Dr Mark St Leon is descended from one of Australia’s earliest circus families, and is the author of the definitive history of circus in Australia, Circus: The Australian Story .Having obtained a Bachelor of Economics, he qualified as a Chartered Accountant, serving as Senior Finance Officer (1983-1994) of the Australia Council, the Federal Government’s arts … Continue reading "Under the Big Top Circus in Australia: 1847-2025, a talk by Dr Mark St Leon"

The NSW SES was founded in 1955 and serves the community of NSW as the lead agency for flood, storm and tsunami, as specified by the State Emergency Service Act 1989 (NSW).Peter Kaye, a retired Commander of the State Emergency Service Ashfield branch has undertaken to address us on the History of the Service in … Continue reading "Coming to Our Rescue: Seventy Years of the SES"

Callan Park is one of the largest heritage cultural landscapes in the metropolitan area, increasingly threatened by development plans. We are privileged to have Hall Greenland, Friends of Callan Park President, taking our group through significant parts of the site, starting at the c1839 Garry Owen House, the original estate mansion (later renamed Callan Park … Continue reading "History and Drama of Callan Park"

Please Note...This is a Saturday Event Concurrent with this year’s 198th annual Riot Day organised by the Parramatta Female Factory Friends. Riot Day is one of the rare occasions when access to interiors of some of the buildings is possible, so we have arranged to have a special guided tour starting at 10am, dedicated for … Continue reading "Parramatta Female Factory Visit"