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Blair Wark c. 1919
Blair Anderson Wark, VC,DSO (27 July 1894 – 13 June 1941) was an Australian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest decoration for gallantry "in the face of the enemy" that can be awarded to members of the British and other Commonwealth armed forces. A quantity surveyor and member of the Citizens Military Force, Wark enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force on 5 August 1915, for service in the First World War. After initially being employed in the defence of the Suez Canal, his battalion was shipped to the Western Front; it was here that Wark was twice decorated for his bravery and leadership. Having received the Distinguished Service Order in 1917 for his actions at the Battle of Polygon Wood, Wark was awarded the Victoria Cross in 1918 for his leadership and gallantry when in temporary command of his battalion over a three-day period, while conducting operations against the Hindenburg Line.
Returning to Australia after the war, Wark resumed work as a quantity surveyor and established his own business. He became a respected member of Australian society, holding positions and directorships in several companies and charities until 1940, when he re-enlisted in the Citizens Military Force for service in the Second World War. Wark was promoted to lieutenant colonel and assumed command of the 1st Battalion (City of Sydney's Own Regiment), but died suddenly at Puckapunyal Camp, Victoria, of coronary heart disease, aged 46. (Full article...)
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The murder of Leigh Leigh, born Leigh Rennea Mears, occurred on 3 November 1989 while she was attending a 16-year-old boy's birthday party at Stockton Beach, New South Wales, on the east coast of Australia. The 14-year-old girl from Fern Bay was assaulted by a group of boys after she returned distressed from a sexual encounter on the beach that a reviewing judge later called non-consensual. After being kicked and spat on by the group, Leigh left the party. Her naked body was found in the sand dunes nearby the following morning, with severe genital damage and a crushed skull.
Matthew Grant Webster, an 18-year-old who acted as a bouncer at the event, pleaded guilty to her murder and was sentenced to 20 years in prison with a 14-year non-parole period. He was released on parole in June 2004, after serving 14½ years. Guy Charles Wilson, the other bouncer and only other person aged over 18 at the party, pleaded guilty to assault; a third male (aged 15) pleaded guilty to having sex with a minor. The investigation of Leigh's murder proved controversial, however, as several people who admitted to various crimes, including assaulting Leigh, were never charged; nor was anyone ever charged with her sexual assault. Webster's confession did not match the forensic evidence. The murder investigation was reviewed by the New South Wales Crime Commission in 1996, and by the Police Integrity Commission in 1998, with the latter recommending the dismissal of the detective in charge of the investigation. (Full article...)
The Mariners' record appearance-maker is John Hutchinson, who made 271 appearances over a 10-year playing career, ahead of Matt Simon. Hutchinson also holds the record for the most starts, having started in 232 games. Simon is the club's top goalscorer with 66 goals in his eleven seasons with the club, twenty-three more than next-highest scorer Adam Kwasnik. Fifteen players have made 100 appearances or more, including six members of the 2013 A-League Grand Final winning team and three members of the 2023 A-League Men Grand Final and 2024 A-League Men Grand Final winning teams. Danny Vukovic is the only goalkeeper to have made over 100 appearances for the side. Eight players have held the position of club captain, Alex Wilkinson for the longest period (five years). (Full article...)
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A boat at Rose Bay in water which is being churned by the hailstones.
The 1947 Sydney hailstorm was a natural disaster which struck Sydney, Australia, on 1 January 1947. The storm cell developed on the morning of New Year's Day, a public holiday in Australia, over the Blue Mountains, hitting the city and dissipating east of Bondi in the mid-afternoon. At the time, it was the most severe storm to strike the city since recorded observations began in 1792.
The high humidity, temperatures and weather patterns of Sydney increased the strength of the storm. The cost of damages from the storm were, at the time, approximately £750,000 (US$3 million); this is the equivalent of around A$45 million in modern figures. The supercell dropped hailstones larger than 8 centimetres (3.1 in) in diameter, with the most significant damage occurring in the central business district and eastern suburbs of Sydney. (Full article...)
