THE BLUE MOUNTAINS: WHERE ARE THEY?

This paper has previously appeared in Issue 3 of The Blue Mountains History Journal, a publication of the Blue Mountains Association of Cultural Heritage Organisations Inc. 

"This paper is by Andy Macqueen, a well-known Blue Mountains author who has contributed a most thoughtful paper on the meaning of the term ‘Blue Mountains’. Aided by a generous collection of maps he demonstrates that the term means different things to different people. Thus to some the Blue Mountains extend north-south from the Hunter Valley to Picton and east-west from Emu Plains to Jenolan and that latter parameter raises the issue of whether the Blue Mountains should include rocks older than Permian and whether part of the Great Dividing Range should be accepted as being within the area. Andy makes it quite clear that there is no unique definition that is acceptable to all. This scholarly work will for many years undoubtedly be the definitive account of the topic." (Dr Peter C. Rickwood)

Click here to view/download the full paper.

HERITAGE, Newsletter of BMACHO - Sept-Oct 2012

This article has previously appeared in HERITAGE, the newsletter of the Blue Mountains Association of Cultural Heritage Organisations Inc.

Click here to view/download full newsletter.

The bygone era of steam trains

ORANGE  REGIONAL  MUSEUM  ADVANCEMENT ASSOCIATION INC.

Saturday 1st June at 1 pm in the West Room of the Orange Library/Gallery complex

An open invitation to all interested people with a love and fascination for the bygone era of steam trains to attend a presentation by a well known train archivist and photographer John Ward.

John, a Sydney based steam rail photographer and now Archivist with the Australian Railway Historical Society, is to be a  guest of O.R.M.M.A. for his presentation.  He will show a part of his collection and tell many of the stories associated with the photographic memorabilia.

John is very concerned, and will talk about the importance of preserving and documenting any photographs, and other memorabilia people may have.  As a volunteer to the A.R.H.S.he has great concerns about beautiful photographs that have been donated but have no documentation attached rendering them useless for preserving and archiving.  He will show and also talk about how all forms of film can be kept of the future.

Some of John's train and tram friends are also coming to Orange for the day.

Please join us for a most interesting presentation.  Entry is a small donation at the door.  

MOLONG HISTORY NEWS - Winter 2013

Newsletter page 1 of 12 above - click here to view/download full newsletter.

Governor Arthur Phillip

Lost the plot

You could say he was the first great Australian, our founding father. Governor Arthur Phillip was certainly the first to see that New South Wales could be anything more than a convict settlement, a dumping ground for the dregs of society. 

So you'd think he'd be a revered, a national treasure. Well he's certainly not in Britain. His last days there were dismal, his death suspicious and then there's a deep, dark mystery. A scandal.

 Put bluntly, the Poms lost the plot. Somehow, through carelessness, incompetence, or both, they've lost Governor Phillip's remains. But fear not, there's a dogged Aussie sleuth on the case.


Transcript

Liam Bartlett: This is an intriguing mystery, spanning more than 200 years and two continents. It takes us from the shores of Sydney Cove to a sleepy corner of England. It's a search with many twists and turns. The search for an all-but-forgotten national hero: Captain Arthur Phillip.

Geoffrey Robertson: Phillip was, in a word, our founding father. He was the man who got us up, I mean we would be French, we would be — horrible to think of it — a Portuguese colony if it weren't for Phillip's success.

Liam Bartlett: Six years ago, renowned Australian lawyer, Geoffrey Robertson . . . 

See full Transcript here.

Museums & Galleries NSW: Access to Funding: VIM Grants

For more info and video of presentation by Phoebe Arthur click on the following link.

 Museums & Galleries NSW: Access to Funding: VIM Grants: On March 21 M&G NSW, in partnership with the Museum of the Riverina, presented  Access to Funding , a workshop delivering skills to make...

1813 Crossing events - for those in Blue Mountains region and Beyond

For anyone interested in theatre, the Crossing! play has been written specifically for 2013. 

You will find yourselves humming the road-building Rapper song about William Cox and his convicts !!

See Flyer below.

See also the official website for the Blue Mountains Crossings Bicentenary 2013 to 2015, endorsed by the Royal Australian Historical Society, Western Crossing Committee and Bicentenary Crossings Committee.

