May 1 - 31, 2025: Issue 642

 

Pittwater's Koalas Driven to Extinction: Some History


Above Photograph: 'Avalon - NSW - Koala bear in oak tree on lawn at Noah's house' - 652 Barrenjoey Rd. From album of Photographs taken by Jack Thwaites, largely in Tasmania. The images include bushwalking trips, wilderness scenery, flora and fauna, coastal scenery and historic buildings in Tasmania. Retrieved from and with thanks to the Archives Office of Tasmania - archival record No.: NS3195_1_2555

Independent MP's Jacqui Scruby (Pittwater), Michael Regan (Wakehurst) and Alex Greenwich (Sydney) visited the proposed site of the Great Koala National Park in the last week of April. 

Jacqui Scruby stated this past week:

''Pittwater once had koalas in our trees and we are heartbroken to see koala signs on our roads, knowing the local population is now extinct.''

''I’m calling on the NSW Government to urgently follow through on their election commitment to establish this park to protect not only our endangered koalas, but to also allow other threatened species like greater gliders and spotted-tailed quolls to thrive. The time is now, let's make it happen!''

See: Scruby-Regan-Greenwich Renew Call for Koala Park: Over 100 North Coast Businesses Call for the Immediate Establishment of the Whole Great Koala National Park - Still No Crossings in Place for Sydney's Last Koalas - Forestry Corp. of NSW Half-Yearly Report tabled

Koalas lived throughout Pittwater for thousands of years until the early 1980's, from Palm Beach to Narrabeen and across the estuary, on the western shores.

In fact, over the last 100 years, habitat removal, dog attacks, roads and fences cutting through their ancient and traditional migratory paths, whether moving from one species of trees to another during the season to eat or to find a mate during breeding season, along with cars running them over, has killed every single former koala of Pittwater.

We have borne witness to this occurring, just as we have borne witness to the extinction of others.

Australia has lost about 100 native plants and animals to extinction since colonisation, most of which were mainly due to invasive species. An estimated 27 of those extinctions occurred since the 1960s.

Every month the list of vulnerable to extinction and critically endangered species grows.

Some of us can still hear Pittwater koalas - their snuffles, grunts, bellows and snorts in the ever-diminishing canopy of Pittwater trees - because we remember how they used to sound, their moods, their arguments, their softness too. The mothers and babies who make soft clicking, squeaking sounds and gentle humming or murmuring sounds to one another, as well as gentle grunts to signal displeasure or annoyance. 

All Koalas share one common call which is elicited by fear; a cry like a baby screaming and this is made by animals under stress.

Despite generations from the 1950's on trying to save them, presenting the cause and the effect, not enough was done when and where it was needed. 

Scientists tell us the species is around 25 million years old and are most closely related to wombats, having shared a common ancestor in the Oligocene or earlier. Both are members of the suborder Vombatiformes (order Diprotodontia). 

The first arboreal koalas probably evolved from a terrestrial wombat-like ancestor, perhaps to take advantage of a food resource not being utilised by others. Koalas were once much more widespread across Australia: fossil koala species are known from southern, western and central Australia when rainforest was more widespread across these parts of the continent. There are now six genera and at least 18 species of fossil koalas (some species are not yet described). All are from either South Australia or Queensland (Riversleigh).

Millions of years of thriving - then 100 years of dying.

There were some who were trying to save them. At Mona Vale a farm of 40 acres known as the 'Zoo Farm’ produced feed for the creatures of Taronga Zoo. The farm was managed by Charlie Bishop with other workers including Stan Wenman and Brian Godwin. The land was purchased in 1947 by Sir Edward Hallstrom (1886-1970) solely for this purpose. A member of the Taronga Zoo Park Trust from 1941 to 1959, its president from 1948 to 1959 and honorary director until 1967, an animal lover from an early age, Mr Hallstrom thought the farm would ensure the animals in his keeping would have the fresh food they required.

The large section where Bayview Retirement Village now is was the site of the Koala Refuge created by Sir Edward Hallstrom, who died February 27th, 1970. A guest of the MWPHS in January 2014, John Bungey, Landscape Designer, was involved in the development of this site from 1975. John described his initial engagement by Tony Baldwin, a real estate developer on the North Shore, after the landscaper he had originally employed had been overwhelmed by the size of the project. The other important element in the creation of Bayview Gardens was the architect, Geoffrey Twybill, formerly of Waratah Street, Palm Beach (RIP), who had become a specialist in the design of retirement complexes.

John elaborated on the way the gardens were developed moving up the site and the creation of Annam Road which now encircles Bayview Gardens, although sections of this show up on earlier subdivision lithographs. In his Talk Mr. Bungey described the manner in which the native vegetation had been retained as much as possible, including such trees as Scribbly Gum, Swamp Mahogany and Angophora. The sheer scale of managing the various independent contractors on site, was not only due to Tony Baldwin, but also due to Noel Moss, the builder. The approximate time of development was 10 years and over time there were a number of awards earned by John and others involved in the development of the site. 

While the focus of the talk was on Bayview Gardens, there were many questions from the audience as to the activities of Sir Edward Hallstrom. The zoo had been created as a forerunner to his involvement with Taronga Park Zoo which had commenced in 1937. Taronga Park itself opened in 1916 after the closing of Sydney’s first zoo at Moore Park. Sir Edward acquired the market garden and farmlet at Mona Vale/ Bayview in 1947 and this property functioned as a supplier of fodder to Taronga Park until 1975. [4.] Sir Hallstrom's land holdings in the present day industrial area of Mona Vale were all brought under the Real Property Act in the mid 1950's. 


Overlooking Bayview Golf Course, with Annam Road and Beaumont Crescent as its perimeters, E J Hallstrom had a private zoo that came to be known as a Koala Sanctuary. On these acres Mr Hallstrom nursed koalas back to health and reintroduced them to their natural habitats. Mr Hallstrom also had one of the most extensive collections of birds, particularly parrots, and here too albino kangaroos from Tasmania and two sets of twin white wallabies were given a home. This was not his first venture in Pittwater. Edward Hallstrom was among those involved in helping George Taylor get airborne from North Narrabeen’s sand dunes in 1909.

It is for his many philanthropic works and large monetary donations to medical facilities that this gent is now known. He sought publicity for the plight of koalas and other animals incessantly. In the koala, adorable to look at even if a testy at times, he found a large crowd of instant and curious admirers. Most of those he cared for were given names, like pets. Stories regarding his Koala Sanctuary and those whom he introduced to the bear ran from the 1930’s until 1960.

Warringah Shire Records show:

19. Lands Department, 6/10/42, advising that the Department has received from Mr. E.J.L. Hallstrom  an application for the purchase of part of a private subdivision road which runs into Cabbage Tree Road, requesting that the Council furnish particulars of the dedication of the road as a public road, and suggesting if no evidence of dedication is available, the Council consider taking action under the provisions of Section 224 of the Local Government Set to make the road a public road, after which it could be closed and sold under the Public Roads Act provided such a course is found to be unobjectionable in the public interest. Resolved, - That, as recommended by the Engineer, the Council object to the closing of the road, and that it take action under the provisions of Section 224 (3) of the Local Government Act to make the road a public road. (Crs. Baths, McLean)

He was, of course, trying to set up lands free of koala killing cars and dogs to establish the Bayview Koala Sanctuary on the site of the present day retirement village at Bayview where he had purchased 40 acres.

Mr. Hallstrom was not one to give up - notes from Warringah's Minutes of Meetings show he had support from those who could help him:
(3) Lands Department, 14/4/44, forwarding copy of Gazette notification by the Minister of intention to close part of the Road- Unnamed road in Portion 30, Parish of Narrabeen, and to sell same to-Mr. E J L Hallstrom, and inquiring whether Council. Concurs in the proposal to place a valuation of £35.5.0 on the land (at the rate of, £20 per acre). Resolved, That the Council concur in the proposal.

Sydney, 7th March, 1945.
NOTIFICATION OF CLOSING OF ROADS AND APPROVAL OF THE SALE OF THE LANDS COMPRISED THEREIN UNDER ROAD PURCHASE APPLICATION.
I, the Right Honourable John de Vere, Baron Wakehurst, Governor of the State of New South Wales, with the advice of the Executive Council, do hereby notify that, in pursuance of the provisions of 20th section. Public Roads Act, 1902, the roads described hereunder are hereby closed, and the lands comprised therein are to be granted to the person mentioned.
WAKEHURST, Governor. J. M. TULLY, Minister for Lands.
Description.
Edward John Lees Hallstrom1 acre 3 roods 2 perches. The public road separating lots 4 and 3 from lots 5, 6 and 7 of a private subdivision of portion 30 (plan 6,466 L.), now shown on plan R. 23.256-1,603, parish Narrabeen, county Cumberland, Land District Metropolitan, Shire Warringah.  NOTIFICATION OF CLOSING OF ROADS AND APPROVAL OF THE SALE OF THE LANDS COMPRISED THEREIN UNDER ROAD PURCHASE APPLICATION. (1945, March 16). Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales (Sydney, NSW : 1901 - 2001), , p. 478. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article225480523 

The next step?; Food, glorious koala food:
(24) Mona Vale Community League, 28/10/44, (a) informing the Council of the formation of the League, stating its objects, and that the President, the Councillors for "A" Riding, and the Officers of the Council, have been elected honorary members; (b) advising that the League meets at intervals of two months on the second Friday of the month at 7.30 P.m. at Community the Public School, that Mr. Hallstrom, who has promised to donate 1,000 trees of a variety that will provide suitable food for koalas, will probably address the meeting to be held on 8th December; (c) suggesting the Council supply the League with a map showing the boundaries of the area in which the League proposes to operate; (d) stating the League hopes to work in close co-operation with the Council, and to make the area one that will make the public tree-conscious, but not from a commercial aspect. Resolved, - That (a), (b) and (d) be "received", and in regalia-to TWT that a nap be supplied, and the League assured of the Council's co-operation. (Crs. Dunbar, Spicer) 

(65) Kurig-gai Council, 20/6/49, forwarding copy of letter from E J. Hallstrom, offering to supply about 5 000 trees yearly without cost, to be given to the residents to replenish the food trees for Koalas In the Shire. Council to arrange for distribution of the trees. Resolved, - That Mr. Hallstrom be thanked, and informed that the Council will accept the trees in batches and local residents advised as the batches are received; also, that publicity be given to the offer, and suggestions Invited as to the locations for the trees.

The Koala Sanctuary was ready to go, and, as shown in the articles where experts are asked to attend to saving the koalas, part of this was building structures they may need. Finding those records also made it apparent Mr. Hallstrom built a weatherboard cottage in Malo Road Whale Beach during this shift back to his old stomping grounds:

Warringah—Bk. cotts.—Barrenjoey Rd.—Verrills Bros.; …. W.B. cott., Malo Rd.—Hallstrom Pty. Ltd.; Metropolitan Water Sewerage & Drainage Board (1949, November 16). Construction (Sydney, NSW : 1938 - 1954), , p. 14. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article222883755


Houses dotted on the hillside around Whale Beach, Sydney, ca. 1930s [picture] PIC/15611 Fairfax archive of glass plate negatives, courtesy National Library of Australia

Another nearby section of road was closed a few decades later:

Sydney, 20th August, 1971.
NOTIFICATION OF CLOSING OF ROADS
IN pursuance of the provisions of the Public Roads Act, 1902, as amended, it is hereby notified that the roads hereunder specified are hereby closed; that the lands comprised therein shall be freed and discharged from any rights of the public or any person to the same as highways.
T. L. LEWIS, Minister for Lands.
Descriptions
Land District—Metropolitan; Shire—Warringah
Whitechapel Investments Pty Limited, perches. The road (part Old Samuel Street, Mona Vale) shown on plan catalogued R. 32734-1603 in the Department of Lands and being lot 1 on Deposited Plan 241469, Parish Narrabeen, County Cumberland. Rds 71-510. NOTIFICATION OF CLOSING OF ROADS (1971, August 20). Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales (Sydney, NSW : 1901 - 2001), p. 3199. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article220134169

By 1949 The Sanctuary, a place of healing, was also offered as a place of study; 

Koala Study Centre For N.S.W.. 

The Chief Secretary, Mr. C. H. Matthews, said last night that, the deputy chairman of the Fauna Protection Panel, Mr. E. J. Hallstrom, had offered to make his property at Mona Vale available for research into the conservation of koala bears. He said Mr Hallstrom would put up any buildings required and would provide labour for the care of the animals. He said that he and the panel appreciated Mr. Hallstrom's generosity. It was intended, to use the property as a centre for scientific investigation into the breeding, feeding, and diseases of koalas.

EXPERT ADVICE: The panel would-have the advice of experts, including Professor P.D. F. Murray, Challis Professor of Zoology at the University of Sydney. Mr. Matthews said the panel was making a State-wide survey to find out about-how many koalas there are. He appealed to the public to give the chief guardian of fauna. Mr. F.J. Griffiths, any information about the location of koala colonies in New South Wales Mr. Griffiths is in the Chief Secretary's. Department. Koala Study Centre For N.S.W. (1949, October 18). The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), p. 2. Retrieved August 11, 2012, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article27577048

New koala farm planned
Mr. E. J. Hallstrom, deputy-chairman of the Fauna Protection. Panel, has offered to make his property at Mona Vale available to the panel for use in plans for koala conservation, the Chief Secretary (Mr. Matthews) said today. Mr. Hallstrom will erect any buildings that are required or provide labor for the care and feeding of the animals. Mr. Matthews said it was intended to use the estate as .a centre for carryng on of scientific investigation in to the breeding, feeding and diseases of koalas. 
Mr. Matthews, said it was part of the plan for saving the koala. Members of the panel were conducting a Statewide survey to find out the approximate koala population. Any one who could give information as to the location of new colonies of koalas; together with an estimate of the number of koalas in . each colony, should communicate with the chief guardian of fauna (Mr. Griffiths) at the Chief Secretary's Department. New koala farm planned (1949, October 17). The Sun (Sydney, NSW : 1910 - 1954), p. 6 (LATE FINAL EXTRA). Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article229224244

SAVING KOALA
The NSW Chief Secretary (Mr C. H. Matthews) said last week that the deputy chair-man of the Fauna Protection Panel (Mr E. J. Hallstrom) had offered to make his property at Mona Vale available for research into the conservation of koala bears.

He satd that Mr Hallstrom would put up any buildings required and would provide labour for the care of the animals. He and the panel appreciated Mr Hallstrom's generosity. It was intended to use the property as a centre for scientific investigation into the breeding, feeding, and diseases of koalas.
The panel would have the advice of experts, including Professor P. D. F. Murray, Challis Professor of Zoology at the University of Sydney.
Mr Matthews said the panel was making a State-wide survey to find out how many Koalas there are. He appealed to the public to give the chief guardian of fauna any information about the location of koala colonies in New South Wales.
 SAVING KOALA (1949, November 1). Morning Bulletin (Rockhampton, Qld. : 1878 - 1954), p. 6. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article56921992

Mr Hallstrom himself wrote:

Perhaps, the writers of the letters do not know that both in my private capacity, and at Taronga Park, I am continually having birds and animals sent to me or placed under my care because of their ill-health or injury. These birds and animals are restored to health, returned to their owners, or returned to their natural habitats. From injured koala bears sent to me, I have built up a sanctuary where these injured creatures are now breeding, and are under the jurisdiction of the Fauna Board. E.J.L. HALLSTROM (F.R.Z.S.). Mosman. Letters. (1950, September 5). The Sydney Morning Herald(NSW : 1842 - 1954), p. 2. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article18176586

Mr. Hallstrom has two zoos of his own-one of 40 acres and another of three acres. He breeds koalas, and he owns what is acknowledged to be the finest private collection of parrots in the world. His favourite bird? The black cockatoo. A star patient a few years ago was a koala with two broken legs. It was to have been destroyed, but Mr. Hallstrom had it brought in for special treatment. Plaster splints were made, and the koala was nursed back to health. Today it nibbles happily at the gum tips in one of Mr. Hallstrom's private zoos. Doesn't know how much. (1951, October 22). Barrier Miner(Broken Hill, NSW : 1888 - 1954), p. 4. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article48658529

More Than 50 Injured Koalas Saved At Coastal Sanctuary 

By A STAFF  CORRESPONDENT: 

A CAR sped along the Pacific Highway towards  Sydney late one summer night. There was a bump against the front mudguard, so slight that it was hardly noticed by the driver. Anyone watching closely, however,  would have noticed a grey ball  of fluff, lit up for a moment by the  headlights, bounce on to the side of the road. After a time they would have seen it crawl away into the bush. That injured animal was a koala.  A number of koalas, which sleep during the day and move around at night, have been hit by cars. Some have been killed.

The more fortunate of the injured ones find their way to the private sanctuary run by Mr. E. J. Hallstrom, industrialist and naturalist, at Mona Vale. Mr. Hallstrom is president of the Taronga Park Trust.  There they are joined by others of their kind, who have got into fights among themselves, been caught in traps, fallen from trees, been burned in bush fires, and suffered a variety of injuries.  During the past five years 50 to 60 koalas have been treated there, mainly for fractures and burns. Over 80 per cent, have regained normal health.  

Mr. Hallstrom deals with cases of simple fracture himself. He calls in a vet. for compound fractures and other difficult cases. It was found that koalas strongly objected to being treated lying down. So a special apparatus was devised to enable them to recover in their natural sitting-up position. It consists of an upright wooden post, mounted on a rubber cushion. The bear sits with its legs straddled each side of the post, and clings to the wood with its claws. After its broken limbs have been set, they are strapped into a suitable position around the post.

How They Are Fed: If the animal is capable of feeding itself, a box of leaves and a canister of water are left within easy reach. Otherwise it is fed with milk from a spoon. A young koala which was picked up in a gutter at Vaucluse had two fractured limbs and a broken pelvis. The injured parts of its body were set in plaster, and it was carefully nursed for nearly three months. It is now well and the mother of a baby at Taronga Park.

I drove out with Mr. Hallstrom to see the 20-odd koalas at present convalescing at Mona Vale. The sanctuary is in typical bush scenery, on a hillside overlooking the sea. More than 5,000 young trees, mostly grey gums, have recently been planted to ensure a good supply of natural feed. Injured koalas spend their time in a shed during wet weather, and in a small paddock "hospital" clear of trees (to avoid further injuries from falls) when it is dry.

When they, are well enough to climb and take care of themselves, they are released into a 15-acre paddock, where they live in completely natural surroundings. The paddock is also used for breeding purposes. I saw several of the convalescents perched in the trees. Some were sleeping peacefully in the forks of branches. Others, with their young in pouches or on their backs, were crawling precariously amongst the thick foliage after food.

