Prowling around The Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan are a group of Hello Koalas visiting from Port Macquarie. These cute sculptures are attracting a lot of attention from Mums, Dads, Grandparents and children. These folk are enchanted by the visiting koala who return to Port Macquarie at the end of April.
Category: Local Studies
Camden Showgirl, the enduring appeal of a rural pageant
The Showgirl competition (formerly Miss Showgirl) is a complex mix of paradoxes and apparent contradictions reflecting many aspects of rural life. The pageant is an exercise in women's agency with differing representations of womanhood.
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Traditional trades, the legacy of Camden’s carpenters
Carpentry, vital in Camden for centuries, began with Aboriginal bush carpentry using local materials for survival. European settlers adopted this craft, creating simple structures and relying on ingenuity. Formal carpentry evolved with guilds and apprenticeships, maintaining traditional techniques and tools, shaping Camden's architectural landscape with lasting quality.
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Camden’s heritage inventory
The Camden Heritage Inventory has a list of Camden properties of local and state significant to the district. The formation of the Camden Council Heritage Advisory Committee has assisted the promotion of heritage in the Camden LGA.
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Camden Show Sponsors’ Night
The Camden Show committee expressed gratitude to sponsors during the 2025 event, highlighting the long-term support from Hennings Jewellers. President David Dunbier anticipated 48,000 attendees and addressed past challenges, while Ellen Stucki shared her ambassadorial experience. The show, a prominent regional event since 1886, strengthens community identity and engagement.
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Motherhood and nation-building in the early 20th century
Around the turn of the century a direct link was made between infant welfare, motherhood, patriotism and nationalism. Motherhood and mothering were expressed in terms of patriotism and a national priority. All driven by European exceptionalism.
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Bottled milk and hygienic dairies: agricultural modernism
Camden Vale Milk was produced by the dairies of Camden Park Estate. It was promoted as ‘Free from Tubercule, Typhoid and Diphtheria Bacilli’. Camden Vale promised that its milk was ‘rich, clean’ and ‘safe’ in an advertisement for the 1931 Health and Baby Welfare Week.
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Macarthur FC: Symbolism, Regional History, and Nationalism
Macarthur FC, the newest A-League team, represents the Macarthur region in soccer. The club's identity is rooted in regional symbols and colors, including ochre to honor the local Dharawal Aboriginal people. Their use of the Macarthur name signifies the colonial and regional history. The club's presence is expected to shape Macarthur's identity and visibility nationally and internationally.
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The Camden News affronted by Sydney ‘flappers’ and the appearance of the modern girl.
The modern girl appeared in Camden in the 1920s as she did elsewhere in the world. One representation of the modern girl was the 'flapper' who had a variety of responses in the town.
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Take a stroll through the past
The past is all around us and has created the present. The present would not exist without the past. We need to understand the past to understand the present.
