Celebrating 50 Years of Adventures Through Space and TIme

It was on the 23rd of November 1963, at 5.15pm, that Doctor Who made its debut. About 25 minutes later the 4.4 million people who were tuned to BBC Television saw the TARDIS take off for the very first time. Television history was made and cemented four weeks later when the most fearsome sink-plunger in the universe made it's first appearance and  Dalekmania seized the UK.

This November marks 50 years since Doctor Who made its debut. To have lasted 26 years as the classic series did is a remarkable achievement. To still be on air 50 years after it began and arguably more popular than ever is something few TV series have done. To date eleven actors have played the role of the Doctor, with a twelfth joining their distinguished ranks when Peter Capaldi takes over from Matt Smith on Christmas Day. Incidentally at 55, Peter Capaldi is exactly the same age William Hartnell was when he first set foot on the TARDIS  in 1963. Spooky, eh?

While we wait for the screening of the anniversary special The Day of the Doctor why not delve into Doctor Who's past and present with the great range of materials held by Hurstville Library. Explore the 50th Anniversary Collection featuring stories of all eleven Doctors or watch DVDs of the classic adventures, The Twin Dilemma and  Lost in Time which contails all the "orphaned" episodes. The soon to be released  The Vault; the official history of the show's production will be a must read. There's something for all Doctor Who fans at Hurstville Library.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Sailor: 100 Women 100 Brooches 100 Stories Exhibition

Stella (‘Miles’) Franklin - Novelist and Prize Founder

Miles Franklin was an iconic Australian author and an obvious choice to be included in an exhibition revolving around remarkable women. Growing up in rural Australia at the turn of the 20th century, Miles witnessed daily the hard work, pain and sacrifice her mother experienced maintaining a household and raising children. Miles resolved to never marry to save herself this physical and emotional hardship, and though she had several partners, she stuck to this decision.

Miles was taught to read and write by her mother and at the age of 16 began work on her most famous novel My Brilliant Career. The book was published when Miles was 19, and shortly thereafter removed from print by Miles herself after family and friends complained about the intimate nature of the contents.

In 1906 Miles travelled to America where she remained for 30 years doing various work, most notably with the National Women’s Trade Union League of America and as a volunteer nurse in WWI.

In the 1930s Miles relocated to Australia and took over the family home in Carlton, in the St George area. From this home she wrote one of her most successful novels, All that Swagger (1936).

Miles Franklin is commemorated in this exhibition with a brooch created by Roseanne Bartley from found plastic. She has aimed to represent the ideal behind the Miles Franklin Award and indeed My Brilliant Career, in showing that items that seem of little cultural significance, such as a discarded plastic spoon or the life choice of one young woman in rural Australia, can be shaped to reflect the cultural experience of a generation and of course, to create something beautiful.[1]

Roseanne Bartley, M is for, 2011.
Found plastic, 925 silver and stainless steel, 68x74x76 mm.
Photograph Rod Buchholz.

Don’t miss your chance to see this brooch and many more!

Tinker Tailor Soldier Sailor: 100 Woman 100 Brooches 100 Stories is on show from 26 October - 15 December 2013 at Hurstville Museum & Gallery.

Visit our website for more information

Tinker Tailor Soldier Sailor is an artisan travelling exhibition, toured by Museum & Gallery Services Queensland.

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[1] Information taken from Franzidis, Evie, Tales of 100 Inspirational Australian Women, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Sailor, artisan, Fortitude Valley, Queensland, 2011, p.52.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Sailor: 100 Brooches 100 Women 100 Stories

The Honourable Dame Roma Flinders Mitchell

Roma Mitchell was Australia’s first female judge. Born in Adelaide in 1913, she followed her father’s footsteps and won a scholarship to study law at the University of Adelaide. She was one of only 10 graduates, and the only woman, who successfully found employment during the difficult Depression era.

Roma served as a barrister for 28 years, specialising in matrimonial law and eventually became a partner in a law firm. In 1962, she became the first Australian woman to be appointed Queen’s Counsel, a title recognising her expertise and seniority.  In 1965 Roma became a judge in the Supreme Court. She remained the only women to be appointed a judge in an Australian superior court during her 18 years of service and made many significant contributions to landmark cases and reports.  

Dame Roma Mitchell supported legislative action aimed at the equality of women, lobbied for and chaired the Human Rights Commission and endlessly strove to encourage more women to take up academic appointments. Roma became the first woman to be appointed Governor of South Australia in 1991 and was a well-loved figure.

Katheryn Leopoldseder, Roma Mitchell hair brooch, 2011.
Nylon hair, oxidised 925 silver and stainless steel.
Photograph Rod Buchholz.

Katheryn Leopoldseder created a brooch symbolising the legal wig, exploring the symbolic notion of hair and the way in which Roma symbolically exchanged her own hair for the legal wig and the leadership and authority associated with it. The brooch was crafted using nylon hair, oxidized 925 silver and stainless steel.[i]

Don’t miss your chance to see this brooch and many more!

