Thursday, April 22, 2010

New Australian Government heritage funding program

A new Australian Government heritage funding program is designed to protect, conserve and maintain places important to our history and heritage.
Minister for Environment Protection, Heritage and the Arts, Peter Garrett, said the National Historic Sites program is a competitive grants program providing a totalling $14.9 million over the next three years for owners and managers of nationally significant historic sites so they can undertake vital work to preserve their properties for future generations.

More information at the National Historic Sites web page.

Farewell to Les March

From the Maitland Mercury report:
Les March, Maitland’s station master the day the 1955 flood washed away the city’s signal box, was farewelled inside a packed St Luke’s Anglican Church at Telarah yesterday.
Mr March, known as a “man of stories” to family and friends, was 90 years old when he died at Green Hills Nursing Home.

Full article by Rebecca Berry available at Maitland Mercury, 21 Apr, 2010

Diggers parade flag with pride

From the Maitland Mercury report:
David Cunningham was one of many Australians who took part in the so-called “forgotten war” – but he will be making history on Anzac Day. Mr Cunningham, 78, from East Maitland, will proudly carry a South Korean flag to the cenotaph; the first time that country’s banner has been paraded in Maitland on Anzac Day.

Full article by Alan Hardie available at Maitland Mercury, 21 Apr, 2010.

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Steam buffs delighted with new events venue

From the Maitland Mercury report:
A disused tract of land bounded by railway lines and a highway will be transformed into a city gateway and events venue. The Steamfest Rally Ground off Church Street, Maitland, will become the heart of the annual Hunter Valley Steamfest following Maitland City Council approval for its expansion as an outdoor exhibition space.

Full article by Briony Snedden available at Maitland Mercury, 15 Apr, 2010.

New $1m home for locomotive 1042

From the Maitland Mercury report:
Locomotive 1042 is finally on the move after years of discussion about its fate while it languished at Maitland Visitors Centre. The engine will find a new place in a permanent home for Steamfest to be developed with the expansion of the rally ground adjacent to Maitland Railway Station.

Full article by Briony Snedden available at Maitland Mercury, 16 Apr, 2010.

Chimney stone sheds light on gaol’s history

From the Maitland Mercury report:
An important artefact from a long-demolished building at historic Maitland Gaol has been uncovered weeks before an archaeologist arrives to examine the site.
Maitland Gaol administration co-ordinator Gordon Sauber found a sandstone block – weighing about one tonne – in the grounds of the complex, carved with the numbers 1895.

Full article by Briony Snedden available at Maitland Mercury, 14 Apr, 2010.

Thursday, April 8, 2010

Australian National Archives collection and family searching

Archives tip of the month:
Most people who search the National Archives collection online are looking for information about family members. To streamline these ‘name-identified’ searches, the Archives has created NameSearch. This allows users to search for a person within a particular subject category such as immigration or copyright, rather than searching through the entire contents of the RecordSearch database.
By excluding irrelevant records from the search, NameSearch delivers fewer and more useful results.

CWA’s 60th anniversary

From the Maitland Mercury report:
More than 70 guests turned out for East Maitland CWA 60th anniversary celebrations, including one of the group’s founding members. Mavis Deaves was recognised for 50 years service to the CWA branch and received a medal for her dedication to the group yesterday.

Full article available at Maitland Mercury, 01 Apr, 2010.

Tillegra Dam project

From the Maitland Mercury report:
Former owners of an historic house to be relocated as part of the proposed controversial Tillegra Dam project said they have been left out of a process deciding the fate of their former home.Descendants of the Smith family - the original owners of the 150-year-old home - say they were not contacted during a week-long consultation process regarding the future of Munni House.

Full article by Emma Swain at Maitland Mercury, 01 Apr, 2010

Maitland Gaol

From the Maitland Mercury report:
The evolution of Maitland Gaol as a community venue is going up.
Work is scheduled to begin soon on the installation of a lift to access the restored chapel, on the second floor of a building on the site.

Full article available at Maitland Mercury, 31 Mar, 2010.

Monday, April 5, 2010

National Trust Heritage Festival

The 30th annual National Trust Heritage Festival kicks off on 9 April with a range of activities and events planned to celebrate Governor Macquarie's bicentenary. Sunday 18 April is National Trust Day when we encourage you all to visit a National Trust property to learn more about a heritage. As a special concession, our properties will be open for a gold coin donation.
Events to be held in The Hunter Region details accessible online.

Currency Lass : new life for old hotel

From the Maitland Mercury report:
A historic hotel sitting empty on High Street, Maitland, will be reborn as a backpackers’ hostel.
The Currency Lass Hotel is the subject of a development application with Maitland City Council that proposes to transform the upper floor to a hostel comprising 11 guest rooms, a shared bathroom and communal area.
Full article by Briony Snedden available at Maitland Mercury, 30 Mar, 2010

History Week 2010 Registrations Deadline Extended

The History Council of New South Wales invites event registrations for History Week 2010 to be held 4-12 September 2010. History Week is our state's annual festival of history. The official theme for this year is Faces in the Street.
Registrations must be received by Friday 16 April 2010 and can be made online.

U.K. National Archives

New Archive Guides online:
You can now watch short films about the records that we hold, using indexes and our Catalogue, finding resources in other archives and ideas for sharing your research.
Discover documents online:
You can now download First World War medal cards for just £2 from our DocumentsOnline service. Even better, it's completely free to search - you only pay to download and view records.
As well as the medal cards, you will find millions of wills, service records and registers.