History funds for Maitland

From the Maitland Mercury report:
Three Maitland organisations have secured state government grants for historical projects.

Maitland and District Historical Society will use its $1500 grant to research the written and oral histories of the Lower Hunter from settlement in the 1800s to today.

Maitland City Library will use their $1000 grant to promote the history and heritage of the the city.

And the Australian Museum of Clothing and Textiles will produce a history of the clothing and textile industry in the Hunter Valley with their $500 grant.

Full article available at Maitland Mercury, Oct. 21, 2012.

Forgotten gem of the Hunter

From the Maitland Mercury report:
One of Maitland’s most historic bridges will be re-opened today following a multimillion dollar upgrade. Dunmore Bridge, at Woodville, will be opened at 3pm ahead of the weekend’s bicentenary celebrations.

Dunmore Bridge was built in 1899 and is one of only three remaining Allan Truss Road Bridges in NSW.
“We’re going all out to celebrate our 200th anniversary because we’re proud of our unique place in the region’s heritage and think it deserves to be more widely shared and known,” Woodville School of Arts publicity officer Bob Beale said.
“Woodville is largely a forgotten gem in the Hunter’s history. In fact, this year is also the bicentenary of free settlement and of farming for the whole Hunter region and beyond into the rest of mainland Australia, because Woodville is where it all started. Also of interest is that Les Darcy was born here.”

Full article available at Maitland Mercury, Oct. 19, 2012.

A Day at the Museum: An Event for Regional Curators

A Day at the Museum: An Event for Regional Curators
This event is specifically designed to showcase opportunities to regional gallery and museum curators, managers and directors on how to borrow from the Australian Museum collection.

When: Friday 23 November 2012, 10.00am – 3.00pm
Where: Night Parrot Room, Australian Museum (entry from William Street, East Sydney)
Cost: $55
Info.: Museums & Galleries NSW

NSW History Council Max Kelly Medal

Submissions are now open for the Max Kelly Medal

The Max Kelly Medal plus a prize of $500 is awarded annually to a ‘beginning’ historian for a work of excellence in any aspect of Australian history. The Medal was established as a tribute to Associate Professor Maxwell John Kelly (1935-1996), the first elected President of the History Council, who died suddenly in 1996.
Nominations for work undertaken in 2012 for the 2013 Award will close 15 December 2012.
More information: http://historycouncilnsw.org.au/excellence/max-kelly-medal/

Contact: admin@historycouncilnsw.org.au

Maitland Heritage Mall

From the Maitland Mercury report:
The grand plans for the new look Maitland Heritage Mall have been hung and are ready for your feedback.

Maitland City Council has decked out the former city centre management office with four two-metre long pictures that capture what the precinct could look like in the future if council and the community approve the design.

 

Full article availabel at Maitland Mercury Oct. 18, 2012.

Morpeth school rings in 150 years of history

From the Maitland Mercury report:
One hundred and fifty years ago a blacksmith crafted a bell for Morpeth Public School to mark the beginning and end of each school day.

 

The name of the blacksmith has been lost in history, but after an extensive restoration process, that same bell has been rejuvenated to its former glory just in time for the school’s sesquicentenary celebrations.
Parents Rod Studdert and Barry McGaw took it upon themselves to make the restoration possible and called in favours from across the district, including the help of Ben Emmett and Hayden Sheeley who assisted in the installation on Saturday, and Mick Wisemantle who provided the post.

Full article available at Maitland Mercury, Oct. 16, 2012.

Sisters looking for memorabilia

From the Maitland Mercury report:
On January 13, 1883, a small group of nuns set off from their new home in Singleton to begin work in the village of Morpeth.

Here the Sisters of Mercy began their long association with Maitland and the continuation of an order known in their native land of Ireland as the ‘walking nuns’.

 

“On January 13 next year it will be 130 years since a small group of nuns came to Morpeth from Singleton,” Morpeth nun Sister Bernadette Mills said. “There were about six or seven pioneers and from them congregations were formed at Gunnedah, Murrurundi, Raymond Terrace, Muswellbrook and Morpeth.”
In the years that followed nuns were sent to East Maitland and also to Monte Pio to work at both the orphanage and the junior secondary school.

Full article available at Maitland Mercury, Oct. 15, 2012.