Trove Tuesday – Flaxley South Australia

We moved to Flaxley in 1973. The front room of our house was the Flaxley Post Office and Mum was the Post Mistress. I had a look on Trove to see when the earliest mention of the Post Office was. These two occurrences are quite familiar to me.

1929 is the earliest mention I could find

1929 is the earliest mention I could find

I remember the cars being packed and ready to leave our house in 1980. Mum had woolen clothing soaking in the bath tub in case we needed it. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1980_Ash_Wednesday_bushfires
In 1983 my sister and I were at high school in Mt Barker and couldn’t get home to Flaxley. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ash_Wednesday_bushfires

 

FlaxleyPostOffice1936
I remember in the late 70s when lightning struck the stobie pole (power and telephone pole) out the front of the house and the live power line hung precariously over the road. My brother, sister and I were enlisted, with torches, to flag down passing traffic so that no one hit it.

Minecraft At The Museum And The North Terrace Mounted Police Barracks

I’m helping out with a school holiday event called Minecraft At The Museum (click the link and go about half way down the page) this week and Sunday we were setting up the computer network in an old museum building called The Armoury which is behind the South Australian Museum on North Terrace, Adelaide.

Setting up the computer network

Setting up the computer network

The Armoury, above the door it says Australian Light Horse and Scottish Infantry

The Armoury, above the door at the top of the steps it says Australian Light Horse and Scottish Infantry

I hadn’t been to this part of the museum since I was in primary school so it was exciting to me to find these lovely buildings with their references to South Australia’s early military.

Being the curious person that I am I took a heap of photos and when I got home started Googling!  I found this article by R.J. Potts Chief Superintendent (Ret.), Hon. Secretary, S.A.Police Historical Society Inc. The Former North Terrace Mounted Police Barracks.

In 1854 tenders were called for what became termed the ‘armoury building’ on the southern side of the quadrangle. Designed by the Colonial Architect W. Bennett Hayes, and built by contractor W. Lines, the building was completed in 1855, and was built of uncaused limestone with brick quoins, and with a slate roof. It is believed that the limestone used in the construction of the armoury building and the east and west wings of the mounted police barracks, came from the banks of the River Torrens, at or near the site of the present (2001) Festival Theatre. Other stone from Murray Bridge was also used.1

More of the mounted police buildings

More of the mounted police buildings

Large iron swing entrance gate

Large iron swing entrance gate

Large iron swing entrance gates ‘with massive arches surmounted by three stone structures’ were built on the eastern and western sides of the quadrangle, adjacent to the northern end of each building and were completed in 1851. (One of these entrance gates remains in position on the eastern side of the parade ground in 2001).2 (my note – it’s still there in 2016)

Troop barracks

The back of the Armoury

Tenders were then called in 1850 by the Colonial Engineer for the erection of a purpose-built stone and brick single story barracks complex. The single story buildings that were designed by Captain Freeling and built by contractor J.H.Walker were completed in 1851. Built of limestone and brick with slate roofs and featuring gables with decorative fretted barge boards, they formed the eastern and western wings of a quadrangle that contained a parade ground measuring 210 feet (approx. 65 metres) by 110 feet (approx. 35 metres).3

Troop rooms, mess rooms and quartermaster's quarters

Troop rooms, mess rooms and quartermaster’s quarters

While the original building on the eastern side of the quadrangle has been demolished (1950’s), the two-story building still standing on the western side of the quadrangle still contains sections of the 1851 construction. These buildings are believed to have contained troop rooms, mess rooms and quartermaster’s quarters.4

While independent volunteer rifle units were established in S.A. as early as 1844 in metropolitan districts of Adelaide, it was in 1850 that the first South Australian regiment, ‘The Adelaide Rifles’ was raised. The regimental headquarters of this unit was located within the armoury building in the North Terrace Mounted Police barracks complex, which it shared with the S.A. mounted police. The companies that made up the regiment remained at their particular metropolitan locations.5

It is well worth reading the whole article if you’re interested in South Australian history.

The Time Travellers’ Picnic

I went to the Time Travellers’ Picnic again today, last year I went as a hippy.  This year I chose Doctor Who and based my costume on Tom Baker’s Doctor who I watched growing up.

Rymill Park, Adelaide, South Australia

Rymill Park, Adelaide, South Australia

 

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Fellow Time Travellers From Many Eras

 

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It was too hot for the iconic Tom Baker scarf so I went for the tie instead

O to have my own TARDIS so that I could go back and observe my family through time and also visit so many historical moments!

Saving Graves South Australia

It’s been an exciting and busy time with Saving Graves this week.  As we prepared and researched for a newspaper article we had no idea the media storm it would raise!  I’m lucky to be part of a great team who have taken up the cause with gusto and stepped up when needed. Kirrily Burton has been our spokesperson this week and is carrying on her Mum’s, Catherine Crout-Habel’s, legacy as it was Catherine who started the group. Kirrily didn’t feel that she could handle the interviews but she did a wonderful job! Maybe she was channeling Catherine just a bit.

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Kirrily being interview by Channel Nine News at Centennial Park, Adelaide.

Here are links to the articles and interviews.

The Advertiser story by Miles Kemp
Kirrily Burton’s interview with Chris Smith from 2GB Sydney
Mornings on Channel 9
Sunrise on Channel 7
Channel 9 News this is another news story they did for us, I haven’t got a copy of the interview with Kirrily yet.

We have a petition up on Change.org which we are asking everyone to sign!  http://chn.ge/1CM4blQ

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Leases are expiring on our Diggers’ graves and those graves will be reused if families don’t know about their expiry and/or cannot afford to renew leases. We need urgent action to prevent the graves from being reused. This affects soldiers who survived the war and returned home and later died from injuries unrelated to their military service, all others are protected by the Office of Australian War Graves. All South Australians whose grave or niche has an expired lease which has not been renewed after two years can have their site reused. This involves the ‘lift and deepen’ process whereby the human remains are excavated, placed in an ossuary, reburied deeper in the grave and a new burial is placed on top leaving no record of the earlier burial.

We need the support of as many people as possible to show the Government that we don’t want graves being reused in South Australia. Saving graves in South Australia is saving our heritage, culture and history. Cemeteries are sacred places where families can go to mourn and remember their loved ones as well as researching local and family history. What heritage are we leaving for future generations?

Getting To Congress 2015

I’m planning on driving to Congress next year.  I’ve driven from Adelaide to Canberra and back once before so I already know I can do it.  Congress runs from 26th to 30th March so my travelling dates will be roughly either side of that.

congress-2015

 

I’m looking for any ladies who would be interested in sharing the driving and petrol cost.  Adelaide to Victoria, then Victoria to Canberra and return.  It can be for part or all of the trip.  It doesn’t matter to me if you’re attending the genealogy conference or you just need a lift.

I’ve been inspired by Community Exchange Road Trip to share the ride and try and use my LETS units as much as possible to pay for my accommodation and food and then I can save my cash to pay for the conference and petrol.

cyberscooty-cartoon-carYou can contact me for more details by leaving a comment on this post, email kira0030 @ gmail.com, or Google +.