Kingston's history lives on

Minister for the Environment and Sustainable Development, Simon Corbell, today handed over a tangible piece of history to relatives of those featured in the Kingston Foreshore storyboards to commemorate the area's rich history.

"I am very pleased to be able to pass along memorial frames to relatives of those pictured in the Kingston Foreshore storyboards and celebrate the contributions their families made to Canberra's history," Mr Corbell said.

"To still have links to this part of Canberra's history through the Kingston Foreshore precinct is a unique way for both locals and visitors to learn more about our region's rich culture and history."

Mr Corbell said the memorial frames were images from the Kingston storyboards, which stretch more than half a kilometre around the boundaries of the Kingston Foreshore site, detailing the history of the area and the community which grew around it through photos and text.

Cousins John Boa and Ian Saunders, along with sisters Jene Baker and Sheila Barry were among the family members who received the memorial frames today from Mr Corbell.

Brother and sister John and Lucy Saunders are pictured in the storyboards as young children in1938. John Boa now lives in Scotland while Ian Saunders in Cootamundra. John Saunders is one of 43 Australians listed as Missing in Action in Korea 1953.

Jene Baker who was pictured in the storyboards, was one of Canberra's first three women bus conductors and received her frame from Mr Corbell today along with her sister. Jene joined the bus service in 1941 and is pictured in her uniform in the backyard of the No 3 Powerhouse cottages.

Mr Corbell said the storyboards communicated the many transformations the area had undergone, from the time of Indigenous occupation, to farming land, to an industrial area with a surrounding suburb, and most recently, to a new mixed use residential and commercial precinct with a strong arts and cultural focus.

"Kingston Foreshore was home to the Power House, Canberra's generator of industrial and domestic power - its history is captured here where we stand. When it was completed in 1914 it was a landmark in rural surroundings, signalling the beginning of the city to come," he said.

The storyboards were developed by cultural planner Susan Conroy and community historian Mary Hutchinson.

For more information on the Kingston Storyboards visit www.lda.act.gov.au/kingston_storyboards/