© 2018 Greg & Sylvia RAY

Newcastle, NSW, Australia

Read more about the article Queen Elizabeth visits Newcastle, 1954
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip at BHP steelworks, Newcastle, NSW, February 9, 1954.

Queen Elizabeth visits Newcastle, 1954

On Tuesday, February 9, 1954, the newly crowned Queen Elizabeth II visited Newcastle with her husband, Prince Philip. It was part of a nationwide tour - the first visit to Australia by a reigning monarch. To say Newcastle was excited would be an understatement. These following colour slide images, by the late John Stedman, show some of the efforts the city and its traders went to to mark the occasion with vivid decorations and night-time lighting. Newcastle City Hall Hunter Street Hunter Street Watt Street Hunter Street Winns store by day Winns at night The Store,…

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Read more about the article 300 diamond rings a year: Caldwells jewellers

300 diamond rings a year: Caldwells jewellers

WHEN Geoff Caldwell left Newcastle Boys High School in the 1930s, he told his father he wanted to be an engineer. His father laughed at the idea. "Dad told me I should just join the family business and help him run the jewellery store," Geoff laughed. He took his father's advice. The fledgling Caldwells jewellery business was launched at the end of the Great Depression years, survived World War II and went on to enjoy an extraordinary period of prosperity during the era when a prime location on thriving Hunter Street, Newcastle, was money in the bank. "We used to sell 300 diamond rings a year," Geoff…

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Read more about the article William Fraser, cabinet-maker and photographer
William Fraser in one of his own trick photographs - taking his own picture.

William Fraser, cabinet-maker and photographer

Among the photographers active in Newcastle in the early 20th century, William Fraser deserves a special place. William might be described as a "semi-professional" photographer, since his main job was as a cabinet-maker, working from the Newcastle suburb of Hamilton. The body of work he produced in both spheres was impressive, and numerous examples of his skilled craftsmanship survive. William FraserBritannia Fraser (nee Randall) William's parents were Charles Fraser (who had come from Scotland when he was seven) and Matilda (nee Pepper). The couple was living and working in Lindsay Street, Hamilton, when sixth child William…

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