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The Glasshouse arts and entertainment centre was central to the dismissal of Port Macquarie-Hastings Council The dismissal of the Port Macquarie-Hastings Council on 27 February 2008 marked the end of a series of events involving a project which was initiated in 2001 in the New South Wales coastal town of Port Macquarie to build a cultural and entertainment centre, known to locals as the Glasshouse. The project, initially a joint venture with the management of the neighbouring shopping centre, Port Central, was originally expected to cost the Council A$7.3 million. However, by late 2007, despite the centre not yet having opened, the costs had blown out to over A$41.7 million, with interest repayments likely to extend the council's liability to A$66 million.
On 27 July 2007, a full public inquiry was announced by the Minister for Local Government, Paul Lynch. The inquiry reported its findings in February 2008. It found that the council had failed to provide appropriate financial and project management and had lost control of the costs, that the project costs had harmed the council's ability to provide services and amenities to the community, and that the council's communications management strategy had resulted in inadequate consultation with the public and inappropriate regard to their concerns. The Minister for Local Government dismissed the council and its mayor, Rob Drew, and appointed an administrator upon receiving the inquiry's report. Drew was critical of the process throughout, maintaining that errors had been made and misinformation had been accepted as fact; however, the New South Wales Urban Task Force, a property development lobby group, believed the sacking served as a warning to other councils to stick to "core responsibilities". (Full article...)
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Weaver in October 1932
Reginald Walter Darcy Weaver (18 July 1876 – 12 November 1945) was an Australian conservative parliamentarian who served in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly for 28 years. Serving from 1917 in the backbenches, he entered the cabinet of Thomas Bavin in 1929 as Secretary for Mines and Minister for Forests until he returned to opposition in 1930. Following the success of the United Australia Party in the 1932 election, Weaver returned as the Secretary for Public Works and Minister for Health in the Stevens ministry.
In 1935 he was dropped from the ministry but was later elected as the Speaker of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly in 1937, holding office until the Mair Government lost power in 1941. Weaver then witnessed the death of the United Australia Party in 1943 and became the leader of the new Democratic Party in 1944. He was then involved in the negotiations to form the New South Wales branch of the Liberal Party, with Weaver becoming the first leader of the state Liberal Party in April 1945. He served only briefly until dying of a heart attack in November 1945. (Full article...)
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Charles Green at Wewak, New Guinea, in September 1945
Green performed instructional duties and attended courses until July 1943 when he rejoined the 2/2nd Battalion as its second-in-command. At the time, the unit was training in Queensland. From March to July 1945, Green commanded the 2/11th Battalion during the Aitape-Wewak campaign in New Guinea. For his performance during the campaign, Green was appointed a Companion of the Distinguished Service Order. After the war, Green briefly returned to civilian life and part-time military service as commanding officer of the 41st Battalion. When the Regular Army was formed, Green returned to full-time service in early 1949. (Full article...)
The Governor's Body Guard of Light Horse was a military unit maintained in the Colony of New South Wales between 1801 and 1834, and reputedly the "first full-time military unit raised in Australia". It was established by GovernorPhilip Gidley King by drawing men from the New South Wales Corps, the British garrison in the colony. Normally consisting of one or two non-commissioned officers and six privates, the Guard provided an escort to the governor and carried his despatches to outposts across the colony. From 1802, the men of the Guard were drawn from convicts pardoned by King. Men from the unit were deployed during the Castle Hill convict rebellion of 1804 and a trooper of the Guard assisted in the capture of two of the rebel leaders.
After King was succeeded by William Bligh in 1806, the Guard reverted to being drawn from the New South Wales Corps. The unit seems to have been absent during the Corps' 1808 mutiny against Bligh and, by one report, supported it. It was ordered to disband by the Earl of Liverpool but was granted a reprieve in 1812 by Liverpool's successor Earl Bathurst. Viscount Goderich ordered disbandment again in 1832 and Governor Richard Bourke transformed the unit into the Mounted Orderlies in 1834. These were absorbed into the New South Wales Mounted Police in 1836 and continued as a separate component within that force until at least 1860. (Full article...)
