Unearth Wyong Newsletter – July 2015

Published by Wyong District Museum & Historical Society
1 Cape Road, Wyong • PO Box 241, Wyong, 2259
Email: Info@alisonhomestead.com.au • Tel: 02 43521886

President: Greg Denning
Vice President: Liz Hogston
Secretary: Anita McCarthy
Committee Members: Alma Thompson, Pauline House, Chris Hodges

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We would like to extend a warm welcome to all our new members and volunteers both at the Museum and the Men’s Shed.

Construction

Construction has moved along quite quickly recently and the builders, Collaborative Construction Solutions, are pretty much on schedule, even with all the recent rain. This still gives us a bit of time to set up our displays and exhibits for our grand re-opening, scheduled for the long weekend in October.

A blend of the old and the new on the Alison Homestead rebuild.

The breezeway and kitchen will be a terrific space to hold our meetings and events.

Fundraising

We will be holding another fundraising BBQ at Bunnings Tuggerah on Saturday 31 October 2015. Again it will be ‘all hands on deck’, and if our last effort is anything to go by, it will be a very enjoyable and successful day.

Don’t forget we have plants available for sale, including Agapanthus, Hippiastrums, Bromeliads, Succulents, Canna Lillies, Frangipani (from original homestead stock) plus many other plant varieties as part of our ongoing fundraising efforts. Prices start at $2.50 and multiple purchases prices are negotiable. If you are interested in purchasing any plants, do not hesitate to either visit us here at the Museum, or ring us for information.

Plants for sale for as little at $2.50 each. Multiple purchases are negotiable.

Tours

We will be celebrating our Museum grand re-opening on the October long weekend in conjunction with the Wyong District Pioneers Association which is celebrating their centenary. We anticipate that we will be able to conduct tours, bookings etc after 6 October 2015.

Donations

Edward Stinson’s piano has been kindly donated to the Museum and, very fittingly, was delivered by bullock dray. We have also received a beautiful “Duchess” Empire Ware tea set circa 1930 from Elizabeth McDonald who also donated a piano circa 1911, with piano seat and sheet music.

Requests

We would appreciate a donation of any old materials or sheets to be used as drop covers over the artefacts being prepared for display. Our gardeners would also appreciate donations of black plastic for the plant nursery.

Alison Homestead Men’s Shed

Wally at the  Men’s Shed, a cabinetmaker by trade, is hoping to get permission from Council to build our cabinets for the Alison and Stinson Rooms at the homestead. The men have also restored a beautiful tallboy cabinet, which had been donated by Jenny and Peter Cooper. Jenny and Peter came along to look at the restored cabinet and were very pleased with the results.

Don’t forget, if you have, or know anyone who has, an old bicycle they would like to donate, it can be left at the gate to the Homestead for Kerry to restore and donate to various charities.

Historical Note

Ezekiel John (Yorkie) Waters

Jack (Yorkie) Waters, was from one of the local Yarramalong pioneer families. He was a timber-getter and an expert in various woods, having vast experience in cutting wood. “Yorkie,” as he was known, won the championship at the Sydney Exhibition in 1908 by cutting a railway sleeper in 4.5 minutes.

Ezekiel John Waters enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force in 1916. He served in the 30th Battalion during WW1 and saw action in France. Due to serious injuries during the war, he was later unfit for hard work.

Ezekiel John (Yorkie) Waters working on one of his violins.

Yorkie started collecting various pieces of wood and began making violins, his first was made of swampy oak. He made other violins out of woods such as silky oak, white beech, sassafras and honey suckle. Jack also made his own polishing varnish which he mixed from four different species of gum. Many of the violins made by Yorkie were named Coo-ee, except for one that his daughter Jillian Eugenia Peterson [nee Waters] owned, which is called Sadie.

Yorkie often played free for the patrons of Peter’s Cafe at Wyong and also played at many of the local bush dances. After his death Yorkie’s own violin was kept by friends for many years and then generously donated to our museum.

Miraculously the violin is a rare surviver of the fire which destroyed much of museum collection in December 2011. “Yorkie’s Coo-ee violin” will soon be on display in the re-built Alison Homestead Museum to be appreciated by everyone.

Former WDM&HS President Phil Morley holding Yorkie Waters’ Coo-ee violin in front of the burnt-out homestead in December 2011.

If anyone has any questions about the local area or the Museum specifically, please email us and we will endeavour to answer your questions in our next newsletter.

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Notice of Annual General Meeting

NOTICE is hereby given to all members of Wyong District Museum & Historical Society that the next Annual General Meeting will be held at Alison Homestead,1 Cape Road, Wyong, on Saturday 8 August, 2015 at 11:00 am.

Nominations are invited for election of Committee Members. Completed nomination Forms should be received by the Secretary no later than seven (7) days before the meeting. The positions vacant will be:

• President
• Vice-President
• Secretary
• Treasurer
• Three General Members

Nomination forms are available by contacting Wyong District Museum & Historical Society office • Email: Info@alisonhomestead.com.au • Tel: 02 43521886. Please note only fully paid-up members are eligible to nominate, or be nominated for a position and be eligible to vote at the meeting.

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Catch up with you next edition, cheers for now.

Chris Hodges (Writer & Editor)

Unearth Wyong Newsletter – Feb 2015

Published by Wyong District Museum & Historical Society
1 Cape Road, Wyong • PO Box 241, Wyong, 2259
Email: Info@alisonhomestead.com.au • Tel: 02 43521886

President: Greg Denning
Vice President: Liz Hogston
Secretary: Anita McCarthy
Committee Members: Alma Thompson, Pauline House, Chris Hodges

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We extend a warm welcome to all our new members and volunteers both at the Museum and the Men’s Shed.

We would also like to advise that Pauline House is resigning as Treasurer and will be handing over to Michelle.

We also hope all our members and volunteers had a very happy Christmas and New Year. The Christmas BBQ was also a great success, with many volunteers and members attending. It was a lovely warm day and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. For the volunteers, catching up with the members was wonderful. Also Darren Webber presented Greg with a cheque for a grant which was approved for a replacement office.