Ref: Dr Siobhan Lavelle OAM , Senior Heritage Officer, Office of Environment & Heritage 

 

IN REMEMBRANCE OF THE FIRST CROSSING, MAY 1813

Flat Rock is here seen to be a bed of resistant massive sandstone of only moderate thickness. There is a much more continuous interval of sandstone below it which is also above the main vertical cliff of Banks Wall Sandstone. Whether the bed forming the top surface of Flat Rock can be traced laterally has not yet been investigated. However the oblique photo above suggests it is present in the west drainage small valleys just south of the rock. (Photo: 'Divine and bright')

A meeting at "FLAT ROCK", 29 MAY

2013

 ~  all welcome but convened particularly for the geologically interested ~ 

AND ALSO IN REMEMBRANCE OF THE FIRST CROSSING, MAY 1813

Those interested in rocks and the Blue Mountains,and in old things (archaeology/geology) are invited to meet here at 1 p.m. in order to tell each other what their interests are. This is a good spot for sharing such information - as it may well be possible to point in the direction of where you are interested in from this lookout rock that has a large vista.

Although this is NOT an excursion and will last only as long as it takes for each attendee to say what their interests may be, any excursion to other nearby features would be easily combined on the same day. For example, in the close vicinity there are various interesting places that can be visited, and walks that can be done. Advice on where they are can be given. They include the King's Table rock shelter, which is very readily visited. This is where Fr. Eugene Stockton excavated and obtained the oldest evidence of human occupation on the Blue Mountains. 

 To view/download the full document (74 pages, 4.4MB) with many great photos click.

Ben Hall Weekend Festival May 2013 Newsletter

FROM THE NEWSLETTER EDITOR

Welcome to the third in the series of e-newsletters for the Ben Hall Raid Weekend Festival. It continues to be received with great interest. The raid by the Hall gang was extensively covered in the early newspapers right across Australia, including as far away as Western Australia. It even made the papers in Great Britain.

More historic displays have been promised since the last e-newsletter. The Bathurst District Historical Society Museum (below) and the Bathurst Court House will be the centre of a large range of static bushranging,

colonial and historic displays which will be exhibited on Saturday afternoon 28th September. 

The museum features on the Society’s letterhead (right).

NOTE - If you are missing any back issues of these Ben Hall Weekend Festival e-newsletters which commenced in March 2013 feel free to email amcrae@lisp.com.au and state which issues you are missing.

Have you booked for the dinner yet? as well as any accommodation you require – book early.

Alan McRae, FAIHA, President Bathurst District Historical Society

To view the full newsletter click here.

Cultural Landscapes Training Manual: A guide for historical societies

FEDERATION OF AUSTRALIAN HISTORICAL SOCIETIES INC
e-BULLETIN No. 111 – 11 May 2013 

The Federation's new manual for historians, entitled Cultural landscapes training manual: a guide for historical societies covers environmental history with common terminology defined, cultural landscapes, and assessing the significance of a cultural landscape, managing cultural landscapes, and interpreting cultural landscapes. It was developed by a Victorian historian, Robyn Ballinger in 2012.

The Federation is keen for historical societies to publicise the landscapes manual which assists in work on these newer areas of research and activity.

(Source: FAHS - 8 May 2013)
__________
The Introduction page is shown below and the complete manual (52 pages, 3.4 MB) can be viewed/downloaded here.

 1. Introduction 

Cultural landscapes are all around us. We drive, walk and cycle through them every day. So familiar are they to us that we often don't even notice them. 

Heritage studies have tended to assess elements of the cultural landscape as isolated elements: for example, a dam, a garden, a residence, a fence, or items of machinery. Through exploring the cultural landscape as an integration of both natural and cultural heritage, this training manual takes a different approach. It has been prepared to assist members of historical societies across Australia to identify, assess, manage and interpret landscapes that are mainly significant for their cultural heritage values.