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Barnes in cricket whites
Sidney George Barnes (5 June 1916 – 16 December 1973) was an Australian cricketer and cricket writer, who played 13 Test matches between 1938 and 1948. Able to open the innings or bat down the order, Barnes was regarded as one of Australia's finest batsmen in the period immediately following World War II. He helped create an enduring record when scoring 234 in the second Test against England at Sydney in December 1946; exactly the same score as his captain, Don Bradman, in the process setting a world-record 405-run fifth wicketpartnership. Barnes averaged 63.05 over 19 innings in a career that, like those of most of his contemporaries, was interrupted by World War II.
He made his first-class debut at the end of the 1936–37 season when selected for New South Wales, and he was later included in the team for the 1938 Australian tour of England, making his Test debut in the final international of the series. On the resumption of Test cricket after the war, he was picked as the opening partner to Arthur Morris. Barnes was a member of The Invincibles, the 1948 Australian team that toured England without losing a single match. Retiring from cricket at the end of that tour, Barnes attempted a comeback to Test cricket in the 1951–52 season that was ultimately and controversially unsuccessful. (Full article...)
As a wicket-keeper, Saggers was "tidy and unobtrusive", and the understudy to Don Tallon on the 1948 Australian tour of England. The touring party, led by Donald Bradman in his last season, was nicknamed The Invincibles and was widely regarded as one of the strongest ever. Saggers played in the Test match at Headingley, where he took three catches, and his only other experience of Test cricket was on the tour to South Africa in 1949–50, in which Tallon did not take part. Saggers played in all five Tests and took 21 dismissals, but Tallon replaced him for the home Ashes series against England the following season. (Full article...)
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Bruxner in 1951
Lieutenant ColonelSir Michael Frederick BruxnerKBE,DSO,JP (25 March 1882 – 28 March 1970) was an Australian politician and soldier, serving for many years as leader of the Country Party (and its predecessors) in New South Wales. Born in the north of the state, Bruxner was educated at The Armidale School and started studies at University of Sydney but later dropped out to take up employment as a grazier and station agent in Tenterfield. After serving in the Citizen Military Forces from 1911, Bruxner enlisted into the Australian Light Horse upon the outbreak of the First World War in 1914. Serving with distinction in Gallipoli, Egypt and Palestine, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel and awarded the Distinguished Service Order.
Returning to Australia in 1919, Bruxner sold his business and joined the Progressive Party, being elected to the Parliament of New South Wales for Northern Tablelands at the 1920 election. Bruxner came to political prominence when he led the rural "True Blues" faction of the Progressive Party that went against their Leader's decision to form a coalition in Sir George Fuller's short-lived government in 1921. Bruxner emerged as the leader of the reduced Progressive Party, which consisted of the members of his faction, but they nevertheless joined with Fuller's Nationalists to form government in 1922. Bruxner also became involved in the New England New State Movement. Bruxner resigned the party leadership, now for the renamed Country Party, at the end of 1925. (Full article...)
In 2008, Dodd was the Australian national Grade IV para-equestrian champion. She was runner-up in 2009, and won the Australian national championships again in 2011, along with the Oceania Championships and the National Titles team events. By 2012, she was the top-ranked Australian competitor in her event and class. (Full article...)
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Grevillea juniperina, commonly known as juniper- or juniper-leaf grevillea or prickly spider-flower, is a plant of the family Proteaceae native to eastern New South Wales and southeastern Queensland in Australia. Scottish botanist Robert Brown described the species in 1810, and seven subspecies are recognised. One subspecies, G. j. juniperina, is restricted to Western Sydney and environs and is threatened by loss of habitat and housing development.
A small, prickly-leaved shrub between 0.2–3 m (0.66–9.84 ft) high, G. juniperina generally grows on clay-based or alluvial soils in eucalyptwoodland. The flower heads, known as inflorescences, appear from winter to early summer and are red, orange or yellow. Birds visit and pollinate the flowers. Grevillea juniperina plants are killed by bushfire, regenerating afterwards from seed. Grevillea juniperina adapts readily to cultivation and has been important in horticulture as it is the parent of many popular garden hybrids. (Full article...)
The Blue Mountains of New South Wales, Australia, are situated approximately 100 kilometres west of Sydney. They are a range of sandstone geological structures that reach to at least 1,190 metres AHD.
