Random thoughts and observations
The Old Port Elliot Council Chamber is a tiny building, constructed in 1879.
Port Elliot was proclaimed by the Governor of South Australia, Sir Henry Young, on August 28, 1851. He named the town in honour of his friend, Sir Charles Elliot, who was at that time the Governor of Bermuda.
A great future was envisaged for the port, with the construction of a horse-drawn railway from Goolwa to Port Elliot.
A rare collection of medals documenting the history of agricultural shows and rural industries across Australia is now part of the National Museum of Australia’s collection.
The museum acquired 111 medals from the David Allen collection at auction in November 2011.
They range in date from the mid-19th to the early 20th centuries.
I don’t get as much time as I would like to browse digitised newspapers at the National Library’s marvellous Trove.
However, a brief visit today yielded an interesting snippet regarding my great-great grandparents James and Sarah Evans.
I knew from Shire of Metcalfe rate books they owned a property at Barfold in Central Victoria between 1866 and 1876.
I’ve heard the audio clip several times in which then Prime Minister Sir Robert Menzies found it his “melancholy duty” in 1939 to declare war on Germany. It was a memorable speech, perhaps the one for which Menzies is best known, along with his adulation of the Queen (I did but see her passing by).
The Smyth Chapel at Adelaide’s West Terrace Cemetery was built in 1870-71. Situated in the Catholic area, the quaint historic chapel is said to be of a rare design and style in Australia. Built as a memorial to the Very Reverend John Smyth, the design by EJ Woods was chosen as a result of a competition conducted by the Smyth Memorial Fund Committee in the latter part of 1870. The foundation stone was laid on December 18, 1870 by the venerable Archdeacon Russell VG.
