The Tingle Factor Box

Roaming Roy Is In A Grave Situation - Johnny Gilberts Grave

Roy loves history, and he is always amazed at the number of extraordinary historic places which are to be found around NSW. Some of his favourite places are associated with Australias infamous bushrangers. These men are amazing figures in Australian history, some of them scary, but others remarkably suave and sophisticated! This week, Roy is sharng a visit he made to the grave of one of these men - Johnny Gilbert.

If you would like to visit the grave of Johnny Gilbert, it is located in the police paddock near Binalong. The address is on The Burkey Griffin Way, and there is a sign to mark this tiny, but historic site. The grave itself is up a flight of stairs, at the top of which is a well maintained, tiny paddock - what was once the police paddock.

Johnny Gilbert never became an old man, but although his life might have been short, it was certainly eventful! He was just 23 when he died, but he was also, at the time, Australia's most notorious criminal. Gilbert was born in Canada, in a place called Hamilton, in 1842. He was 10 years old when he came to Australia, arriving in Melbourne in 1852 with his family. It wasn't long before Gilbert struck out on his own, working first as a stable boy, before drifting to the goldfields. He was soon associating with thieves and gamesters, many of whom were suspicious of his seeming wealth and flashy way of dressing. He moved to NSW when he was 18, and it was here that he began, and ended his bushranging career.

Soon after moving to NSW, Gilbert met Frank Gardiner and between 1860 and 1861, joined Gardiner on his raids in the Whoego district. Gilbert was a superb horseman, and also had a good sense of humour and sense of courage, which appealed to the other bushrangers he worked with. In 1862 Gilbert and Gardiner took part in Ben Halls gold escort robbery at Eugowra, and soon gilbert had a  £500 reward on his head. This didn't deter Gilbert though and by May 1863 he had become Ben Halls righthand man. By 1865 Gilbert had taken part in at least 40 armed holdups, including one where he shot and killed a police sergeant. In April 1865 Gilbert was officially declared an outlaw and the reward was increased to £1000. Gilbert was finally shot on May 13 by Constable John Bright and soon after was buried in the police paddock at Binalong.

Roy Creates Deliciously Simple Coconut Caramel Slice

This week, Roy decided it was a perfect time to try out one of the many slice recipes he has on his ‘to do’ list. Roy loves slices - they’re so easy to make, and keep well, which makes them perfect for his Grandpa to enjoy with a cup of coffee. One which he had been particularly intrigued by was this coconut caramel slice. It was very different to caramel slices Roy usually makes, so he thought it sounded quite intriguing indeed. The results were delicious, and Roy wanted to share the recipe with his friends. So this week, Roy Creates Deliciously Simple Coconut Caramel Slice. 

You Will Need:

• 125 grams of butter (don’t use margarine in this recipe - the results won’t be as good)
• 1 cup of brown sugar
• 1 cup of coconut
• 1 cup of self raising flour
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• A pinch of salt
• Vanilla essence to taste

Vanilla icing

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius and line a large slice tin with baking paper

• Combine the butter and brown sugar in a large saucepan and melt together until they reach the boil. 

• Remove the sugar and butter mix from the heat and add the coconut, flour, and salt. Mix thoroughly
• Add the vanilla to the egg and mix together.
• Drizzle the egg into the rest of the mix, stirring all the time to prevent the egg from scrambling
• Mix everything together thoroughly

• Press the mix into the slice tin
• Bake for 20 minutes, or until the slice is golden brown and cooked through
• Cool completely in the tin
• Ice with vanilla icing
• Cut into slices and store in an airtight container
• Enjoy!

Rover Discovers An Onion Of A Different Sort - Granite Tors and Onion Skin Weathering

This week, Rover decided it was time to answer a question which one of his friends asked him some time ago. This friend was travelling through the Central West area, and saw lots of huge, rounded rocks in the paddocks and along the side of the road. The question was, what were they? Rover is fascinated by these rocks, which are not only geologically interesting, but really quite beautiful. What are the rocks called? Granite Tors.

These particular tors were photographed in Cowra, but granite tors are scattered throughout the Central West. You can see them on hill tops, in paddocks, and even just beside the road. They’re fascinating rocks, weathered over many, many years to be their distinctive shape. In the Central West, most of them are quite rounded. 

Granite tors are extraordinary, jutting out the landscape seemingly randomly, or appearing in groups. They are often quite massive, and look like some giant threw them randomly, allowing them to settle into the landscape thousands of years ago. So how were they created? Granite tors are, essentially, large lumps of granite, but how they form is something of a mystery. Many believe that tors were once surrounded by other outcrops of granite, but the granite which became tors weathered more slowly. According to this theory the surrounding granite would have had many fault lines and joints, which helped normal weathering processes to speed up. The tors though had few joints and faults, so they weathered slowly, and were left in place long after the surrounding granite was gone. 

