Tuesday 29 November 2016

TROVE TUESDAY 29TH NOVEMBER, 2016.. CORONATION 1953





CORONATION OF QUEEN ELIZABETH II
1953

You knew it was a great event when newspapers and magazines were in a frenzy.

The former Princess Elizabeth was to be crowned as Queen of England on June 2, 1953, following the death of her father, King George VI, on February 6, 1952. Though Princess Elizabeth immediately became Queen at the time of his passing, the official coronation would take some time to organise.

The Commonwealth countries were not to let this great occasion pass without their own ceremonies.  

At that time, I was a small girl, totally enraptured by princesses, queens and dare I say, princes.

We lived in the small village of Urunga, in NSW, in the Bellingen Shire. The population of the whole shire was just 12,517 in 2011. #  



Urunga citizens, though small in numbers, were large in enthusiasm. Everyone seemed to have ideas, some great and fanciful, some very small, but all agreed that we would do 'our Queen' proud.. There would be a parade, sporting events and a picnic, the parade starting and ending at what was then called the recreation ground, which just happened to be across the road from where we lived. Dad had a flat top truck, so that was immediately seconded to be one of the floats. The CWA and Red Cross ladies, joined with the various auxiliaries to provide the food for the day. I doubt there was a family in town who wasn't involved. After all this was to be the biggest celebration since the end of the war.

The newspapers and magazines kept us informed of all the preparations, including the making of the robe.

nla.news-article194090070.3 Coronation Robe

Making Royal Coronation Robe

Every day sees the completion of another half yard of the royal purple velvet which will be made by Britain’s Royal School of Needlework, into the Coronation Robe of Queen Elizabeth II.The 20 yards necessary will not be finished until February. And, just in case of accidents, a duplicate length is being woven.
Three English counties are proud to be associated with this wonderful velvet, which is so light and soft and incredibly close in texture. The raw silk was produced at Lullingstone Silk Farm, where the silk was also spun for the Coronation robes of the late King George VI and his consort, and for the brocade of Queen Elizabeth’s wedding gown. It was ‘thrown’  (or twisted into a more substantial thread) by the silk mill in the little village of Glemsford in Suffolk: and the velvet is being woven by Messers. Warner of Braintree, in Essex, who have made the velvet for the Coronation robes of three monarchs as well as brocade for Queen Mary’s wedding gown and Queen Victoria’s velvet funeral pall.
Only 21 inches wide, of the richest quality, the velvet for the Coronation robe is woven of threads so fine that they seem almost invisible against the two ancient looms - each more than 100 years old - which are being used. Two most expert weavers have been entrusted with the work - Miss Lily Lee, who is making the original length, and Mrs. Hilda Carver, who is weaving the duplicate length at the same time. Miss Lee, who also wove the Coronation robe of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, was invited to King George VI’s coronation in 1937: most likely she will be among the congregation in 1953.

Of course, there were numerous souvenirs created, everything from teaspoons, cups, pens, scarves, flags, stamps and so much more..



When the big day arrived, Dad's truck was decorated with lots of crepe paper, balloons and of course, the obligatory pretty girls, one of whom was to be crowned later as the Queen of the Parade, though I can't find any record of her name.

There was a surprise with the football game though, as you can see here...  I wonder if she continued to play.











England may have had their Queen Elizabeth, but Urunga had five beautiful Queens, or maybe Queen Mothers... a beautiful tribute.


http///nla.gov.au/nla.news-article187938408 Coronation Day

My recollections are mainly of Dad polishing the truck so it shone as never before, helping to put crepe paper streamers on it and putting a few flowers from both my mother's and my grandmother's gardens into a basket for the soon to be Queen of the Parade. However, what I remember most is two of the young men who drove for Dad, being very daring and dressing in crepe paper skirts and bras, with flowers in their hair, riding a tandem bicycle decorated with crepe paper and wooden sticks attached to the wheels to make a noise as they rode along. I'm sure they would have gotten as much applause as any of the others in the parade, maybe even more. 

We children were given a free toffee apple and a drink.. other than everyone being very happy and eating a butterfly cake with fresh cream, the rest of the day is a bit of a blur.


Last, but not least, what would a celebration be without the Australian Women's Weekly cover to announce it? June 10, 1953.








Tuesday 15 November 2016

TROVE TUESDAY 15TH NOV, 2016 - RISING TO THE MOON







FLY ME TO THE MOON

 With the world becoming so excited by the Super Moon, I wondered what part the moon played in man's imagination and ambitions 70 years ago, when the last Super Moon was seen..

