Wednesday, November 30, 2016

Maitland historian Peter Bogan warns the city about future flood risk

From the Maitland Mercury report:
Historian Peter Bogan says there will be another 1955 flood in Maitland, will you be ready for it?
After living through the 1955 flood Maitland historian Peter Bogan knows what can happen when a low depression hits the city.
Six decades on the memories are still rife in his mind, and he has a strong message for every Maitland resident.
“Everyone needs to have a flood plan,” he said. “We will definitely see another 1955 flood.”

Full article available at Maitland Mercury, 17 Nov 2016.

Maitland High School flag and honour role rededicated

From the Maitland Mercury report:
The historic Maitland High School has restored a flag that forms both a keystone of its past and a connection to the men who gave their all in World War 1.
In 1914, 345 old boys from Maitland High School signed up to fight in the bloody theatres of the great war.
Sixty of those men, almost one in five, never returned.
The names of those brave young soldiers were hand stitched into an Australian flag created by the young women at the-then Maitland Girls High School, in a show of support.

Full article available at Maitland Mercury, 15 Nov 2016.

Hunter mining legacy: Inside Bloomfield at Maitland Regional Art Gallery

From the Maitland Mercury report:
One of the exhibits to be celebrated at Maitland Regional Art Gallery’s Summer Art Party will be Inside Bloomfield.
Bloomfield’s 30 paintings were made by Linda Greedy during a 12 month artist in residency facilitated by The Bloomfield Group. This body of work celebrates the working life of the Hunter coal mine, its history, the people and a wild goat called Rachel.

Full article available at Maitland Mercury, 14 Nov 2016.

Maitland Historical Society open day

From the Maitland Mercury report:
History is closer than ever before, an ever-increasing arsenal of digital tools has allowed anyone with a computer access to the deepest archives of information.
But there’s something to be said for the feel of paper, yellowed with age, the warmth of old family photos and the sturdy feeling of old-world objects.
The Maitland Historical Society, home the city’s most dedicated historians, will hold an open day this weekend to inspire the community to join and raise some funds to continue their mission.

Full article available at Maitland Mercury, 14 Nov 2016.

Thursday, November 24, 2016

Hyde Park Barracks opens The Bakehouse

Sydney Living Museums has announced the opening of a new SLM hospitality establishment, the Bakehouse, a contemporary take on the Australian colonial experience, located in the original 1819 convict bakehouse and store of the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Hyde Park Barracks Museum.
The Bakehouse is a casual-contemporary dining space located in the CBD’s historic Hyde Park Barracks.  The dining space is reminiscent of a colonial mess hall with its long shared dining tables, contemporary colonial features of recycled and white washed timbers, large scale graphics adorning the walls in tribute to the craftsmanship of the day and Australian Native flora adding an inviting warmth into this beautiful, historic space.
 
 

Morpeth's River Royal Inn reopening

From the Maitland Mercury report:
It has been a long wait but well worth it with the new look River Royal Inn at Morpeth about to reopen.
The landmark pub in Swan Street will throw its doors open once again to the public after it was almost written off in last year’s April super storm.
The new look River Royal Inn has been restored to its former glory with a twist.
It now tells the story of Morpeth’s history through items of historical significance scattered around the 160-year-old property.
Mr McNamara worked with Morpeth Museum to document the town’s past as part of the rebuilding project.

Full article available at Maitland Mercury, 11 Nov 2016.

Glebe Cemetery received first place in cultural heritage award

From the Maitland Mercury report:
After years of chasing the Tidy Towns accolade Maitland has finally scooped up the title.
The annual Tidy Town awards have been renamed the Keep NSW Beautiful Blue Star Overall Regional Sustainability Award, so Maitland is officially a Blue Star city.
The Glebe Cemetery received first place in the cultural heritage award section, Grossmann High School received a highly commended in the community environment achievement award category and St Joseph’s Primary School received a highly commended in the going green education awards category.

Full article available at Maitland Mercury, 9 Nov 2016.

