Have you ever wondered about the layers of ordinary, everyday folk who put in the hard work, transforming Camden – one of the Macarthur region’s most historical locations – from bush terrain into villages and townships?
As part of the 2021 History Week, Camden Libraries, alongside Camden Historical Society and Camden Area Family History Society, is shining a spotlight on the people behind the ploughing, planting and constructing the built environment of today.
This year, the annual, state-wide celebration’s theme is From the Ground Up.
With History Week running during September 4-12, residents are encouraged to get involved in the following activities:
An online exhibition, Camden’s Grass Roots – people and places, which will contain lots of information and photographs;
Special History Week Storytime sessions by Camden Libraries staff, from 10am on September 8 and 10;
A video inviting residents to share family photos from the past, 9am on Tuesday, September 7;
An instructional video on how to start your family tree on Ancestry.com, which is a free e-resource for Camden Library members, 9am on Thursday, September 9;
Local primary and high school students will have the chance to submit writing pieces about the history behind the establishment of their schools, “from the ground up’’ to nlnlibrary@camden.nsw.gov.au by September 17.
And for its third consecutive year, Unlock Camden is back to promote the historic buildings and locations across the Camden area.
Virtual tours will replace the traditional guided tours and will be available on Camden Council’s social media pages. The program will include:
- A virtual historic tour;
- The #MyCamdenStory online promotion;
- An exhibition of Camden images past and present; and
- A heritage of Western Sydney virtual tour app.
Mayor of Camden, Cr Therese Fedeli, said History Week was one of her favourite celebrations because Camden’s heritage was so rich and interesting.
“The Camden area was virgin bushland. It was home to the Tharawal, Dharug and Gundungurra people, whose traditional country and landscapes have evolved into today’s rapidly changing environment,” Cr Fedeli said.
“Camden had to be built from the ground up. I am blown away by the photographs in the Camden’s Grass Roots-– people and places exhibition because they show just the types of structure needed from the Camden’s pioneers to establish all aspects of everyday living.
“We are all familiar with the ‘famous’ and important people of our local community’s past – all the names we find on our street signs and buildings. But this week is so fantastic to uncovering a whole other part of Camden’s story, which is what this week is all about.’’
Cr Fedeli said Unlock Camden was a very important aspect of History Week, as it delved into the stories behind historical buildings.
“Camden’s history is so rich and colourful and many of our amazing heritage buildings and locations are so beautiful and special because of their stories and history,” Cr Fedeli said.
In Campbelltown, residents are invited to take a deep dive into the history of Queen Street as part of Campbelltown Uncovered, a project to celebrate History Week.
Campbelltown Library’s Local Studies team have compiled a wealth of information about the history of some of Queen Streets most iconic buildings such as Glenalvon, the Good Intent Hotel, the Bank of NSW and many more.
“Campbelltown is a city with a rich and vibrant history that has shaped what it is today,” Mayor George Brticevic said.
“It’s important that we continue to honour that history and provide local people and schools with the resources to learn about Campbelltown’s past,” Cr Brticevic said.
“The new Campbelltown Uncovered section on our website is a great resource to explore the history of Queen Street and discover stories about the people and who have helped make our city the great place that it is today,” he said.
