Lightning is one of the major causes of bushfires, particularly in the remote mountains. This lightning detector system was developed by Dr. Peter Kourtz at Canada’s forest fire research institute. By 1977, some 300 were in use across the country. The small mushroom antenna could detect short-range (20-mile) changes in electrostatic field associated with lightning strikes. It needed to be placed out in the open on a hilltop and away from nearby trees. It simply counted the number of "strikes". The detector doesn't seem to have a direction finding capability or be able to distinguish between cloud-to-cloud or cloud-to-ground lightning. It's not sure how this particular unit found its way to Victoria. The Bureau of Meteorology's (BOM) current lightning detector network uses radio waves emitted by lightning to pinpoint the location of lightning strikes. The network is operated by a private company that sends data to the BOM in real time. Lightning detection systems use sensors like antennas, GPS receivers, and processing systems to detect radio waves, also known as sferics. The systems calculate the lightning's location and speed by measuring how long it takes for the radio signal to reach the different antenna stations. The BOM also has a Thunderstorm Tracker that uses weather radar data to identify areas of potential thunderstorm activity. The tracker updates every six minutes and shows the direction thunderstorms are moving, as well as their expected position in 10, 20, and 30 minutesLightning detector 1970sQ-Techforests commission victoria (fcv), weather, bushfire, bushfire aviation

Newspaper clippings from The Tramway Record, 5/9/1929 and 28/11/1929, titled "Our photograph Page" featuring photographs of: .1 - Rail grinder in Melbourne, a single truck tramcar (M class 186) outside Hanna St depot after a thunderstorm and a flooded street, Hanna St depot and Circular Quay Sydney .2 - Y 469, W2 329, interior of X1 car and the tourist bus No.57, both exterior and interiors photos. Published by the ATMOEADated in ink on .2trams, tramways, grinder, work trams, y class, interiors, flooding, atmoea, m class, hanna st depot, south melbourne depot, tram 186, tram 329, x1 class, mmtb buses, bus 57, w2 class, tram 469

The ceramic insulators were used by the PMG to insulate telephone lines connecting to the lightstation accommodation. The installation of a single galvanised wire telegraph line in 1873 provided the lightstation with a vital link to the outside world via Morse code. In 1875, the Australasian Sketcher reported on the new facility, writing that ‘the lighthouse on the extreme point of the promontory is connected with Melbourne by a line of telegraph, and as a large number of vessels pass in sight of the lighthouse, useful information is gained respecting their movements’.The system was immobilised in 1885 when a thunderstorm caused some of the poles to explode and connection wires to fuse and turn into molten metal. During WWII the lighthouse line was upgraded to four copper wires, and in 1971 a radio link replaced the line. The lines required constant maintenance. Some poles remain along the length of the promontory’s Telegraph Track as reminders of this former communication link. Insulators can also be found in the collections at Cape Schanck; Cape Otway and Gabo Island. Comprises a white ceramic insulator attached to a rectangular metal plate.

David Mann operated the family business in Wodonga begun by his father in 1921. David joined the business in 1945 and became the Managing Director of Mann Wodonga from 1965. As well as being a leading businessman, David was a leader in many other fields in the community including Scouting, Apex and Rotary and was a prime mover in advocating for further education in Wodonga. David married Elaine Margaret Milnes of Tallangatta on 30th March 1957. He obtained a pilot’s licence and owned a single engine Cessna 210. In 1978 he fulfilled a lifelong dream by flying the plane from Albury Airport to England with his wife Elaine and their friends Ian and Roma Richards. Their aim was to visit Elaine’s sister who lived in West Byfleet, England. They took off on 24th May 1978 and their flight took them across Malaysia, India, Kathmandu, Saudi Arabia, Rhodes, Venice and France. It included 36 take-offs and used 1,200 gallons of fuel. They encountered a violent thunderstorm over Burma, accidentally landed on a military airfield in Thailand, lost radio signals over the Arabian desert and had to deal with pages of red tape. They reached their destination on 23rd June 1978. While David and Elaine visited her sister, the Cessna was given a thorough service in preparation for their return to Wodonga. David Mann died in Albury in June 2012. Elaine now (2025) lives in Melbourne, Victoria.This article is significant because it records an important activity undertaken by David Mann, a prominent member of the Wodonga community.A newspaper article from the Woking News & Mail in the England reporting on David Mann's flight from Albury to England in his Cessna in 1978 as well as two coloured photographsdavid mann, elaine mann, manns of wodonga

Now 100 years old, this quilt belonged to the donor’s grandfather John William Huffstutter. John was Born in 1898 in a log cabin in the Ozark mountains of Missouri, USA. Tragically, John’s mother died when he was four years old. John said that he could always remember her voice calling his name as he hid under the porch in one of the many thunderstorms that frequent the area with his dog. John was raised by his grandmother and was treated as the youngest to her other children, growing up with his aunties and uncles rather than brothers and sisters. John began to study engineering at the State University of Iowa before serving in the US Army Engineer Corps in The Great War. He enlisted when he became eligible and served briefly before the Great War ended. He then returned to his engineering studies in Iowa, and shortly after finishing his studies got his first job with Westinghouse in Pittsburgh at age 23. It was when John was leaving for this job that he was given the quilts as a reminder of home from his grandmother Sarah Jane "Sallie" Tindall Coble, and her daughter (John's Aunt) Ottie Maude Coble Bittick. Widowed at age 78, John took to sleeping in his screen porch under one of these quilts. John remembered one winter in Missouri waking in his log cabin to find snow covering him and his quilt. When he died at age 94, the quilt he used was completely worn out and discarded. This remaining quilt was shipped to Australia, where Carol’s (the donor) immediate family had emigrated in 1970. Opening the box that contained the quilt released a wave of comforting smells, emotions, and a flood of childhood memories. Carol distinctly remembers sleeping under these quilts for afternoon naps at her grandparents' house. The quilt is 74 x 80 inches (1880 x 2030mm), matching the size of a modern-day king bed. It is made of various four-inch (100mm) squares. These squares are made of old men woollen suits in dark colours of browns and greys. The quilt is layered with a wool backing fabric and a batting lawyer of unknown material, possibly cotton or wool. The quilt is tied together with red wool yarn and the backing fabric is folded over the edge to be used as a binding. Embroidered across the front of the quilt in purple wool yarn is "John Huffstutter", "13 Oct 1921". A small, printed cloth label "HUFFSTUTTER" is pinned on the reverse of the quilt. The quilt is well-worn but in good condition considering its age. The care instructions passed down by word of mouth with the quilt were to "never wash, only air".Front embroidered. Purple handstitching: "John Huffstutter / 13 Oct 1921" Reverse. Printed cloth label: "HUFFSTUTTER"ozark, missouri, usa, textile history, quilt heritage

Small eight page booklet of a poem inspired by Beethoven's 8th 'Pastoral' symphony.fictionEight page booklet of a poem by Ballarat Mayor and writer.ballarat, poetry, lambda