Wednesday 31 August 2011

BIG SKY APPROACHING

Words of Wonder – that’s the theme stringing together the seventh Big Sky Readers and Writers Festival in Geraldton this month.

As always there will be something for everyone; lovers of words, pictures, music, song, art and of course, food!

Spread across three days and nine venues in the City of Greater Geraldton, Big Sky Readers and Writers Festival – Words of Wonder, begins with sessions for youth on Friday, September 9 in the Geraldton Senior College Library, Mullewa District High School and Our Lady of Mt Carmel, Mullewa.

The official launch will take place at the Geraldton Regional Library at 5.30pm Friday, September 10, with MC William Yeoman, Books Editor and Senior Arts Writer for the West Australian. Most sessions will then be at Geraldton Universities Centre - apart from when chef and author, Emmanuel Mollois, reveals the secrets of a French kitchen on Saturday morning at Durack Institute of Technology; and a bit of Poetry in the Pub at Walkaway Tavern that evening; and the wrap up of the festival with a Literary Lunch at Bentwood Olive Grove at 1pm on Sunday.

High profile Australian identity and household name - twice voted Australia’s most admired woman - Ita Buttrose, will headline this year’s festival with the Keynote Address at Queens Park Theatre on Saturday, September 10 at 9am.

Pick up one of the pink programs in various locations in the City (you can be certain to find them at the Library) and register for the events as soon as possible. You don't want to miss out!

Tuesday 30 August 2011

Inaugural Randolph Stow lecture at UWA

Dr Gabrielle Carey will speak at the inaugural annual Randolph Stow lecture:
‘Getting to Know Randolph Stow: towards a portrait of the artist as a young man’
The lecture is held on Tue 20 September at St George's College Chapel, Crawley from 5.30 - 7pm.

"Gabrielle Carey will speak about Randolph Stow from the point of view of a reader, a scholar and a writer as well as from the perspective of the daughter of a dear friend, born from several generations of family friendships spanning Geraldton to the Swan Valley. What do we really know of this famously reclusive and most enigmatic of writers? Carey has begun the task of trying to get to know Randolph Stow only after coming to terms with the possibility that her subject may have preferred to remain unknown and possibly, ultimately, unknowable."

Everyone is welcome; wine and cheese will be served after the lecture. More at:


Thursday 25 August 2011

Geraldton Senior College researching the foreshore

Another morning with the Heritage Services full of enthusiastic young people! Simon Keemink brought his Year 10 class along to look at the way Geraldton foreshore and Marine Terrace have changed over the years. The students consulted the maps, photographs and articles featuring the foreshore.




September Oral History Morning

Join us for Robert Cornell's stories about farming and life in Binnu on Wed 21 Sept at 10am.

In August's oral history morning Harry Moorhead had the audience in stitches more than once with his memories and stories about Mullewa and his clothing business.


Harry Moorhead on Mullewa.

Second round for Merry-go-round consultation

The first of a series of three community workshops to prepare a Precinct Plan for the iconic Merry-go-round precinct on the foreshore was held on Wednesday August 17, with a small group of participants sharing their experiences and memories of the area and the values they associated with these experiences.

The fact the Merry-go-round is a community icon shone through at the first workshop,” Andrea Selvey, the Director of Creative Communities, said. “The memories shared involved common themes of playing in the area as teenagers and using the area as a meeting place. The precinct was described as ‘neutral ground’ where people of all backgrounds could gather and participants also stressed the importance of the Moreton Bay Fig tree to the precinct,” said Ms Selvey.

After sharing their experiences in the precinct, workshop participants were then asked to look to the future and describe what experiences they wanted the precinct to offer and what values should be incorporated into its future planning.

Participants wanted the area to remain an all hours meeting place for all ages and backgrounds,” Ms Selvey said.

They also stressed future play equipment should incorporate the mobility of the Merry-go-round, capturing an element of adventure and unpredictability while preserving the history of the original, incorporating links to Randolph Stow and telling the story of the area.”

The next workshop will be held on Thursday, 1 September at 5.30pm and will encourage participants to take an active role in designing the precinct. A consultant landscape architect will be in attendance to guide discussion on how the area could be designed and landscaped.

The final workshop, the review workshop, on Thursday 22 September will allow the community to review a draft precinct plan or plans prepared by the landscape architect

RSVP is requested no later than two days before each workshop to geraldton@gregrowe.com
Light refreshments will be available.

