Friday, October 27, 2017

Old and new worlds collide in Maitland Regional Art Gallery exhibitions

From the Maitland Mercury report:
Maitland Regional Art Gallery will launch five new exhibitions on Saturday with a celebration of artists and a live dance performance.
The opening will include history, art, refreshments, a chance to meet the artists, and dance courtesy of Maitland High School students.

Australian war photographers Frank Hurley and Hubert Wilkins are drawing huge crowds to the Passchendaele: photography and the moving image in battle.

Full article available at Maitland Mercury, October 27 2017.

$2.9 million Roads and Maritime Services upgrade to historic Morpeth Bridge complete

From the Maitland Mercury report:
More than a year’s worth of improvements to Morpeth Bridge over the Hunter River have been completed.
Parliamentary Secretary for the Hunter Scot MacDonald said work on the bridge was delicate because the bridge is listed on the state heritage register.
“It is assessed as being nationally significant, primarily on the basis of its technical and historical characteristics,” Mr MacDonald said.

Full article available at Maitland Mercury, October 26 2017.

Throwback Thursday: Hunter parades from the archives

From the Maitland Mercury report:
Whether it be a ticker tape parade or a military march, parades have long been part of life in the Hunter.
Some would remember the street marches of the 1960s, but for those who don’t, check out the photos from the Fairfax archives.

Full article available at Maitland Mercury, October 26 2017.

Marist Brothers Class of 1967 catch up for 50th high school reunion

From the Maitland Mercury report:
THE Maitland Marist Brothers’ Class of 1967 took a trip down memory lane earlier this month.
On Saturday and Sunday, October 7 and 8, the group met for their 50th school reunion.
“This class was the first year of the Wyndham scheme, whereby the school secondary term was increased from five years to six years,” former classmate Graham Banister said, adding it was the year the Higher School Certificate was born.

Full article available at Maitland Mercury, October 23 2017.

Maitland Gaol to host new Escapes Torchlight Tour

From the Maitland Mercury report:
JUST when you thought Maitland Gaol couldn’t get more eerie at night, their latest tour is sure to raise the bar.
The team will take 90 minutes to shed light – torchlight – on the variety of creatives escapes.
Escapes Torchlight Tour attendees will find themselves face to face with individuals who tried to run free, some more successfully than others.
On Saturday, October 28, from 8pm, join guides as they launch the novelty event, walking through seven individual stories of daring prison breaks.

Full article available at Maitland Mercury, October 23 2017.

Beresfield's rail accident 1997

From the Maitland Mercury report:
On this day in 1997 Beresfield train station was wiped out in seconds. On the morning of October 23 coal train DR396 was returning to Port Waratah, Newcastle, after taking on a full load of coal from the Drayton loading terminal in the Hunter Valley. At 6.32am the FreightCorp coal train ran through a red signal and ploughed into the rear of a second coal train.
The collision caused a massive derailment that blocked all four tracks of the Main Northern line.
Incredibly, no one was killed in the accident with the two drivers of the rogue train leaping from the cabin before impact. The driver and observer suffered serious injuries, as did a person standing on the station platform. The stationmaster also suffered minor injuries.

Full article available at Maitland Mercury, October 23 2017.

Coffin Lane, Central Maitland to become Halloween underworld

From the Maitland Mercury
Its name is creepy and this Saturday night its appearance will match when Coffin Lane, Central Maitland is transformed into a Halloween underworld to kick off the Arts About Town grant program.
The Arts About Town grant program invites artists to create temporary and semi-permanent works for public spaces, streets and laneways across Maitland that were identified as in need of transformation and revitalisation.

Full article available at Maitland Mercury, October 26 2017

Maitland's "crown jewel" Mansfield House to celebrate 130th birthday on Sunday

From the Maitland Mercury report:
It’s a grand old number for a grand old building.
“It hasn’t had much exposure and celebration the last few years, but we thought we couldn’t let this occasion go by,” said the man behind Mansfield’s famed teas, Huckleberry Campbell.
Huckleberry has been hard at work organising the birthday bash, with the afternoon set to feature a packed itinerary.

Full article available at Maitland Mercury, October 26 2017

Historic train collection and hundreds of homes feared to be in the line of fire at North Rothbury

From the Maitland Mercury report:
The man behind one of NSW’s most extensive historic train collections fears that tonnes of flammable coal waste and dry vegetation have created potentially disastrous fire conditions metres away from hundreds of homes.
Maitland’s Chris Richards fears that more than 100 historic train carriages making up the Hunter Valley Railway Trust at North Rothbury could be destroyed if action isn’t taken to address bushfire concerns surrounding it.
The train collection is nestled in the grounds of the former Ayrfield Colliery at North Rothbury, which closed in 1975 after decades of operation.

Full article available at Maitland Mercury, October 27 2017.