The university is organised into 9 faculties and schools, which together administers 130 undergraduate courses and 210 postgraduate courses. In 2023, the university enrolled 47,913 students, including 33,579 undergraduate students. The university is home to over 45 research centres and institutes, who regularly collaborates along with industry and government partners. (Full article...)
An outbreak of equine influenza (EI) in Australia was confirmed by the Department of Primary Industries (New South Wales) on 24 August 2007 in Sydney. Also known as "horse flu" and "A1 influenza", the rapid outbreak was of the Influenza A virus strain of subtype H3N8. While the virus is highly contagious, it rarely kills adult horses but the performance of thoroughbred racing horses can be affected for several weeks. It can be fatal to young foals and debilitated horses.
Because of strict quarantine procedures to reduce the risk of exotic pests and diseases entering Australia, this was the first outbreak of equine influenza in Australia. Horses in Australia had not been exposed to the virus and, not being vaccinated, were fully susceptible. (Full article...)
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Children outside some of the 27 houses at Boggabilla Station, November 1952. Aboriginal reserves in New South Wales, together with Stations, and Aboriginal Missions in New South Wales were areas of land where many Aboriginal people were forced to live in accordance with laws and policies. The British government, which controlled the Australian colonies, and later the state governments had various policies of segregation and assimilation. The Aboriginal reserves were established by government authorities as portions of land set aside for the sole use of Aboriginal people, a practice that continued after Federation in 1901. Of the 85 Aboriginal reserves created from 1885 to 1895, 47 were initiated by Aboriginal families. The Register of Aboriginal Reserves 1875-1904 held by NSW State Archives includes a map of the locality and a description of the area and whether it is good for hunting and fishing.
The Bank of New South Wales (BNSW), also known commonly as The Wales, was the first bank in Australia, being established in Sydney in 1817 and situated on Broadway. During the 19th century, the bank opened branches throughout Australia and New Zealand, expanding into Oceania in the 20th century. It merged with many other financial institutions, finally merging with the Commercial Bank of Australia in 1982 and being renamed to the Westpac Banking Corporation on 4 May that year under the Bank of New South Wales (Change of Name) Act 1982. (Full article...)
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Visitors interacting with Wedding Cake Rock, pictured in December 2014, prior to the landmark’s closure to the public.Wedding Cake Rock, also known as White Rock, is a sandstone rock formation located in the Royal National Park near Bundeena in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, accessible via the Royal National Park Coast Track. The rock is one of many formations that appear north of Marley Beach, and is suspended 25 metres (82 ft) above sea level. Wedding Cake Rock is noted for its scenic location and popularity with bushwalkers and tourists, as an attractive location for photography. Its reputation, however, was damaged after the landmark saw a sudden spike in popularity in 2015, and subsequently fell victim to vandalism. The rock was closed off from public access in May 2015 by the New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service, citing the dangerous behavior of recent visitors, and later, safety concerns, after a survey conducted the following month determined that the rock was unstable, and that it would collapse into the Tasman Sea within the next decade. (Full article...)
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Sydney city centre
The Sydney central business district (CBD) is the historical and main commercial centre of Sydney. The CBD is Sydney's city centre, or Sydney City, and the two terms are used interchangeably. Colloquially, the CBD or city centre is often referred to simply as "Town" or "the City". The Sydney city centre extends southwards for about 3 km (2 mi) from Sydney Cove, the point of first European settlement in which the Sydney region was initially established.
The South Wales Metro (Welsh: Metro De Cymru) is an integrated heavy rail, light rail and bus-based public transport services and systems network currently being developed in South East Wales around the hub of Cardiff Central railway station. The first phase was approved for development in October 2013. Works are currently under way, with a new depot under construction at Taff's Well and new trains being built by Stadler Rail in Switzerland. The development will also include the electrification of the core Valley Lines and new stations. All nine lines will be electrified, and the service is expected to be in operation by the end of 2024. (Full article...)