Construction

As you will be able to see from the following photographs, we have finally started with our reconstruction. All demolition was completed prior to Christmas and since then we have gone ahead in leaps and bounds. The slab has been laid and the frame work is up. The frame for the roof is currently being constructed. All the necessary trees have been removed and the timber retaining walls have been constructed as well as the bulk excavation for the new car park. Everything is finally on track.

The site is cleared and the historic chimneys are stabilised.

The new slab is set and the roof trusses are put up.

Fundraising

As advised in our last Newsletter, the Rotary Club of The Entrance Raffle Tickets were once again available for members to either buy or sell. As the Museum will receive from the Rotary Club the full value of all tickets sold, this is one of our major fundraisers of the year. We managed to sell $650 in tickets so we can expect a cheque from them in the near future.
The results of the raffle were as follows:

• First Prize: An Open Order for $3,000 donated by Mingara (to be redeemed for travel at Flight Centre Bateau Bay) – was won by Erica Gordon Ticket No. 10825
• Second Prize: Bed & Breakfast for two at Pullman Magenta Shores Resort – was won by Kay Swancott Ticket No. 15040
• Third Prize: $150 Voucher from Gem Design Jewellers, The Entrance – was won by Liz Howaryluk Ticket No. 18156
• Fourth Prize: $50 Voucher from Coles Supermarket, The Entrance – was won by Terry Rule Ticket No. 24895

Don’t forget that we also still have plants available for sale, including Agapanthus, Hippeastrums, Bromeliads, Succulents, Canna Lillys, Frangipani (from original homestead stock) plus many other plant varieties as part of our ongoing fundraising efforts. Prices start at $2.50 and for multiple purchases prices are negotiable. If you are interested in purchasing any plants, do not hesitate to either visit us here at the Museum, or ring us for information.

Alison Homestead Heritage Frangipani cuttings for sale.

The Bunnings BBQ on Saturday 7th February 2015 was A HUGH SUCCESS. $1,400 profit for the day. Thanks to everyone who made it such a great success with extra thanks to Ellie who started the ball rolling and made all the initial inquiries with Bunnings. We were so successful Liz had to make four runs to the shops to top up on ingredients. We had plenty of volunteers come and go for either part of the day and some even stayed for the whole day. The volunteers said they had a wonderful day, and Bunnings were very happy with the way things were conducted.

The fundraising BBQ at Bunnings was very successful.

Tours

Since demolition began on the 19th November 2014, we obviously cannot conduct any tours of the grounds. We hope to be back on track after October long weekend.
A few of the ladies had a day trip to Newcastle Museum late last year to see how items were set out, but this museum was much larger than the Homestead and we needed ideas for our museum. Earlier this year the ladies had a day trip to Morpeth Museum which is similar in scale to our museum. The President of the Morpeth Museum showed the ladies through and this was a much more interesting day and the ladies had many questions for the President, who was happy to answer them and make a few suggestions of her own. We may try to do a similar trip to another small Museum later in the year. 

Donations

We would like to give a big thank you to all our donors. We have received a very old child’s cot from M. Cummings, and various items from Judith Palmer which included a bedspread which had been used back in the 1920’s. We also received a wooden wash board approximately 75 years old from Egle in Holland.

Men’s Shed

We all hope Roger is well and is recovering from his serious injury. He is being missed and everyone is looking forward to his return. Wally has been busy turning timber eggs on the beaut new variable speed wood lathe the Men’s Shed now has. The Men’s Shed has been requested by Wyong RSL Sub-Branch to make 11 easels to hold brass plaques which the sub-branch will be donating to 11 local public schools on ANZAC Day. The Men’s Shed has also received a $500 donation from the Lake Haven Daylight Lodge to be used for materials and equipment.

The Men’s Shed has also been busy at Jilliby Public School where they constructed a large cement car track for the children to use for their cars, dinkies and other toys. Also included in this project at Jilliby Public School, is construction of 2 model garages for the car track.

Tobi helps the Alison Homestead Men’s Shed team mark out the racetrack at Jilliby Public School.

 

Formwork complete our team lay and level the concrete.

 

The concrete has time to set and with a bit of landscaping the track will be ready for the Kindy kids.

 

Don’t forget, if you have, or know someone who has, an old bicycle they would like to donate, it can be left at the gate at the Homestead for Kerry to restore and donate to various charities.

Invitation

We have received on behalf of The Australian War Memorial and Maitland Regional Museum, an invitation for our members to attend an exhibition:

A Camera on Gallipoli

to be held in
Brough House, Church Street, Maitland
from Friday 17th April to Friday 8th May,
Thursdays to Sundays 10.00am – 3.00pm
(other days by appointment) (not open ANZAC DAY).

Bookings essential.

This exhibition showcases a unique series of photographs, taken on Gallipoli, and forms an enduring record of the Australian experience of the campaign.

Historical Note

The following extract on the Valley and Wyong Churches has been contributed by Max Farley:

“Before purpose-built churches were erected, it was common in rural areas for religious services to be held by visiting clergymen in private homes or other suitable locations. Frequently in new settlements, an Inn was the first building for community use. This was just as frequently followed by a church. Matthew Woodbury and his wife Eliza O’Neill met both needs when they built a home in 1866 at the corner of Old Maitland and Yarramalong Roads. It became a popular stopover for persons travelling between Gosford, the Yarramalong and Dooralong Valleys and north to the Hunter district. Matthew obtained a licence and their home became an Inn. The Woodbury family had earlier converted to Catholicism and the Inn was used monthly for Roman Catholic services. “As to Wyong itself, there were no purpose-built churches until the first decade of the 1900s. These were the St. James Anglican Church in Byron St (1906); a Methodist Church at Baker Lane/Rankin St (1907); a Presbyterian Church at Margaret St opposite Hargraves St (c1907) and St Cecilias Catholic Church at Byron St (1908).”

St Cecilias Catholic Church, Wyong, circa 1910.

All the volunteers here at the Museum and the Men’s Shed wish all our members and their families a happy and safe Easter.

Vintage card, circa 1920s. Happy Easter!

