Celebrate Living History

08/10/2026

WORDS OF WISDOM | Kay’s recipe for keeping your mind active

What if keeping your mind active could also be a lot of fun?

Kay grew up on acreage in Ferntree Gully before moving to Coburg, where her parents ran the local general store. After marrying and raising a family, weekends often meant one thing board games around the table after dinner.

Today, living on the Mornington Peninsula, Kay still makes time for games with friends and family.

Her favourite? Words with Friends, which she plays every day with her friend Jan — often with three games going at once! And then there’s cribbage with her husband, where a little strategy, quick maths and, apparently, a bit of friendly cheating come into play.

Kay’s words of wisdom are simple:

Keeping your mind active is just as important as keeping your body active.”

But for Kay, it isn't only about puzzles and games. It’s about the **social connection**, the laughter, the conversations and reminiscing with friends all things that help keep memories alive.

Her advice?

🎲 Find a game you enjoy, find some friends and start playing!

Sometimes the simplest things in life are the ones that keep us connected, curious and smiling.

📖 Read Kay’s full *Words of Wisdom* story by Lachy Halliday on Celebrate Living History.
https://celebratelivinghistory.com/words-of-wisdom/

24/08/2026

Everyone has a story. Sometimes you just have to sit down and listen.

Every week, Lachy catches up with his Pa,and every time, there’s another story from the past.

From racing through Europe in his younger days to sneaking into an old Clifton Hill quarry with his mates, Pa has a lifetime of adventures tucked away in his memory.

In My Pa, Lachy Halliday takes us back to a time of youthful mischief, daring escapades and a very different Melbourne, all told through the stories his Pa has carried with him.

It’s a beautiful reminder that our older generations hold incredible stories about the lives they lived, the places they knew and the adventures they had.

Sometimes, all it takes is a coffee, a quiet afternoon and a simple question:

"Pa, what did you get up to when you were young?"

Read Lachy’s wonderful story, My Pa on Celebrate Living History.

https://celebratelivinghistory.com/my-pa/

21/08/2026

Meet Lachy – our latest intern! 👋

Howdy folks! Meet Lachy, our latest intern from Griffith University.

We’re delighted to have him join Celebrate Living History and can’t wait to see where his curiosity and storytelling skills take him.

Lachy says being an intern with us gives him the opportunity to:

“Find interesting stories from people who have lives filled with knowledge and stories that deserve to be heard but will often go untold and forgotten about because no one took the time to ask them about it.”

And that is exactly what Celebrate Living History is all about asking, listening and preserving the stories of people in our community so they can be shared with future generations.

Welcome Lachy! We’re looking forward to hearing the stories you uncover.

Read more about Lachy and why he wanted to become an intern with Celebrate Living History:
Meet Lachy – our latest intern

What attracts you to being an intern with Celebrate Living History? An internship with Celebrate Living History is an amazing opportunity to partake in a different kind of journalism that I don’t get the privilege of doing with my degree. […]

02/06/2026

Lights, Camera, Community!

Did you know that Sandgate in Queensland once had a thriving cinema culture?

From the early picture shows at the Old Town Hall to open-air theatres on the waterfront, grand movie houses like Bon Accord, The Strand, The Beach Theatre and the Mayfair, generations of locals gathered to laugh, cry, dream and connect through film.

More recently, the Sandgate Cinema Club carried on this tradition, bringing affordable films, community screenings and the Sandgate Film Gala to local audiences. Sadly, the club's activities came to a halt during the COVID-19 pandemic and have yet to return.

Beyond entertainment, cinema has always been about connection. It gives us stories to share, conversations to have, and a place where people from all walks of life can come together. For many, community film events provided friendship, inclusion and a sense of belonging.

Today, while Sandgate no longer has its own cinema, its rich film history remains an important part of the suburb's story.

📽️ Read Isabelle Drake's fascinating exploration of Sandgate's cinematic past and discover the theatres, characters and community spirit that once lit up the silver screen.

https://celebratelivinghistory.com/industry-history-sandgate-queensland-australia/

02/03/2026

We are thrilled to welcome Isabelle Drake from Griffith University to Celebrate Living History!

Isabelle is passionate about journalism as a powerful tool for education — a way to communicate the stories of important events, places, people and ideas that shape who we are. What drew her to Celebrate Living History was our commitment to preserving and sharing local history — the stories that live in our own communities.

Her passion deepened after a university assessment exploring the significance of a local lagoon to First Nations people and its vital role in supporting internationally migrating seabirds. That experience opened her eyes to the importance of community education and awareness — especially around Indigenous histories and the impacts of colonisation.

For Isabelle, learning about and respecting cultures and environments beyond her own isn’t just academic — it’s a core value she carries daily. She believes storytelling can help bridge knowledge gaps and foster understanding.

Isabelle also draws inspiration from Johnnie Gill, whose life is shared in the book Who Was Johnnie Wheels?. Despite a life-changing spinal injury as a child in the 1860s, Johnnie defied the social prejudices of his time. He taught himself to repair clocks and sewing machines, invented his own way to move independently, ran a successful sheep shearing business, earned his own income, and even married — forcing a society that often erased people with disabilities to acknowledge his skill, determination and humanity.

And if she could time travel? Isabelle would flip a coin between two fascinating eras — the Victorian period, to better understand its profound social and cultural influence (particularly on women’s history), or ancient Alexandria before the destruction of the Great Library, to immerse herself in the knowledge, arts and cultures of the ancient world.

We are so excited to have Isabelle’s thoughtful voice and curiosity contributing to Celebrate Living History. Please join us in giving her a warm welcome!