|
Hi!
My name is David Martin, I live in the Lower Blue Mountains.
I established this forum as a result of ideas put forward at the
recent Blue Mountains History Conference. I am its moderator, and am
also setting up the associated website at
http://infobluemountains.net.au/history/forum
Six years ago, I started the Info Blue Mountains website. Seeing a
demand for historical information, I have since assembled the largest
online collection of Blue Mountains historical material, distributed
through the history and railway sub-sections of Info Blue Mountains.
Actually, it's not all that big; so if you'd like to contribute
something.....
In addition, I have built websites for the Blue Mountains Historical
Society (of which I am a member), Valley Heights Locomotive Depot
Heritage Museum, the NSW Toy & Railway Museum, and others.
I currently work in a support role for a company which sells and
supports specialised software for the woodworking industry.
David Martin
Web: http://infobluemountains.net.au/david
Info Blue Mountains: http://infobluemountains.net.au
Thanks David for giving us the opportunity to discuss
heritage/history issues in the Blue Mountains. The conference was
a great success and indicated to us again how many people are interested
in learning about the place in which they live. Ongoing networking
is anticipated and I
would be happy to hear any suggestions for next years event.
Now on a personal level, my research interests are:
- The presence of the old & new guard in the Blue Mtns.
- Quaker/feminist relationship in the BMtns.
- Educational institutions specifically Springwood Ladies College
and Miss Hoopers Ladies College.
- David Stewart Dawson
- Anything to do with the history of Springwood and the surrounding
district.
Looking forward to hearing from you all out there who have
information.
Regards Pamela
Here is some suggestions of things we could do after the conference:
- List of participants (with contact details) to be mailed with some
quotes from the summing up and (even tentative) resolutions made
- Some thought to go into what should happen in 2004: goal, strategic
plan. time line, funding and responsibilities
- Plan publication with contact details of all relevant historical
interested bodies in the mountains including basic resources such as
RHAS, Archives, RTA, Historians at universities etc etc
- Ask Barrie for his museum speech and circulate it to obtain
comment and expressions of interest
- Think of ways of broadening interest in conference by picking a
theme relevant to high school and first year university studies
- Broaden interest also by having performances on instruments
of Australian historical significance (didgeridoo, clap sticks,
concertina, mouth organ, tin whistle, fiddle)
- Exhibition to be mounted parallel to the conference showing
historical objects (not just photos) relevant to research
being currently undertaken by Blue Mountains historians
- What was the first play to be written or performed in the
mountains?
- Conference to be held in a historic house (or barn/tent in grounds
of historic house)
- Maybe we need to plan a week-end or week long Blue Mountains
Historical Festival - with lots of ancillary activities (car
rallies, steam trains, special cave visits, dances of several
kinds, re-enactments, public lecture "Lies and Myths of
Australian History", weaponry of the colonial era, visits
to huts of the depression era and health resorts of the 30s and 40s,
What's distinctive about Blue Mountains architecture, readings from
Australian fiction set in the Mountains. prize for best 14
line poem encapsulating an aspect of Blue Mountains
history.................
- Maybe the RTA would fund a museum on the history of road making in
NSW and what better place for it than in the Mountains.
I know all the above is work but you know and I know that
success is 95% work and drive. We need a real effort in 2003 to
make a big splash in 2004.
Peter
Hello everyone,
Yes, the conference was great and, as Peter says, we now have to
build on our experience. Having discussed last Sunday with a number of
people, my suggestions for topics to be given some thought (some of
which Peter has already mentioned) would include:
- Barrie Reynold's museum proposal: Perhaps this could be printed in
the 'Files' here at the Forum's homepage?
- Ways of involving students (high school & uni. undergrads):
Any suggestions of themes relevant to their studies?
- Broadening that part of the conference that demonstrates the use
of local history by writers, artists, musicians.
- Thoughts on the essay competition: Should we also have a prize (as
Peter suggests) for a poem/short story/art work?
- Practical aspects of the conference: venue? Should we aim for an
expanded conference? Weekend? Peter suggested a week-long
festival!!! And also developing a long term strategy to 'grow' the
conference, looking to 2004 or 2005. Ideas?
- Barrie Reynolds has suggested running a 'mentorship' program of
workshops during the year for local historians. Thoughts?
- Ideas are welcome too about possible speakers, panel
session/workshop themes.
This forum will be a good place to toss ideas about. I also hope the
forum will see some useful discussion of Blue Mountains history. David's
done the groundwork in setting it all up and taken on the
responsibilities of moderator. Now we should all encourage those we know
who have an interest in Blue Mountains history to join.
Cheers for now,
John Low
(Local Studies Librarian/Blue Mountains City Library)
Good to see all the positive input and ideas. And hey guys I
have started thinking about next year, I have even run a suggestion past
one of my lecturers - Frank Bongornio - about appearing next year.
He wrote a book on the history of the Labor party. This is a uni
subject and could be interesting locally to look at BM labor history.
Only a suggestion, could be themed very well with the Labor choir (is it
still going?) etc.
Bye now. Pamela
Hi everyone,
First, thank you all for your support of this forum. I have a number of
matters to bring to your attention, which you may wish to comment on.
I am publishing an archived copy of this month's posts on the website,
at http://infobluemountains.net.au/history/forum
They are accessible to anyone, not just people who have joined the
discussion forum. I hope this will encourage more people to join, by
giving them a look at what is going on.
Barrie has offered me a copy of his museum speech, which I will place on
the website. Whilst on this topic, I will point out that I can get
articles converted to Adobe Acrobat (.PDF) format, which makes them
(supposedly) impossible to copy.
I see in the conference notes that Dianne ".....has lied in
Gundungurra-Darug country.....for the past 15 years". And there I
was believing what she told us. :-)
Has anyone got a good picture/s for the forum homepage? Maybe an old pic
of a discussion group or a noticeboard? Something humorous, a cartoon,
maybe? We don't want it to look stodgy.
David
Webmaster, moderator.
Hi
I'm Shirley Evans and am very busy with our biographical Dictionary
of the Springwood district. We should receive our first proof copy
tomorrow.
Hello to the group and thanks to our moderator for getting us off the
ground.
I work with John Low as local studies librarian at Springwood library
and have lived in Katoomba since 1973. I'm interested in all aspects of
our history and prehistory including: angling, botany, charities,
dairies (& diaries), environment, family history, garden design,
hospitals, individuals, journeys, kids, land grants and lookouts,
mammals, nutters and newspapers, oral history, publishing, questionable
marked trees, rock art & ratbags, street names, town origins, urban
development, vehicles, writers, (e)xplorers, yabbies, zoos and Zane
Grey. (whew!)
John Merriman
|
|