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Category: History & Culture

History & Culture

Albert Borella: Victoria Cross recipient WWI

Travelling from remote Tennant Creek to Darwin, and then to Townsville to enlist, Albert Borella was determined to volunteer for WWI. His gallantry in 1917 on the Western Front in France earned him a Victoria Cross, one of 64 handed out to Australians in the Great War.

History & Culture

Lost photos of Brisbane 120 years ago

Photos found a Brisbane house showing the city at the turn of last century show a rare glimpse into the past. The 100-year-old images were discovered in the suburb of Red Hill. Amateur photographer Alfred Elliott had keenly documented changes in the city over 50 years, from the time he acquired his first camera in 1890. Elliot’s photos include historic events such as royal visits and troops going off to the Boer War in South Africa. Hundreds of glass plates and film negatives were found when the Brisbane Council purchased the house in the early 1980s, where they were stored in cigar boxes. The photos are on display as part of ‘The View From Here‘ exhibition at the Museum of Brisbane, 13 February – 30 August 2015.

History & Culture

The Digger’s view: WWI photos in colour

Monochrome images of war-torn landscapes, of dark skies and mud-laden boots trigger a distant memory of a bygone era. But not anymore. For over five years, policeman Juan Mahony persevered to revitalise a collection of World War I images, in colour, to make this slice of our history more accessible. Working alongside a team of digital artists, he made many visits to museums, studying original army uniforms and equipment from the Australian War Memorial, to achieve a real-life colour representation of individual soldiers and their stories. Juan was inspired by the 1916 death of his great uncle on the Western Front to get every detail right. He published the images in his book: The Digger’s View.

History & Culture

Memory keepers: Soldier’s personal photos of WWI

Anzac troops heading into conflict went armed with more than weapons. The invention of the Vest Pocket Kodak (VPK) camera, small enough to fit into the pocket of a soldier’s tunic, enabled troops to capture the true face of war. Here are some of their personal images.

History & Culture

Making the Australian Geographic icon coin

For our 100th issue in October 2010, we invited celebrated Sydney artist Jim Tsinganos to weave a list of 100 national icons into a painting that would artfully incorporate all our true blue Australian emblems into a single image. In late 2013, the icons poster was spotted by a team of coin developers at the Australian Mint, led by creative director Frederica Heacock, who were working towards a new collectors’ coin that would reflect Aussie culture. Rendering a large and detailed image onto a 38mm coin while remaining faithful to the original idea proved a challenge. The coin set has been christened Distinctly Australian and was launched on Australia Day this year. There are only 30,000 available.

History & Culture

Gallery: The top 10 most iconic Australian foods

Aussie food classics suggests that it’s the simpler things that take our fancy. Whether at a family Christmas feast at the height of a scorching Australian summer or barracking at a local footy match in the depths of winter, Australians enjoy foods that suit our laid-back lifestyle. Here are five sweet and five savoury Australian foods that will pluck at your Aussie heartstrings to remind you of days spent around the good old Australian backyard barbecue, lounging on the beach or simply the everyday.