© 2018 Greg & Sylvia RAY
Read more about the article Park to Beach: Anzac Day in Newcastle
Anzac Day march in Newcomen Street, Newcastle, 1959

Park to Beach: Anzac Day in Newcastle

From our book, The Hunter Region in The Great War Most of the work of the returned services association in its early years was focused on supporting its direct constituency. But another major role was remembering and honouring the sacrifices and achievements of those who had fought and who were still fighting in a war whose scale and nature was without precedent.From the moment that news arrived in Australia of the action at Gallipoli it was clear that this was an event with immense resonance. Australian families had sent thousands of their sons to fight battles…

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Read more about the article Under siege in a shark tank economy
Meanwhile, in the dentist's waiting room . . .

Under siege in a shark tank economy

Some days I feel under siege. From the system. From this hungry, greedy commercial society we live in. It feels like whichever way I turn, somebody is wanting to take a piece out of me, using whatever dishonest trickery they can bring to bear. I often have this feeling, in a general way, and it’s usually no more than an irritated awareness that the world can be a pretty dog-eat-dog place. But it boiled over recently, so I’m letting off steam by having a whinge to you. I hope you don’t mind too much. Mechanics. Twice…

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Board with games: when childhood was slow

I've wondered, recently, what on Earth I did with my time when I was a little child. Seeing the manic smorgasbord of potential entertainment options for the very young these days makes me suppose my own distant early childhood must have been exceedingly dull by comparison. There was no internet, no instant access to streaming videos on mobile phones and way fewer toys than are around today. Television turned up in our family when I was about four or five, but its offerings for children were limited and my parents rationed it - at first, anyway.…

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