Jane Ison traces the history of St Andrew’s – its foundation, its people, and the painstaking research that has helped rediscover more than a thousand names once thought forgotten.

Jan Richards traces the life of her ancestor Hannah Williams whose fate was sealed by a single decision in London in 1828.

In our series, Memories of Newcastle, society member Lea Harris takes us back to the days of the Stockton Tweed Factory, a forgotten piece of our local history.

Get a preview of our November podcasts.

In this episode Jane Ison takes you back to the very first graveyard in Newcastle – the burial ground at Christ Church, high on the hill where the Anglican Cathedral now stands.

Mel Woodford takes a look at some of the early landholders & the female convicts who were assigned to them.

Written by the late Maree Shilling, this podcast tells of a little-known chapter in Newcastle’s history during World War II, from the recollections of a young girl who experienced that time.

Society member Jane Ison takes us on a journey into the past, to a place thousands pass by daily without knowing what lies beneath —Rest Park in Wallsend, once the site of the town’s first cemetery.

Join us on a journey through more than two centuries of sacred history — the story of Christ Church Cathedral, the spiritual heart and architectural crown of Newcastle.

In the 19th century, Newcastle evolved from a remote convict outpost into a thriving coal powerhouse — a true “coalopolis.” In Part 2, Julie Keating picks up the story as monopolies, industrial ambition, and engineering ingenuity reshape the city’s future.

In Part Two, we move to Australian soil where Dr Jude Conway uncovers the extraordinary events at Bob’s Farm camp—where race, politics, and humanity collided in unexpected and lasting ways.

In this remarkable account, historian Dr Jude Conway relates a little-known chapter of wartime history—one that spans the jungles of Timor, the city streets of Newcastle, and a camouflaged refugee camp at Bob’s Farm.

In the 19th century, Newcastle evolved from a remote convict outpost into a thriving coal powerhouse — a true “coalopolis.” Society member Julie Keating digs into the mines, sails through treacherous harbours, and walks the streets laid out by early planners, revealing the people, places, and power struggles that shaped Newcastle.

In 1950, Zell Meehan was appointed secretary to the Lord Mayor of Newcastle. In 1956, aged 37, Zell married and as was the custom of the time, was expected to resign. However, Zell refused to do so.

In this episode, Mel Woodford takes us back to 1829 London, where two teenage girls, Rebecca Markham and Maria Beavis, were convicted for stealing 20 yards of cotton.

Benita Parker from the West Wallsend District Heritage Group guides us through West Wallsend’s transformation—from a forested hillside to a vibrant coal mining town, complete with its own railway and a thriving community.

Narelle Austen concludes this series, imagining the lives of those who lived and breathed Coal River.

In this audio extract from the March 2025 Female Convicts of the Hunter Valley Seminar, Dr Jude Conway reveals the life of Elizabeth Hannell – a Mother of Newcastle.

Benita Parker from the 'West Wallsend District Heritage Group', delves into the early ambitious attempts to uncover coal deposits, “In the Shadow of Mount Sugarloaf”.

Narelle Austin explores the relationships between the European settlers of Coal River and First Nations peoples and uncovers the stories of Commandant James Wallis, Awabakal leader Burigon and Joseph Lycett—an unlikely trio whose interactions preserved Aboriginal knowledge and captured glimpses of a culture under immense change.