Spraying and spray carts will be the subject of Orange and District Historical Society's next meeting in its popular fruit growing history series at the Gladstone Hotel on Tuesday, September 22 at 7pm for a 7.30pm start. Pests have been a problem in orchards from the earliest days and spraying has been a major task for Orange district orchardists for more than 100 years. Spraying was initially carried out by hand-pumps and later motor-driven pumps were introduced using hand wands. Spray pumps were for many years horse-drawn, then merged into tractor-drawn in the 1950s. Booms and air-blast sprayers became the norm in the 1960s and 1970s until the present day. There have been a number of weird and wonderful variations of all of these machines and there is no-one better to tell us the story than Eddie Wilson, of Forest Reefs, who has experimented with many types of sprayers. Eddie won a Land Inventor of the Year award at the Australian National Field Days with a self-propelled, fully enclosed front mounted sprayer, which was developed for commercial production by his brother Don, the latest model of which was rolled out only last year. A number of other "old hands" will be in the audience to add their stories. The meeting takes place at the Gladstone Hotel function room at 7 for 7.30pm. There is a small charge of $3 for members of Orange and District Historical Society and $5 for non-members, to cover costs. Light refreshments will be served. If you have any inquiries or would like to attend the meeting, please RSVP to Phil Stevenson on 6362-3257, mobile 0402 412 188 or email ibiswines@bigpond.com

Forest Reefs is barely more than a crossroads today, with the hotel the one remaining commercial building. Who would have thought that this was once a thriving mining area of more than 500 people, dozens of mines and shafts, wine shanties, hotels, three churches, a school and many shops and other businesses.

Orange and District Historical Society's next mining meeting, to be held at the Gladstone Hotel on Tuesday, August 25, will focus on the mines and the people in this once thriving area. The larger and more famous mines include the Great Extended, the Ballarat of NSW (developed by Henry Newman of Lucknow fame), the Little Emma, the Ironclad, the Austral and the Lumpy Lead. Like the other mining areas east and south of Orange, Forest Reefs went through many ups and downs depending on economic conditions.

Gold was first discovered in the district in the1860s and mining steadily progressed until 1870 when the Lumpy Swamp (Beneree) Goldfield was proclaimed. During the 1870s larger companies were formed and employed expensive machinery to mine and pump on a large scale. The peak of activity was in the late 1800s before declining in the early 1900s. Mining never ceased, however, and as late as the 1950s some gold was still being extracted. Exploration licences over the area have never lapsed and are currently held by the Cadia operator, Newcrest Mining

There will be two speakers at the meeting eminently suited to tell the Forest Reefs story. On the geological side there will be consulting geologist Max Rangott, who was previously involved with exploration in the area. To tell the social history will be historian and teacher Trevor Pascoe, whose family have lived in the area for more than 130 years, some having worked in the Forest Reefs mines.

Everyone is welcome to attend the meeting, which starts at 7 for 7.30pm. Entry is $3 for society members and $5 for non-members to assist in the important work of the society in preserving the district's history. A light supper will be served after the meeting.

If you would like to attend, please RSVP to Phil Stevenson on 6362-3257, mobile 0402 412 188 or email ibiswines@bigpond.com

Transport has always been a big feature of the fruit growing industry. From the sack over the shoulder to the horse and cart, primitive trucks and the huge spotless B Doubles of today, transporting fruit to stores or rail or direct to market has always involved many colourful characters.

Orange and District Historical Society's next orchard history meeting, to take place on Tuesday July 28 will explore the many facets of fruit transport.

Guest speaker will be George White, who began trucking in the 1940s, when there were many horses and carts involved in short haul transport from orchards to town for rail or cool stores delivery.

The trucks George and contemporaries used were either army surplus or, if they were lucky, post-war release vehicles which were small, slow, uncomfortable and thirsty.

Nonetheless they persisted and took large loads regularly to Sydney, putting up with bad roads, resistance from the rail unions, unbelievable paperwork and regulations, and laborious manhandling of millions of cases of fruit.

Over the years bulk handling came in, roads and trucks improved vastly and many of the pioneers developed their own substantial companies devoted to long-haul fruit transport.

With a vivid memory and some classic photographs, George will give the audience the benefit of his experience with transport in the fruit industry and the people involved in it. Several of his contemporaries will be in the audience to keep him honest and contribute to the discussion.

