Traces

This magazine is for people passionate about Australia and New Zealand's genealogy, history and heritage. Whether you want to explore convict history, find your Anzac, identify photographs or trace your family tree, our trusted expert advice will help you discover your past.

Welcome to the 25th edition of Traces!

Traces

Heritage news

St Patrick’s Cathedral, Melbourne • The construction of Melbourne’s St Patrick’s Cathedral was an expensive and challenging undertaking that took more than 80 years through times of boom and bust.

Finding the Throssell Sword • At Perth’s Wesley College, staff members were surprised to uncover a piece of Australia’s World War I history: a sword once belonging to Lieutenant Hugo Vivian Hope Throssell. The rediscovery has allowed a hero’s tragic story to be remembered.

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Colonel Gibbes: bigamist or impostor? • When unravelling the life and times of Colonel John George Nathaniel Gibbes, there was one question that proved difficult to answer: Was he a bi gamist?

The fortress and the castle • Defending the nation’s coastline sometimes set the military at odds with local communities – especially when their homes were threatened.

Affairs of honour • On the chilly winter morning of Friday 17 August 1832, a merchant and a newspaper man stood facing each other on the grounds of Richmond House, Fremantle, in Western Australia. Each carried the heavy burden of societal expectation – and a duelling pistol.

Unearthing graveyard clues • Graves can offer a wealth of information for the family historian.

MEMORIES OF A MELBOURNE CHILDHOOD

What’s that thingamajig? • Answer: A Thor model 10 rotary iron

Elizabeth Morrow versus colonial misogyny • The past, we know, is a foreign country. Yet, there are strong continuities, too, including how women coped with repressive attitudes. Colonial nurse Elizabeth Morrow was one woman who fought her era’s misogyny in a way that appears surprisingly modern.

COLLECTING ART DECO • When Dr Peter Sheridan spotted two Art Deco–style radios in a London antique shop, little did he know it would spark a passion that would develop into one of the largest private Art Deco collections in Australia.

Old Colonist mosaics inscripted • A unique collection of photographic mosaics depicting South Australian colonists has been inscripted into the UNESCO Australian Memory of the World Register.

‘Bandicooting’ and other phrases • The unassuming bandicoot was once associated with all sorts of negativity – from misery and starvation, to destitution and the theft of potatoes.

What’s new online? • The latest updates and additions to historical collections available online.

Exploring Hill End Historic Site • When gold was found at Hill End in the mid 19th century, it drew thousands of people seeking their fortunes. Today, Hill End, in New South Wales’s Bathurst region, is a ghost town, an important historical site and a major tourist attraction. Senior Historic Officer for Hill End Historic Site Learna Benson discusses Hill End, and what makes it a special part of the state’s history.

DO YOU HAVE A STORY TO SHARE? • Traces welcomes article submissions and pitches from historians, genealogists, family history researchers, authors and history lovers.