The tors weathered slowly, over a long period of time, which is why they remain in the landscape. Yet they do weather, just like any other rock. They often weather in a very specific way though - a type of weathering called onion-skin weathering (or sometimes called exfoliation). Essentially, when onion-skin weathering occurs, the outer layer of the rock peels off, like the skin of an onion. This type of weathering occurs because of extreme variations in temperature - the rock becomes very hot during the day, and very cold in the nighttime. Sometimes, water might even freeze inside the rock, and all of these changes in temperature force the rock to split and the outer layer to fall away. You can see an example of onion skin weathering in the photo above. 

Roy Creates Delicious Stewed Rhubarb and Apple

This week, Roy had two lovely bunches of fresh rhubarb which he wanted to make something delicious with. He thought about making a cake, or a slice, but I suggested going for something a little simpler. Stewed rhubarb and apple is delicious, and also makes a great basis for a delicious fruit crumble, and Roy has never stewed rhubarb before, so it seemed a perfect opportunity. So this week, Roy Creates Delicious Stewed Rhubarb and Apple.

You Will Need:

• Rhubarb - Roy used 2 bunches
• Apples - Roy used 7 apples
• Ground ginger
• Brown sugar
• Custard or yoghurt to serve

Method:

• Start by trimming any leaves off the rhubarb. The leaves are poisonous, so throw them away. Also cut the bottom off the pieces of rhubarb.
• Now, wash the rhubarb and apples

• Cut the rhubarb into pieces. Roy likes to cut his pieces at about 2 centimetres long. Put the rhubarb into the bowl

• Peel and core the apples, and then cut into thin slivers or a relatively small dice
• Add sugar to taste. Roy added a heaped tablespoon for this quantity

• Add a generous sprinkle of ginger. The ginger won’t add much flavour, but an old friend of Roy’s gave us the hint that it stops rhubarb from having that ‘squeaky feeling and sticking to the top of your mouth’ - and it works!
• Add a little water (about 2 tablespoons for the amount Roy made)
• Cover the bowl with cling wrap and cook in the microwave for 5 minute bursts until the fruit is cooked. You will know it is cooked when the rhubarb is soft and the apple is stained red from the juice. 
• Eat warm or cold with custard or yoghurt. 
• Enjoy!

Why's That So Interesting? Snowy River Roll Sheet Music

Imagine, you are a child living in the early 1950s. You are very excited, because your family is moving to Australia. Your father has been given a job working on the Snowy River Scheme, and you hope your family will have a wonderful new start. You are looking forward to making lots of new friends in Australia!

When I showed this sheet of music to the children, they could not understand why it was important. To them, it was simply a sheet of music, and not a very interesting one at that. As one of the children said ‘usually they’re at least pretty!’ The children were intrigued to learn about the Snowy River Hydro Electric Scheme though, and several thought it would be interesting to visit, and see in action. 

The Snowy River Scheme, which is often known as the Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme is the biggest engineering project Australia has ever seen. In fact is also one of the largest Hydro-electric schemes in the entire world. Construction on the scheme, which harnesses the power of the Snowy River to produce electricity, began in 1949 and wasn’t complete until 1974. It was a massive project, including 16 dams, 7 power stations, a pumping station and miles of tunnels and pipes. Yet only about 2% of the entire construction is actually able to be seen above ground - the rest is below ground. In order to successfully complete the project, many new innovations were created, including cheaper and safer construction techniques, higher outputs of electricity than most power stations before the scheme, and even Australia’s first computer! 

Of course, such a major scheme needed a major workforce, yet most of these workers did not come from Australia. More than 100,000 people migrated from over 30 countries to work on the scheme, with 70% of the workforce drawn from overseas. They were attracted by relatively high wages and the promise of work, as in post World War 2 Europe, jobs could be hard to come by. Often the workers were men who left their families behind, hoping to save the money necessary to bring their wives and children to Australia and the Snowy Mountains. Life was hard, for the workers and also for their families who lived in temporary towns, whose buildings were often not built to withstand the freezing conditions of the Snowy Mountains. Yet many of the migrants who came to work on the scheme went on to settle permanently in Australia, helping to create the amazingly diverse culture of Australia today. The song, Snowy River Roll, was written about the scheme, and also about the workers who created the amazing system. The song was written in 1953 by William Lovelock, an Australian composer.

Rover Reads The Riot Act! Young

Rover has long been intrigued by a popular idiom, or figure of speech which he occasionally hears - ‘to read the riot act’. Rover has always assumed that it was just a figure of speech, but recently, we were in Young, and discovered a sign which suggested that there was more to phrase. In fact, the sign said that it marked the location where the riot act was read! Rover wanted to find out more. 

