Memory Bank - Newsletter of Millthorpe Historical Society

The President Writes

2014 is a milestone for the Historical Society as it is 50 years since its establishment.

On Saturday, the 20th November 1965 the official opening of the museum was carried out by Mr Charles Cutler then Deputy Premier of New South Wales. The plaque celebrating the opening is still mounted just inside our front door.
From Millthorpe’s decline to its resurgence our museum has remained the town’s flagship.
The visitors and residents of our town and district are proud of our museum. This is due to our supporters and their continuing protection of our heritage.
Peter Whiley

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Calare History Competition

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THE CROSSING 1813:2013

William Charles Wentworth, 1872, by James Anderson, Oil painting on canvas, image courtesy State Library of NSW.

THE CROSSING 1813:2013
2013 Centenary

The year 2013 marks the bicentenary of the first acknowledged crossing of the Blue Mountains by European settlers. The crossing was made by Gregory Blaxland; William Lawson; William Charles Wentworth; a local guide; three convict servants; four pack horses and five dogs in May 1813. After three weeks of trekking through the scrub the party reached Mount Blaxland seeing a vast expanse of potential farming land below. The crossing is considered significant as it led to the opening up of the western plains of NSW to settlement.

The HCNSW is delighted to announce it will be running a year long marketing and publicity campaign to encourage and promote community engagement in the bicentenary through locally arranged events. We will create a dedicated page on our website. The following benefits will be offered to participants:

*  An easy to use registration system.
*  Each event has a dedicated page with space for an image.
*  Events are published on our home page.
*  The HCNSW stamp of approval.
*  Inclusion in an overarching professional publicity campaign.
*  Promote your work to new audiences. The ongoing vitality of the history sector depends on an engaged and appreciative community.
*  The HCNSW will also host a one day seminar to be held in May 2013.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR PARTICIPATION

Members of the HCNSW are eligible to list their events for free on our website and will benefit from participation as outlined above. All events must fulfill the following criteria:
The History Council of NSW will only consider events that commemorate the crossing of the Blue Mountains in some way.
The event should support the objects of the History Council of NSW.
Event registrations will open from February 2013 and be published throughout the year on our website, in our e-newsletter and through our social media channels.
This program is supported by the Department of Premier and Cabinet.

State History Conference Registrations Now Open!

Photo: Australian Sugar Company's Works, Canterbury, [ca. 1842 / watercolour by Frederick Garling] (Image: Dixson Galleries, State Library of NSW – DG SV1A/13 )

As you probably know by now, the theme of the conference is "Saturated With Filth and Corruption": NSW History? The title is derived from an 1883 New South Wales Legislative Council Noxious and Offensive Trades Inquiry Commission referring to any industry that created a stink, especially if it was associated with offensive waste. The conference looks at the good, the bad and the ugly of NSW local history.

The weekend is full of activity (including pre and post conference events). Highlights include:

* Keynote speaker Professor Peter Spearritt, author of Sydney’s Century: a history
* Insights into methods for researching local history and heritage, as well as addressing management issues for local historical groups
* Presentations by local and specialist historians
* Welcome Drinks at 5.30pm, Friday 19th October at History House
* The presentation of RAHS Certificates of Achievement
* Announcement of Arts NSW Cultural Grants and NSW Heritage Grants
* Pre-conference oral history workshop - conducted by Oral History Association of Australia (NSW) on Friday 19th October at History House 

* Post-conference 'Managing Your Collection' seminar conducted by State Records Sales tables downstairs for sale of local histories and member publications

* Sales tables downstairs for sale of local histories and member publications
* Opportunities to network with other community-based historical societies around New South Wales

* Social events – Welcome drinks at History House (see above) and conference dinner on Saturday night at Rowers  on Cooks River

* Display at the Rowers on Cooks River of drawings of the building project proposed for History House

Do note the need to book in early for events and opportunities - in some cases there are limited spaces and it will be a matter of first come first serve.

As usual, Affiliated societies will be able to reserve a table for the sales of publications. There is no charge for table space, but reservations are mandatory (I was very impressed with the healthy vigour with which some societies defended their tables last year from those who had not had the foresight - a bit like the maidens in the bible who had no oil for their lamps and were left in the dark...you get the metaphor).

The State History Conference is a highlight of the year for the NSW local history community, and I highly recommend you attend.

We are very keen for our regional members to attend - and to assist you with planning your week(end) This information will be put onto our website and will be updated with via the eNewsletter.

Kind Regards,
Maria Walsh, CEO
(02) 9247 8001 or executive@rahs.org.au 

Register Online Today

Registration forms will be mailed to members with the September History magazine, but you may reserve your space today by submitting an online registration form, which can also be found on the RAHS website which includes details of Pre and Post Conference Events. 

If you prefer to register by mail, you may also download the full registration form here.

RAHS Presidential Address 2012

At the RAHS Annual General Meeting, the President, Emeritus Professor David Carment AM, spoke on "Local History and Local Historical Societies in Twenty First Century".

Following are some extracts from his address with a link to the full text at the bottom.

The Royal Australian Historical Society has long regarded its outreach role with local societies as being one of its  principal functions. I briefly want to reflect on local history in Australia and the roles and future of local historical societies.

The publication of local histories in Australia rarely occurred before the gold rushes of the 1850s. After them, as what was known as the gold generation aged, pioneers wrote their reminiscences and journalists compiled substantial histories of the gold towns. They tended to be stories of material and social progress. They had long lists of firsts – the first European ‘discovery’, the first river crossing, the first school and so on. In doing so, they established a record for communities still in the process of being formed. They also often ignored or said little about Aboriginal people both before and after the first white settlers came.

The publication of local histories in Australia rarely occurred before the gold rushes of the 1850s. After them, as what was known as the gold generation aged, pioneers wrote their reminiscences and journalists compiled substantial histories of the gold towns. By the late nineteenth century, Australian local histories were becoming more common. They tended to be stories of material and social progress. They had long lists of firsts – the first European ‘discovery’, the first river crossing, the first school and so on. In doing so, they established a record for communities still in the process of being formed. They also often ignored or said little about Aboriginal people both before and after the first white settlers came. Many of these histories were anecdotal and badly organised but the best of them include powerful evocations of past events.

Historical societies set up museums and resource centres that provided those interested in conserving the physical elements of the past with the essential information that they needed to do so.

Download/save full text of Prof David Carment's Address

2012 Community Heritage Grants Now Open

Applications for the 2012 Community Heritage Grants are now open. Grants of up to $15,000 are available to community groups around the country to help preserve and manage locally held, nationally significant cultural heritage collections of documents and objects for future generations.

Projects supported include significance assessments, preservation needs assessments, conservation activities and collection management. Representatives from historical societies, museums, public libraries, archives and Indigenous and migrant community groups are encouraged to apply.

Find out more and apply online

Image: Mark Arbuz, Spray and Steam Iron Horse, 1981. Image from the Craft Australia National Historical Collection 

Image Bank, CHG recipients in 2010

Theme for 2012 History Week Announced: Threads

They wore what?! Long before the fashionistas of today decided ‘the look’, dress was an important element of human expression. From status to style, culture to professional identity, clothes have defined us. History Week 2012 will explore the history of threads and unpick the meaning behind the wardrobes of the past.
 
Keep an eye on the HCNSW website for more information about events and ways to get involved!

Engraving On The Walls Of Hartley Courthouse

Source: The zine by people interested in museums, galleries and collections  for people interested in museums, galleries and collections.