 

Catch up with you next edition, cheers for now.

Chris Hodges (Writer & Editor)

Unearth Wyong Newsletter – Nov 2014

Published by Wyong District Museum & Historical Society
1 Cape Road, Wyong • PO Box 241, Wyong, 2259
Email: Info@alisonhomestead.com.au • Tel: 02 43521886

President: Greg Denning
Vice President: Liz Hogston
Secretary: Anita McCarthy
Committee Members: Alma Thompson, Pauline House, Chris Hodges

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We extend a warm welcome to all our new members and volunteers both at the Museum and the Men’s Shed.

As you can see above, new Executive Committee and Committee members have been elected. The President’s Report, Treasurer’s Report and Treasurer’s Report for the Men’s Shed were all presented at the AGM on 11th August. A copy of each report is available on request.

Construction

Late September Wyong Council accepted a tender for the reconstruction of the Homestead. The construction contract for the rebuild includes demolition, salvage, restoration works to the Alison Wing, a new building within the original footprint, civil works and site services including a new driveway, car parking, landscaping and lighting. We have been assured the design will maintain the Homestead’s cultural integrity. On Wednesday 19th November, the fences are going up and demolition will begin. It is anticipated that all demolition and excavation work will be completed before Christmas. During the next week or so we will have to move all the electrical equipment, i.e. phones, computers etc, over to the Slab Hut where we will be working during the construction process. We should therefore have a lot more information on the progress of the works by the time of our next Newsletter.

The Museum’s slab hut school house will be our centre of operations during the rebuild.

 Fundraising

As advised in our last Newsletter, the Rotary Club of The Entrance Raffle Tickets are once again available for members to either buy or sell. As the Museum will receive from the Rotary Club the full value of all tickets, we hope to do well selling tickets, especially as this is one of our major fundraisers of the year and we need as many people as possible selling and buying tickets. Please contact Liz if you would like to purchase or sell tickets on our behalf. Could all sold tickets be return to us by the 20th January 2015. The Rotary Club is supplying all prizes which are as follows:

• First Prize: An Open Order for $3,000 donated by Mingara (to be redeemed for travel at Flight Centre Bateau Bay)
• Second Prize: Bed & Breakfast for two at Pullman Magenta Shores Resort
• Third Prize: $150 Voucher from Gem Design Jewellers, The Entrance
• Fourth Prize: $50 Voucher from Coles Supermarket, The Entrance

Don’t forget that we also still have plants available for sale, including Agapanthus, Hippiastrums, Bromeliads, Succulents, Canna Lillies, Frangipani (from original homestead stock) plus many other plant varieties as part of our ongoing fundraising efforts. Prices start at $2.50 and for multiple purchases prices are negotiable. If you are interested in purchasing any plants, do not hesitate to either visit us here at the Museum, or ring us for information.

Hippeastrum bulbs in full bloom. Commonly known as Amarylis.

We will also be running a Bunnings BBQ on the 7th February 2015. If anyone would like to donate their time for a couple of hours please contact Anita. Any assistance will be appreciated. The BBQ will run from 7.00am to 4.00pm.

Tours

Since demolition begins on the 19th November, we obviously cannot conduct any tours of the grounds. We hope to be back on track by the middle of next year. 

Donations

A big thank you to Susan Davis who donated several Conveyancing Papers dated 1914 and Agreement dated 1912, which were signed by various members of the Stinson family.

Donations of any old sheets, blankets or the like would be appreciated, as we need these to use as covers for large items currently being restored.

Men’s Shed

We all hope Roger is well and is recovering from his serious injury. He is being missed and everyone is looking forward to his return.
Wally has just finished a handmade, no nail, coffee table with dovetail joints. It is made of Jarrah and is French polished. It looks absolutely beautiful, a real work of art. He has also made a wooden tea light holder which he will show the men how to make.

Don’t forget, if you have, or know someone who has, an old bicycle they would like to donate, it can be left at the gate at the Homestead for Kerry to restore and donate to various charities.

Historical Note

The following are extracts from the History Notes of Max Farley which he contributed to Valley Ventures (September 2014).

“Most Valley residents have angle-parked in Alison Road opposite the Post Office. A large photo etched on glass on the shop window shows William John ‘Dah’ Chapman on his horse…”

“Dah settled in Yarramalong Valley shortly after marrying Grace Cavanough at Lower Portland in 1869…”

Chapman & Sons General Store in Alison Road, Wyong, circa 1901.

“…Most would associate Dah with the large Chapman and Sons store in Alison Road which has now been mainly vacant for years. Beyond this, however, he founded the Dairy industry in Wyong by opening the Pioneer Dairy at South Tacoma in 1897 from which he sent raw milk each day to Sydney. He was intending to manufacture butter on a commercial basis. This led to his being central to the formation of the Wyong Co-operative Dairy Society (the “Butter Factory”) on 1907…”

“…One of Dah’s sons, Alfred “Fred” Chapman was “married in 1915 but had no children. He devoted much of his time to advancing the cause of local education. His wife, Ella, died in 1955 and Fred lived his later years alone and had few friends. When he died in 1963 he was very wealthy as a result of astute investments. He donated generously to charities, often anonymously. In his will he vested his estate in the “Chapman Trust” dedicated to support community bodies. In 1997 the Trust was valued at $11 million. Those which have benefited include Gosford High School, Gosford Primary School, Gosford Hospital, Red Cross, Salvation Army and Crippled Children.”

Reminders

1. If anyone is interested in writing a short reflection of their experiences growing up in Wyong Shire, including perhaps a bit of family and/or local history, I am sure this will interest many members. We can keep the information strictly for our records, or if permitted by you, we could publish some in our Newsletter (with or without your identity). It does not have to be long, just a paragraph or two will do. We have had no takers as yet, so come on and get those thinking caps on.
2. I understand that I may have misnamed a couple of members of the “Rogue Gallery” in the last Newsletter. I apologise, if I have offended anyone, but I was only going on information available at the time. I will try to republish the photograph and names in the next Newsletter.
3. Could any members who have not paid their current members’ fees please arrange for payment as they were due on the 1st July 2014.

We were recently saddened to hear of the passing of Dorothy, sister to Leone Frame and Bob and Shirley Trigg. We would all like to extend our condolences and sympathy to Leone, Bob, Shirley and their families during this difficult time

Christmas BBQ

We will be celebrating the end of the year with a lunch time BBQ on Tuesday the 16th December here at the homestead. All members are invited to join us with a $5 donation, payable on the day, to cover costs. Could you please let us know by the 9th/10th December if you wish to attend so that we know how many we will have to cater for.

All our volunteers at the Wyong Museum & Historical Society and The Men’s Shed would like to wish all our members and their families a very merry Christmas and a happy and prosperous New Year

The world’s first Christmas card, commissioned by Henry Cole in 1843 – the same year Charles Dickens wrote ‘A Christmas Carol’.

Both the Museum and Men’s Shed will close on Tuesday 16th December and the Men’s Shed will reopen on the 12th January 2015 whilst the Museum will reopen on 13th January 2015.

Catch up with you next edition, cheers for now.

Chris Hodges (Writer & Editor)

Unearth Wyong Newsletter – Sept 2014

Published by Wyong District Museum & Historical Society
1 Cape Road, Wyong • PO Box 241, Wyong, 2259
Email: Info@alisonhomestead.com.au • Tel: 02 43521886

President: Greg Denning
Vice President: Liz Hogston
Secretary: Anita McCarthy
Committee Members: Alma Thompson, Pauline House, Chris Hodges

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We extend a warm welcome to all our new members and volunteers both at the Museum and the Men’s Shed.

As you can see above, new Executive Committee and Committee members have been elected. The President’s Report, Treasurer’s Report and Treasurer’s Report for the Men’s Shed were all presented at the AGM on 11th August. A copy of each report is available on request.

Construction

Tenders were invited for the construction of the homestead by Council in early July with advertisements placed in the local papers and Sydney Morning Herald. Some 15 companies had full site inspections with a few returning for a second inspection. The tenders closed on 14th August and will be reviewed and evaluated by Council and a report prepared for the Ordinary Council meeting on 24th September to award the contract. This seems to suggest that work will not commence until at least the new year. Six trees have been moved in preparation for the road widening outside Bakers Barn under the supervision of one of our knowledgeable gardening volunteers.

Grants

Sue Geary has applied for further grants for us. Hopefully we will receive some of these soon.

Fundraising

The Rotary Club of The Entrance is once again sponsoring The Annual Community Raffle. We will receive from the Rotary Club the full value of all tickets we sell. This is one of our big fundraisers for the year and tickets will soon become available. Please let us know if you would like to buy some tickets or if you would be able to sell some tickets on our behalf. The Rotary Club is supplying all prizes which are as follows:

• First Prize: An Open Order for $3,000 donated by Mingara to be redeemed for travel at “Flight Centre Bateau Bay”
• Second Prize: Bed & Breakfast for two at Pullman Magenta Shores Resort
• Third Prize: $150 Voucher from Gem Design Jewellers, The Entrance
• Fourth Prize: $50 Voucher from Coles Supermarket, The Entrance

We still have a variety of plants available for sale as part of our ongoing fundraising efforts. If you are interested, do not hesitate to either visit us here at the Museum, or ring us for information.

Tours

We had a visit from Dave Dobeson and his sister, who came up from Sydney. They were fascinated by the incubator we have, as his family designed and patented chicken incubators which brought his family some fame back at the turn of last century. Dave was very appreciative of our efforts in keeping our local history alive.

We now have our own Blacksmith, Klaus, who is ready to set up in the blacksmith shop. When we have tours, Klaus will show his trade and make small items for sale, with profits going to Alison Homestead. Klaus has also offered to make us a new steel gate with “Alison Homestead” on it.

The Central Coast Heritage Car Club would like to build a small club house in the shape of an old garage in an area of the grounds that we do not use. They have old tools and equipment to put on display and will have their meetings there. This meeting room could be used by Alison Homestead and the Pioneers Association for free.

Donations

We would like to give a big thank you to the Rigg Family, who have kindly donated quite a number of plants, including ornamental figs, Grevillea Robusta and Jacaranda, to the Museum. Many thanks also to Lesley O’Keefe who donated baby clothes including knitted bootees, jacket, leggings, pants and bonnet.

Men’s Shed

The Men’s Shed has recently received a grant from Wyong Shire Council. Don’t forget, if you have, or know someone who has, an old bicycle they would like to donate, it can be left at the gate at the Homestead for Kerry to restore and donate to various charities. Another one of the Men’s Shed team, Richard, has restored several items including an original railway station seat and luggage trolley from Wyong Station, which are outside the Slab Hut. We also have a large collection of steam train memorabilia, videos and paintings ready to be displayed.

Historical Note

Here we have a copy of the “Rogue’s Gallery”, which is the first committee of Wyong District Museum & Historical Society back in 1979 when Wyong Historical Society amalgamated with the Wyong District Museum Group. There is reference in our records that the Wyong Historical Society goes back as far as the mid 60s. The members of this first committee were:

Executive Committee:

• President: Alf Wright – Far left
• Vice President: Allan Sutton – Left back row
• Secretary: Gwen Clarke – Middle front row
• Treasurer: Elizabeth Sutton – Front row far left

Committee Members:

• Phillip Morley: Middle back row
• Ray Rauscher: Back row far right
• Vera Butler: Front row far right

Reminders

1. If anyone is interested in writing a short reflection of their experiences growing up in Wyong Shire, including perhaps a bit of family and/or local history, I am sure this will interest many members. We can keep the information strictly for our records, or if permitted by you, we could publish some in our Newsletter (with or without your identity). It does not have to be long, just a few paragraphs will do. We have had no takers as yet, so come on and get those thinking caps on.
2. Don’t forget membership fees are were due on 1st July 2014

Catch up with you next edition, cheers for now.

Chris Hodges (Writer & Editor)

Unearth Wyong Newsletter – June 2014

Published by Wyong District Museum & Historical Society

President: Greg Denning
Vice President: Liz Hogston
Secretary: Anita McCarthy
Treasurer: Ellie Young
Committee Members: Ian Smith, Sue Geary and Sue Dibley

We would like to extend a warm welcome to all our new members and volunteers both at the Museum and the Men’s Shed.

If you are interested in preserving our local history and would like to help support the Museum and historic Alison Homestead we encourage you to become a member:

• $15 single per annum
• $25 family per annum

Membership fees for the year 2014/15 are due on 1/7/14.

Contact: Secretary of Wyong District Museum & Historical Society, PO Box 241, Wyong NSW 2259, Phone: (02) 4352 1886 or Email: lnfo@alisonhomestead.com.au

Construction

Not surprisingly, construction has again been pushed back, but the Mayor says commencement is definitely starting in September. Hopefully this is the last change to the starting date.

Fundraising

We still have a variety of plants available for sale as part of our ongoing fundraising efforts. If you are interested, do not hesitate to either visit us here at the Homestead or ring us for information.

Grants

We recently received a grant from Wallarah 2 for the upgrade of the gardens.

Donations

From Oliver Gear we received a very old Encyclopedia of Medicine (circa 1900). We received a beautiful crystal dish and Wilkinson China jug and creamer from Jennifer Jackson (circa 1930-1940). We also received a dressmaker measure (circa 1900-1920) from Evelyn Freestone. A big thank you to all our donors.

Men’s Shed

Don’t forget, if you have, or know someone who has, an old bicycle they would like to donate, it can be left at the gate at the Homestead for Kerry to restore and donate to various charities.

Historical Note

Also of interest, the residents of Yarramalong celebrated the opening of the Yarramalong School Community Centre recently. The school includes two of the oldest stone buildings in Wyong Shire. It was thanks to a long campaign by the local residents that the site was saved from developers. A few local groups have already made use of the Community Centre for arts & craft and soon there will be a sculpture and photo exhibition.

Yarramalong School, circa 1882

If anyone is interested in writing a short reflection of their experiences growing up in Wyong Shire, including perhaps a bit of family and/or local history, I am sure this will interest many members. We can keep the information strictly for our records, or if permitted by you, we could publish some in our Newsletter (with or without your identity). It does not have to be long, just a few paragraphs will do.

Reminder

We are again asking those members who are currently not on our email list, to please advise us of your email address so we can send your future Newsletters by email, as this will save a lot of postage expense and time.

Catch up with you next edition, cheers for now.

Chris Hodges (Writer & Editor)

Unearth Wyong Newsletter – May 2014

Published by Wyong District Museum & Historical Society. 

Membership and Volunteers

We extend a warm welcome to all our new members and volunteers both at the Museum and the Men’s Shed.

We encourage those interested in preserving our local history to help support the Museum and historic Alison Homestead by becoming a member:

• $15 single per annum
• $25 family per annum

Membership fees for the year 2014/15 are due on 1/7/14.

Or volunteer to give us a hand with any or all of the following:

• Gardening work
• Building Maintenance
• Housekeeping
• Act as a guide for our tours
• Once a month Duty Roster
• Cataloging
• Office Work

Some of the benefits besides the great feeling of personal satisfaction are:

• Fun, friendship
• Tea, coffee and biscuits

Contact: Secretary of Wyong District Museum & Historical Society, PO Box 241, Wyong NSW 2259, Phone: (02) 4352 1886.

Construction

We are fast approaching the commencement date for demolition of the destroyed section of the Homestead. We should have plenty to report in the next Newsletter (July 2014) on what has been demolished and any other work in progress on the construction site.

Fundraising

We still have a variety of plants available for sale as part of our ongoing fundraising efforts. If you are interested, do not hesitate to either visit us here at the Homestead or ring us for information on 4352 1886.

Plants for Sale at Alison Homestead

Colonial Fair & Market Day – 3 May

What a wonderful day this turned out to be. We had many stalls and had quite a few volunteers for the day. The Cow Lotto was exceptional with Sue selling quite a lot of tickets. Everyone had fun and enjoyed watching and cheering on the cows in the paddock waiting for one to plop on their number. We had a fairly good attendance, considering the weather, and had lots of sales on the day. Everyone seemed to have enjoyed themselves and we had a lot of positive feedback. Some comments include:

“Considering the appalling weather forecast for the day, I think there were an excellent turnout, and a lot of happy vibes. It was a great learning curve for the next time around –Pat

A lovely day and everybody said they enjoyed themselves and we received many compliments for the Celtic Band – Liz

The weather was good. The Band helped to make it a lively atmosphere. People reflect they’ve had a good time with good items to buy including the food stalls. Some said they now have more of an idea of Alison Homestead, which is always good – Ateekah

Our Fair and Market Day was quite a success. The weather was good. There were lots of activity and many stalls. I thought the day was fun and enjoyable – Anita”

The Marine Corps showed their colonial spirit and pride

Many visitors enjoyed the day out at Alison Homestead

If you would like to see more photos taken on the day, check out our Facebook Page.

Raffles

The lucky winner of the beautiful han- made Quilt was Pat Bray with a purple ticket F99.

The lucky winners of the Mother’s Day Raffle were Pam Parker (who chose the pamper hamper) and Jann with Red ticket E 069 (who won the Dick Smith food hamper).

The winner of the Cow Lotto was Chris from IGA at Kanwal.

Waiting for the Cow Lotto results.

We would like to extend our thanks to the following people and groups for all their support and donations towards our Colonial Fair & Market Day:

• Chris, owner of IGA Kanwal
• McDonalds, Tuggerah
• Tolar Pharmacy, Northmead
• Woolworths, Lake Haven
• Kmart, Lake Haven
• Sam’s Bakehouse, Wadalba
• Sue Buck, Network Printing Studios
• Chris, APIA
• Dick Smith Foods
• Judith Angel
• The Celtic Band
• Graham Keating, Town Crier
• Vintage Fire Engines
• Veteran’s Car Club
• Central Coast Historical Car Club
• The Marine Corps
• Sheep Shearer
• Gary Lee, Auctioneer

And we would also like to thank all our volunteers, pioneers, members, stallholders and many other helpers who helped make it a successful day.

Grants

We have been promised a grant from Wallarah 2 for the community gardens, water tanks and pumps.

Donations

Morrie, from the Men’s Shed, built the two Ned Kelly’s displayed on the grounds of the Museum. He has built and sold another Ned Kelly and has very generously offered to donate the proceeds to the Museum.

Henry Kendall Cottage

Henry Kendall Cottage celebrated its Quartoseptcentennial (175^th year) recently and had a Fair marking this special occasion on the 5^th April 2014.  The Homestead was invited to have a stall at their Fair, which we gratefully accepted, and Liz, Anita and Sue G were there to man the stall for us. The day was quite successful as they sold a number of raffle tickets for our beautiful Quilt, which was 1^st prize in the raffle drawn at our Colonial & Fair Day on the 3^rd May 2014.  They also sold a variety of other bits and pieces.   As this was Anita’s first visit to Henry Kendall Cottage she took the opportunity to wander about and take in everything. She found it all very interesting, informative and enjoyable.  The Homestead also extended to Henry Kendall Cottage an invitation to have a stall at our Colonial Fair & Market Day and they accepted our invitation.

Men’s Shed

The men did a brilliant job running the BBQ at the Fair, and they had the grounds looking wonderful. A lot of work went into organising various jobs essential to making things go smoothly on the day, i.e. collecting gate money, parking, marking up the paddock for Cow Lotto and arranging for all the signs to be put up. Bikes restored by Kerry Braslin were auctioned off on the day. So don’t forget, if you have or know someone who has, an old bicycle they would like to donate, it can be left at the gate at the Homestead for Kerry to restore and donate to various charities.

Historical Note

We received from Royston Petrie Seeds in Mudgee a copy of Sergeants Bus Lines Timetable circa 1930s-1040s. Not only does it show the various bus times for the different routes, it also is full of amazing advertisements for the various retailers in Wyong Shire. Some of the more interesting advertisements included the following:

 ––––––––––––––

Wyongah Post Office Store

H.J. & T. FERGUSON

GROCERIES, SMALLGOODS, CONFECTIONERY
SOFT DRINKS, NEWSAGENCY
Orders collected and delivered

––––––––––––––

TURTON’S PHARMACY

WYONG

——

For all your Pharmacy, Veterinary &
Photography Requirements
A Large Variety of Gifts for All Occasions
Prescriptions Delivered to Buses
Phone: Wyong 72 – Day or Night”

 ––––––––––––––

How wonderful is the advertisement for Turton’s Pharmacy, not only could you get all your veterinary requirements at the Pharmacy, they also delivered your prescriptions to the Buses. I can just see the patients, waiting at their local bus stop, waiting for the prescriptions to be delivered by the Bus Driver. You certainly wouldn’t get this service these days.

Catch up with you next edition, cheers for now.

Chris Hodges (Writer & Editor)

Unearth Wyong Newsletter – March 2014

Published by Wyong District Museum & Historical Society. Written by Chris Hodges.

Membership and Volunteers

We extend a warm welcome to all our new members and volunteers both at the Museum and the Men’s Shed.

We encourage those interested in preserving our local history to help support the Museum and historic Alison Homestead by becoming a member:

• $15 single per annum
• $25 family per annum

Or volunteer to give us a hand with any or all of the following:

• Gardening work
• Building Maintenance
• Housekeeping
• Act as a guide for our tours
• Once a month Duty Roster
• Cataloging
• Office Work

Some of the benefits besides the great feeling of personal satisfaction are:

• Fun, friendship
• Tea, coffee and biscuits

Contact: Secretary of Wyong District Museum & Historical Society, PO Box 241, Wyong NSW 2259, Phone: (02) 4352 1886

New Website

Our new website is now up-and-running after a couple of hiccups. http://alisonhomestead.com.au

Please make a note of the changes to our contact details for future reference.

Construction

During late February we took another step forward with Council appointing Douglas & Partners to do a geotechnical/acid report on the Homestead’s soil where the foundations are. They attended at the Homestead and proceeded to drill the holes for testing and the results have come back all good. Construction is still expected to begin sometime in July.

Fundraising

We have a variety of plants available for sale as part of our fundraising efforts. If you are interested, do not hesitate to either visit us here at the Homestead or ring us for information. We are also in urgent need of large pots and any storage crates (preferably with lids) for storing books.

Rotary Raffle

• 1st prize – Jacob Ouimotoji
• 2nd prize – Marlene Davidson
• 3rd prize – Linda Donaldson
• 4th prize – Christine McConnell

Colonial Fair & Market Day

As some members may already know, we are no longer having a Car Boot Sale, but we are having a “Colonial Fair & Market Day”. This will be held on Saturday 3rd May 2014 from 10.00am to 4.00pm. Advertising has been arranged for the local markets guide, local newspapers, radio, flyers and cards. Ellie has been very busy sending out emails to various organisations to set up stalls on the day, which Liz and Ellie will organise.

There will be a Raffle (1st prize will be a beautiful handmade and machine finished patchwork quilt) and Kerry Braslin will be donating a couple of the bikes he has restored. These, along with other donations, will be auctioned off on the day. Graham Keating has agreed to be our Town Crier and there will be plenty of food, music and entertainment including a Celtic Band, Vintage Fire Engines and a number of other stalls and attractions. This is intended to be a family day so there will be plenty of activities for the children. We hope you can come along and bring your family and all your friends. Entry for adults is only $2.00 whilst children have free entry.

As you all can see, we will need extra volunteers for the day, setting up the stalls, manning some of the stalls and activities, dismantling stalls, collecting entry fees at the gate, selling raffle tickets etc. You don’t have to volunteer for the whole day, just a few hours will be very helpful, so don’t hesitate to call if you think you can help on the day. If you have any cakes, jams, preserves, craft item or anything else you would like to donate to us to help make the day a great success please ring, email or bring it along on the day. Anything we receive will be greatly appreciated.

