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 26th edition of Traces!

Traces

Heritage news

Crown Street Women’s Hospital, Sydney • Sydney’s Crown Street Women’s Hospital pioneered maternity care in Australia in the early 20th century, and provided top-quality care for some of Sydney’s most vulnerable mothers and babies. Despite paving the way for obstetrics in Australia, the hospital was also involved in practices that, decades later, prompted a senate inquiry.

Astrophysicists tap ancient star knowledge • The Betelgeuse star has been in the media a lot over the last few years, and everything points towards something strange about its brightness. But is this a new phenomenon?

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THE DASHED HOPES OF THE ALDERSHOT SMELTER • The Queensland Smelting Company, near Maryborough, began with high hopes, plenty of investment and sound management. The venture was, however, short lived.

The twists and turns of Tiwi history • Tiwi history is full of surprising events and stories of resilience that turn ideas of Australia’s past upside down. In this edition, Mavis Kerinaiua and Laura Rademaker showcase some of these stories of strength, creativity, and survival.

Farewell to HMAS Australia • When the world’s most impressive warship visited Australia in 1924, newsreels celebrated this embodiment of ‘majesty, might and beauty’. But seen through the eyes of two trainee naval officers, the global voyage by HMS Hood hinted at darker times ahead.

Diving into middies’ journals

YOU’VE GOT TO BE KIDDING! • How 1940s con artists swindled trusting Victorians.

Forgotten heroes of the Australian Voluntary Hospital • At the outbreak of war in 1914, there were many young Australian doctors and nurses in the United Kingdom receiving specialised training in a variety of hospitals. More than 100 of these medical professionals volunteered with the Australian Voluntary Hospital in France.

How resilience is vital to your research • Family history research can be a lonely, thankless and sometimes frustrating task. Tamuz Ellazam shares some insights, highlights and strategies for resilience in the face of dead ends.

Research tips

What’s that thingamajig? • Answer: A candle snuffer

New traditions for future generations • Traditions passed down within families can persist for many generations, helping to connect us with the past and our own family identity. Here’s how you can start a new family tradition to pass on to your descendants.

What’s new online? • A selection of the latest updates and additions to historical collections available online.

Who was Joe Grey? Investigating an unsolved mystery • In the 1860s, Frank Christie was as notorious as Ned Kelly, but could he also have been ‘Joe Grey’, the leader of one of the most audacious robberies in Australian history?

Researching Joe Grey

Convict research tips

Louisa Seddon, New Zealand’s secret ‘queen’ • More than just support for her husband, former premier Richard Seddon, Australian-born Louisa Seddon was an influential giant of New Zealand politics.

Broadcasting pronunciation • The arrival of public broadcast radios in homes around Australia sparked international debate – how is ‘Brisbane’ really pronounced?

Saving the Blood Bros. Store • The historically significant Blood Bros. Store in Ringwood, Melbourne, was slated for demolition in 2020 to make way for a car park – then the local community stepped in.

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