Wodonga (pronounced /wəˈdɒŋɡə/; Pallanganmiddang: Wordonga) is a city on the Victorian side of the border with New South Wales, 324 kilometres (201 mi) north-east of Melbourne, Australia. It is part of the twin city of Albury-Wodonga and is located wholly within the boundaries of the City of WodongaLGA and is separated from its twin city in New South Wales, Albury, by the Murray River. As of 2021 Wodonga and its suburbs have a population of 38,949 and combined with Albury, the two cities form the urban area Albury-Wodonga with a population of 97,793. There are multiple suburbs of Wodonga including Bandiana, Baranduda, Barnawartha, Bonegilla, Ebden, Huon Creek, Killara, Leneva and Staghorn.
Wodonga produces a gross domestic product of $2.5 billion per year on average. (Full article...)
Established in 1949, UNSW is a research university and a member of Universitas 21, a global network of research universities. It has international exchange and research partnerships with over 200 universities around the world. UNSW is best known in the field of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), and ranked highly in both domestic and international university-ranking tables. (Full article...)
Image 6Mr E.H. Hargraves, The Gold Discoverer of Australia, returning the salute of the gold miners - Thomas Tyrwhitt Balcombe, 1851 (from History of New South Wales)
Image 16A General Chart of New Holland including New South Wales & Botany Bay with The Adjacent Countries and New Discovered Lands, published in An Historical Narrative of the Discovery of New Holland and New South Wales, London, Fielding and Stockdale, November 1786 (from History of New South Wales)
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Murray Grey cows and calves (from Economy of New South Wales)
Sydney Opera House was opened in 1973. (from History of New South Wales)
Tumut 3 Power Station was constructed as part of the vast Snowy Mountains Scheme in New South Wales (1949–1974). Construction necessitated the expansion of Australia's immigration program. (from History of New South Wales)
A bulk carrier entering the Port of Newcastle, New South Wales, 2009 (from Economy of New South Wales)
Early expeditions of Charles Sturt (from History of New South Wales)
Mr E.H. Hargraves, The Gold Discoverer of Australia, returning the salute of the gold miners - Thomas Tyrwhitt Balcombe, 1851 (from History of New South Wales)
Hyde Park, Sydney with the Australian Museum under construction in the distance, 1842 (from History of New South Wales)
Bondi Beach circa 1900 (from History of New South Wales)
Dry paddocks in the Riverina region during the 2007 drought (from History of New South Wales)
Landing of Lieutenant James Cook at Botany Bay, 29 April 1770, by E. Phillips Fox (from History of New South Wales)
Founding of the settlement of Port Jackson at Botany Bay in New South Wales in 1788, by Thomas Gosse (from History of New South Wales)
World leaders with Prime Minister John Howard in Sydney for the 2007 APEC conference (from History of New South Wales)
Humanitarian Caroline Chisholm provided support to poverty-stricken women migrants (from History of New South Wales)
William Wentworth was key in the establishment of self-governance in New South Wales (from History of New South Wales)
A General Chart of New Holland including New South Wales & Botany Bay with The Adjacent Countries and New Discovered Lands, published in An Historical Narrative of the Discovery of New Holland and New South Wales, London, Fielding and Stockdale, November 1786 (from History of New South Wales)
Olympic colours on the Sydney Harbour Bridge in the year 2000 (from History of New South Wales)
Ribbon ceremony to open the Sydney Harbour Bridge on 20 March 1932. Breaking protocol, the soon to be dismissed Premier Jack Lang cuts the ribbon while Governor Philip Game looks on. (from History of New South Wales)
A chart of part of the interior of New South Wales by John Oxley, Surveyor General, 1822 (from History of New South Wales)
Federation Pavilion, Centennial Park, Sydney, 1 January 1901. (from History of New South Wales)
Köppen climate types in New South Wales (from Geography of New South Wales)
Aboriginal tribes in New South Wales, from an 1892 map (from History of New South Wales)
The 5th Governor of New South Wales, Lachlan Macquarie, was influential in establishing civil society in Australia (from History of New South Wales)
Governor Arthur Phillip hoists the British flag over the new colony at Sydney in 1788 (from History of New South Wales)
A 630 lb gold specimen from Hill End, unearthed in 1872 (from History of New South Wales)
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