"Mac," a bush veteran who helps Mr. Hallstrom look after the animals, nodded at one young mother who was working her way obstinately along a particularly slender branch. "If it snaps." he said, "she'll be back in hospital. Mostly they send the young ones out on the tricky branches after they're a few months old. Two months in the pouch, a month being carried piggy-back, and they're ready to fend for themselves. I've seen them hanging on as cool as cucumbers with a westerly blowing the branches all over the place."  

I asked "Mac" how he dealt with burns, and how the animals behaved when they were hurt.

"Burns," he said, "I treat with salt and water solution and special emulsions. Where their eyes are closed up I use silver nitrate drops to take off the scum. Most of them sit still during treatment and don't make any fuss. They're not overburdened with brains, but they seem to realise we're trying to help. I've known them scratch and nip a bit at first, but they soon get tame enough to be handled. Once they get well and back in the trees again it doesn't take long before they forget 'civilisation'."

Mr. Hallstrom explained that most of the koalas get injured "on nocturnal prowlings after food and females," or during bush fires when they curl up in the trees and refuse to budge. "Although their fur is close-knit and highly resistant to water," he continued, "they have been known to die of pneumonia. Twenty-odd years ago hundreds of thousands died of a disease rather similar to sinus. "With pneumonia and septic conditions setting in around fractures, I usually give a few shots of penicillin." More Than 50 Injured Koalas Saved At Coastal Sanctuary. (1950, September 6). The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), p. 2. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article18181334

Plan to save our koalas


"WHAT GIVES DOWN THERE?"  


"NOW THEN, BUZZ OFF."  


"CAREFUL, COBBER"

FAR behind what the world has come to call the Iron Curtain, in a tiny wooden village schoolhouse in Bessarabia, I was once shown a postcard which the aged schoolmaster carried carefully in his wallet, in just the same way as a soldier carries the photograph of his wife or sweetheart. He had shown it to his class year after year when the geography lesson on Australia came round, and was never tired of displaying it at night under an oil lamp to the gaping peasants in the village wine-shop. It was the worn photo of a Dinkum- Aussie who has done more to publicise Australia abroad than the Department of Information and the Departments of Tourism put together — the koala. 

Throughout the Continent, in all sorts of odd places, I came across photos of our little ambassador, who knows no politics, and who has captured the world's imagination even more than the kangaroo or the platypus. In hotel, bars, cafes, restaurants you had to be ready to brush up your zoological knowledge of the koala, the kangaroo and the platypus once it became known that you came from Australia Wheat, wool and gold, Australia's rapid march in industry, arid its civilisation meant little in the school geography books beside our remnants of the fauna of a bygone geological age-saved from extinction long ago by a timely land-subsidence which cut our continent off from Asia. 

To foreign eyes this land of ours is a living museum of ancient geological forms of life— a place where evolution stopped, another "Lost World" with monotremes and marsupials instead of the pterodactyls and dinosaurs. If there is any animal which has become a martyr to human greed and cruelty, it is the gentle, inoffensive koala; if any animal has a damning indictment to present against humanity, it is the koala. In the days of our first settlers, it was flourishing almost everywhere except in Western Australia. But the harmless little gumtip-eater had the bad luck to possess a strong hide and a lovely fur which would stand up to a lot of wear. That started the white man's slaughter of the innocent. More than a million were killed and their skin's exported to America (under the name of "wombat" skins, in order to allay any public outcry). Only 25 years, ago, American fur catalogues still listed them as such. Under the depredations of the fur-hunters, the koala began to shrink fast in number. Then came the virus disease which swept Australia's animal life, killing off countless numbers of marsupials of other species, as well as the koala. The harmless koala began to disappear everywhere except in Queensland, where it had been on the list of totally protected animals. Then followed the "depression" killings, when the Queensland Government lifted its protection from koalas to give "employment" to workless and raise money from the furs. Tens of thousands were ruthlessly shot down from their trees, in spite of loud protests from conservationists who were awake to the fact that one single live koala was worth, as a tourist attraction, a thousand killed for their skinsThe only country on earth with koalas was robbing itself of the greatest tourist draw on earth. 

After the "depression" massacre, Australia suddenly woke up to the fact that there were only about 100 koalas left in NSW, about 300 in Victoria; and in Queensland, where there had been a million, only a few thousand. It was thanks to men like Keith Minchin, in South Australia, Noel Burnet, at Koala Park, NSW, and other informed and capable conservationists (as well as the extension of the Native Flora and Fauna Protection Acts), that the koala was narrowly saved from extinction along with the pretty little Toolachi wallaby and the other harmless and beautiful  wild creatures which have become extinct within living memory. 

In response to public pressure, the NSW Fauna Protection Panel was set up several months ago under Chief Fauna Protector Mr. F. J. Griffiths. Among the 14 other members of the unpaid panel, is Mr. E. J. Hallstrom, Sydney philanthropist and animal lover, as Deputy Fauna Protector. The panel's programme is a comprehensive one for the restoration, protection and maintenance of our wildlife. Its first job is to find out what the koala population stands at, where it is distributed and how it is getting along. Re-populating areas where the koala once lived, but from which they have disappeared, is also on the agenda.. Through the Press and over the radio, the panel is seeking information and help from the public, and is gradually piecing together the information it is gathering. It has already established that the koala-colonies exist in some 100 places in the State, almost all along our eastern seaboard, and thickest on the Far North Coast. Very few are found west of the Blue Mountains now. Mr. Griffiths believes that the past five lush seasons ' and the. relatively few bush-fires have boosted Australia's animal and bird, populations to the highest level in long years. Although there are today some 350 game sanctuaries in this State, they are giving little or no real protection to our wild life. The panel is considering the establishment of special reserves in different parts of NSW to include all forms of our wild life. These will be under the control of the panel and will be subject to special supervision by appointed officers. 

One other aspect of the panel's work is to set up at Mona Vale an experimental station to breed and study koalas on 40 acres of land made available by Mr. Hallstrom. All native wild animals (except pests such as the dingo and the flying-fox) are fully protected under the Protection Act. With the exception of the koala and the lyre-bird, they can be exported only to foreign zoos or scientific institutions. The koala and the lyrebird cannot be taken outside Australia under any circumstance. Neither can they be owned by anybody but the Crown. The panel is expected to make the same ruling for the platypus. Killing of any protected bird or animal may bring a fine of up to £50. Possession of a skin carries the same penalty. Shooting a kangaroo carries the same, penalty except during an open season, declared when the animal is proved to be a pest. No reptile is protected in Australia. While most native birds are protected, the Fauna Protection Panel is particularly interested in getting information of the whereabouts of the lyre-bird. If you are caught killing a lyre-bird you can expect the full £50 penalty! The kookaburra, although claimed by some to be a pest, is protected. If protection were dropped, a storm of sentimental protest would blow up overnight, Mr. Griffiths believes. The wedge-tailed eagle (of the species which recently created a sensation at King's Cross when it attacked a woman and her child) is the biggest' eagle in the world. The panel does not know what to do about the wedge-tailed eagle. They would like to protect it, but it has occasionally been known to attack lambs. Manufacturers of toy koalas have made huge profits from the public's love of the dreamy-eyed little marsupial. Overseas visitors to these shores have taken away thousands of them, including American "Queen for a Day" Mrs. Mortensen's last-minute gilt of an armful when she left by plane last December. Our postal stamps have made the koala known abroad, and hundreds of thousands of postcards (manufacturers say the koala card is No. 1 seller) have gone to all parts of the civilised world. . It was the State Minister for Tourism (Mr. G. J. Arthur) who rushed the toy koalas to- Mrs. Mortensen at the airport-This is the Minister's comment on the koala: — "The koala and our other unique animals and birds are our trump tourist draw-card. They can earn us fortunes from tourists jaded by the monotonous attractions in other countries. . . . We must not grudge money spent on their care or on koala parks." Plan to save our koalas (1950, February 9). The Sun (Sydney, NSW : 1910 - 1954), , p. 24 (LATE FINAL EXTRA). Retrieved fromhttp://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article230079332 

Leon Gellert Finds Himself.. AMONG THE KOALAS

AN incensed reader has sent me a newspaper clipping in which, she claims, a libellous injustice has been  done to a koala. It states that at Mona Vale one of these animals bit and poisoned the hand of a solicitous naturalist who was trying to succour it - a Mr. John Hallstrom. The name seems familiar. Were there any truth in this alarming story it could only be assumed that the unhappy marsupial, immeasurably wiser than its kind, singled out that particular hand as most deserving the honour of the first koala-bite in history.

Such reckless stories of the ferocity of our native bears may have their uses. Apart from frightening us into barring our doors more securely at night, they should act as a warning to those foolhardy wayfarers who are always eager to rescue a country's fauna from its natural surroundings.

Man, in his dealings with creatures of the wild, suffers many misadventures. He may be torn asunder by raging silkworms, brutally battered to death by butterflies or trampled underfoot by stampeding ladybirds, but he is never, never, never bitten by koalas.

This is not to say that every-body who chooses to play fast and loose with a koala comes away unscathed.. The single occasion on which I engaged one of the species single-handed proved to be a pretty bloody affair. 

MANY years ago my friend Harold Cazneaux (the celebrated photographer) and I were assigned to bring out an illustrated booklet on the Australian native bear. During the preliminary operations of getting facts and photographs at Koala Park, Mr. Noel Burner, the director of the sanctuary, placed an exquisite cub of about seven inches long in my arms while he and Cazneaux went in search of a larger specimen.

Mistaking me for the bole of  a stunted bluegum, the animal began to mount, hand over hand,[for the topmost branches where, if instinct could be relied upon, the most succulent pastures were to be found. I tried as gently as possible to thwart its purpose, but my tender restraint was met with a cheerful but desperate opposition. The harder I tugged, the deeper its needle-sharp claws dug in.

Having negotiated my vest, it scrambled from one chin to the next and began its ascent of the face, itself, where the yielding, penetrable tissues were more to its liking. Eventually it gained the summit and, as far as I remember,- settled down among the sparse undergrowth and quietly dropped off to sleep.

By the time Mr. Burnet returned my countenance was ashambles. But, there and then, I was given a lesson in the correct method of disengaging a koala bear from the human face. The procedure is much like removing a cluster of fishhooks that have become embedded in the flesh. The booklet is long since out of print and Mr. Cazneaux's incomparable photographs have circulated on their own merits and have been acclaimed in every quarter of the globe.

THE publication I speak of was an inexpensive little thing, and I can recall only one other incident in connection with it, and that was a true story that my friend  Hemsley told me while it was in preparation.

Hemsley is one of those kindly, sensitive mortals who shudder visibly at the very thought of pain wantonly inflicted.

One evening, as we were travelling together on the ferry-boat from the city, I told him of our prospective brochure on the koala, and saw him wince at the mention of the name. After some moments of grave silence he came out with his story. It was simple and brief.

"It was towards the end of my knicker bocker days," said Hemsley. "There were three of us all boys of about the same age and armed with pea-rifles, we had set out across country one morning for a day's rabbit-shooting.

"We had tramped through the fields and low-lying paddocks for hours. We had scattered through the stubble and peered into burrows. We had combed the bushes and the dead wood for miles around but with no sight of a rabbit, except, here and there,  a vanishing tail.


"By midday not a shot had been fired. And then someone suggested that we make our way up the gentle slope of ground to the foothills where, out of reach of the sun, under the tall timber we could eat our lunch.

"AS soon as we got well into the belt of towering gums we collapsed forlorn and frustrated at the foot of the largest of then and lay there on our back munching and grumbling.

"Revived by our meal, we gathered enough energy to make a target of a young sapling. But we soon wearied of sapling shooting and once more lay on our backs in the shade looking up at the blue fragments of sky showing through the distant wickerwork of leaves. It was close timber and the lowest branches emerged from their trunks some twenty feet from the ground.

"Suddenly the idling eyes one of us descried a small brown shape huddled in the delicate fork of the highest limb of our tree. It swayed in the mild wind overhead like a tiny mariner caught in the farthest rigging. And although none of us had seen one we all knew that it was a koala.

"There was great excitement. Game at last!-and nicely silhouetted against a clear heaven.

"After the usual dispute as to whose privilege it was to have the first shot we were all at it firm singly, at first, and then in volleys

"The brown shape continued to swing unconcernedly and then someone scored a hit.

"There were yells of delight as our marksmanship improved and we could hear our bullets find their mark.

"Slowly the small brown bundle began to stir, unfolding itself like a woollen glove. And then we saw a drop of blood among the dead leaves at our feet. Another drop fell beside it and another. It wouldn't be long now, we thought, before that clump of fur came tumbling down. It must be fairly riddled with lead by this time.

"Nevertheless a feeling of un-easiness had set in. From away up in the tree-top there came drifting down to us a sound that made us lower our rifles and stand close together-a white faced little group, paralysed with awe. It began as a soft whimpering such as might have come from a forsaken child and swelled to the terrible grief-stricken lamentation of a heart hopelessly broken. It went on and on.

THERE was no protest in that piteous crying-only an inconsolable anguish. And as the moaning continued we noticed that the bear had begun to move.

"It was coming down-not falling down, but slowly, falteringly groping its way along the branch to the main stem, weeping and shaking its head from side to side as it paused, every now and again, to steady itself.

"Eventually it arrived at the lowest limb and commenced its backward descent of the smooth trunk. Never was progress so slow.

"And all the time we stood there watching and listening watching its poor feet fumble for a grip so that pieces of bark came clattering down-listening to that interminable crying of despair.

"When at last it reached the ground, it hesitated for a second or two and then, as though it had lost the power to see, it came stumbling to where we stood petrified with shame and horror. And there it sank at our feet.

"Not till we had realised that it was dead did we notice, clinging to its back, another diminutive bear looking up at us with bright beady eyes. It seemed as though that heroic mother had, with its last gasp, trustingly committed her cub into our care.

"I tell you that during the whole of that horrible journey home none of us spoke a single word. And since that day I have never touched a firearm of any kind."

COULD see that Hemsley was considerably upset. But it was time for me to leave him. The boat was drawing into my wharf.

As I rose to go I said, "And what became of the . . ."

But somehow I could not get the words out of my mouth. With a dumb gesture of understanding I left him sitting there.

Leon Gellert Finds Himself.. (1950, October 15). The Sunday Herald (Sydney, NSW : 1949 - 1953), , p. 2. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article28670685 

The Koala sanctuary was also used as a breeding place with some koalas being sent to the United States of America, despite a ban on exporting these creatures, in 1952 to be part of a film ‘Botany Bay’. Released in 1953 this American drama directed by John Farrow and starring Alan Ladd, James Mason and Patricia Medina was based on a novel of the same name by Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall. Two kangaroos were also flown in to appear the film.

Hollywood "limit" on koalas Sydney, Thursday: Four koala bears being flown to Hollywood on Sunday for the film "Botany Bay'' must be returned within six months, an official of the N.S.W. Chief Secretary's Department said today. Any young born to the bears, two males and two females, also must be re-turned, he added. About 56lb. of gum leaves will be on the plane to feed the bears on their 40-hourtrip. Mr. E. J. Hallstrom, Sydney philanthropist, said today the State Government had issued a' special permit for the bears to leave Australia for the first time since their export was banned 25 years ago. "Probably about 2,000,000 people will see the bears during their stay at San Diego Zoo, where they will be expertly cared for," Mr. Hallstrom said. Hollywood "limit" on koalas. (1952, January 4). The Argus(Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1956), p. 3. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article23155540

These koalas came from the Mona Vale Sanctuary and recognised Hallstrom when he visited them at the San Diego Zoo late in January 1952. Sir Hallstrom ran into controversy during this episode which he resolved with customary logic:

We Might Lose Our 4 Koalas; Canberra. - Four koala bears flown to America for a film, "Botany Bay," don't know all the fuss they're causing back home. Mr. Clive Evatt, N.S.W. Chief Secretary, who authorised the bears' departure, wants them returned to Australia. But Sir Earle Page, Federal Health Minister, says the Commonwealth will not allow the animals to return by air, because disease might be introduced. He doesn't mind if they come by sea, spending a quarantine period on the way. Mr. E. J. Hallstrom, from whose private sanctuary the bears were taken, says they could not survive a sea trip, and wants them to stay in America. Unless they return to Australia in the form of a skin rug, the bears look like forming the first permanent koala colony outside Australia. We Might Lose Our 4 Koalas. (1952, February 12). Barrier Miner (Broken Hill, NSW : 1888 - 1954), p. 3. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article49235794

However, they will remain in the zoo on indefinite loan from the Taronga Park Zoological Gardens in Sydney. This loan from the 'land of living fossils' is expected to last as long as the small marsupials do well in San Diego. 'It is purely an experiment,' Mr. Hallstrom said. There are not likely to be any other koalas exported because of the strict embargo imposed by the Government when they almost became extinct a quarter of a century ago. The need for Mr. Hallstrom's brief visit arose, he explained, after Mrs. Benchley directed so many fineries to him about the koalas' care that answers would have become encyclopaedic if he tried to write them down. He said he examined the bears this morning and they appear to be adjusting quite well to California's varieties of eucalyptus, the koala's only diet. He added he was satisfied with Mrs. Benchley’s plans for a spacious koala enclosure. | Four Koalas Loaned to America. (1952, March 14).Centralian Advocate (Alice Springs, NT : 1947 - 1954), p. 15. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article59835828

SOMETHING TO BEAT THE CHEST ABOUT: "I can 'sell' the Zoo like nobody else," says 71-year-old Mrs. Belle Benchley, director of the San Diego Zoo, who describes herself as "rather a plain person-always the most inconspicuous person aboard a plane, and no relation of Robert's." An old friend, Sir Edward Hallstrom, was there to meet Mrs. Benchley and they drove straight from Rose Bay to Taronga Park. "We have many more monkeys and apes than you have, but only two rhinos-you have five or six-and your trees full of koalas. I'd like to pick me up another koala. "Our zoo," she added, "is the only zoo in the world, outside Australia, with koalas. Now isn't that something to beat your chest about'? SOMETHING TO BEAT THE CHEST ABOUT. (1954, April 6).The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), p. 8. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article18418704


Although the koalas appeared at first to be adapting well to their new environment and diet they did not live as long as they may have at home. In 1959 this gentleman was able to send more koalas from his Mona Vale Koala sanctuary to zoos in the US:


AMERICAN ZOOS GET SIX KOALAS-PLUS; 

Californians considered themselves lucky when, despite many Australian protests, they recently got six koalas from Sydney. Now, in San Francisco, Sir Edward Hallstrom has announced that two of the bears will soon have babies. LEAVING for the U.S., Blinky Bill, one of the six koalas, had a last look at Sydney from the arms of air hostess Audrey Bailey.
SIR EDWARD, chairman of Sydney's Taronga Park Zoo Trust, travelled with the six koalas on their flight to America earlier this month. They are the only koalas in captivity outside Australia. Soon after their arrival in San Francisco he said that two of the females had been mated. The city's Fleishacker Zoo could expect more "teddy bears" soon. The bears-two males and four females-come from Sir Edward Hallstrom's animal sanctuary at Mona Vale, N.S.W. Three will be kept in the San Francisco zoo and three will go to San Diego, where the last koala in America died a few months ago.
Enormous crowds of men, women, and children queued for the first sight of the furry little animals in San Francisco. Sir Edward Hallstrom was pleased to note the koalas' appetites, and predicted a long and happy life in California for them. A local newspaper is running a contest for children, offering prizes for the best names for the koalas. Sir Edward, who has received the key to the city for his gift, made a careful inspection of the elephant house and pronounced it "very fine temporary accommodation." He suggested, however, that 15ft. be trimmed from the eucalyptus tree to forestall the bears jumping on to a nearby roof. San Francisco Zoo director Mr. Clarey Baldwin said the permanent site for the koalas would be modelled closely upon the facilities at Taronga Park. 
AMERICAN ZOOS GET SIX KOALAS — PLUS. (1959, April 29). The Australian Women's Weekly (1933 - 1982), p. 5. Retrieved from 
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article51774539

During the 1960’s the food from the farm at Mona Vale was analysed and found to be lacking in Vitamin E and the Lucerne far too rich for the animals it had been grown for. By the 1970’s the Western Plains Zoo began producing hay for the Taronga zoo and the farm was subdivided and sold from 1956 on until the last parcel had been bought in 1984. 

