Do you have any school memorabilia?

Our Museum is seeking photographs, memories and objects such as school uniforms, for an exhibition we are preparing on the history of schools in the City of Botany Bay.

If you, your children or grandchildren have anything to offer, please contact our museum’s curator on 9366 3802 or museum@botanybay.nsw.gov.au

Images courtesy of Rhonda De Costa, Judy Sullivan & COBB Library and Museum

Made in Botany – Closing soon!

To mark the closing of our successful Made in Botany exhibition, Mascot Library and Museum will be presenting an evening guided tour of the exhibition on Wednesday 29th February at 6.30pm. The display looks at the history of manufacturing in the Botany area and covers a variety of industries from brand names like Kellogg’s and Johnson & Johnson to unique establishments like the Supreme Mousetrap factory of Mascot. Our curator will be on hand with extra stories and if you have any stories of your own we would love to hear them at this event.  If you can’t make it, Made in Botany the exhibition closes on March 2nd so get in quick. 

Bookings are essential. Please call 9366 3888 to reserve your spot.

Mascot Library and George Hanna Memorial Museum, 2 Hatfield Street, Mascot.

Old fashioned Advertising

Today shops pull us in with offers like ‘buy one get one free’ and ‘20% off ’. In the old days however some shops used quite different tactics to pull in customers. Below are the ads that made us smile or laugh when we found them. The ad from the local optometrist particularly surprised us. It seems strange, but if you consider it was published during the 1930s depression, perhaps it is not as out of place as we might think.

These ads were found in the South Sydney Sentinel newspaper and span the early 1930s. They were found during research for our upcoming exhibition on shopping.

4 Hatfield Street, Mascot

Do you recognize this house or the family in front of it? Believe it or not this picture was taken where Mascot Library stands today! It was the home of Harriet and Ralph Anderson who purchased the plot in 1933. After WW2 many relatives came to live at 4 Hatfield Street, including a few who lived in a converted garage in the back yard. In her later years, Harriet made an income by taking in male boarders. Most were refugees from Hungary and other European countries. House rules were very strict and Harriet kept a close eye on her renters.

Next door at 2 Hatfield Street – where the entrance to Mascot library is today - lived the Browns and their commercial quantity of chickens. According to Lois Sabine who generously provided all this information, “The Browns sold eggs daily and chickens at Christmas time. These Christmas chickens all had to be prepared quickly as they had no refrigeration. Using blocks of ice wrapped in sacking, Mr. Brown chased and chopped screaming chooks, some of them headless and still running while Mrs. Brown sat in the back doorway trying to stay cool in midsummer heat while plucking feathers which floated off in all directions. She used them for stuffing their mattresses and pillows”

Mrs Hat was another well known personality in the street. She was named so because of the unattractive beige cloche she constantly wore. She was apparently completely bald and always pulled her hat firmly down as close to her neck as possible.

Harriet Anderson in her backyard facing High Street c1966. Her location is approximately where the door to the library’s kitchen is today.

Lois Sabine and her mother, in the backyard of 4 Hatfield Street. The garage behind them was later used as a residence.

Shop till you drop……

Did you know Mascot used to have two dress shops and that Botany had its own watchmaker? These are some of the memories our local residents shared at our latest Mornings @ the Museum. At the event, participants were given maps which they were asked to fill with the shops they remembered. Given that some people have spent their entire lives in the district, these maps were very interesting and provided a very different image of the are.

Be sure to look out for our exhibition in March. In the mean time if you have any stories, photographs or things you have purchased at local stores be sure to contact us.

What’s in your photo album?

Do you have any old photographs taken within the City of Botany Bay? If so the museum would love to see them. Photos can teach us so much about the past, from the way we lived to the great changes the district has seen. Local resident Tina Aprea recently brought in this photograph of her sister Pam’s Confirmation Day at St. Bernard’s Botany. At the front is Jacqueline Milledge – our newly appointed president of the Botany Historical Trust!

If you have any old photographs you’d like to share please contact the museum on 9366 3802 or email museum@botanybay.nsw.gov.au

Mornings @ The Museum - November 17

 Picture: F.J Sam’s on Botany Road, Mascot

Before the construction of Westfield’s Shopping Town, where did you go shopping? Did you go to a corner store where the shopkeeper knew your name? Perhaps you remember Quality Stores in Mascot which is now home to ‘Best and Less’. 

Come and share your memories and memorabilia over morning tea at the museum. Information collected may
be used in an upcoming exhibition on the history of shopping in the City of Botany Bay   
  
When: 10am Thursday 17th November 2011
Where: George Hanna Memorial Museum, Mascot Library
Bookings Essential. To book call 9366 3888

Made in Botany: the history of manufacturing in the City of Botany Bay

What do mousetraps, motor cars and school shoes have in common? They all used to be made in Botany. Come explore these factories and more in our new exhibition.

