The Canberra History Group

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Calamities, Fatalities and Realities: Local and Regional Anecdotes from “The Golden Age” 1860-1864 Queanbeyan NSW 

by Patricia M. Frei

ISBN 0 9757472 0 7 : A4, Perfect bound, 225 pages, 17 page index.

Maps, illustrations, photographs.

 Price: AUS$25.00  incl. Post & Packaging in Australia

Featuring anecdotes from The Golden Age newspaper: Accidents, inquests, deaths, court cases, general topics - in fact all types of ‘happenings’ in Queanbeyan during 1860-1864. Alphabetical by surname or event within each section. Complete birth, marriage and death advertisements for the period.

Available from: Patricia Frei

Please use this website’s CONTACT US page to order.

by Patricia M. Frei

 ISBN 978-0-9757472-2-3 : A5, illus., 86p., index, 180g.

 PRICE: AUS$20.00 (+ $3.00 postage & packaging in Australia)

Cover: 310gsm Rapier Gloss Celloglaze

Text & illus.: 115gsm Expression Satin. Perfect Bound.

During a forty-eight-year career at Canberra’s now demolished Capitol and Civic Picture Theatres, Mervyn Jones brought celluloid entertainment to Canberra’s residents and observed the finest years of cinematic history.

Gala premieres and theatre reconstructions were part of his working life, together with projectionists, usherettes and ‘lolly’ boys.

This anecdotal narrative combines historical aspects of Canberra’s two earliest picture theatres together with family recollections of

the days when ‘movies were called ‘pictures’.

Available from: Patricia Frei - Please use the CONTACT US page to order.

Read The Canberra Times Book Review for this and the book below 

 A STORY OF CAPITAL HILL

by Ann Gugler

ISBN 978 0 9805694 0 7 : 252 pages, illus., maps.

Cost: AUS$29.95 plus postage

(ACT & NSW $4.00 for one book - Other States $10.00)

The postage for up to three books is $10.00 

 Available from: Ann Gugler - Please use the CONTACT US page to order

The book is 252 pages in length and has numerous photographs many of which are from personal collections. The front cover has on it a photograph of Don Bell, Ngunawal elder (2004) and behind him the cooks of No 1 Labourers’Camp 1924. 

Capital Hill is one of the Gura Bung Dhaura hills used by the Ngunawal as a camping ground on their way from Black’s Hill via Stirling Ridge, the Gap, Red Hill and Mugga to Tuggeranong. In March 1909 surveyors camped on the hill where they commenced their survey of the 36 square miles of city area. 1911 Walter Burley Griffin put a circle around the hill and named it Capitol and marked it the centre of his city design. Two years later on 12 March 1913 Lady Denman stood on the hill and named the future city, Canberra. During World War One (1914-1918) major construction of the city was put on hold and it was not until 1920 that work recommenced and perhaps to mark this return to construction the Prince of Wales on 21 June 1920 laid a stone on the hill to mark the centre of the future city.

In the 1920s the hill was part of Westlake – an area of land that stretched from Stirling Ridge in the West to Capital Hill and back from the Molonglo River to Red Hill. Here contractor John Howie erected his settlement and the government built 61 cottages in The Gap and three tent camps that housed the men who built Hotel Canberra, the main intercepting sewer and the provisional parliament house.

The official camps erected on Capital Hill were No 1 Labourers Camp (1924-1927), Capitol Hill Camp (1925-c1952) and two hostels – Capital Hill (1948-1966) and Hillside (1951-1968). As well as the federal story of the hill from Griffin plan to the construction of the permanent parliament house in and on the hill this book tells a story of those who lived on the hill.

A section ADDITIONAL RESOURCES contains documents, articles, essays and research by others that include:

Don Bell’s (Ngunawal elder) story; Marilyn Folger’s information and photographs from Ron Baum that led to the identification of the Red Hill Westlake camps; identification of the site of the police camp May 1927 – Robina Gugler; Rebecca Lamb - 1827 find of William Edward Riley’s c1827 essay that describes a corroboree at Tuggeranong; Karen Williams – Ngunawal sources and essays; Trish Frei Time line of Canberra Housing 1911-1970; Australian Natives Association draft report c1930 supporting Canberra – from Lorna Marriott whose father, Charles Francis was controller of stores and a member of the ANA; 1927 Sanitation Report; Social Service Documents; Unemployment Relief Committee; electoral rolls for Canberra NSW, and Federal Capital electoral roll Canberra 1916; notes for public servants March 1926 – maps, photographs etc.