Sunday, February 19, 2012

Maitland flood history

From the Maitland Mercury report:
The thing that Noel Gilmour remembers most about the 1955 flood was how black the sky was.
The day before the Hunter River unleashed its fury and the water flowed like an ocean over the top of Mount Pleasant Street, taking his family’s home with it, the 21-year-old Mr Gilmour was leaving his work at Maitland City Council early on that Thursday afternoon when he looked up and noted how dark the sky had become.
It is a detail he will again remember as a speaker at Maitland City Library’s Look Who’s Talking Local History: Memory or Myth? Local Flood Stories event to commemorate the anniversary of the 1955 flood this month.
The event will be held at Maitland Gaol on February 23, from 6pm.
Cost is $15 per person including wine and canapes.
To book, visit any Maitland City Library branch, phone 4933 6952 or visit www.maitland.nsw.gov.au/library