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Kate Boadicea Cocks, South Australia's first police woman, born at Moonta. Photo taken approximately 1936. SLSA: B10886

Kate Cocks: South Australia's first policewoman

The stories that make us

Kate Cocks was an amazing woman who devoted her life to helping women and children to escape violence and abuse. Read on to find out...

History
The Woolcock family, SLSA: B 12311. cropped version.

Elizabeth Woolcock – murderer or victim?

The stories that make us.

In September 1873 in Moonta, Thomas Woolcock died slowly from mercury poisoning. His wife, Elizabeth Woolcock, was convicted of his murder and became the only...

Crime and infamy History Stories from the stacks
Watch the migrant family stories between the wars talk

Migrant family stories between the wars

The stories that make us.

Hear stories of strength, resilience and longevity of a group of migrants from the Italian region of Veneto who settled in the western suburbs of...

History Stories from the stacks
'Miss Mary Augusta Schippan, charged with the murder of her sister Bertha' . Photograph published in 'The Critic' newspaper on 18 January 1902. SLSA: B 75311/7

Who killed Bertha Schippan?

The stories that make us.

On New Year’s Night 1902, Bertha Schippan was brutally murdered on an isolated farm in the north-east of Adelaide. She was fourteen years old. Her...

Crime and infamy History
Simpson washers in display window of a store, c1950. SLSA: BRG 9/36/216 

From silk hats to white goods

The stories that make us.

The locally made Simpson automatic washing machine eased the burden of weekly duties for South Australian housewives when it was first produced in the 1940’s...

History Innovation
Watch the talk: In plain sight - Twentieth-century LGBTIQA+ writers in our collection

In plain sight: Twentieth century LGBTIQA+ writers in our collections

The stories that make us.

Learn what a recent unusual discovery, by one of our long-term volunteers, tells us about twentieth-century LGBTIQA+ writers in our collections. It was revealed that...

Literature Stories on-demand
Lust for Lifestyle, Modern Adelaide Homes 1950 to 1965

Lust for Lifestyle: Modern Adelaide Homes 1950–1965

The stories that make us.

Lust for Lifestyle: Modern Adelaide Homes 1950–1965 offers insights into how a generation of post-Word War II homeowners embraced modern family homes, designed by architects...

Architecture History Photography
An Edison Fireside Phonograph (combination type), Model A, serial number 21970. SLSA: D 8827/13(Misc)

Voices captured in wax: digitising wax cylinder recordings from 1901

The stories that make us.

Wax cylinders were the earliest, commercially available, sound recording and sound playback format. They were invented by Thomas Edison in 1877 and later commercialised in...

Behind the scenes Innovation Stories from the stacks
South Park Football Club, 1879. SLSA: B 10436

THE SANFL clubs that have hung up the boots

In June 2022 the State Library held an exhibition in partnership with the South Australian National Football League (SANFL) History Centre. Our footy, our people...

History
Watch the talk: Sowing, Mowing and Growing

Sowing, Mowing and Growing

The stories that make us.

Take you for a stroll through South Australian gardens from colonisation to the 1930s. Early gardening emphasised subsistence but British landscaping styles were soon introduced...

Stories on-demand
Wine cask graphic design by Wytt Morro, 1968. SLSA: BRG 233/3/2/23/1

Designing the Angove's 'handy gallon pack' wine cask

The stories that make us.

Wytt Morrô was one of Australia's most important graphic designer of wine labels. His labels for Stonyfell Metala and Orlando Barossa Pearl in the 1950s...

Art, design, fashion History Innovation
Watch the talk: Shame, shock and awful strife

Shame, Shock and Awful Strife in the Holy Village

The stories that make us.

Hear how a lady writer and a fiery preacher raised a ruckus in the City of Churches. You'll discover tales of lavish lifestyles, a riot...

Biography Hotels and pubs Stories on-demand
Orlando Winery, pink Barossa Pearl wine labels

It pops! It bubbles! - How Barossa Pearl changed wine drinking in Australia

The stories that make us.

The Barossa Valley has long been famous for its exceptional wines, but did you know it is also the birthplace of a wine that changed...

Art, design, fashion History
The Farmers' Union exhibition at the Adelaide Royal Show, 1938. SLSA: B 78620/9

Tasty treasures at the Royal Adelaide Show

The stories that make us.

The Royal Adelaide Show holds cherished memories for many South Australians. From riding a tractor for the first time to watching cattle being judged or...

History Innovation
Open hearts, open minds: Discover the early days of Unitarianism in South Australia

Open hearts, open minds

The stories that make us.

Revealed through diaries, newspapers and memorabilia held in State Library collections, discover the early days of a little known but living faith, Unitarianism. Its motto...

History Stories on-demand
Watch the Debs, Dobs and Doodles talk

Debs, dobs and doodles

The stories that make us.

Something to warm the cockles in the depths of winter. Three presenters put three quirky topics under the spotlight to reveal the diversity of State...

Art, design, fashion History Photography Stories on-demand
Josiah Symon cropped

Sir Josiah Symon: barrister, benefactor, bibliophile and bon vivant

The stories that make us.

Sir Josiah Symon was the most prominent barrister in late 19 th and early 20 th century South Australia. He was an influential state and...

Biography History Literature
Watch the Art and Craft of taxidermy talk

Art and craft of taxidermy

The stories that make us.

Taxidermy was part of the 19 th century interest in natural science sparked by discoveries of scientists such as Charles Darwin. It became something of...

Art, design, fashion Behind the scenes History Stories on-demand
 Image of the West End Brewery, photograph taken by Toby Woolley.

The West End Brewery archive

The stories that make us.

When the gates closed at the West End Brewery site in Adelaide in June 2021, the State Library received a donation offer for the business...

Behind the scenes History Hotels and pubs
Watch the Maria Gandy talk

Written Out – Maria Gandy: Colonel Light’s lady, Dr Mayo’s wife

The stories that make us.

Maria Gandy was companion to South Australia’s first Surveyor-General and founder of Adelaide, Colonel William Light. She was referred to publicly as his housekeeper and...

Biography History Stories on-demand