© 2018 Greg & Sylvia RAY

Author: Greg Ray

This author has written 481 articles
Read more about the article Woodlands and Ellimatta homes for boys and girls in the 1940s
Woodlands, circa 1940s.

Woodlands and Ellimatta homes for boys and girls in the 1940s

While scanning some negatives taken in the late 1940s by former Newcastle press photographer Milton Merrilees, I struck a batch labelled "Woodlands" and "Ellimatta". Ellimatta home for girls at East Maitland, late 1940s. Photo by Milton Merrilees Having grown up in South Wallsend I was familiar with Woodlands as a home for boys. I recall meeting some of the boys who lived there, either through soccer or school. I had never heard of Ellimatta, but quickly discovered that it was a home for girls, run by the same organisation that operated Woodlands. This organisation was the…

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Read more about the article In the tracks of Tom Pritchell, bush horseman
Homestead believed to be Cooplacurripa Station in the mid-1800s.

In the tracks of Tom Pritchell, bush horseman

My mother was adopted, so our family tree is a bit complicated. On her side, the biological family branch was at a dead end for a long time, until a late-life DNA test by my mother unearthed some results. On the adoptive side, though, it's an interesting set of branches that I've recently started to follow. My main interest has been to establish the facts - if I can - about the Aboriginal heritage of my adoptive grandfather, Jack Pritchell. This has been talked about in our family for many years, but I've never been able…

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Read more about the article Tales of the uncanny, from my own life
Redback spider, photo by Toby Hudson, via Wikimedia commons

Tales of the uncanny, from my own life

Every day, when I drove my old Hillman Minx home from school or wherever I'd been, I used to love hitting a right-hand corner not far from home. The road wasn't kerbed, and there was plenty of loose gravel on the outside of the corner, so if I drove into the corner just right I could let the tail of the car slide sideways before I headed up the straight to home. They were quieter days in our suburb then. I'd be horrified if my kids drove like I used to, but it honestly didn't seem…

Continue ReadingTales of the uncanny, from my own life
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