Saturday, September 14, 2024
SYDNEY SUBURBS: DOONSIDE
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DOONSIDE
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INTRODUCTION:
This suburb has a special significance for me: my high school days were spent at Doonside High School.
For the first 6 months we had to share classrooms at the primary school in tjat the high school was not finished yet.
The name has been changed to Doonside Technology High School but the school motto remains the same:
The High School was opened in 1964 as Doonside High School. The School became a Technology High School in 1989.
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LOCATION:
Doonside is located 40 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Blacktown and is part of the Greater Western Sydney region.
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NAME ORIGIN:
Western residential suburb bordering on Eastern Creek. It was named by early settler Robert Crawford (1799-1848) after his home town in Scotland.
In 1802, Governor Philip Gidley King reserved a large proportion of land for a Government Stock Reserve. For the next twenty years the land was used as grazing land for cattle and sheep by convict herdsmen. In 1822 part of the Government stock run was granted by Governor Thomas Brisbane to Scottish immigrant, Robert Crawford. Robert first named his 1,000 acres (4.0 km2) Milton before renaming it "Hill End". In 1826 John Crawford purchased land adjacent Hill End fronting Richmond Road which he named Doonside. The region had various names, before officially becoming Doonside.
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ABOUT:
The western railway arrived with a single line to Rooty Hill opening on 23 December 1861, there was no station official but the rail siding was known as Crawford siding. Doonside Railway Station was official opened on 27 September 1880. Electric trains arrived to Doonside station in 1955. Edith Crawford from the founding family, also being the oldest inhabitant, was given the privilege of 'cutting the ribbon'. Her death was in 1956.
The present station was upgraded in 1955, replacing the original buildings. The design of the station buildings applied the railway Stripped Functionalist style, as was done at other stations between Lidcombe and St. Mary's. The station was one part of a much larger scheme to increase the tracks to four main lines between Lidcombe and St. Mary's during World War II in order to provide maximum track capacity to the American ammunition and general store built at Ropes Creek. Quadruplication was completed in 1981.
The Doonside name was changed briefly in 1921 to an Aboriginal name ‘Wolkara’ When the new railway station was being constructed, At Crawford rail siding. Wolkara was also the name of the post office that opened here in 1921, but in April 1929 it was changed back to Doonside, after local residents protested at the name change.
There was no electricity until 1929 and water was drawn from wells. Horse-drawn carts would deliver bread and meat. Blacktown was accessed by train as there were not any buses or schools. Parramatta and Penrith, were the nearest high schools.
A store and post office were opened unofficially in 1926 by Bill Francis on the corner of Hillend Road and Cross Street. For some years his nephew Jack Francis operated the post office on the other side of the railway line but once it was made official it returned to its original site until 1987.
Doonside has a number of heritage-listed sites, including Bungarribee Homestead Site..
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CRIME:
From Wikipedia;
Crime is a major problem in Doonside.[ Safety is a large concern for residents of Doonside; statistics from the Blacktown City Council show that only 28% of residents in Doonside feel safe walking down their own street, with crime and community safety being ranked as the biggest challenges faced by locals.Doonside is a hub for many street gangs.
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RECREATION:
On the western edge of Doonside lies the Nurragingy Reserve, which is situated in the Western Sydney Regional Parklands. The Reserve is a 90ha park featuring picnic grounds and original bushland. It was established a nature reserve in 1981 and named after Nurragingy, a Darug man given a land grant in the Blacktown area in 1819.[14][15][16] Just south of the railway line is the Featherdale Wildlife Park, a private zoo established in 1953 and specialising in Australian native animals and birds.
Featherdale Wildlife Park is a wildlife and zoo facility located in Doonside. It covers 3.29 hectares and has over 260 species on display and for interactive experiences.
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GALLERY:
Knox Road, Doomside, 1960s – site of my high school
William Francis General Store Doonside c1926.
It was located opposite Doonside Station, corner of Cross Street and Hill End Road.
The homestead Bungarribee was built in New South Wales, Australia for Scottish-born settler John Campbell (1770-1827). Now demolished, it was situated on Doonside Road, about 10 miles beyond Parramatta. The house was recently completed before Campbell's death in October 1827, with the tower and round room added by Thomas Icely in 1829-30, following his purchase of the estate in late 1828.
The house was built in the early 1800s and was demolished in 1957. The property was used by the Overseas Telecommunications Commission (OTC) after World War II. Much of the property was subsumed by the Western Sydney Parklands, although part was zoned residential. The house site was retained as Bungarribee Homestead Park. Bungarribee House at time of demolition in this photograph.
