Archives are more than repositories of history; they are cultural heritage tapestries. For First Nations Peoples, historical records can evoke both pain and empowerment. The records may reflect past injustices, but they also hold the potential to reconnect individuals with their cultural roots and reclaim lost languages. Queensland State Archives (QSA) recognises the need for […]
Finding a home for more than 250, 000 archival records sounds daunting, doesn’t it? This was the task at hand when the Land Centre on Vulture St at Woolloongabba closed. Never known to balk at a challenge, the Queensland State Archives’ transfers team worked diligently through 2017 and 2018 to get these records safely stored […]
The following transcript is of a letter written by Michael Arbuthnot Fraser on the 12th November 1916. “Dear Mr Sigley Tell Mrs S I got her first letter & the last one & I don’t know how I can thank her for her thoughtfulness in having my clothes attended to for I am sure they […]
My Dad was a Freemason, just like his dad and his dad before that. Back we go through the generations and various Lodge records held in Queensland, New South Wales, Ireland and Scotland that document the membership of my forebears for more than 150 years in this unique society once considered a Secret Society. Times […]
“Each stands in gloomy isolation, silent and alone. One mighty mass of rock stands facing the railway line, cliff fronted, savage, defiant, towering majestically into the clear blue sky, the wild rough stone face all scarred and caverned by the rains and tempests of ten thousand years.” – Archibald Meston, Queensland Railway And Tourists Guide, […]
Last year, Queensland State Archives (QSA) received a collection of correspondence records for the Ipswich Hospital which provide fascinating insight into colonial era health care and the founding of the Hospital, which is still in operation today. Colonial era hospitals were generally managed by an appointed committee rather than the government. Hospital subscribers, who paid […]
Land Selection & Pastoral Leases Lease Records – Series 14033 (LAN/AG) and 14050 (LAN/DF) at Queensland State Archives This series of land blogs was developed from research done by historian Ruth Kerr Land records are commonly utilized as a source for family history research as they detail the geographic location for where people’s ancestors lived […]
Early in the 20th century, huge swathes of land in Queensland and New South Wales had been rendered unsuitable for farming due to an infestation of the prickly pear cactus. Prickly pear plants were prized as a food source for cochineal insects, which produced a bright red dye when crushed. In the late 18th century, […]
This article was submitted by Roger Willis, President, Amiens History Association, March 2018. We purchased land at Amiens 19 years ago unaware of its history. Initially we had Lot 68, a bush block suitable for weekend camping and later we acquired the adjacent Lot 64 which was an old farm. In conversations with neighbours and […]
Land Selection & Pastoral Leases Lease Records – Series 14033 (LAN/AG) and 14050 (LAN/DF) at Queensland State Archives This series of land blogs was developed from research done by historian Ruth Kerr The land selection records at Queensland State Archives (QSA) are exciting and stimulating record series. This is because they contain enormous detail about […]