Where?
Mascot Library and George Hanna Memorial Museum
2 Hatfeld Street Mascot
Telephone 9366 3802
museum@botanybay.nsw.gov.au

Dainty Dishes: The Story of Davis Gelatine

Long before ‘MasterChef’ and ‘My Kitchen Rules’, the Davis Gelatine Company was encouraging Australian Housewives to tackle adventurous dishes, improve food presentation and eat well!

With colourful cookbooks, exotic moulds and tantalising Royal Show demonstrations, Davis Gelatine changed the culinary scene of Australia forever.

Come and see some of the classic ‘Dainty Dishes’, and hear the story of the family company that became Australia’s largest exporter of manufactured goods.

When:                 
2:00pm Saturday, 17th September 2011

Where:                
George Hanna Memorial Museum, Mascot Library, Hatfield Street, Mascot

Cost:                     
Free. Bookings Essential. To book call 9366 3888

Contact:              
9366 3888, museum@botanybay.nsw.gov.au

Beauty in the Burbs: Botany and Banksmeadow by Louise Hawson - 52 Suburbs

Come join us for ‘Beauty in the Burbs’ our latest exhibition at the George Hanna Memorial Museum. On show are series of colourful and surprising photographs by ’52 Suburbs’ photographer Louise Hawson. Sydney has well over 600+ suburbs and in 2009 Hawson realized she knew very little about them.

As a result she set herself a year-long challenge of exploring one new suburb each week. The final product was her blog and book ‘52 Suburbs’.

At our museum in Mascot Library you can see all the beauty she captured when she explored Botany and Banksmeadow. To complement her images, equally appealing artwork by the students of John Brotchie Pre-School, is also on display. The Museum of Sydney is currently holding an exhibition of Hawson work in the city. Luckily you only need to travel as far as Mascot Library and Museum.

George Hanna Memorial Museum, Mascot Library, 2 Hatfield Street, Mascot.
On display until August 26th 2011

Mornings at the Museum - Manufacturing Memories

Did you work in one of Botany’s old factories?  Can you recall the area’s past industrial nature?

Image: Floodvale works c.1938. Courtesy of Rob & Chris Hanna

You can help us record Botany’s manufacturing history by bringing your memories, photos and objects to our next Mornings @ the Museum. Botany & Mascot have a rich industrial past that includes everything from leather production to mouse traps and cornflakes.

Come share your stories in this discussion group. Only with your help can we fully tell the stories of the area.

When: 10am Thursday June 30th 2011
Where: George Hanna Memorial Museum, Mascot Library

Bookings Essential.  To book call 9366 3888

Box dreams – Kiddyville Realised!

Ever wanted to build your dream house?

Last Friday a very creative group of kids got to live out their dreams at Kiddyville, a school holiday program run in conjunction with the museum’s Daceyville exhibition.

The kids were let loose with hundreds of cardboard boxes and other recycled materials. The results were some very impressive homes as you can in these photographs.

Though our participants loved building their homes, some enjoyed demolishing them even more!

Women in Government

Can you recall when Botany Council elected its first female alderman?

The answer is 1952 and the Alderman was Mrs Cora Byrne. She served for 2 years, until 1954.

Since her historic appointment, a number of other women have followed in her path including Alderman Fyffe and Alderman Kelly.

If you want to know more about these women, short biographies of the later two appear in “The History of Botany 1788-1970”.

Daceyville Public School Visit

Recently Daceyville Public came to see Audaciousville and what a morning it was! Besides being fascinated by the pictures and objects on display, they also enjoyed a very interesting and amusing talk by Councillor Slattery, a long time resident of the suburb.

If you have not seen the exhibition yet, it’s a must see.
Just read these persuasive responses from the students who came.

Parents must take their children to the ‘Audaciousville’ exhibition because kids think that history is cool, kids want to learn new things and, best of all, it‘s absolutely free. My favourite object was a beer bottle from under Hayden McCullough’s house because after all those years there wasn’t even a crack in it.

Anson Year 3

Would you like to come to the ’Audaciouville’ exhibition? Then go and see it at Mascot Library. You better be quick because it ends in April. Look out for an old Milo tin, glass bottles, bottle caps and broken pieces from under Hayden McCullough’s house. It was an amazing day.