And below: Nurragingy Reserve
And below. Featherdae Wildlife Park
Friday, September 13, 2024
QUOTE FOR THE DAY
Kodachrome
They give us those nice bright colors
They give us the greens of summers
Makes you think all the world's
a sunny day
I got a Nikon camera
I love to take a photograph
So mama don't take my Kodachrome away
- Paul Simon, Kodakchrome
PHOTOS FROM THE PAST
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Sydney Mint and Infirmary, Macquarie Street, Sydney, 1870
The Sydney Infirmary, Macquarie Street, Sydney, 1870
A family from Cooma at the Wagga show, 1911
Country road, Port Macquarie, 1949
Coonabarabran, 1946
Crowds at Bondi Beach, 1929
Eucalyptus Town, La Perouse
A type of dwelling, Eucalyptus Town, La Perouse, 1913
Crowd around the aeroplane of Sir Ross Smith’ after landing at Mascot, 1920
Hyde Park and Elizabeth Street, Sydney, c 1871
The photographer of the above photograph was at the top of the spire of St James, King Street. Compare with this different photo (c. 1871) from the same steeple –
Panoramic view of Sydney, looking south west towards Darling Harbour, around 1871 / photographer unknown.
Shows Hyde Park in lower left of picture with the corner of Elizabeth and Market Streets opposite. Castlereagh Street is clearly seen running south towards St. George's Church. The roof of Victoria Markets is visible in the middle distance, right hand side. In the distance can be seen Sydney University and the Glebe estate.
Hyde Park Barracks, 1871
Queen Victoria Building, looking down George Street, Sydney, 1922
Heavy loads, Pyrmont Bridge, 1927
Surveyor determines second peg - Canberra
Canberra Inauguration Ceremony: Minister for Home Affairs (King O'Malley) watching Surveyor determine second peg.
Minister for Home Affairs, King O'Malley driving the first peg on the Federal site, Canberra
Canberra Inauguration Ceremony 1913
Tourists waiting for cars, leaving Challis House for Jenolan Caves, 1923
Stables in Paddington, 1900
Thursday, September 12, 2024
FUNNY FRIDAY
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Friday the 13th readers, so let's bring a little laughter to a day considered to be nmero uno in bad luck.
And to prove that size doesn't matter, today is a collection of short jokes.
Enjoy.
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SOME HUMOUR:
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What’s way worse than Friday the 13th?
Monday the whatever.
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What’s the worst part about waking up to realise it’s Friday the thirteenth?
Realising that you still have to go to work.
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My friends were arguing for hours on who won the debate last night.
I think I won because I didn’t watch it.
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Went home and told my Dad there is a small get together at school on Friday. He asked me, "How small?" I replied, "Just you, me, and the principal.”
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Larry LaPrise, the man who wrote 'The Hokie Pokey' died peacefully at the age of 83.
The most traumatic part for his family was getting him into the coffin. They put his left leg in. And then the trouble started.
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"Where is your homework, Johnny?", asked the teacher.
"An immigrant ate my dog that ate my homework."
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My wife told me that I must try to stop quoting Neil Diamond songs every time she speaks to me.
I Am I Said!
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And I’ll be what I am. A solitary man
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People say I suck at typing,
but I guess everyone has their own onions.
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People who confuse etymology and entomology really BUG me…
… in ways I can’t put into words.
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It’s funny how 100 years ago everybody had a horse and only the rich had a car, but now everyone has a car and only the rich have horses.
Oh, how the stables have turned.
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I boiled a funny bone once.
It turned into a laughing stock. It was humerus.
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FOBIA
(The fear of misspelled words)
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LIMERICK OF THE WEEK:
A responsive young girl from the East
In bed was an able artiste.
She had learned two positions
From family physicians,
And ten more from the old parish priest.
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GALLERY:
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CORN CORNER:
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What time did Sean Connery arrive at Wimbledon?
Ten-ish
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I'm furious that I can't write out 1, 1000, 51, 6, and 500 in Roman numerals.
In fact, I M LI VI D.
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They call me shrooms
Because I'm a fun-guy.
Wednesday, September 11, 2024
QUOTE FOR THE DAY
I was scared when I lost my mother, my father, my brother, my sister.
I guess this is gonna sound kind of weird, but I'm not scared for myself for dying. Because I believe all these places are temporary. This is just one shell. Because we Hawaiians live in both worlds.
Facing future I see hope, hope that we will survive, hope that we will prosper, hope that once again we will reap the blessings of this magical land, for without hope I cannot live, remember the past but do not dwell there, face the future where all our hopes stand.
- Israel Kaʻanoʻi Kamakawiwoʻole
FACTS
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There is an intriguing Instagram site that posts interesting facts. It is called interestingash.ck (I presume this a reference to ‘interesting as heck'although the posts credit 'interesting asf*ck'’). It can be found at:
Bored Panda recently posted some of the items from that site and they are set out below with Bored Panda reader comments.
The Bored Panda link is:
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Reader comments:
There's no problem humans make that humans can't fix if we work together.
Amazing! I wonder what it looks like in 2024.
Apparently still clean! Just looked it up and google said it's still a great example of pollution cleanup, but I couldn't find 2024 articles
What kind of human culture even allows that much trash to build up on a beach? I guess in this case, it is a lack of culture.
but why so dirty in first place though ?
