A little ray of sunshine from Australia

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Re: A little ray of sunshine from Australia

Post by noosard » December 4, 2020, 6:56 am




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Re: A little ray of sunshine from Australia

Post by Barney » December 6, 2020, 10:49 am

On this day, 6th December 1784, transportation of convicts from England to Australia is first authorised.
Conditions in England in the 18th century were tough: the industrial revolution had removed many people's opportunities to earn an honest wage as simpler tasks were replaced by machine labour. As unemployment rose, so did crime, especially the theft of basic necessities such as food and clothing. The British prison system was soon full to overflowing, and a new place had to be found to ship the prison inmates. The American colonies were no longer viable, following the American war of Independence. Following Captain Cook's voyage to the South Pacific, the previously uncharted continent of New Holland proved to be suitable.

The plan to send a colony of convicts and officers to New South Wales was first authorised on 6 December 1784. Within two years, the formal decision was made to send a colonisation party of convicts, military and civilian personnel specifically to Botany Bay, New South Wales, under the command of Captain Arthur Phillip, who was appointed Governor-designate. The First Fleet consisted of 775 convicts on board six transport ships, accompanied by officials, crew, marines and their families who together totalled 645. As well as the convict transports, there were two naval escorts and three storeships.

Transportation of convicts to Australia began when the first ship departed Portsmouth, England, in May 1787, and ended when the last convict ship left Britain in 1867 and arrived in Australia on 10 January 1868.
Pictured: Colour lithograph of the First Fleet entering Port Jackson on January 26 1788, drawn in 1888. Creator: E. Le Bihan.

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A little ray of sunshine from Australia

Post by Barney » December 10, 2020, 11:25 am

On this day, 10th December 1919, brothers Ross and Keith Smith win the Australian air race to fly from England to Australia in under 30 days.
The first powered flight in Australia was achieved by Harry Houdini while he was visiting Victoria, in 1910. 1912 saw the establishment of military aviation and the deployment of the Australian Flying Corps in World War I. In 1919, Australian Prime Minister Billy Hughes announced the Federal Government was offering a £10,000 prize for the first Australian to fly from England to Australia in under 30 days.
Brothers Keith and Ross Smith were two of the competitors. Ross, born 4 December 1892 in Adelaide was first pilot, while his brother Keith, born on 20 December 1890, also in Adelaide, was navigator and co-pilot. Both men had served in World War I. Together with mechanics James ‘Jim’ Bennett and WH ‘Wally’ Shiers, they departed Hounslow, England on 12 November 1919 in a large Vickers Vimy bomber on an 18,250-kilometre marathon journey.
The route took them across the Middle East, India and south-east Asia. They headed first to Basra, Iraq then on to Delhi, India. From there they continued on to Singora in Thailand, Surabaya in East Java, Indonesia and finally, Timor, from where they made the final crossing to Australia. Flying conditions were harsh and hazardous, as it was cramped and freezing in the open cockpit, with low visibility. The aircraft had to land frequently for refuelling, repairs or due to bad weather, and landing strips were often poor quality. However, the aeroplane landed in Darwin at 3.50 pm on 10 December 1919, well within the time limit specified in the race conditions. In all, the men spent around 136 hours in the air on a journey that took 28 days, flying at an average 137 kilometres per hour. Of the six other contestants in the race, only one other aircraft completed the journey.
The four men shared equally in the prize money. The Smith brothers were knighted, while Shiers and Bennett were commissioned and awarded Bars to their Air Force Medals. In April 1922, while preparing for a record-breaking around the world flight, Ross Smith and Bennett were killed in a crash. Keith died of cancer in 1955, and Shiers died in 1968. The Vickers Vimy bomber used on this epic journey is on permanent display at Adelaide Airport.
Pictured: The 1919 England to Australia Air Race winning Vickers Vimy crew. Aces Flying High.


