Unlocking the past 2019

Lovely Ellalong Lagoon - January

Ellalong Lagoon is part of Cessnock’s swimming folklore. This beautiful, natural waterway was enormous and blessed with a continual flow of water.

When soldiers became controversial cinema stars - February

In January 1947 the Hunter Valley was abuzz with film fever. The famed English film company, Ealing Studios, was to shoot a film in Australia staring our own home-grown international cinema star, Chips Rafferty.

Kurri Kurri firefighters: legends on stage and in life - March

In the middle of a heatwave in February 1905 Kurri Kurri residents attended a public meeting in Central Park, now Rotary Park, to discuss forming a fire brigade for their town. The response was a unanimous ‘yes’.

Landscape and memory - April

Does land have a memory? Many cultural historians believe so. In our region we have an extraordinary site at Greta, which despite looking quite ordinary actually carries in its landscape the memories, fears and dreams of thousands of people.

May Day 1939 - May

May Day, celebrated on 1 May, was once one of the biggest community parades in our region. Months before the event May Day committees in Kurri Kurri, Paxton and Cessnock were hard at work overseeing details for the up-coming celebrations.

Influenza epidemic hits Cessnock and Kurri Kurri - June

This year marks the centenary of the devastating influenza pandemic, which swept across countries and continents killing between 50 and 100 million people worldwide. Arriving in Australia in late 1918, this deadly disease was actually an influenza pneumonia hybrid – a terrifying combination. With effective antibiotics still decades away death rates were high.

Magical Picnics at Speers Point - July

One of the intriguing aspects of local history is that sometimes places of great significance aren’t even in the local area. For us one such special place is found on the shores of Lake Macquarie, the lovely Speers Point Park.

Oppy the Cyclist visits Cessnock - August

With the Tour de France having just been run for another year, it’s fascinating to know that there is a long Australian connection with the race.

WWII is declared - September

Eighty years ago this month a six-year war began which would go on to take more human lives than any other previous world conflict and still remains humanity’s bloodiest encounter - World War II (1939-1945).

Animal lovers leave a legacy in our lanscape

Did you know that many humble horse troughs have a fascinating history, the legacy of a couple whose compassion for animals has endured long after their deaths?

A beautiful spring ball for the Kurri Kurri scouts - November

Scouting has had a long and enthusiastic history across our local area, with the first Cessnock scouts formed over 100 years ago in March 1915.

Remembering the Rothbury Riot - December

In the Hunter Valley the Northern Collieries Association was formed to collectively represent mine owners. On 14 February 1929 it issued all its employees two weeks’ notice to accept onerous new working conditions; the workers refused.