The Real Imitation Game – Paul Hannah
Movies frequently misrepresent history, and The Imitation Game made some awful errors in the name of making an exciting movie. However the real story of the years of hard work, genius and secret machinations should be told as well. At the end of the First World War, Arthur Scherbius a German electrical engineer applied for […]
The Battle of Stalingrad by Paul Hannah
What D-Day was for the Allies in the West, the Battle of Stalingrad was for the Russians in the east. The people of Stalingrad suffered two great misfortunes in the Second World War. Firstly they had the poor judgment to be in between Hitler and The Eastern European oil fields and secondly, Stalin named the […]
Samford’s Best Kept Secret
© Mary Mageau Whenever the yen for discovery returns, it is time to pack a picnic lunch and be off for the day. Not for us—the freeways with their endless lines of speeding traffic and sterile scenery. Instead we head for the back roads and byways, where many surprises are found. High in the […]
Agent Zigzag by Paul Hannah
Eddie Chapman had told his new girlfriend Betty Farmer, that he was in the film industry. That wasn’t entirely true, yes he had worked as an extra in a couple of films but she had no idea his main income came from crime. Eddie was a career criminal. He began with burglary, graduated to blackmail […]
The Bunya Pine, By Richard Carroll
The Bunya Pine Before the arrival of the white colonists, the bunya pine was of significant importance to the Aboriginal people of South-East Queensland. Despite its name, the bunya pine (Araucaria bidwilli) is a conifer and not a true pine. The genus name Araucaria has its origins in the word Arauco, an area in Southern […]
The Naming of Brisbane – By Richard Carroll
Here is a short article written by one of our members, Richard Carroll, in which he discusses how Brisbane was both founded and named – Intriguing stuff. The Naming of Brisbane In mid-September 1824 the government brig Amity sailed into Moreton Bay and deposited Lieutenant Henry Miller at Red Cliff Point on the peninsula opposite […]
Bangkok – The First Installment
As promised a while ago, here is the first of Paul Hannah’s accounts of his trip to Europe to follow in the footsteps of an ordinary allied soldier in the second world war. Bangkok was as Bangkok always is, only more so. Hot, loud, and in your face politeness, from the Dutch girl who checked […]
How To Switch Sides In The Middle Of A Battle – Paul Hannah
Here is a short article on a risk of warfare that I for one have never given thought to.. How To Switch Sides In The Middle Of A Battle Switching sides in a war is a process fraught with danger. Running toward an enemy position with your hands up can be thought of as treasonous […]
Place of the Dead Houses. By Mary Mageau
Place of the Dead Houses Mary Mageau ‘Come along, Amity. It’s your bedtime now.’ ‘Mum, I’m trying to brush my hair but it’s full of snarls.’ ‘Let me tease them out of your curls then we’ll lie down together for a story.’ As Mary Thompson took the brush from her daughter she asked, ‘What tale […]
McGyver’s Lucky Day – A Messy Naval Engagement.
A short but dramatic account by Paul Hannah of a very messy naval battle in the second world war, in which a young seaman demonstrated that good judgement is inherent, and not something that necessarily comes with age. Soldiers, sailors and airmen are usually known as great pragmatists, except in one respect, those of them […]
