Gunning & District Historical Society

  Part 1 Stereoscope As part of our AGM this year we had a bit of a ‘Show and Tell’ Presentation where you could bring along an item of historical or sentimental value, tell a story about an ancestor or relate a story that resonated.   John Searl who is also the Deputy Mayor of the Upper Lachlan Shire is a bit of an Antiques buff and from his incredible collection he brought in this amazing item called a ‘Stereoscope’. The forerunner to the modern day ‘Viewfinder’.  Remember them when you were a kid, where you put the reel in the machine and turned the pictures round with your hand, then if you were lucky you got upgraded to the ones that also had sound. Gifted the Stereoscope in 2008 from a local of Dalton, this device is c1900 and it is a wonderful example of the design work of Oliver Wendell Holmes. In about 1860, Oliver who was already renowned for being an American physician, poet and polymath, turned his attention to making the Stereoscope in a simpler version. ...

From Gladstone’s Notebook:   Bird of the Month for June A much smaller assembly of magpies than the one discussed in this article.  Image:  Ben Ashton.  Wikimedia Commons. Image courtesy Wayne Weatherstone  This is number 6 in a twelve part series inspired by Gladstone Weatherstone (pictured left), a dedicated and knowledgeable amateur naturalist who lived on Lyndfield Park near Gunning from 1941 until his death in 1996. Between 1962 and 1981 he recorded bird sightings on and near his farm in a notebook.  We still have this notebook today.   Each month we look at one of the birds that Gladstone recorded, try to place it in context and see if we can glean any lessons about the recent history of our district. On 9 June 1975 Gladstone noted “Unusual number of Black-back Magpies coming around, over eighty being counted in front of house.”  That the number was “unusual” suggests it was not unprecedented.  But it is the o...

From Gladstone Weatherstone’s Notebook:  The Swift Parrot Swift Parrot (C) Wilson Lennard 2015 Birdlifephotography.org.au Photo courtesy Wayne Weatherstone This is the fourth in a monthly series inspired by Gladstone Weatherstone, a dedicated and knowledgeable amateur naturalist who lived on his property Lyndfield Park near Gunning from 1941 until his death in 1996.  He had a particular interest in birds.  Between 1962 and 1981 Gladstone  recorded bird sightings on his farm and its near surrounds in a notebook we still have today.   Each month we look at one of the birds that Gladstone recorded, try to place it in context and see if we can glean any lessons about the recent history of our district. Gladstone’s notebook entries for April 1966 centre on some “Parrakeets” he could not identify on first sighting.  Although he was soon able to name the birds, Gladstone has left us with another puzzle we shall probably never get to the ...