The Tingle Factor Box

That's Just Amazing - Gallipoli Stereoview

Imagine you are the wife of a serviceman living in 1918. Your husband has miraculously survived the war and returned home to you and your children. You are aware how lucky you all are that he returned home, so many lost their loved ones, and you yourself lost a brother. You are so glad your children will be able to grow up knowing their father though. You are particularly aware how close it could have been in 1915, when he landed with the ANZACs at Gallipoli, and when you look at the stereoview which you purchased, you cannot believe what he faced.

When I showed the children this stereoview card showing Gallipoli and the ANZAC landing, the children were very moved. They had of course seen images of Gallipoli during class, but to see a stereoscopic card which was likely handled by people who saw action in Gallipoli was something which many found quite emotional. They were incredibly reverent in the way they handled the card, and it truly showed how respected and important the ANZAC spirit and Gallipoli campaign remains today.

When we think of 3 dimensional images, we tend to think of modern technology, or at the very most, of 1960s children’s toys like the viewmaster. Yet 3 dimensional images have a remarkably long history, dating right back to the 19^th century. In fact, in 1838 the first stereoscope viewer, known as the Wheatstone Stereoscope, was created and in 1849 Brewster refined the design of the viewer. By the late 19^th century stereoviews (or stereographs as they were also known) and the stereoscopes which were used to view them had become incredibly popular with the public, and more and more cards were being published to add to the home libraries of many owners. Of course, to make producing these images easier, stereoscopic cameras were also introduced, which could take the photos automatically, and with the views the ideal distance apart.

During the First World War though, stereoscopes began to be used for a very different purpose. Up until then stereoviews had simply been novelties or amusements. They were popular of course, but during the war people began to see the potential for planning attacks of the ability to see the battlefield in 3 dimensions. Stereoviews taken from planes allowed those using the images in planning to work out how deep trenches were, or how far away. They provided valuable information which simply could not be seen in 2 dimensional images. In World War One and World War Two stereoscopic images were used extensively, and in fact during World War Two, many Spitfire pilots who were photographing the battlefield had to fly unarmed because of the added weight of five stereoscopic cameras! The images were stitched together and made the battlefield come to life for those who were using the information in planning.

Roaming Roy Remembers The War Dead

This week, Roy decided that with ANZAC Day falling yesterday, he would like to visit somewhere which was associated with World War One, or The Great War as it was then known. Almost every town has a memorial to their soldiers, and there are of course major memorials and statues which commemorate soldiers who served, and those who died, but Roy wanted to do something a little different. He remembered coming across a war grave in Noraville recently, and thought he would like to find out more.

If you would like to visit the war grave, it is located in Noraville Cemetery. The cemetery is located in Noraville on the NSW Central Coast and is not far from The Entrance. To get there, follow the Central Coast Highway through Wyrrabalong National Park, towards Noraville. The Cemetery is bounded on one side by The Central Coast Highway, but you enter from Oleander Street. There are plenty of interesting graves to see, including that of Edward Hargraves, but the war grave itself is located in the section to the left of the road as you enter the cemetery.

The fact that soldiers from the First World War have individual graves is something which is, historically, very significant. Before World War One, war dead were buried, en masse, in pits and the First World War was the first where there was a systematic attempt to give permanent, marked graves to soldiers, whether they were of rank or even identified. Even unknown soldiers were given the dignity of an individual, marked grave. The first attempts to make individual, marked graves came from the soldiers themselves who made makeshift crosses and rough inscriptions for the dead who they buried. Then, a British Civil Servant, journalist, businessman and wartime ambulance chief, Sir Fabian Ware began to push for these makeshift cemeteries to be made permanent and properly recorded. In 1917 he founded the Imperial War Graves Commission. After the war it was decided by the Commission, with the assistance of a study group which included Rudyard Kipling, that the cemeteries would be preserved – no bodies were to be repatriated and all ranks would be treated equally.

Not all supported the effort though. There was a great outcry against the ‘no repatriation’ rule, and others scorned the upright slabs of uniform design as unchristian. Others still thought the cemeteries which were being established were simply an attempt to beautify the memories of a war which they saw as unforgivable. However, the idea of the cemeteries was that they neither glorify war, nor suggest it had been a waste of time and life. The commission did not operate just in the Battlefields though. As the grave in Noraville shows, those who died in their homelands of their wounds could also be given a commonwealth war grave.

