Living in the Patch part 2: big backyards and active social lives

The previous post described the cottages in the village – known as the Patch – at the Belconnen Naval Transmitting Station, and the challenges of keeping them warm in Canberra winters.  This time, former residents talk about their memories of Read More …

Living in the Patch: the village at Belconnen Naval Transmitting Station

The Belconnen Naval Transmitting Station operated for 66 years, from 1939 to 2005.  Back in 1939 the suburb of Belconnen did not exist, and the naval base was set in an open landscape remote from the centre of Canberra. The Read More …

Communicating with submarines

Belconnen Radio Transmitting Station in Canberra was established in 1939 so that the Royal Australian Navy could transmit radio signals to ships in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Radio communication became very important between the First and Second World Wars Read More …

Fifteen excellent reasons to use oral history – part 3

Here are the final five reasons to record and use oral history interviews. You can read the first five reasons here, and the second five reasons here. Oral history is an excellent way to: 11. Create a record for your Read More …

Fifteen excellent reasons to use oral history – part 2

In my previous post, I presented five reasons to record and use oral history. Here are the next five reasons. Oral history is an excellent way to: 6. Learn about old processes The way we do many, if not most, Read More …

Fifteen excellent reasons to use oral history – part 1

There are many excellent reasons to record and use oral history interviews. Here are the first five of the fifteen reasons why I have found oral history to be useful and important. They are not in any particular order. Oral Read More …

Top 5 posts for 2018 on Listening to the Past

The top five posts for 2018 are revealed. Read More …

From rocket launches to the Australian Space Agency: South Australia’s long history of space activities

With the announcement in December 2018 that Adelaide will be home to the new Australian Space Agency, it is timely to reflect on South Australia’s more than 70 year involvement in space activities. Memories of Woomera In 1947, the Australian Read More …

The ghosts of Belconnen

Some places are more likely than others to elicit ghostly experiences.  The former Belconnen Naval Transmitting Station, or Bels, in Canberra was one such place. Bels was the most powerful radio transmitting station in the southern hemisphere.  It operated 24 Read More …

From the Monte-Carlo dance to the Veleta waltz: country dances and bands

Country dances have been a major source of entertainment for decades, as described in my previous post, but what types of dances were popular last century, and who provided the dance music? In an oral history interview, Harry Portlock talked Read More …