Because India uses their rivers as dumping sites, both for liquid sludge and for solid waste. A sizeable part of the plastic pollution in the Indian ocean comes from this practice, and washes back to shore with storms and tides. Their government is doing very little to fight it, and the only consequence their timid efforts had is that now they store waste in landfills close to rivers... until the landfill collapses into the water an then they start again. This practice is especially common in Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh, states where there is a sizeable pilgrimage industry related to holy rivers... that double as sewers. 25% of the plastic waste produced in India ends up in the Gange
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I’d like to have a word with the “passerby”.
John is still homeless but doing well. Passerby was jailed. https://www.dailyedge.ie/man-jumps-into-liffey-to-save-pet-rabbit-169390-Jul2011/
But why? Just why? What possesses someone to do something like this? I’ll never understand the absolute idiocy,, narcissism, psychopathy, etc of some people. Just leave people alone.
Somebody threw a rabbit off a bridge. Did I read that correctly? I feel sick
I just don't understand how people could wilfully harm animals... They've definitely got sociopathic tendencies.
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Yes, the Amerigo Vespucci IS beautiful. The aircraft carrier looks bulky and clumsy in comparison.
To be fair, aircraft carriers are not designed for aesthetics, but for functionality.
And possibly because it's named after the same person as America is?
Or possibly because it’s actually a very beautiful ship? Just maybe? ðŸ¤
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I love him smirking to himself by year 7.
Did he just grow the moustache for Picture Day each year or keep it all the time, I wonder.
Embrace change . . .
Year 2 he added the moustache, and never looked back.
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Ducking brilliant.
Take that autocorrect!! Lol
This was a good and decent man.
His secret weapon? A team of happy ducks towing him to the lead...
Did the record include the stopped time or was that deleted from the time?
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And they all look like her.
They are all so shiny
They are a handsome bunch too!
And it's not like they were doing nothing - look at those medals
The 3rd one (left to right) looks like Popeye.
Reminds me of my Dad and his brothers in WWII. All five served but each in a different branch of the military. My Dad was Army, his four brothers were in the Air Force, Navy, Marines and Merchant Marines. They all came home as well.
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Quokking fantastic!
Cheerful little quokkers ain't they
Boy that does NOT look like an animal that when threatened, may expel their young from their pouch to distract predators. But. Alas. Tis.
And here's the world's cutest animal, the ili pika.
If you visit Rottnest Island, these guys are everywhere but you will get into major trouble if you touch them or get too close
Yeah, but to flip it around, quokkas will happily throw their young to a chasing predator if need be.
Um, not exactly... https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2021-03-12/quokka-babies-daddy-long-legs-australian-animal-myths/13188740
(From the above article:
The word "at" in that accusation makes the meme a bit misleading. But take out that one offending preposition and it's true — quokkas sacrifice their babies in order to escape predators. "The pouch is really muscular so the mum will relax it and the bub will fall out," conservation biologist Matthew Hayward from the University of Newcastle says. "The youngsters flail around on the ground and hiss and make noise and the mum gets away." It's the "ultimate survival strategy" that's only really available to marsupials, according to kangaroo ecologist and behavioural expert Graeme Coulson from the University of Melbourne. "[The mother is] interested in her own survival and her future reproduction," Associate Professor Coulson said
Size of his belly no wonder he's so happy!
I need to know its secret to happiness, qoukkly!!! XP XD
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That pigeon was a bada$$
Given a medal too
The pigeon then morphed in to its human form as Chuck Norris
Bird is the word
Now that is dedication to your job.
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From Wikipedia:
Israel KaÊ»anoÊ»i KamakawiwoÊ»ole[a] (May 20, 1959 – June 26, 1997), also called Braddah IZ or just simply IZ, was a Native Hawaiian musician and singer. He achieved commercial success and popularity outside of Hawaii with his 1993 studio album, Facing Future. His medley of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World" was released on his albums Ka Ê»AnoÊ»i and Facing Future, and was subsequently featured in various media. The song has had 358 weeks on top of the World Digital Songs chart, making it the longest-leading number-one hit on any of the Billboard song charts.
Kamakawiwoʻole struggled with obesity throughout his life, at one point weighing 757 pounds (343 kg) while standing 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 m) tall. He endured several hospitalizations because of his weight. With chronic medical problems including respiratory and cardiac issues, Kamakawiwoʻole died at the age of 38 in the Queen's Medical Center in Honolulu at 12:18 a.m. on June 26, 1997, from respiratory failure.
See and hear him sing the song by clicking on:
- Otto
Such a beautiful song!
It is. I can't listen to it without crying!
Bruddah IZ! His funeral stopped traffic for a large portion of the island. Rightly so.
I can't listen to this any more. It was played at the funeral of a wee boy who was a family friend as his little coffin was taken out of the church. My heart aches for them every single day.
It's a shame he died so young.
I sang that song to both my kids (along with the Beer Barrel Polka) to both my kids aa lullabies. Thanks to my mom. It will always remind me of her.
Beer Barrel Polka as a lullaby, lol!
I think he died soon after recording, and he knew he didn't have much longer to live.
Such a beautiful voice he had
My very favorite version ❤️
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