Canowindra Historical Society & Museum Incorporated

06/08/2025

The next meeting of Canowindra Historical Society and Museum Inc (CHSM) is on Tuesday, 12th August at 10 am in the Museum at 117 Gaskill Street.

All those interested in our heritage are welcome to attend.

Please come in via the corner gate from the Memorial Park. The temporary fence in front of the porch (red door) is blocking off the building site.

Victory in the Pacific Day (VJ Day) (15th August) display and information - if you wish to provide any brief family stories or photographs suitable for our display at the RSL, please contact the museum as soon as possible ([email protected]).

Victory in the Pacific (VP) Day VP (Victory in the Pacific) Day, also referred to as Victory over Japan (VJ) Day, is celebrated on 15 August. This date commemorates Japan’s acceptance of the Allied demand for unconditional surrender on 14 August 1945. For Australians, it meant that the Second Worl...

05/08/2025

05/08/2025

The Railway Picnic:
With ice-cream stained red faces
We ran three-legged races
We chased the greasy pig and we raced with egg and spoon
Swam in foaming seas a-briny
With noses burnt and shiny
'Til the time for our departure just came along too soon.

Around Bundaberg, Queensland, railwaymen and the community participated in an annual "railway picnic" by the seaside an event that endured for more than 50 years,

04/08/2025

04/08/2025

04/08/2025

PROGRAM OF EVENTS - 81st ANNIVERSARY 📖

The Cowra Breakout Association kindly invites you to attend the official commemorative events for the 81st Anniversary of the Cowra Breakout on Tuesday, 5th August 2025.

08:30-9:00 am
Wreath laying - Cowra POW Campsite and Italian Memorial
Corner Evans Street and Sakura Avenue, Cowra NSW

09.15-9.30pm Peace Bell Ceremony
Australia's World Peace Bell - 104 Darling Street, Cowra NSW

10:00-10:45 am
Official wreath-laying ceremonies:
Australian and Japanese War Cemeteries
Doncaster Drive, Cowra NSW
(Conducted by - Cowra RSL Sub-Branch)

11:00am-12:00pm
May Weir Memorial Morning Tea
Cowra Japanese Garden Café

Cowra's War 1939-1945
Cowra Regional Art Gallery Exhibition - 19 July to 24 August 2025
The Cowra Breakout Association presents Cowra's War 1939-1945 to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in pictures and objects.

For further information, please contact:
Mr. Lawrance Ryan,
Cowra Breakout Association
Home phone: 02 6341 3337 / 0408 639 088
[email protected]

Mr. Gordon Rolls
President, Cowra Breakout Association
02 6343 3214

03/08/2025

Expand your genealogical research skills this Family History Month in our webinar focusing on Findmypast.

03/08/2025

Come join us at A Good Feed and A Good Chat in Greenethorpe for a delicious breakfast and great conversations with friends and neighbors!

03/08/2025

Roger Ray discovered this photo in the book, 'Walk Sydney Streets': "As a kid growing up, we had an outside toilet with a chain pull cistern. We used old phone books and newspaper for toilet paper and I don’t know what year we went to proper toilet rolls. I found this photo in a book called Walk Sydney Streets by Alan Waddell who, when in his 90s, walked all over Sydney and suburbs taking thousands of photos which he published in Walk Sydney Streets.
Sadly, Alan passed away on 2 September 2008. In memory of Alan, his family maintained his website and continued to add photos of his discoveries. Isn’t this such a typical Australian suburbia backyard of the 1960s with the old outside dunny? Lots of redbacks under the lavatory seat and those “long drops” smelled so bad, no wonder they were right down the bottom of the yard."

03/08/2025

THE END OF THE LINE.
What happened to the Great Northern Railway of NSW?
40 years ago, the last steam train to visit Tenterfield headed back to Sydney.
It carried away 100 years of community stories, memories, joy,s and sorrows. And then the northern end of the railway line was closed.
The "Great Northern Railway" was the vision of Sir Henry Parkes. He believed that when the Colonies formed a Federation, they should all be linked by rail.
In the 1830s, when Sir Henry first conceived the idea, the fastest means of transport was a Cobb and Co coach. So a trip from Sydney to Brisbane would have been around 13 days of cramped riding. Sir Henry reduced that time to 18 hours.
It took 40 years for the railway to reach the border at Wallangarra. By this time, the Queensland line had also arrived. A change of gauge platform was built, and suddenly, the two great capital cities of Sydney and Brisbane were linked. So, people, goods, and mountains of mail moved back and forth every day for 100 years.
Local Tenterfield film maker Peter Harris has created a major documentary about the remarkable Story. It contains an historic collection of images and film. Peter has added some of his own photography to help understand the vision and technical solutions along the way.
He summarises it all as - 40 years to build, 100 years of operation and 40 years of neglect.
So what actually happened?
Come and find out at the special "World Premiere" in Tenterfield.
Support films include "Per Aerial Mail" - the story of Australia's first official airmail flight, which brought mail to the waiting train at Tenterfield Station.
The screening will commence at 3pm on Sat, 9th August at the Tenterfield School of Arts Cinema, opposite the P.O.
Entry is free, and refreshments are available for free from 2 pm.
Please let us know if you plan to attend. Email [email protected]" rel="ugc" target="_blank">[email protected] or phone Lois on 0437 116 518

02/08/2025

02/08/2025

Wander around and view the gardens and take a self guided tour of the home and stables.