History

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…

Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Pearces Creek: every few weeks, international and Australian musicians depart from their big city touring schedule to play a gig at a humble country hall nestled in the hills a short drive from Bangalow, Digby Hildreth reports.

In a huge win for the Bangalow community, Byron Shire Council has unanimously supported the recommendations of a Heritage Assessment recognising the Bangalow Bowling Club’s social, cultural and architectural value. While the formal listing process still has steps to complete, the motion marks an important public acknowledgment: the Bowlo is more than a building. It is a place of continuity…

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…

You know the Show has begun in earnest when the Tannoy gets cranked up and Peter Crawford’s familiar voice rings out over the streets of downtown Bangalow. Georgia Fox sat down with the veteran announcer to learn how it came to be.

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.