Friday, March 28, 2014

Author Talk with Deborah O'Brien at Hurstville Library

Deborah O'Brien
Join Deborah O'Brien at Hurstville Library when she launches her new book, A Place of Her Own, a contemporary romance in an Australian setting. With a strong female character, this new work is the third in the Millbrooke trilogy, following Mr Chen's Emporium and The Jade Widow.
Deborah is a teacher, visual artist and writer. She has written several non-fiction books, short stories and contributed articles to a variety of magazines. With family links to rural NSW, she divides her time between the city and a country cottage, overlooking a creek frequented by platypuses.

 Praise for The Jade Widow, "O'Brien delivers accuracy and grace in this deftly written tale." - Australian Women's Weekly
Visit Deborah's website to find out more about her and her work

 
Hurstville Library
cnr Queens Rd & Dora St, Hurstville
Thursday 1 May 2014 @ 1pm
Bookings essential: 9330 6142
Book available for sale & signing
Light refreshments from 12.30pm

Law Week 2014 – Free Solicitor's Talk on 'Planning the Future', Friday 16 May


This year Hurstville Library, Museum & Gallery along with Hurstville City Council are celebrating Law Week with a free Solicitor's talk.

Solicitor, James Kelly from Owen Hodge Lawyers will deliver a talk on ‘Planning the Future - Wills and Power of Attorney’, at Hurstville Library on Friday 16 May 2014, 11-12pm.
Read more about our Guest Speaker here 

This talk will be a great opportunity to find out what you need to know about planning for your family’s future, and how you can find more information through 'Find Legal Answers', a free state-wide service at you local public library and online.
 
Bookings are essential http://www.trybooking.com/EVCN

Find Legal Answers online and at your local public library!
 
Rest Assured: A legal guide to wills, estates and funerals in NSW' can help you understand all the basics: funerals, making a valid will, executors, changing or revoking a will, probate, and what  happens if you don’t make a will.

Find 'Rest Assured' in the tool kit stand in your local public library and online at www.legalanswers.sl.nsw.gov.au

For more information online, and in your local public library, see ‘Wills, estates and planning ahead’ on the Find Legal Answers website.
 
Find Legal Answers on Pinterest
 

Friday, March 21, 2014

Academy of Country Music Awards


The CMA’s are  being presented on 6 April, 2014.

Miranda Lambert is up for seven nominations in total including a nomination for "Entertainer of the Year". Mama’s Broken Heart" and her new single "Automatic" are available from Hurstville Library's free music download site, Freegal.
 

Other nominated artist’s available from the Freegal site are:
Male Vocalist of the Year: Jason Aldean
Vocal Duo of the Year:  Love & Theft,  Thompson Square
Video of the Year: Carrie Underwood: Two Black Cadillac’s
Female Vocalist of the Year:  Carrie Underwood
 
Are you a member of Hurstville City Library? If your answer is yes, then you are entitled to three free downloads per week. Video clips and streaming are also available. If you're not then your missing a great opportunity to create personalized playlists for free, so join now.



 
 

 

IF THESE WALLS COULD TALK

Stories from 14 MacMahon Street – St George Rugby Club


Image courtesy of Craig Fear

In the 1960s, 14 MacMahon Street became the new club house and recreational centre for the St George Rugby Club. St George Rugby players, families and friends, the opposing teams and referees would meet after Saturday home games at the clubhouse for speeches, sing-a-longs and a good time. Later in the evenings a three man band, all rugby players, performed upstairs and everybody started dancing on a little dance floor.

Craig Fear, one of the players, still remembers:

“The floor used to bounce around and anyone in that first room were always a bit worried about to be sitting there, because the ceiling used to bounce up and down.”


The main bar area, today’s main gallery, was the ‘real rugby room’ where everyone mingled. In the early days of the clubhouse women weren’t allowed in. They had to stay in a separate ‘lady’s lounge’ and waive to their male friends to order a new drink.


 
Image courtesy of Craig Fear

On display in the exhibition is the original door sign of the St George Rugby Club. The screw holes for it are still visible next to our Museum & Gallery entrance door.


