Thursday, November 26, 2015

Inside History Magazine November - December issue

In issue 31, the Nov-Dec edition of Inside History you’ll discover:
  • 100+ new family history resources online to find your family
  • Unseen Indigenous artefacts and stories: from the National Museum of Australia’s new landmark exhibition
  • The evacuation of Gallipoli, 100 years on: what have we learnt?
  • Australia’s bountiful food history, from convict hominy to Regency feasts – plus the best Christmas pudding recipe from 1861!
  • The legend of Harold Lasseter: conman or visionary?
  • The lives and times of colonial-era businesswomen
  • Why Madame Weigel was a household name in Australia from the 1800s to 1969
  • The Indigenous war hero from the Darwin Bombing to be honoured in the Northern Territory
  • Our military history expert’s guide to military medals
  • The history lover’s guide to Canberra
  • The latest history news, events, book and app reviews, and more.

Rare Arnott's biscuit van restored by Southern Highlands train museum

A custom-made railway carriage for Arnott's biscuits has been painstakingly restored for over three years and is now displayed at the Train Works rail museum in Thirlmere.
The decade was the 1960s and the Arnott's biscuit company had switched from tin packaging to the plastic style used today, and they needed a watertight way to transport them by rail.
Not only was NSW Railways keen to transport the biscuits, they built Arnott's 45 custom-made carriages for the job.

Full article available at ABC News .

Arrival of Mustang fighter at Maitland Airport revives memories for two former RAAF men

From the Maitland Mercury report:
The flight of a legendary Mustang fighter into Maitland Airport on Wednesday brought two men together who served in the same RAAF squadron 70 years ago.
And although they didn’t ­recognise each other upon shaking hands, their meeting unlocked memories of colourful flying ­personalities they both knew in 77 Squadron.
A Mustang was the very first aircraft Colin Chapman trained on as an armourer at Wagga Wagga.
A grandfather from Telarah, Mr Chapman gazed up at the graceful lines of the aircraft that earned a brilliant reputation at the end of World War II and in Korea.

Full article available at Maitland Mercury, Nov. 25, 2015.

Flood evacuation route for Lorn and Maitland top priority

From the Maitland Mercury report:
A major flood evacuation route for people in central Maitland and Lorn has been listed as a high priority in the new flood study.
Maitland councillors are expected to adopt the Hunter River Floodplain Risk Management Study and Plan at Tuesday’s council meeting.
The study has recommended that council and Roads and Maritime Services begin work on a ­feasibility study for a high-level flood evacuation route from the city, as a high priority.

Full article available at Maitland Mercury, Nov. 23, 2015.

Maitland Steamfest to get a $75,000 injection for 30th anniversary

From the Maitland Mercury report:
Maitland City Council will spend more than $75,000 extra to mark the 30th anniversary of one of the city’s landmark community events next year.
The Burton Automotive Hunter Valley Steamfest will turn 30 next April and council wants to create a special program of events to mark the occasion.
A quad run between Newcastle and Maitland, believed to be a world first over that distance, would be the cornerstone of the extraordinary program that has been proposed by council.
Council would hire four steam trains, with a diesel back-up, for the quad run, for a ­combined total of $30,000.

Full article available at Maitland Mercury,

Thursday, November 19, 2015

Maitland historic home sells for $650,000 at auction - Old Pitnacree Close

From the Maitland Mercury report:
well-known Victorian home in Pitnacree has gone under the hammer and been sold for $650,000.
The property at 10 Old Pitnacree Close, built circa 1880, had received strong interest from prospective buyers in the lead-up to Saturday’s auction.
It had attracted about 100 people to each hour-long open house held every Saturday in the weeks leading up to the auction, according to Century 21 Ransom Real Estate director Greg Ransom.
Wallalong couple Cathy and Steve Davies bought the historic property.
Named Boreewan, which means meeting place, the property was built in the late 19th century on Crown land given to the owners as a grant in 1863.

Full article available at Maitland Mercury, Nov. 15, 2015.

