Contents

• President’s column - page 1Discusses museum cataloguing, online resources and Society activities.
• Local cinema history - page 2Introduces a CinemaRecord article on picture theatres and showmen in Alpine, Mittagong and Berrima.
• James Squire and local publications - page 3Dr Peter Mitchell’s talk is introduced alongside Society books on Berrima and local inns.
• Earthquakes in the district - page 4Begins a review of historic newspaper reports and the 1961 Robertson earthquake.
• The 1961 earthquake: local damage - page 5Newspaper accounts describe damage and experiences in Robertson and neighbouring towns.
• Robertson earthquake accounts - page 6Reports and an eyewitness recollection describe the effects on buildings, workers and services.
• Robertson and later tremors - page 7The article follows the earthquake’s impact on Robertson and later events in NSW.
• Society information - page 8Contact and committee details as printed in October 2024.

Issue highlights

• Dr Peter Mitchell examines First Fleet convict entrepreneur James Squire (p.3).
• Local research files record the 1961 Robertson earthquake, magnitude 5.8 (p.4).
• The account describes damage to chimneys and buildings across Robertson, Moss Vale and nearby districts (p.4-5).
• Newspaper reports describe power cuts, building damage and the experiences of residents; a later section recalls the 1973 Picton earthquake (pp.6-7).

Original Society source