From the Maitland Mercury report:
Landmarks such as the Indian Root Pill shed could be spared from demolition under new council powers, even if they are not heritage listed.
The iconic East Maitland building is an example of what interim heritage orders could save if its owner wanted the shed gone in the future.
Recent changes to the heritage act mean Maitland City Council could issue an interim heritage order while a thorough assessment was carried out.
If the subject of the order was found to have heritage merit, it could then be listed as such under the Maitland local environment plan.
From the Maitland Mercury report:
Many Maitland buildings are heritage protected – and for very good reason.
Not only have they stood the tyranny of time, in many cases they are beautifully and faithfully restored in keeping with the era they represent.
Other buildings, however, such as the iconic blue Indian Root Pill shed on the road between East Maitland and Morpeth, are technically in heritage no-man’s land.
But under new Maitland City Council powers these unlisted buildings may well be protected in the future should their owners ever seek to demolish them.
The new powers mean that the council could issue an interim heritage order while a thorough assessment was carried out.
From the Maitland Mercury report:
The Morpeth Museum Committee and Maitland City Council are preparing celebrations for the 150th anniversary of the Morpeth Court House.
Mrs Thomas, who is the Morpeth Museum curator, is helping to prepare the courthouse for it’s 150th anniversary celebrations on October 18.
The courthouse, now occupied by the museum, has recently undergone significant renovations to restore it to its original condition.
Built in 1862, the courthouse didn’t see it’s first case until July 1863 because citizens claimed it wasn’t finished.
From the Maitland Mercury report:
Never will Branxton Public School’s motto be more meaningful than on Saturday.
The school will celebrate it’s 150th anniversary with a fair starting at 10am.
There will be stalls and entertainment from local and former students, including singing and dancing, plus performances from the school’s choirs.
The school’s motto is “pride and honour”, something assistant principal Michelle Ballenden said the school looked forward to displaying to the community on Saturday.
From the Maitland Mercury report:
In 1933 hundreds of people gathered in the grounds of historic Brough House for a Jubilee Garden Party honouring 50 years of secondary education in Maitland.
Now, more than 80 years, the Friends of Grossmann House are celebrating the garden party at the same place.
“Our aim is to create an event in the spirit of that day because we think it's important to look back and remember these things and try to bring them to life,” Friends of Grossmann House member Janece McDonald said.
The October 19 event will feature a 1930s fashion parade presented by the Maitland-based Australian Museum of Clothing and Textiles while Sing Australia will perform songs of the era.
The Jubilee Garden Party will start at 2pm. For more information and bookings phone Grossmann House on 4933 6452
From the Maitland Mercury report:
Maitland’s credentials as a heritage centre can only be further enhanced by the planned rejuvenation of Melbourne Street, East Maitland.
The Hunter Valley’s wineries have been the backbone of its tourism industry but Maitland has the potential to become the place to stay when visiting the region.
Melbourne Street, like High Street and its surrounds, is blessed with some wonderful historic buildings which can become the centrepieces of the city’s inner-city renaissance.
From the Maitland Mercury report:
The life and times of champion Maitland dancer John Hampton Christison are morally dubious to say the least.
To the public the Scotland native was a highly acclaimed dancer who arrived in the Hunter region in the late 1870s where he proceeded to thrill Maitland audiences with his spectacular exhibition dances and taught hundreds of locals to dance.
But the public persona of this larger-than-life character masked some secrets and puzzles, and his time in Maitland was marked by sudden disappearances, parallel careers and long absences interstate and overseas.
Next week Ray Christison will reveal his great-grandfather’s secrets during a Maitland City LibraryLook Who’s Talking local history event.
Titled Fancy Footwork, the presentation will tell the tale of Professor Christison’s checkered life which included bankruptcy, adultery, cruelty and kidnapping.
Friday 18 October (10.30am - 12.30pm) - Hands On - Online trees for free Learn how to safely add a few key ancestors to a free online family tree, so others can contact you for more information. This is a hands-on session, so bring information about a family of your own (all deceased and ideally at least parents and a child) and create a free online tree. (If possible include an ancestor found in the 1881 UK census.) Websites used include WeRelate, Lost Cousins and MyHeritage. Presenter: Kerry Farmer. Bookings essential. $30 ($45 non-members).
Saturday 19 October (10.30am - 12.30pm) - British Military Service Records Many families have a connection to service in the British armed forces. The records of the British Army, the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force are extensive and can provide a fascinating insight into the lives of our ancestors who served their country. This seminar will cover ‘recent’ records from the First World War as well as looking at material available for earlier time periods. Presenter: Jeremy Palmer. Bookings essential. $20 ($30 non-members).
Saturday 19 October (1.30pm - 3.30pm) - How to Research Australian Military Ancestors Discover the variety of resources available and the information contained within while exploring sites including the Australian War Memorial, National Archives, Commonwealth War Graves Commission and SAG. Learn ways to find your relative’s service history and the history of the units with which they served. Presenter - Damien Bowley. Bookings essential. $20 ($30 non-members).
Wednesday 23 October (8.00pm - 9.00pm AEST) - Webinar - Finding Living UK Relatives Join UK professional genealogist Dr Geoff Swinfield, as he illustrates, using a real example, the techniques and sources used to identify and locate living relatives in the UK Presenter - Dr Geoff Swinfield. Bookings essential and limited to SAG members only. Price $10.00.
Saturday 26 October (10.30am - 12.30pm) - Ancestral Links - the Biographical Database of Australia goes online The former ABGR Project, which published all the Musters in the 1990s, and four volumes of biographies, has created a web-based database of transcribed BDM and other records, linked to create thousands of profiles of people arriving or born in colonial Australia. Malcolm Sainty and Michael Flynn explain how the database works and how it can help genealogists and historians. Presenters - Malcolm Sainty & Michael Flynn. Bookings essential. $20 ($30 non-members).
What Australians endured on Gallipoli and the Western Front, in the mud of Flanders, and in the deserts of Sinai–Palestine was almost beyond description. Drawing on their letters and diaries in the Memorial’s collection, ANZAC voices presents an intimate account of the First World War.
On display in the Memorial's Special Exhibitions Gallery from 29 November until 30 November 2014.
From the Maitland Mercury report:
Pomfrett Butchers have usually done well in Maitland and in the 1910 business directory there were six: Henry Atkinson, A. Bailey, George Maher, J. Walsh, the Co-operative Butchering Company and William Pomfrett.
A decade later Pomfrett’s was in the hands of Reg and this is what it looked like at 394 High Street.
Source: The Rise of High Street, Maitland by John Turner.
Lucky perhaps, and a gentleman
From the Maitland Mercury report:
To some, Dick Osborn was one of the lucky ones rescued from Maitland’s raging floodwaters of 1955.
To many he was the essence of harness racing in the Hunter Valley and further afield.
But to all he was one of nature’s gentlemen.
Mr Osborn, of Sawyers Gully, died on Tuesday and tributes for the 83-year-old have flowed in from the community.
