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Unlock Camden 2023, a festival celebrating our past

camdenhistorynotes

The fifth year of Unlock Camden

In its fifth year, Unlock Camden was on again. This year, Unlock Camden 2023 was on Saturday, 2 September, from 10am – 3pm at the beginning of 2023 History Week.

The 2023 History Week theme was Voices from the Past. Unlock Camden encouraged local folk to tell their own story in a social media campaign run by the Heritage Advisory Committee called #mycamdenstory.  You can submit your own story or listen to other local stories about events, places and people.

This image is from the #mycamdenstory project which is part of the Unlock Camden 2023 social media campaign (Camden Council)

The Unlock Camden 2023 program celebrated Camden’s history and heritage. The activities were centred around John Street as in the past, with the addition of activities at Camden Library. For the first time, there were activities at Camden Markets located on the Camden Town Farm in Exeter Street.

The official opening was at 10am at the Camden Town Farm Market site by the Camden mayor Ashleigh Cagney.  

Unlock Camden 2023 promotional artwork from Camden Council (Camden Council)

The Alan Baker Gallery Art Gallery hosted  Weaving with Aunty Michelle Hailes.

Several art activities were hosted at the Camden market site of the Camden Town Farm. They included En Plein Air with Bob Gurney, Charcoal White Gum with Tracey Prioste, Botanical Drawing with Belle Mitchell and Heritage Drawing with Michele Arentz.

At the Camden Library was a talk by Taylor Clarke on family history, the Burragorang Valley’s future, and an Unlock Camden Small Works Art Exhibition.

Unlock Camden 2023 outside the Alan Baker Art Gallery Macaria in John Street Camden. Here, members of the Camden Musical Society have got into the swing of the vibe and dressed for the occasion in vintage costume. They are standing in front of ‘Clem’ a French 1911 Clement Bayard Roadster, 4 cylinder, 8.6 litre motor, with a 4-speed manual transmission. This car was for a time displayed at the Greens Motorcade Museum at Leppington (1974-1982). (I Willis, 2023)

Starting at the Alan Baker Art Gallery, there were four guided history walks of the Camden town centre starting at 10.30am, then the half-hour until 1.30pm by members of the Camden Historical Society.

Camden Council was awarded $25,000 for interpreting and promoting heritage through the Heritage NSW 2023-2025 Local Government Heritage Grants Program. The grant required a dollar-matched contribution from the council.

Some folk dressed for the occasion at the Unlock Camden 2023 History Festival. These two damsels are from the Camden Musical Society and are dressed for a motoring tour of the historic Camden town centre. (I Willis 2023)

Where it all began

The first Unlock Camden was held in 2019. It was the initiative of the Camden Council Heritage Advisory Committee under the dynamic leadership of committee member Laura Jane Aulsebrook.

The cover of the publicity flyer for Unlock Camden 2019 showing Edithville at 18 Mitchell Street, which was Camden’s first hospital (1889-1902) (Camden Council)

The committee hoped the event would focus community attention on the area’s rich colonial history. (Camden Advertiser, 13 March 2019)

Timed to coincide with the History Week conducted by the History Council of New South Wales, the day was held on the first Saturday in September.

History Week

The first History Week was started in 1997 by the History Council of New South Wales. The HCNSW website states

History Week is a fantastic opportunity for member organisations, large and small, throughout NSW to engage and educate the community about the vitality, diversity and meaning of History and its practice.   

https://historycouncilnsw.org.au/history-week-nsw/

Organisations celebrate history with

talks and lectures, behind-the-scenes tours and heritage trails, exhibitions and radio features, film festivals, open historic houses and gardens, book sales and launches.   

https://historycouncilnsw.org.au/history-week-nsw/

Unlock Camden 2019

The first Unlock Camden was based around the Alan Baker Art Gallery on John Street, with several stalls from community organisations.

This is the information page in the publicity flyer for Unlock Camden 2019. The flyer shows images of Alan Baker Art Gallery at Macaria (1860), The Honey Sippers, Camden Museum (40 John Street) and Brookfield House (30 Hill Street, 1896) (Camden Council)

On the day, the windy spring weather proved challenging for stall holders and caused havoc with tables and umbrellas, while other events in Camden were cancelled.

Heritage Advisory Committee Chair Councillor Cindy Cagney said, ‘It was an exciting idea and a positive for the community’. (Camden Advertiser, 13 March 2019)

Committee member Laura Jane Aulsebrook, a ‘local identity and Camden’s living piece of history’ launched the #mycamdenstory social media campaign.

Unlock Camden 2023 cutout of Elsie Pyrke at a Camden Hospital Carnival. Elsie worked as a receptionist for Dr Robert Crookston. The cutout was located outside of Camden Library. (C Cagney 2023)

“Residents are encouraged to share photos and stories that showcase their Camden story, historic and modern photos, and anything that shares why they are in Camden and why they love Camden,”  said Ms Aulsebrook. (Camden Advertiser, 19 August 2019)

The day was highlighted by walking tours of the historic town centre, live music, and displays at the Alan Baker Art Gallery and Camden Museum.