 It seems that it played a very large part.. by the following articles..


http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article49361905 

They may have been a bit out in their timing, by a number of years, but, the imagination and ambition were surely there.




However, there did seem to be a slight problem about bringing people back to earth...
would you have volunteered?
Image courtesy of Pixabay

Monday 14 November 2016

TROVE - NEWSPAPER TITLES SOON TO COME.. NOV 14TH, 2016





UPCOMING TITLES SOON TO BE AVAILABLE ON TROVE

NSW
  • Casino and Kyogle Courier and North Coast Advertiser (NSW : 1904 - 1932); [State Library of New South Wales Digital Excellence Program]
  • Construction : Weekly Supplement to Building (Sydney, NSW : 1909 - 1914); [State Library of New South Wales Digital Excellence Program]
  • The Corowa Free Press (NSW : 1875 - 1955); [State Library of New South Wales Digital Excellence Program]
  • The Grafton Argus and Clarence River General Advertiser (NSW : 1874 - 1875; 1879 - 1882; 1888; 1892; 1899 - 1922); [State Library of New South Wales Digital Excellence Program]
  • The Kyogle Examiner (NSW : 1912 - 1954); [State Library of New South Wales Digital Excellence Program]
  • Macleay Argus (Kempsey, NSW : 1885 - 1907; 1909 - 1910; 1912 - 1913; 1915 - 1916; 1918 - 1954); [State Library of New South Wales Digital Excellence Program]
  • The Propeller (Hurstville, NSW : 1911 - 1956); [State Library of New South Wales Digital Excellence Program]
  • The Queanbeyan Observer (NSW : 1894 -1908; 1910 - 1915); [State Library of New South Wales Digital Excellence Program]
  • Quirindi Herald and District News (NSW : 1906-1907; 1913 - 1923); [State Library of New South Wales Digital Excellence Program]
  • Smith's Weekly (Sydney, NSW : 1919 - 1950); [State Library of New South Wales Digital Excellence Program]
  • The St George Call (1923 - 1954); [Rockdale City Council, Hurstville Municiple Council, Sutherland Council, Kogarah Historical Society, St George Historical Society, NSW Government & State Library of New South Wales Digital Excellence Program]
  • Weekly Supplement to Building (Sydney, NSW : 1908 - 1909); [State Library of New South Wales Digital Excellence Program]
  • The Young Chronicle (NSW : 1902 - 1910; 1913 - 1915; 1924 - 1934; 1936 - 1940); [State Library of New South Wales Digital Excellence Program]
TAS
  • The Austral-Asiatic Review (Hobart Town, Tas. : 1833); [Tasmanian Archive & Heritage Office]
  • The Austral-Asiatic Review, Tasmanian and Australian Advertiser (Hobart Town, Tas. : 1837 - 1844); [Tasmanian Archive & Heritage Office]
  • The Banner (Strahan, Tas. : 1900 - 1901); [Tasmanian Archive & Heritage Office]
  • Bell's Life in Tasmania (Hobart Town, Tas. : 1859); [Tasmanian Archive & Heritage Office]
  • Bent's News and Tasmanian Register (Hobart Town, Tas. : 1837 - 1838); [Tasmanian Archive & Heritage Office]
  • Bent's News and Tasmanian Three-Penny Register (Hobart Town, Tas. : 1836 - 1837); [Tasmanian Archive & Heritage Office]
  • Colonial Advocate, and Tasmanian monthly review and register (Hobart Town, Tas. : 1828); [Tasmanian Archive & Heritage Office]
  • The Colonial Record (Launceston Tas. : 1839); [Tasmanian Archive & Heritage Office]
  • Cornwall Advertiser (Launceston, Tas. : 1870 - 1877); [Tasmanian Archive & Heritage Office]
  • The Cornwall Press and Commercial Advertiser (Launceston, Tas. : 1829)
  • The Federalist (Launceston, Tas. : 1898 - 1899); [Tasmanian Archive & Heritage Office]
  • Fun or The Tasmanian Charivari (Hobart Town, Tas. : 1867); [Tasmanian Archive & Heritage Office]
  • The Hobart Town Chronicle (Tas. : 1833); [Tasmanian Archive & Heritage Office]
  • Hobart Town Punch (Hobart Town, Tas. : 1867 - 1868); [Tasmanian Archive & Heritage Office]
  • Hobart Town Punch (Hobart Town, Tas. : 1878); [Tasmanian Archive & Heritage Office]