Julia Year 3

You should come to the ‘Audaciousville’ exhibition at Mascot Library to see and hear about Daceyville because it has lots of cool things, especially hearing funny stories from Councillor Anne Slattery. Firstly she lived in Daceyville in a house with two bedrooms and twelve people living in it. One room was for the piano and the other one was for someone else which was funny because the piano had a room by its self. Secondly we saw a tin can that look so old from under Hayden’s bedroom.  It was very old. Thirdly we got to see some old photos about Daceyville to understand why it’s here. By the way it’s free.

Christabel Year 4

Parents: You should go to the ‘Audaciousville’ exhibition because it is a good education for your children. They can have a chance to see black and white photographs of people who lived in Daceyville. You should visit there because you can learn about some people from the war. You can discover as much as you want, read as much as you want about Daceyville and you can stay as long as you want! Your children can see great things about the suburb Daceyville and who made it.

Kaelynne Year 4

Mornings @ The Museum - Sharing Stories

To celebrate this year’s National Trust Heritage Festival, Botany Bay Library and Museum is running a very special Mornings at the Museum event.

The theme of the 2011 Heritage Festival is Amazing Stories and as every moment is an amazing story we are inviting residents and those interested in the history of the area to come in and share a story, a photograph or an object at this morning event. Even the smallest story is often surprising to someone else.

People love stories and would love to hear yours so please come along. Some little known objects and stories from the Museum and Local History Collection will also be presented.

When: 10am Wednesday April 13th 2011

Where: George Hanna Memorial Museum, Mascot Library

Bookings Essential. Call 9366 3888 to book

Kiddyville

To coincide with the Daceyville exhibition, the museum is giving children from the ages 7-13 the chance to build their dream house out of hundreds of cardboard boxes and craft materials.

Come join us for this unique event

Friday April 15th 2011 - 10am –11.30am @ George Hanna Memorial Museum, Mascot Library

Cost : $5 per child. Payment must be made in person at the Central Library. (Entry fee is non-refundable)

Bookings essential as places are limited.  For more information, please call Sam on 9366 3888

Kavanagh’s Pharmacy

Can you make out the bottles of Old Spice aftershave? Do you recognize any other products? Last month we had some lovely photos of Kavanagh’s Pharmacy on display at the Central Library. Since 1945, three generations of the Kavanagh family have run their Banksmeadow pharmacy.

These photos were taken in the early 1960’s when they moved to 1649 Botany Road, where they still operate today. As you can see many of the pharmacy’s products have changed, however if you visit now you will still see a number of wonderful old medicine bottles on some of the pharmacy’s shelves.

Photographs courtesy of Dorothy Kavanagh

Remember this?

Everyone knows Kellogg’s make cornflakes and All Bran, but did you know they once made a ‘peppy’ cereal called Pep? This picture of the product comes from a 1927 Kellogg’s letterhead. It is part of the company’s application to build a factory on Stephen’s Road, Botany.

In council’s archives, this letter is stored with technical architectural drawings of the company’s first factory building in the area. Drawn by engineers in Chicago, these plans must have seemed very glamorous to the council employee who opened the envelope they came in! They are also by far the biggest and most detailed architectural plans the council had then received.


If you are interested in learning more about Kellogg’s in Botany, look out for our future exhibition called Made in Botany: the History of Manufacturing in the City of Botany Bay. If you have any stories about the factory, please contact us.

This picture is part of an on-going mini exhibition we are having on the front wall of Pagewood Library. Each month we will be having a changing displaying of 5 to 6 photographs and objects. In doing so we hope to open your eyes, or jog your memories about the City of Botany Bay. If you miss a month, don’t worry. We will be blogging the best image of each month right here.

The Emergence and Disappearance of Lauriston Park, A Forgotten Suburb

 

As part of Heritage Week, there will be a talk about the suburb Lauriston Park which existed on the site of the current Sydney Airport at Eastgardens Library on Saturday, April 9 at 2pm.

The talk will discuss the development of the suburb, resident life, local activities and anecdotes, and the eventual disappearance of the suburb to make way for the airport extension. Local history collection items  such as oral history, images and video will be used in the discussion.

Free admission

Bookings Essential:   Please call Eastgardens Library on 9366 3888

Mornings @ The Museum

Come join us for our first Mornings at the Museum. Every second month we will be presenting talks and discussions on the local area’s history.

This February we will be presenting a guided tour of the museum’s current exhibition, Audaciousville: The Story of Dacey Garden Suburb. As Australia’s first public housing scheme, the suburb has a fascinating and unique history. In this talk you’ll learn all about the suburb, including stories that didn’t make it into the exhibition.

When: 10am Thursday February 10th  2011

Where: George Hanna Memorial Museum, Mascot Library

Bookings Essential. Call 9366 3888 to book