Cracking Awaba: Stories of Mosman and the Northern beaches during the Depression – Paula Hamilton
Drawing on seventy-two oral histories about life in Manly, Mosman, Pittwater and Warringah during the Depression of the 1930s this book provides a glimpse of the landscape, culture and community spirit that existed during a particularly difficult time in Australia's history.
The interviews were undertaken for an oral history project On A Shoestring : The Depression & 1930s in Manly, Mosman, Pittwater and Warringah in 2000 and 2001.
The curious title comes from an interview with Harley O'Reagan who as a lad would attempt to ride a billycart down one of Mosman steepest thoroughfares Awaba Street. Harley and his mates called this ride an attempt to "crack Awaba".
This innovative project was made possible by a Library Development Grant from the Library Council of New South Wales to the participating libraries. The On A Shoestring website was developed to provide information about the project and insight into some of the recorded stories.
Cracking Awaba is available for $12.00.
Good Riddance: A history of waste management in Manly, Mosman, Pittwater and Warringah – Pauline Curby and Virginia Macleod
From pre-European times to the present, from plague to prosperity and issues such as pollution, packaging and putrescible waste Curby and Macleod prove garbage can be fascinating revealing how waste continues to shape our surroundings long after it has been discarded.
Beautiful vistas such as Curl Curl Lagoon, Balmoral Beach and Careel Bay were once used as rubbish dumps and the book chronicles the 'bad old days' when waste disposal meant dumping rubbish so it was 'out of sight and out of mind'.
This fascinating look at topic rarely discussed is a valuable resource for students, environmentalists and researchers and as a social history would also be of great interest to the general reader.
Good riddance is available for $34.95
A guide to researching property in Mosman (4 MB)
Mosman Council Chambers - a brief history (463 kB)
The Star Amphitheatre, Balmoral (295 kB)
The Spit - historical overview (316 kB)
On A Shoestring