Last days of the Newcastle trams

Hamilton has a lively history as a transport hub. I am reminded of this when I drive past Hamilton Station, ever since the heavy rail line was truncated there on Boxing Day, 2014. Especially in peak hour, buses jostle for space along a cramped section of the Islington end of Beaumont Street, often queuing back into Fern Street. As the waiting buses belch fumes, passengers hurry from trains to their connecting buses for the city.

From ship's mate to Hamilton station master

When Harry (Henry) Frank Nesbitt was christened in 1858 at St Pancras Old Church, London, his godfather was Admiral Sir Charles Kelso, of the British Navy.

This association would shape his destiny – his career choice, where he would live, and who he would marry.

St Peter's Anglican Church, Hamilton

Hundreds of children were on the march, a more-or-less orderly line snaking its way from St Peter’s Anglican Church to Hamilton Station. At the front, two children held a wavering church banner aloft. They were off to the annual Sunday School picnic at Speers Point, the highlight of the year.

First, they would catch the train to Cockle Creek, then a steam tram to Speers Point. The event would have been an exciting adventure for children whose families did not own cars, and who walked everywhere within their suburb, Hamilton.