Blogs

"Westralia Shall Be Free" - the Western Australian Secession Referendum in 1933

On 8 April 1933, a referendum was held on the issue of Western Australia seceding from the Commonwealth of Australia. Two questions were posed; the first asking whether the voter was in favour “the State of Western Australia withdrawing from the Federal Commonwealth”, and the second asking voters if they were in favour of a Federal Convention of all the Australian States to propose alterations to the Australian constitution to allow for WA’s secession from the Commonwealth.

Gerard Foley Thursday, April 4, 2013 - 17:43

Archives about Cyclones in the Kimberley and North West

Tropical cyclones have occurred in the Kimberley and North West regions of WA for many, many thousands of years. The official records about cyclones in these areas appear with the arrival of European settlement in the mid to late 19th century. In the State Archives the earliest information about cyclones in the Kimberley can be found in the records of the Kimberley Resident Magistrate, and sometimes quite detailed accounts are to be found in Police records from the 1880s onward.

Gerard Foley Tuesday, January 15, 2013 - 12:50

SRO Celebrates Disability Awareness Week, 2-8 December 2012

Today there is much community and government activity in promoting awareness about people living with disabilities, and widespread support for advocacy, care and their independence in the community. For instance, government agencies such as WA’s Disability Services Commission promotes disability reform, information about disability service providers, the inclusion of disabled people in the community, and issues to do with access and universal design. But these developments are really only very recent.

Gerard Foley Friday, November 30, 2012 - 16:39

Remembering the Sydney

H.M.A.S Sydney was always a welcome visitor to Fremantle Harbour, with exuberant celebrations when she visited the port in 1924 and 1936 (Files 1924/771 and 1936/503, Cons 1703).   In 1941, Sydney had returned again to a quieter reception.  On 11 November, she sailed in escort of the troopship Zealandia, with an expected return of 20 November.  When she failed to appear back at port, it was assumed that she had been delayed, and her radio silence indicated that she may have been engaged in other naval activities.

Lise Summers Monday, November 19, 2012 - 16:41

Wildflowers in the State's Archives

It's Spring and Western Australia's wildflowers are in full bloom.  The State Archives collection contains a lot of information about WA's wild flowers, botany and "native flora" and a search on these terms using our online catalogue AEON reveals over 100 items in the collection; everything from the setting up of reserves for wild flowers to the conservation and management of WA's native flora, as well as the promotion of wild flowers as a drawcard for tourists.

Gerard Foley Tuesday, September 18, 2012 - 15:39

Shaun Micallef and the Pensioner Guards

The ‘Who Do You Think You Are’ episode about Shaun Micallef, broadcast on SBS on 27 March 2012, featured several State archives in the SRO’s collection, including particular items about the Enrolled Pensioner Force, more commonly known as Pensioner Guards. Micallef's ancestor, Patrick Sullivan, was a Pensioner Guard in WA and the episode revealed little known information about these settlers to Australia in the 19th century.

Gerard Foley Wednesday, March 28, 2012 - 15:01

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