There are many theories regarding the start of Christmas in July in Australia.  We definitely know that the weather in December was not the traditional Christmas cold weather. Even though it is boiling hot here in Australia, the oldies (baby boomer parents, grandparents etc) who mostly in the early days came from Great Britian the […]

Photo of the grave courtesy of Ancestry website. THE Penrith District Coroner Arthur Judges J.P. held an inquest at Penrith Court House concerning the death of William Victor Breeze. William was born at Jamisontown on 14th February 1878 and was 45 years of age. He was the son of John Mathew Breeze and Catherine Harvey […]

IN 1919 on Victoria Park at St Marys an energetic committee of Secretary Mr Marx left no stone unturned to make the celebrations worthy of St Marys. Mr Marx was well supported in his efforts by Mrs Young the  Secretary of the local Red Cross Society along with Mayor Alderman Morris and other prominent townspeople. […]

A fter nine long years “Val” is back where she belongs. When the gathering “storm clouds” of the Second World War became threatening, Australia started once again to look to its defense. The first Menzies’ Government came to power in 1939 and set in place events leading to the establishment of an ammunition fill for […]

Photo of the Penrith Railway Coal Elevator courtesy of Australian Railway Historical Society.  By Lyn Forde – President/Research Officer of St Marys & District Historical Society Inc. In 1918 an inquest was held at Penrith Court House into the death of Spencer Alfred Payne. He was born in Newcastle in 1857 and married Elizabeth Fisher […]

Photo of his grave courtesy of “Find a Grave” website. Arthur Judges the district coroner held an inquest at the Penrith Court House in July 1923 concerning the death of John “Jack” Jones that took place at Orchard Hills. In evidence Dr Day said that John was a patient of his since Christmas last and […]

Photo of Sons of Temperance courtesy of Wikipedia website. Over one hundred years ago, nothing but fire-grimed walls remained of the Penrith Temperance Hall that was in Station Street. The International Organisation of Good Templars (IOGT) originated as one of several fraternal organizations for temperance or total abstinence founded in the 19th century, and with […]

Photo of the old St Marys Council now the headquarters of the Society courtesy of Tom Thorburn. IN his minutes submitted to St Marys’ Council in August 1947, Mayor Alderman Joseph Cook said that the town planners Messrs Bunning and Madden submitted a revised residential area to the Town Planning Committee to accommodate a population […]

Photo of grave from Find a Grave website. AN inquest was held by District Coroner John King Lethbridge and a jury of seven in August 1896 on the death of Elizabeth Warden, wife of William Warden who met her death by falling into a well. William, who was employed at Gillespie’s flour mill in Sydney […]