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Re: A little ray of sunshine from Australia

Post by Barney » December 11, 2020, 9:05 am

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On this day, 11th December 1792, Captain Arthur Phillip, first Governor of the New South Wales colony, returns to England.
Arthur Phillip was born in London on 11 October 1738. He joined the Royal Navy when he was fifteen and alternately earned a living as a navy officer and as a farmer. In October 1786, Phillip was appointed Governor-designate of the proposed British penal colony of New South Wales. He was a practical man who suggested that convicts with experience in farming, building and crafts be included in the First Fleet, but his proposal was rejected. The First Fleet left Portsmouth, England, on 13 May 1787, and arrived in Botany Bay on 18 January 1788. Phillip immediately determined that there was insufficient fresh water, an absence of usable timber, poor quality soil and no safe harbour at Botany Bay. Thus the fleet was moved to Port Jackson, arriving on 26 January 1788.
Phillip faced many obstacles in his attempts to establish the new colony. British farming methods, seeds and implements were unsuitable for use in the different climate and soil, and the colony faced near-starvation in its first two years. Phillip also worked to improve understanding with the local Aborigines. The colony finally succeeded in developing a solid foundation, agriculturally and economically, thanks to the perseverance of Captain Arthur Phillip.
Poor health forced Phillip to return to England in 1792. He departed for his homeland on 11 December 1792, sailing in the ship "Atlantic". Phillip resigned his commission soon after arriving back in England and died on 31 August 1814.
Pictured: Arthur Phillip 1786.


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Re: A little ray of sunshine from Australia

Post by Barney » December 12, 2020, 5:58 am

On this day, 12th December 1882, Australia’s worst gold mining disaster, to date, occurs in Creswick, Victoria.

Creswick is a small town located in the heart of the central goldfields in Victoria, Australia. The town, which currently has a population of just over 3 000, was born after squatters Charles, John and Henry Creswick ran sheep in the area which became known as Creswick’s Creek in 1842. The discovery of gold in September 1851 led to a gold rush, and the steady alluvial finds were boosted by the opening up of deeper workings in 1855-6. By 1861, the population of the town had swelled to over 5 000.

The Australasian Mining Company began prospecting for gold in the area in 1867 and enjoyed rich returns with the discovery of the Australasian Lead, one of five rich gold leads, or rivers of gold buried beneath layers of basalt, sand and gravel, that run through the area. A decade of regular flooding caused the Australasia No 1 mine shaft to be abandoned. The Australasia No 2 shaft was sunk approximately 200 metres away after the formation of a new company, the New Australasian Gold Mining Company, in 1878.

At around 5:30 am on the morning of Tuesday, 12 December 1882, water which had been accumulating in the Australasia No 1 mine burst through the wall of the reef drive, trapping 27 workers. Hearing the noise of the flooding above ground, water pump engine driver James Spargo increased the speed of the pump and was quickly joined by two other engine drivers, James Harris and Thomas Clough. Over the next few days, the men ran the engines at more than 10 times their normal speed, trying to lower the water to save the trapped men. Unable to escape from the mine, the men sought respite from the rising waters in the small space of the No 11 jump-up, one of several cutaways where the men would “jump up” out of the way of the mine trucks. A special train was dispatched from Melbourne with equipment to dive into the water. Diving equipment borrowed from the HMS Cerberus, together with experienced divers, was sent up from Melbourne. It was Thursday (some sources say Friday) before the trapped men could be reached, and by that time, 22 had died. Only 5 were brought out alive.

This was not the only mining accident to occur in 1882: apart from the 22 who perished in this one incident, in the same year there were another 49 deaths due to mining accidents in the colony of Victoria alone. Following the Creswick disaster, 20 000 pounds was collected from townsfolk throughout Victoria to help the widows and orphans, with funds being allocated weekly to the families of the victims. Later, Parliament changed the fund to “The Mining Accident Relief Fund Act, 1884”, with money being paid to assist all victims of mining accidents.

Pictured: The Creswick Mining Disaster – Scene at the Head of the Shaft – The Braceman Announcing the Death of the Miners.

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Re: A little ray of sunshine from Australia

Post by Barney » December 15, 2020, 6:09 am

On this day, 15th December 1810, Governor Lachlan Macquarie introduces a building code into the New South Wales colony.

Lachlan Macquarie was born on 31 January 1762 on the Isle of Mull in the Hebrides islands of Scotland. He joined the army at age 14 and gained experience in North America, India and Egypt. In 1808, he was appointed Governor of the New South Wales colony, a position he held from 1810 to 1821. With his military training and vision for organisation and discipline, Macquarie was an ideal candidate to restore order to the colony, following the Rum Rebellion against deposed Governor William Bligh.

