As swine flu hits the headlines, we recall the influenza epidemic in 1919 that affected millions world-wide. This drawing by May Gibbs was found in a 1935 government research file that included press cuttings on the epidemic.

Made into a poster, the artwork was used in promoting health and baby care.

Influenza is further documented in the National Archives collection, with Australian National University studies in 1975 revealing large-scale models of the influenza virus.

Drawing reproduced with permission from  The Spastic Centre of NSW  and The Northcott Society .
 

Back to top

Stand back AC/DC fans! We hold the Young family's migration record along with files on more than one million Britons who came to Australia as assisted migrants.

Famed for starting AC/DC in Sydney in 1973, brothers Angus, Malcolm and George Young migrated with their parents, William and Margaret, in 1963. Coming into the country as 'ten pound poms', the boys certainly helped put  Australia on the music scene in the decades to follow. Another 'ten pound pom' family is that of  Australian actor Noni Hazlehurst, who is well acquainted with the National Archives.

A fact sheet to help you find records of British migrants is on our website.

Back to top

An Apollo-Saturn V rocket is a special feature in the National Archives collection. Discovered among the personal records of Lord Casey, Governor-General 1965–69, the model rocket was presented during a ceremony at the John F Kennedy Space Centre, NASA, in 1967.

The rocket is part of a significant revamp of  Memory of a Nation, our permanent exhibition in Canberra. Open daily 9 am to 5 pm.

Back to top

Convicts in the female factories hated the punishment of head shaving so much  that it was a cause for riots. For these women it meant a denial of freedom over one's body and sense of identity.

Women Transported: Life in Australia's Convict Female Factories, currently on display in Canberra, highlights the little-known stories of how these women coped after total dislocation, but went on to make a life for themselves, with many making big contributions to society.

Back to top

John Curtin neither owned nor drove a car. This prime minister, who led Australia through the dark years of World War II, spent time in gaol in 1916 for refusing to show up when conscripted.

John Gorton, was at school with the screen idol Errol Flynn at Shore (Sydney Church of England Grammar School, 1924–26) and painter Russell Drysdale at Geelong Grammar (1927–30).

Our updated website, featuring new information and multimedia galleries, will be the place to learn about  Australia's prime ministers. Online soon – stay tuned.

Back to top

Archival research can be exciting and challenging: exciting because until you search you can never be sure what records we hold or what information you will find (you may be the first researcher to see the record); challenging because archival records are more difficult to research than books in a library.

Here's help to get you started, as well as help in using RecordSearch, our online database.

Back to top

Congratulations to last month's winners Mark Searle, NSW and Jill Cheal, VIC, with the answer 'Enid Blyton'. They have received a copy of the National Archives' publication Developing Images: Mildenhall's Photographs of Early Canberra.

The eighth and eleventh correct entries received for this month's quirky quiz will each win a copy of Women Transported: Life in Australia's Convict Female Factories.

From west of the Blue Mountains I did hail, refusing to wear ceremonial dress I did prevail – I was also a man of the rail.

Search here for a hint. Email us with your answer in the subject line and your postal address in the body of the email. View terms and conditions.

Back to top

The National Archives offers a range of grants for advanced research and professional development. For more information visit our website.

Back to top