Fancy jumping into a time machine to get a glimpse of Newcastle's past.
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If only we could. The next best thing may well be historian Ed Tonks' 2020 calendar, titled Hotels of Old Newcastle.
It contains 14 black and white Ralph Snowball photographs of hotels long gone or altered.
A few, such as the Grand in Newcastle and the Gates at Adamstown, are still recognisable.
Each photo is captioned with details of when the photo was taken, the hotel's location, the licensee at the time, when the hotel closed and when it was demolished or rebuilt.
Each month also features events and happenings in Newcastle's hotel history.
Ed said he compiled the calendar to "highlight our rich hotel history and give that history some factual base".
He also wanted to highlight how some hotels contrast with the changing landscape.
Snowball is renowned as a brilliant photographer.
"He not only composed his images beautifully but was a master at having people pose for his camera," Ed said.
He said the original Premier Hotel at Broadmeadow was "something of a landmark building" designed by Newcastle architect James Henderson.
"Of particular interest, additional to the range of people gathered on and around the footpath, is the advertising of Buddha tea," he said.
"Today such tea is advertised as organic and caffeine-free. Wonder what it was then?"
The calendar is for sale in some newsagents and bookshops or online at edtonks.com.au.
Be A Better Human
Braxton Allen's story was reported last month in a front page story in the Newcastle Herald.
The four-year-old Hunter Valley boy had faced bullying, teasing and despair since a viral infection at 12 months old caused him to lose all his hair, except his eye lashes.
He was diagnosed with alopecia areata universealis.
His mum Naomi Allen selflessly shaved her head to make her son feel better, while raising money for the Australia Alopecia Areata Foundation through gofundraise.com.au.
Newcastle Griffins Rugby Union coach Robbie Cochrane read the story and felt "little Brax needed some back up".
"So I have organised a fundraiser at The Hamilton Station Hotel [on Saturday at 10.30am] where Newcastle Griffins boys will shave their heads, put on some bacon and egg rolls and give Brax some gear and spend the day with him," Robbie said.
Robbie said the Griffins aim to take care of their own and the community.
"As a club, we take great pride in helping and donating to organisations," he said.
The club is running a Be Better campaign in 2020 with the motto: "Be a better player, be fitter, live better, be a better human."