If you would like to visit the site where the riot act was read, it is located in Young, not far from the well known Lambing Flat Museum.  The site in on Campbell Street, and directly outside the Young Highschool. There are plenty of other things to see and do in Young, especially during cherry season when cherries are to be found in abundance! 

In mid 1860, gold was discovered in the area around what is today known as Young, and soon enough diggers, including many Chinese diggers, were flocking to the area to try their luck. At the time though, there was little law and order. Until the gold field was officially proclaimed there would be no gold commissioner, and no troopers, so there was little law and order. Anti-Chinese sentiment was high and in November about 500 Chinese diggers were forced off the gold diggings. In late November, the field was officially proclaimed and the gold Commissioner, David Dickson, arrived with three troopers and the Chinese assumed that they would receive protection, so returned to the diggings. Yet this wasn’t to be the case. The miners set up a vigilante committee, and in both December and January, again attacked the Chinese miners. The numbers of troopers were increased both times, but they were insufficient to face the rioters. 

 

Then, on February 3, a Miners Protection League was formed. On February 17 they held a mass meeting, and this was when Commissioner Dickson read the riot act to the miners. Yet he, and the police, were ignored. The rioters moved through the gold diggings, forcing Chinese miners off their diggings, destroying or stealing their possessions and tools, beating them and even cutting off their pig-tails. This was just the first time the riot act was read though. In June, rumour spread that more Chinese were coming to the gold fields, and again the miners attacked the Chinese. The Chinese retreated to Currawong Station, where they were given shelter and 5 miners were arrested. Then, the miners marched on the police camp, trying to force the release of their friends. This is when the riot act was read for the second time, this time by Commissioner Griffin. Again it was ignored. In 1861, the Chinese Immigration Restriction Act was passed, to limit the numbers of Chinese on the gold fields, and thus began a period when Australia was under the ‘white Australia policy’. Ironically, when the gold began to run out and the town, now known as Young, began to be at risk of becoming a ghost town, the Chinese were invited back to rework the diggings and save the town. 

Roy Creates Nutty Oat Biscuits

This week, Roy decided it was the ideal time to try out a recipe he had been intrigued by for some time. Roy loves ANZAC Biscuits, and he had discovered a recipe for nutty oat biscuits which, while not ANZACs, seemed similar. He thought they sounded intriguing and wanted to give them a go. The results were delicious, but not as similar to ANZACs as he expected! They were something entirely new. So this week, Roy Creates Nutty Oat Biscuits. 

You Will Need:

• ¾ of a cup of oat bran or ground oats (Roy ground up some oats in a food processor and they worked fine)
• 2 tablespoons of flaked almonds
• 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons of brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons of vanilla essence
• 1 and ¼ cups of plain flour
• 2 tablespoons of golden syrup
• 2 tablespoons of boiling water
• ½ a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius and line biscuit trays with baking paper

• In a large saucepan, heat the oil and golden syrup together until they are hot and the golden syrup is liquid
• Dissolve the bicarbonate of soda in the boiling water and add to the hot mix of syrup and oil. It should bubble 

• Add the brown sugar, vanilla, oat bran, almonds and flour
• Mix to a stiff dough (the dough is very stiff)
• Roll teaspoons of the mix into balls and place on the trays

• Flatten each ball with your hand
• Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until golden and cooked. 
• Cool on a cooling rack and keep in an airtight container
• Enjoy!

Wish They Still Had Funny Pictures - Minties Advertising Sign

Imagine you are a child living in the mid 1900s. You love going to the shops with your mother, and seeing all the interesting signs and slogans which have been sent out by companies advertising their wares. Your favourites are the Minties signs though. They may not be as large or splendid as some of the others, but they have such funny scenes on them. Of course, you are even happier if the signs help to convince your mother to buy some! 

When I showed the children this faded old Minties sign, they absolutely loved it. The children, of course, recognise Minties as a lolly which they still enjoy today. They also recognised the slogan, but not the image which accompanied it. As one child said ‘you only see pictures on the wrappers now, and they’re always pretty simple and not really funny’ 

 

Minties were first created in 1922 by James Stedman, who was the son of Australia’s first confectioner, also named James Stedman. The hard, mint candy was patented in 1926 and soon went into mass production. Minties were made by Henderson Sweets Limited at their ‘Sweetacres’ factory, and became known as Sweetacres Minties. Of course, today we know Minties as a famous Allen’s lolly and this is because in 1968 Stedman-Henderson was taken over by company called Headless, which was then purchased by Rowntree’s in 1971. Rowntree’s was then taken over in 1981 by Allens, and soon enough Minties were being marketed as Allen’s Minties. 