The grave in Noraville Cemetery is that of Percy Thomas Duncan, who served with the 1^st Australian Light Trench Mortar Battery in the First World War. Duncan was 25 years old when he enlisted in August of 1914 and before the war he was a fisherman. He served in Gallipoli and then in France and his war service record shows that he was wounded three times (though he remained on duty with one of his wounds), and hospitalised due to illness twice. His last, and most serious wounds, a serious head injury, were sustained in 1917 in France and in March of 1918 he was returned to Australia and discharged due to these wounds. He died on the 19^th of September, 1918, never seeing peace.

Roy Creates Scrumptious Crumpets

This week, with ANZAC Day nearly upon us, Roy decided he would like to make something delicious and a little bit special to enjoy. It had to be something which the soldiers might have recognised from home, and which didn’t use too many unusual ingredients which would have been difficult to get during times of war, which limited the choice a little. In the end, he decided to try his hand at something he has been meaning to make for a long time, crumpets. They are something of an iconic treat, and Roy thought they would be a lovely way to start the ANZAC Day morning. So this week, Roy Creates Scrumptious Crumpets.

You Will Need:

• 1 and 1/2 cups lukewarm water
• 1 cup lukewarm milk
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 3 and 1/2 cups flour
• 2 and 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 and 1/4 teaspoons salt

Method:

• Put all of the ingredients into a large mixing bowl

• Beat everything together for 2 minutes until you have a thick batter

• Cover the bowl and allow the batter to prove until you have lots of bubbles. This will take between 1 hour to 1 and ½ hours
• Heat a frying pan (electric is fine) to a medium heat, but cooler than you would cook pancakes at
• Grease egg rings and lightly grease the frying pan with butter
• Spoon batter into the rings until a little under the top of the ring
• Allow to cook until the top of looks slightly set and bubbles are appearing and then remove the ring
• Allow to cook a little longer until it looks set and has lots of bubbles

• Flip the crumpet over and cook until golden on the other side
• Enjoy as you would any other crumpet!
• These are delicious hot from the griddle, or pop them into the toaster the next day if you have leftovers. You can split them and toast them as would have been the traditional English afternoon treat.

It's An Amazing Story - Gallipoli Campaign Magnet

Imagine you are a young Australian man, returning home from the Great War. You have served in many theatres of war, but none more important to you than the Gallipoli Campaign. The campaign took you to a place unknown and strange, on the other side of the world and you faced a foreign enemy. The Turks were far different to what you had expected though, proud, brave and honourable.

When I showed the children this magnet from Turkey, commemorating the Gallipoli campaign, they were confused and mystified by it. They of course recognised the ANZAC soldier, but struggled to identify the other man and when they realised he was a Turkish soldier, they struggled to understand why he would be featured on the magnet. The children were amazed to learn more about the relationship between the ANZACs and the Turkish soldiers.

Before facing one another during the Gallipoli Campaign, the Australian and New Zealand men who made up the ANZAC forces and the Turkish had never met, or indeed even seen each other. Yet during the battle an unlikely, but close, friendship grew up between the Turkish forces and ANZACs. Some may question the idea of friendship between 'enemies', yet the Turks and the ANZACs had an unusual amount of contact which allowed such friendship to grow. Within a few days of the beginning of the fighting, the ANZACs wanted to retrieve their injured and bury their dead. They raised a Red Cross flag, which was at first shot at by soldiers who did not recognise it. Soon though, a messenger came from the Turkish trenches, and both sides joined together in retrieving their fallen comrades. 

During this time, the ANZACs and Turks exchanged small gifts, such as buttons, coins and lollies and according to some, it was quite a friendly and festive scene. At the end of the day, both sides returned to their trenches and the fighting, but even then there are numerous reports of games played between the opposing forces, and supplies and gifts thrown between the trenches. In addition, there was a growing respect and the ANZACs began to notice that the Turks did not fire on hospital ships or stretcher parties. The same qualities of honour, bravery and human decency which the ANZACs became known for were being observed in their 'enemy' and this reinforced the respect and friendship which developed. Today the Australian, New Zealand and Turkish nations share a deep friendship and the Turkish have carefully looked after the graves of and memorials to the ANZACs and descendants of the Turkish forces and nation commemorate the campaign side by side with the those of the ANZACs.