On 15 December 1810, Macquarie introduced the first building code into the colony. The code required that all buildings were to be constructed of timber or brick, covered with a shingle roof, and include a chimney. Whilst Governor, Macquarie also ordered the construction of roads, bridges, wharves, churches and public buildings. Following an inspection of the sprawling, ramshackle settlement of Hobart Town in Van Diemen's Land, now Tasmania, Macquarie ordered government surveyor John Meehan to survey a regular street layout: this layout still forms the current centre of the city of Hobart.

Pictured: Elevation of the General Hospital (The Rum Hospital) Sydney 1811. Parliament of New South Wales

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Re: A little ray of sunshine from Australia

Post by Whistler » December 15, 2020, 9:07 am

Barney,

He also stipulated that houses being enclosed with a fence at least 4 foot high to stop roaming pigs spreading disease. He was Australia's most outstanding colonial governor by a country mile.
I had a bumper sticker in Texas that read 'Beam me up Scotty'. I often wish I could find one in Udon Thani

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Re: A little ray of sunshine from Australia

Post by jackspratt » December 18, 2020, 10:34 am

This is big news from Oz.
A company commercialising a CSIRO-developed, seaweed feed product, which slashes the amount of greenhouse gases cattle burp and fart into the atmosphere, has won a $1 million international prize for its work reshaping the food system.......

.....According to the science agency, methane emissions from livestock make up around 15 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, and one cow produces on average as much gas emission as one car.......

..... "We think we can tackle the dairy and the feedlot part of that pretty simply, which may be 5 megatons in Australia and globally 500 megatons of emissions," Dr Battaglia said.

"That's equivalent to taking 100 million cars off the road.......

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-12-18/ ... e/12992888
=D>

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Re: A little ray of sunshine from Australia

Post by tamada » December 18, 2020, 11:52 am

^ As I kick-started the family buffalo to head off up the ring-road, I pondered how are they going to compensate for all that milk and beef that will taste like shrimp? Maybe the new weekly special will be "Surf and Kelp"?

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Re: A little ray of sunshine from Australia

Post by Barney » December 19, 2020, 7:22 am

Mr Paul Stephens, Minister and Deputy Head of Mission, Australian Embassy congratulated Dr Prasert Sinsukprasert on his new role as the Director-General, Department of Alternative Energy Development and Efficiency, Ministry of Energy. Mr Stephens affirmed Australia stands ready to collaborate with Thailand on renewable energy, with the Australian Government having recently launched a 1.9-billion-AUD investment package to support new, low emission technologies.



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https://www.minister.industry.gov.au/mi ... chnologies


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Re: A little ray of sunshine from Australia

Post by Barney » December 22, 2020, 12:12 pm

Aussie dollar exchange rate is ever so slowly creeping up a satang at a time.
Might reach the dizzying heights of 23 bht by end of 2020.
Long way from the 18 a number of months ago.


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A little ray of sunshine from Australia

Post by Barney » December 23, 2020, 7:29 am

On this day, 23rd December 1906, an Australian invention, the surf lifesaving reel, is demonstrated for the first time.

Australia is a land of innovations and inventions: many of them developed out of necessity due to Australia's unusual or harsh conditions and environment. One such invention is the surf lifesaving reel.

The world's first lifesaving clubs were spawned in Australia when the Bronte Beach Surf Club was formed in 1903. Early rescue equipment was primitive, being a simple pole in the sand with a coiled rope attached. In 1906, Lyster Ormsby of the Bondi Surf Bathers Lifesaving Club modelled the design he felt could be implemented, using a cotton reel and bobby pins. Ormsby's design intended for a lifesaver wearing a belt with a rope attached to reach a distressed swimmer, and be pulled back to the beach by his fellow lifesavers.

A full-scale working model taken from the original design was built by Sgt John Bond of Victoria Barracks in Paddington. Later, this was improved upon by Sydney coachbuilder G H Olding. The first surf lifesaving reel is believed to have been demonstrated on 23 December 1906 at Bondi Beach, although some sources say this occurred in March 1907. Local legend states that the first person to be saved by a lifesaver using a reel, rope and belt was an eight-year-old boy by the name of Charlie Kingsford-Smith, who later became one of Australia's most famous aviators.

The surf lifesaving reel was popularly used until 1993, when 'Rubber Duckies', inflatable boats with outboard motors, came into use.

