Traces Edition 30, 2025

Hello, and welcome to Edition 30 of Traces, the first one for 2025! In this edition, we continue our mission to uncover extraordinary people and stories from Australia’s past. In the Insight section on page 8, Dr Sue Walker AM introduces us to William Shum, the visionary founding editor of two major Australian magazines: The New Idea and Australian Home Beautiful. Shum’s influence on Australian culture through these two publications can still be seen in the way we live our lives today. In our Maritime feature on page 18, new Traces writer Linda Bretherton explores the Australian National Maritime Museum’s collection of early 1900s Japanese maritime postcards, and what they can tell us about international trade and travel. In our Crime and Punishment section, on page 21, Phillip Keith Johnson…

DIETS OF WOMEN AT HYDE PARK BARRACKS REVEALED New archaeological research at Sydney’s Hyde Park Barracks has uncovered surprising details about the diets of women who lived there in the mid to late 19th century, when the building was the Female Immigration Depot and then, later, the Female Destitute Asylum. Official records suggest that they ate a monotonous diet of bread, tea and boiled meat; however, new findings from plant remains under the floorboards of the barracks’ dormitories show that they also consumed fresh fruits, nuts, vegetables, and spices. Evidence of stone fruit, hazelnuts, and even native plants like macadamia suggest that the women supplemented their rations by exchanging items or foraging, and highlights the importance of combining archaeology with historical records to uncover untold stories. BIOMECHANICS REVEALS POWER OF ICONIC…

THEN Wales House, located at 131–135 Macquarie Street, Sydney, has a rich history that predates the iconic 1929 building. In 1856, the Sydney Morning Herald, Australia’s oldest surviving newspaper, first occupied the site, marking the beginning of its influential presence in the heart of Sydney’s civic and commercial district. The original building was demolished in 1927 to make way for a grand new headquarters for the newspaper. Designed in the Italian Renaissance Palazzo style, Wales House was completed in 1929, and stood as a symbol of the prosperity and influence of the Fairfax publishing empire. The 12-storey building, clad in Bowral trachyte stone at the lower levels and Sydney sandstone above, featured zinc-sprayed steel windows. Its grand facade was capped by a copper-clad dome, while the Hunter Street entrance boasted…

William Shum had an extraordinary impact on the creative and cultural life of Australians over the crucial decades when modern Australia was being formed. As the founding editor of two popular magazines, first The New Idea and then Australian Home Beautiful (both still in print today), he came into people’s homes every month for 43 years from 1902 to 1945, at a time when magazines were the most powerful influence on the way people lived. His story, the influence of which continues in our lives today, is only now being told. Never one to seek personal publicity or acclaim, Shum was happiest behind the scenes: writing stories as a journalist, capturing people’s daily lives in photographs, managing a team of journalists and designers, and deciding what was noteworthy, new and…

Stanley Melbourne Bruce was an idealistic and hardworking prime minister from 1923 to 1929. After he lost the 1929 election, he served two terms as Australian High Commissioner in London. Those years between 1933 and 1945 were agonising. The aftermath of World War I left Bruce with a firm belief that Australia needed to directly participate in the affairs of empire specifically to avoid the horror of international conflicts. Bruce’s abiding faith was to seek peaceful reconciliation of international disputes. He represented Australia on the League of Nations and later served in the British War Cabinet as Australia’s Dominion representative. His idealism brought him into conflict with Churchill’s pragmatism as the world spiralled into World War II. In 1939, Churchill was rotund and balding, with a puffy, pinkish face. He…

Combining traditional, symbolic Japanese motifs, including sakura, with images of the nation’s developing fleet, Japanese maritime postcards are little-known treasures of the Vaughan Evans Library, accessible to the public as part of the museum’s postcard collection. Today, the Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK) claims to have around 35,000 employees, a fleet of more than 820 vessels, and a global network of 59 countries and regions. The history of NYK dates back to the mid 1800s; however, the company’s origins date back to the 1600s and follows the history of Japanese maritime development. A selection of historical NYK postcards represents fascinating narratives from the beginning of Japan’s international trade and travel, revealing the social, political, artistic, and economic changes taking place. JAPAN CLOSES Prior to the Tokugawa period, Japanese vessels had ranged…