My mother’s pumpkin scones recipe is one of my son’s favourite recipes. He has been using the recipe for years and it never fails. It’s a special reminder of a much-loved grandmother who was a gifted home cook. You’ll find … Read More
In my family archives, I have a number of old letters. One is a 3-page letter my father wrote to my mother, brother and me 70 years ago, while a guest at the Sea View Hotel, Townsville, north Queensland. I … Read More
This story is a tribute to the Queensland Country Women’s Association (QCWA), which is celebrating its 100th anniversary on 11 August 2022, and the Kingaroy Branch, which is also celebrating its centenary in August this year. The Kingaroy Branch of … Read More
In 2019, during a visit to Birdsville, my husband and I explored the Birdsville Cemetery. It’s an iconic site. The Birdsville Cemetery is not only a sacred place but also a window into the town and district’s remarkable history. Buried … Read More
Who would have thought that a story about my great-grandparents and the house my great-grandfather built on “Mons” would create so much interest and add to my Beaumont Family history? Thomas Bloomfield Beaumont and Elizabeth Mary Ann Beaumont (nee Tancred) … Read More
We arrived in Germany on Tuesday 21 December. It was wintertime. When my husband Tony and I left Brisbane, the temperature was 32 degrees Celsius; when we arrived in Frankfurt am Main, 24 hours later, the temperature was -2 degrees … Read More
We met our snow angels at the bakery in Cottbus on January 5, 2016. The chance encounter lasted about 1½ hours. The three “snow angels” rescued my husband Tony and me and cared for us in our time of need. … Read More
Damper is an iconic Australian soda bread made from wheat flour, water or milk, a pinch of salt and a rising agent. You may use milk powder instead of fresh milk, and add butter or oil. Using these simple ingredients, you … Read More
This Christmas, I’m making Betty’s Jelly Slice as a special treat for my family and friends. It’s colourful (fitting for the season), melt-in-your-mouth delicious and (most importantly) super-easy to prepare. If you have been following my blog, you may remember … Read More
Do you wonder what school was like for children growing up in Australia 100 years ago? My mother Evelyn, who grew up in rural Queensland in the 1920s, often spoke of her schooldays and the small one-teacher school she attended. … Read More
In Victoria between 1907 and 1923, four, possibly five, of the six siblings of the Lowe Family died after contracting tuberculous. All were young adults, in the prime of their lives. The first, in 1907, was a female, 23. The … Read More
I have fond memories of my mother’s two-layered Ginger Sponge cake. It was one of the cakes she included in her Saturday morning baking and slices of which ended up in my school lunchbox the next week. Another cake my … Read More
In October 2019, as part of a western Queensland road trip, my husband and I took the Kennedy Development Road from Boulia to Winton, a distance of 362 kilometres. The road traverses a vast, lonely and seemingly desolate part of … Read More
My first experience of “Italian” food was my mother’s spaghetti with bacon, onion, tomato and grated cheddar cheese. As a child, I thought it was really delicious, but my father was not so enthusiastic. After all, he had tasted real … Read More
During a visit to Croydon last year, my husband and I spent time exploring the historic Croydon Cemetery. Gazetted as a cemetery in 1889, the heritage-listed Croydon Cemetery is the only one of ten cemeteries in the district still in … Read More
