Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Do you know Peter Hayes?

I am pictured here in 1951 holding hands with a smart young man named Peter Hayes. I wonder who he is and where we were when this photo was taken. Unfortunately my Mum's memory isn't quite what is was and she is unable to help me.

Perhaps Peter and his family lived near us in Kings Cross or perhaps his parents were friends of our family. Maybe one day someone researching Peter will come across this post and be able to give me an answer. Perhaps it was at a birthday party as I am appear to be eating the cake I haven't dropped on the floor at my feet. It could even be my birthday party!




Friday, April 25, 2014

He carried on valiantly

This post is submitted for the annual Trans-Tasman ANZAC Day Blog Challenge

As I am away from my desk and files I am posting below an edited version of my post from the 2012 challenge.
----------------------------------------------
William James Gowans enlisted on 17 August 1914  and set sail from Sydney on 20 October 1914 on HMAT Euripides.


His war service file at The National Archives of Australia indicates that Private William James Gowans wrenched his knee while carrying ammunition at Gallipoli on 25/4/1915.  It appears as though Gowans must have carried on with his soldiering activities as he is reported as receiving a bullet wound to the head on 27/4/1915.
A Sydney Morning Herald article  "Heroes of the Dardanelles" on 18/5/1915 reported:

William James Gowans
PRIVATE W. J. GOWANS (Petersham).

Wounded.

 PRIVATE W. J. GOWANS.

Private W. J. Gowans, of B. Company, 4th Battalion, 1st Infantry Brigade, who has been reported wounded, is 24 years or age. He is an engineer by trade, and is a son of Mr. W. P. Gowans, St. Leonards, 188 Albany-road, Petersham.


In a medical report dated 19/11/1915 the following treatment was ordered "Major Wade suggests one month's fun then treatment". 

William, my husband's great-uncle, was 23 years and 10 months when he joined the AIF on the 24th September 1914. He was discharged to Australia on 16th October 1915 on the Beltana and discharged as unfit for service on 13th August 1916. No doubt William felt fortunate in having survived the carnage at Gallipoli.  William received a pension of three pounds per fortnight from the government from 14/8/1916 ; I do not know if he was able to return to his work as an engineer.

William can be counted among the lucky ones who returned to Australia. His luck, however, was shortlived; this notice appeared in The Sydney Morning Herald of 12/5/1919:







GOWANS.-May 10, 1919, in his 29th year. William
James Gowans, late 4th Batt., A.I.F., eldest son of  
William P and Eliza Ann Gowans, of Mena, Eu-
rella-street. Burwood.

Older family members have indicated that William was a victim of the flu epidemic of 1919. William is buried in the Old Presbyterian Section of Rookwood Cemetery. His untended grave surrounded by rubbish is deteriorating; I took my photographs about ten years ago before we cleaned away the undergrowth.  


Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Trove Tuesday - Taj Mahal

Today should find Mr Geniaus and I at the Taj Mahal in India. Before I set out on my holiday I took a look at Trove to see what early articles I could find about the Building.

I wonder if the building will still appear as described in this article from The Hobart Mercury on 15 January 1878 and which was subsequently published in several other regional newspapaers around Australia.

THE TAJ-MAHAL, AGRA.  
The "Taj-Mahal" at Agra is no doubt the mostwonderful building in the world. Probably, too,it is the costliest for its size. Standing alone uponthe Plains of India, in the midst of a perfeot deso-lation of rugged sand and mud flats, scarred andscored _by the periodio floods of the great JumnaRiver,"it lifts towards heaven a monument thatseems more heavenly than earthly. It is the tombof the great king Shah Jehan and bis wife, tbeniece of Nourmahal, light of the harem of " LallaRookh." The River Jumma washes it on one side ;on two other sides are two beautiful mosques of redsandstone. A garden of glorious green and ex-quisite flowers forms the fourth side, and at thatend is a stupendous entrance gateway, Burmountedby 26 white marble cupolas. The Taj itself standson a platform of red sandstone, 964 feet by 329,On this platform stands also the two -mosques andfour lofty towers. From this platform rises a superbterrace of .white marble, 313 feet square, in the centreof which the beautiful building stands. A loftminar of white marble, 150 feet high, is placed oneach corner of the terrace. The plan of the Taj isan irregular octagon, the sides which face the fourcardinal points, and contain the entrances, beingeach about 130 feet long. The roof ia about 70 feetfrom the terrace, and each angle is surmounted bya slender minaret. From the centre springs themarble dome, 70 feet in diameter and 120 feot high.The gilt orescent an the top is about 2C0 feet fromthe ground. The whole is of the finest whitemarble, and is as pure in colour as when it was firsterected. On each side there is a grand entranceformed by a single pointed arch': Every partbasement, dome, and minarets-is most elaboratelyinlaid with coloured stones, in exquisite designs.The great body of the dome itself is not inlaid,but deep borders of flowers and scrolls run roundit and up the entire walls of the building. Withinthis building, under the centre of the dome, reposethe remains of Shah Jehan and Noor Jehan. Theyare in sarcophagi of the purest white marble, mostrichly and beautifully inlaid with agate, carnelian,bloodstone, lapislázuli, and other precious stones.These are in the forms of flowers of every device,and there are also inlaid inscriptions in Arabio inblack marble. As many as thirty pieces of stoneare in the petals of the flowers alone. Thesemonuments lie in a dark vault, to which youdescend by a marble staircase. Above, on a levelwith the terrace of the building, is the real monu-ment, placed exactly over the two sarcophagi below.Here are two more marble tombs, even more elabor-ately and exquisitely inlaid than the other thoughthey do not contain the ashes of the dead. Aroundthese is erected a most glorious screen of whitemarble, with panels about six feet high and threewide. Each of these ia of one piece of stone, and is cutand carved out in flowers and scrolls, cut through, bothat it has the effect of open tracery work in marble.One has been left out, and this forms the entranceto the screen. The whole of this screen is on the
solid framework, as carefully inlaid with preciousstones as are the tombs ; the sides of the hall arealso inlaid to the very spring of the dome, and thebasement squares of the walls are out in bas-reliefs,being lilies and other flowers in great variety and ofgigantic size. The various coloured stones used inthis great work were brought from all parts ofIndia, from Persia, Arabia, and Ceylon. In thedome is an echo, so sweet, so pure, and so ever-lasting, " that you seem to hear it after it is silent."
-Golden Hours. .
1878 'THE TAJ-MAHAL, AGRA.', The Mercury (Hobart, Tas. : 1860 - 1954), 15 January, p. 1 Supplement: The Mercury Supplement., viewed 9 March, 2014, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article8958903

