Hidden Lives

History Magazine, Royal Australian Historical Society (RAHS) September 2024 Abstract This article examines the diaries of two women from very different social and economic backgrounds in regional New South Wales: Jane Binks of Gerringong and Una Falkiner of Boonoke North Station in the Riverina. Through their writings, it explores how women documented everyday life, community relationships, domestic responsibilities, and major national events across the late nineteenth and ea

Queanbeyan Historical Museum Significance Assessment 2026 Abstract This article explores the life and legacy of Mary Bowers (née O’Rourke), a Queanbeyan nurse whose decades of community service were recognised with the Medal of the British Empire (MBE) in 1967. It highlights her work as a midwife and district nurse, caring for families across all stages of life and providing essential support during periods of hardship, including the Great Depression. Drawing on local records

Queanbeyan Historical Museum Significance Assessment 2026 Abstract This article explores the Rockley Game, a modified form of cricket developed in the 1890s for girls and young women, and its rapid spread across Queanbeyan and surrounding districts. It highlights how the game became a popular and competitive social activity, bringing together communities across regional New South Wales. Drawing on photographs, archival sources, and personal accounts, including a detailed lett

Saumarez Homestead / National Trust of Australia (NSW) World War I historical article (c. early 20th-century material; later interpretation) Abstract This article examines the “badge-bag” phenomenon in Armidale, New South Wales, during World War I, where collecting fundraising badges became both a patriotic activity and a form of social competition. Women and girls attached badges and buttons, purchased to support wartime charities and organisations, to cloth handbags, transf

History, No. 157 September 2023 Abstract This article examines the documentary heritage collection of Miss Porter’s House in Newcastle, a rare and comprehensive record of women’s lives across the twentieth century. Through letters, postcards, notebooks, scrapbooks, and everyday records, it reconstructs the experiences of the Porter women and their careful documentation of domestic life over several decades. The collection reveals patterns of education, work, leisure, and hous