Hidden histories, that what I’m into and also that’s what makes my soul tick. Trying to make the past and its many dead come back to life, even putting the clothes and skin back on their decaying bones – and letting their lives be known to our current, media and […]
Stories/Yarns
The Whale and Us – A True Story by Martin Kramer, Trial Bay Internment Camp (1916)
The Whale and Us By internee Martin Kramer, Trial Bay Internment camp, 1916 It was 1916 and for myself and 400 other prisoners of war, in the prison camp at Trial Bay in Australia, the war was over. We had been captured from German held islands, from Ceylon to the […]
Lungfish in the Gardens!
LUNGFISH IN THE GARDENS!! One day in 1872, someone saw two large strange fish in the pond of the Brisbane Botanic Gardens. Captain Peake had a seine net and that was taken down to the pond. The fish were caught and caused great astonishment, as no one at the time […]
Lost in the Bush – Dr von Lossberg’s ordeal
Lost in the Bush – a Doctor’s Story Born on 6 April 1837 at Hesse-Cassel in Germany, Dr William Henry (Wilhelm Heinrich) von Lossberg journeyed from Hamburg to Brisbane in 1863 as surgeon-superintendent on the ship, ‘Alster’. A bachelor at the time, Dr von Lossberg soon took up residence at […]
92 Sussex Street – The Accordion Master and the Wallet
92 Sussex Street – The Accordion Master and the Wallet by Mark Schuster When does an event that seems to be such an astounding coincidence actually have a meaning that we should heed? Also, real life events can be even stranger than our dreams – and when they do happen, […]
‘I tink I’ll haf Annuder Vone!’ – The love of Wine
‘I tink I’ll haf Annuder Vone!’ – The love of Wine Mac Scharfstein Max Scharfstein comed from Deutcherland Vence comes der larger beer Had Scharfstein stoped in Deutcherland Den he never vos been here! Old Max could not be here und dere Ve all must own vhats true As true […]
Exorcising the Swine!
Exorcising the Swine Many of the early settlers had troubles with their pigs – particularly with differences from the ‘old country’ and getting used to farming ways and techniques more suitable for the new land. One well known incident concerns the Marburg congregation and the well-loved Pastor Temme who ministered […]
The Day the Pigs Took Over
The Day the Pigs Took Over (a story by Herbert C Heilig) The following story by Herb Heilig demonstrates the importance and attachment that the German pioneers attached to their swine. ‘Years ago, farmers who lived reasonably close to a saleyards, also a few who didn’t, would sometimes ‘drive’ their […]
Snakes Alive!
Snakes Alive – Serpents and the German-Queensland Settlers The new settlers to Queensland were not at all familiar with snakes, Germany being home to only a few small and harmless species. In the bush of Queensland I’m sure they thought they must be surviving in a ‘living hell’, populated […]
Gott ist Gute
Dances, Crossroads, Hexen and Healers – ‘Gott ist gute, but the divil’s not too bad either’! ‘In a storm, you know why they covered mirrors? Because if you looked in a mirror during a storm quite often you could see the devil, that’s what my grandmother said, so you […]
