Jude Conway -“The life of Prof. Beryl Nashar”

Lachlan Wetherall – talking about his website – https://lachlanwetherall.com/

“Hollywood” was the ironic name of the unglamorous depression-era unemployed workers’ camp in the Jesmond bushland. The site will soon be obliterated by construction of the last section of the Newcastle Inner City bypass.
This presentation will cover a brief history of “Hollywood”, the people who lived there, and the road that will soon remove all traces of the camp.
The meeting will be held in the Society rooms as well as via Zoom (see link below).
If you would like to join by Zoom but feel you need some assistance, please contact our Secretary on [email protected].

Lesley Gent – “The 77 Squadron RAAF Williamstown”

Lesley, an Historian/Archivist and a life member of RAAFANSW, whilst having never been in the Air Force is part of the Air Force “fabric”. She has been a Researcher/Secretary/Treasurer of 77 Squadron Association and having had close contact with them, wrote a book for them “Killed in Service”. Lesley now provides all the research for Air Force Association NSW.

Annual General Meeting

Our June meeting will feature member Julie Keating speaking on the Australian Agricultural Company (AA Co). I’m sure many members will find this subject extremely interesting.
Next year the AA Co will celebrate two hundred years since it was set up to invest in the New South Wales Colony. Its aim was to improve the quality of merino wool and the company received a grant of 500,000 acres of land centred on the Port Stephens area. This land was not suitable for wool growing and other crops were tested. Once again this venture was not successful and the company swapped part of the initial grant for land further west.
The government had been using convicts to mine coal and was under increasing pressure to run the mines on a more efficient and sustainable basis. It negotiated with the AA Co to have a monopoly on coal mining in the area for a period of 30 years. Part of this agreement was that the company was given 2,000 acres stretching from Crown St westwards.
The company is no longer involved in mining and wool production. Today it is the largest cattle and beef producer in the country and its land holdings, mainly in the Northern Territory, account for 1% of Australia’s landmass. According to the company’s website more than one million people consume its product each day.

Christmas in July with trivia by John & Judy Mulhearn.
Bring along a plate of something delicious to share for a scrumptious festive afternoon tea.

Historian and author Dr Jan McLeod shares the story of her great-uncle, Private Lawrence Nicholas Kennedy, who served as a medical orderly in the Middle East and on the Kokoda Track during World War II.

Society member Louise Evans
“Hippocrates to the Modern Day”.
Medical terms used in old records – common medical abbreviations – scientific/medical facts of relevance to the family historian – basic prefixes, suffixes and root words.

Associate Professor Jo May speaking on Newcastle Girls & Boys High Schools

Alek Schuhla

The Greta Migrant Camp

NO MEETING THIS MONTH