The Koala Sanctuary was known as the Bellbird Estate by 1977 and although used for 'orientation' runs by local schoolchildren, who recall lots of koalas in the trees there, the sanctuary was gone. As seen above, from 1975 on the plans for a retirement village on the site, along with gardens being built up the hill, now called 'Minkara', were progressed. This would have required the removal of many of the food trees for the koalas. 

The lands at Mona Vale on and around Bassett and Darley Street were also brought under the Real Property Act and sold off, although clearly not all of these, are listed as:

No. 38028 Edward John Lees Hallstrom 3 a. 1 r. 251 P- lot 56 sec. 1 Mona Vale Est. Bassett St. Mona Vale.

No. 38029 Edward John Lees Hallstrom 2 a. 1 r. 39 1/2 p. pt. lot 57 sec. 1 Mona Vale Est. Darley St. Mona Vale.  REAL PROPERTY ACT NOTICE. (1953, August 14). Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales (Sydney, NSW : 1901 - 2001), p. 2601. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article220067730

No:  38027 Edward John Lees Hallstrom 5 a. 2 1/2 p, Lot 54 sec. 1 , Mona Vale Est. Darley St. Mona ValeREAL PROPERTY ACT NOTICE, (1954, January 29). Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales (Sydney, NSW : 1901 - 2001), p. 288. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article220289165

No. 39128 Edward John Lees Hallstrom 3 r. 39 1.2 p. pt. lots 51 and 52 sec. 1 Mona Vale Est. Mona St. Mona Vale.

No. 39129 Edward John Lees Hallstrom 3 a 2 1/2 p. lot B in M.P.S. (O.S.) 5270 Bassett St. Mona Vale. REAL PROPERTY ACT NOTICE. (1956, June 15). Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales (Sydney, NSW : 1901 - 2001), p. 1646. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article220304536

No. 38030 Edward John Lees Hallstrom 2 a. 3 r. 39 p. lot 59 of Sec. 1 of the Mona Vale Estate Bassett St. Mona Vale. REAL PROPERTY ACT NOTICE (1960, September 9). Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales (Sydney, NSW : 1901 - 2001), p. 2862. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article220316080

Worth noting is that Mr. Hallstrom continued to try to save koalas, even close to the time he passed away:

Opportunity For Koala Sanctuary

Sir. — Philanthropist Sir Edward Hallstrom, director of the Sydney Zoo, has offered to donate a sum of £10,000 for the establishment of a sanctuary for koalas, that friendly, most lovable of Australia's fauna. Sir Edward's only conditions are that the reservation should be under Government control and that the site chosen should be one suited for the marsupials' dietary needs and secure from molestation in breeding time.

The koala, or native bear, as it was known by our pioneers, was plentiful in the district a century ago. It kept mainly to the widespreading gums along the river flats. It was useless for food, because of its flesh being so highly impregnated with eucalyptus. Even the abos, except under the stress of drought, passed it by for the more succulent, grass-eating 'roo and wallaby.

Our pioneers did tan a few skins for mats, but they were of no commercial value and country stores-would not buy even at the current rate for possum skins, 2/- a dozen.

The native bear did not suffer severely until the district became more settled and the sportive youths gave up the more tiresome snaring of possums for the quicker muzzle-loader with homemade shot for possums and slugs and lightweight bullets for bigger furred marsupials. Then it was that the poor old koala, always exposed on tree branches, with no protection, soon began to fade away.

A koala sanctuary in the vicinity of Canberra would be a joy to youngsters, in addition to an attraction for the ever increasing number of tourists.

The Development Commission has plans for the expenditure of some millions over the next five years. Maybe the pruning shears could be employed in snipping off a few thousands for a koala sanctuary. Bricks and mortar are very necessary in the capital for homes and business, but they do not make up everything in human character.

The inculcation of a love of nature in our impression-able youth can be a wonderful character-builder, bearing fruit even into old age.

The quaint, lovable koala would be hard to supplant in juvenile affection.

W. P. BLUETT 

Brindabella. Opportunity For Koala Sanctuary (1959, May 13). The Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995), p. 2. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article128815517


GEORGE, the four-year-old koala, was the guest of honor at a naval reception given by Rear-Admiral Buchanan. Sir Edward Hallstrom sent the bear after hearing Lady Mountbatten had never seen one. SEA LORD'S VISIT. (1956, April 18). The Australian Women's Weekly (1933 - 1982), p. 24. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article51776056

INJURED KOALA AS PATIENT); Koala being fed on milk by Mr J. Hallstrom, of Willoughby (NSW), who is nursing it back to health despite two broken hind legs and a broken forefoot. The bear is tied to a rubber cushion, has its injured limbs in plaster, and supports itself by the upright post. INJURED KOALA AS PATIENT. (1943, December 1). The Mercury (Hobart, Tas. : 1860 - 1954), p. 6. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article25981748

ALBINOS BEARS AND KANGAROO KOALA + KANGAROO ALBINOS

Australian newsreel item, title reads: "Rare Albinos". 1940 or 1949? Watch full video (Pathe does not allow publication) at: www.britishpathe.com/video/albinos-bears-and-kangaroo-aka-koala-kangaroo/query/koalas
Two albino koala bears in E J Hallstrom's Mona Vale sanctuary, feeding in a tree. (2 shots). CU Koala eating a leaf. (2 shots). MS White koala bear walking along ground. MS and CU Six-month old albino Kangaroo named "Girlie", being by E J Hallstrom.

Bayview-Mona Vale Koala Sanctuary

Date found in the old record - 16/02/1962.

Published by British Pathé - ''Sir Edward Hallstrom with two companions strolling through his sanctuary where he tries to preserve breeds of animals that like the Koala are near extinction [in Pittwater]. ''

More in Sir Edward John Lees Hallstrom 

Koala Bears Threatened By Extinction 1962 - Video
A valley in the Australian bush land, E J Hallstrom's Mona Vale sanctuary. Date found in the old record - 16/02/1962. Koala bear. Various shots of the koala bears walking climbing trees and playing in them MS. Two kangaroos standing by trees. Sir Edward Hallstrom with two companions strolling through his sanctuary where he tries to preserve breeds of animals that like the Koala are near extinction. Koala mother with baby on back climbs tree. Sir Edward Hallstrom looking up into tree. Various shots of koala bears. Watch full video (Pathe does not allow publication) at: www.britishpathe.com/video/koala-bears-threatened-by-extinction/query/koala+bears


Two white koala bears [i.e. koalas] which Sir Edward Hallstrom has bred. [picture]. Sir Edward, of the Taronga Zoo Trust had taken almost six years to develop the pure white strain of koala.  [ca. 1935] Argus Newspaper Collection of Photographs, courtesy State Library of Victoria. Date on reverse of photograph.


White koala bear bred by Sir Edward Hallstrom, Chairman of zoo [picture] [1953] 1953, courtesy State Library of Victoria

Sir Edward Hallstrom, with a Koala at Taronga Park Zoo 1964. Sir Edward grows the special variety of eucalypt leaves needed for koalas diet PRINCIPAL CREDIT: photographer J Fitzpatrick. From and Courtesy of Australian National Archives Image no.: A1200, L47870.

Photo: Koala in Mona Vale in 1958 from Australian Women's Weekly Article.

In 'Decline of the urban Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) population in Warringah Shire, Sydney' by Pete and Judy Smith [September 1990. Australian Zoologist 26(3):109-129. DOI:10.7882/AZ.1990.004] the authors stated in their Abstract:

The Koala population in Warringah Shire has declined over the last 50 years with increasing urbanization. Koalas were reported from various localities throughout the Shire in the 1940's, 1950's and 1960's. They now occur only at the Barrenjoey Peninsula, Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park and, possibly, Davidson Park State Recreation Area. The colonies at Barrenjoey Peninsula and Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park have both declined in numbers and distribution since the 1970's. On Barrenjoey Peninsula, the main subject of this study, clearing for residential development has steadily reduced the area of forested land from about 705 ha (47% of the Peninsula north of Bungan Beach) in 1946 to about 125 ha (8%) in 1989. The Koala colony on the Peninsula has declined from an estimated 123+ Koalas in 1970 to only about eight Koalas in 1989. The remaining Koalas appear to use several Council bushland reserves as refuges: Angophora Reserve/Hudson Park, Stapleton Park, Careel Headland Reserve, Crown of Newport Reserve and, until 1988, Algona Reserve. The principal food tree on Barrenjoey Peninsula is Grey Gum, Eucalyptus punctata.  Other  important  food trees are Scribbly Gum, E. haemastoma, and Swamp Mahogany, E. robusta. These food trees occur in low densities in the reserves compared with their former  densities elsewhere on the Peninsula. The Reserves have also suffered extensive eucalypt dieback associated with urban runoff and their  eucalypt  communities are threatened by expansion of rainforest vegetation and Black She-oak, Allocasuarina littoralis, scrub. The  chief threats to continued survival of the Peninsula's Koala colony are further loss of habitat, within as well as outside reserves, and further mortality from dogs, motor vehicles and the disease chlamydiosis. The limited  information available suggests that dogs have been the chief cause of mortality on the Peninsula in contrast to other urban colonies studied, where it has been motor vehicles and chlamydiosis. The incidence of chlamydiosis has been low but may pose a particular threat  to the few remaining Koalas. The history  of Koalas on Barrenjoey Peninsula illustrates how a carefully planned and managed reserve system is crucial  for Koala conservation In urban areas. This must be established in the early stages of regional development.  The deficiencies  of the reserve system on Barrenjoey Peninsula pose enormous difficulties for rehabilitation of the Koala colony now.

A magnificent Grey Gum (E. punctata) example on the hill heading down Riviera Avenue with a Spotted Gum (Eucalyptus maculata) growing alongside it. See: Stapleton Reserve In Spring 2020: An Urban Ark Of Plants Found Nowhere Else

In the early 1980's Avalon lady, Kim Bolitho started a petition to preserve their habitat and provide some form of protection for these Pittwater originals, although Kim gained a lot of traction with many locals, it was too late - the last ones were dying from chlamydiosis, brought on by stress. Officials took the last very ill ones from Crane Lodge place at Careel Bay soon afterwards to try and treat them at Taronga, and by 1990, the date the above study was published, they were what is termed 'locally extinct'.

In February 2012 then Federal Environment Minister Tony Burke was to announce a decision on whether to list the koala as a nationally threatened species and whether the Government will back calls to ensure this species survives.   

The word koala comes from the Dharuk gula. Although the vowel ‘u’ was originally written in the English orthography as "oo" (in spellings such as coola or koolah), it was changed to "oa" possibly due to an error. The word is said to mean "doesn't drink".

The scientific name of the koala's genus, Phascolarctos, is derived from Greek phaskolos "pouch" and arktos "bear". Its species name, cinereus, is Latin and means "ash-coloured". Although the koala is a marsupial, not a bear, English-speaking settlers from the late 18th century first called it koala bear due to its similarity in appearance to bears. Although taxonomically incorrect, the name koala bear is still in use today outside Australia.

Below run some of the records that have been made by John Illingsworth, or collected over the years, so that those who were not born when we were losing Pittwater's koalas, among other local extinctions, can see in the timeline what is lost when you do not stop - and then stop taking the wrong route to seek another way.

Ignorance, arrogance, selfishness and greed have coalesced from this disrespect of this land and place into a renewed mission to 'put it all back now' and set aside places that are just for those that live there - the furred, finned, feathered, scaled, trees and smaller plants - that great green-blue wing we all live, and thrive, under.

We hope a perusal of what went wrong may help us all get it right.

1920's:


Charles Hastie and Wilson Family: Home named 'Koala'

Year round Careel Bay it was the settlers, their children, now grown, and their marrying each other, that shaped who lived at Careel Bay and what they did:

Found Drowned.  A fisherman named Albert Turner, living at Stockpoint Careel Bay, was found drowned in Broken Bay near Hazeldon on May 8. He had been out in his sailing boat, which was found on the rocks with the sails set, and had visited his brother-in-law, Thomas Wilson, at Bayview during the day. Deceased leaves a wife and seven children. Found Drowned. (1892, May 14). Australian Town and Country Journal (NSW : 1870 - 1907), p. 46. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article71237819

Charlie Hastie, a well-known fisherman of Pittwater, says that black bream, flathead, and flounder are now fairly plentiful about Careel Bay and the mouth of Pittwater, and advises anglers to give the place a trial. FISHING NOTES. (1906, February 3). Evening News (Sydney, NSW : 1869 - 1931), p. 5. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article114224127

Charles Hastie married Isabella Harris in 1890, they had two sons and two daughters, one of whom was Jessie Hastie (born 1896). In 1914 Jessie Isobell married Frederick James Wilson (born 1889, fisherman). Frederick was the son of Thomas and Frances (nee Oliver) Wilson. His grandfather was the Thomas Wilson who first came to Pitt Water in 1841 as the lessee of “Mona Vale” farm. The above mentioned Albert Turner was married to his aunt, Nancy (b.1852, married Albert H. Turner 1872). More in: Pittwater Fishermen: Great Mackerel, Little Mackerel (Wilson's Beach - Currawong) and The Basin

NOTICE UNDER REAL PROPERTY ACT.

APPLICATIONS have been made to bring the lands respectively described under the provisions of the Real Property Act. Caveats may be lodged on or before the 5th November, 1926:-

No. 27,526. James Frederick Elliott, 28 a. 3 r. 35¼ p., lots 2 to 5 and 10 to 13, sec. B, lots 4 and 5 and pt. lots 2 and 6, sec. C, Stokes Point Subdn., Bay View and River View rds., Careel Bay, Pittwater.

No. 27,587. Charles John Hastie, 2 a., includ. Koala, Bay View rd., Careel Bay, Pittwater. NOTICE UNDER REAL PROPERTY ACT. (1926, October 1). Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales (Sydney, NSW : 1901 - 2001), p. 4108. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article222993362

Primary Application - Charles John Hastie 2 acres on Bay View Road & Careel Bay, Pittwater in Parish Narrabeen County Cumberland Shire Warringah Volume 3946 Folio 207 Date range: 01/05/1926 to 11/12/1926 (was named 'Koala' from HRLV map as there were lots of koalas in Pittwater, particularly in the Avalon to Careel Bay to Palm beach area then):


 

Charles Hastie passed away in 1940 and the property passed to his daughter, Jessie Isabel Wilson's keeping.

HASTIE.—September 13, 1940, at his residence, Careel Bay, Newport, Charles John Lawson Hastie, dearly beloved husband of Isabella Jane Hastie and loving father of Jessie (Mrs. Wilson), Isobel (Mrs. Colwell), and Bessie (Mrs. Baker), aged 75 years. Family Notices (1940, September 14). The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), p. 14. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article27948065

Ted Allan, whom we spoke to when researching, and who knew both Hasties and Wilsons, sheds some light on activities of then:

Ted Allan:
I grew up with Colin Wilson, and I fished with them. Colin, the Wilsons, lived in the corner here. I’d walk across the bay here when young and Colin and I would muck about with nets. After I finished my apprenticeship as a carpenter I went commercial fishing with them for four years. I fished with Charlie Wilson and old Jackie. The land in the corner that is Careel Bay Close now, that was the Wilson’s place.
There was another bloke by the name of “Hastie’ and old grandmother Hastie lived in the bottom house there which is in that old photograph – it had a mandarin tree. They were yum. Old Jackie Wilson, in between fishing, he had a very good garden on the hill there.
The man who had the Newport Hotel, as I remember it, bought the land from the Wilson family – I think his surname was Seibert. There were four boys and four girls in the Wilson family. Of the f
our Wilson family girls some are still alive – Jean lives down in Canberra, she’s the youngest, Mercia lived in Mona Vale, Joan used to live in Joseph street but is in a nursing home now, her surname is Hillier, and there is also Betty.

Late in 2014 Pittwater Online News was contacted by a relative of the Wilson family, who shared this insight on the Wilson ladies and their sequence of birth:

The youngest is JEAN (my mother) and she resides in Queanbeyan near Canberra; the next oldest is Betty who has lived in Newport Beach for almost 30 years; Joan Hillier does in fact live in a Mona Vale nursing home. The eldest Mercia (known as Bid), who had also moved to the same nursing home, has unfortunately now passed away. - WENDY LOYD.


The nets you see in that old photograph – old Jackie had a net pole along here and they used to dry their nets on these. In the photograph you can see a big tub. In those days they used to boil the ironbark up to dye the nets as these were cotton, or they were when I first started. There was no nylon then. You would pick an ironbark tree that had a lot of sap coming out of it and chop the bark up finely to use as a dye. - Information courtesy PETER VERRILLS, photos courtesy Verrills family.

