75th year celebrations of the School of Arts Hall  (1934 - 2009)

The Stuart Town School of Arts / RTC Committee recently celebrated the 75th year celebrations of the
School of Arts Hall.

The picnic Cabaret Ball was a great success and a good time was had by everyone. Thank you to those who attended and helped make the evening a memorable one. Thanks also to Steve and Jan Hurst of Country Keys and Strings for the wonderful entertainment. A sample of their great work can be seen via the link below.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlGy9FQ7Nxg

Commemorative DVDs will soon be available from the Stuart Town RTC.

A New Local DVD - Stuart Town Public School - 150 Years

This DVD covers the Stuart Town Public School 150 year celebrations that the town enjoyed in June 2008. There is also some great footage of the Red & White Ball that was also held on that weekend at the School of Arts hall.

The DVD is available from the Stuart Town RTC - please phone 0268 468 359 or email StuartTownRTC(at)hotmail.com to secure your copy today!

Some new local video clips

During the weekend of the 27th and 28th of September, I grabbed the video camera and shot some footage of the local area. I have created 3 new clips:

A drive from Orange to Stuart Town - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iixvezov04  <- Click here

A drive from Stuart Town to Mookerawa - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSPndYV4R0s  <- Click here

A drive around Mookerawa Park - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1T_QoieHak   <- Click here

Please note that these videos have been sped up! We did not drive really fast to keep the video clips nice and short.

I hope you enjoy these videos and please let us know if you have any requests for future video clips.

A new book - "Branches from Ironbarks"

We are proud to introduce the publication “Branches from Ironbarks”……a journey through time. It is the sequel to “Whispers from Ironbarks”. The book is principally about families of the area and is a longstanding record of life in and around Ironbarks.

There are 192 different family names included, although some branches bearing the same surname have different origins. Names are arranged alphabetically. It is by no means a complete history of all the families from Ironbarks and its environs. It is an integral part of the ‘never ending story’ of Mookerawa, Gum Flat, Walters, Butcher’s Flat, Codner’s Flat, Lower Mookerawa, Omigal, Stuart Town, Farnham, Stony Creek and Store Creek. It is a must for the ‘history buff’ and anyone associated with the above locations.

We have published information and photos (some of which are historical ‘gems’), collected over the years by former and present residents, as well as people from all points of the globe, with ties to the area. Each story is unique, telling family details, place of abode, school attended and social conditions at that period of time. So many people have connections with the region whether it is through early settlers, gold seekers, railway employees, the depression period and more recently the construction of Lake Burrendong.

The book cost is $32.00 plus postage and handling. For further information please contact:
Ruth Pope
Weemala
Stuart Town
NSW 2820.
Phone 0268 468 281
weemala93@hotmail.com 

or

Norma Hannelly
Glenview
Stuart Town
NSW 2820
Phone 0268 468 258.

We have an archive facility locally and we welcome additional records, as hopefully, in the foreseeable future, some aspiring journalist will produce another historical document from this very early settled area! So many people visit the area hoping to gather information on their ancestors.
 

STUART TOWN PUBLIC SCHOOL CELEBRATING 150 YEARS OF EDUCATION

Festivities were held 7th-9th June 2008

A great weekend was had by all, with many ex-students and teachers returning to Stuart Town to help celebrate this landmark occasion. The people of Stuart Town would like to sincerely thank the organisers and also the visitors for a memorable weekend. We hope that you will come and visit again sometime soon.

A DVD of the weekend celebrations is under construction and will be available through the Stuart Town RTC. If you have any photos from the weekend that you would like to contribute, please email them to: StuartTownRTC@hotmail.com .

Coinciding with the school celebrations were a number of book launches and an art exhibition. Below is some information relating to each of these and a link to a short video from each exhibitor.

Dale Edwards - Author - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3k4OvBo-LxQ <- Click here to watch
The book “Ghosts of Burrendong” is an historical and social account of life before Burrendong Dam. Dale Edwards was born and raised in the Oakey Creek, Cudgegong River area and he is a born storyteller. He has an intimate knowledge of the land and its pioneers from early settlement until the dam was completed. He is a conversationalist and he paints a brilliant picture of life in bye-gone days. Dale's book can be purchased through the Stuart Town RTC. 8th of June, 2008

Bill O’Shea - Artist - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yqel_hnskqg <- Click here to watch
His “bush launch” began at the Railway Hotel in the early 1980’s when he held an exhibition to raise money for the restoration of the building. He has achieved worldwide acclaim with his unique translation of Australia’s rural scenes. His style is distinctively dramatic and shows beautiful depictions of the Australia we all recognize and hold precious. For more than two decades Bill has produced thousands of paintings from here that are housed locally, nationally as well as overseas. Some of Bill's artwork is on display at the Stuart Town RTC. 8th of June, 2008

Tony Byrne - Author - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b09RRHoh8fA <- Click here to watch
Tony has recently released a training DVD on how to make a stockwhip. Tony has also produced a number of other DVDs relating to horses, leatherwork, etc. Further information, including contact information, relating to these DVDs can be found by watching the video via the above link. 8th of June, 2008

Reg Lang - Author - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3pAfFAvV5w <- Click here to watch
Roads Not Taken by Reg Lang - The sometimes amusing, often humorous, at times poignant but always gripping account of a life involving education, politics, religion, sport, the land, travel and medical trials. Join Reg as he begins his tale with his early struggle for life as a premature baby born in the 1930's and then later as he becomes a teacher, contemplates priesthood, travels the globe and finally settles in regional NSW. 8th of June, 2008
 

Reprint of "Whispers from Ironbarks"

For those who are unaware of this publication: it is the history of Ironbarks, Stuart Town, Stoney Creek, Farnham, Store Creek, Omigal, Mookerawa, Lower Mookerawa, Cookeys Flat, Codners Flat, Gum Flat, Walters and Butchers Flat. It contains information on each of these communities, including schools, post offices and social activities as well as numerous photographs.

The first release in 1988 sold in a matter of months and since then, over the fifteen years we continue to have repeated requests for this book. The long awaited reprint is imminent. Regrettably we plan a limited printing, as the cost of production is so high. We are asking for money to be paid prior to publication. It is imperative that we have name and required numbers as soon as possible.

The cost is $35.00 plus postage and handling.

For further information contact:
Weemala93@hotmail.com
Mrs Ruth Pope
Weemala
Stuart Town NSW 2820
0268 468 281

or

Mrs Norma Hannelly
Glenview
Stuart Town NSW 2820
0268 468 258