Friday, October 20, 2017

HMAS Maitland to exercise their right to Freedom of Entry to Maitland City

From the Maitland Mercury report:
Maitland will take a step back to medieval times for an official ceremony this Saturday morning.
About 30 officers and sailors from HMAS Maitland will be in the Levee to exercise their right to Freedom of Entry to the City.
The concept goes back to the middle ages when there were disputes between land owning nobles, and armed bodies were rarely admitted into cities. However, in special cases, they were given freedom of entry and it signified true friendship and often the expectation that the armed body would assist in the defence of the city.
The granting of Freedom of Entry is the highest accolade a town or city can bestow upon a group or individual.

Full article available at Maitland Mercury, 19 Oct 2017.

Ceremony to honour 100 years since Passchendaele WWI battle at Maitland Park draws big crowd

From the Maitland Mercury report:
The Passchendaele march and ceremony at Maitland Park came in the middle of a challenging dry spell – and it suddenly decided to rain.

Not that it dampened the enthusiasm of the more than 200 people who attended Saturday’s ceremony at the cenotaph to honour the historic WWI battle in which Maitland’s own 34th Battalion was heavily involved.
“We were worried when the showers came that the Tiger Moth flyover we had organised would have to be called off,” Peter Hedges, chairman of the organising committee said.
“But we looked up and there they were ... these two little Tiger Moths emerging from the black clouds. It was terrific.
“I know the 34th Battalion was Maitland’s Own but I am still surprised every time at the number of people in the area who had a descendant there.”

Full article available at Maitland Mercury, 15 Oct 2017.

Historic Maitland residence Regents Park Mansion

From the Maitland Mercury report:
“One of the best restoration projects” Maitland has ever seen has hit the market, with the historic Regents Park Mansion up for sale.
Built for a judge complete with a convict jail, the stunningly restored circa 1830 property has hit the market with a price guide of $2 million.
Set on five acres in Regent Street, Maitland, the mansion appears comparatively modest from the road.
But stepping inside reveals a residence opulent in every way.

Full article available at Maitland Mercury, 15 Oct 2017.

100th anniversary of the Third Battle of Ypres

Australian forces were involved in two significant actions in the latter half of 1917. The first, fought in Belgium, would test our troops to their limits, while the other, waged in the Middle East, would earn a central place in Australia’s military history. They were Passchendaele and Beersheba.
Watch Dr Brendan Nelson’s emotional address “Tragedy and triumph – 1917” at the National Press Club of Australia HERE

Friday, October 13, 2017

Memories of a Greta camp kid

From the Maitland Mercury report:
Paul Szumilas recons you’d be hard pressed to have a more enjoyable childhood than his.
Born at the Greta Migrant Camp to Polish immigrant parents, Paul can still vividly running around with a mob of kids, all fellow children of European migrants.
 “For a kid, life in the camp was fascinating,” he recalled.
“We ran around playing games. It was great for the kids. Most of us didn’t know what our parents had been through.”
Operating from 1949-1960, the Greta camp was the largest in Australia, with 100,000 migrants from across Europe settling there after fleeing their World War II-ravaged home continent.

Full article available at Maitland Mercury, 12 Oct 2017.

Maitland conservationist Chris Richards hopes Masters will help in battle to preserve vintage buildings

From the Maitland Mercury report:
Maitland conservationist Chris Richards hopes the completion of a Master’s degree in heritage conservation will lend extra weight to his mission to preserve the city’s vintage buildings.
Mr Richards graduated from the University of Sydney earlier this year with a Master's degree in heritage conservation.
He said a passion for protecting the city’s ageing structures underpinned his motivation to undertake the study.

Full article available at Maitland Mercury, 9 Oct 2017.

Centenary service to honour 34th Battalion Maitland's Own involvement in the Battle of Passchendaele

From the Maitland Mercury report:
march, ceremony and aircraft flyover will take place at Maitland Park this Saturday in honour of the centenary of the Battle of Passchendaele.
The 34th Battalion, also known as Maitland’s Own, was heavily involved in the World War I battle.
The troop entered the battle on 12 October 1917, but after a period of heavy rain the battlefield was a quagmire. Thick mud stopped the troops’ advance and fouled their weapons.
The battle ended in a disastrous defeat, with more than 50 per cent casualties for the 34th.

Full article available at Maitland Mercury,  8 Oct 2017.

Familyhistory.link from the Gould History Group

Familyhistory.link is the latest web site from the Gould History Group, innovators in history and Genealogy since 1976. It has been created to guide those who are on the journey to discover their past – to learn how to go about it, find and use the tools and how to present and preserve their research. Familyhistory.link has a threefold aim:
to introduce you to useful products and services – our own and those of others
  • to develop a wide range of free articles from experts to guide you on the journey
  • to provide a platform for others to promote their products and services in Australia and internationally. There are a number of avenues for this – especially through submission of articles for this site and various partnering opportunities with our other brands.

Maitland's Passchendaele centenary

The centenary of the battle of Passchendaele will be commemorated in Maitland on Saturday 14th October, with a march and commemorative service at the Cenotaph, Maitland Park, 10.30 am.

The 34th battalion, known as ‘Maitland’s Own’ led the battle on 12 October 1917.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/Passchendaele.Maitland.Centenary/