Category Archives: Meetings

February meeting and newsletter

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The February meeting will be held at 5.30pm on Tuesday, 20 February.
The meeting will be held at the ROYAL HOTEL in a room on the right of the bar.
Note that the Imperial Hotel is closed for renovations until further notice, hence the change of venue.
Meals will be available at the Royal Hotel after the meeting and it is best to put in your
order prior to the meeting to assist the staff and to avoid waiting time.

The speaker will be Jesse Dick, providing the fascinating history of the house at 148 O’Dell
Street, which he purchased some years ago in a derelict state and has renovated with care
and respect for its circa 120 years of age. Maybe a drive past the house prior to Jesse’s talk
will add to the appreciation of his story of the restoration.

The February newsletter is now available for download:

ADHS-Newsletter-February-2024Download

May meeting & newsletter

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The Imperial Hotel (est. 1890 on the site of the 1869 Court House Hotel which burnt down) will be the venue for the May meeting on Tuesday, 18th May. The meeting will commence at 5.30pm and Graham Wilson will present
‘Sharing memories of Bruyn’s Caledonian Hotel’.
Following the recent death of Lee Bruyn, the Society was given some memorabilia from the Caledonian (‘Bruyn’s’) Hotel. The Hotel was a popular meeting place for staff and students of the Teachers’ College and ACAE and it is hoped that those who shared social occasions at the ill-fated hotel will bring some of their memories to the meeting. ‘Bruyn’s’ was unceremoniously demolished to make way for the K-Mart complex in 1980, when not even the façade could be saved. The Bruyn family’s ‘Caledonian dynasty’ was gone after 57 years with the destruction of a pub which had served Armidale since 1881. All are Welcome.

The May newletter has information about the centenary of the Dangarsleigh War Memorial, the current displays at the Historical Society, and the lost pubs of Armidale.

ADHS-Newsletter-May-2021Download

AGM notice and October Newsletter

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The Society has still to have an Annual General Meeting and October is our final meeting for the year. Covid 19 has called for new arrangements for a meeting on

Tuesday, 20th October, 7pm at the Dangarsleigh Hall

This will be an Annual General Meeting at the Dangarsleigh Hall at 7pm.
At this meeting elections for President, Secretary, Treasurer, Committee, Patrons, Public Officer, Newsletter and Journal Committee need to be undertaken. Please consider nominating yourself or others to assist in the running of the Society. Following the elections entertainment in the form of excerpts from Barbara Albury’s excellent play: ‘Armidale – Our Town’.

Dangarsleigh Hall, 8.4kms on the right hand side of Dangarsleigh Road is large enough to have 45 people gather to comply with current Covid 19 regulations. Attendances at our last three AGMs have been 31, 35 and 41, so it seems unlikely that attendance would exceed 45. A ‘Covid Marshall’ is required to monitor social distancing, signing in, hand sanitation and to request that people remain seated.

The October newsletter has information about the November Excursion to Black Mountain, the Journal, and two articles – one about the Armidale celebrations for the Inauguration of the Commonwealth in 1901, and the second about the history of the Dangarsleigh Hall and its origins in Hillgrove. Click on the link below to download it:

ADHS-Newsletter-for-October-2020Download
Image of Dangarsleigh Hall

August Newsletter

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The August newsletter is now available.

ADHS-Newsletter-August-2020Download

As it is not possible to hold our August meeting, John Atchison has written an article on Ketterick’s Ridge, which Council has recently signposted on Kelly’s Plains Road and at Lynland Park.  A view of the undeveloped east side of the Ridge (where William Hipgrave lived) with its undulating terrain (rather than straight lines on a map) can be seen at the end of Karina Close which runs off the top of The Avenue.  I believe that this vista is earmarked for development, so gradually we replace with houses the image of land like Ketteridge Ridge on which people like Walter Craigie walked.

June and July newsletters

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I’ve just uploaded the July newsletter, and realised that I missed uploading the June one. My apologies – that’s now remedied!

Good news in the June newsletter is that the Society’s rooms are now open again, with Covid strategies in place, Please use the provided hand sanitiser, sign in on the book at the entrance, and maintain a 1.5m distance from others. And it should go without saying, please do not attend the rooms if you are unwell, or have been in contact with anyone at risk of exposure to Covid.

Unfortunately, our monthly meetings will not be able to resume yet as we do not have sufficient space to provide the 4 sq metres per person required for safe gatherings.

However, in good news, on Tuesday, 21 July we will have a 1.30pm meeting at ‘Middle Farm’!

Julia and Phillip Rose who are in the process of selling ‘Middle Farm’, the property originally
belonging to the Blencowe family have invited us to hear the history, and see the original
house and sheds on our normal meeting date on site at 1.30pm Tuesday, 21 July. This is a
great opportunity, but will be Weather and Covid19 Permitting. There will be around 20
chairs available, rug up and bring your own mug for a cuppa. There is ample parking and
anyone who requires transport will need to contact Judith at 67751205, while anyone who can
offer transport please let me know on that number.

The July newsletter is a bumper edition with updates, reports on current projects, and an article by John Burrell – Across Australia by Train 1920 – about the journey required t cross the continent in the days before the Indian Pacific service. So make yourself a cuppa and download it now.

And in the June newsletter, as well as updates and news, there is a report about the fire that ripped through Beardy Street in 1887.

Special meeting – January 21st

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Happy new year to all our members!

Notice of a Special Meeting:

Linden Ashcroft from Melbourne University will give a talk on

‘Climate Change in the New England’

At ‘Dumaresq Chambers’ on Tuesday 21st January at *5.30pm*

All Welcome This opportunity to hear from Linden Ashcroft when she visits Armidale is too good to miss.  The Historical Society and the Armidale Branch of Australian Garden History will jointly host the occasion.  Linden’s work in climate science includes historic weather data rescue and she has used the meticulously recorded Belfield records from ‘Eversleigh’, data from ‘Salisbury Court’ and  other 19th century information from the New England to provide information relevant to an overall picture of  southern hemisphere climate variation and change

October meeting – 60th birthday

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Our October meeting is on tomorrow evening, Tuesday 15th October, and we’ll be celebrating the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Armidale and District Historical Society. Long-term and new members, and interested people are warmly invited to the meeting.

The meeting will include a short production, a fashion presentation, music of the 50s, and a slide display of Armidale as it was then. Members are welcome and encouraged to come in 50s styles and add to the memories. A 50s style supper and a Birthday Cake will follow.

The rooms will be open by 7pm so please do come and have a chat with friends and see the displays before the meeting starts at 7.30pm.

Our 60th birthday!

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At our next meeting, on October 15th, we’ll be celebrating the 60th anniversary of the first meeting of the Armidale and District Historical Society in 1959. Judy and the committee have some special celebrations planned, including 1950s fashions, and birthday cake!

We’ll have more details soon. But do put the date in your diary and plan to come along to the party to celebrate this milestone. And if you happen to have 1950s/1960s outfits in your wardrobe, we’d love to see you wearing them!

Cover of the Australian Women's Weekly magazine for October 14th, 1959, showing Princess Margaret seated in a deep pink evening dress, white stole and pearl choker.

September Meeting

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The guest speaker for our September meeting will be Bill Crocker. Bill taught in small schools before taking up studies in oral communication, which he taught at the Armidale Teachers’ College. In his retirement has been an active volunteer in a number of organisations. As a guide on the Armidale Heritage Bus he endears himself to his passengers, his teaching skills providing his audience with entertaining and informative commentary. The title of his presentation is

Working on the Railroad: Memories of a Young Teacher

The meeting will be held on Tuesday, 17th September at 7.30pm in the ADHS rooms at Dumaresq Chambers, 114 Faulkner Street. As usual, the Chambers will be open from about 7pm on the night of the meeting, and we people are welcome to come early to chat, look at resources, or have a cuppa.

July meeting

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The next Society meeting which will be held at Dumaresq Chambers, 7.30pm on Tuesday, 16 July.  The speaker will be Phillipa Charley-Briggs, Curator of the ‘Invergowrie’ Museum project who many may remember meeting on the most enjoyable 2018 ADHS excursion to ‘Invergowrie’.  Phillipa’s talk is Invergowrie Memorabilia – Establishing a Museum.

As usual, the rooms will be open from about 7pm, so do feel welcome to come early and browse through the resources or catch-up with other members.Visitors are very welcome. There’s no need to book. Tea and coffee will be served after the meeting.