Hawkesbury Regional Museum will honour the memory of former Emeritus Mayor, Dr Rex Stubbs OAM, on Saturday, 25 August, by declaring the day in his honour.
It will bring historical societies together for a symposium in the morning, and then throw open its doors in the afternoon, inviting one and all to ‘Celebrate History’.
Dr Stubbs was a Hawkesbury City Councillor for 26 years, including ten terms as Mayor.
He had an abiding interest in art, history and culture, and championed the development of Hawkesbury Regional Museum and Hawkesbury Regional Gallery.
History was his first love, and as well as writing several books and articles on local history, he was a member and President of Hawkesbury Historical Society for nearly 30 years.
He was awarded an Order of Australia Medal in 2001.
Guest speakers at the symposium will be Dr Kate Gahan, a professional historian based in the NSW Northern Rivers region, and Deborah Vaughan from the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences (MAAS).
Dr Gahan’s research and project interests emphasise the importance of nuance to truly realise the value of history in the present and at a community level.
She is also the curator of the new museum exhibition, Food Bowl Farming.
Deborah Vaughan will talk about MAAS Regional Programs and the essentials to good programming. She has been Regional Program Producer at MAAS since 2014, and she was previously the National Guide and Education Coordinator for Australian Museums and Galleries Online.
From 1.30pm regional historical groups including the Hawkesbury Branch of the National Trust, Colo Shire Family History Group and Valley Heights Locomotive Depot Heritage Museum will set up info stalls in the Museum grounds.
There will also be children’s activities and popular music from the 70s to today, plus Colonial tunes, performed by Brett Green (‘the hat’), who delighted audiences in June with his performance at Make Music Day.
The museum is located at 8 Baker Street, Windsor.
Details: hawkesbury.nsw.gov.au/museum.