EB Studios (Sydney, N.S.W.). (1917). Panorama of Careel Bay and the jetty, Pittwater, New South Wales Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-162413016 - and enlarged sections from.
1930's:


THE KOALA DISAPPEARS!
The following article by Mr. Burnet is the most vital which "The Sunday Sun" has published for many months. It is so important that it replaces on this page to-day Tom Glover's cartoon and the Editor's "Out of The Basket" column.

IT tells a story of destruction; something which has meant a lot to Australia. It brings forcibly before the eyes of 300,000 readers and the Government the problem which has to be faced. "The Sunday Sun" is heartily in support of any scheme to retain Koala Park. 

By NOEL BURNET, Of Koala Park 

In 1927 the Queensland Government declared an "open season" for Native Bears resulting in the slaughter of 584,738 innocent Koalas, whose skins were exported mainly to America for making up fine leather goods — ladies' bags, belts and shoes. Now, strangely enough, few American visitors would fail to give everything they possess to take back to the States a real live "Teddy-bear," but, alas, that cannot be. As a national asset, the importance of the Koala is constantly being drummed into us by almost every visitor to our shores. What is a grateful country doing to save the Native Bear with that "plaintive face" which has so completely "sold" Australia to the rest of the world? 

The answer is — NOTHING. Travel interests are not alone in the almost ruthless exploitation of the Native Bear, yet nothing is done this end — except talk — for the benefit of this dying genus. 

'Gumleaf" was the name of that fascinating little Bear with boot-button eyes whose photograph was used by the National Travel Association to produce an oversea poster. He was allowed to die — without a sob by anybody — because money was not available for medical research upon an eye complaint he was suffering, although n number of Sydney doctors voluntarily assisted. So passed the most charming Koala ever seen at Koala Park. 

Dead in Hospital 
ANOTHER famous Bear, "Taringa," who made the world smile, died on the Park hospital floor (with six others) from pneumonia — erstwhile dreaded scourge of Koalas — because the taxation commissioner had dragged the last penny from Park funds, leaving me without cash or credit to buy sufficient oxygen or supplies to fight the disease. The State has since relieved the Park from commercial basis taxation, but the Federal Government, after making some concessions, will continue to tax my work as a business enterprise. Nothing, however, can replace seven beautiful native Australians whose pelts are now deteriorating in poor preservative because I cannot obtain from the Customs Department pure spirit free of excise duty (55s per gallon) as other institutions can.

Following 
Following nine years of personal labor on behalf of the Koala, and assisted by several capable scientists, I say definitely, that failing immediate practical measures for its retention, this strange creature will be a thing of the past within a few years. Little is being done elsewhere. The Government is slow to realise that in this State, 30 years of "office chair" administration of the Birds and Animals Protection Act has seen the Koala reduced to vanishing point. Koala Park, in face of many difficulties, has made some attempt to save the Koala. It has lifted it from obscurity and despair; secured for it public affection the world over, but now Koala Park itself is dying. Known but to a few only, this institution has for years struggled on — -now only to a point of collapse. ' I volunteered to save a dying race. To this end six years ago a suitable sanctuary was secured, fenced, equipped, thousands of eucalyptus trees planted, a staff was trained, and considerable biological research has since been conducted. Measure;: have been evolved to control several Koala diseases by preventive methods, and I demonstrated for the first time that the Koala can be successfully bred in modified captivity — all this at a 'cost of something like £10,000. Healthy stock being difficult to acquire, I had to he satisfied in many cases with degenerate stock and endeavor to build up from that. Having accomplished this much, the work is collapsing because of lack of capital, also lack of material, viz. Bears. It is impossible for me to provide for the future and pay now. Every penny I possess has been spent in the cause. Capital cannot be raised as few tangible assets have been created. Plainly, the Park revenue is insufficient to .maintain it owing to limited . means of obtaining funds. Transport interests alone, who convey people to the Park, jointly, gain three times more revenue than the Park itself; lliey carve off the lion's share, leaving me the crumbs. Mr. T. H. Kelly, the Park benefactor, has done more than his share and is not expected to do more. 

Awful Discrepancy 
FURTHER, there is no heed for, nor can I meet competition in Bears from Taronga Park, where the discrepancy over some years between the birth and death rates is dreadful. Feeding the Koalas within the Park is a problem, and now costs over £600 a year. Daily, suitable food in the bush becomes scarcer. Landowners are being paid to save their gum-trees for reserve food supply. No trees have been planted in the Park for 3 years; now, trees are dying in drought conditions because I cannot afford to, water, them. Preventive vaccines, obtained by years of. careful research at heavy cost, have been lost- as payment for incubator cultures cannot be met. ' " The laboratory is closed. Depreciation presents its ugly head— fences arc in disrepair and the grounds shabby; half my staff is on the dole. Koala Park is sick, but fortunately the health of the Bears is excellent. ; I have begged on several occasions for a little relief labor for small works to improve' the conditions for Bears,' and to permit my oversea visitors access to the animals in distant parts of the Park, but gangs of men chipping up grass and weeds along roads all over the district is apparently far more important. 

Premier Knows 
FIFTEEN months ago, I placed the plight of Koala Park before the Premier, who, at my request, promptly appointed an investigation committee.- Following investigations, I understand, a majority report in very favorable terms was submitted —to which Cabinet, later, gave sympathetic consideration. Measures for relief were approved. Those referred back to the Premier's Department were put into effect immediately; that saved the Park collapsing all the time. Those provisions in the hands of the Chief Secretary's Department have dragged on for nine weary months without materialising. Fortunes have, ere this, been spent upon expeditions to the lands of the extinct to recover a few ugly bones or fragments of an ancient egg; taxpayers in other countries to-day are forking-out" millions for restoration and conservation; here, large sums can be outlayed for embellishments lo local and national parks of doubtful tourist interest, whilst the National Travel Association spends thousands of pounds of public and private money to "push" the Koala oversea — and the quaint Native Bear perishes at our very door. Koala Park, the background of this publicity, is unable to present the national pet under congenial conditions or, carry on its rehabilitation work. Oversea visitors come, having been "sold" the Koala by enterprising shipping lines over and over again. The Bears are mauled; these visitors do not realise that handling is the worst possible thing for a dying primitive race, nor do they understand my difficulties, but they expect me to justify their trip to Australia at the equivalent of n lean tip to a cabin steward. Everywhere, hundreds of thousands of people have keenly watched this Park grow up from a mere hobby, but its inhabitants belong to the nation. It is high time, therefore, that the public know of the sad plight of Australia's own "Teddy-bear,"


" Taringa " — the Koala that made the world smile-and perished for lack of attention.


A lorry load of 3000 Koala skins obtained, by a party of men in the Clermont district ( Queensland ) in thirty days.


Map showing (left) approximate general former distribution of the Koala, and (right) present distribution.
THE KOALA DISAPPEARS! (1936, September 13). The Sun (Sydney, NSW : 1910 - 1954), p. 4. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article230016599



KOALA LIKES MUSIC
Koala Visits Guest House


A koala bear last night paid a visit to Careel House, Whale Beach, near Avalon. In answer to persistent knocking shortly after 7 o'clock, the front door was opened, and guests were surprised to find the koala outside. Without inducement the animal entered the lounge, and immediately made itself at ease on one of the chairs. The picture above shows the bear quite at home on top of the piano, which is being played by a guest. 

Mrs. C. B. Grieve, the proprietress, obtained a bunch of gum leaves, which the bear ate, unperturbed by the pattings and pettings of its admirers. Twice the "intruder" was placed on the terrace so that it might return to the gum trees which surround the house, but twice it demanded re-admittance. After a "visit" of nearly three hours, the bear consented to leave. KOALA LIKES MUSIC (1937, October 25). The Daily Telegraph (Sydney, NSW : 1931 - 1954), p. 2. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article247228753

More in Careel House

Sick Koala Had Left Baby Safe

An emaciated koala, found with a broken leg which the ants were already attacking, in the deserted bush at Palm Beach, is thriving at Koala Park where it was taken.

After the leg was placed in splints, the bear was thoroughly examined and experts stated that its pouch had recently been occupied. There was no sign of the baby. Immediately a search of Palm Beach was organised and the baby was located in a low tree, just outside the reach of dogs. 

Kidnapper 

He also was taken to the Park, but when his mother was too weak to nurture him. was handed over to Boorabee, the Park's recognised foster mother. Despite her 17 years, Boorabee has keen maternal instincts, as is evidenced by the fact that this is her second foundling for the year. When she has no baby, Boorabee sets herself out' to steal one. She was formerly In a circus, where she learned to Imitate a monkey's shriek, and attendants know there is trouble when they hear her imitating a monkey. The mother Is now quickly regaining her strength. The director of the park (Mr. Noel Burnet) said yesterday that in ordinary circumstances koalas could never break their legs. In this case, he believed a dog had bitten it, or that it had been broken when the tree she was in was felled. Sick Koala Had Left Baby Safe (1938, February 27). The Sun (Sydney, NSW : 1910 - 1954), p. 1. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article231114754 

"KOALA AN ASSET."  Plea for Preservation.

Two of five koalas injured in bush fires at Newport on Saturday have died from exhaustion. The three bears which remain are being treated at Koala Park. The secretary of the Koala Club of Australia. Mr. Frank L. Edwards, said yesterday that, during 1937 and 1938, the club had participated in the rescue of nine maimed bears from the Pittwater district.

"At this rate," he added, "the animals will vanish from that district in three or four years. As there are not 200 of them left in New South Wales, this is a tragedy. Koalas, one of our best animal assets, are allowed to stray to their rapid destruction, as in the Pittwater district while the law requires that other stock be paddocked.

"If we lose them." Mr Edwards added, "twould be of little use to talk of stocking up with koalas from elsewhere. The States are  already refusing to transfer koalas and, in any case, the Queensland and Victorian native bear's are different types from ours."

"KOALA AN ASSET.". (1939, January 17). The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), p. 10. Retrieved from  http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article27976025

1930's: DOROTHY HAWKINS RECOLLECTIONS OF KOALAS AT MONA VALE

By John Illingsworth, Pittwater Pathways

1940's:


A Naturalist's Notebook. By M. S. R. Sharland.

The 'possums, in their different forms, are so widely distributed that they may in all truth be said to be the commonest of our wild animals. Brush-tail, ring-tail, and "flying squirrel" occur just as freely in and adjacent to the cities as in deep forests and open bushlands, though being nocturnal they seldom force themselves upon our notice.

Scattered throughout the State are districts which might well be termed strong-holds of wild life, where native animals are still plentiful. These places are not necessarily remote from towns or cities, not quite often close to them, and one I have in mind, and one of the most interesting of its kind, is the area of well wooded hills overlooking Pittwater and the sea, behind Avalon Beach. A friend invited me there for the week-end recently, and It happened to be a time when the moon was past the full, but for all that seemed to yield a more brilliant light, and rarely have I seen the bush so crisp and ornamental as on this night of sparkling luminosity.

What a lot of beauty we miss at night by living in cities. And what a lot of fascinating life moves beyond our ken under cover of darkness, the presence of which we suspect and only rarely see. Creatures whose ways and movements are shielded beneath the shadows of night nave a peculiar attraction, probably because human beings, not having "night eyes”, can never really understand them and something that we can't quite master is always attractive.

The stately spotted gums and wattles in front of the cottage yielded the sight of “flying squirrels" moving actively up and down the branches and parachuting from one tree to another as fancy took them. Ringtails also tenanted the trees. But the larger brush-tailed varieties came boldly over the ground and climbed a stump where their human friends had placed some food. I did not have the good fortune to see a native bear, but the koala is well known here, and, in fact, one came to the cottage the night after I had left. Avalon is one of the few remaining places where the koala can be seen in the wild state. It must be rigorously protected here, and would-be captors or destroyers kept away with flaming sword. The residents and regular week-end visitors are justly proud of the richness of the district's fauna, and thus are the best kind of "rangers."

Mr. A. J. Small, of Martin Place, recently told me two curious stories about possums, each of which had also to do with a cat. I had never heard of a possum doing battle with a cat, though the larger kinds are pugnacious enough. At any rate, Mr. Small told me that his cat at Avalon Beach had a fight with a possum and apparently came off worst, as the side of its face was badly torn by the possum's claws. The wound turned septic and caused a lot of trouble. In this case the cat probably attacked the possum, which retaliated to good effect.

The other story concerned a possum at Mr. Small's home at Wollstonecraft. He went out the back door one day and was surprised to see in broad daylight a possum and a cat sharing a plate of bones on the door mat. Neither animal showed any resentment of the other's presence. Mr. Small blames possums for making a mess of garbage tins, which they visit at night in search of food. From: The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), Saturday 15 March 1941, page 11

A Bushfire Casualty


FIRE CASUALTY.- Paws bandaged, this koala was in safe hands at Taronga Park Zoo, on Saturday, after getting prompt attention for burns received in the bushfire at North Narrabeen. A Bushfire Casualty (1946, November 6). Queensland Times (Ipswich, Qld. : 1909 - 1954), p. 1 (DAILY). Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article118381832 

From Grace Brook, 1921-2017 by Paul McGrath - Grace lived at 54 Binburra Avenue, this is an extract from an interview of her by Paul:

''In 1941 there was a large colony of Koala bears in Avalon. There were only two shops and very few homes. Stan Wickham, a retired Football Champion had his Store-come-Post Office on the corner of Old Barrenjoey Road and Avalon Parade, now a Café. A Frenchman, Monsieur Le Clercq ran the other shop where the Barefoot Boulevard now stands. It was very quaint, with a tingling bell on the door and inside it was laden to the gunwalls with an indiscriminate collection of odds & ends needed by humanity. It was just so fascinating! – Where does one look for what?!! Goodbye Supermarket – Monsieur he knew where it was if he had it. It was all educational and patience was cultivated by Avalonites. If meat was desired – well – there was a bus to Manly. 

The large colony of Koala bears was destroyed by fire in 1941 (along with possums etc.). As a fire travelled from Avalon over the hill to Newport. This was a great loss. The bears used to keep my sister and I awake at night, as we slept out on an open verandah in a house called “Rest & be thankful” – called after a mountain in -----. ''

1950's: 

Avalon Beach Civic Centre was fitted out by Avalon Beach Historical Society's president Geoff Searl OAM's maternal grandfather, William George Pryor. They lived in a home built at 64 Avalon Parade -  he bought two blocks in 1944, Lots 59 and 60. George worked originally as a coach builder, later branching out into carpentry by the time he ‘fitted out’ the retail shops on the ground floor of the heritage-listed 2-storey building on the corner of Avalon Parade and Old Barrenjoey Road for A. J. Small.

This lovely photo of George from Geoff's family albums, and was a very gentle man, indicates why this Avalon Beach koala may look so content and secure in his arms. 

Another aspect of the then Avalon Locals was:

Appointment of Honorary Rangers.
FAUNA Protection Act, 1948.—The undermentioned persons have been appointed as Honorary Hangers for the purposes of the abovenamed Act:—
Mr. Ronald Arthur Searl, 42 Avalon-parade, Avalon Beach; Mr. Charles Herbert Milnes, Chisholm-avenue, Avalon Beach; Mary Brigid Milnes, Chisholm-avenue, Avalon Beach. 12667) C. A. KELLY. (A. 55S53/A. 55-652) APPOINTMENT OF HONORARY RANGERS. (1955, July 15). Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales (Sydney, NSW : 1901 - 2001), p. 1948. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article220385455

WILD FLOWERS AND NATIVE PLANTS PROTECTION ACT, 1927-1945.
Appointment of Honorary Rangers.
THE undermentioned persons have been appointed as Honorary Rangers for the purposes of this Act:—
Ronald Arthur Searl, 42 Avalon-parade, Avalon Beach; Charles Herbert Milnes, Chisholm-avenue, Avalon Beach; Mary Brigid Milnes, Chisholm-avenue, Avalon Beach. (2940) J. B. RENSHAW, Minister for Local Government. WILD FLOWERS AND NATIVE PLANTS PROTECTION ACT, 1927-1945. (1955, August 19). Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales (Sydney, NSW : 1901 - 2001), p. 2387. Retrieved  from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article220386559


Kuring-gai Reserve For Koalas
The Chief Secretary, Mr. Clive Evatt, announced last night that the Government had granted £7,500 to establish a koala reserve in Kuring-gai Chase. Mr. Evatt said the president of the Kuring-gai Chase Trust, Mr. Colin Burnside, other members of the trust, and the Fauna Protection Panel had chosen a suitable site.
It was between Bobbin Head and Mount Colah, and covered about 100 acres. The site had every advantage needed to make an ideal home for koalas and other native animals. HELP OFFERED Mr. E. .J. Hallstrom, well known philanthropist and deputy chairman of the Fauna Protection Panel (established 1948), had offered to help the trust in any way possible. Mr. Evatt commended the trust on its public spirit in establishing the reserve. He said he hoped other trusts and authorities would follow its good example.
 Kuring-gai Reserve For Koalas. (1950, July 22). The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), p. 3. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article27573919

PROTECT KOALA FROM EXTINCTION
Koalas have been proclaimed "rare fauna" under the New South Wales Fauna Protection Act.
Announcing this, the Chief Secretary, Mr. Clive Evatt said:
This course appears to be the only way to protect the koala from extinction. The koala population in New South Wales has fallen to 5000. Yet in 1924, 2,000,000 koala skins were exported from the eastern States."

The declaration of animals or birds as "rare fauna" provides, in addition to the usual penalty of a fine not exceeding £50 for taking or killing a protected bird or animal, a term of imprisonment not exceeding six months.

