OCTOBER NEWSLETTER 2001

MARKET DAY

Thank you to the good response to the raffle tickets sent out with the last newsletter. The prize of a Christmas Hamper is well worth winning and donations for it are also coming in. If you are unsure what to give, ask Giselle Neall – 54762207. We also require things to sell on the day – cakes, produce, craft or garden items, white elephant donations. We will be manning the stall selling food and drinks as usual so helpers on the day are also needed. Some are needed to do the cooking, some to serve morning teas and others to sell the food, drinks, raffle tickets etc. If we have plenty of assistance, it is possible for the helpers to take a break and go and patronise the other stalls.

EXCURSION

Next Monday, October 29, Jack Polinelli is going to lead us to the site of the Young Australia Mine in the Muckleford Forest and nearby unnamed mining activity. It has been suggested that we put up notices of our walks in town, as other people might be interested. We are always happy to have others accompany us. We leave from the courthouse at 1.30 pm. There will be some walking to see the complete range of diggings but we will make provisions for those who do not want to walk too far, to be driven close to the Young Australia mine.

FAMILY HISTORY EXPO

This event takes place this weekend, October 27 and 28 at Ballarat at St Aquinas College in Mair Street. We have helpers manning the display on both days.

ANOTHER GRANT SUCCESS!

A recent application for a grant available to volunteers from the Department of Family and Community Services has been successful. The grant was to make the work of volunteers easier, not for the advancement of the society itself. We asked for funding of $1, 079 to buy 6 office chairs. Those of you who have seen the band of workers on a Monday morning, will be aware that we are forced to place one plastic chair on another to be at the correct height to use the computers. Not a very good health and safety practice and the one office chair that we do own, is in very great demand!

BOOKLETS:

Thanks to the helpers involved in producing our 3 booklets that we have produced and are selling at $10 to the public and $5 to members of our Society. At this stage we have printed only 10 of each to see what the demand is. If one can judge by the demand for the Heritage Walks Brochures, then we will certainly be manning the photocopier again. They are

“Thomas Martin Letter”. This is a photocopy of the fascinating letter by

Thomas Martin wherein he describes his memories of early Strangways and Newstead. It was the thought of having this letter performed, and the consequent advertisement in The Echo asking for people to do so, that lead Mark Garner to come forward, write the play that he and Steve Walter have performed on many occasions. Thus NAPE (Newstead Amature Productions Etc) was formed.

“The Newstead Cemetery”. We felt that there was a need to produce a booklet about our Cemetery so with the assistance of Moira Petersen, secretary of the Trustees, we have done so. It contains early plans, items from the minute books, a list of names as well as photos and descriptions of some of our early settlers.

“Early Days of Newstead”. This is a collection of articles printed in The

Echo and the Castlemaine Leader that contain lots of fascinating stories about Newstead’s history. The first is a letter from a lady in Canada to The Echo in 1910, about growing up in Newstead. The second was printed in the Castlemaine Leader in 1874 and describes travelling from Castlemaine by train to Newstead, being met by ”Mr House, secretary and engineer of Newstead shire” and driven around the district to visit the various establishments in the town, such as Kyd and Mackie’s flour mill and Sutherland’s biscuit factory. The third starts in The Echo when an inquirer asked when Newstead was first settled and why it was called Newstead. For several months after that, letters were received with people’s memories of the early days, They cannot be guaranteed to be always exact but they are fascinating! If you would like a copy of any of these please let us know. The cost of postage and handling would be $2.

CALENDAR:

October 27 & 28. Family History Expo at Ballarat.

October 29. Excursion leaving from the courthouse at 1.30pm.

November 17. Market Day at Rotunda Park 8 am

November 19. Meeting at the courthouse 1.30 pm.

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