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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 

Editor: Patricia Frei

4 x CD set

A remarkable collection of research notes and indexes comprising approx. 29,900 pertaining to the Canberra/Queanbeyan district, transcribed by archivist/historian, Errol Lea-Scarlett, with contributions by the late Bruce Moore (v.4). Fully searchable CDs, in PDF format.

They comprise:

Volume 1: Bungendore & Michelago NSW

1: Registers of St. Marys; Baptisms 31 Dec 1882-23 Dec 1888 (extracts) recorded at the back of the Queanbeyan Baptismal Register 1843-1877; 2: Court Records, Bungendore NSW; Bench Books 29 Jul 1870-30 Nov 1891-Police & Summons Cases; 3:St. Patrick's Church (Catholic), Michelago NSW: Baptisms 1891-1922; Marriages 20 Nov 1899-Oct 1936 & Oct 1937-1946 (selective entries only); Liber Defunctorum [Deaths & burials] 1910-1973; Clergy List 1891-1972; 4: Michelago memorials (St. Patrick's & St. Thomas's); Michelago cemetery register; Jerangle cemetery memorials; 5: Court Records, Michelago NSW; Bench books: Police & Summons Cases 1875-1936 including Tickets of Leave; Free Reports; Passports; Applications for Conditional Pardons.

Volume 2: Council & Court Records, Queanbeyan NSW

6. Selective notes from the Minutes of meetings of Queanbeyan Municipal council 1885-1926; Borough Council Record Book; Halloran & Co. vs Queanbeyan Municipal Council; Commons Trust Minute Book 1899-1916; 7: Notes transcribed from the District Council papers 1843-1847; 8: Notes transcribed from the Yarrolumla Shire Council Minutes Apr 1907-Feb 1950; 9: Courthouse Records: Minutes of Proceedings in Court of Review, Queanbeyan (selective 1899-1903); Bailiff's Execution Book (selective entries 1897-1918); 10: Notes transcribed from the Bench of Magistrates Correspondence 1833-1851; 11: Free Reports 1846-1847; Small Debts Register 1849-1864 (incl Return of Ticket of Leave Holders); Court of Requests-Judgement Book Sep 1854-May 1859 (to Jan 1864) & Cash Book: Sep 1844-Aug 1846; 12: Selective notes from the Court of Claims: Register of Cases from 1835; 13: Publican's Licences 1841-1862 recorded in the Deposition Book from 1838; 14: Bench Records-Queanbeyan 1838-1896.

 Volume 3: Land & Other Records15: Research notes from the Queanbeyan Conditional Purchase Registers 1862-1872, 1874-1877; Selections made 1870-1879 under the Volunteers Regulation Act 1867;  Conditional Purchase Registers, Queanbeyan 1862-1878; Dates of Birth-Juvenile Selectors 1872-1878 (selective); 16: Alienation of Lands 1812-1853 (selective Queanbeyan & district) incl. County Register 1829-1839 (King, St. Vincent, Murray Counties); 17: Land Selection 1869-1872; 1874-1876 (Selective research notes on Queanbeyan & district); 18: Selective notes from the Royal Commission on the Site for a Federal Capital (site proposed at Queanbeyan: Wanniassa, Canberra, Lake George 1899-1902); 19: Teachers in Public Schools 1884 (selective Queanbeyan & district); 20: Notes transcribed from the Queanbeyan School of Arts Minute Book 21 Jul 1925-22 Jul 1935; 21: Index to Obituaries & Personal Notices circa 1820s-2001.

Volume 4: Parish Registers & Burial Records

22: Deaths reg. at Queanbeyan NSW 1856-1901 & burials in outlying cemeteries 1856-1907; 23: Queanbeyan NSW-Cemetery records transferred from denominational trustees; 24: Supreme Crt of NSW-Probate Index 1800-1901 (extracts); 25: Supreme Crt of NSW-Wills & Administrations 1800-1901 (extracts); 26: Cemetery transcriptions-Michelago, Riverside-Queanbeyan, Gundaroo, St. Thomas-Carwoola, Ss Peter & Paul-Hoskingtown; 27: Anglican Church of St. John the Baptist, Canberra: baptisms 1845-1900; marriages 1845-1877; burials 1844-1915 (selective Gundaroo entries only); 28: Christ Church (Anglican), Queanbeyan (selective): baptisms 1838-1866; marriages 1838-1909, burials 1838-1880, 1913-1917, 1920-1968; 29: St. Gregory's (Catholic), Queanbeyan: baptisms 1843-1920; marriages 1843-1857, 1856-1898, 1881; burials 1844-1877, 1937-1967 (selective); 30: Ministrations by Rev T Hassall, Diocese of Goulburn: baptisms 1836; baptisms by T Hassall 1827-1834, 1836; marriages 1827-1833; burials 1827, 1829; 31: Fr JJ Therry's registers (Catholic baptisms, marriages & burials), Queanbeyan district 1820-1838; 32: Anglican Church of St. Clement's, Yass NSW (Gundaroo entries only); baptisms 1839-1863; marriages 1839-1853; burials 1839-1875; 33: Parish Registers, Gunning NSW (Gundaroo entries only): baptisms 1839-1930; marriages 1840-1850; burials 1842-1855.

Available as a set, or singly, from The Heraldry & Genealogy Society of Canberra.

 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's 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.