Our first meeting for 2018, on the 10th February, kicked off with an almost full house. It was excellent to see many new faces which was a worthy way to support our guest speaker, Garry Smith, researcher and historian who spoke of the difficulties and strange laws affecting women in Colonial times.
Mr Smith used case studies from his research of his own families, who were early residents of Dural and the Colonial country towns. The strange reasons for granting divorce, the property rights of husbands and lack thereof for women, left many in the audience shaking their heads, or gasping in incredulity, when compared with the social attitudes of today. We have come a long way since then but with more to be done in the future.
At our meeting on the 10th March our guest speaker will be Ms Rhonda Davis, Head Curator of the of the Macquarie University Art Gallery. Her talk will be on Margaret Preston 1875-1963, the nationally renowned artist, whose work is readily recognised by most Australians. Mrs Preston, a resident of Berowra, was a leader in her field and her story will be of interest to all.
Some members made their first tour of the year when they accepted the invitation of the Dharug and Lower Hawkesbury History Society to take part in their tour of Brisbane Waters on the 25th February. The tour, by ferry, was quickly booked out but our members look forward to taking part in some of the tours arranged by nearby Historical Societies. These are in addition to our own tours, the first of which will be a “get to know your local history” on Sunday the 18th March. The bus, with a seating capacity of 21, will visit localities, homes and buildings that shaped the history of our community, one that is unique to us. All are welcome but bookings are necessary so contact Michael Bell on 96531365 for further details.
For the diary: 14th April The History of North Head. 22nd May the Quarantine Cemetery and the Manly area.
What is this Object: The Society has a number of objects that will intrigue readers. A clue, it was used in the construction of a Sydney icon.