"Take or kill" as defined in the Act includes hunting, shooting, killing, poisoning, netting, soaring, pursuing, disturbing, or injuring, Mr. Evatt explained.
PROTECT KOALA FROM EXTINCTION (1950, November 8). Morning Bulletin (Rockhampton, Qld. : 1878 - 1954), p. 10. Retrieved fromhttp://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article57082199

Letter to Warringah Shire Council:

Avalon Beach Progress Assoc. 5/7/51, stating the Association views with concern the devastation taking place to trees in the district, that it is proposed to publicise a campaign to "Spare the Trees", and requesting permission to erect a signboard in this regard at the junction of Old Barrenjoey, New Barrenjoey and Plateau Roads. Resolved,- That the desired permission be given. (Crs. McKay, Berry)

While within the community efforts were being made to not only secure green tracts of land and save trees, which were coming down by the score as electricity wires and new homes sprang up, they were also trying to save those who lived in and fed off those trees:

RESIDENTS of Palm Beach Peninsula are concerned about their colony of koalas—they have, or had, about 60. Some of them think they are in danger of losing them and are holding a meeting at Avalon Beach public school on August 14 to discuss means for their  preservation. There is, I understand, some difference of opinion, as to whether the koalas will continue to thrive on the Peninsula now that so many humans have taken to the spot.
Koalas are fastidious animals. There seems to be plenty of the right trees for them at Kuring-gai Chase, for instance, but to be on the safe side the Trust is planting another 3,000 trees for the koalas to feed on in the future. COLUMN 8 (1953, August 11). The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), , p. 1. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article18385437 

Believe koalas being stolen
SYDNEY (by teleprinter) — Palm Beach, Newport, and Avalon residents believe that koalas are being stolen from the bush near their homes. They have formed a vigilance committee to search taxis, cars, and utilities for stolen koalas. Avalon storekeeper W. J. McDonald, who called a meeting of local residents this week, said last night: 'More than 20 bears have been stolen recently. 'There are now fewer than 60 bears in this area.’ Believe koalas being stolen (1953, August 17). The Courier-Mail (Brisbane, Qld. : 1933 - 1954), p. 3. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article51077529

PROTECTION OF KOALAS

Sydney: A stormy public meeting at Avalon Beach School decided that local residents would arrest any-body seen taking koala bears from their peninsula. The chairman of the meeting (Mr. McDonald) said several residents from the Palm Beach. Avalon, Newport and Mona Vale areas (outer Sydney suburbs) gave evidence of people arriving in cars, taxis and utilities to take koalas from the peninsula.

"We've formed a protective committee. News of our campaign will be spread and any resident who sees a stranger taking away our koalas will immediately inform the protective committee." he said. "We'll arrest and hold these people ourselves until police action is taken." PROTECTION OF KOALAS (1953, August 18). Barrier Miner (Broken Hill, NSW : 1888 - 1954), , p. 4. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article49274763

RESIDENTS of Avalon  Beach have formed a branch of the North Shore Flora and Fauna Protection Council and have 60 members.
They say there has been wanton destruction of the bushland and of wild birds and animals in the district.
Although the area is supposed to be a sanctuary for koalas many are taken and kept in captivity, and residents are determined to stop it. COLUMN 8 (1954, November 15). The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), , p. 1. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article18450315 


THE AUSTRALIAN YEAR
One of Australia's greatest attractions to overseas tourists is the koala. These little native hears live in coastal forests from the south eastern corner of South Australia to Cairns in North Queensland. Sure footed climbers, they come down to the ground only to move clumsily from one tree to another for their staple diet, the juicy tips of a dozen species of gum tree. In spring the young koala emerges after five or six months in his mother's pouch; the next few months are spent clinging on to her back. Koala junior is about a year old before he ventures out on his own. Australia's koala population has been ravaged by disease and bushfires and exploited by trappers; in 1924, 2,000,000 koala pelts were exported from the eastern States. Now they are totally protected, and efforts are being made, especially in Victoria, to re-establish the species. 

This young koala was photographed by Dr. Allen Keast at Mona Vale, N.S.W. 

THE AUSTRALIAN YEAR (1958, September 24). The Australian Women's Weekly (1933 - 1982), p. 11. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article46231193


The Extinction of Koalas in Pittwater: John Illingsworth interview

John Stone on Koalas – 1967: 

"Avalon Animal Clinic would look after  koalas that had been hurt. We used to look after the koalas once they had attended to them, had them in a big bird cage up the backyard.”  


John's photo from Thursday June 1st 1967 edition of Pittwater News - the caption reads 'An alert John Stone was able to snap this picture of an "Avalon koala" as it strolled beside his car near Paradise Beach.'

1970 to 1980's:

From the Avalon Preservation Trust ( now Avalon Preservation Association ) APT History:

In 1979 the Avalon Preservation Trust was very critical of some of the work proposed by the Metropolitan Water and Sewerage Board, especially in regard to the path taken by the sewer line through Angophora Reserve, where koalas lived. The Trust Committee did not agree that ‘environmental destruction was the price we would have to pay for sewerage’. 

In 1985 the Pittwater Palms retirement village was mooted and on behalf of the Trust, Connie Adams approached the Heritage Council to ‘put an interim conservation order on the site to preserve existing trees’. Leightons asked for Warringah Council’s approval of change of consent, which was duly given.

The Ombudsman replied that he could ‘under his act, do nothing to help us’. The APT then asked the Councillor Frank Beckman to have council defer consideration of plans until after the Heritage Council had approved it.  

The food trees, and their links with food trees in north Avalon, were cut down anyway. This was the straw which broke the koalas backs. It severed the corridor necessary for their transit from the grey gums (their food trees of choice) in Angophora Reserve to those in Stapleton Park. 



Koala survival remains a poignant issue for many in Pittwater, where long-time residents can remember the marsupials living in their gardens. 

Koala and her joey in Grandview Drive, Newport. Photo: March 1974, taken by Lynette O'Neill, courtesy of Northern Beaches Council Library Local Studies.

However, a 1970 survey discovered the population had declined to 123 animals and only about six were recorded in 1989. The last known sighting was in Avalon in 2006. 

Ecologists say their demise was due to increasing development fragmenting their habitat and forcing them to face dangers on the ground - such as cars and dogs – while they moved between trees.  


The release of an 8 years old female back into Angophora Reserve after she had been bombarded by magpies. Taronga Zoo picked her up and nursed her back to health before the release on November 5th, 1989. Doug Bladen and Marita Macrae are in the background representing the Avalon Preservation Trust (now APA). Photo by Geoff Searl OAM

1990's:

Logging 'cruel' to animals

Forestry practices in Australia are killing off rare and endangered native animals, the RSPCA told a Federal inquiry. The executive officer of RSPCA Australia, Charles Wright, said yesterday that logging in native forests caused great suffering and the death of native wildlife.

Addressing the Resources Assessment Commission Inquiry into Australia's Forest and Timber Resources, Mr Wright said forestry practices had a dramatic effect on wildlife, including rare and endangered species. This included selective logging, clear-felling, plantation establishment, burning and pest control.

"A lot of logging practices are cruel," Mr Wright said. "Too many people are forgetting about the animals in the environment debate."

Mr Wright called for codes of practice to be established in forestry management.

"The timber industry docs provide some economic benefit to the nation but the real benefit of our unique wildlife is priceless and cannot be reduced to dollars and cents," he told the inquiry.

The RSPCA's submission to the commission says the greatest impact of forestry is on mammals dependent on native ecosystems. Species under threat include greater gliders in the native forests of eastern Australia and the landbeater's possum in the mountain ash forests of Victoria's Central Highlands.

Mr Wright said burning to clear forest land often killed native wildlife, and he called for improved practices, such as selective burning, rather than "the bushfire approach." Logging 'cruel' to animals (1990, June 15). The Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995), p. 5. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article120892539 

Stapleton Park, Avalon, sign which was removed in 1999, courtesy of Northern Beaches Council Library Local Studies.

January 2020 Pittwater Online Environment News: Koala Spotted In 'Belrose Area'

The Northern Beaches still has koalas!!! Sighted recently in the Belrose area; (exact location withheld as per NPWS policy).

Please help to keep koalas safe. Their biggest threats are:
  • dog attacks - please keep your pets away from wildlife
  • vehicles - slow down for wildlife particularly on Wakehurst Parkway, Mona Vale Road and Forest Way
  • habitat destruction - over development on the NB is a major threat to our koalas and could eventually wipe them out.
In a sad era for our native wildlife it's an exciting time for us at WIRES to learn that there are in fact koalas still living amongst us. 
Here are some photos courtesy of @lisa.spinks1/WIRES

Reference

  1. Narayan, E. Physiological stress levels in wild koala sub-populations facing anthropogenic induced environmental trauma and disease. Sci Rep 9, 6031 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-42448-8
Pittwater's Koalas Driven to Extinction: Some History - collected and collated to support the efforts of our local MP's to SAVE OUR KOALAS, 2025.

Previous History Pages:  

