breezes would spring up at sunset after a wet-season deluge. We would w
Traces4 min read
How The Car Changed Australia
We live our lives surrounded by stuff – more of it than in any previous generation. Have you ever thought about the objects in your life – your telephone, TV, recipe books, childhood toys? How important are these objects to you and your family? Are t
Traces8 min read
Wakka Wakka Resistance In The Burnett River Basin
WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are warned that this article contains the names and images of people who are now deceased. It is hard to imagine two cultures so different in values, language and customs as that of the Wakka Wak
Traces4 min read
Newsreels: A Record Of Daily Life
Occupations such as ‘dunny man’, ‘ice man’ and ‘ratcatcher’ are familiar in our collective subconscious, yet often without a visual accompaniment of these jobs being performed. Depictions of these activities in action are poignant relics of public hi
Traces1 min read
What’s That Thingamajig?
Dating back to the 1920s, the Roneo #1 Addressing Machine stands as a testament to early office technology. This hand‑operated gadget employed a meticulous process to print addresses onto envelopes or paper sheets, using stencils and inked cylinders.
Traces1 min read
Do You Have A Story To Share?
• Ancestor stories• Historical research and news• Research tips• Character studies• Historical building profiles• Antiques, collections and preservation• Personal heirlooms. Please note that all article submissions and pitches will be reviewed by the
Traces5 min read
The Name Behind The Frame
Objects come to museums in all manner of ways. Some are richly storied, accompanied by handwritten notes, oral histories, or parting tears as custodianship is handed over. Others are acquired in a vacuum, requiring curators to deeply research their c
Traces8 min read
Murder Or Misadventure On The Moana?
Built in 1897, RMS Moana belonged to the Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand’s fleet of passenger and cargo ships running variously between Sydney, New Zealand, San Francisco, and Vancouver. The Union Steam Ship Company was, at one time, the larg
Traces3 min read
A Long-lost Relative Found
In 2009, my father, an Englishman, was diagnosed with a rare terminal illness. I had spent considerable time interviewing him about his life experiences, and this diagnosis created a greater imperative to record his memories. During one of our conver
Traces4 min read
Speaking of Dulcie
There aren’t many photos of Dulcie Margaret Jordan – no recording of her voice, no home movie. But my mother speaks clearly to me through the writing, voice, and mannerisms of her first son, David. It’s no ordinary thing that David is in my life. Nei
Traces5 min read
The Wild Ways Of Adelaide Ironside
Australian‑born artist Adelaide Ironside (1831–1867) was only 23 years old when she sailed out of Sydney Heads. In the winter of 1855, she left behind her ‘beloved native land’ of New South Wales, with ‘the dream of Rome in her heart’ and a determina
Traces3 min read
The Flapper
The word ‘flapper’ originated in the late 19th century among people who hunted for sport. It was a word used to describe an unfledged bird, which learns to fly by flapping its wings. At some point, someone saw a resemblance to teenage girls between t
Traces5 min read
A Labour Of Love
My fascination with old homes took root around the age of nine or 10, during an adventurous exploration beneath the floorboards of my childhood home. There, hidden in the shadows, I discovered boxes brimming with artefacts from another age: glass pla

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