The Camden Heritage Walking tour and brochure were relaunched, music was provided by the Camden Community Band and the Honey Sippers, and their owners displayed several vintage cars.

Organiser Ms Aulesbrook said, ‘This was a chance to learn more about their history and why they are so important to the fabric of the community.’  (Camden Advertiser, 10 September 2019)

This image shows the Unlock Camden 2019 organiser Ms LJ Aulesbrook posing for a photograph in one of the vintage cars that were displayed on the day in John Street outside the Alan Baker Art Gallery located in the former gentleman’s townhouse Macaria (1860). The community stalls are shown on the gallery forecourt in the rear of the image ( Brett Atkins/Camden Advertiser 10 September 2019)

The day was quite successful despite the council not allocating any specific budget for the occasion.

Covid-19 forces Unlock Camden online in 2020

In 2020 Unlock Camden Council held its second event as a digital online event because of the outbreak of Covid-19 and the associated restrictions. 

For the first time, the council allocated a small budget for the event of $3500.

Events included virtual tours of the historic town centre, the #mycamdenstory social media campaign, and a series of historic sites highlighted through the council website and on social media.

Unlock Camden 2023 cutout of the Thomson sisters, Annette and Elizabeth, of Maryland. The sisters worked with the Royal Agricultural Society and had a herd of prize-winning dairy cows. The cutout was located in the market area of the Camden Town Farm. (C Cagney 2023)

Camden Mayor Cr Theresa Fideli said:

Unlock Camden allows us to celebrate the history, culture and achievements on Camden that we are all incredibly proud of. We are lucky enough to be living in an area with a great historical significance and while it is unfortunate that we cannot open the doors to our historic buildings and locations this year, our Virtual Historic Tour will allow residents to walk through Camden’s heritage precinct and key historic locations right from the comfort of their own homes. 

Camden Council Website 20 August 2020

Unlock Camden 2021 online again

Unlock Camden 2021 was an online event due to Covid-19 restrictions and included virtual tours, a #mycamdenstory social media campaign and the promotion of historic sites on the Camden Council website. The event had a small budget of $2900.

Things look up at Unlock Camden 2022

The 2022 Unlock Camden celebration of our local history was first held after Covid-19 restrictions were lifted. The event was held away from History Week on Saturday, 15 October.  

The day’s events ran from 10am-3pm using the theme of unlocking stories and images. 

Similar to 2019, the event was centred at the Alan Baker Art Gallery with walking tours of historic Camden town centre by volunteers from the Camden Historical Society, community stalls and historical games in the gallery forecourt, vintage car displays in John Street, music, and an online photographic display.

The day aimed to ‘Unlock the stories, the people, the images and the history of Camden’. (LJ Aulsebrook, CCHAC)

The increasing importance of the event in a post-restrictions Covid-19 environment regarding community resilience and cohesion saw an increased budget from the council of $10,000.

This is part of the #mycamdenstory social media campaign for Unlock Camden 2023, showing well-known Camden identity Llewella Davies (Camden Council)

The legacy

The aim of the day and the associated events has been to tell the Camden story through walks, art, images, stories, and a host of other activities.  

The Camden story is about what the town centre represents in the narrative of the Australian story.  Founded on Dharawal country, the colonial period started with the Cowpastures the Macarthur private town on Camden Park Estate in 1840. Growing into the market town in the late 19th century, the early 20th century saw the town become a regional hub. The development of the Interwar years created a prosperous country town that was subsumed by the Macarthur Growth Centre in 1973 and Sydney’s urban growth.

Unlock Camden was an initiative of the Camden Council Heritage Advisory Committee to tell the Camden story and has been ably assisted and coordinated in conjunction with the work of Camden Council staff.

Over the past five years, the program of events has offered another view into Camden’s past as we celebrate Unlock Camden 2023 and explore our history and heritage.

This image was part of the 2019 Unlock Camden social media campaign generated by organiser Ms LJ Aulsebrook (Camden Council)

A group of notable locals at the tree planting commemorating Llewellas Davies, who donated The Camden Town Farm to the Camden Community, for Unlock Camden 2023 at the Camden Town Farm ‘Sheep Dog Paddock’. From L-R are Mr Buckely CTF, Cr Cindy Cagney, Dr Ian Willis CHS, …..Glenda Chalker CCHAC, Mayor Ashleigh Cagney, Sally Quinnell MP Member for Camden, … (M Willis, 2023)

Unlock Camden 2023 Mayor Ashleigh Cagney planting the commemorative tree (I Willis, 2023)

Updated 3 September 2023. Originally posted on 22 August 2023.

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Governor Hunter, a Cowpastures memorial at Mount Annan

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Governors Green Heritage Park, Mount Annan

Hidden out of the way in the back streets of Mount Annan is a memorial to Governor Hunter.

This memorial is located in the Governors Green reserve in Baragil Mews, Mount Annan.

The view of the entrance off Baragil Mews to Governors Green Heritage Park at Mount Annan with the statue of Governor Hunter in the distance. The park is set in a bush reserve adjacent to residential housing. (2022 IW)

This is another hidden and largely forgotten memorial to the Cowpastures in the local area.