Marie Byles Lucy Gullett Kookoomgiligai Frank Hurley Archpriest JJ Therry Sir Patrick Gordon Taylor Bowen Bungaree W. Bradley 1788 Journal Midholme Loggan Rock Cabin La Corniche La Corniche II Lion Island Bungan Beach Botham Beach  Scarred Trees   Castles in the Sand Dame Nellie Melba lunches at Bilgola Spring, 1914  First to Fly in Australia at North Narrabeen  Mona Vale Golf Club's Annual Balls  Governor Phillip camps on Resolute Beach  Ruth Bedford  Jean Curlewis  Mollie Horseman  Charlotte Boutin  May Moore  Neville W Cayley  Leon Houreux   Frederick Wymark  Sir Adrian Curlewis  Bilgola Heron Cove  Mullet Creek  Shark Point  Woodley's Cottage  A Tent at The Basin Collin's Retreat-Bay View House-Scott's Hotel  Bilgola Cottage and House  The First Pittwater Regatta  Women Cricketers Picnic  Filmed In Pittwater   Governor Phillip's Barrenjoey Cairn Waradiel Season The Church at Church Point  Governor Phillip's Exploration of Broken Bay, 2 - 9 March 1788   Petroglyths: Aboriginal Rock Art on the Northern Beaches  Avalon Headland Landmarks  Steamers Part I  Pittwater Aquatic Club Part I  Woody Point Yacht Club  Royal Motor Yacht Club Part I Dorothea Mackellar  Elaine Haxton  Neva Carr Glynn  Margaret Mulvey Jean Mary Daly  Walter Oswald Watt Wilfrid Kingsford Smith John William Cherry George Scotty Allan  McCarrs Creek  Narrabeen Creek  Careel Creek Currawong Beach Creek  Bushrangers at Pittwater  Smuggling at Broken Bay  An Illicit Still at McCarr's Creek  The Murder of David Foley  Mona Vale Outrages  Avalon Camping Ground   Bayview Koala Sanctuary  Ingleside Powder Works  Palm Beach Golf Course  Avalon Sailing Club  Mona Vale Surf Life Saving Club  Palm Beach SLSC Part I - The Sheds  Warriewood SLSC  Whale Beach SLSC Flagstaff Hill Mount Loftus Pill Hill Sheep Station Hill  S.S. Florrie  S.S. Phoenix and General Gordon Paddlewheeler   MV Reliance The Elvina  Florida House  Careel House Ocean House and Billabong  Melrose-The Green Frog  The Small Yacht Cruising Club of Pittwater Canoe and I Go With The Mosquito Fleet - 1896  Pittwater Regattas Part I - Dates and Flagships to 1950  Shark Incidents In Pittwater  The Kalori Church Point Wharf  Bayview Wharf  Newport Wharf Palm Beach Jetty - Gow's Wharf  Max Watt  Sir Francis Anderson  Mark Foy  John Roche  Albert Verrills  Broken Bay Customs Station At Barrenjoey  Broken Bay Water Police  Broken Bay Marine Rescue - Volunteer Coastal Patrol  Pittwater Fire-Boats  Prospector Powder Hulk at Towler's Bay  Naval Visits to Pittwater 1788-1952  Pittwater's Torpedo Wharf and Range Naval Sea Cadets in Pittwater S.S. Charlotte Fenwick S.S. Erringhi   P.S. Namoi  S.Y. Ena I, II and III  Barrenjoey Headland - The Lessees  Barrenjoey Lighthouse - The Construction Barrenjoey Broken Bay Shipwrecks Up To 1900  Barrenjoey Light Keepers  Douglas  Adrian Ross  Newport SLSC 1909 - 1938 Part I Overview  North Narrabeen SLSC - The Formative Years  First Naval Exercises by New South Wales Colonial Ships –The Wolverene at Broken Bay   Bilgola SLSC - the First 10 years  North Palm Beach SLSC  A History of Pittwater Parts 1 and 4 Pittwater Regattas - 1907 and 1908  Pittwater Regattas - 1921 - The Year that Opened and Closed with a Regatta on Pittwater Pittwater Regatta Banishes Depression - 1933  The 1937 Pittwater Regatta - A Fashionable Affair  Careel Bay Jetty-Wharf-Boatshed Gow-Gonsalves Boatshed -Snapperman Beach Carl Gow’s WWI Service in AIF Camping at Narrabeen - A Trickle then a Flood Pittwater's Parallel Estuary - The Cowan 'Creek' RMYC Broken Bay Boathouse and Boatshed Barrenjoey Boat House The Bona - Classic Wooden Racing Yacht Mona Vale Hospital Golden Jubilee - A Few Insights on 50 Years as a Community Hospital Far West Children's Health Scheme - the Formation Years  The First Scotland Island Cup, Trophy and Race and the Gentleman who loved Elvina Bay  Royal Motor Yacht Club Broken Bay NSW - Cruiser Division History - A History of the oldest division in the Royal Motor Yacht Club   Royal Motor Yacht Club Broken Bay Early Motor Boats and Yachts, their Builders and Ocean Races to Broken Bay, the Hawkesbury and Pittwater  The Royal Easter Show Began As the Royal Agricultural Society of New South Wales   The Mail Route to Pittwater and Beyond  The Wild Coachmen of Pittwater - A Long and Sometimes Bumpy Ride on Tracks Instead of Roads  The Fearless Men of Palm Beach SLSC's Surf Boats First Crews - A Tale of Viking Ships, Butcher Boats and Robert Gow's Tom Thumb 'Canoe'   Furlough House Narrabeen - Restful Sea Breezes For Children and Their Mothers   From Telegraphs to Telephones - For All Ships at Sea and Those On Land Mona Vale Training Grounds - From Lancers on Horses to Lasses on Transport Courses Fred Verrills; Builder of Bridges and Roads within Australia during WWII, Builder of Palm Beach Afterwards   Communications with Pittwater  Ferries To Pittwater  A History of Pittwater - Part 4: West Head Fortress  Pittwater's Lone Rangers - 120 Years of Ku-Ring-Gai Chase and the Men of Flowers Inspired by Eccleston Du Faur  Early Pittwater Launches and Ferries Runs Avalon Beach SLSC - The First Clubhouse Avalon Beach SLSC The Second and Third Clubhouses From Beneath the Floorboards at Hyde Park Barracks Bungaree Was Flamboyant  Andrew Thompson - 'Long Harry' Albert Thomas Black John Collins of Avalon Narrabeen Prawning Times - A Seasonal Tide of Returnings  Oystering in the Pittwater Estuary - Oyster Kings and Pearl Kings and When Not to Harvest Oysters  Yabbying In Warriewood Creeks  Eeling in Warriewood's Creeks (Includes A Short History of community involvement in environmental issues/ campaigns in and around Narrabeen Lagoon - 1974 to present by David James OAM)   Eunice Minnie Stelzer - Pittwater Matriarchs  Maria Louisa Therry - Pittwater Matriarchs Manly's Stone Kangaroo, Camera Obscura,  First Maze and 'Chute' - Fun Days in Sea Hazes from 1857 On  A Salty Tale of the Kathleen Gillett – A Small Reminder and Celebration of Our 70th Sydney to Hobart  Katherine Mary Roche - Pittwater Matriarch  Sarah A. Biddy Lewis and Martha Catherine Benns Pittwater Matriarchs A Glimpse of the Hawkesbury.(1883) By Francis Myers. Illustrated by J C Hoyte   Pittwater's New Cycle Track of 1901 Manly to Newport  The Rock Lily Hotel  Barrenjoey House The Pasadena Jonah's St Michael's Arch  The First Royal Visitor to Australia: the Incident at Clontarf March 12th, 1868  Pittwater: Lovely Arm of the Hawkesbury By NOEL GRIFFITHS - includes RMYC Wharf and Clareville Wharf of 1938 + An Insight into Public Relations in Australia George Mulhall First Champion of Australia in Rowing - First Light-Keeper  at Barranjuey Headland  Captain Francis Hixson - Superintendent of Pilots, Lights, and Harbours and Father of the Naval Brigade  The First Boat Builders of Pittwater I: the Short Life and Long Voyages of Scotland Island Schooner the Geordy  The Marquise of Scotland Island  Boat Builders of Pittwater II: from cargo schooners and coasters to sailing skiffs and motorised launches  130th Anniversary of Australia’s Sudan Contingent - Local Connections of the first Australians to Serve  The Riddles of The Spit and Bayview/Church Point: sailors, boat makers, road pavers and winning rowers The Currawong: Classic Yacht VP Day Commemorative Service 2015 –  at Avalon Beach RSL Cenotaph: 70th Anniversary   Captain T. Watson and his Captain Cook Statues: A Tribute to Kindness  Pittwater Reserves: The Green Ways; Hordern or Wiltshire Parks to McKay Reserve – From Beach to Estuary  Pittwater Reserves, The Green Ways: Clareville Wharf and Taylor's Point Jetty Pittwater Reserves: The Green Ways Bilgola Beach - The Cabbage Tree Gardens and Camping Grounds - Includes Bilgola - The Story Of A Politician, A Pilot and An Epicure by Tony Dawson and Anne Spencer  Pittwater Reserves - The Green Ways: Mona Vale's Village Greens a Map of the Historic Crown Lands Ethos Realised in The Village, Kitchener and Beeby Parks Pittwater Regatta Air Race Trophies: from 1934 and 1935 and The Pilot Who Saved William Hughes  Pittwater Reserves: The Green Ways; Bungan Beach and Bungan Head Reserves:  A Headland Garden  Early Pittwater Paddlers,  Oarsmen, Rowers and Scullers: The Green Family  Elanora - Some Early Notes and Pictures  The Stewart Towers On Barrenjoey Headland  Early Pittwater Paddlers, Oarsmen, Rowers and Scullers: The Williams Family  Early Cricket in Pittwater: A small Insight Into the Noble Game from 1880's On  The Pacific Club's 2016 Carnival in Rio Fundraiser for Palm Beach SLSC Marks the 79th Year of Support  Bert Payne Park, Newport: Named for A Man with Community Spirit  Early Pittwater Paddlers, Oarsmen, Rowers and Scullers: The Fox Family  Surf Carnivals in February 1909, 1919, 1925, a Fancy Dress Rise of Venus and Saving Lives with Surfboards  Early Pittwater Paddlers, Oarsmen, Rowers and Scullers: The Paddon Family of Clareville  Mermaid Basin, Mona Vale Beach: Inspired 1906 Poem by Viva Brock  Early Pittwater Schools: The Barrenjoey School 1872 to 1894  The Royal Easter Show and 125th Celebration of the Hawkesbury Agricultural College: Farmers Feed Us!  The Newport School 1888 to 2016  Pittwater's Ocean Beach Rock Pools: Southern Corners of Bliss - A History  The Royal Botanical Garden Sydney Celebrates 200 Years in 2016 The Porter Family of Newport: Five Brother Soldiers Serve in WWI  Church Point and Bayview: A Pittwater Public School Set on the Estuary  The Basin, Pittwater: A Reprise: Historical Records and Pictures  Lighthouse Cottages You Can Rent in NSW - Designed or Inspired by Colonial Architect James Barnet: Includes Historic 'Lit' Days records   Bayview Days Ships Biscuits - the At Sea Necessity that Floated William Arnott’s Success  Mona Vale Public School 1906 to 2012    St Johns Camden: 176th And 167th Anniversaries In June 2016 - Places To Visit  Narrabeen Lagoon And Collaroy Beachfront: Storms And Flood Tides Of The Past  Avalon Beach Public School - A History   Muriel Knox Doherty Sir Herbert Henry Schlink  Shopping And Shops In Manly: Sales Times From 1856 To 1950 For A Fishing Village  Sir Edward John Lees Hallstrom   Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club's 150th Sailing Season Opening: A Few Notes Of Old  A Few Glimpses Into Narrabeen's Past Beauties   Dr. Isobel Ida Bennett AO   Taronga Zoo 100th Birthday Parade: 1000 Reasons To Celebrate  War Memorials: Manly, October 14, 1916  Avalon Beach Golf Links: Pittwater Fields of Dreams II  War Memorials - Mona Vale, November 14, 1926  Annie Wyatt Reserve Palm Beach: Pittwater Fields of Dreams II Tumbledown Dick Hill  Waratah Farm and Narrabeen Plums: Pittwater Fields of Dreams II  Mark Twain, J.F. Archibald And Henry Lawson - Did They Go Fishing At Narrabeen In The Spring Of 1895?: Probably!  Bayview Baths Centenary Celebration in November 2016 hosted by Bayview-Church Point Residents Association  Dr. Jenny Rosen's Historical Timeline  Palm Beach RSL - Club Palm Beach Celebrating 60 Years  Early Years At Narrabeen: The Plane Sailing Day Of 1944 The  Five Ways- Six ways Junction; Kamikaze Corner - Avalon Bilgola  RPAYC Season on Pittwater and coming of Jubilees in Summer of 1938 Local Explorers’ Modern Day Discovery - Governor Phillip’s First Landing site, Campsite and contact with Local Aborigines in Pittwater: The Case for West Head Beach  Rendezvous Tea Rooms Palm Beach: links with 1817 and 1917: Palm Beach Stores  and Fishermen St Cloud's Jersey Stud: Elanora Heights: Pittwater Fields of Dreams  Roderic Quinn's Poems And Prose For Manly, Beacon Hill, Dee Why And Narrabeen  A Historic Catalogue And Record Of Pittwater Art I – Of Places, Peoples And The Development Of Australian Art And Artists: The Estuary  Celebrating World Radio Day: The Bilgola Connection With The Beginnings Of Radio In Australia  Emile Theodore Argles - champion of all Australians without a Voice - a very funny Satirist, Manly Poet and Pittwater Prose Writer and Litterateur  Sydney Harbour Bridge Celebrates 85th Birthday: A Few Pittwater Connections  Victor James Daley: A Manly Bard And Poet who also came to Pittwater and the Hawkesbury  Let's Go Fly A Kite !: Palm Beach Whistling Kites Inspire sharing How to Make Standard, Box and Whistling Boy Kites - school holidays fun with a bit of Australian and Narrabeen history  Clifton Gardens Mosman: An Eternal Green and Saltwater Space, and Of Many Captains  Historic Catalogue And Record Of Pittwater Art I: Coastal Landscapes and Seascapes  The Bayview Tea Gardens 1920 to 1923 When Run By Thomas Edward And Annie Newey (Nee Costello) An Australian and RPAYC Commodore Aboard an America's Cup Challenger of 1908 and 1914   Henry Lawson - A Manly Bard and Poet: on his 150th Birthday  Historic Catalogue and Record of Pittwater Art I: Artists and Artists Colonies  Opportunity To Visit Submarine War Grave Renews Memories Of 75 Years Ago  Early Bayview - insights courtesy Don Taylor and Margaret Tink Retracing Governor Phillip's Footsteps Around Pittwater: The Mystery Of The Cove On The East Side   Early Pittwater Surfers – Palm Beach I: John (Jack) Ralston and Nora McAuliffe  Patrick Edward Quinn: A Manly Prose writer who gave us A Run To Pittwater (1889) and Songs for the Federation of Australia  Avalon Beach North Headland Indian Face 'Falls': An Everchanging Coastline  Nautical Treasure In Suburbia  Pittwater: Where the Wild Flowers Are 1917 to 2017  Narani, Captain Cook Celebrations At MVPS And Elvina Bay Memories - 1970s  Early Pittwater Surfers – Palm Beach I: Alrema Becke Queen of Palm Beach  The Beachcombers Surfboard Riding Club: Palm Beach, NSW - 1959 to 1961 Year Dated Beer Bottles Found at Taylors Point  Early Pittwater Surfers: Avalon Beach I  - 1956: The Carnival That Introduced The Malibu Surfboard and Being Able To SurfAcross A Wave Face - Reg Wood Anecdotes    Mona Vale SLSC To Be Completely Renewed + A Few Insights from the Pages of the Past  The Firecracker That Closed Narrabeen Hotel By Ken Lloyd (Savalloyd) + Narrabeen Hotel Licence Transfer Trail  Traces Of WWII Coast Watchers Found On Bangalley Headland - 1942  Early Warriewood  SLSC insights per Norman Godden + Extras  The Macphersons of Wharriewood and Narrabeen: the photo albums of William Joseph Macpherson  Angophora Reserve Avalon 1938 Dedication  Avalon Preservation Association History by Geoff Searl Pittwater Summer Houses: 1916 Palm Beach Cottage and Palm Beach House  Pittwater YHA: Some History  WWI Historian Presents New Film On The Beersheba Charge At Avalon Beach Historical Society Meeting  Newport's Bushlink 'From The Crown To The Sea' Paths: Celebrating Over 20 Years Of Community Volunteer Bushcare Results  Pittwater Fishermen: The Sly Family Narrabeen Exploits and Manly Community Contributors: The First Surfboat at Manly Beach  Women In The Surf Life Saving Movement As Life Savers: From At Least 1910 Locally - Awarded Medals For Saving Lives From 1880 In NSW  Windsor Bridge: Planned Destruction Of Historic Link With A Pittwater Connection The Rise Of The Cruising Season: A Look At Some Early Australian sailers and Local Visitor Beauties     Pittwater Fishermen: Barranjoey Days Polo By The Sea 2018: Over A Hundred Years Of Loving This Game In Pittwater  Australia Day Regatta Began As Anniversary Day Regatta  Black Bakelite Telephone: Early Pittwater Phone Numbers  Hy-Brasil, Avalon Beach - Pittwater Summer Houses  Ferry Names for Emerald Class: The Gibbs-Turner Original Magic Button  Pittwater Summer Houses: A Tent At Palm Beach's Governor Phillip Park 'Neath Barrenjoey  Pittwater Summer Houses: The Cabin, Palm Beach - The Pink House Of The Craig Family  Manly's Early Sand Sculptors: How Pennies Can Become Pounds and Found A New Art   Retracing Governor Phillip's Footsteps Around Pittwater: The Mystery Of The Cove On The East Side by Geoff Searl and Roger Sayers 230th Anniversary Edit March 2018  Black-Necked Stork, Mycteria Australis, Once Visited Pittwater: Pair Shot in 1855  Butter Churns: Pittwater Dairies The Drainage System In Thompson Square, Windsor  Sydney Royal Easter Show 2018 Show Stopper Beer Brewed By Modus Operandi Mona Vale Extends Locals Input Into RAS Annual Celebration Of Local Products Sydney's Royal Easter Show Showbag Began As An Australian Sample Bag   Pittwater Fishermen: Great Mackerel, Little Mackerel (Wilson's Beach - Currawong) and The Basin  Motor Car Tours To And In Pittwater Show Us The Way This Place Once Was  Some Bayview Memories: The Lloyd Family Tarramatta Park, Mona Vale 1904  The Collaroy Paddle Steamer: New Ephemera Added To Public Accessible Records - Her Connections To Pittwater  The Roads And Tracks Of Yesterday: How The Avalon Beach Subdivisions Changed The Green Valley Tracks  Australian Sailing's Barranjoey Pin Program; some insights into this Pittwater Yacht and owner, Sir W Northam who won Australia’s first Olympic sailing gold medal at the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games  Avalon Beach Historical Society’s 9th Great Historic Photographic Exhibition: Thousands Of Stories Made Accessible  The Hawkesbury River Railway Bridge: Timely Winter Anniversaries and Commemorations For A Septuagenarian and her Predecessor  Photographers Of Pittwater Capture Historic Insights: A. J. (Arthur James) Vogan, 1859-1948  Roads To Pittwater: The Wakehurst Parkway Along Old Oxford Falls Track  Roads To Pittwater: The Pittwater Road  My Holiday by Charles de Boos – 1861  Shark-proof pools at Manly on the Harbourside  Dad's Fishing Shack At Long Reef  Historic Photographers Of Pittwater: Harold 'Caz' Cazneaux 1878 - 1953 Roads To Pittwater: The Mona Vale Road  My Singing Story Barrenjoey High School's 50th Year: History Notes + The Original Barrenjoey School  A Bunch Of Wildflowers: Historical Spring September Songs  Camden-Campbelltown Hospitals & Carrington Convalescent Hospital: A Mona Vale-Frenchs' Forest Hospitals Comparison With Pittwater History Links The Newport School: 1888 to 2018  A Visit to Bungan Castle by ABHS   Roads In Pittwater: The Barrenjoey Road Remembrance Day 2018 - Pittwater Veterans WWI 100 Years From Armistice Day 1918   Filmed in Pittwater: A Sentimental Reprise + Narrabeen  Roads In Pittwater: The Bay View Road  The NSW Women's Legal Status Bill 1918: How The 'Petticoat Interference In Government' Came Of Age - A 100 Years Celebration Of Women Alike Our Own Maybanke Selfe-Wolstenholme-Anderson Scott Brewster Dillon: A Tribute - He Did It His Way  Pittwater Summer Houses: Rocky Point and Elvina Bay -  A Place Of  Holiday Songs and Operas In Ventnor, Fairhaven, Trincomalee and Maritana    Remains Of Captain Matthew Flinders Discovered: Links with Bungaree of Broken Bay   Isabella Jessie Wye MBE OAM (Isa)  Off To School In 2019 Quicker Than 104 Years Ago  Photographers Of Early Pittwater: Charles Bayliss  Harold Nossiter's Classic Yachts  Pittwater Roads II: Where the Streets Have Your name - Scotland Island  Art Deco Inspirations In Palm Beach: The Palladium Dance-Hall, Cafe And Shop - The Surf Pavilion - The Beacon Store  Pittwater Roads II: Where the Streets Have Your Name - Newport Beach  Professor Christopher John Brennan: A Poet Of Newport Beach  M.V. Reliance Turns 100  Avalon Beach Historical Society March 2019 Meeting: Focus On Trappers Way   Pittwater Roads II: Where the Streets Have Your name - Clareville  Photographers of Early Pittwater: Henry King  Photographers Of Early Pittwater: David 'Rex' Hazlewood  Richard Hayes Harnett - First Commodore Of The Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club and Designer Of The Yacht 'Australian' - Based On The Lines Of A Mackerel  Pittwater Summer Houses: Waiwera and Hopton Lodge, Bayview The Sirius Circumnavigation (1935-1937): Nossiter Trio Make Australian Sailing History  Pittwater Roads II: Where the Streets Have Your name - Avalon Beach  Were Manly's Statues, Smashed For Road Ballast, Sculpted By Achille Simonetti?   Pittwater Roads II: Where the Streets Have Your name - Warriewood  Avalon Beach Historical Society June 2019 Meeting  Flint and Steel Guesthouse    Pittwater Roads II: Where The Streets Have Your Name - 'Green Hills', Elanora Heights, and Ingleside  Ethel Turner's Seven Little Australians Added To UNESCO Memory Of The World Register - The Missing Pages Restored  RPAYC To Host 100th Year Of The Scandinavian Gold Cup and 5.5m Worlds In January 2020 - some Etchells Worlds and Gold Cup on Pittwater History    Pittwater Roads II - Where the Streets Have Your Name: Mona Vale  Pittwater Roads II - Where the Streets Have Your Name - Bungan  Shark Meshing 2018/19 Performance Report + Historical Pittwater Shark Notes  Anthony Thomas Ruskin Rowe, Spitfire Pilot (1919 To 1943) - Who Defended Darwin And His Mate: An Avalon Beach And Pittwater Hero  Newport Surf Club Celebrates 110 Years On October 19, 2019 - A Few Club Firsts  Pittwater Roads II - Where the Streets Have Your Name - Bilgola  Tram Memorabilia - Historic Daylight Run For Sydney Light Rail Begins 80 Years After Last Tram To Narrabeen Closed  Historic Insights From The Australian National Maritime Museums 1890 Pitt Water 'Era' Yacht Collection: The Basin Regattas   Pittwater Roads II - Where the Streets Have Your Name - Coaster's Retreat and The Basin Samuel Wood Postcards of Pittwater and Manly  Bilgola SLSC Celebrates 70 Years: Anecdotes from Early Members  Pittwater Roads II - Where the Streets Have Your Name - Great Mackerel Beach  G . E. Archer Russell (1881-1960) and His Passion For Avifauna From Narrabeen To Newport  A History Of The Campaign For Preservation Of The Warriewood Escarpment by Angus Gordon and David Palmer  Mark Foy of Bayview 2019 Inductee into Australian Sailing Hall of Fame  The Victa Lawnmowers Story With A Careel Bay Link  Plaque Unveiled To Mark Phenomenal Surfing Revolution Commencement: the 1956  Carnival at Avalon Beach That Introduced The Malibu Surfboard  The Other Angels From Avalon: 50th Anniversary Of The IRB Marks The Saving Of Over 100 Thousand Lives The Eos: Classic Pittwater Yachts  Pittwater Roads II: Where The Streets Have Your Name - Whale Beach  Palm Beach Pavilion To Be Renamed The Lieutenant Colonel Douglas Marks DSO, MC Pavilion - some historical insights  Daniel Gordon Soutar's Influence On Local Golf Courses: Some History Notes Pittwater Fire Boats History: January 2020 Tribute Palm Beach Pavilion Renaming Dedication Honours Lieutenant Colonel Douglas Marks DSO, MC  Ella McFadyen's Love Of Pittwater: An Environment, Wildlife and Children's Champion Ella McFadyen's Love Of Pittwater: A Children's Champion - shorter version for Children  Sydney Bus Museum Volunteers Helps Mona Vale Bus Depot Celebrate 50th Anniversary Of Opening Dorothy Hawkins - a new film by John Illingsworth  Dorothy Hawkins' family, father Joseph  Homer, ran a dairy near Winnererremy Bay at Mona Vale from 1936 Narrabeen Fire Brigade Celebrates 100th Anniversary + A Few Extra Insights Into Local Fires And Brigade Formations  Pittwater, Narrabeen Lagoon & The Collaroy Beachfront: Some Storms and Flood Tides Of The Past - With Pictures  The Wolverene At Broken Bay In 1885   Jack 'Bluey' Mercer (January 2nd, 1923 - February 17th, 2020) - West Head Battery in WWII  Manly Children's Festival Federation Of A Commonwealth Medals Of 1901  Maybanke Selfe-Wolstenholme-Anderson: 2020 International Womens Day + Pittwater Online 10 Years Celebrations  The Bona - Classic Wooden Yacht 2020 Answers North Head Quarantine Station, Manly: Some History - Governor Ralph Darling Saved Australians, Saved Australia  Winnererremy Bay: Angus Gordon, the Sequel to Dorothy Hawkins by John Illingsworth Roderic Quinns Poems and Prose For Manly, Beacon Hill, Dee Why And Narrabeen - 10 Year Celebrations and all Manly-Pittwater Poets Series in One Place  Stargazing In Pittwater: Historic and Contemporary   The Naval Pioneers of Australia by Louis Becke and Walter Jeffrey 1899  Harold Tristram Squire: October 28, 1868 - May 16,1938; Artist of Mona Vale  All Is Quiet On The Western Front by Roger Sayers Pittwater Roads II: Where The Streets Have Your Name - Palm Beach   Large Sunfish Caught at Barranjuee in 1875  Grace Brook, 1921-2017 by Paul McGrath and Robin Bayes  The Pittwater Floating Hotels That Almost Were: Old Paddle Steamers, Fairmiles  + A Current 'Lilypad'  Pittwater's Ocean Beach Rock Pools: Southern Corners Of Bliss - A History: Updated 2020  Long Reef Aquatic Reserve Celebrates 40th Anniversary   Pittwater Roads II: Where The Streets Have Your Name - Careel Bay   Careel Bay Reserves and Playing Fields in Careel Bay Playing Fields Reserve - Including Hitchcock Park: Birds, Boots & Beauty  North Narrabeen Rock Pool: Some History Narrabeen Lakes Amateur Swimming Club by Maureen Rutlidge, Life Member  Avalon Beach North Headland: An Ever-Changing Coastline - Storm Swell Of July 2020  Anthony Thomas Ruskin Rowe, Spitfire Pilot (1919 To 1943) - 75th VP Day Tributes 2020  Walter ('Wal') Williams - VP Day 75th Tributes 2020 Gwenyth Sneesby (nee Forster) 75th VP Day Tributes 2020  Pittwater's Midget Submarine M24 War Grave Renews Memories Of 75 Years Ago   Avalon Beach and Surrounds in 1968 and 1970 - Photos Taken By Gary Clist  Muriel Knox Doherty of Avalon Beach VP Day 2020 75th Anniversary Tributes   Dundundra Falls Reserve: August 2020 photos by Selena Griffith - Listed in 1935  Binishells In Pittwater Schools Bairne Walking Track, Ku-Ring-Gai Chase National Park (Trig Stations) photos by Kevin Murray  Pittwater Roads II: Where the Streets Have Your Name - Bayview  Perons' Tree Frog At Careel Bay - who is 'Peron'?  