  • The Illustrated Tasmanian News (Launceston, Tas. : 1873 - 1877); [Tasmanian Archive & Heritage Office]
  • The Independent (Launceston, Tas. : 1831 - 1835); [Tasmanian Archive & Heritage Office]
  • The Irish Exile and Freedom's Advocate (Hobart Town, Tas. : 1850 - 1851); [Tasmanian Archive & Heritage Office]
  • The King Island Record (Currie, King Island : 1910 - 1917); [Tasmanian Archive & Heritage Office]
  • The Midland News (Oatlands, Tas. : 1902 - 1904); [Tasmanian Archive & Heritage Office]
  • Morning Star and Commercial Advertiser (Hobart Town, Tas. : 1834 - 1835); [Tasmanian Archive & Heritage Office]
  • The Mount Lyell Standard and Strahan Gazette (Queenstown, Tas. : 1896 - 1902); [Tasmanian Archive & Heritage Office]
  • The News (Hobart, Tas. : 1924 - 1925); [Tasmanian Archive & Heritage Office]
  • The Northern Standard (Ulverstone, Tas. : 1921 - 1923); [Tasmanian Archive & Heritage Office]
  • The People's Advocate or True Friend of Tasmania (Launceston, Tas. : 1855 - 1856); [Tasmanian Archive & Heritage Office]
  • The People's Horn Boy (Hobart Town, Tas. : 1834); [Tasmanian Archive & Heritage Office]
  • The Record (Currie, King Island : 1905 - 1909); [Tasmanian Archive & Heritage Office]
  • The Tasmanian (Hobart Town, Tas. : 1827 - 1839); [Tasmanian Archive & Heritage Office]
  • The Tasmanian and Austral-Asiatic Review (Hobart Town, Tas. : 1844 - 1845); [Tasmanian Archive & Heritage Office]
  • The Tasmanian Democrat (Launceston, Tas. : 1891 - 1898); [Tasmanian Archive & Heritage Office]
  • Tasmanian Evening Herald (Launceston, Tas. : 1878); [Tasmanian Archive & Heritage Office]
  • Tasmanian Punch (Hobart Town, Tas. : 1866); [Tasmanian Archive & Heritage Office]       Tasmanian Punch (Hobart Town, Tas. : 1869 - 1870; 1877-1878); [Tasmanian Archive & Heritage Office]
  • The Tasmanian Telegraph (Hobart Town, Tas. : 1858 - 1859); [Tasmanian Archive & Heritage Office]
  • The Tasmanian Times (Hobart Town, Tas. : 1867 - 1870); [Tasmanian Archive & Heritage Office]
  • Tasmanian Weekly Dispatch (Hobart Town, Tas. : 1839 - 1841); [Tasmanian Archive & Heritage Office]
  • Tasmanian Weekly News (Hobart Town, Tas. : 1858); [Tasmanian Archive & Heritage Office]
  • The Teetotal Advocate (Launceston, Tas. : 1843); [Tasmanian Archive & Heritage Office]
  • Telegraph (Hobart Town, Tas. : 1867); [Tasmanian Archive & Heritage Office]
  • Weekly Examiner (Launceston, Tas. : 1872 - 1878); [Tasmanian Archive & Heritage Office]
  • The Weekly Times (Hobart Town, Tas. : 1863); [Tasmanian Archive & Heritage Office]
VIC
  • The Ballarat Courier (1879 - 1880); [Ballarat & District Genealogical Society]
  • Dookie & Katamatite Recorder (1902 - 1913; 1919 - 1920); [Dookie & District Historical Society]
  • Geelong Advertiser (Vic. : 1926 - 1929); [Deakin University Library]
  • Kyneton Guardian (Vic : 1870 - 1880); [Margaret Fletcher]
WA
  • The Albany Mail & King George's Sound Advertiser (1883 - 1900); [State Library of Western Australia]
  • The Collie Miner (1900 - 1916); [State Library of Western Australia]
  • The Coolgardie Mining Review (1895 - 1897); [State Library of Western Australia]
  • The Goldfields Morning Chronicle (1895 - 1898); [State Library of Western Australia]
  • Group Settlement Chronicle & Margaret Augusta Mail (1923 - 1930); [State Library of Western Australia]
  • The Magnet Mirror & Murchison Reflector (1928 - 1935); [State Library of Western Australia]
  • The Manganese Record, Peak Hill, Nullagine & Marble Bar Gazette (1928 - 1941); [State Library of Western Australia]
  • The Menzies Miner (1895 - 1901); [State Library of Western Australia]
  • The Mt Leonora Miner (1899 - 1910); [State Library of Western Australia]
  • The Murchison Times & Day Dawn Gazette (1894 - 1925); [State Library of Western Australia]
  • The Yalgoo Observer & Murchison Chronicle (1923 - 1941); [State Library of Western Australia]