These are just some of the stories of 14 MacMahon Street. Come and visit the multisensory exhibition IF THESE WALLS COULD TALK  to find out more about the building’s past.


Exhibition is proudly sponsored by

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

IF THESE WALLS COULD TALK

Stories from 14 MacMahon Street – Dr Crakanthorp’s home & practice




14 MacMahon Street, now known as Hurstville Museum & Gallery, was built in 1929 by Dr John Crakanthorp, as his family home and doctor’s practice. Together with his wife Valerie, two daughters Rosemary and Philippa and his dog Thrifty, he lived and worked in the house for over 30 years.

Courtesy of Philippa Williams.
At the front of the house on the right, as you enter the property was the Crakanthorp’s lounge room, with a cosy fireplace and double-doors which led out onto a side garden. The gardens were well known in the area and people would travel just to see the magnificent azaleas in bloom. Dr Crakanthorp's healing hands also had a green thumb, growing orchids in orchid houses he built on the property and selling them overseas.

Courtesy of the Crakanthorp family. 
The dining room led off the lounge room, featuring a sunroom and Valerie’s writing desk, where Philippa remembers her mother sitting on many occasions. Upstairs were the bedrooms and main bathrooms and a balcony which overlooked the side garden.

However these areas were never seen by the patients of Dr Crakanthorp. The surgery had its own separate side entrance which led into a small waiting room. In those days, doctors did everything – they delivered babies, fixed broken arms and removed infected tonsils. Several people recall having a tonsillectomy done by Dr Crakanthorp, however they didn’t always go according to plan. Pam Taylor remembers the doctor visiting her at home as she began haemorrhaging after the operation.

Some antique tonsillectomy equipment is on currently on display at the Museum & Gallery as part of the exhibition. It is truly scary stuff!

But one of the most harrowing things to happen to 14 MacMahon Street was a lightning strike. On 12 February 1949 the roof gable at the back of the house, above Philippa’s bedroom, was sheared off by a bolt of lightning. A newspaper article reporting the “violent thunderstorms” stated that “tiles were hurled from the roof” and Philippa remembers tiles littering the lawn of their neighbours yard and debris from the strike which had fallen onto her bed.
Courtesy of the Crakanthorp family. 
These are just some of the stories of 14 MacMahon Street. Come and visit the multisensory exhibition IF THESE WALLS COULD TALK to find out more about the building’s past.


Exhibition proudly sponsored by


Monday, March 10, 2014

WOMADELAIDE 7 to 10 March 2014





There were so many amazing artists who performed at Womadelaide 2014. Did you want to be a part of the festival but couldn't get there or did you go and would like to relive some of the amazing music? 

Take a look at the following list of albums and talented performers who where performing at Womadelaide this year. These titles are in the library music CD collection and are free for library members to borrow.  On order titles are expected to land on our shelves in a matter of weeks so get in early and place a reservation on your favourite album.  Reservations are also free for library members.

WOMADELAIDE: Sound s ofthe Planet 2011
Tooth and Nail by BillyBragg
Carried In Mind by JeffLang
Half Seas Over – JeffLang
Middle Cyclone – Neko Case
Tumbling Into The Dawn –Lior
Tekitoi  by Rachid Taha
Insomnia – MeganWashington
Long Gone Whistle –compilation including Megan Washington
Time of Our Lives - ABC Music
Songs 2003-2013 by Ane Brun   on order
Compassion by Lior on order
Armchair Education byLiving Room on order
The Worse Things Get, TheHarder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I love you – Neko Case on order
Since The Last Time by Arrested Development on order
Life’s A Riot With Spy vsSpy by Billy Bragg on order
In My Skin by Buika on order
Alma by Carminho on order
JonCleary and The Absolute Monster Gentlemen by Jon Cleary on order
He Who Travels Far by Hanggai  on order
Blak and Blue by KutchaEdwards on order
Moving On by Loren Kate on order
Pokey Lafarge – PokeyLafarge on order
Leave It All Behind –Saskwatch on order