Grants

We have received from Wyong Council a grant to assist in the relocation of the telephone lines and electricity to the Slab Hut. Sue has applied to Wyong Council for an Assistance Fund. Sue has also spoken to the Council about a grant for the restoring of the “contents in the flower shed.” At the last Committee Meeting a motion was put forward to apply the funds we made from the Rotary raffle together with an application to Council to match the funds, towards this restoration. This motion was carried forward and seconded at that meeting (4th February). Dave Young has volunteered to carry out of lot of this restoration. He would love some help as there is a lot of items to restore, e.g. chairs, machines, organs, desks and painting to be done.

Donations

We have recently received a number of generous donations including 3 large maps (circa 1930’s) of the Ourimbah area, the Wyong to Gosford area, and the Wyong to Lake Macquarie area from Leone Wickham, old photos, baking dish (1930) and a number of books including 3 cookery books from Andrew Smith, and a painting of Trigg’s Dairy by “Yvonne D Kalg, donated by Debra Raymont. Also when the homestead has been completed Jason Milan has offered us a number of paintings (circa 190os) to hang in the new Museum on loan.

Guy Luther Retires

The Wyong District Museum & Historical Society and members would also like to congratulate Guy Luther who is retiring after celebrating his 75th birthday at the end of March. Guy has been a part of the team here at the Museum, who has put in a lot of hard work keeping the grounds looking so good. He has worked here for over 20 years and will be sorely missed. We all hope he enjoys his retirement as he definitely deserves time to slow down.

The Men’s Shed

Roger Dixon has now started organising the Men’s Shed. He will be in liaison with Kevin Callinan, who is head of the Men’s Shed Association. Many thanks are extended to Greg for looking after this job after Roman had to leave due to ill health.

Kerry Braslin has also refurbished over 25 bikes which he donated to the Fire Relief Program which were delivered just in time for Christmas. So don’t forget, if you have, or know someone who has, an old bicycle they would like to donate, it can be left at the gate at the Homestead.

Secretary’s Note

On behalf of the Committee and Volunteers, I would like to say a big thank you to Sue Geary for all her hard work and dedication in researching and applying for all the grants which we have received from the Council and other organisations over the last 12 months which have benefitted the Homestead and the Men’s Shed. Sue has been very successful in securing these much needed funds to allow us to purchase much needed equipment and everyday items for the running of the office and for the restoration of our artefacts. I would also like to thank Chris for her great effort writing our Newsletters. They are informative and make interesting reading and keeping our members up to date with what’s going on at the Homestead.

State government grant connects power to Wyong men’s shed

Reposted article by Denice Barnes, Central Coast Gosford Express Advocate, 18 December, 2013

The Alison Homestead Men’s Shed is well and truly powered up to go thanks to $12,538 grant from the state government.

Member for Wyong Darren Webber with Alison Homestead Mens Shed President Greg Denning after the presentation. [Source: News Limited]

The shed, in the grounds of the Alison Homestead at Wyong, was built courtesy of a grant under the government’s Community Building Partnership Grants.

Now thanks to a second grant under the same scheme, the shed has power and disabled access.

Wyong state Liberal MP Darren Webber visited the shed on Tuesday to hand over the second cheque.

“I had the honour to officially open Alison Homestead Men’s Shed back in May this year, and at that time I encouraged their executive committee to apply for the extra funding in this year’s Community Building Partnership round,” Mr Webber said.

“I am delighted that this application has now been successful.”

The mens shed has now received a total of $23,513 from the government’s Community Building Partnership program.

“This is recognition of just how important mens sheds are in the community,” Mr Webber said.

Mens shed president Greg Denning said the funding meant the 20 to 30 members could get stuck into some work.

The shed’s biggest project is restoring old bikes and donating them to charity.

Unearth Wyong Newsletter – November 2013

Published by Wyong District Museum & Historical Society.
Committee: President, Greg Denning; Vice President, Liz Hogston; Secretary, Anita McCarthy; Treasurer, Ellie Young; Committee Members, Ian Smith, Ray Raucher, Sue Geary and Sue Dibley.

We would like to extend a welcome to all our new members and volunteers both at the Museum and the Men’s Shed.

All our volunteers have worked tirelessly over the past year, scanning the files rescued from the fire, preserving old documents and photographs, cataloguing the library, which is now up and running, gardening, applying for various grants, fundraising and do anything and everything possible to keep the museum running during this time.

Fundraising

On the 7th October Ellie, her husband Dave and daughter Jenny, had a disappointing day at Lake Haven Shopping Centre with raffle tickets and their box of goodies to sell, trying to raise money for the Homestead. It was a long hard day with people just rushing in and out of the Centre making no eye contact with our volunteers. According to Ellie, if everyone who came into the Centre bought just one raffle ticket we would have been laughing. It was quite a disappointing day overall, with only 8 Rotary raffle tickets being sold, and a very small donation. There are still plenty of Rotary raffle tickets, which are $2.00 each, so don’t forget, if you would like to either buy or sell some Rotary raffle tickets please contact us. Prizes will be drawn in February 2014. The Rotary raffle is one of our major fundraisers for the year as all monies raised from the raffle will be returned to the Homestead by Rotary after the draw so we need as many tickets to be sold as possible.

Hippeastrum bulbs in full bloom. Commonly known as Amaryllis they are a wonderful addition to your garden.

The Homestead has, on the other hand, done very well selling the Hippeastrum bulbs, which have been on sale over the last couple of months. The proceeds of the sale of the bulbs will go towards the upkeep of the Homestead. Don’t forget to contact the Homestead if you would like to purchase any of these bulbs for $2.50 each, 12 for $25.00 or 30 for $50.00.

Pioneer Dinner

The Wyong and District Pioneers Association has been meeting monthly for many years at Alison Homestead. Each October it organises a luncheon which it calls a “Dinner” because back in the old days that was what the midday meal was frequently called. The evening meal was “tea”. Incidentally, being descended from a pioneer family is not a requirement to participate in the Pioneers’ activities. Anyone with an interest in the area’s history is welcome.

At the Pioneer’s Luncheon on Saturday the 19th October, which was very well attended, Phil Morley, Past President of the Museum and Historical Society gave a wonderful report about how things are going here at the Homestead and what help is required. After giving this report Lee took around the Donation Bucket and we were amazed at the generosity of those attending as we received in total donation of $507.70.