Rover Takes The Road Less Travelled - Kurrajong

This week, with the holidays nearly at an end, Rover decided he would like to share with his friends somewhere which he thinks is perfect for taking a short break while journeying to another destination. It is always important to get out of the car and stretch the legs, and Rover particularly enjoys doing this in places with history and room to run around. One popular road which is travelled by many of his friends is the Bells Line Of Road, and Rover wanted to share a place which is perfect for breaking the journey – Kurrajong.

If you would like to visit Kurrajong, it is located in the foothills of the Blue Mountains. To get there, take the Bells Line Of Road and follow the signs to Kurrajong Village. There is plenty of room to go for a walk, and a small number of interesting shops (though when Rover visited, on a Wednesday, many of these weren’t open), and also some history to enjoy. Of course, there is also beautiful scenery in the area, and plenty more to do if you continue your journey along Bells Line Of Road either to the upper mountains or to the Hawkesbury.

Kurrajong has a long history, with Aboriginal use of the area dating back far beyond European colonisation. However, Europeans came to the area remarkably early in the history of colonisation, with the first to settle the area arriving in about 1790, though settlement in earnest began in 1841, when Bells Line Of Road was built through Kurrajong. Early settlers in the area were terrorised by the bushranger Jack Donahoe who operated in the area in the 1820s and 1830s, often leaving settlers and travellers alike stripped naked and without their horses, but still settlers came. Many early settlers established farms, but there were also a number who catered to those using the Bells Line Of Road over the mountains, with inns and shops springing up in the area. Other industry was established in the area early on, including a mill whose mill stones are now on display in the village, near the fire station.

By the late 1800s though, one particular industry was becoming dominant. The area was well suited to growing fruit trees, and by the late 1800s orchardists were not only common, but they were lobbying the government for a train line to carry their produce to market. Finally, in 1926 the line from Richmond was extended, with a train called Pansy (hence the Pansy Junction shops, which are opposite the site of the station) but by this time most orchardists had actually purchased trucks. The Bells Line Of Road had been improved in 1901 to provide easier grades for travellers and the railway wasn’t well patronised, closing in 1952 less than 30 years after it opened. During the Second World War further deviations were created and today Bells Line Of Road bypasses Kurrajong itself. In the 1930s, tourism to the area was popular and there were many guest houses in Kurrajong and the surrounding area, but by the 1960s tourism was in sharp decline.

Roy Creates Fabulously Crisp Ginger Cookies

This week, Roy was planning to visit an old friend of his, and wanted to take her a special, homemade gift to enjoy. He put his thinking cap on, and flipped through his mountain of old books and pamphlets for inspiration, but couldn't think of anything which he thought would be 'perfect'. Then, his Grandma reminded him that this old friend was a fan of ginger, and he recalled a recipe he had come across for ginger crisp cookies. He thought they looked interesting and tasty, so decided to give them a try. The results were very tasty indeed, so Roy decided he should share the recipe with his online friends. So this week, Roy Creates Fabulously Crisp Ginger Cookies.

You Will Need:

• 90 grams of butter or margarine
• 1/3 of a cup of castor sugar
• 1 egg
• 125 grams of crystallized ginger
• 3/4 of a cup of self raising glour
• 3/4 of a cup of plain flour
• 1 teaspoon of ground ginger
• 1 cup of crushed cornflakes

Method:

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

• Finely chop the ginger
• Cream together the butter and sugar
• Add the egg and beat in

• Sift together the flours and ginger and add to the butter, sugar and egg. Mix well
• Add the chopped ginger and thoroughly mix into a dough

• Roll teaspoons of dough into balls and then roll in the crushed cornflakes
• Put the balls onto the prepared trays and squash lightly with a fork
• Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until cooked through and crisp.
• Cool on wire racks, store in an airtight container and enjoy

So I Might Find A Pearl After All! Oyster Shell

Imagine you are eating at a fashionable restaurant in the 1950s. You have ordered a plate of fresh oysters, and your wife is very excited. She always hopes that one of the oysters will contain a pearl. It doesn’t seem to matter how often you explain that eating oysters don’t contain pearls, she always gets her hope up. Imagine your surprise though when you see that one of the oysters has indeed been growing something which resembles a basic pearl. It is not round, or indeed something which could be used in jewellery, but it is fascinating none the less.

