Stories to make you smile

Nostalgia

Island Blood

By Leon Panapa In 2002 I cut my left lower leg on tropical coral whilst walking through a reef. The cut stung and it bled into the ocean. It hurt but I managed to persevere and manage the scrapes and [...]

This is the life story of my Grandmother, Fay Coleman

By Ronan HughesBorn on February 19, 1947, birth name Fay Janet Doolan, she was the first Ash Wednesday born in the hospital for that year. Her birth parents were Muriel Ileen Anderson, changed to Muriel Ileen Hammond after she was [...]

My Grandad Ron

By Erin Norton This is my Grandad Ron receiving a medal of honour from the Queen Mother in 1975. According to my Nan, she smiled at him and remarked “A Gordon for me”. Ron stood up so straight that a [...]

The origin of waste management in Australia

BY KIARA BLINCO In the year of 1932, the Richards family saw a service that needed to be filled. The waste industry in Australia was a seemingly small service that not many people wanted to interact with since it mostly [...]

The Interesting Life of Hilda Fletcher – Part 3

By Talitha Organ Fletcher Part 3 – The War Effort Injuries were no excuse to not do your part during the war. Everyone had a job to do to ensure the country still functioned successfully and Hilda Fletcher (known as [...]

The Interesting Life of Hilda Fletcher – Part 2

By Talitha Organ Fletcher Part 2 – The Bombing “I remember waking myself up screaming.” Having a well paying job at the Vickers Armstrong Aircraft factory before the war even started, Hilda had her daily routine down pat. She would [...]

The Interesting Life of Hilda Fletcher

By Talitha Organ-Fletcher Part 1 – Growing Up January 29 1921, Edwin and Emelia Phillips welcomed another baby girl in their family but at the time, no one had any idea of the extraordinary life that she would go on [...]

A Nurse’s Tale

By Isabella Neal Balmain, Sydney. 1975. A young, dedicated woman by the name of Katrina Singh, pins on her nurses’ cap and walks down the corridors of Balmain Hospital to begin her shift. Taking care of her patients of all [...]

Home is Where the Heart Is

By Isabella Neal Crystal clear beaches, white sand between toes and a relaxed, homely feeling is what Tugun and Currumbin is all about. Many people say they are hit with a wave of nostalgia and flooding memories when going back [...]

John “Jack” McMullen

By Caitlin Matticoli Edited by Jake Watson John ‘Jack’ McMullen was a man of strength and toughness. He joined the Royal Australian Navy in his early 20s as an engineer. As my great-grandmother Margret used to say, “Jack was straight [...]

Barry Boyd – A self-made man and his birds

By Kate Grant Barry Boyd has been a regular customer at the Chinese restaurant I’ve worked at for the last six years. He’s almost the only reason I’ve kept the job for this long. He sticks out as my favourite [...]

From Glasgow to Sydney

By Madison White The RMS Orion was, and still is, considered by many as one of the more famous British passenger ships. Even its launch was considered an important moment in maritime history for the British, being one of the [...]