The manual focuses on European post-contact landscapes, but acknowledges that there is no Australian landscape that has not been shaped by Aboriginal occupation. It is therefore imperative that Aboriginal heritage values be incorporated in the process of identifying and assessing landscapes. A useful resource for doing this is Ask First: a guide to respecting Indigenous heritage places and values (Australian Heritage Commission, Canberra, 2002) available from http://www.environment.gov.au/heritage/ahc/publications/commission/books/ask-first.html

Information in the training manual is based on precedents developed by UNESCO’s World Heritage Convention, the Australia ICOMOS Burra Charter 1999, the Australian Heritage Commission’s standards, and other reference documents.

Case studies that illustrate the processes involved in identifying, assessing, managing and interpreting cultural landscapes are presented throughout the manual. 'Further information' boxes provide details about useful published sources.

FURTHER INFORMATION 1: PROTECTING LOCAL HERITAGE PLACES 


An excellent resource that expands upon the ideas in this training manual is Protecting Local Heritage Places: A Guide for Communities by Lisa Rogers (Australian Heritage Commission, Canberra, 2000). It is available at www.environment.gov.au/heritage/ahc/publications/commission/books/pubs/protecting- local-heritage-places.pdf

Powerhouse Museum Movable Heritage Fellow for 2013 - Leanne Wicks from Kandos

Miners hard hat, 1947, Kandos

Coming up with an idea for a research project was not difficult for me living on the edge of the Western coalfield of NSW.  Evidence of Kandos’ past reliance on the winning of coal doesn’t take much digging.  

With superior Kandos cement from kilns heated with Kandos coal contributing to the concrete footings and pylons of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, no wonder it stands strong after 80 years.  Evidence of the region’s present reliance on coal is also easy to find with many coal mines dotting the landscape.  

Fascinated by the objects in the Kandos Bicentennial Industrial Museum that came from the Kandos Collieries located within a kilometre of the back door, I want to tell the story of the many men who have mined this black treasure from 1913 to 2001.  Having grown up with green coloured glasses, I’m enjoying the challenge of respecting the history of coal-mining, researching the facts about this industry and recoiling at what some mines are doing to the land.  

Battery Locomotive used in Kandos No.2 Colliery to hail out skips

In just the same way as you always see the same type of car that you’ve just purchased, but never really noticed that model before, I am finding coal everywhere.  From statues of miners in Lithgow to 1936 maps of NSW minerals in my late grandfather’s books.  Being a city girl, I have not grown up with any sort of wood heating and cannot share in people’s memories of the smell of coal, but I am a poet and there’s plenty of coal miner’s poetry to be found in Kandos.  There must be some time for musing underground.  And before you think that coal references can be boring, even Alfred, Lord Tennyson describes the amazing knight, Sir Lancelot:

His broad clear brow in sunlight glow’d;
On burnish’d hooves his war-horse trode;
From underneath his helmet flow’d
His coal-black curls as on he rode,
As he rode down to Camelot.

So with images of burnished war horses and shining armour, I find myself delighting in rusty locomotives and duperite helmets.  My Movable Heritage Fellowship project involves researching and creating object files, with significance statements and also creating an exhibition from the colliery items in the Kandos Museum.  This month’s job is to locate every colliery object and find some coal miners to help me understand what the objects did and how they work. 

Written by Leanne Wicks, Kandos

Ref: Powerhouse Museum

International Museums Day Lithgow

Every year since 1977 International Museums Day is organized worldwide around 18 May. Lately almost 30,000 museums in more than 100 countries use this as an occasion to raise awareness of how important museums are in the development of society. 


The Lithgow and district cultural organisations in this brochure invite the community to re-visit local heritage places and commemorate the 36th anniversary of International Museums Day.

For further information on Lithgow International Museums Day please contact the museums you would like to visit as detailed in the brochure.

Orange Regional Museum - Concept images

This clip gives the first glimpse of the proposed Orange Regional Museum. The concept plans are now on public exhibition for community comment. Tell Orange City Council what you think at council@orange.nsw.gov.au

View video at: www.youtube.com

The Crossing Seminar

The Crossing Seminar
Friday, 10 May 2013, 9:00 am to 3:30 pm, Blue Mountains Cultural Centre, 30 Parke Street, Katoomba

On 11 May 1813 Blaxland, Lawson and Wentworth set out from South Creek accompanied by four servants, five dogs and four horses. They walked for 17 days through the bush, marking the bark of the trees to trace their steps. Exactly 100 years later an obelisk was erected at Mt York on 28 May 1913 to mark the centenary.

How did it happen that an event that was modestly reported at the time, and which had limited immediate consequences, by the turn of the twentieth century came to be regarded as one of the most significant events in Australia’s European history? In this day long seminar, four of Australia’s leading historians: Richard Waterhouse, Grace Karskens, Martin Thomas and David Roberts will explore the mythologising of the 1813 crossing, its impacts and reflect on the wider importance of this event to Australian history. The day will conclude with a presentation by a National Parks Discovery Ranger on the Aboriginal heritage of the region and a tour of the World Heritage Exhibition.

Lunch and morning tea included.
Presented by the History Council of NSW.
This event is supported by the NSW Department of Premier and Cabinet and the Blue Mountains Cultural Centre.

READ MORE >

Ben Hall Weekend 2013 Bathurst Newsletter No 2 April

The idea of our e-newsletter has been received extremely well. This is the second edition and I hope you enjoy reading the information in it. Remember any suggestions or additions would be appreciated and considered.

We have been informed that the Bathurst Court House will be open for tours as well as housing some of the historic displays on the Saturday afternoon. This historic building, situated in Russell Street opposite Kings Parade, was constructed in a neoclassical style which features Greek revival and Renaissance elements by a local builder David Jones. The building, which cost ₤47,000, was opened on the 16th July, 1880, by the Hon Francis Bligh Suttor, Minister for Justice and from the well known local Suttor family of ‘Brucedale’.

Booking are now open for the Ben Hall Raid Dinner with guest speaker Peter Smith who will give the address entitled “Heroes to Villains.” Cost is $60 per head, B.Y.O. and Colonial costumes encouraged. Bookings at Bathurst District Historical Society, P.O. Box 237, Bathurst NSW 2795 or personally to the BDHS Museum. East Wing, Bathurst Court House, Russell Street, Bathurst. Phone 63308455 - best times 11am – 2pm from Tuesday to Sunday or email info@bathursthistory.org.au Book early with payment due within 14 days.

Alan McRae, FAIHA, President Bathurst District Historical Society

To view the full Newsletter click here.

"BUSHRANGING IN THE CENTRAL WEST"

SATURDAY COMMUNITY MEETING 27th April 2013

The guest speaker 

 Mr. Colin Moss

Colin is a well known for his expert knowledge of our local bushrangers. Among his long time interest about local bushrangers he has with the Lachlan Living History Group created re-enactments in full 1860 costume at Orange, Carcoar, Grenfell, Eugowra, Forbes, Wellington, Young and Cowra,
In these re-enactments, Colin has played the part of a bushranger and now prefers to be a police trooper. 

Colin has travelled extensively and has devoted a lot of his time to researching the bushranger history and taken many photos of historical locations.

Colin will be enchanting the group with Local bushranger stories on the 27thof April at the West Wing of the Orange Art Gallery at 10-30 am. Tea and biscuits are available from 10 am.
We also hope to have a copy of the plans for the new Regional museum available then.
Looking forward to your support on the 27th April Elaine Kaldy (Vice President of ORMAA)

Calare History Competition

To download flyer click.

$40,000 for science outreach projects in regional NSW - applications close 31 May 2013

There is $40,000 available for community groups in regional NSW to support science activities and events during National Science Week in August.

From citizen science projects to supermarket science shows, the funding is intended to support community partnerships which motivate and inspire locals to get involved with science and science-related issues.

Local scientists are encouraged to partner with arts and community organisations, local clubs and societies, business associations and local government. The aim is to create a network of enduring local partnerships throughout NSW which will deliver inspirational science initiatives throughout NSW during National Science Week and beyond.

Some of the successful community science initiatives already underway include:

• Radical Wine, a town hall event that explored the science of wine making
• Consumer Science, featuring experiments presented in local shopping malls by scientists from the University of New England
• The Atlas of Life in the Coastal Wilderness project, which brings volunteers together with professional scientists to document the biodiversity of the southern NSW coast
• The Border Stargaze, an annual astronomy festival in Albury, with debates, interactive science activities and night-time sky tours

NSW Trade & Investment has joined forces with the Australian Government's Inspiring Australia initiative and the University of Sydney to provide the 2013 NSW Regional Science Grants.

Read more about the grants at: http://sydney.edu.au/science/outreach/inspiring/index.shtml

Isabelle Kingsley
Science Education Officer
Education Programs
T 92170381

Above email from: 
Rebecca Pinchin
Regional Services Coordinator,
Collections
Powerhouse Museum
500 Harris Street, Ultimo, Sydney, NSW 2007 Australia
T +61 2 92170220
W http://www.powerhousemuseum.com

Funding - NSW heritage grants

Caring for our heritage

The NSW Government has committed $5.96 million funding to the 2013-14 and 2014-15 NSW Heritage Grants programs.
Applications for funding over 2013-14 open in April 2013 as set out below. Successful projects will be announced in July 2013.
Applications for funding over 2014-15 will open in October 2013 as set out below. Successful projects will be announced in April 2014.

NSW Heritage Grants program

NSW Heritage Grants aims to recognise and protect the state’s most significant heritage places and values to ensure future generations can enjoy them.

Applications now open

Aboriginal heritage projects
Applications for project funding in 2013–14 open on 15 April 2013 and close on 3 June 2013
Applications for project funding in 2014–15 open in October 2013
Community, youth and seniors heritage projectsApplications for project funding in 2014–15 open in October 2013
Major works projectsApplications for project funding in 2013–14 open on 15 April 2013 and close on 3 June 2013
Applications for project funding in 2014–15 open in October 2013
Heritage reports
Applications for project funding in 2013–14 open on 15 April 2013 and close on 3 June 2013
Applications for project funding in 2015–16 open in late 2014
Local heritage places grants
Applications for project funding in 2013–14 open on 15 April 2013 and close on 3 June 2013
Applications for project funding in 2014–15 open in October 2013
Local government heritage advisors
Applications for project funding in 2013–14 open on 15 April 2013 and close on 3 June 2013
Applications for project funding in 2014–15 open in October 2013
Local government heritage planning studies
Applications for project funding in 2013–14 open on 15 April 2013 and close on 3 June 2013
Applications for project funding in 2015–16 open in late 2014

Applications invited throughout 2013-14 and 2014-15

Emergency works projects

More information

Further information about the NSW Heritage Grants program and other heritage funding sources is available at:

• Program evaluations
• Annual Reports
• Assistance through other sources
• Local history and archives projects

For further assistance with your project, please contact Victoria Throp on phone 02 9873 8577 or email victoria.throp@heritage.nsw.gov.au

The Grants and Funding 2013 booklet is now available online from Museums & Galleries (NSW).

New face for HHT (Historic Houses Trust of NSW)

On 5 April 2013, the Historic Houses Trust of NSW unveiled a new public-facing identity for their collection of museums and historic properties, Sydney Living Museums.

More: www.sydneylivingmuseums.com.au

Canowindra Historical Society & Museum Inc. (CHS&M)

Photo, courtesy Janet Thompson collection

The Waddell Bridge, officially opened by Hon. Thomas Waddell on 15 May 1901, replaced the first 1874 bridge over the Belubula River at Canowindra. Mrs Allie Finn (wife of Eugene) caused headlines when she crossed in her sulky from this south Canowindra side just before the official opening ceremony on the other side. This photo was taken two days later on 17 May 1901. Remains of the old bridge are visible. The John Grant Bridge replaced the Waddell Bridge in 1997.

To view/download Newsletter click.

Bathurst District Historical Society - International Museum Day in the Museum

11th May (Saturday) – Special Event - International Museum Day in the Museum in the east wing of Bathurst Court House in Russell Street - The Society will be part of International Museums Day!  This is a worldwide event held to raise awareness of how important museums are in our society. 

 The Society will be holding a range of exciting activities to celebrate International Museum Day, including guided tours through the Museum at 11am and 2pm,  where you can come and hear the story of the Dunn’s Plains hold-up from Robin McLachlan, find out about the carved trees from Sandy Bathgate, have a peep into the Photo Archives with Alan McRae, and take the opportunity to test Samantha Friend’s knowledge about the building and the collection.

Also throughout the day there will be free giveaways, specials in our Museum shop, a lavish Devonshire tea in the Museum garden courtyard, and much more!  This is a wonderful way to get to know more about your museum and society, and to introduce friends and family to the wonders within.

The highlight of the event will be an evening talk at 5.30pm, starting with a word from our Mayor, and then a light-hearted look at the history of the Society and the Museum from one of our favourite local historians, Christopher Morgan, followed by wine and cheese.

Come and be part of the fun and get to know your Museum!

For further details, and to book a seat for the evening talk, contact the Museum during opening hours on 6332 4755 (Monday to Sunday between 11am to 2pm) or by email – info@bathursthistory.org.au or check the website - www.bathursthistory.org.au

Alan McRae, FAIHA, President  6331 5404 or amccrae@lisp.com.au  

State Library - Holtermann collection

Gulgong Dispensary, 1872

    News

•   Thanks to NSW Government support, we're fast-tracking our digitisation program. Over the next four years, six million pages of historic NSW newspapers from our collections will be digitised and made available online. NSW newspapers currently online can be accessed via Trove. See new titles coming

•   Our world-renowned photographic archive, the Holtermann collection, will be officially included on the UNESCO Australian Memory of the World register from May 2013. See 100 images from this astonishing collection from 1870-1875 in our popular exhibition, The Greatest Wonder of the World, on show until 12 May. Discover more about Holtermann by downloading Curio.

Carcoar Open Day, 21st April 2013

For detailed Programme click.

For Press Release click.

Central Tablands Chapter, M&G(NSW) - AGM 2013 at Rockley

Rockley School of Arts

Central Tablelands Chapter M&G(NSW)

Notice of AGM AT ROCKLEY 

We wish to advise you that the Next Chapter meeting will be held at Rockley on Saturday the 4th Of May 2013. A brief outline and the day’s events are. The members Rockley have planned an enjoyable day for us and I look forward to see you all there. 

Rockley was established in 1851 and flourished between 1860 and 1890, during that period a number of important and substantial buildings were built. 

The whole village is listed by the National Trust. 

As part of the visit there will be a chance to visit some of these remarkable buildings, starting with Buddens Guesthouse, originally the Bank building opened in 1878. We will then be having the meeting and lunch at the School of Arts (opened 1890). At the conclusion of lunch there will be a walking tour of Rockley, some of the highlights include:, St Peter’s Anglican Church 1867, designed by the renowned architect E. Gell, St Patrick’s Catholic Church opened in 1869, Rockley Mill Museum (1862) all of which will be open for the visit. 

Meeting Program 

10.30 Arrive at Buddens Tea Rooms 18 Buddens Street for registration and morning tea
11.00-1.00 AGM and lunch School of Arts, Hill Street
1.00 – 3.00 Walking tour and optional visit to Rockley Mill and Stables museum Cost $25 (Cheques made payable to Rockley Mill Museum
Acceptance and payment for morning tea and lunch please contact
Deidre Robertson
18 Budden Street, Rockley
Tel 02 6337 9279
Email: stay@buddens.com.au

Directions to Rockley from Bathurst, follow signs to Perthville which is south of Bathurst. Vale Road becomes Rockley Road some kilometres on is Rockley. 

The Google map gives good directions if you type in your location and the Rockley as the destination.

150th Anniversary of the Ben Hall Raid, e-newsletter Issue 1

This is the first of a series of e-newsletters to mark the 150th Anniversary of the Ben Hall Raid at Bathurst in 1863. The event saw some far-reaching effects that changed people’s lives and the Government of the day. 

The anniversary will take the form of a weekend festival with numerous activities planned over three days. There will be a full programme of re- enactments, talks, tours, historic bushranging and colonial displays and memorabilia, book launches as well as a special dinner with guest speaker and bushranger historian Mr. Peter Smith with his talk entitled “Heroes to Villains.” 

A sub-committee of the Bathurst District Historical Society has been meeting since May last year to organise this special weekend. This event marks the raid on Bathurst by the Ben Hall Gang and the effect it had not only on Bathurst but the Colony of New South Wales and the police system. The raid took place on the evening of Saturday 3rd October, 1863, sending many residents into a panic as the news was passed around. 

It was during the time in history where bushrangers roamed the country from the 1860s till the 1880s.

Plans for the weekend are well in hand and coming together nicely. There are just some 25 weeks before visitors start arriving in Bathurst so be sure to book or arrange your weekend accommodation if you plan to stay for the weekend. 

The Bathurst Regional Council has granted permission to close Russell Street in front of the historic Bathurst Court House to hold the activities on the Saturday afternoon and has agreed to finance the cost of the closure. The Bathurst District Historical Society and the committee are very appreciative of their assistance. 

Details, locations and information on the dinner, historic displays, talks, tours and other activities over the three days will appear in various issues of this e-newsletter and media as details are confirmed. The re-enactment of the event is currently being organised. 

Please enjoy yourself whilst in Bathurst and be sure to visit some of the many other attractions that historic Bathurst and the district have to offer. 

We hope that some families will use the weekend to incorporate a family reunion, especially on the Sunday. Some may wish to put a plaque on Bathurst’s Pioneer Wall which can be organised through the Bathurst District Historical Society on info@bathursthistory.org.au to arrange for the information and application form. 

I hope you enjoy these monthly e-newsletters and that they will be interesting and beneficial. It will be great to meet people in person and I hope you all have a terrific weekend here in paradise. 

If you wish to receive this e-newsletter direct just email amcrae@lisp.com.au 

Alan McRae, FAIHA, President Bathurst District Historical Society 

To view the full Newsletter click here.

State Records - Upcoming Talks

Getting to know State Records NSW

Gail Davis will present an overview of the holdings at State Records NSW at the Mid-Western Regional Library Mudgee.
12 April 9:00am-5:00pm
Mid-Western Regional Library, 64 Market Street, Mudgee NSW 2850
Phone: (02) 6378 2740

Researching at State Records

John Cann will be presenting a session at the Blue Mountains Family History Society Seminar 'Following in their Footsteps'.
13 April 9:00am-4:00pm
Presbyterian Church Hall, 160 Macquarie Road, Springwood
Contact: Jan Koperberg
Phone: 47 541544

An introduction to local history research

Gail Davis will present an overview of records held as NSW archives that may be used in local history research. This seminar will be held at the Mid- Western Regional Library, Mudgee.
13 April 9:00am-5:00pm
Mid-Western Regional Library, 64 Market Street, Mudgee NSW 2850
Phone: (02) 6378 2740

Ref: State Records - Now&Then - April - Issue 61

Orange Show - History display

Any enquiries to Sue Milne

Clues and insight into accessing funding

Samantha Friend from Bathurst District Historical Society attended our Access to Funding seminar in Wagga Wagga in March. She kindly agreed to contribute her experiences of the day to our blog, including the clues of the day!

"I was lucky enough to attend a very good seminar put on by M&GNSW in Wagga Wagga, NSW on 21 March 2013. I am from a small, volunteer run museum in Bathurst, NSW and we, like most volunteer organizations, run on the smell of a dollar note, so ANY information at all about what’s out there in terms of funding is an absolute bonus for us. 

The presenters were all very good and full of useful information, tips and tricks, and hints on how to write an application – “Read the guidelines”, “Use plain English” and “Don’t be afraid to ask” seemed to be the clues of the day! But each presenter had plenty to say on the serious nuts and bolts side of funding applications too. I think the most important thing I found was while it is paramount to get the application right and some of them are complex, you are not doing it alone – there is plenty of consultation and time to get it right. And that there is a decent amount of funding out there; you just have to know where to look. Rachel Vincent from the Museum of The Riverina in Wagga Wagga gave a great presentation on other funding opportunities – it’s amazing who’s out there prepared to fund Museums and Collections!

My Society is small and a bit disorganized, and I am new to the industry, but everyone at these events always makes me feel very welcome, is very good about answering my stupid questions, and is interested in who and what we are. It’s also great to meet others in the Museum game, and to catch up with those you know, and there is always fantastic food! Last week’s was really good – specially loved the pies!"- Samantha Friend, Bathurst District Historical Society.

Collections Management - Just say no!

Participants of the workshop. Photography by Tamara Lavrencic.
Image courtesy of Alan McRae.

On 15 March, M&G NSW hosted a workshop, Introduction to Collections Management, at the Orange Regional Gallery, with the generous support of the Sustainable Collections Project. This is the fifth of six workshops funded through a Community Heritage Grant from the National Library of Australia. 

The presenter was Margot Jolly, a Museum Consultant with years of experience working with museums large and small, in a broad cross-section of museum practice. Margot’s experience as a Museum Advisor working with community museums around Bland, Orange and Cabonne Local Government Areas, makes her very approachable and the workshop participants responded with enthusiasm, contributing their own anecdotes and experiences.

Of most interest was the session, Just Say No, where participants focused on refusing a donation and explaining why the object is not being accepted into a collection. It's never easy dealing with the disappointment from someone who has treasured an object and is looking for a safe home for it.

The following organisations were well represented: Carcoar Hospital Museum, Bloomfield Hospital Collection, Millthorpe Museum, Blayney Family History Group, Molong Museum, Orange City Library, Orange & District Historical Society, Canowindra & District Historical Society, and Bathurst District Historical Society.

The success of the workshop is expressed in the following email received a few days later:

“I just wanted to let you know how much I really enjoyed this workshop. Margot is a terrific presenter and she really made a lot of things much clearer...It's great to hear someone who knows what sort of things we have to deal with, and the sorts of problems we have to solve. We really appreciate all that M&G NSW does for small museums, and particularly all the help and assistance we get from you and the others personally.”

- Tamara Lavrencic, Museum Programs and Collections Manager, Museums & Galleries NSW 

Extension - History Week 2013

Extension - History Week 2013

Don’t miss the train! The deadline for applying to participate in History Week 2013 has been extended to Friday 19 April 2013. If you haven’t already planned an event, registered to speak or host a talk on “Picture This”, don’t miss the opportunity – jump on board!
For more information on how you can participate visit our website.

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Grant to discover history of mining

Kandos Museum volunteer Leanne Wicks has won a $5000 fellowship to research the history of coal mining in the Kandos area.

Each year, the Powerhouse Museum awards the Movable Heritage Fellowship to one tertiary student in Australia to work with a community museum on a research project.

Ms Wicks, who is working towards a postgraduate diploma in Museum Studies, is only the second Macquarie University student to be awarded the year-long fellowship, which includes a week’s internship at the Powerhouse Museum.

Ms Wicks began thinking about the region’s mining history when Bylong Public School had an excursion to the museum to learn about coal.

Her own background lies on the environmental side of the coal question, but she acknowledged that without the coal in the mountain, there would have been no cement works and so no Kandos.

After seeing the rehabilitation work done by Environment and Community Officer Matt Gray at Charbon Colliery, she realised there were positive aspects to the other side of the story that she didn’t know about.

Through her fellowship, Ms Wicks will record details of the museum’s coal industry artefacts and assess their historical significance.

So far, she has identified around 50 objects from the three separate collieries that serviced the Kandos cement works, ranging from the large coal loader in the museum yard down to an old cloth hat with a metal front to hold a candle.

Research suggests that coal was mined from the area that would become Kandos as far back as 1890, and well before the establishment of the cement works and the town.

The coal in the mountain was one of the qualities that made the area attractive for industry, with a steelworks proposed before the cement works eventually claimed the site.

Ms Wicks said the Kandos colliery was seen as a model mine for the rest of the country to follow, pioneering technology such as Australia’s first continuous miner, which scraped coal from the seam and dumps it into a container.

She said photos showed the progression of mining, from shovels, picks and pit ponies at the founding of the cement works in 1913, to the rail system and later conveyer belts.

“We’ve got this wonderful progression of technology in one mountain, so that fascinated me,” Ms Wicks said.

She hopes to organise a day on which she would invite people to visit the museum and share stories of coal mining in the Kandos area, or allow her to see and document any mining artefacts they have.

When the coal-related items in the collection have been assessed, Ms Wicks hopes to exhibit them in the museum’s new gallery space.

Ms Wicks said she was inspired by American museum consultant Elaine Gurian’s description of museums as “safe places for unsafe ideas”, making an exhibition in the Kandos Museum the ideal location for the controversial conversation about coal mining.