The meeting will take place at the Gladstone Hotel Function Room at 7 for 7.30pm on Tuesday 28th July. There is a small charge of $3 for ODHS members and $5 for non members. Light refreshments will be served.

If you have any enquiries or would like to attend the meeting please RSVP to Phil Stevenson on 63623257, 0402412188 or email ibiswines@bigpond.com.

The Orange and District Historical Society's series of talks continues this Tuesday, 23 June with a talk on "Lewis Ponds - the mines and the people". The main speaker will be Doug Spicer , author of "In -Laws and Out-laws", and there will be a presentation by David Hobby ,district geologist with Tri Origin Minerals to be read by Peter Schmich. End of financial year commitments prevented David from appearing in person. Lewis ponds creek begins just south of the Mitchell highway at east Guyong and winds its way north to the famous junction with Summer hill Creek at Ophir. There were mines all along this valley and surrounding hills. We have dealt in previous meetings with those at Ophir and Guyong - Byng . At this meeting we will deal with those between the two ,namely ,at upper and lower Lewis ponds ,and at Icely.There were thriving communities along the creek and family names like Spicer ,Bennett, Wright, Bartimote, Christopherson, Kerr, Blowes, Fardell, Howarth, and others are still common. Less well known are the mines such as the Gurophian,the New,the North, and the South Lewis Ponds , The Spicer's, Lady Belmore,Toms, Summers,Little Bell Mount,Britannia, and Mount Regan. Near Icely were the Icely, the Mount Nicholas ,the William's and the Brown's.There were smelters associated with many of the mines. There were rushes ,boom times and busts and there is still very active exploration in the area today. The meeting will be held at the Gladstone Hotel Function room 7 for 7.30 PM Charges $5 Members $ 3 members Supper is provided and you are most welcome to stay behind and join the chat.

Mining at Guyong, Byng and the Carangara copper mine will be the focus of Orange and District Historical Society's next mining meeting at the Gladstone Hotel function room on Tuesday, April 28 at 7 for 7.30pm.

The Vale of Byng is a picturesque valley tucked away along the Lewis Ponds Creek south-east of Orange. Though in the 1880s it was surveyed as a town, in 2009 it is merely a locality on the creek which runs north from Guyong to Byng, then Lewis Ponds and Ophir.

Today Byng has neither public buildings nor stores, just a delightful lovingly restored sandstone church, opened in 1873, and the historic homesteads of Springfield, Bookanon and Pendarves. Copper was discovered in 1848 and mining commenced, expanding rapidly and by 1850 the population was more than 200. Many of the miners were Cornishmen who had travelled from the Copper Hill mine at Molong or Burra in South Australia, bringing with them a distinctive cultural identity, and the area became known as the Cornish Settlement.

However, the discovery of gold at Ophir, and other places nearby in 1851 drew miners away and delayed further development until companies such as the Carangara Copper Mining Company took up the challenge in 1854. Mining for copper, gold and silver continued to at least 1907. The Carangara shaft of John Glasson and Richard Lane was just one of many, with names such as Brittania, Old Ophir, Icely, Big Bell, Belmore, Moonta, Nelson and Whitney Green.

The two speakers at the meeting will be Tony Gordon, a Glasson family descendant and owner of 'Godolphin' at Guyong, and Jeff Vassallo, who is senior exploration geologist with Clancy Exploration, which is currently carrying out mineral exploration in the area.

Everyone is welcome to attend the meeting. Entry is $3 for society members and $5 for non-members to assist in the important work of the society in preserving the district's history.A light supper will be served after the meeting.

If you would like to attend, please RSVP to Phil Stevenson on 6362-3257, mobile 0402 412 188 or email ibiswines@bigpond.com

Yesterday a local medico alerted us to a great new on-line Medical Museum on the University of Sydney's website.

The Faculty of Medicine formally came into being on 13 June 1856, initially for the purpose of conducting examinations for award of the degrees of Bachelor and Doctor of Medicine. Twenty-five years later the Medical School was opened and began the task of training doctors for the growing colony of NSW. In 1883, when the Faculty took first enrolments there were only four students taught by the Dean, Professor Thomas Anderson Stuart Kt, in a tiny cottage located near the Footbridge entrance from Parramatta Road.