 

One thing which hasn’t changed though is the slogan, ‘It’s moments like these you need Minties’. The famous slogan, one of the oldest advertising slogans in Australia, first appeared in 1926 and by 1927, had almost become a popular catchphrase. In fact, newspapers of the time even reported that the public sent ideas for cartoons to the company, based on their experiences! By the 1940s, up to three different and newly created Minties cartoons appeared in various newspapers and even train stations each week. That’s over 150 cartoons each year! Some of these cartoons were even drawn by famous cartoonists, including James Bancks (who created Ginger Meggs), Norman Hetherington (who created Mr Squiggle), Syd Nicholls (who created Fatty Finn), Dorothy Wall (the creator of Blinky Bill), Eric Jolliffe and Percy Lindsay.

Roaming Roy Discovers Some Extraordinary Sculptures In A Cemetery

Recently, Roy enjoyed a trip to the Central West of NSW. Roy loves the Central West area, and the amazing history to be discovered. Roy has long wanted to view some of the amazing sculptures by Frank Rusconi, and when he discovered that there were two monumental gravestones in a little town called Galong, he had to visit. He wanted to know more about the man who sculpted these extraordinary gravestones. 

If you would like to visit the two white marble monuments, carved by Frank Rusconi, they are in the Galong Cemetery, in Galong. Along is a small town between Binalong and Harden/Murrumbah, just off the Burley Griffin Way. There are a couple of ways to get to the cemetery Roy discovered, but the easiest he thinks would be to turn off Burley Griffin Way into Cunningar Road, then turn onto Kalangan Road. Follow Kalangan Road until you reach Galong Road, which is where the cemetery is. Follow Galong Road until you see the sign pointing to the cemetery, then pass through the gate (making sure to close it behind you) and continue up the hill to the cemetery (being careful of any stock in the paddock!) 

Galong Cemetery is a fascinating historic cemetery in and of itself, and Roy will at some stage return to do a post specifically on the cemetery. However, it was the Rusconi Graves which particularly brought Roy to this little, out of the way graveyard. The graves, which date from 1910 and 1914, belong to members of the Ryan family, but they were carved, at a rumoured cost of 1000 pounds each, by famous monumental mason, Frank Rusconi. Rusconi, whose full name was actually Francis Philip Rusconi was born in 1874 near Braidwood in NSW, the son of a Swiss miner and monumental mason. After his mother died though, the children were sent to Switzerland, where the children could be cared for by their brothers sister. When he was 15, Frank Rusconi was apprenticed to the marble trade in Italy, going on to complete his apprenticeship in Switzerland, and then to work in France, England and Italy. 

In 1901 though, Rank Rusconi returned to NSW, and soon after he opened the Borenore marble quarries not far from Orange. The quarries became quite a family business, being operated by Frank, along with his father and his brother, but it was Frank Rusconi who became famous for his sculptures. In 1905 he settled in Gundagai and established his monumental masonry business, carving statues, graves and funerary monuments for the communities around the Central West. The largest and most dramatic of his graves are the two in Galong, which stand at 7 metres high, and include the stunningly carved female figures Faith, Hope, Memory and Grief. Rusconi’s most famous work is actually a bronze work, The Dog On The Tuckerbox, 8 miles from Gundagai, but marble was his medium of choice. His most well known marble statue is an extraordinarily detailed, 4 foot high model of a fictitious Baroque Italian Palace which took his twenty eight years to complete, and consisted of nearly 21000 pieces of marble. Rusconi died in 1964.

Roy Creates Scrumptious Ginger Caramel Biscuits

This week, Roy wanted to make a simple and quick biscuit, to share with a group of his friends. Roy was planning a picnic, so he wanted something which would be easy to make, easy to transport and, of course, easy to eat. I suggested giving these caramel and ginger biscuits a try, and the results were absolutely scrumptious! So this week, Roy Creates Scrumptious Ginger Caramel Biscuits. 

You Will Need: 

• 120 grams of butter or margarine
• 60 grams of sugar
• 1 cup of self raising flour
• 1 teaspoon of ground ginger
• 4 tablespoons of icing sugar
• 1 tablespoon of butter
• 1 teaspoon of ginger
• 3 teaspoons of golden syrup

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius and line a slice tray with baking paper
• Cream the butter and sugar
• Sift together the flour and first teaspoon of ginger

• Add the flour and ginger mix to the butter and sugar, and mix together thoroughly

• Press the mix into the slice tin and prick all over with a fork
• Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the slice is golden

• In the last few minutes of cooking time, combine the icing sugar, second teaspoon of ginger, tablespoon of butter and golden syrup in a saucepan
• Stir over a low heat until everything is melted and mixed together

• Pour the caramel over the biscuit base while both are still hot
• Allow to completely cool in the tin
• Cut into slices, store in an airtight container and enjoy!