Federation of Australian Historical Societies

FEDERATION OF AUSTRALIAN HISTORICAL SOCIETIES INC

e-BULLETIN No. 88 – 6 September 2011

Hon Editor, Dr Ruth S. Kerr

1) 2011 Best Practices for Government Libraries

2) Outback tourism in Queensland for primary school students

3) Local history - Gowrie Junction, Queensland

4) Women in the transport industry

5) Award - The Friends of Tingalpa Cemetery Heritage Group Inc.

6) Brisbane City Council heritage database

7) Cataloguing software for historical societies

1) 2011 Best Practices for Government Libraries

The 2011 Best Practices for Government Libraries: e-Initiatives and e-Efforts: Expanding Our Horizons is now available: 2011 Best Practices for Government Libraries in PDF.

Best Practices is a collaborative document that is put out annually on a specific topic of interest to government libraries and includes content submitted by government librarians and community leaders with an interest in government libraries. The 2011 edition includes over 70 articles and other submissions provided by more than 60 contributors including librarians in government agencies, courts, and the military, as well as from professional association leaders, LexisNexis Consultants, and more.

(Source: aliaaglin-bounces@lists.alia.org.au – August 2011)

2) Outback tourism in Queensland for primary school students

Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation and the Outback Queensland Tourism Association have developed a pilot scheme for subsidising students to travel to the Outback.

Deputy Director-General Tourism, Paul Martyn, said the idea was modelled on the Federal Government Parliament and Civics Education Rebate which supports year 4-12 students on excursions to Canberra.

“The Outback Education Tour Subsidy Scheme offers between $50 to $130 subsidy per primary school student heading inland for a school excursion,” he said.

“The aim is to encourage more primary schools to take Year 6 and 7 students on an adventure into the State's Outback. As well as teaching them about its place in our past, present and future, the experience will hopefully stimulate further education-based visits and private family trips to the Outback in the long-term.”

Queensland's Outback Education Handbook has been developed for teachers wanting to develop lesson plans and travel itineraries for school excursions.

“The three-year pilot scheme will be administered by Tourism Queensland and represents an excellent example of government and industry collaboration,” Paul said.

For more information visit the Outback Education website or contact Faith Foster on 07 3225 8003.

(Source: News at DEEDI – 18 August 2011)

3) Local history - Gowrie Junction, Queensland

Gowrie Junction has been a significant railway town since 1867. It was once part of Hughes and Isaacs’ Gowrie Estate. There were two hotels in the town, two churches, fell monger, wool wash, blacksmith and dance hall. The school opened in 1878. From the advent of the dairy industry in the 1890s a condensed milk factory was established at Gowrie. The town survey was completed in 1875. Elizabeth Kenny attended the school from 1892 and later became known for her work on poliomyelitis.

The Drayton Deviation opened in 1915 and diverted traffic away from Gowrie Junction. The main railway continued through Gowrie Junction until 1968. The railway station was demolished in the 1960s. The Gowrie coal mines nearly supplied coal for the locomotives.

In the 2006 Census there were 52 families translating to 200 people in the town area. It is very close to Highfields and Toowoomba.

(Source: Toowoomba Chronicle 20 August 2011 p.13)

4) Women in the transport industry

A new book Toots – A Woman in a Man's World by Donna Vawdrey (Toots' daughter) is available from the Cairns Historical Society for $29.95. Toots Hotzheimer drove a blue MAN truck in Cape York and the Gulf Country from the 1960s to the 1990s.The book was launched on 18 June 2011 at the Blue Sky Brewery in Cairns by the Hon Warren Entsch MP, Member for Leichhardt. On 5 July Toots' daughter, Donna, launched the book in Mareeba. Toots died in a road accident at Evans Landing in 1992, aged 57 years.

(Source: Cooktown Local News 30 June – 6 July 2011 p.5 including two photos; Tablelands Advertiser 1 July 2011 p.31)

5) Award - The Friends of Tingalpa Cemetery Heritage Group Inc.

Congratulations from the President and Committee of the FAHS to Dr Ruth Kerr, our Honorary Secretary. She was recently awarded an Honorary Life Membership of The Friends of Tingalpa Cemetery Heritage Group Inc, in Brisbane. This was for the support, advocacy and networking that she has undertaken for them over the last six years, including with the Diocese of Brisbane of the Anglican Church of Australia.

This group has done some wonderful work saving and restoring the chapel and cemetery. I was delighted to visit and be welcomed by the Friends during the William Duckett White Family Grave Decoration Day in October 2009 For information on the work of the Group, see www.chapelhill.homeip.net/FamilyHistory/Photos/Tingalpa-Anglican-cemetery-Brisbane/

(Source: Associate Professor Don Garden (President, FAHS) – 22 August 2011)

6) Brisbane City Council heritage database

The historic features of more than 2100 heritage-listed homes and buildings in Brisbane can now be accessed through a new online heritage register database. The online register can give quick details of Brisbane's earliest car showrooms, some of its earliest farms and the homes of some of its most-established families. Brisbane City Council launched the site on 25 August 2011 to make the register more available to the public. (www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/heritage/).

(Source: Brisbane City Council – 25 August 2011)

7) Cataloguing software for historical societies

The FAHS is trying to find the most suitable cataloguing software for historical societies. If you are using a particularly good software, or if you have had bad experiences and would like to warn others, please notify Don Garden – d.garden@unimelb.edu.au.