© 2018 Greg & Sylvia RAY

“Enemy aliens” in Australia in World War 1

It was not a good thing to be German in Australia in 1914. The outbreak of the First World War meant that anybody with German heritage was instantly under suspicion of disloyalty, and it wasn't long before many were rounded up and placed in internment camps. A copy of a 1914 letter from the Newcastle branch manager of the Bank of Australasia, William Miles Coverdale, shows how closely people with German links were being scrutinised by authorities. Mr Coverdale was required by the War Precautions Act 1914 to report to his head office on any suspicious…

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Read more about the article Newcastle’s harbour punts and the Trial Bay disaster
Newcastle car ferry Kooroongabah, photo by Ron Jones

Newcastle’s harbour punts and the Trial Bay disaster

Crossing Newcastle Harbour has for many years been both a challenge for travellers and commuters and an opportunity for the operators of ferries and punts. A great variety of ferries came and went from Newcastle over the decades, with some used chiefly as industrial transport and others available for general passengers. A car awaits a ride across Newcastle Harbour on April 14, 1910. Photo by Ernest Brougham Docker. Vehicular ferries (always known in Newcastle as punts) filled a vital role, and until the advent of Stockton Bridge in 1971, they often had their work cut out…

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