by Annie Hamilton The crack as the first musket went off was like a clap of strange thunder. ‘Gid doon, boyo! Thair feering …’ A rough hand thrust Bill to the ground. He could hardly understand the Irishman’s words. Then he realised what he’d heard: ‘Get down, boy! They’re firing …’ A volley of shots […]
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by Graham McDonald Whirr–whirr–whirr–whirr–whirr … the boomerang sang as it began to circle back through the air towards David’s hand. He caught it easily, then fingered the smooth acacia wood, deep in thought. What if …? There were rumours coming out of America of two brothers who had made a flying machine. One with fixed wings. […]
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Ann Jarvis: Honouring mothers
by Graham McDonald Mothers have been celebrated over the centuries in various ways and with various traditions, possibly since before ancient Roman times. In the 1600s, the Church of England created ‘Mothering Sunday’ in recognition of Mary the mother of Jesus. Later this religious celebration was expanded to include honouring all mothers. As time passed the celebration […]
by Graham McDonald Holden is no more: General Motors announces the 164-year-old Aussie auto brand will be axed by the end of the year. – Business Insider Australia, 17 February 2020 This announcement caused shock waves throughout Australia as so many of the population had grown up with the Holden brand. This was a sad […]
by Chanell Diaz 14-year-old Joseph Rowntree, travelling with his father to Ireland, saw first-hand the appalling effects of the Great Famine, where at least one million poor people starved to death. This was to have a real impact on his life. From 1836 to 1850 the Irish potato crop, which would normally feed about […]
by Aira Chilcott Each year on 12 May, nurses everywhere are celebrated on International Nurses Day. It falls on this date because it is the birthday of Florence Nightingale, who has been called the ‘mother of modern nursing’ and is sometimes known as ‘the lady with the lamp’. Florence Nightingale was born to wealthy British […]
His grandfather helped William Booth found the Salvation Army and helped Hudson Taylor start the famous China Inland Mission. His mother Mary spent time working as a missionary in China with Hudson Taylor and with the Reverend George Brown in Papua New Guinea. With such a Christian heritage, it’s not surprising that when Frederick and […]