Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Maitland Region Society of Artists

Maitland Region Society of Artists members art exhibition opening is being held on Friday 13th August 2010, 6-8pm.
The opening night begins with a book launch, A history of the Art Society by Marilyn Foster. 
Venue: Masonic hall, Grant Street Maitland.

Museums Australia National Conference

Museums Australia ( Victoria ) extends an invitation to the fourteenth annual Museums Australia National Conference in 2010, in Melbourne . The Conference will take place from 28 September to 2 October 2010, with the theme: Interesting Times: New roles for collections.
Further information: http://www.ma2010.com.au/default.asp

Plaques honour boxing legend Darcy

From the Maitland Mercury report:
A limited edition Les Darcy plaque has been created to honour the boxing legend and Maitland hero. The Maitland Les Darcy Committee chairman Robbie Reid said this would be the last throw of the dice for Maitland people to own a piece of Les Darcy memorabilia.

Full article by Rebecca Berry available at Maitland Mercury, 10 Aug, 2010.

Former prisoners exhibit artworks at historic jail

From the Maitland Mercury report:
The latest auditorium exhibition in the redeveloped education and museum space at the historic site presents the works of former inmates, ranging from oil paintings to graffiti from the cell walls.

Con Artistes: Arts and Crafts As Rehabilitative Therapy was unveiled this week, in the culmination of a long project by Maitland Gaol administration co-ordinator Gordon Sauber and researcher Steven “Mac” McLennan.

Full article by Briony Snedden available at: Maitland Mercury, 06 Aug, 2010.

National Archives of Australia Showcases

National Archives feature a number of website exhibitions, including:
Power for the people - 60 years of the Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme
Games we played - early decades of the 20th century
Shell-shocked: Australia after Armistice
Summers past - golden days in the sun, 1950-1970
Max Dupain - on assignment

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Take a walk to explore history

From the Maitland Mercury report:
Sempill Street was a bustling precinct in Maitland’s early history dating back to the 1830s and its earliest buildings and historic sites will be a highlight of the Friends of Grossmann House Heritage Walk on Sunday.

Organiser Holly McNamee said the tour would explore a part of West Maitland’s early history starting at the courthouse and police precinct and returning past the former Alma Hotel site in High Street.

Full article by Rebecca Berry available at Maitland Mercury, 05 Aug, 2010.

Hunter Lifestyle Magazine

Hunter Lifestyle Magazine June-July 2010 features a number of heritage properties in the Hunter Valley:
Blythewood and Hazelrigg, Lorn. Two home gardens that were showcased during Autumn under the banner of Australia’s Open Garden Scheme.
Bolwarra Barn: to quote “unique” is an understatement for this fine and rare massively built sandstone building (circa 1836) known as Bolwarra Barn.
Elms Hall, Vacy, circa 1865, a stunning Victorian-era country home.
Pelerin, Singleton: after being converted to four flats in the 1950s, each room of Pelerin has now been peeled back to its original look and function.

Society of Australian Genealogists

                 New Records at FindMyPast and Ancestry:

Ancestry has released the Australian Birth, Marriage and Death Indexes, featuring almost 15 million records. The advantage of this new record set is that it brings indexes from all Australian states together so that you do not need to search each states' indexes one at a time.
At FindMyPast.co.uk, birth records from the UK are now easier to search with fully indexed birth records from 1837-2006.

SAG activities: a chronological list of all SAG activities for August to October 2010 is now available for online viewing and bookings.

Reaching the People: Mary Mackillop in Sydney Cove

Reaching the People: Mary Mackillop in Sydney Cove celebrates the work and achievements of the Sisters of St Joseph in The Rocks area over a twenty year period from 1881- 1901. The exhibition highlights the establishment of the order in Sydney and the community links developed in the Catholic and protestant communities in the Rocks.
When: 27 August – 26 September 2010
Where: Mary MacKillop Place Museum, 7–11 Mount St, North Sydney
Further information: http://www.marymackillopplace.org.au/