NEWSLETTER No 95 July – September 2013 Price $3.00 Free to Members of the Society

1 Bathurst District Historical Society Inc. NEWSLETTER No 95 July – September 2013 Price $3.00 Free to Members of the Society FROM THE PRESIDENT Blaxland’s talk at the Society’s Museum. The Bathurst District Historical Society continues to The various activities being held in conjunction with have a great deal happening at present and in many Ben Hall are in full swing with ever increasing areas. Our first International Museum Day was a interest in the event. It is quite amazing the number great success and there are improvements and of people who are receiving the Ben Hall Raid additions to be added into next year’s event. Weekend Festival e-newsletter to date. See further Samantha Friend did a great job in organising the information in this member’s newsletter. special day which saw several new members join the The Society has organised a ‘Historic Colonial Society. Houses’ bus trip to three homes at Parramatta. It is Since our last member’s newsletter actual taking place on Sunday 25th August and includes - construction work has commenced on the new Hambledon Cottage, Elizabeth Farm and Experiment garden at Old Government Cottage. The Society’s Farm Cottage. See further details in this newsletter training program for the new Mosaic software will but book early now as there are only 53 seats. take place in July to allow the Society to list all its I attended the autumn colours presentation evening collection with one or more photos of each item, which concluded the most successful range of details of the item’s history, who made the donation, functions over the three month period. Many of the when, its item number, where the item is i.e. if the activities and functions were booked out, many with item’s location has changed for display, storage or waiting lists. Tours were extremely popular and conservation – all this will make items easy to find planning for next year has already commenced. Well and life much easier. If someone asks do we have a done to all those concerned and especially Felicity ‘whatever’ we can look it up. Baines and her staff at the Bathurst Tourist Office. If you are genuinely interested in doing the I was very happy to learn that the Society has had an course PLEASE contact Samantha or myself, authentic gold cradle donated. The cradle was urgently. constructed in 1882 on the Turon River by Kay The Theo Barker Memorial Lecture is on again this Gibbs’s great, great grandfather. Mrs. Shirley year with a change in the format – this year it will Harmer has donated it to the BDHS. Be sure you involve the showing of parts of old and rare black have a look next time you visit the museum. and white silent movies associated with Bathurst. Please take advantage of the Society’s musters, The Lecture is taking place on Friday 16th August at activities and trips as they are for the benefit of 6pm at the Bathurst campus of Charles Sturt members. Alan McRae - President University in the same room as last time - in Building S15 in Lecture Theatre 2.23. The route in will be marked to the venue from Panorama Avenue NOTICE by coloured balloons as usual. Bathurst District Historical Society Andrew Pike, OAM, will be delivering the lecture Annual General Meeting on Australian film history. Remember you need to RSVP for catering purposes by 14th August to will be held in the Museum Ms Kate Esdaile, phone 63384645 or email at 7.30pm on Thursday 22nd August, 2013 [email protected] David Blaxland will talk about the life and times of LOST & FOUND his great grandfather’s grandfather, Gregory Over the last couple of months there have been some Blaxland, the Blue Mountains explorer, on Thursday found items. A hat was left at Sidmouth Valley on 19th September to mark Museum Week. It is being the Cox’s Road bus trip and a coat was left behind at held at 7.30pm in the Senior Citizen’s Centre at 176 a muster. Enquire at the front desk. Russell Street. The cost is just $5 with supper served oooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooo and please remember to book and pay for David 2 oooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooo Ben Hall Raid Weekend Festival e-newsletters are NOTE – NEW MUSEUM PHONE NUMBER being emailed to interested persons around Australia and New Zealand. If you have an email address or Due to problems with the current Museum phone someone you know who may be interested request a our new number is 63308455 - so please record it copy by emailing [email protected] in your phone index, purse or wallet. Note phone number in new phone book is wrong too! The startling defiance and confronting presence of Hall and his gang had profound consequences in both the short term and long term. 63308455 oooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooo • The New South Wales Government fell on 16th October, 1863, a mere 13 days after the BOOK NOW FOR THE raid, as a direct consequence of the storm of criticism by citizens and newspapers around Ben Hall Raid Dinner the country arising from the inability or at the Beau Brown Pavillion at the Bathurst