Category Archives: Characters

Letter to Portsea from Gallipoli

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Wednesday 24 April 5:30 – 7:00pm

In association with the Sorrento Writers Festival

Letter from Alfred Keys, who was born at the Quarantine Station, to his father, May 1915 giving a first hand account of his landing at ANZAC Cove with the 5th Battalion AIF. Read by noted author Michael Veitch with narration by Sorrento Museum’s Clive Smith.

” . . . my account is a better one always than Captain Bean ever writes, so I’ll make the best of a bad job and set right in. . .” Alfred ‘Tom’ Keys 28.5.1915

Book at Trybooking – HERE

At SORRENTO MUSEUM, 827 Melbourne Rd. Sorrento

Monthly Meeting Sept 1st 2017

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8:00 pm at The Museum

backius suitcase

Topic: “Unearthed – a Treasure Trove of History in a Suitcase.”
The generous donation to NHS by June Robertson (nee Croad) of a suitcase packed with carefully labeled photos and documents has led to the revelation of an intriguing Sorrento story. Long time volunteers in the Archives at NHS, Bergliot Dallas and Maggie Broadhead, put this story together. On Friday 1st September they recounted it to over 40 most appreciative people at the museum.

Sandarne, his house in Ocean Beach Road, was built to the design of Albert Backius in around 1915 and was named after his home town in Sweden. Albert built boats in the shed behind this house. How he came to live in Sorrento after many adventures around the world was fascinating. And his connection to the Croad family added to the local flavour.

albert backius

Albert Backius from ‘The Suitcase’

This excellent presentation showcased one example of the invaluable work conducted at NHS.  Many more stories to be revealed ….

Note: There is more on this story coming in the September edition of ‘The Nepean’