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St Helena Island, Moreton Bay 'An historical account' - Book

Posted on behalf of the President of the Queensland Prison & Penal Historical Association.

St Helena Island, Moreton Bay 'An historical account' which is available at State Library bookshop took out the prestigous gold heritage award for a volunteer project at the National Trust Heritage Awards at Old Government House on the 25th August, 2011.
 
The book is also available through the website www.sthelenaisland.net.  Sales from this publication help fund preservation work at St Helena Island.
 
National Trust wrote:  "For a well researched and cohesive publication which balances reproduced images, plans, correspondence and file reports of this colonial-era island prison with its historical narrative.  The product of many hours of volunteer labour, this project makes a key contribution to public knowledge of the St Helena penal settlement, its remaining structures and the lives led by its inmates and their prison custodians."

Image: Interior of the St Helena Prison on the island in Moreton Bay, Queensland, 1914 (source: Picture Queensland)

ABC podcast: Rockhampton History Centre

In late June this year Rockhampton officially opened its new History Centre. Their collections include photographs, newspapers and council records.

To find out more listen to Brad Carter, Mayor of Rockhampton and Cheryl Haughton, Strategic Manager Community and Cultural Development speaking to ABC Radio Capricornia.

http://blogs.abc.net.au/queensland/2011/06/history-centre-in-rockhampton-open-now.html?site=capricornia&program=capricornia_breakfast

Tracing your family history in Cairns

If you live in Cairns (or searching for ancestors who lived in Cairns) there are three places that can help:

• Cairns Libraries

Cairns Libraries hold an extensive collection of books, microfiche/microfilm and CD-ROMS to help you research your family history. They also provide access to Ancestry and Findmypast.

http://www.cairnslibrary.com.au/famhist/default.htm

• Cairns and District Family History Society

The Cairns and District Family History Society is an organisation to promote family history and geneaological research in Cairns, its surrounds, Queensland, Australia and the World. They provide learning courses in family history as well as maintaining a growing library of manuscripts and family histories.

http://www.cdfhs.org/index.html

• Cairns Historical Society (Cairns Museum)

The Cairns Historical Society was formed to record the written, pictorial and oral history of North Queensland. Their library is situated within the Cairns Museum

http://www.cairnsmuseum.org.au/index.php

What is Picture Queensland?

"Picture Queensland" includes images digitised from the photographic collections of the State Library of Queensland's John Oxley Library and Queensland cultural institutions. "Picture Queensland" was launched initially in 2003 and continues to grow as digitised images are added to the collection.

http://pictureqld.slq.qld.gov.au/

The photographs in "Picture Queensland" depict various aspects of Queensland life including the settlement of early pioneers, the prominent people who have shaped our history, the built environment and the fashions we have worn through the years.

The collection benefits Queensland students, researchers and lifelong learners, publishers and authors, genealogists and enthusiasts of all ages who have an interest in, or need to research, any aspect of Queensland's history or development. A collection, previously restricted to 'walk in' clients, is now available to anyone who can access the Internet.

Image: View of the Bellevue Hotel, Brisbane, ca.1900 (Source: Picture Queensland)

Dictionary of Sydney project and database

"The Dictionary of Sydney is a groundbreaking project to produce a new kind of history of Sydney: online, growing and changing, covering every aspect of human life.

The Dictionary contains new historical writing enriched with other resources – images, maps, sound, music, oral history, film, documents and pointers to important objects in Sydney collections.

Contributors include academics, professional historians, heritage specialists, local studies experts, genealogists, enthusiasts, volunteers and readers."

View the dictionary/database online - http://www.dictionaryofsydney.org/about.html

[text taken from Dictionary of Sydney website]

Photo: S.S. Ormiston sailing under Sydney Harbour bridge. The bridge is still under construction. Sydney city skyline and Circular Quay are in the background. (Source: Picture Queensland)