When I showed the children this oyster shell they were intrigued and surprised by it. Many of the children were aware, because of past discussions, that eating oysters are not the sort from which pearls are harvested, and assumed that eating oysters did not have the ability to grow pearls of any sort. They were amazed to see the start of ‘something which looks sort of pearly’ growing in this ordinary oyster, and became rather hopeful that one day they really would be able to find a pearl!

Pearls are an amazing thing, unlike any other precious materials like metals and stones. They don’t have to be cut, polished, shaped or worked - pearls are grown by oysters and when they are harvested they are, essentially, ready to wear. So how are pearls created? Essentially, a foreign object of some sort becomes stuck inside the shell and becomes an irritant which the soft oyster cannot get rid of. They have to do something to protect themselves from the irritant, which could be anything from a parasite to a tiny piece of shell. As a defence, the oyster begins to cover the irritating object with a substance called nacre. This substance is hard but smooth and over time layer upon layer of nacre will build up over and around the irritant. This makes the irritant, in essence, disappear and what is left behind is a pearl.

Making a pearl is a natural process, and in fact, almost all living shelled molluscs are able to make them. This includes not only oysters, but also mussels and even snails! However, not all pearls are created equal. Although many different molluscs can make pearls, a lot of these do not have the lustre or iridescence which is so attractive in a pearl and many are also too fragile to be used in jewellery etc. These pearls have little to no value, and can be found in edible mussels, oysters, escargot snails and other edible molluscs. The oyster shell which I showed the children, which comes from a Sydney Rock Oyster, is an excellent example of such pearls. The most valuable and sought after pearls come from species which are not eaten at all, but are cultivated specifically for their ability to make beautiful pearls in various colours (ranging from the well known white to black and even red!)

Roaming Roy Has A Sinking Feeling - Oakhampton Cemetery

This week, Rover decided he wanted to head somewhere north for a day out in the sunshine. There has been a lot of rain in the Sydney region recently, and Rover was hoping that if he headed north he might find some sunshine. Of course, he found that and much more during his trip to Maitland. He visited lots of fascinating places, but in choosing just one to write up today, he wanted to share the historic and fascinating Oakhampton Cemetery.

If you would like to visit Oakhampton Cemetery, it is located in Maitland in the Hunter Valley. The street address is on Oakhampton Road, in the Oakhampton area of Maitland, and it is only a few minutes drive from Maitland’s heart. When Rover visited, he asked the GPS to find the cemetery, which is did, but be warned, it took him a rather circuitous route! The cemetery is fascinating though, and well worth a visit if you are in the area.

Oakhampton Cemetery is an historic cemetery, set in an historic landscape. Although well used during the 19^th century, with 97 recorded burials between 1849 and 1894, it has been well over a century since the last internment took place in this particular graveyard. The cemetery was created on the banks of the Hunter River, in the area which became Oakhampton. The straight stretch of river was perfect for a cemetery as it was outside the limits of the Oakhampton settlement (which was required by law), but easily accessible and in 1849 Reverend Samuel Wilkinson purchased two lots of land to establish a Wesleyan cemetery for his community. All those who are buried here are of the Wesleyan faith. Once, there were grand plantings of trees in the area, with Italian Cypress lining the road side of the cemetery, Stone Pines, Robinias and Pepper Trees marking out the cemetery.

What makes this cemetery so interesting to Roy though is the landscape. When visiting, he was surprised to notice that many of the gravestones appear to be sinking into the soil, but this is actually not the case. Originally, the landscape of the cemetery was densely covered with bush but within 20 years of settlement in the area most of the trees had gone and by the 1840s most of the areas around the cemetery were cleared. This brought about two dramatic landscape effects, the first of which was soil erosion and the second was flooding. The cemetery itself is on a low ridge beside the river, and where it appears that the graves are sinking into the soil, the graves have actually been buried by sediment from successive floods and erosion from nearby farming. As a result, there are multiple levels to this cemetery, with some of the graves all but covered with sediments and later graves constructed higher up. In fact, some of the graves are actually up to a metre below the original surface level today!

