"Dear Alice" Is a collection of 142 Postcards from Australia and around world, almost all of which are addressed to Miss Alice Evans, No. 2 Cox Gardens, Williamstown, dated between 1905 - 1909. These postcards form part of a collection found in the ceiling of No. 2 Cox Gardens by a local builder and carpenter Gordon Peterson. Peterson was contracted to demolish the house in the mid 1970's. The cards were held in the Estate of Gordon Peterson, along with a photo of the cottage, before demolition until donation to the historical society by his descendants in 2024. Alice Edith Evans was born in Williamstown in 1885 to parents Benjamin Samuel Evans (1833-1900), a bootmaker from Ruabon, Denbighshire, Wales and Catherine (nee Jones) (1850-1915) from Eaglehawk, near Castlemaine. Alice had three older step sisters, and two younger brothers, Benjamin and Samuel, who sadly died in infancy. Alice’s father, Benjamin, had been married previously, his wife dying during childbirth, leaving him with three daughters to care for. After leaving school, Alice was employed as a clerk with Trevor Jones & Co. (real estate agents), until her declining health prevented her from working. She was an active and well known member of the Welsh Church and Sunday School on Ferguson Street and enjoyed singing and playing in local concerts. Well known in the community, a Grand Benefit Concert was organised in her honour on 9th April, 1910, at the Mechanics Institute, Williamstown. Hosted by Mayor Cr. Wymark, the event featured a delightful program of musical performances, showcasing both individual talents and the Carlton Club Choir. Tragically, Alice passed away due to the effects of her illness on 3rd December 1910, at the age of just 25. She is buried in Williamstown Cemetery. The postcards, written between 1905 to 1909, illustrate the social history of residents and everyday life at the turn of the century, using postcards as a means of communication.This postcard forms part of the collection of 142 Postcards. The postcard is a black and white photograph of The Weeping Rock, Wentworth FallsThe Weeping Rock, Wentworth Fallsalice evans postcards, wentworth falls, weeping rock, waterfalls

Reinis Zusters OAM was born 15 October 1918 in Odessa, Ukraine, of Latvian parents. Zusters’ father died before he was two years old and he was raised in an orphanage from an early age. He had one sister. He studied Art at the Riga Technical College, Latvia, from 1935 to 1940. He married Aldija Kapteinis, and they had a daughter, Rudite (born 1942 in Riga). After World War II the Zusters family were refugees. They reached Western Australia in 1950, where they stayed for 6 months before moving to Canberra, ACT. In 1952, Zusters moved from Canberra to Pennant Hills in Sydney with his second wife, Arija Biks. Their daughter Laura was born in Sydney in 1956. In 1966, Zusters met his future third wife, Venita Salnajs. In 1969, Zusters bought a house in Greenwich, Sydney. He married Venita on September 17, 1976, and they moved to Wentworth Falls in the Blue Mountains. Zusters died on 8 October, 1999 at Wentworth Falls, and was cremated at Rookwood Crematorium, Sydney. His ashes are buried in the Latvian section of Rookwood Cemetery. Zusters studied at the Technical College of Riga (Latvia), and at East Sydney Technical College, Australia. He was influenced by his Latvian cultural heritage, and admired the artist Voldemars Tone (1892-1958). Shortly after arrival in Australia, Zusters became a draughtsman with the Department of Works and Housing in Canberra. Later he was appointed chief designer with the Australian-American architectural firm Austin-Anderson, at St. Leonards, Sydney. Zusters practised as a full-time professional artist from 1968. Zusters was a prolific painter, predominantly in oils. He produced many large landscapes, including triptychs of the Blue Mountains. His landscapes were mountain scenes prepared in the manner of Jackson Pollock and completed with washes and pale glazes of colour. His cityscapes featured a rich paint surface and sharp-edged thickness of paint applied with a palette knife, layer upon layer. He painted urban scenes of Sydney, inland Australian scenes, and several major portraits including Sir Winston Churchill’s gardener (purchased by Art Gallery of NSW). He made many small informal portrait-drawings of friends. His usual signature was “Zusters”. His work is represented in numerous public and private collections in Australia and abroad. He won numerous prestigious awards in Australia, Japan and USA and was honoured with the Order of Australia Medal in 1994.