Pictured: Bondi Bathers Surf Life Saving Club, December 1906 with the newly modified reel and cork filled vest. (Bondi SLSC)

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Re: A little ray of sunshine from Australia

Post by Barney » December 25, 2020, 3:06 am

On this day, 25th December 1826, British occupation of Western Australia begins.

The British occupation of individual George's Sound, the first settlement in Western Australia, did not begin until 1826. At that time, the western third of Australia was unclaimed by any country, and there were fears that France would stake its claim. To prevent this, Governor Darling of New South Wales sent Major Edmund Lockyer, with troops and 23 convicts, to establish a settlement at individual George Sound. They arrived in the brig 'Amity' on Christmas Day, 25 December 1826. Lockyer initially named the site Frederickstown after His Royal Highness, Duke of York & Albany, Frederick Augustus – second son of individual George III.

Pictured: individual George Sound Western Australia

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Re: A little ray of sunshine from Australia

Post by Barney » December 28, 2020, 2:05 pm

On this day, 28th December 1850, Henry Parkes establishes the 'Empire' newspaper, later giving rise to his prominent political career.

Henry Parkes was born in Warwickshire, England, on 27 May 1815. A failed business venture prompted him to seek passage with his wife to Australia, and he arrived in Sydney in 1839. Moving up from a position of farmer's labourer to a clerk to managing his own business, a number of failed ventures indicated that he did not have good business acumen.

Parkes established the "Empire" newspaper on 28 December 1850. Initially a weekly paper, it was soon being circulated daily. Although loyal to the British Empire, Parkes aimed to present an honest, independent journal that would not hesitate to identify flaws in the government. His vocal, but fair, criticism increased his prominence, and despite his lack of good business sense, it placed him in a position where he himself could be heard in government. Parkes was first elected to the New South Wales Parliament in 1854, was Premier of New South Wales several times between 1872 and 1891, and was knighted in 1877.

Albeit loyal to Britain, Parkes was a staunch supporter of the Australian culture and identity. As a politician, he is perhaps best remembered for his famous Tenterfield Oration, delivered on 24 October 1889, at the Tenterfield School of Arts. In this speech, he advocated the Federation of the six Australian colonies. Parkes convened the 1890 Federation Conference and subsequently the 1891 National Australasian Convention. He proposed the name Commonwealth of Australia for the new nation.

Pictured: Henry Parkes, from the book Eminent citizens [of] New South Wales, 1850-1900 Courtesy: Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales

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Re: A little ray of sunshine from Australia

Post by stattointhailand » December 28, 2020, 7:16 pm

Would that be a ray of Indian sunshine perhaps :lol:

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Re: A little ray of sunshine from Australia

Post by Barney » December 31, 2020, 6:18 am

On this day, 31st December 1790, twenty-five bushels of barley were successfully harvested, going a long way towards alleviating food shortages.

The First Fleet, containing the officers and convicts who would first settle Australia, arrived in Botany Bay on 18 January 1788. The colony's Governor, Captain Arthur Phillip, immediately determined that there was insufficient fresh water, an absence of usable timber, poor quality soil and no safe harbour at Botany Bay. Thus the fleet was moved to Port Jackson, arriving on 26 January 1788.

The penal colony of New South Wales struggled but managed to survive largely through the efforts of Governor Phillip. He was a practical man who had suggested that convicts with experience in farming, building and crafts be included in the First Fleet, but his proposal was rejected. Phillip faced many obstacles in his attempts to establish the new colony. The convicts were not skilled in farming, and unwilling to work hard in the intense heat and humidity of Australia. British farming methods, seeds and implements were unsuitable for use in the different climate and soil, and the colony faced near-starvation in its first two years. On 31 December 1790, twenty-five bushels of barley were successfully harvested. This went a long way towards alleviating food shortages. The colony finally succeeded in developing a solid foundation, agriculturally and economically, thanks to the perseverance of Captain Arthur Phillip.

Pictured: Governor's house at Rosehill, July, 1790 Courtesy: State Library New South Wales

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Re: A little ray of sunshine from Australia

Post by Barney » January 1, 2021, 11:43 am

ON THIS DAY – 1st January

1810 – Lachlan Macquarie was sworn in as governor of New South Wales.

1834 – The Western Australian Police Force was formed.

1838 – First official horse race in South Australia-Adelaide.

1838 – John Pascoe Fawkner founded The Melbourne Advertiser, the Port Phillip district's first newspaper.

1844 – Australia's first ringing peal rang from the bells of St Mary's Cathedral, Sydney.