Woolworths workers from Maitland reunite after 45 years

From the Maitland Mercury report:
It was Maitland’s Big W of the seventies and a store where just about everyone in town knew someone who worked there.
Woolies variety store in High Street was one of the most popular businesses on Maitland’s west end and probably one of the most talked about after it was bombed on December 19, 1980.
Located on the current site of The Reject Shop, Woolworths employed a myriad of people, many of them getting together last Saturday night for a reunion.

Full article available at Maitland Mercury, 9 Nov 2016.

Protect historic Aberglasslyn House from Maitland's urban sprawl

From the Maitland Mercury report:
A draft planning proposal has been prepared to address concerns about development controls around historic Aberglasslyn House.
A report to Tuesday night’s council meeting said current controls were not adequate to ensure that the curtilage of the state-listed heritage building was protected from incompatible development.
The report said controls were necessary to prevent any further subdivision of the lots between Cockatoo Ridge and Aberglasslyn House and to ensure that any ancillary buildings were subject to a development application.

Full article available at Maitland Mercury, 7 Nov 2016.

Thursday, November 10, 2016

Mansfield: an inconic Maitland building

From the Maitland Mercury report:
One of the Hunter’s most magnificent and intriguing commercial buildings will throw its doors open to the public this weekend.
Mansfield, the former CBC Bank in High Street Maitland, will open on Sunday to raise money for the Friends of Grossmann House.
Owner Chris Richards is restoring the landmark building not as a bank but as a reception centre with a difference.
He has generously offered to open the property to help Friends of Grossmann House with their fundraising drive and to give members of the public a sneak peek into a little piece of Maitland’s history.

Full article available at Maitland Mercury, 2 Nov 2016.

Windows into Wartime: a new exhibition produced by State Records NSW

Windows into Wartime is a new exhibition produced by State Records NSW for the Centenary of Anzac and to commemorate the 100 year anniversary of the First World War. The exhibition presents a selection of images produced by the NSW Government Printing Office Photographic Branch during and immediately after the Great War. As society mobilised on the home front in support of Australia’s military effort overseas, government photographers were on the ground in Sydney and across the state shooting the image. They photographed a raft of activities and produced an extraordinary body of work that not only documented, but promoted and shaped how the people of NSW responded to the impact and upheaval caused by the First World War. Today, this collection of historic images—reproduced from original glass plate negatives—provides us with a unique insight into the NSW home front during the First World War.

Western Sydney Records Centre
17 October 2016 – 9 September 2017
9.00am – 5.00pm Monday – Friday
10.00am – 4.00pm Saturdays

Rivers were roads and steam was king: The Way We Worked

From the Maitland Mercury article:
On Boxing morning, 1912, the steamboat Guthrey, with about 400 people on board, left Newcastle to travel up the Paterson River to the Paterson township.
But at a bend in the river, about 400 metres from Dunmore Bridge, the boat struck a rock and stuck fast...

New book, The Way We Worked, by journalist Greg Ray and his wife, Sylvia.

The book is available from the Maitland Mercury office at 6/555 High Street, Maitland, theherald.com.au online bookstore and from participating newsagents and booksellers.

Full article available at Maitland Mercury, 1 Nov 2016.

Maitland council takes steps to secure the long term tenure of Maitland Gaol

From the Maitland Mercury report:
Maitland City Council will take steps to secure the long-term future of Maitland Gaol as a leading Hunter tourist attraction.
At a recent meeting councillors voted to contact the NSW Department of Industries – Lands, to pursue securing a long term tenure of the iconic East Maitland building.

Full article available at Maitland Mercury, 30 Oct 2016.

Steamfest finalist in NSW Tourism Awards

From the Maitland Mercury report:
Maitland’s celebration of the golden era of steam machines has been named as a finalist in the NSW Tourism Awards.
Steamfest, which celebrated its 30th anniversary in April, is a finalist in the Major Festivals and Events category.

Full article available at Maitland Mercury, 30 Oct 2016.