Roy Creates Perfect Pineapple Cordial Syrup

This week, with school holidays underway, Roy thought he would like to try his hand at making something delicious and easy which his friends could enjoy during their time off school. Many of his friends love making the various cordials Roy has shared recipes for, so he decided to see if there were any interesting recipes in his old cookbooks. He found a delicious sounding recipe for Pineapple Syrup which he thought might be just the thing, and it was just as scrumptious as Roy hoped. So this week, Roy Creates Perfect Pineapple Cordial Syrup.

You Will Need:

• Pineapples. Roy used three small, sweet pineapples, but you can use as much as you want.
• Sugar. The amount of sugar you need will depend on how much juice you get, but Roy recommends you have at least a kilogram on hand.
• 60 grams of tartaric acid

Method:

• Peel your pineapples and chop them up. If you have discoloured or very hard cores, you might want to discard them, but Roy’s pineapples were fine

• Put the pineapple into a bowl and cover them with water. Roy suggests doing this in a ceramic, glass or plastic bowl in case the acids in the pineapple effect metal (though he doesn’t know if they would!)
• Cover and put the pineapple aside for 24 hours. Roy left his on the bench as it wasn’t too warm, but if it was very hot you might want to put it in the fridge

• Transfer the pineapple and water to a big pot and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for an hour or longer, until the pineapple is soft
• Strain the pineapple and keep the juice

• Measure the juice and add it back to the pot. Add the same amount of sugar (Roy had 6 and ¼ cups of juice, so he added 6 and ¼ cups of sugar)
• Bring to the boil and gently boil for 20 minutes
• Cool the syrup completely
• Add the tartaric acid and stir until dissolved

• Bottle and store in the fridge.
• Roy recommends diluting this syrup with water or soda water – it is quite strong, so you won’t need too much!

It's Just A Spoon, So What? Spoon

Imagine you are living in the 1500s. You are soon to marry, and you have received some truly lovely gifts from various family members to take with you to your new home. One of the most lovely though is a pewter spoon. It may seem such a simple thing, but a is such a symbol of wealth and status. Perhaps it is not made of particularly precious metal, but it is a wonderful thing, which you will treasure.

When I showed the children this spoon, their reactions were mixed and hilarious. Their immediate reaction was ‘it’s a spoon – so what?’, but they soon realised it was hand beaten metal and very old. Their reactions then quickly morphed into how they could use the spoon in their play (many decided it was a pirate spoon, and it was quickly incorporated into their play). The children had never really thought of how and when spoons were created, just assumed they were always there, and were fascinated to learn more of the history of such an everyday item.

Spoons are, without a doubt, one of the oldest types of cutlery in the world. As long as humans have been eating food, they have needed some way to scoop it up. For many foods, fingers were sufficient, but for others some type of scoop was necessary and rudimentary spoons were probably improvised from natural materials like shells. Of course, these spoons didn’t have handles, and they weren’t man made. We don’t know exactly when the first spoon (with a handle) was created, but by 1000 BC, in Egypt, we know they were in use. It is believed these elaborately decorated spoons, made of materials such as ivory, wood and stone, were used for religious purposes and they were owned by Pharaohs and priests. By the time of the ancient Romans and Greeks though spoons were being made of metals like bronze and silver and they were a common item for the wealthy to own.

In Medieval Europe spoons were much more common place. They were made of materials ranging from wood and cow horn to pewter, brass and precious metals. The very wealthy used the more durable and much more expensive metal spoons but any type of spoon was a symbol of status, wealth and power. In fact the Kings of England were anointed with a special, ceremonial spoon! Spoons became more common place in the Tudor and Stuart eras, when an Apostle spoon became a common Christening gift. The very wealthy even gave a set of twelve spoons, and later a thirteenth was added with the figure of Christ (known as the Master Spoon). These spoons were the forerunner of the Christening spoon and all classes were involved in the tradition, simply with the type and number of spoons differing between the poor and the wealthy. This was the time when spoons became more common place and by the 18^th century, when the design of the spoon became similar to what we recognise today, they were a normal part of every table setting.