This picture below was published in 1902 in The Kalgoorlie Western Argus. 

1902 'THE TAJ MAHAL, FROM THE RIVER CEGRA, INDIA.',Kalgoorlie Western Argus (WA : 1896 - 1916), 11 February, p. 23, viewed 9 March, 2014, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article32608114
As the accompanying text is too small to read I will paste it here:

THE TAJ MAHAL, FROM THE RIVER CEGRA. INDIA.


This extraordinary and beautiful Mausoleum was built by the Emperor Shah Jehan, for himself and his favorite wife, who died in 1629; and 20.000men were employed incessanptly on it for 22 years. The building of this tomb cost over £5,ooo,oo. The complexity and grace of the general design, andthe elaborate perfection of the workmanship, are alike remarkable. The main features of the building are the Mausoleum, in the centre, on a raised platform surmounted by a beautiful dome, with smaller domes at each corner, and four graceful minarets 133ft. high. The principal parts of the building areconstructed of white marble, and the mosaic work of the interior is singularly rich and. beautiful.

In 1993 The Canberra Times reported that the Taj Mahal was sinking. I hope it keeps its head above water until after our visit.

1993 'No title.', The Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995), 21 July, p. 11, viewed 9 March, 2014, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article127241065

These articles from long ago have given me an idea of what to expect, I will have my camera batteries fully charged so that I can capture my own images of this edifice.

If you pop over to my personal/travel blog in a day or two I may have posted some pictures there.

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

I thought I had them all scanned...

...but they keep turning up.

Mr GeniAus recently produced this little snap taken in Sydney many moons ago with his big brother and requested that I scan it. As I was playing with the image I thought I'd share it - he was a little cutie.

Mr GeniAus and his big brother

Monday, April 14, 2014

Khoo connections

I was impressed when visiting a family association temple in Kuala Lumpur to see that they had, in big books,   family records for the clan going back 1,000 years.

There was a summary of their genealogy on display.



Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Trove Tuesday - Ticket to Bangkok

Today should find me in Bangkok boarding a ship for a cruise to Rome.

Mr Geniaus and I should have flown into Bangkok a couple of days ago on Qantas, as we used frequent flier points for our flight I was not aware of the one-way fare from Sydney to this destination. A quick enquiry of the Qantas website (9/3/2014) shows me that a one way economy fare would be $AU928.


An article on Trove tells me that the same flight 60 years ago in 1954 would have cost £142/10 the equivalent of $AU284.08.

1954 'CUT IN OVERSEA TOURIST AIR FARES.', The Mercury(Hobart, Tas. : 1860 - 1954), 1 March, p. 19, viewed 9 March, 2014, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article27199985
Wikianswers tells me that "One Pound (Australian) in 1954 had the purchasing power of about $AU30.13". So if today's airfare had kept pace with the inflation rate one would be paying approximately $AU 4279 for a one way trip to Bangkok.

No wonder Qantas is going broke.

This post was prepared in advance of my holiday on 9/3/2014 because I may be too busy to blog on holiday

Sunday, April 6, 2014

Snapped

I didn't realise that Mr GeniAus snapped this picture of me at Panthip Plaza in Bangkok today where I spent several hours browsing. Whilst I managed to exercise some restraint I came away with a few tech accessories that were on my shopping list.

GeniAus on the prowl for new tech toys



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