Tinker Tailor Soldier Sailor: 100 Woman 100 Brooches 100 Stories is on show from 26 October - 15 December 2013 at Hurstville Museum & Gallery.

Visit our website for more information.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Sailor is an artisan travelling exhibition, toured by Museum & Gallery Services Queensland.

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[i] Information taken from Franzidis, Evie: Tales of 100 Inspirational Australian Women, in: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Sailor: 100 Women, 100 Brooches, 100 Stories, artisan, Fortitude Valley, Queensland, 2011, p. 84.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Sailor: 100 Women 100 Brooches 100 Stories Exhibition

Hurstville Museum & Gallery is opening an exciting new exhibition Tinker, Tailor,Soldier, Sailor: 100 Woman 100 Brooches 100 Stories on the 25 October 2013. 

It is the largest jewellery exhibition ever seen in Australia and was originally created to celebrate the 2011 centenary of International Women’s Day.
The exhibition is an artisan travelling exhibition, toured by Museum & Gallery Services Queensland.

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Sailor relates to an old nursery rhyme sung by little girls to predict the profession of their future husband. ‘Not in their wildest dreams could they have imagined that all the professions recited, from priest to lawyers, would one day be occupations for women.’[1]

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Sailor celebrates the professional achievements of 100 Australian women through the creation of 100 brooches, crafted by 100 of Australia’s finest female jewellers. The women featured were chosen by Dr Dorothy Erickson, an eminent jeweller and history enthusiast and their achievements are in every field imaginable – from tinker to tailor; bishop to soldier; bullocky to lawyer. Amongst the famous women included are Saint Mary Mackillop, Cecilia May Gibbs, Miles Franklin and Kylie Kwong.

The exhibition will run from 26 October - 15 December 2013. Don’t miss out on your only chance to see this exhibition in Sydney!

You are welcome to join us for the official opening on
Friday 25 October 6.00pm for a 6.30pm start. 

Please RSVP to (02) 9330 6444 or museumgallery@hurstville.nsw.gov.au

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[1] Erickson, Dorothy: What wonderful women, in: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Sailor: 100 Women, 100 Brooches, 100 Stories, artisan, Fortitude Valley, Queensland, 2011, p. 1. 

DVDs Coming Soon

Below are some new DVDs that will be available for loan soon.Reserve one now!

Still Mine - Official selection for Toronto Film Festival 2013.  James Cromwell winner for Best Actor at the Canadian Screen Awards 2013
The Page Turner - Festival De Cannes Official Selection 2006
The Hunt - Mads Mikkelsen winner for Best Actor at the Cannes Film Festival 2012
The Tall Man - starring Jessica Biel
Changi - Australian TV mini series
Anthony Callea: Live In Concert - performs songs from his first album including The Prayer and Bridge Over Troubled Water

Fat As Butter Festival & Free Music CDs

The Fat As Butter Festival is on Saturday 26 October on The Foreshore, Newcastle. Can't make it to Newcastle? Hurstville Library has some great albums by bands appearing at the festival. Borrow them for free.

Halcyon Days - Glass Towers on order
To You - Battleships on order
Bombs Away - Scams on order
Think Bigger - Cosmo Jarvis on order
Audio Projectile - Dialectrix on order
Night Swim - Owl Eyes on order
Rubens - Rubens
Head of the Hawk/Company/Triple J's Hottest 100 Volume 19- Bluejuice
Harlequin Dream - Boy & Bear/  - on order
Circus In the Sky/Flowers In the Pavement/So Fresh Hits of Spring 2013 - Bliss n Eso
Controller - British India

You may also be interested in our free online music/music video collection.  All members of Hurstville City Library are entitled to three free downloads per week from Freegal.  Why pay for music and music video downloads when all your favourite Sony artists are available for free? For more information see one of our friendly staff at the information desk.

25 Books You DON'T Need to Read Before You Die

It seems to be a fashion of the times to publish various lists relating to the X number of things you need to read/watch/visit before you die. In July a writer in the Sunday Telegraph decided to buck this trend and publish a list of the 25 books you don't need to read before you die.

While all this is a matter of individual taste, the list is printed in full below. And the good news is Hurstville Library holds all the titles included so you can read them for yourself and make up your own mind.

1. Eucalyptus by Murray Bail
2. Ulysses by James Joyce
3. Cloudstreet by Tim Winton
4. The Dice Man by Luke Rhinehart
5. Catch 22 by Joseph Heller
6. To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf
7. The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas
8. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
9. One the Road by Jack Kerouac
10. The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
11. Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie
12. Oscar &  Lucinda by Peter Carey
13. My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Pocoult
14. Sons and Lovers by D.H. Lawrence
15. We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver
16. 50 Shades of Grey by E.L. James
17. Crime and Punishment by Fydor Dostoyevsky
18. Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
19. Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts
20. Tess of the d'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy
21. Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator by Roald Dahl
22. Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
23. The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Wesiberger
24. The Secret by Rhonda Byrne
25. The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield