A recurrent theme in the Schools Photographic collection, NRS 15051, are photos of school gardens.

Students are depicted toiling in the soil or standing proudly next to a garden in full bloom.

Caption: Beecroft Public School
Digital ID: 15051_a047_000925.jpg
Date: year only 31/12/1923

Caption: Bowning Public School
Digital ID: 15051_a047_001628.jpg
Date: c. 31/12/1900

A bit of digging on Trove reveals the school garden scheme was not only a  popular pastime that was part of the learning experience, it was also a highly competitive pursuit with school garden competitions going on throughout the state!

 In New South Wales the schools have an Inspectorate Competitive System, and all schools in an Inspectors zone compete one against the other, with severe handicap conditions so that actually this year the winner of the Treloar Shield was Byamee School, with fewer than 30 pupils, so that under the system in vogue, the small schools have as much chance as the bigger ones in competition.

SCHOOL GARDENS ‘. (1934, December 26). Townsville Daily Bulletin (Qld. : 1885 – 1954), p. 9. Retrieved June 19, 2014, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article61866534

And here is a photograph of the Treloar Shield winners for 1934  – Byamee Public School’s garden:

Caption: Byamee Public School – Byamee School Garden, winner of 1934 competition – Treloar Shield.
Digital ID: 15051_a047_002178.jpg
Date: year only 31/12/1934

What did the judges have to say about the winning garden at Byamee?

The Judge, who judged the gardens, said, ‘The winning school’s flower garden presented a magnificent display. The Red Radiance Rose Hedge at this school extends for a distance of seventy yards along the front, and in full massed bloom presented a magnificent display. Lavish planting in huge beds produced a riot of bloom, in massed Petunias, Goodenias, Corn flowers, Snapdragons, while extensive rows of Sweet Peas and Holly hocks were respectively ablaze with color.’

SCHOOL GARDENS ‘. (1934, December 26). Townsville Daily Bulletin (Qld. : 1885 – 1954), p. 9. Retrieved June 19, 2014, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article61866534

It appears Byamee continued its winning streak the following year. Succeeding in retaining the Treloar Shield in 1935 :

Fifty-one schools took part in the Tamworth inspectorate schools’ garden competition Results: Byamee 281 points, Manilla 274, Nundle 243, Duri 230, Westdale 233, Kootingal 224, Piallamore 217, Scone 214, Quipolly Creek 202, Brown’s Springs 200, Walhallow 115, At- tunga 188, Barraba 177, Warrah Creek 174, West Tamworth 129. The Byamee school, present holder of the Treloar Shield, retains the trophy. The Manila school secured the highest total marks in the flower garden sec- tion, and retains the Wilson Cup.

SCHOOLS’ GARDEN COMPETITION. (1935, December 11). The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 – 1954), p. 16. Retrieved June 23, 2014, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article17235251

See more photographs from NRS 15051 here.

One way and another Governors have been a popular topic of conversation in NSW lately. Last week it was announced that General David Hurley will be the next Governor of NSW, while over the weekend retiring Governor Marie Bashir was appointed a Dame of the Order of Australia in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List.

Here at State Records NSW we’ve been focussed on a Governor from a different era, Charles 3rd Lord Carrington, former Governor of New South Wales from 1885 to 1890.  On 23 May 2014, Minister for Finance and Services, Dominic Perrottet, joined Governor of New South Wales, Her Excellency The Honourable Marie Bashir, at Government House to receive a gift of historic volumes from the Carington family. 

State Records was on TV!  ABC #730Report

You may also have seen the volumes featured on the NSW version of the 730 Report on the ABC last Friday night.

(Filming 730 Report LtoR: Director, Geoff Hinchcliffe; State Records Chair, Anne Henderson; Minister of Finance and Services, Dominic Perrottet; Conservator, Dominique Moussou & Manager, Wendy Gallagher)

• View the full segment

 7 Interesting Facts about Lord Carrington*

1. Lord Carrington convinced Sir Henry Parkes in 1887 not to change the name of the colony of New South Wales to Australia.
2. The Carrington’s family crest; an elephant’s head, charged on the neck with three fleur-de-lis and the motto ‘Tenax in Fide’ (Latin for ‘Steadfast in Faith’); was adopted by the Royal New South Wales Lancers upon his arrival in 1885. This is still used by the Lancers today,
3. Lord Carrington unveiled the statue of Queen Victoria at Hyde Park before an audience of more than 50,000 in 1887 for the Queen’s Golden Jubilee
4. Lord Carrington laid the foundation of Centennial Park for the centenary in 1888, declaring ‘the property for the people for ever’.
5. NSW postal authorities issued two commemorative postage stamps in 1888, probably the first of their kind anywhere in the British Empire. One depicted a map of Australia complete and the other portrayed the first Governor of 1788, Arthur Phillip and the current Governor of 1888, Carrington.
6. A daughter was born to the Carrington’s in 1889 and they gave her ‘Sydney’ as one of her names.
7. Lord Carrington bought and subdivided the area of land which was later to become known as the suburb of Castlecrag on Sydney’s lower north shore.

The Albums

The 22 leather bound volumes contain hand painted dedications, photos and memorabilia from regional towns visited by the Governor in the 1880’s. It provides a snapshot of pre-federation NSW at a time when the colony was on the cusp of great change. A sample of the images have been uploaded into an online gallery.

View the Gallery

*These facts are sourced from the following publications: Clune, David and Ken Turner (eds.), The Governors of New South Wales 1788-2010, The Federation Press, 2009 Rollo Gillespie, Viceregal Quarters: An Account of the Various Residences of the Governors of New South Wales from 1788 until the Present Day, Australia, Angus and Robinson Publishers, 1975.

What clues can you find to date this image showing the view of Bare Island from La Perouse across Botany Bay to Kurnell?

Can you date this photograph?

Larger version on Flickr

We have many other undated photographs in Photo Investigator and on our Flickr account. If you know the dates or any other interesting facts about these images please let us know.

The Birdwood Flag in its original condition. [Courtesy of The University of Newcastle’s Anglican Diocese Archives in Cultural Collections A6137(iv)]

Gionni Di Gravio, Archivist of the University of Newcastle introduces Bronwyn Orrock, University scholar in Fine Arts who, from 2009-2011, undertook an important research project into the archives documenting the provenance of every object, relic and example of art and artisanship held in Christ Church Cathedral Newcastle.

Until 2014, one item eluded her, The Birdwood Flag, Australia’s first National Flag, and arguably the most important national cultural relic of the First World War, whose remains lay in a cardboard box in a safe. This is the story of the flag, its creators, and its rediscovery.

Uncover the mystery at the UoN Cultural Collections blog

Did you attend the Wagga Gold Cup on Friday? Or perhaps the Town Plate the day before? You may have dressed to impress the Fashions on the Field judges or have had a flutter or two. In all the excitement, did you ever think about the history around you? Did you wonder about others who for over a hundred years have stood in the same spot as you, screaming out “Go! Go!” during a race? The generations of women who, like you, had spent weeks working out what they were going to wear?

Horse racing at Wagga Wagga has a history going back over 160 years….

Check out the Wagga Wagga Race day fashions and characters at OntheRecord.

It’s time for another installment of What’s the bigger picture?

Is this clue enough for you to guess where this photograph was taken?

Can you tell us – what’s the bigger picture?

Digital ID: 20013_a035_06_17267000182.jpg
Date: earlier than 19/05/1943

Records are rehoused after conservation

When: 16 Jun 2014, 9am – 5pm
Venue: University of New South Wales, Morven Brown G6 (map ref C20)
Who: Course Co-ordinator Dr Peter Orlovich

The School of Humanities and Languages at the University of New South Wales welcomes applications for the following Short Course for 2014 which is to be offered in an intensive mode in two stages from Monday 16 June to Friday 20 June 2014 and from Monday 23 June to Friday 27 June 2014 at the University of New South Wales School of Humanities and Languages in Stage 1, and at the University of New South Wales Archives in Stage 2.