Maitland Freemasons celebrate 175 years

From the Maitland Mercury report:
The historic Freemasons Lodge of Maitland will celebrate its 175th birthday on Saturday as a vital player in this city’s welfare and its growth.
To honour the Freemasons and their contributions to charity, Maitland City Council will host a civic welcome for the Lodge and its Grand Master Robert Melville, who will be in the city for the event.
The Freemasons have played a large part in Maitland’s development, having started here on November 4, 1840, with eight members, Kevin Short, the Past Assistant Grand Master of the Maitland Lodge, told the Mercury.

Full article available at Maitland Mercury, Nov. 12, 2015

Newington Armory - Sydney Olympic Park

Newington Armory is a heritage-listed former naval armaments depot that has been reborn as a unique arts venue.  It offers the Armory Gallery, once a WWII explosives store, now transformed into a 500 sqm contemporary art gallery, and Building 20, a 19th Century gunpowder magazine, that presents site-specific installations and smaller exhibitions.

Whitlam Institute and Female Orphan School

The Whitlam Institute, located in the historic Female Orphan School (1813), is fast-becoming an important centre of contemporary ideas, historical inquiry and the arts, and occupies a unique position in Western Sydney.
Visitors can explore objects from the Whitlam Prime Ministerial Collection on display in the A Changing Australia exhibition, as well as an impressive annual line-up of art and social history exhibitions in the Margaret Whitlam Galleries.
The building’s restoration and adaptive reuse means that it is a truly fascinating place to take the time to explore, with evidence throughout of its complex institutional history.

Visitor numbers are up at Maitland landmarks

From the Maitland Mercury report:
More people have flocked to Maitland’s landmark community facilities this year than last year.
Visitor numbers at Maitland Regional Art Gallery, Maitland Gaol and Maitland Library were up between April and September, ­compared with the same period in 2014, according to new data.

Full article available at Maitland Mercury, Nov. 11, 2015.

Remembrance Day: Birds sang as guns roared at Flanders

From the Maitland Mercury report:

By

Full article available at Maitland Mercury, Nov. 10, 2015.

Remembrance Day: We must never forget - East Maitland RSL

From the Maitland Mercury report:
Remembering those who served and died in battle is a sacred duty today for East Maitland RSL sub-branch president Brian Boughton.
Mr Boughton, 65, a grandfather of two, has known a fair number of soldiers who paid the ultimate price for their country.
He was once the Regimental Sergeant Major of the Australian Army, the highest non-­commissioned rank in the service.

Full article available at Maitland Mercury, Nov. 10, 2015.

Historic bell rings out at Tenambit Public School

From the Maitland Mercury report:
A historic bell cast in 1918 will continue to ring out its message at Tenambit Public School where it was installed this week.
St Egwin’s Anglican Church originally owned the bell, which was cast for them at the local foundry in Tenambit in 1918.
At that time, the bell had cost a little more than £16 – today the metal alone is estimated to be worth about $400. St Egwin’s Church building was used in those times as the Tenambit School.

Full article available at Maitland Mercury, Nov. 9, 2015.

Sunday, November 8, 2015

Carmichael’s 1000 : a history of the 36th Battalion A.I.F.

Carmichael’s 1000 : a history of the 36th Battalion A.I.F.
To mark Remembrance Day, Margaret Clark will recount the story of the 36th Battalion A.I.F. that fought in the Battles of Passchendaele and Messines in Belgian West Flanders during WWI.
The battalion was affectionately named Carmichael’s 1000 and Margaret has chosen this as the title of her book about these men.
Hear the history and exploits of the battalion that primarily came from Newcastle and Sydney and trained at the Rutherford Army Camp.

Wednesday 11 November
6.00 pm - 7.30 pm
Rutherford Library
Free

Book now

Museums & Galleries Regional Stakeholder Forum 2015

Regional Stakeholders Forum
This year’s forum will bring you up-to-date on issues affecting the regional heritage sector; discuss regional tourism and museums, crowdfunding and the role of consultants; and how the arts can ‘activate’ and energise your museum.
As always, this annual event is presented by MAAS, Regional Arts NSW and M&G NSW.

Heritage Mall lamps adorn the front of Maitland Repertory Theatre

From the Maitland Mercury report:
As shoppers give their verdict on The Levee, thoughts go back to the old Heritage Mall and what happened to all those lights.There were 39 heritage-style lamp posts removed from the mall as part of the revamp, but two have sprung up further along High Street.

Full article available at Maitland Mercury, Oct. 28, 2015.