Since these modest beginnings, over 24,000 students have graduated and have gone on to achieve a diversity of accomplishments that have impacted upon the lives of many in extraordinary ways, both in Australia and elsewhere in the world.

In this Online Museum and Archive you will find an array of historical information, biographies, graduate lists, photographs, virtual tours, interviews and an archive of publications and documents that represent the legacy and traditions of this Faculty.

A great resource for medical ancestors

http://www.medfac.usyd.edu.au/museum/mwmuseum/index.php/Faculty_of_Medicine_Online_Museum_and_Archive

The ABC is currently working on a social history documentary series spanning the post-war period called The Making of Modern Australia. This builds on their recently released online social history project of the same name.

The producers are looking for stories that are particularly interesting, unusual, uplifting and perhaps heartbreaking. They want stories of romance & relationship, faith and religion, parenting and childhood, and the Australian home/a sense of place – all set against the broader picture of Australia's changing social history. To help tell the story, they would also like to have photos or home video of key people and events in people's past. If you'd like to be considered for the documentary should get in touch with Elissa McKeand at Essential Media & Entertainment elissa.mckeand@essential-media.com by mid April 2009. Alternatively you can indicate your interest on the website and add their story by mid April. http://www.makingaustralia.com.au

Let's make sure there are some Central West Stories there!

1. Where on the dial can you find the Orange Community Radio station? 2. Who is the sunken garden at Cook Park named after? 3. How high is Mount Canobolas? These are the type of questions we'll be asking at the special trivia afternoon at Orange City Library on Friday 20th March starting at 2.00pm as part of NSW Seniors Week 2009. The event wil be held in the West Room which is between the Library and the Gallery. Please let us know if you're coming, either by giving us a call on 63938120 or email library@orange.nsw.gov.au

"A pinch and a punch for the first day of the month", so goes the old saying. Of course 1 March also heralds in autumn which many of us think will be a blessed change after the heat of this last summer. A look at the "Central Western Daily" of 50 years ago shows that Mother Nature has always kept us on our toes. The front page story on 2 March 1959 reads:

"Freak Storm Hits Molong"

MOLONG, Sunday – Section of the main street was under 2 foot of water yesterday at the height of a freak cloud-burst which yielded two inches of rain in half an hour.

Jagged hailstones 1 and a half inches in diameter smashed private gardens and buried them under a 6 inch layer of ice. The hailstones stripped most trees in Molong of leaves and broke windows in homes near the centre of town.

The storm cut a very narrow strip through the centre of Molong and skirted market gardens on the town's western fringe. Traffic stopped as blinding rain and giant hailstones reduced visibility to about 20ft. Paintwork on many cars was chipped and many home water tanks are leaking. Molong residents agreed it was violent storm in living memory."

The Library has an extensive collection of local newspapers, most of them on microfilm. To find out more go to our catalogue (link from the home page) and do a Subject search "Newspapers Orange". If you want a complete list of the newspapers held do a subject search "Newspapers" there are 87 selections listed

Lucknow may be on Orange's doorstep but how much do you know about its history, geology and boom days? If you would like to find out more, join Orange & District Historical Society for an open day on Sunday, February 22.

The day will include talks from experts on the mining history of the village, its social history, including prominent people and businesses in the area, and current exploration.There will also the chance to meet the experts and old hands and ask about aspects of Lucknow's history.Guest speakers will include Tully Richards, Elizabeth Griffin, John Holliday, Jack Brown, Bill Schmich and Doug Crossman.

After lunch there will be a guided walk to Wentworth Mine's above-ground workings, followed by a discussion on what might be done to further preserve the history of Lucknow and enhance its character to the benefit of townsfolk and tourists. An exhibition of historical maps documents objects and mineral samples from Lucknow will be on display at the Lucknow School Hall.

The day will start at 9.30am with morning tea and end at 4pm.Tickets ($25) will include morning and afternoon teas and lunch.Bookings are essential by Monday, February 16 and can be made at Book City, 230 Summer Street, Orange, (cash only) or by credit card through Phil Stevenson, Ibis Wines, phone 6362-3257.

For inquiries, contact society president Phil Stevenson on the above number or mobile 0402 412 188 or email ibiswines@bigpond.com