unwillingness of the police to deal with the Showground bushranging menace. Saturday Evening 28th September - 6.15pm • The new Premier replacing Charles Cowper Booking are now open for the Ben Hall Raid Dinner was, ironically, Jimmy Martin, who, as a with guest speaker Peter Smith who will give the barrister, had defended the Gold Escort address entitled “Heroes to Villains.” Cost is $60 per Robbers the previous year. head, B.Y.O. and Colonial type costumes • It triggered further police reforms that had encouraged. Bookings at Bathurst District Historical been instigated by Cowper the previous Society, P.O. Box 237, Bathurst NSW 2795 or year. personally at the BDHS Museum, East Wing, • It prompted continuing land reforms. Bathurst Court House, Russell Street, Bathurst. Phone 63308455 - best times 11am – 2pm from As well as the raid, Ben Hall’s connection with Tuesday to Sunday or email Bathurst is a strong one. Hall and his partner John [email protected] Book and pay early. McGuire sold their cattle here and McGuire was later tried here in Bathurst as an alleged Gold Escort ooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooo robber. Hall was married here in the Cathedral of St Michael on 29th February, 1856, with his wedding reception held at Crilly’s Hotel (corner of Piper and Bentinck Streets). Later Catholic Diocese priests facilitated the surrender of several of his gang members, including John Vane here in Bathurst. oooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooo MUSEUM DAY Well, it’s finally over! Open Day for 2013 that is. It took a lot of organising by Samantha and Alan, advertising (did you hear Samantha on 2BS!), and two working bees, which involved removing the sad old Diosma from the Courtyard, (see left) and the planting of a lemon tree, some daphne, and two new roses – R. Mary McKillop and R. Governor Macquarie. There was also a thorough spring clean of the Museum, BEN HALL WEEKEND RAID where a lot of cobwebs were FESTIVAL disurbed and a mountain of dust busted! This special weekend is being held from Friday 27th to Sunday 29th September with the main day on There were many attractions to entertain visitors on Saturday 28th hosting a re-enactment, festival and Saturday 11th May; they could listen to Sandy dinner to mark the 150th Anniversary of the brazen Bathgate talk about the carved trees and Evan’s epic raid by Ben Hall’s gang of bushrangers on Bathurst. journey across the Blue Mountains, thrill to the tale 3 of heroine Caroline Keightley and her desperate dash to get dosh for the dastardly desperados holding her dear family in dire straights as told by Rob McLachlin, (see right with one of his enthusiastic audiences!) and have a peep into the Photo Archives with Alan McRae who also gave a fascinating insight into the changes in various photographic processes over An evening event saw 20 people enjoy an engaging the years with some examples from his own talk about the origins of the Society and the Museum collection. from Christopher Morgan, together with a glass of local wine and some cheese. Pixie and Valda put on a splendid Devonshire Tea (scones made by Valda and served by Pixie – what a terrific team! And what delicious scones!) in the newly planted courtyard which was enjoyed by many! There were a number of tables set up and decorated. (There is a photo of Elaine appreciating a scone but she’s got cream on her nose so it’s not really for publication …) The Open Day was Mayor, Cr Monica Morse opened the evening and designed to was very complimentary about the Society and its encourage more place in the wider community. She paid tribute to the Bathurstians, (some volunteers who run the Society and man the of whom did not Museum, and pointed out that there were great know there was a benefits to having a Historical Society and a Historical Museum Museum available for all. Cr Graham Hanger was in their town!) to also present and made some very pertinent and well visit, and received comments about history and heritage in approximately 50 Bathurst. locals made the trip up the sandstone steps of the historic building that houses the collection. The The Open Day Organisers and the Society’s Museum is open six days a week and averages Management Committee thank all involved with approx. 5 – 10 visitors a day, so 50 new people is a putting on the Open Day for their efforts and wonderful result for us! contributions and look forward to next year’s International Museum Day! Some of those who should be thanked include: • All the local business houses who put flyers up in their windows • Bathurst Advocate and Western Times • Bathurst Regional Council • Felicity Baines from the Bathurst Tourist Information Centre • Lucy at 2BS • The Management Committee of the BDHS • The Mayor and Councillors of the BRC 4 • TLC Garden Care [email protected] You can also email • Winooka Park Wines – who donated some [email protected] Applications should be lodged wine for the Evening Event at least 12 weeks prior to the proposed unveiling date to allow verification and manufacture of the And individuals plaque.

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