Pittwater Roads II: Where The Streets Have Your Name - Church Point  Stapleton Park Reserve In Spring 2020: An Urban Ark Of Plants Found Nowhere Else Sydney's ACA Building Revitalisation Project Complete: Grand Old Building Has Links To Architects Of St. Patrick's College Manly - Some History Notes  Harry Wolstenholme (June 21, 1868 - October 14, 1930) Ornithologist Of Palm Beach, Bird Man Of Wahroonga   Three Ferries Named Narrabeen (1883 To 1984) + One Named Barranjoey (1913-1985)  Rockley was Cricket for Girls 130 Years Ago - and this Team Visited Narrabeen as well  The Bus To Palm Beach: Some History  Surf Boats Season Kicks Off At Newport November 14; A Whole Range Of Local Sydney Northern Beaches Branch Carnivals Set To Roll Out Over The 2020-2021 Season + Some History Newport to Bilgola Bushlink 'From The Crown To The Sea' Paths:  Founded In 1956 - A Tip and Quarry Becomes Green Space For People and Wildlife Welcome To Country: Neil Evers – NAIDOC Week 2020  Marine Rescue Broken Bay Naming Ceremony for the new BB30 - The Michael Seale   Marine Rescue Broken Bay Unit's Beginnings In The Volunteer Coastal Patrol: Some RMYC BB Connections  Stokes Point To Taylor's Point: An Ideal Picnic, Camping & Bathing Place   Boy Scouts - The Pre-Nippers Life Savers: Some Notes On Local Troops From 1909  Pittwater Roads II: Where the Streets Have Your Name - Narrabeen  Warriewood Historic Farmhouse 'Oaklands' by Krisitin Zindel  John Illingsworth's Local History; 'The Water Dwellers' 1967, Enemark panoramas of Palm and Whale Beach 1917, 'Paper Run' 1956, John Illingsworth 1921 - 2012: 'A Newport Story  Pittwater Summer Houses: 'Cooinoo', Bungan Beach  Narrabeen Lagoon Catchment: Worth Looking After Past Notes and Current Photos  Pittwater Summer Houses: Ocean Beach House - The Combers, Newport Beach  Pittwater Aviatrixes On The Eve Of The RAAF's 100th: A NSW Women's Week - Women Of Aviation Week Celebration  Florence Mary Taylor   Doreen Mavis 'Bobby' Squire  2021 Tribute   Avalon Beach Reserve Heritage Marker For Old Kiosk Installed  Landing In Pittwater: That Beach-Estuary-Lagoon Looks Like A Great Place To Touchdown! Hawkesbury River: 1 In 100 Years Floods - What Washed Up On Pittwater Beaches   The Australian Air League Camps At Mona Vale Beach In The Old La Corniche Building + The Robey Family Of Manly; 'Always Looking Out For Younger People'  The Story Of Pittwater's Anti-Submarine Boom Net by John Illingsworth, Pittwater Pathways  Avalon's Village Green: Avalon Park Becomes Dunbar Park - Some History + Toongari Reserve and Catalpa Reserve Unseen Footage Of Nellie Melba To Celebrate Her 160th Birthday: The Day Dame Nellie Melba Lunched At Bilgola Cottage  Narrabeen Cenotaph + RSL History: 100 and 65 Years Markers Of Service In 2021  Avalon Beach Public School: Some History For A 70th Birthday  Bungan Head 'Bridge' and Tank Trap During WWII - by Malcolm Tompson  Currawong’s 10th Anniversary Funding: The Investment In Local Heritage Continues  The Wakehurst Parkway: 75th Anniversary Of Gazettal As A Main Road In 2021   Pittwater's Tropical Fruits: From The Middle Of Winter  Turimetta Beach Reserve: Old & New Images + Some History  National Fitness Centres At Broken Bay, Mona Vale, Narrabeen: Local History Shows We Like To Move It! Move It!  Nautical Words and Phrases Transposed Into Other Uses: Can You Fathom That?!  Mona Vale Cemetery: Some History  Narrabeen Lagoon and Collaroy Beachfront: Storms and Flood Tides Of The Past + Collaroy Beach Reserve Gazettal  The Hawkesbury River Railway Bridge: 75 Years old in 2021 + the Beluba Dam and Oscar Schulze  The Clareville/Long Beach Reserve: some History John William Pilbeam Goffage MBE ''Chips Rafferty'' Of Lovett Bay: Victory In The Pacific Day 2021  The Fern Creek - Ingleside Escarpment To Warriewood Walk + Some History  The Cowan ‘Creek’ + Lovett Bay Heights Tracks: Some Notes From The Pages Of The Past With Early Photos Trafalgar Square, Newport: A 'Commons' Park Dedicated By Private Landholders - The Green Heart Of This Community  The  Rock Lily Hotel Mona Vale - A Place and Hotel Named for a Local Flower  Whale Beach Ocean Reserve: 'The Strand' - Some History On Another Great Protected Pittwater Reserve  How Camping and Campers At Whale Beach Helped The Whale Beach SLSC Save Lives  Camping at Palm Beach  The Baird Family Of Mona Vale - The Wentworths Of Newport  The Rise Of The Surfboard As Life Saving Rescue Equipment: Some History  Opening Narrabeen Lagoon: Keeping The Community Safer For Over 100 Years  Ellis Rowan's Adventures In Painting Birds, Flowers and Insects: 'This Meant That I Was Tapu - Sacred - Because I Painted The Birds'  History Of The Modern Surfboat: Recognising The Surfboat Builders From 1950 To 2021 by Bert Hunt  The Bus To Palm Beach: Some History with Extras  The Landscapes Of Pittwater As Shown Through The Colonial Wandering Sketcher Artist  Remembrance Day 2021: Mona Vale's Hales-Smith Haynes Smith, Holding, Brentnall And Roby - A.I.F. Men Of World War One who died on the Fields of France  Pittwater Summer Houses: Gunjulla, Avalon Beach-Clareville by Helen and Deborah Grant  St. John's Anglican Church Mona Vale- Celebrating Its 150th Year In 2021   Original Sales Pamphlets Of Scotland Island, Mona Vale, Great Mackerel Beach, Bungan, Offer Images Into Our Past – A Pittwater Summer Idyll  Off To School In 2022 A Bit Quicker Than A Hundred Years Ago  Australia's First Tour Of England Cricket Team Was Indigenous: The Summer They Played At Manly - 1867  Narrabeen Lagoon Bridge No 1 History Notes  The History Films Of John Illingsworth: New Work 'The Newport Boys' + Past Features From Pittwater Pathways  Pittwater Regatta 2022 - Hosted By The RPAYC - Celebrates Over 130 Years Of Regattas On Our Estuary and Offshore Reaches  Lucinda Park, Palm Beach: Some History + 2022 Pictures   Barrenjoey House Celebrates its Centenary in 2022  Barrenjoey Boathouse In Governor Phillip Park  Part Of Our Community For 75 Years: Photos From The Collection Of Russell Walton, Son Of Victor Walton  Iluka Park, Woorak Park, Pittwater Park, Sand Point Reserve, Snapperman Beach Reserve - Palm Beach: Some History   Wreck Of Shackleton's Endurance Found: First Images After Frank Hurley's Last Photos Of This Ship Published   Pittwater's Torpedo Wharf - Bill Fitzgerald 2022  Avalon Beach 100 - Ray Henman's 100 Years Centenary Film  Of The Family Of Arthur Jabez Small Talk On Their Grandfather + Extra A J Small Notes; Reserves, A Golf Course, A Surf Club  Dorothy Wilga Hawkins Tribute: 1921 - 2022  Barrenjoey Artists Commune In The Lighthouse Cottages: Post WWII Social Infrastructure Investment Enriched Australia's Cultural Evolution  Brookvale Oval Marks 111 Years As A Community Space With The Opening Of A New Stand and Performance Centre - Some Current + Older History  Avalon Beach Sand Dunes: Some History  Duck Holes: McCarrs Creek  The Sly Family Of Manly and Narrabeen + The First Surfboat At Manly   Mona Vale War Memorials: A School Honour Board, A Victory Tree, A Cenotaph  The Petrov Safe Houses In Pittwater   Warriewood Surf Life Saving Club Celebrates 70 Years  Dorothea Mackellar Of Lovett Bay - The Poet From Whom The Electorate Received Its Name  Wilshire Park Palm Beach: Some History + Photos From May 2022   Narrabeen Hotel: Some History About The Licensees  America Bay Track Walk: Some History + photos by Joe Mills  Mona Vale SLSC: The Clubhouses - Some History  Avalon Beach Village Shops: Some History  100 Years Of Girl Guides In Manly + Some History Of Local Units  Snow Season 2022: Some Local History Connections With The Sport Of Skiing Beginnings  A Glimpse Of The Hawkesbury in 1883 - the Art of John Clark Hoyte   Pittwater Pathways A History Of Pittwater Films Remastered Be The Boss: I Want To Be A Ship's Captain - Princes Albert and George August 1881 Visit to Pittwater + Coast Waiters in Pittwater History  The 1957 Girl Guides Centenary World Camp At Windsor: A 65th Anniversary Celebration Grand Old Tree Of Angophora Reserve Falls Back To The Earth  Topham Track History insights     Brock's The Oaks - La Corniche From 1911 to 1965: Rickards, A Coffee King, A Progressive School, A WWII Training Ground  The Sirius Circumnavigation: Nossiter Trio Make Australian Sailing History - Sirius Now Needs A Saviour  Bungaree was Flamboyant by Neil Evers - Commissioning of MRBB 'Bungaree' special celebration  Stony Range Regional Botanical Garden: Some History On How A Reserve Became An Australian Plant Park  Mona Vale Library Celebrates 50 Years As A Community Hub  Mona Vale SLSC's Frederick Claude Vivian Lane Inducted Into Swimming Australia Hall Of Fame - A Few Insights Into A Local Legend  Newport Hotel Wharf Named For Queen Victoria   Bill Goddard Shares Family Insights  Avalon Beach in 1970-71 - more great photos shared by Gary Clist  Freddie Lane's granddaughter Visits Pittwater on Eve of Mona Vale SLSC's Centenary Celebrations  Harry Wolstenholme - Bird Man of Palm Beach  Duke Kahanamoku Celebrated In Our Area's First Blue Plaque At Freshwater SLSC   The Advent Of The Surfoplane Phenomenon On Our Beaches Led To An Increase In Lifesavers Responses, A Fatality, Along With Lives Being Saved  Gerald Joseph McPhee - A World War II 'M' Special Unit Member: Remembrance Day 2022  Goldthorpe & Smith Boatshed Becomes Port Jackson & Manly Steamship's Palm Beach Marine Service: Palm Beach Boatsheds  Avalon Recreation Centre History: 1954 to 2002  Wings Over Illawarra 2022: Some Brilliant New + Old Machines + Some History Of Pittwater's 'Aces'  Margaret Mulvey (Lady Schlink) of Careel Bay 1916 - 2001  St Michael's Cave - North Avalon Headland: Some History  Pittwater Summer Houses: The Cabin, Palm Beach - The Pink House Of The Craig Family (extra images added in)  Barrenjoey Lighthouse - The Construction: 2023 Reprise  The First Weekenders On The Palm Beach Beachfront + A Look Into Palm Beach SLSC Clubhouses In The Club's 101st Season  Broken Bay Customs Station At Barrenjoey: 2023 Reprise  Getting To School By Ferry - Australia's First 'School Boat' Ran In Pittwater - Some History  Hy-Brasil, Avalon Beach: An Alexander Stewart Jolly Hand-Built Home  Back To School 2023: Getting To School By Ferry - Australia's First 'School Boat' Ran In Pittwater - Some History  Pittwater Summer Houses: 'Billabong' + 'Ocean House', Ocean Street, North Narrabeen - The House At The End Of The Road - Became Site Of North Narrabeen SLSC's 'Batchelor Club   Country Women's Association Manly Branch Celebrates Its 100th Year - 1923 To 2023: Some History  A Community Memorial Hall For Mona Vale - A 22 Year Odyssey That Culminated In Victory: November 1944 To November 1966  New Marine Rescue Broken Bay Base Commissioned: A Building Designed To Look Like A Boat To Honour Its Purpose - The Work Of Marine Rescue Volunteers  Jack ‘Johnny’ Carter's Ashes Returned To His Palm Beach Home  Vale Sydney Fischer AM OBE   Early Mona Vale Constable Owned Mona Vale Hotel Site: Some History  The Mail Route To Pittwater + Establishment Of Local Post Offices: Some History   Narrabeen Prawning Times - A Seasonal Tide Of Returnings: New Found Records Added In  Mona Vale Woolworths Front Entrance Gets Garden Upgrade: A Few Notes On The Site's History  Angophora Costata Named Eucalypt Of The Year: The Tree One Of Our Local Reserves Is Named For - A Celebration    Avalon Beach Norfolk Pines: To Honour Those Who Served – Anzac Day 2023 History Precursors   Lewis George Pimblett - Inventor Of Harbord + Mona Vale: Toymaker Of 'Pim's Toys' + First Speaking Robot Maker Of 1952   W. G. Taylor Memorial Home At Narrabeen: Some History (Wesley Taylor home for the aged)  The Mona Vale-Bungan Beach-Bayview Tank Traps: Coastal Defences Of Pittwater During World War Two - Some History  'Little Mountain' Bayview - The Modernistic Art Deco House William Watson Sharp Built For Kenneth Gordon Murray During The Rise Of The K G Publishing Empire  The First Boat Builders Of Pittwater: The Short Life and Long Voyages Of Scotland Island Schooner The Geordy  Historic Heritage Listed Bantry Bay Explosives Depot At Middle Harbor Falling Into Disrepair From Long Neglect  Early Pittwater Surfers: Alrema Becke, Queen Of Palm Beach  Lucy Edith Gullett (Dr.) 28 September 1876 - 12 November 1949   The Mona Vale Outrages by George Champion OAM  Sarah A. Biddy Lewis and Martha Catherine Benns: Midwives of Broken Bay and Pittwater - Reconciliation Week 2023 History  Pittwater's Tropical Fruits: The Estuarine Farmlets At Mona Vale-Newport That Kept Sydney Stocked With Hot Area Fruit In The Middle Of Winter Vivid Sydney 2023: World First Installation In Wynyard Tunnels Raises Spectre Of Long-Forgotten Train To Narrabeen Or Manly  State Government Announces The Return Of The Freshwater Class Ferries To Manly Route - Three Ferries Named 'Narrabeen' + One Named Barranjoey: Some Historic Manly Ferry Songs  Bilgola Beach - The Cabbage Tree Gardens & Camping Grounds + Bilgola The Story Of A Politician, A Pilot And An Epicure by Tony Dawson and Anne Spencer  Avalon Beach Historical Society's June 2023 Meeting: Avalon Golf Links   Snow Season 2023: Some Local History Connections With The Sport Of Skiing Beginnings - The Founders Kerry, Hunter, Schlink  The Cowan ‘Creek’ + Lovett Bay Heights Tracks: Some Notes From The Pages Of The Past With Early Photos  Narrabeen JRLFC's 90th Celebratory History A Shark’s Tale Book Launch Featured A Legends Q&A With Alan Thompson, Anthony Watmough, Mark Gerrard, Anthony Balkin  Mona Vale Road  George Mulhall First Light-Keeper At Barranjuey Headland - Commenced July 20 1868 - First Champion Of Australia In Rowing  Royal Avalon Golf Links: Geoff Searl OAM's Presentation - Film By Pittwater Pathways (John Illingsworth)  Church Point, Pittwater: Winter 2023 + Some Photos and Snippets From The Past  The Tasmanian Countess and Marquise of Scotland Island  Pittwater's Fire-Boats: Some History   Stokes Point Careel Bay: The Shift From Warner's Hut In 1813 To Finisterre In 1924; 1934 Additions Probably Designed By Australia's First Women Architect, Beatrice (Bea) May Hutton - A Pittwater Rendezvous Site For Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron Members Is Still A Home With A View For Those With A Passion For Sailing Vietnam Veterans Day (Northern) 50th End Of The War March At Palm Beach - All Welcome, All Belong Anniversary      Avalon Beach RSL Sub Branch Celebrates 75 Years Of Members Looking After Each Other Vietnam Veterans Day Services 2023 - 50th Anniversary Of The End Of The Vietnam War: Collaroy, Narrabeen, Palm Beach   The Myra + Merinda II: Pittwater Ferries Of The Palm Beach Ferry Service (Commenced 1976)- A Few Other Verrills Ferries Of The 1980'S To Early 2000'S + Palm Beach Boatshed Insights  The Bayview Tea Gardens - When Run By Thomas Edward and Annie Newey (Nee Costello)  A Bunch Of Wildflowers: Historical Spring September Songs  The Wakehurst Parkway: 75th Anniversary Of Gazettal As A Main Road On May 29th 2021 - the Long and Winding Road   'Longa Linga' At Church Point - The John Lander Browne Pre-WWII Designed Linear Home For An Aunt  Dee Why Hotel Opens In 1930: Introduces 'Beer o'clock' For Thirsty Locals   Avalon Community Library Celebrates 40th Anniversary  Narrabeen Folk Arts Club In The Shack: Some History As We Head Into The 2023 Northern Beaches Music Festival Utzon's Pittwater: A Place Of Peace For A Plain Sailing Man - A Quieter Sydney Opera House 50th Birthday Celebration   Australian + English Women’s Cricket Teams Picnic In Pittwater- The 1934-35 First Women's Test Tour That Healed The Bodyline Rift     Barrenjoey High School Inaugural Students: 1968 To 1973 - 50 year celebration of Inaugural graduating class  Waiwera - Hopton Lodge, Bayview  Pittwater's Ocean Beach Rock Pools: Southern Corners Of Bliss + One Northern End Of Beach Rock Pool At Narrabeen: Some History  Pittwater High School Alumni 1963 To 1973 Reunion For 2023: A Historic 60 Years Celebration + Some History  Avalon Beach Historical Society: December 2023 Meeting Slide Night Featuring The Original Avalon Beach Community Library, The Avalon Stomp, The Hail Storm Of 1956 The Black Swamp Camping Reserve Becomes Kitchener Park, Beeby Park & Mona Vale Golf Course - Pittwater Creeks series opener     The Australia Day Regatta Began As an Anniversary Day Regatta  Back To School In 2024 Inspires A Look Back At  A Pittwater Public School Set On The Estuary  Barrenjoey Boatshed In Governor Phillip Park Has Been Part Of Our Community For 77 Years: A Few Photos From The Collection Of Russell Walton, Son Of Victor Walton, Pilot + A Few Insights Into This Evolving Station Beach Institution     Pittwater Summer Houses: Kalua, Palm Beach  Station Beach, Barrenjoey, Circa 1879  Section Of A Squire Mural From Dungarvon, Mona Vale, Held In Private Collection + A Few Notes About His Focus On In Situ Aboriginal Sculptures & Local Burial Grounds Of First Nations Peoples  Historic 100-Year-Old Mona Vale WWI 'Victory' Tree To Be Replaced   Palm Beach Golf Course 1924 To 2024: Some 100th Year History Celebratory Insights   Flora Of Coastal New South Wales: 1920 To 1944    Pictures From The Past: Views Of Early Narrabeen Bridges - 1860 To 1966  SS Nemesis: 120-Year-Old Shipwreck Mystery Solved -Search For Relatives Begins  Pittwater Beach Reserves Have Been Dedicated For Public Use Since 1887 - No 1.: Avalon Beach Reserve- Bequeathed By John Therry  The Old Road To Narrabeen - The Unspoilt Days Of 100 Years Ago When You Could Still See The Sea  The Palladium Palm Beach (1930 To 1974) + Palm Beach Studio (1976 To 2024); from the March 2024 Meeting of the Avalon Beach Historical Society    A Tent Or Hut At The Basin During Holiday Times  Harold Tristram Squire Sculptures-Statues At Dungarvon, Mona Vale   Jonah's Road House Whale Beach  Damien Parer – A Bungan Beach And WWII War Photographer; Anzac Day 2024 Precursors  The 'Newport Loop': Some History  The Early Years of Bungan Beach Surf Life Saving Club - The Call to Bungan by W. E. Anschutz (Bill Anschutz)   Bilgola Plateau Parks For The People: Gifted By A. J. Small, N. A. K. Wallis + The Green Pathways To Keep People Connected To The Trees, Birds, Bees - For Children To Play   Bayview Sea Scouts Hall: Some History  Winifred Atwell - 'The Amazing Miss A'   Search For Modern Architecture Gems From 1940 To 1970 - An Invitation To Provide Input/Suggestions: 12 Local Examples   Peter Muller Designed 'Organic Architecture' - His Pittwater Buildings: 'Kumale' + Others, Are Great Suggestions For the ''Modern Architecture Study'' List  Narrabeen Lakes Amateur Swimming Club by Life Member Maureen Rutlidge OAM + North Narrabeen Rock Pool: Some History   Henry Lawson: A Manly Bard and Poet - for his birthday week  Roads To Pittwater: The Mona Vale Road   Milton Family Property History - Palm Beach By William (Bill) James Goddard II with photos courtesy of the Milton Family  Ella McFadyen's Love Of Pittwater: Children's Champion - for youngsters, for Winter School Holiday Break    Hordern Park, Palm Beach: Some History  Mona Vale SLSC's Frederick Claude Vivian Lane - Gold Medal Olympian At Paris 1900 Games: A Few Insights Into A Local Legend    Paris 2024 Olympic Games: 18 Locals Representing Australia  Eddie Scarf: an Olympian, butcher of North Narrabeen, Palm Beach + Dee Why & North Narrabeen SLSC Member   My Holiday By Charles de Boos – 1861: Manly to Barrenjoey  Historic boat winches restored to former glory at Long Reef + Dad's Fishing Shack at Long Reef by Ken 'Sava' Lloyd & Extras  History week 2024: North Head Quarantine Station, Manly - how Governor Ralph Darling saved Australians; saved Australia  Muogamarra Nature Reserve in Cowan celebrates 90 years: a few insights into The Vision of John Duncan Tipper, Founder  Manly's Wildflower Shows: Some History Careel Bay Steamer Wharf + Boatshed: some history  Avalon Beach Golf Links: Some History  Miniature Train Ride at Manly: a few history notes about having fun as a youngster  Avalon Beach Historical Society's September 2024 Meeting speaker: Ray Henman ACS on 70+ years of living in Pittwater 30 years since historic discovery of ancient dinosaur trees: Wollemi Pine Trees  A Bunch Of Wildflowers: Historical Spring September Songs  Pittwater Electorate Placenames History: from the West to the East  Bayview Sea Scouts Hall History: Updated with insights provided by 'T of Church Point'    Palm Beach Public Wharf: Some History   Harry Wolstenholme; Ornithologist Of Palm Beach, Bird Man Of Wahroonga   Narrabeen Cenotaph + RSL History: 100 and 65 years markers of service in 2021 - Narrabeen RSL Site Sold in 2024  Clareville Public Wharf: 1885 to 1935 - Some History  Dr. Isobel Ida Bennett AO: Tasmanian Krill Research Aquarium to be named for Our Girl  Mona Vale Primary School's World War Two Honour Roll Board: The Stories Behind the Names  Newport SLSC's Surf Boat Carnival on Saturday November 16 will be A Taste of Fantastic Local Surf Sports Carnivals for All Ages this 2024-25 Season: A few Local Surf Boat Carnivals from the 1920- 1960 Insights  Boulton's Jetty on 'Old Mangrove Bay' + Newport hotel jetty + Newport Public wharf: Some history  Salt Pan Cove Public Wharf on Regatta Reserve + Florence Park + Salt Pan Reserve + Refuge Cove Reserve: Some History  Bayview Public Wharf and Baths: Some History   David Hazlewood: Photographer of Avalon Beach SLSC Founders meeting   The Sly Family Of Manly and Narrabeen: Fishermen  + The First Surfboat At Manly   Pittwater Summer Houses: Florida House, Palm Beach  Pittwater Summer Houses:  Cooinoo Bungan Beach   Back To School In 2025 Inspires A Look Back At  A Pittwater Public School Set On The Estuary  The King and I on the Hawkesbury    Pittwater Summer Houses: Bangalla, Scotland Island  Narrabeen Lakes Sailing Club History: 120 Summers Spent 'Messing About In Boats'  Summer in Pittwater: Places to Stay, Ways to Play - Some History  Lucy Edith Gullett (Dr.) IWD2025 Celebrations Happy 100th Birthday Avalon Beach SLSC!    Max Dupain of Newport: Pittwater Photographer  The Zonta Club of the Northern Beaches: Celebrating 50 years of Action in 2025 - The Zonta Northern Beaches Annual Women's Day Breakfast    It's a 'Bit Sharky' out there: 5 Tagged Bull Sharks Pinged at North Narrabeen on Same Day - Bull Shark spotted at Bayview - Historical Insights  Avalon Beach Historical Society March 2025 Meeting: Sunrise Cottage, Palm Beach + Geoff Searl OAM Great Adventure on HM Bark Endeavour Replica report by Roger Sayers OAM  Annie Wyatt Reserve, Palm Beach: Pittwater Fields of Dreams II - The Tree Lovers League  Stealing The Bush: Pittwater's Trees Changes - Some History   Stealing The Bush: Pittwater's Trees Changes - Some History  Methodist Church at Church Point: The Chapel the Point is Named after - Some History

