Recollections September 2021 No images? Click here About Recollections What's On Find your vintage, antique and retro treasure at the Collectorville Fair, Sunday 24 October, 9am - 2pm PLUS Free entry for fair attendees to the Redland Museum adjoining the showground. BOOKINGS OPENING SOON ONGOING EXHIBITIONexplore and learn at Redland Museum Merchant Navy Day Redland Museum commemorated International Merchant Navy Day on 3 September with a display of six ship paintings on loan from the Queensland Maritime Museum. This date is the anniversary of the first merchant marine sinking of World War 11. This was the British liner SS Athenia which was torpedoed and sunk by a German submarine 10 hours after Britain's declaration of war in 1939. Merchant ships, often unarmed, transported service personnel, supplies and equipment and some were converted into military hospital ships. The Battle of the Atlantic, lasting almost the entire duration of World War 11, resulted in 3,000 Allied merchant ships being sunk and 30,000 Allied mariners being lost at sea. The Australian War Memorial estimates that over 800 Australian merchant mariners died serving the Allied cause during the World Wars. The Seamen's Union of Australia estimates that 386 Australian merchant mariners lost their lives in World War 11. Not all merchant ships were sunk in the distant Atlantic. The SS Kowarra, owned by Australian Steamships Pty Ltd and built in 1916, was on its way from Bowen to Brisbane with a cargo of sugar when it was sunk by a torpedo of a Japanese submarine in April 1943 off Sandy Cape on Fraser Island - 21 lives were lost. The SS Macumba, owned by Australasian United Steam Navigation Co and built in 1919, was transporting supplies and war materials from Brisbane to Darwin when it was attacked and sunk by Japanese aircraft in August 1943 with 3 lives lost. The wreck of SS Macumba was found in 2017, 74 years after its sinking, in the Arafura Sea north of the Arnhem Land coastline. The Centaur, originally a vessel of the British Merchant Navy, was commissioned as an Australian Hospital Ship (AHS) in 1943 and was sunk on 14 May 1943 by a torpedo of a Japanese submarine off Moreton Island with 268 lives lost. Other countries established their merchant fleet in Australia. By 1942, the Royal Netherlands Merchant Line had 20 ships in Australian waters and American Liberty Ships, manned by merchant seamen, were a familiar sight in Brisbane and Townsville. References: Caravan Camping Boating & 4x4 Expo The Museum opened its doors for patrons of the Caravan, Camping, Boating and 4x4 Expo on 16-18 September. As always, the blacksmiths were very popular as was our catering and raffles. The Garrett steam engine and tractor were a drawcard and many people enjoyed our artefacts and displays. excite your imagination at Redland Museum Switch on to Science Hard working volunteers meet to discuss final arrangements for the inaugural Switch on to Science. What a fantastic day it was on 30 September when our science day came to life. All that planning was worth it to see adults and children learn about topics such as: What is science?, metals and blacksmithing, photography, computers, measuring time, printing, internal combustion and steam engines, telephone and telegraph, recorded music, microbes and germs, and fibres and dyes. Above: The "Surfing Scientist" Ruben Meerman entertains and educates children on the periodic table of chemical elements. Below: Anthony Mitchell from the Queensland Telecommunications Museum speaking on telephones and the telegraph. What did you enjoy Most? The surfing Scientist was a popular response as was "all of it" & "everything" "you were all wonderfully friendly" "What fascinating Science did you learn...? "reactive and non reactive gases" - "Heat metal and it bends" "the engines and how to make liquid nitrogen" Thank you to our volunteers who made the day enjoyable and informative. "more of the same next time " GLOWING COMMENTS FROM A VISITOR TO THE The Museum received an email from Zrinka Johnston who says she has sent the following letter to the Editor at Redland City Bulletin. I must express publicly my fulsome appreciation of the outstanding Switch on to Science event held at the Redlands Museum on Thursday 30 September. My grandkids and I attended 8 of the 14 presentations on offer. They were all great. No, not great, almost all were spectacular. All the presenters were generous explaining what they were demonstrating and then in allowing kids to participate in using the machines they were demonstrating. Kids loved them and even shy children became involved when they saw other kids shouting with glee sending messages on the telegraph machines and spinning yarn from bundles of sheep's wool. The blacksmith presentation was a rare blast from the past that really resonated with kids and their adult companions. My grandkids loved best talking on the old telephones with wind-up handles. The best overall hour-long presentation was Reuben Meerman performing several explosions with liquid nitrogen as The Surfing Scientist. Even my 7 year old granddaughter understood his simplified explanation of the Periodic Table of elements and my 10 year old found it so interesting he agreed that I could recommend that his primary school repeat the presentation to the upper classes in his school. Many of the presenters were experts in their field and others were local Redlands Museum staffers. Wow, what a talented and generous bunch of people we have here! And what a wonderful organisation is The Redlands Museum. They will certainly get my vote for best local organisation! escape to a different world at Redland Museum New Management Committee At the Redland Museum Annual General Meeting on 7 September 2021, a new management committee was elected to take us through to our 50th year. A big thank you to elected members who have taken on these responsible roles. Meet Our Life Members L to R: Over 49 years of Redland Museum's operation, 32 members have been awarded Life Membership. Sadly, 18 of those members have passed away. Redland Museum Life Membership is awarded to members who have rendered long and/or outstanding service to the Museum including major benefactors. Thank you Goodbye Best Wishes Our very talented receptionist, Jillian Tuckwood, has left us after two years of dedicated and committed service. She was farewelled at a party on 17 September. She has completed her museum studies and has taken the first big step to what we all know will be a brilliant career in the museum world. With her friendly and helpful manner, Jill made many friends at the Museum and will be missed. We hope to see her again as she has become a volunteer and will come back to help out. Good luck, Jill. Click the icon above to access our Facebook page! Follow us on Instagram and share with the younger (or the young at heart) members of your family and friends. The editors, Paul Ledington and Sharon Vassallo will endeavour to provide you with articles about Museum events and activities, Collection items, and historical facts on the Redlands. But we would like to hear from members. What would you like for inclusion? Do you have a story to tell? The newsletter will continue to be sent at the end of each month (except for December which may be earlier). Editors can be contacted at recollections@redlandmuseum.org.au |