Wednesday 24 August 2011

Finding My Place researching family history

It was wonderful to see Heritage Services packed with young Finding My Place students learning hands-on about conducting family research earlier this month. The students familiarised themselves with the resources available in the internet and at the Library, and used the microfilm readers to find out details about their family history.


Some of the Finding My Place students using the microfilm viewers and internet resources.
Finding My Place is a WA Public Library Program that encourages learning and suggests career opportunities through motivational and informative workshops. More information about the program can be found here:
http://search.informit.com.au/documentSummary;dn=353878371749755;res=IELHSS

Wednesday 17 August 2011

HMB Endeavour's historic circumnavigation - VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

HMB Endeavour, a replica of Captain Cook's famous ship, is sailing around Australia from April 2011 - May 2012.

The ship is currently sailing from Darwin to Broome and is going to stop in Geraldton Fishing Boat Harbour 30 September - 4 October.

Australian National Maritime Museum are calling for volunteers to act as tour guides showing visitors through the vessel or act as over-night ship-keepers. Previous experience is not necessary and training is provided.

You can download volunteer forms and find out more at:
http://endeavourvoyages.com.au/

Monday 15 August 2011

Merry-Go-Round community workshops start 17 August 2011

A series of community workshops is to be held to determine the final plan of the iconic Merry-go-round precinct on the foreshore.

Everyone is encouraged to attend to have a say in how this area is planned for the future use of the entire community.

Three workshops will be facilitated by Greg Rowe and Associates at the Queen Elizabeth II Seniors and Community Centre with the first one, a vision workshop, on Wednesday, 17 August at 5pm.

City Director of Creative Communities, Andrea Selvey, said although the existing Merry-go-round - made famous by former Geraldton author, the late Randolph Stow’s 1965 modern classic, The Merry-Go-Round in the Sea - is a replica of the original structure, it is still a favourite local icon and community input on developing its surrounds is very important.

Variety WA is keen to be involved and has expressed an interest in making a presentation at the workshop, with the possibility of installing playground equipment inclusive for children of all abilities.

The second workshop on Thursday, 1 September at 4pm will be the design workshop where a consultant landscape architect will be in attendance to guide discussion on how the area could be designed and landscaped.

The third workshop, the review workshop, on Thursday 22 September will allow the community to review a draft precinct plan. Ms Selvey said this draft plan will be prepared by the landscape architect from ideas put forward at the design workshop.

RSVP is requested no later than two days before each workshop to
geraldton@gregrowe.com

Light refreshments will be available.

Afternoon ride in Mullewa.

Congratulations Cadel Evans for winning Tour de France this year!

I was looking for something to suit the theme in our collection and came across a great photograph of an afternoon bike ride in Mullewa in the 1930s. The photograph was kindly donated to the Local Studies Collection by Joan Ridley.


Monday 1 August 2011

August Oral History Morning

Last month's Oral History Morning moved the audience between tears and laughter when Joe Greenland shared some of his memories.

Please join us again on Wed 17 August at 10am. The Oral History Morning will feature a live interview with Harry Moorhead.

Recently Mullewa became part of the City of Greater Geraldton. The focus of the August Oral History Morning will be on the social history of Mullewa from the 1930s to the 1980s.

Mr Moorhead is a retired businessman, who lived in Mullewa from 1933 to 1987. Harry was born in Victoria in 1927. During the Depression the family moved to Western Australia and a set of unusual circumstances led to Harry’s father setting up a drapery business in Mullewa.


Jim Trevaskis interviewing Joe Greenland in July's Oral History Morning.

Photo and story competitions for primary and secondary students

Excellent opportunities to get students interested in the local heritage around them:

National Trust of Australia (WA) has launched their photography and story competition Valuing Our Heritage for Primary and Secondary Students. The entries are due by the last day of term 3 (30 Sept). More information and entry forms can be found at:

http://www.valuingheritage.com.au/2011%20Photo%20Story%20Brochure.pdf

National History Challenge 2011 is sponsred by the National Trust and themed Defining Moments. The challenge "encourages students to use research and inquiry based learning to discover more about Australia and its past. Students are the historians, they can investigate their community, explore their own and their family’s past, explore major events that have taught Australia, as a nation, new ideas or theories." The competition is aimed for students in Years 5-12, the entries closing on 26 August.
More information:

http://historychallenge.org.au/about/