1902

Given its the "Weekly News" perhaps it is not taken on the day? (just to be persnickety)

www.census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/nai001561167/ Edward Wm Mack - Photographer Not there in 1901

www.census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/nai001561165/ Matthew Gettenby in 1911 - Manufacturer Draper in 1901 and correct spelling!

At the time Larne had a booming incoming tourist trade as it was the gateway to the Glens of Antrim and with a variety of hotels. People from Belfast would go to Larne by train for days out but also there would be visitors on the ferries from Scotland on day trips - Stranraer was only 2 1/2 hours away. This explains the "Irish Souvenir Warehouse" branding which was aimed primarily at Scottish visitors.

Welch's Irish Views. The Robert Welch photographs in Birmingham Central Library form part of the Sir Benjamin Stone Collection; acquired by Benjamin Stone between 1904 and 1906. Archives and Heritage Service hold more than 400 of his photos. Robert Welch, born in 1859, had a photographic studio in Belfast. Though he never married he had many friends who spoke of his helpfulness and generosity, he was described as a 'friend to all the world'. He died in 1936. Robert Welch travelled all over Ireland taking photos of the people and their way of life; he advertised himself as an 'ethnographer'. As a commercial photographer, he sold copies to many different organisations. His photos were used as postcards, as illustrations for travel books, and to accompany scientific lectures www.birmingham.gov.uk/cs/Satellite?c=Page&childpagena...

By August 1902, heavy sheep and cattle losses were reported from Queensland. Rivers in western Queensland dried up, and the Darling River at Bourke virtually ran dry. Further south, towns near the Murray River such as Mildura, Balranald and Deniliquin—then dependent on the river for transport—suffered badly. The national wheat crop was all but lost, with close to the lowest yields of the century. Source: www.bom.gov.au/climate/drought/knowledge-centre/previous-...

Townsville’s former Customs House is located on the corner of Wickham Street and The Strand. Completed in 1902, the building was designed by George David Payne of the Government Architect’s Office in the Queensland Department of Public Works. Payne was a London-trained architect who had emigrated to Australia around 1887. Payne designed an impressive Romanesque-style building with a semi-circular corner entrance and low tower for shipping observation. The two-storey, L-shaped building was designed to suit the tropical climate with high ceilings and fanlights to maximise airflow and broad, colonnaded verandahs to provide shade for the interior rooms. Tenders for construction were called in early 1900 with the tender of £26,642 submitted by Brisbane contractors Messrs Crawford and Cameron being accepted in March 1900. The building was constructed of local bricks from the North Queensland Brick and Pottery Company and faced with granite quarried at Cockle Bay, Magnetic Island. The roof tiles were manufactured locally, and timbers sourced from throughout north Queensland, such as cedar and silky oak, were used internally. The ground floor plan included a circular entrance hall, a Long Room with a public counter and work area, general offices, storerooms, two safes, two small strong rooms, and a large office for the Sub-Collector of Customs. The upper floor was designed to house offices for the Deputy Registrar, Harbour Master, and Stamps and Titles offices. A large strong room with a fireproof door was located at the end of the Titles office. The Strand frontage contained two entrances for access by the public, while the Wickham Street elevation contained two private entrances. One private entrance was for the exclusive use of the Sub-Collector of Customs, while the other was for the use of boarding officers and tide waiters. Although intended as functional plans, Payne’s hand-coloured drawings are also visually very beautiful. Subtly different colours have been used to represent the different external building materials of granite, brick and stone. Interestingly, Payne’s signature does not appear on the plans. The only signature discernible on the Townsville Custom House plans are that of A.B. Brady, the Queensland Government Architect. Though Payne was obviously a talented architect, at this time he was just one of a number of draftsmen who worked for the Department of Public Works, so his drawings were signed by the senior officer, Brady. Source: jculibrarynews.blogspot.com/2020/05/50-treasures-townsvil...