Articles by: Sarah Matthews
‘Pongo’ was a term used by Australian troops in World War One to refer to the common foot soldier of the infantry battalions. The songs, stories, art and verses of the pongos tells us much about the Australian soldiers who fought in the Great War.
People & professions, Such was life:
From 1948 up until 1969, the Melbourne Public Library’s training school educated nearly 300 aspiring librarians. Many things have changed since then, but some things still remain the same…
People & professions, Such was life:
Alice Manfield, or ‘Guide Alice’ as she came to be known, had a strange, romantic childhood on Mount Buffalo. She grew up to become a talented naturalist, photographer and writer, as well as an unlikely feminist figure.
Buildings & streets, Such was life:
There’s a little blue building outside Flinders Street Station. ‘When was it built?’, a curious library patron asked. The question led me to some interesting research involving milk cans, viaduct vaults and bananas.
Social life & customs, Such was life:
As far back as the 1850s, slums existed in inner city Melbourne. In the 1930s, Frederick Barnett began taking photos of the slums, using them in a push for social reform.
Social life & customs, Such was life:
Melbourne’s love affair with coffee has been long-term, passionate, and sometimes controversial.
