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Read more about the article Herbert John Pardey’s Dungog photographs

Herbert John Pardey’s Dungog photographs

In various parts of Australia in 2021, people are searching for information about a photographer named Herbert John Pardey. Some facts are known about him. It seems, for example, that he was born in Hackney (London) in 1875 and came to Australia via Melbourne (apparently on medical advice) in 1895. He is understood to have worked for a year as a jackaroo. It appears he married Susan Crowell in West Maitland in 1900. Susan was one of eight siblings and their family, having come out from England, settled at Weston in the Hunter coalfields where two…

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Read more about the article Dads and grandpas, a Fathers’ Day gallery

Dads and grandpas, a Fathers’ Day gallery

Fathers' Day's approach led to me to hunt through my photo collection for pictures of dads (and granddads) and their kids (and grandkids). I was a bit surprised, at first, that I didn't have as many as I thought I would. Lots of mums with kids, but much fewer with dads. Maybe, I thought, way back in the earlies fathers weren't necessarily that closely involved with their children when they were very small. I guess it was mostly the job of mothers - as indeed it usually still is today - to deal with the little…

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Read more about the article The Wellen: Soviet ship in Newcastle, NSW, 1942

The Wellen: Soviet ship in Newcastle, NSW, 1942

A slowly evolving story, with some plot holes remaining to be filled. Why was the Wellen in Australian waters? And what about the Minsk, whose officers apparently visited the damaged Wellen in Newcastle? Why is information about that ship so hard to find? In May 1942 Japan and Russia were not at war. And yet in the opening salvos of Japan's submarine war against merchant shipping in Australian waters, it carelessly managed to attack a Soviet ship. This was the freighter Wellen, an elderly vessel of 5000 tons. It was apparently built in Britain, taken over…

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