Two Stage Intensive Programme

This course provides an opportunity for you to learn the theoretical and practical aspects of preserving and organizing archives and historical documents, whether they be family papers and manuscripts or the archives of public or private corporations, organizations, associations and societies. The course curriculum has relevance to custodians of archives and historical manuscripts of public as well as private organizations, and is of particular relevance to local studies librarians, museum and historical society curators whose custodial responsibilities also include local government archives and private or personal papers.

The knowledge and skills imparted in this course have application for the management of archives and manuscripts in a wide variety of institutions and organizations, such as schools and colleges, churches and religious congregations, professional associations and learned societies, industrial organizations, pastoral and agricultural societies, business corporations, and local government authorities.

• Visit the website for further information and to apply.

The end of year concert, the annual school play or maybe even the school musical!

All schools have their plays and pageants giving students an insight into the drama and excitement of life on the stage!

Do these images from NRS 15051 Schools Photographs bring back any memories of productions at your school?

Caption: Albury Public School concert 1917 The Gleaners
Digital ID: 15051_a047_000103.jpg
Date: year only 31/12/1917

Caption: Canterbury Public School – concert
Digital ID: 15051_a047_002507.jpg
Date: year only 31/12/1932

Caption: Conservatorium High School – Primary Schools plays
Digital ID: 15051_a047_003144.jpg
Date: year only 31/12/1954

Caption: Castle Hill Public School – concert
Digital ID: 15051_a047_002624.jpg
Date: year only 31/12/1891

Caption: Burke Ward Public School – Empire Day pageant
Digital ID: 15051_a047_002048.jpg
Date: year only 31/12/1910

Caption: Broken Hill Public School – student display [possibly May Day]
Digital ID: 15051_a047_001850.jpg
Date: c. 31/12/1904

Caption: Carlingford Public School
Digital ID: 15051_a047_002566.jpg
Date: year only 31/12/1954

Caption: Adamstown Public School – Adamstown concert
Digital ID: 15051_a047_000026.jpg
Date: year only 31/12/1940

See more photos from NRS 15051 on Photo Investigator.

A large ongoing digitisation project currently underway here at State Records  is  the digitisation of Surveyors’ sketch books.

These tracings and sketches date from as early as 1828 and were done for the Office of the Surveyor General.

• Surveyor General sketch books, 1828-1890 (NRS 13886)

Of the 29 items (volumes) in this series so far 6 have been digitised with a total of c.700 images from these 6 items now available through Archives Investigator. Clearly we’ve still got a lot more to go – so keep checking in as more images will become available!

Below are a few images from the series to whet your appetite. Follow the link above to access all images in the series.

The sketches mostly relate to the following subjects: sketches and tracings of towns and villages and of extensions and alterations proposed thereto, sketches of allotments sold or granted to various persons. There are also sketches and tracings of land, the ownership of which was in dispute, or of encroachments on Crown lands, and of tracings of reserved roads through allotments, and of street alignments in towns. There are also tracings of land reserved for churches, schools, cemeteries and other public purposes.
description from Archives Investigator

[100] [Laings 20 acres at Watsons also houses and gradens to the south of it. Sketch book 1 folio 25] NRS13886X751_a110_000100.jpg

[83] Site for Court House by Butler and site now proposed – Hartley [Sketch book 3 folio 51] NRS13886X754_a110_000002.jpg

Plan of the allotments at and near Lower Portland Head shewing the situation of the 20 acres allowed to William and Margaret Callaghan for life [Sketch book 4 folio 17] NRS13886X755_a110_000029.jpg

Kensington to be sold by auction by Mr Stubbs [Sketch book 4 folio 68] NRS13886X756_a110_000015.jpg