Gunning & District Historical Society

Rodney Howarth with the Gunning Public School class photograph from 1955. Photo by Ann Darbyshire. By Ann Darbyshire. Following on the trail of just who was the “J Lees” on the trophy unearthed in Gunning by an enthusiastic local fossicker, Rodney Howarth got in touch with a member of the Gunning Historical Society. Rodney had a similar trophy to the one that had sparked the hunt for the Champion Girl Under 6 winner.  It turns out through further research by Greg Murphy on Trove that it was indeed the same year as the J Lees trophy. Rodney's trophy from the same year as the J Lees trophy A former Gunning boy whose parents owned most of the strip of shops that now house the Picture House Gallery and other retail outlets, Rodney had another trophy that he won in his final year at school for that now outdated event – the Hop, Skip and Jump. He broke the existing record by about 13 inches and laments that although his father was a movie camera enthusiast, this heroic ...

Jennifer Lamb at the Goulburn Mulwaree Library, 12 March 2017 I travelled to Goulburn today to hear Jennifer Lamb, resident Miles Franklin researcher, give an illustrated talk on the author and the city of her day. Franklin is regarded as one of Australia's literary greats for her novel, My Brilliant Career , published at the time of Federation in 1901. Ms Lamb became an avid Franklin researcher after "rediscovering" the author many years ago. At the time, there was little awareness of the important link between Goulburn and Franklin's novel, but there are many interesting back stories to the novel's protagonist, Sybylla Melvyn, that mirror events in Franklin's own early life and society. Stella Maria Sarah Miles Franklin (1879–1954) lived at Stillwater, a property near Goulburn, from 1891 to 1903. Franklin wrote her most famous novel at age 18 while residing there. Her novel caused a bit of a stir at the time because of the many parallels betwe...

Gunning Public School participating in the 2015 Anzac Day March along Yass Street. Photo by Ann Darbyshire. Guest Post by Dave Findlay Terry-Anne O’Neill’s book on the Gunning District’s role in the First World War is being launched on Anzac Day, Tuesday 25 April by former Gunning and Upper Lachlan Shire President John Shaw, OAM. Following the book launch during the Commemoration Service and subsequent Question and Answer session in the Courthouse, when copies of the book may be purchased for cash only, a lunch has been arranged at the Old Coaching Stables, Cullerin Road, 7kms north of Gunning on the left hand side. Unlike previous RSL social functions on Anzac Day, it is intended that this lunch should be open to all residents of the Gunning District along with friends and visitors, giving them a chance to meet with the author and be involved in this unique event in the history of the Gunning area. The cost of the two course lunch is $30 with drinks available for p...