Speech in the ACT Legislative Assembly

5 May 2010

MR COE (Ginninderra) (6.35): I rise this evening to speak about the Canberra and Region Heritage Festival which has recently been held here in and around the capital. The festival was held from 10 to 24 April, and I would like to start by commending Gerhard Zatschler and his team for putting together what really was a very impressive program.

What was so good about the program was it involved so many different organisations. It demonstrated that government is not the sole repository of information, especially about history and about heritage. It did go to show that there are so many different organisations, whether they be community groups and even businesses, that hold and value their heritage and their history.

I think the history of Canberra is one which is very much about people that came to Canberra, whether that be in the early days well before it was called Canberra through to the early days of the capital and the construction of the capital or when the public service moved up from Melbourne. What is clear throughout that whole period was that you had people who really had a strong sense of service and a strong sense of commitment to their families, to their country and to the region as well. That really comes out when you look at some of the specific stories and read some of the tales of the last 150 or so years here and around Canberra.

Over the couple of weeks there were a number of different events, and I would like to highlight a few of those. There was a “heritage at risk” bus tour, which was put together by the National Trust ACT branch. They put together a bus tour which visited a number of places where they discussed some of the issues that confront some of the heritage locations here in Canberra.

We also had events at the Queanbeyan Printing Museum, the Queanbeyan library and the Golden Brewery amongst other places around Canberra. The Heraldry and Genealogy Society of Canberra, also known as HAGSOC, had a couple of events, including a family history open day where they offered people help in how and where to hunt for your ancestors and collect their stories. They have got a wealth of information and access to a tremendous amount of resources. It would be great for more people to get to know about that.

The Tuggeranong Homestead had an event or two, and I commend Neil Gillespie for the great work he does there. At that event, the historic machinery collection from Malcolm Vale was launched. In addition, visitors got to have a look around the site.

The National Archives of Australia was involved, and Dr David Lee presented some insights into the Australian Prime Minister Stanley Bruce, amongst other things. We also had the Australian Railway Historical Society host a number of events, including a couple of railway journeys. The railway society is an organisation I have spoken about once or twice here in the chamber before.

The Hyatt Hotel, once called Hotel Canberra, delivered a presentation about some of the rare items they have and about the history of the building. St John’s school house, as well as the church itself, hosted a number of events, as did the Canberra Archaeological Society. I commend Helen Cooke, the President of the Archaeological Society, for the work she does, and her committee.

It was a great festival and I commend all those involved. Like other members in this place, I look forward to the 2011 festival and the many things that are in store and to engaging more people in the history and heritage of Canberra and the region.