Aus map - Federation of Australian Historical Societies Tasmanian Historical research Association Royal Historical Society of Queensland Royal Australian Historical Society Canberra & District Historical Society Royal Historical Society of Victoria History Trust of South Australia Historical Society of the Northern Territory Royal Western Australian Historical Society

 

search tips advanced search
site search by freefind


 

 

FEDERATION OF AUSTRALIAN HISTORICAL SOCIETIES INC

 

e-BULLETIN No. 116 – 6 November 2013

 

Hon Editor, Dr Ruth S. Kerr

 

1) Launch of New South Wales Heritage Network Inc.

 

2) Zig Zag heritage railway damage in State Mine fire near Lithgow, New South Wales

 

3) Grant for conservation of Telopea Park School painting in Canberra

 

4) Jackie Howe shears purchased by National Museum of Australia

 

5) Local history - Beechworth, Victoria

 

6) International museums and conservation - Beijing's Forbidden City

 

7) Urban Redevelopment Authority, Singapore

 

8) Private museums in Singapore

 

9) South Crofty mine restoration in Cornwall

 

1) Launch of New South Wales Heritage Network Inc.

 

Date & Time: 11.30am, 10 November 2013
Venue: Linnwood House, 25 Byron Road, Guildford, NSW
RSVP by email by 7 November 2013
Refreshments available at reasonable cost, visit the heritage listed house built 1891 by George and Susan McCredie. Nearest Railway Station Guildford.

 

(Source: ICOMOS E-News No.607 – 25 October 2013)

 

2) Zig Zag heritage railway damage in State Mine fire near Lithgow, New South Wales

 

On 17 October 2013 the State Mine bushfire near Lithgow in the Blue Mountains caused very serious damage to the Zig Zag heritage railway. All four of the standard gauge sleeping cares, six of the revenue producing ex Queensland (3 feet 6 inches gauge) passenger carriages and an ex-Queensland rail motor were destroyed. A steam locomotive suffered heat damage. The workshop office and 1,000 timber sleepers were burnt. The Zig Zag association’s administration building and the terminal station survived. Insurance is expected to cover some losses.

 

(Source: Press Release by David Horner, Zig Zag Association member – 27 October 2013)

 

 

3) Grant for conservation of Telopea Park School painting in Canberra

 

Telopea Park School, the ACT’s oldest school, has received an Australian Capital Territory Heritage grant of $13,500 for the cleaning and conservation of a unique and significant heritage art work. The large painting, by Latvian artist Verners Linde and his son Gurt, was the centre-piece of an art display associated with the Commonwealth Citizenship Convention held in Canberra in January 1950. Following the Convention it was transferred to Telopea Park School where it has been valued by generations of students and staff as a significant item . This grant was announced at a ceremony on 24 September 2013 and will be publicised in the media.

 

(Sources: Telopea Park School and Canberra and District Historical Society -24 September 2013)

 

 

4) Jackie Howe shears purchased by National Museum of Australia

 

A pair of Wolseley shearing shears owned by Jackie Howe, ‘the Bradman of the boards’, have been purchased by the National Museum of Australia for $38,000 at a Sotheby’s Auction in Melbourne on 30 October 2013. The auction was fiercely contested and the shears sold for well above the expected price. Howe was born at Canning Downs station near Warwick. His record was shearing 321 sheep in seven hours 40 minutes at Blackall in 1893. The National Gallery of Australia possesses Howe’s fob watch and shearing medals.

 

(Sources: www.abc.net.au/news/2013-10-30/national-museum-of-australia-acquires-shears-of-jackie-howe/5059052; H. J. Gibbney, 'Howe, John Robert (1861–1920)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/howe-john-robert-6746/text11655, accessed 31 October 2013)

 

 

5) Local history - Beechworth, Victoria

 

The Indigo Shire Council has purchased a significant historical building in Beechworth – The Pines building at Mayday Hills – for $500,000 for an office project. The Pines was formerly a state government asylum for the mentally ill. After closure it was used for a short time by La Trobe University. The Council purchased the building early in 2013 and plans to refurbish the heritage listed building in a sustainable way.

 

(Source: Ovens and Murray Advertiser 25 September 2013 p.3 including photograph)

 

 

6) International museums and conservation - Beijing's Forbidden City

 

Beijing’s Forbidden City, also known as the Palace Museum, housing more than a million items from the Ming and Qing dynasties, is to expand beyond its 980 buildings. An education institute is to be established downtown and a conservation and repair centre is to be established in the Haidian district. The institute will be located in the Beijing International Vocational Education School. A 470,000 square metre extensions campus in Haidian will be built and part of it will be open to the public. Three million visitors annually are expected. The Forbidden City Museum is aiming to reduce its visitation to 14 million people per year as a consequence.

 

(Source: South China Morning Post 11 October 2013 p.A6)

 

 

7) Urban Redevelopment Authority, Singapore

 

The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) of Singapore had launched a portal on its website providing the first public database detailing the history, architecture and stories behind 7,100 of Singapore’s heritage buildings. Properties are tagged as to location and there is a pop-out menu to allow viewing of photographs from the 1960s. The URA has stated that it is keen to cater to the growing interest in heritage through the My Conservation Portal. Most of the 7,100 properties have been gazetted since 1989. The portal was created in eight months. The portal’s web address is: www.ura.gov.sg/conservationportal/consmap.html.

 

(Source: The Straits Times 11 October 2013 p.B1 including photographs of the Cundhi Gong Temple at 13 Keong Saik Road and the Ramakrishna Mission building at 179 Bartley Road.)

 

 

8) Private museums in Singapore

 

Private museums established by individuals and private organisations are on the rise in Singapore. The purpose is to bring the building and the families’ and groups’ history to the fore for the succeeding generations. Around 20 privately funded home grown museums in areas of art, lifestyle and heritage have been established. A significant one in size is Kong Chow Cultural Centre at 321 New Bridge Road, Singapore. An 89 year old clan association building has been converted into a living museum with four storeys of artefacts, story boards and videos in English and Mandarin. They showcase the arts as well as the history of Singapore’s early immigrants from China’s Guandong province from 1840. Both Japan and China have a recent tradition of establishing private museums. For example Chinese Indonesian collector Budi Tek owns a private museum in Jakarta and is establishing one in Shanghai. The challenges for private museums have been identified as museum curatorial roles and design and on-going maintenance.

 

(Source: The Straits Times 8 October 2013 pp.C1-4 including photographs)

 

 

9) South Crofty mine restoration in Cornwall

 

Restoration of South Crofty mine in Pool between Redruth and Camborne in Cornwall has been completed. Cornwall Council led the project which involved complete refurbishment of the New Cooks Kitchen headgear and two Grade II listed engine houses in Chapple’s shaft. It was carried out under an agreement between Western United Mines, which owns the site, and the Council. The pumping house and its detached chimney were built in 1838 and equipped with a 50 inch cylinder and the winder house was built in 1865 with a 26 inch cylinder. Cormac Contracting Ltd, Cornwall Council’s Economic Development and Historic Environmental Services and Cornwall Development Company managed the conservation work on the buildings.

 

(Source: Western Morning News (Plymouth) 14 October 2013 p.3 including photograph)