MAY 2007 NEWSLETTER

MEMBERSHIPS

Our treasurer, Janet Trudgeon, has been very pleased with the prompt response to membership payments. For those of you who might have forgotten the details are

Single $20 plus $5 postage

Family $35 plus $5 postage

To Janet Trudgeon

15 Wyndham St

NEWSTEAD 3462.

The postage is for those of you who like to get their newsletters posted to them. If you have yours emailed, then there is no need to pay postage.

“WATER & NEWSTEAD”

The display is on view at the courthouse for the foreseeable future. The subjects it covers are the Loddon and its crossings, floods, the levee bank, mineral springs and the old reservoir in Pound Lane. Putting on a display such as this leads to a lot of unearthing of information and increases our knowledge of our surrounds. For example we have discovered that there was a mineral spring down stream of Newstead and in 1914, there a push for a water supply and efforts were made to make use of this spring. Eventually a reservoir was put in Pound Lane in the middle of the 1930s and we have 3 photos of its construction. Water came in an open race from the headwaters of the Jim Crow Creek. Please call in at the courthouse if you would still be interested in seeing the display. Although our open day clashed with Mothers Day, we had several visitors who had real interests in the water question.

NEXT EXCURSION

As a result of this display we thought it would be a good idea to follow it up. Our next excursion will be on Monday 2^nd July and is still in the planning stage. We propose to visit places in connection with the old reservoir and the race. Watch out for details in the next newsletter.

REPORT ON CRICKET WILLOW EXCURSION

There was a big turn up to visit Shepherds Flat and we were not disappointed. So much to see and take in! The site of that cricket ground with its picket fence with Mount Franklin in the background was wonderful. Inside, we first inspected the many and varied displays before Ian Tinetti gave us the story of Cricket Willow as well a lot of his experiences and homespun philosophies. It was surprising to hear that Cricket Willow is better known to cricket greats from overseas than it is among locals. We then visited the work area where the bats are made before sharing a cup of tea on the veranda.

TOILET/STORAGE FACILITY

There has been a start made and the contractors have excavated, poured the concrete slab and connected water to the site in their 3 days work so far.

MICROFILMS

As reported in a previous newsletter, we received a grant from the Department of Victorian Communities for $5,000 for microfilms of the Mount Alexander Mail. We already had copies of the Mail from 1854 to 1903 and now we have the remaining copies to 1960. What a wonderful research facility to have at our fingertips! As you might be well aware, we have a substantial database of articles in the local newspapers thanks to the work of 2 of our members. Margaret Di Fiore, a Melbourne member has for many years, worked at the State Library and made notes of any article that referred to the area of the old Newstead Shire. Janet Trudgeon has been doing the same for the Newstead “Echo”. At the courthouse all this has been entered to computer in a Filemaker index and has helped researchers both locally based and distant.

Now with the copies of the microfilm here in Newstead, there is the opportunity for more people to do this activity but also it means that once someone has found that an article is of interest, instead of having to go to Castlemaine or Melbourne libraries, the actual article is here to be read or printed out. We can search for a name, an event, a place etc. For example the search for Guildford came up with … entries and is linked to records of school, cemetery, photos etc.

NEXT MEETING

Monday June 18^th at 7.30 pm at the courthouse.

WATTIE GRAVE

Photos of the grave in Glasgow of Newstead soldier, John Ritchie Wattie have been emailed to us by Roy Brown.

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