History

These images are drawn from a 278-page photographic documentary chronicling the evolution of the village of Bangalow between 1900 to 1960. Called A Splash of Colour, the book to be launched on 28 August at Ninbella Gallery, and is an ideal keepsake.  Images from the Bangalow Historical Society’s archives were selected by local filmmaker and photographer, Terry Bleakley – who…

Tricia Shantz has followed the success of her first book, Neverland – a social history tracing the arrival and cultural impact on Byron Bay of American and Australian surfers in the 1960s – with Musicland: When the music came to Byron 1974 to 1995. Here, she speaks with Christobel Munson about what she discovered from her fascinating interviews, primarily with…

A tiny team of volunteers keep the action happening and the lights on, in the historic hall on the hill. Christobel Munson investigates its origins and how it’s done.

What’s behind the heightened interest of schools and teachers to expose their students to ways of absorbing knowledge other than in the classroom? Christobel Munson noticed things are changing with scores of students – primary and secondary – learning at our local museum and park.

When Bangalow architect Duncan Sproul joined forces with Sally and Dhugal Cowan to restore Maclean’s Argyle Hotel, they proved heritage pubs can thrive without pokies or paint-by-numbers renovations, writes Sally Schofield.

Christobel Munson was one of six people who bought the Fowler family farm on Fowlers Lane in 1994. They transformed it from a former farm into a thriving Intentional Community Title property of 12 households. Here, she reflects on the changes.

Brian Shultz (Shultzy) was born in 1938 and posted to Bangalow police station as sergeant in 1974. Shortly after arriving in town he joined the Bangalow Cricket Club. The club was formed in the 1950s but there are records of games being played between Bangalow and Byron from the early 1900s. Cricket was originally played at the show grounds, sharing…

The next exhibition to be held at the Bangalow Historical Society’s museum, titled Uncovering our Past, explores life in our area before white settlement. In preparing for the exhibition, Tanya Pearson, one of the museum’s team of expert researchers, delved into the archives at Southern Cross University, where she works as librarian.

There are places within a short drive from Bangalow that you can visit to learn about local Bundjalung culture. Once you start looking, you will discover that Bundjalung is present all around us, just waiting to be noticed, admired, and respected.

A cracking yarn about large livestock and the history of a long-forgotten event at the Bangalow Show, from Neville Maloney.

The story of how Abracadabra came to be, 50 years ago this year, paints a picture of a very different time in an almost unrecognisable place. “Terminal to trendy,” laughs proprietor Hamilton Du Lieu of the transformation he has witnessed the town go through over a half century of enormous change. The 70s saw Bangalow very down on its luck….

Digby Hildreth reports on the anniversary of ‘the rehab up the road’.