A step back in time

Our bushwalking club, All Nations Bushwalkers, is the sole surviving subgroup of a venerable old institution, the All Nations Club of Kings Cross.

The All Nations Club was formed in 1952 by a man called Bernhard Hammerman. http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/hammerman-bernhard-12587  It was specifically designed to provide a welcoming meeting place for post-war migrants, both for meeting locals and each other. It had its own building, with bars, a restaurant and meeting rooms, and provided leisure, culture, sport, the lot. Politicians and other luminaries flocked in to be on the bandwagon, and all kinds of special activity subgroups were founded, including the 'ANC Walkabout Group' (in 1962, we thought).

Eventually times changed, people moved on, the club closed. The bushwalkers kept going though.

This year we're celebrating the 50th anniversary of the bushwalking subgroup. It turns out it's officially only the 48th anniversary, but what the hell, we've gone too far with organising the various festivities to worry about that. Our newsletter mastheads have said 'Established 1962' for decades, and I think we can justify the two year discrepancy because the photographic group had been doing outings (and maybe bushwalks?) for a year or two before the formal walking group got started.

We spent a very interesting few hours in the Mitchell Library in the City last week, with its wood panelling and Captain Cook windows, researching old documents and early newsletters of the All Nations Club. It was fascinating reading. Here are a few of the articles. Take a look also at the video link  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRvvig1gFdA  featuring the man who thinks it was all run by "some gangster"!

N & F
Articles reproduced by us with our permission, from old copies of 'Welcome' newsletter

Goat Island

Today we went to Goat Island, one of the many islands in Sydney harbour, and one of the many islands people hardly ever get to. This is because the harbour and its islands are strictly controlled by various government authorities, and visitors are limited. This is quite sensible as a lot of history resides in these islands and this needs to be preserved.

So it was with some excitement we boarded our 1920s ferry that took us the short distance to Goat Island. Set against the dramatic backdrop of Sydney's shiny high rise buildings, the island is anything but 21st century. This is where convicts were brought in the early 1800s to hack away at the sandstone rocks to build a large gunpowder production and storage facility. They worked in shackles and were housed in small mobile huts. Their overseers were housed nearby in barracks.  One can only imagine the kind of life that was lived here. Convicts, worked to the bone, and soldiers ready with the lash at the smallest misdemeanour. We heard of one convict who was apparently so difficult, that he was made to live outside, chained to a rock.


Today there are only the remnants of this rough and wretched existence. Buildings made more beautiful by the passage of time sit in landscaped gardens, with stretches of lawn and graceful old trees. The gunpowder magazine still stands as do the barracks.

Over the years other buildings were constructed to house various officials and services such as the Fire Service, Water Police and so on, but today there is only one official residing here - a National Parks ranger and his family. We are green with envy. 

F