George Repins' Reflections

The Nineteen Thirties  Remembering Rowe Street  The Sydney Push  Saturday Night at the Movies  Shooting Through Like A Bondi Tram  A Stop On The Road To Canberra  City Department Stores - Gone and Mostly Forgotten  An Australian Icon - thanks to Billy Hughes  Crossing The Pacific in the 1930s  Hill End  The Paragon at Katoomba  Seafood In Sydney  How Far From Sydney?  Cockatoo Island Over The Years  The Seagull at the Melbourne Festival in 1991  Busby's Bore  The Trocadero In Sydney  Cahill's restaurants  Medical Pioneers in Australian Wine Making  Pedal Power and the Royal Flying Doctor Service  Pambula and the Charles Darwin Connection  Gloucester and the Barrington Tops  A Millenium Apart  Have You Stopped to Look?  Gulgong  Il Porcellino  Olympia  Durham Hall  Sargent's Tea Rooms Pie Shops and Street Photographers  The Ballet Russes and Their Friends in Australia  Hotels at Bondi  Alma Ata Conference - 1978 Keukenhof - 1954 The Lands Department Building and Yellowblock Sandstone  The Goroka Show - 1958  A Gem On The Quay  Staffa  The Matson Line and Keepsake Menus Kokeshi Dolls  The Coal Mine At Balmain  The Hyde Park Barracks  The Changing Faces Of Sydney From Pounds and Pence to Dollars and Cents Nell Tritton and Alexander Kerensky  Making A Difference In Ethiopia William Balmain  J C Bendrodt and Princes Restaurant Azzalin Orlando Romano and Romano's Restaurant  Waldheim  Alcohol in Restaurants Before 1955  King Island Kelp  The Mercury Theatre   Around Angkor - 1963   Angkor Wat 1963  Costumes From the Ballets Russe Clifton at Kirribilli  Chairman Mao's Personal Physician  The Toby Tavern The MoKa at Kings Cross  The Oceaographic  Museum  in Monaco  The Island of Elba  Russian Fairy Tale Plates  Meteora  Souda Bay War Cemetery Barrow, Alaska  Cloisonné  Tripitaka Koreana Minshuku The Third Man Photographs and Memories  Not A Chagall!  Did You Listen? Did You Ask?  Napier (Ahuriri, Maori) New Zealand  Borobudur  Ggantija Temples Plumes and Pearlshells  Murano  University of Padua  Ancient Puebloe Peoples - The Anasazi   Pula  The Gondolas of Venice Cinque Terre  Visiting the Iban David The Living Desert Bryce Canyon National Park   Aphrodisias   The Divine Comedy Caodaism  Sapa and local Hill People  A Few Children  Cappadocia  Symi Jean-Marie Tjibaou Cultural Centre   Aboriginal Rock Art on Bigge Island    ANZAC Cove (Ari Burnu) 25 April, 1997  Hotere Garden Oputae  Children of the Trobriand Islands  Page Park Market - Rabaul  Rabual   Kotor, Montenegro   Galleries of Photographs I   Lascaux  Galleries of Photographs II   The Cathedral of St. James – Šibenik, Croatia  Ivan Meštrović  - Sculptor   Delphi   Gallery of Photographs III  The Handicrafts of Chiang Mai Raft Point  San Simeon - "Hearst Castle"  Floriade - The Netherlands - 1982  Russian New Year  Mycenae  "Flightseeing" Out Of Anchorage Alaska  The White Pass and Yukon Route  Totem Poles  Tivkin Cemetery  Krka National Park - Croatia  Tavistock Square and the BMA  Orthodox Easter  Wieliczka Salt Mine  A Walk on Santorini  Indonesian Snapshots  Ephesus - The Library of Celsus  Ephesus - Some Places Of Interest  Waimea Canyon and the Kalalau Valley United Nations Headquarters 1958  A Miscellany of Flower Images  Gardens  Bath St. David's In Wales   Zion National Park Nicholas Himona - Artist  Kraków  Lilianfels  Collonges-La-Rouge  Gingerbread Houses   Cape Sounion   Delos  Wroclaw  Colonial Williamsburg  Gruyères   Strasbourg  Coventry Cathedral  The Roman Theatre at Aspendos  Turkish Carpets The Duomo of Orvieto  Rovinj  The City Walls of Dubrovnik Monaco - Snapshots   Bonifacio, Corsica  Autumn in New England USA  The Great Ocean Road  Pompeii  Didyma  Lawrence Hargrave 1850-1915  The Corinth Canal  Malta  Snapshots of Amsterdam Café Central - Vienna  The Forbidden City - Beijing, China  A Ride on the Jungfrau Railway - 1954   Snapshots in the Highlands of Scotland 1954  Must See Sights in Paris - 1954  Corfu  Reflections On the Nineteen Thirties The Gold Souk in Dubai  Stromboli   Ha Long Bay - Vietnam  Lake Argyle The Bungle Bungle Range Langgi Inlet, W.A.  White Cliffs, NSW - 1990  Sturt National Park - May, 1990 A Few Statues and Water Spouts  The Dodecanese Archipelago  Rhodes  Lindos The Church on Spilled Blood - 2005 Monument to the Heroic Defenders of Leningrad Repin's In "Ladies In Black"  Signs of the Times at Sydney Museum: Repin Inns

Collectors Corner pages:

Blacksmiths and Tinsmiths  Nylon Stockings Poster Art Furphy's Water Cart   Mousehole Anvil  Sapphire One Armed Bandit  Gould's 1840 Single and Compound Microscope  Tibetan Thangka Wheel Of Life Painting  Cast Iron Seats  Mabel Lucie Atwell Prints  The Customs of Traditional Dining by Hans and Jenny Carlborg  Albert Collins Landscape   Boomerang Harmonicas  Drinking: 18th Century Style Part I by H&J Carlborg  Drinking 18th Century Style Part II by H&J Carlborg Fleece Shears  Wood Case Crank Telephone  1803 Timepeice  Vintage Guitars  Milestones  No.38 Rolls Royce Motor Oiler  Christmas Postcards  Seashells  McCormick-Deering Horse Drawn Mower  Rope Making Machine  Marilyn Monroe 1955 Calendar  Stubbie Holders  Hill's Hoist  Akubra Hat  Fowler's Bottling Kit The Bold Autographed Script  Fishing Tackle  Arnotts Biscuit Tins  Comic Books  Silver Opium Pipe  Mrs Beetons Book  Souvenir Teaspoons  Bendigo Pottery  Gianelli Figurines  Key Fobs  Model Aircraft-static  Porcelain Slippers Wagon Wheels Rhys Williams Painting  Chinese Guardian Lions Australian Halfpenny  Bud Vases  Rolling Stones Still Life LP Autographed  WL1895 Thinking Monkey  Estee Lauder Ginger Jar  Reel Mowers  Surf Reels Millers Car Collection Hilton Lingerie - Slips Miniature Books of Verse - A Romantic Tradition  REGA Pouring Can  R O Dunlop - Sailing At Itchenor Painting Morning Shadows by C Dudley Wood  The Father of Santa Claus - Xmas 2012  HMS Penguin Anchor at RPAYC - Newport  SS Birubi Mast at RMYC - Broken Bay  Helen B Stirling Ship's Wheel at Club Palm Beach   Woomeras  HMS Endeavour Replica Cannon at RPAYC Vintage Sheet Music: William Stanley's  Bay View Gavotte  The Doug Crane Classic Handmade Double Blade Paddle  HMS Bounty Wooden Ship Model Collecting Ladies - Ferdinand Von Mueller and Women Botanical Artists  Australian Bark Art  Chinese Ginger Jars  Hand Plough and Jump Stump Plough - Australian Inventions Frank Clune Books  Frederick Metters - Stoves, Windmills, Iron Monger  Trinket Boxes  1933 Wormald Simplex Fire Extinguisher is Pure Brass  Chapman 'Pup' Maine Engines - Chapman and Sherack  The Beach Ball  Figureheads Salty Wooden Personifications of Vessels  Binnacle at RMYC  The Australian Florin - Worth More Than 20 Cents to Collectors  Weathervanes; For Those Passionate About Seeing Which Way the Wind Blows Her Majesty's Theatre 1962 Programme - Luisillo and his Spanish Dance Theatre  Cooper's Sheep Shower Enamel Sign and Simpson's and Sons of Adelaide Jolly Drover Sugar Bowl and English Pottery A Means to Gaze into the Past Chief Joseph and Edward S Curtis; His Images of Native Americans an Inestimable Record of Images and Portrait Photographs His Masters Voice, Old 78s and Australia's Love of Music Jack Spurlings 'Tamar' Picture 1923  Resch's Beer Art - A Reflection of Australiana Now Worth Thousands  The Compleat Angler - Izaak Walton's Discourse Inspires Generations of Fishers Portable Ice-Boxes and Coolers How Many Claim This Invention as Theirs?  Malley's and Sons Ltd. - A Munificent Australian Family Company  Vintage Paddles and Gigs  Nautical Memorabilia  The Crinoline - a 550 Year Old Fashion  B.B. King - King of the Blues Goes Home: a Timely look into Photographs and Autographs and Being Buyer Aware  Deep Down Among the Coral - By Christopher Corr - A Limited Edition Print in Celebration of the seventy fifth anniversary of QANTAS Airways  Old Chinese Rice Bowls for Marriage: Worth More Than You Think...   Commanderie St. John: An Ancient Wine - From 1927 with Lineage to Cyprus in 1210/92 and Methods of Production to Greece in 800 B.C.  Pittwater Regatta Air Race Trophies: from 1934 and 1935 and The Pilot Who Saved William Hughes  Vintage Brass Mortar and Pestle  1958 Bedford 'D' Truck and GM Holden Australian Made Car Bodies  Heart Padlock Charm Bracelets for Newborns: A Golden Tradition  Marvellous Marbles: An All Ages Preoccupation for Collectors  Antique Silver Fish Servers: Artisans Past  Tuckfield's Bird Cards: to Swap or Collect   Joseph Lyddy – O.B.B. Dubbin Boot Polish  Vintage Wooden Tennis Racquets: A Collectors Item As Popular As Summer  Australian Trade Tokens Record Enriching Colonial Histories: the Cascade Shilling First Art Form To Record 'Tasmania' And Kangaroos  Australian Vinyl Singles of the 1950's and 1960's  Dicken's The Old Curiosity Shop bought at The Old Curiosity Shop  Pear's Soap: Artworks For The Masses  Collecting Vintage Photographs: Early Tasmanian Photographer - J W Beattie  Cyclops Vintage Toys  Year Dated Beer Bottles Found In The Estuary Adjacent To Taylors Point - Roger Wickins   Collecting Matchboxes: A Great Way To Explore History And Art  Black Bakelite Telephone: Early Pittwater Phone Numbers  Butter Churns and Milk Separators: Early Pittwater Dairies F100 Ford truck: 1977 model   Collecting Buttons  Photographers Of Pittwater Capture Historic Insights: A. J. (Arthur James) Vogan, 1859-1948 Historic Photographers Of Pittwater: Harold 'Caz' Cazneaux 1878 - 1953  Photographers of Early Pittwater: The Macphersons of 'Wharriewood' and Bayview  Photographers Of Early Pittwater: Charles Bayliss Photographers Of Early Pittwater: Henry King  Photographers Of Early Pittwater: David 'Rex' Hazlewood  Were Manly's Statues, Smashed For Road Ballast, Sculpted By Achille Simonetti?  Tablespoons - The Original Soup Spoons  Tram Memorabilia - Historic Daylight Run For Sydney Light Rail Begins 80 Years After Last Tram To Narrabeen Closed  Samuel Wood Postcards of Pittwater and Manly   The Victa Lawnmowers Story With A Careel Bay Link  Collecting Snow Globes Sydney Bus Museum Volunteers Helps Mona Vale Bus Depot Celebrate 50th Anniversary Of Opening  Manly Children's Festival Federation Of A Commonwealth Medals Of 1901: Collecting Commemorative Medals  Ranelagh Hotel 'Mist' Scent Bottle (Robertson Hotel): Collecting Vintage And Antique Perfume Decanters Stargazing In Pittwater: An End Of Daylight Savings Pastime - The 2020 CWAS David Malin Photography Awards Are Now Open  QANTAS During Centenary Year: 2020 Stamp Collecting Month 2020: Wildlife Recovery Miniature Books of Verse for Spring 2020  June 1942 Rhys Williams Painting of Sydney Harbour Attack