We have again applied for a number of grants which we are hopeful of receiving.

Donations

We have received some interesting and varied donations during the past few months, including; an 1850’s organ donated by Jacqualine Hogan; a violin handcrafted by Ezekial Waters, circa 1930’s, donated by Ezekial’s granddaughter, Corinne Horton; a wooden high chair, a mangle, a number of flat irons, sewing machine and a wireless from the Hogan family. We have also received 12 photographs of timber cuttings from the Kingtree Forest between Yarramalong and Watagan, cut for Walker Bros in the 1950’s.

Concerns over slow progress of rebuild

On 14th October there was a Council meeting with the architect, and Greg and Phil attending on behalf of the Homestead to express concern about the slow progress of the Development Application before Council, and query when demolition could commence, and rebuilding to restart. There have been minor changes to the original plans, which the architect and heritage officer have agreed to.

One change is the relocation of the office so staff can see approaching visitors, instead of having visitors wandering around looking for staff. There has also been a donation of 5 beautiful Church stained glass windows, 3 of which will go in the new Breezeway and the original old front door will go back in the new section of the building. The DA will now go to Council early November with an anticipated approval date being early December, after which time work can commence.

Alison Homestead Men’s Shed

Until someone is officially appointed to head the Men’s Shed, after Roman had to resign due to ill health, Greg will take over the responsibilities of running the Men’s Shed.

Since our last Newsletter, Kerry Braslin has been inundated with donations of bicycles for refurbishment for the needy children of Wyong Shire. With Christmas fast approaching he is working overtime to fix these bicycles up for the various Neighbourhood Centres for distribution of these bicycles for gifts.

Christmas Break

With the Christmas and New Year holidays fast approaching, we all wonder where the past year has gone. We are still getting enquiries for coach visits, and tourists for museum admissions which once demolition starts will have to wait until next year.

After a very busy year, slowly getting things back on track, our volunteers, both at the Museum and the Men’s Shed, are eagerly anticipating our annual luncheon at the Wallarah Bay Recreation Club at Gorokan on the 10th December, where we can all enjoy a wonderful meal in a relaxed atmosphere and perhaps contemplate all that we have achieved during the last twelve months.

Please also note the Homestead will be closed from the 10th December 2012 and reopen on the 14th January, 2014. Our January Newsletter will be delayed a few weeks due to this break over Christmas and New Year.

Message to Members

Due to the rising cost of posting this Newsletter, we are asking those members who are currently not on our email list, if you would like to receive your copy of the next Newsletter by email. Please advise us of your email address if you are happy to receive future Newsletters by email, otherwise we will continue to send it out by post. For those members who receive this Newsletter by post, please fill out the attached if you have an email address and return to us as this will save a lot of volunteer time and expense.

There are still a few members who have not paid their annual membership fees which was due on 1 July 2013. As any future Newsletters will only be sent to financial members, could those members who are not financial, please pay by the end of January. Membership fees for the year 2014/15 are due on 1 July 2014.

All the Volunteers at Alison Homestead and the Men’s Shed would like to wish all our members a very happy and safe Christmas and a prosperous New Year.

Unearth Wyong Newsletter – June 2013

Written by Roman Paull, Secretary – Wyong District Museum & Historical Society.

Alison Homestead Rebuild

The Committee wishes to thank everyone for their loyal support with the rebuilding of the Alison Homestead now back on track. Since the last newsletter there has been a change of attitude from some of the Councillors. Members from our society were invited to a meeting with the Mayor, Councillors, Council staff and a member from Webber Architects Newcastle at Hely Street. Our patron and State MP Darren Webber was also in attendance. Positive results were achieved from this meeting. Three options of plans for the rebuilding of the Homestead are now on display at Alison Homestead Men’s Shed for all members to view. However, there is still some discussion to occur on one or two issues, such as, whether three chimneys should be saved or only two.

Cost of the restoration of the Alison and Stinson Rooms plus the new building should be finalised sometime in early July. we hope before the AGM, which is to be held at 10am Saturday 27 July, at Alison Homestead Men’s Shed.

It has been 1½ years since the Homestead was destroyed. A very special thank you to Lee Frame. Lee’s contacts with the local community gave us the extra support to convince our Councillors the Homestead should be rebuilt. A special thank you for the support from our office volunteers who come in every Tuesday and Wednesday, Liz and Joan, the new members Ellie, Pam, Chris, Anita, Patrick, Ateekah and Sue (who has cataloged several donated books and started a library) and Sue (who looks out for funding opportunities and has been successful in receiving two grants). In addition there is Sam and Brendan who assist with the office work. They are all a great team. I hope they will all be able to attend our AGM so that they can be introduced to our senior members.

Alison Homestead Men’s Shed

The Alison Homestead Men’s Shed was officially opened on 13 May 2013 by Sate MP Darren Webber. In attendance was Mayor, CR Doug Eaton and Councillor Bob Graham. On the day there was a crowd in excess of 100. representatives from Brisbane Water Historical Society, Wyong Senior Citizens and various Central Coast Men’s Sheds were also in attendance. a beautiful morning was topped of with a BBQ.

Congratulations to President Greg Denning for the hard work he put into getting the Alison Homestead Men’s Shed off the ground. To complete the Men’s Shed we have been promised further grants to fund the cost of connecting power to the shed, adding a disabled path through the Barker Barn to the Men’s Shed and adding water tanks. Greg has recently received quotes for the above and work will commence in the very near future.

Annual General Meeting

Finally, I would like to remind everyone that the AGM is on Saturday 27 July 2013 at 10am at the Alison Homestead Men’s Shed. To vote you must be a financial member, annual fees are due 1 July 2013. New members who joined early this year note their membership will carry over to the end of June 2014. Membership fees remain the same as last year: $15 for single membership, $25 for a family.

We welcome anyone who would like to join the Wyong District Museum & Historical Society. You can contact us for further details by phone: (02) 4352 1886 or email: info@alisonhomestead.org.au.