State Library of Queensland

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Join State Library research librarians to learn about the resources available for finding information on Italian family history. Italians were an important multicultural group in Queensland, contributing substantially to agriculture and to the sugar industry as well as to food and coffee culture. Explore books, newspapers, databases and online sources of Italian records whilst also learning more about the Italians in Queensland. Registrations are essential so book now! This event is part of our Family History Month program. Discover more events on the Family History Month webpage.

The Bailey Bridge is an iconic military bridge that was designed by Sir Donald Bailey in the 1930s and brought into broad scale use by the British Army in 1942. It was described by General Dwight D Eisenhower as the one device that shortened World War II because it could be rapidly assembled, in the face of the enemy, and was able to carry heavy loads such as tanks in a very short space of time. It is a bridge that is made up of component pieces that can be assembled using simple hand tools and the strength of soldiers to assemble the pieces together. The component pieces of the bridge are fastened together with pins and bolts. The symbolic icon of the Corps of Royal Australian Engineers (RAE) is a bridge otherwise described as the “Lazy E” as it looks like the letter E turned on its side. This is worn on the combat uniform of every Sapper in RAE. Members of the 1st Field Squadron Association researched the background to the Corps of Australian Engineers in 2013 and were stunned by the evidence that demonstrated the outstanding contribution to WWII made by their forebears. There was no monument to these Sappers to honour and recognize their service. So, a monument was needed and the design of it was an easy decision. It would be a bridge. A bridge that looked very military. A Bailey Bridge! Three locations for such a monument were selected which are Amiens in France (due to historical reasons), Amiens Queensland and Anzac Park Toowong in Brisbane. The monument in Anzac Park Toowong was built by Sappers from the 7th Combat Engineer Squadron based at Enoggera and the bridge in Amiens France by Sappers of the 3rd Regiment du Genie. Join Lieutenant Colonel George Hulse OAM (Retd) as he discusses the reasons behind the monument to WWII Australian Engineers and shows the component pieces of the Bailey Bridge at Amiens in France, its construction and some amusing information contained in its background story. After the talk, visitors are invited to explore the Memorial Galleries, embarking on an interactive journey from the First World War to today, before taking time to reflect on the remarkable stories of bravery and sacrifice in the tranquil parklands.

The Australian Library of Art Showcase displays rare items curated from State Library's collections. Our current display, A is for Ox, focuses on the art and history of typography. Did you know that the capital letter A, from our modern Latin alphabet, started as a picture of an ox head? If you turn it upside-down you can still see its horns.The Ancient Greeks adopted it for their phonetic alphabet, turned it onto its head, and there it has remained. Generations of typographers and book artists have since exercised their skills on the letters of the alphabet, turning those symbols representing sounds back into art again. This display roams through the collections of the Australian Library of Art – from the typewriter art of Henry Greenhow’s Ziggurats and the word art of Richard Tipping to the glorious typographic books of Alan Loney. Free Curator's Tours are held monthly. Join one of our specialist librarians to discover the hidden gems of the Australian Library of Art collections.