1856 – The name Tasmania officially adopted to replace Van Diemen's Land which was felt to have too many convict connotations.

1863 – The Torrens title system is introduced in New South Wales with the commencement of the Real Property Act 1862.

1864 – The All-England Eleven cricket team defeats the Victorian XXII at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

1864 – The Queensland Police Force is established and begins operations with approximately 143 employees.

1882 – Bilateral conventions for the exchange of money orders come into effect between the United States of America and the colonies of New South Wales and Victoria.

1887 – Clement Wragge is appointed Government Meteorologist for Queensland.

1890 – The University of Tasmania opens.

1892 – Physical Culture (Physie) started in Australia.

1899 – The Police Regulation Act 1898 is enacted in Tasmania, unifying several small regional police forces to form the Tasmanian Police Force.

1901 – The Commonwealth of Australia was formed when the British (Imperial) Parliament Act, the Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act 1900, comes into effect.

1901 – The Constitution of Australia comes into force, as the federation of Australia is complete. John Adrian Louis Hope, 7th Earl of Hopetoun, is appointed as the first Governor-General, and Edmund Barton as the first Prime Minister.

1908 – The Commonwealth Bureau of Meteorology formally commences operation.

1911 – South Australia transfers Northern Territory to the federal government

1911 – The Northern Territory was politically separated from South Australia and transferred to Commonwealth control. The city of Palmerston is renamed Darwin in honour of Charles Darwin.

1911 – Compulsory military training comes into effect in Australia.

1915 – Six people were shot and killed and another seven wounded in an attack at a picnic near Broken Hill, New South Wales.

1918 – The Australian Corps was formed from the five AIF divisions on the Western Front.

1924 – The Australian Automobile Association was formed to lobby for federal road finance and a national traffic code.

1939 – Sydney, Australia, swelters in 45 ˚C (113 ˚F) heat, a record for the city.

1947 – A massive hailstorm struck Sydney, causing hundreds of injuries and an estimated £1 million damage.

1974 – Queen Elizabeth II created five new knights in New South Wales and two in Queensland in her New Year Honours List. The Chief Justice of New South Wales, Mr Justice Kerr, is made a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George. Broadcaster John Laws was appointed an OBE.

1974 – Evonne Goolagong defeated Chris Evert to win the Australian women's singles title at Kooyong.

1978 – The Festival of Sydney began.

1978 – A jail warder, Victor Sullivan was struck on the head by a prisoner at Parramatta Jail.

1985 – Australia commenced a two-year term as a member of the United Nations Security Council.

1989 – HECS was introduced with the commencement of the Higher Education Funding Act 1988.

1990 – The VFL was renamed as the AFL (Australian Football League).

1992 – The Victorian television market was aggregated, with VIC TV (now WIN Television) becoming the Nine Network affiliate, Prime Television taking a Seven Network affiliation & Southern Cross Network (now Southern Cross Ten) taking the Network Ten affiliation.

2000 – Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic released Care Australia worker Branko Jeken from imprisonment in Serbia.

2000 – The Seven Network introduced a new logo to celebrate the 2000 Sydney Olympics, the first one not to have the 7 inside a circle.

Pictured:
The Cataract Mill Road to Punt, Launceston. [pencil] c. 1853 John W. Hardwick. (Mitchell Library, State Library of NSW) – Bottom Right
David Thompson Seymour, Queensland's first Police Commissioner. (Queensland State Archives) – Bottom Left
Opening of the First Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia by HRH. The Duke of Cornwall and York (later HM individual George V), May 9, 1901, by Tom Roberts. (National Museum of Australia) – Top

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Re: A little ray of sunshine from Australia

Post by AlexO » January 1, 2021, 3:34 pm

Was there that many Aussies at that time who were not wearing handcuffs? (Sorry could not resist it)

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Re: A little ray of sunshine from Australia

Post by marjamlew » January 1, 2021, 6:00 pm

01/01/2021
We are no longer 'young and free.'
We are now 'one and free.'
Watch Me!!

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Re: A little ray of sunshine from Australia

Post by Aardvark » January 2, 2021, 5:11 am

AlexO wrote:
January 1, 2021, 3:34 pm
Was there that many Aussies at that time who were not wearing handcuffs? (Sorry could not resist it)
There never were any Aussie Convicts, they were all British ;)

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