Photo shows the Penrith Fire Brigade (1905) in High Street – courtesy of Penrith Library By Lyn Forde – President/Research Officer of St Marys & District Historical Society Inc. A smoulder that probably would have developed into a big fire was discovered on Saturday night (30th July 1920) in a shop in High Street Penrith where […]

By Lyn Forde – President/Research Officer of St Marys & District Historical Society Inc. AUSTRALIAN Royalty family James Evans was born in 1802. He was one of 220 convicts transported on the ship “Batavia” in October 1817 after being convicted at Stafford Assizes for “privately stealing”. At the Assizes the total number of people tried […]

Drawing of John from unknown newspaper By Lyn Forde – President/Research Officer of St Marys & District Historical Society Inc. JOHN Aplitt (Aplett) was born at Castlereagh in April 1852. His father and grandfather were born at Castlereagh on the Nepean River. When his father died at Penrith in 1860, his mother remarried and the […]

Photo Courtesy of Christmas Warehouse Penrith By Lyn Forde – President/Research Officer of St Marys & District Historical Society Inc. AS early as 1892 the Penrith Superior Public School was being written about in the Nepean Times with a cadet parade under the charge of Lieutenant Milne, headed by the Cadet Drum and Fife Band […]

Regentville Tweed Factory taken from a postcard courtesy of “The Past Present” website By Lyn Forde – President/Research Officer of St Marys & District Historical Society Inc. IN 1835 Sir John Jamison bought a modified steam engine for irrigation and the four-storey mill that he built on his property “Regentville.” In 1839 he wrote to […]

1890’s – Mounted Police. The significant milestone will be marked with a public street parade along Macquarie Street to the Sydney Opera House. The parade will include serving officers and troop horses, a contingent of retired officers, VIP cyclists, and a band and banner party. Members of the community are invited to attend the parade […]

St Marys Post Office courtesy of National Archives By Lyn Forde – President/Research Officer of St Marys & District Historical Society Inc. IN January 1884 James Richard Woodland known as “Japonica” wrote in the Nepean Times saying how he longed to see the old faces and their kindly looks again. He  had revisited St Marys […]

By Lyn Forde – President/Research Officer of St Marys & District Historical Society Inc. SLEEPING in the churchyard of St Mary Magdalene at St Marys is Benjamin and Elizabeth Loveday. Benjamin was born in 1822 the son of Henry John Loveday born in 1794 at Great Yarmouth, Norfolk in England and Maria Finch. Ben married […]

Photo of William courtesy of Holroyd Council website By Lyn Forde – President/Research Officer of St Marys & District Historical Society Inc. IN 1928 William Freame was an avid historian who organised history walks to interesting places. He wrote about a very interesting walk from Doonside to St Marys commenting that Doonside was the first […]

Bennett’s Wharf Nepean River – courtesy of Penrith Library By Lyn Forde – President/Research Officer of St Marys & District Historical Society Inc. IT is true that the closeness of water and the absence of not being able to swim, does over the years, take its toll on people at our local rivers and creeks. […]