A bronze statue of Governor Hunter is at the centre of a circular colonnade with artworks celebrating the Cowpastures.

The land developer AV Jennings commissioned Lithgow sculptor and artist Antony Symons (1942-2018) in 1995 to construct the work.

The view of the statue of Governor Hunter as you approach it from Baragil Mews. The statue is at the centre of a circular colonnade with other parts of the artwork on the fencing. (IW 2022)

Governor Hunter and the Cow Pastures

The story of the Cowpastures begins in 1787 with the First Fleet and HMS Sirius, which collected 4 cows and 2 bulls at the Cape of Good Hope on the way out to New South Wales. After they arrived in the new colony, the stock escaped within 5 months of being landed and disappears.

In 1795 the story of the cattle is told to a convict hunter by an Aboriginal, who then tells an officer and informs Governor Hunter. Hunter sends Henry Hacking, an old seaman, to check out the story. After confirmation Governor John Hunter and Captain Waterhouse, George Bass and David Collins headed off from Parramatta, crossing the Nepean River on 17 November 1795. They find good farming land covered with good pasture and lagoons with birds. After climbing a hill (Mt Taurus), they spotted the cattle and named the Cowpastures.

Governor  John Hunter marked area on maps ‘Cow Pasture Plains’ in the region of Menangle and elsewhere on maps south of Nepean.  The breed was the Cape cattle from the First Fleet, and the district was declared out of bounds to all by 1806; the herd had grown to 3,000.

British colonialism and a settler society

Governor Hunter was part of the settler society project and the country’s dispossession of First Nations people. Hunter was a representative of British imperialism and how it implemented its policies on the colonial frontier of New South Wales.

The Cowpastures was a site of frontier violence and the displacement and dispossession of Indigenous land in the early 19th century.

Governor Hunter Statue

The statue of Governor Hunter in Governors Green Reserve at Mount Annan. The statue was commissioned by land developer AV Jennings and Lithgow sculptor Antony Symons was engaged to complete the artwork in 1995. (2022, I Willis)

Plaques below the Governor Hunter statue

The plaque on the plinth at the base of the Governor Hunter statue celebrates the reserve’s opening in 1995. (2022, I Willis)

Plaque inscription

Governor’s Green Heritage Park was presented to the people of Camden by AV Jennings and was officially opened by the Mayor of Camden Councillor FH Brooking on the 6th April 1995 in celebration of the centenary year of the discovery of the herd in 1795 at Cowpastures Camden.

Camden Mayor Frank Brooking

Frank Brooking served as Camden’s mayor from 1993 to 1997. Mr Brooking was a motor dealer whose business was located on the corner of Cawdor Road and Murray Streets and sold Morris and Volkswagon brands. Frank was a community-minded person who volunteered for the Rural Fire Service, Camden Rotary Club, Camden Show Society, Camden Area Youth Service and other organisations. He died in 2013 aged 74.

Plaque Governor Hunter statue

A plaque highlighting the history of the decision of Governor Hunter in 1795 to name the Cowpastures. The naming of the site was an act of dispossession of Dharawal country. Hunter was an agent of the British Colonial Office and its imperial interests in the settler society project of New South Wales. (2022, I Willis)

Plaque inscription

Governor John Hunter (1737-1821), Governor of New South Wales September 1795 – November 1799.

‘On the evening of my arrival…, I was directed to the place where the herd was feeding,… we ascended a hill, from which we observed an herd…feeding in a beautiful pasture in the valley I was now anxious to ascertain of what breed they were, whether natives… or the descendants of those we had so long lost, but in this attempt we were disappointed by being discovered and attached most furiously by a large and very fierce bull, which rendered it necessary for our own safety, to fire at him. Such as his violence and strength, that six balls were fired through, before any person dared approach him. I was now satisfied that they were the Cape of Good Hope breed…. offspring of these we had lost in 1788, at this time we counted sixty-one in number, young and old. They have chosen a beautiful part of the country to graze in…

Historical Records of Australia, Governor Hunter to the Duke of Portland, 21st December 1795.

AV Jennings.

Other elements of the artwork

Artwork by Antony Symons of a horned cow located on the collonaded surroundings of the Governor Hunter statue (2022, I Willis)

Artwork by Antony Symons of the Cowpastures on the colonnade surrounding the statue of Governor Hunter. The artwork comprises a settlers slab hut, Cumberland Woodland, and a farmer’s cart. The cart carries the artist’s signature. (2022 I Willis)

Artist Antony Symons’s signature is located at the bottom of the cart on the colonnade fencing. (I Willis, 2022)

A regal-looking Governor Hunter in full naval uniform. Hunter held the rank of Vice-Admiral of the Royal Navy and succeeded Arthur Phillip as the second Governor of New South Wales, serving from 1795 to 1800. The artwork was commissioned by land developer AV Jennings who engaged Lithgow sculptor Antony Symons. (I Willis, 2022)

Updated on 21 May 2023. Originally posted on 13 June 2022 as ‘Cowpastures memorial at Mount Annan’