Our Projects
HEATGG volunteers are continually involved in a variety of projects. Here you will find regular updates and new projects as they develop.
Holtermann’s Corner – Hill End & Tambaroora Family History & Local Information Centre
It has been an exciting year since we signed the lease on the property known as “Holtermann’s Corner” in Hill End. After spending 3 years in the old Northeys Store It had begun to feel like “home” albeit a fairly crowded one. However, we made the most of it all, and during that time helped many visitors find their family connections to the district.
After extensive renovation/restoration by NPWS we are very grateful to them for allowing us to move into Holtermann’s Corner and to welcome visitors to our Family History & Local Information Centre. It was officially opened on 26 October 2024.
With the help of some keen volunteers, we transferred all the files and material from Northeys to the larger Holtermann’s and have now set it up. There are 3 rooms open to the public in varying degrees. Our “Front of House” is the shopfront, once Bray’s Chemist Dispensary which presents as a shopfront with changing displays relating to various themes. Here we can showcase our items for sale, including our books, maps, images memorabilia and Hill End district related artworks. We also provide local information to visitors in the form of brochures and maps etc. Basic ready reference family history material is also housed here so that the volunteers can answer initial questions about connections to the area.
The next room has been christened “Daph’s Room. This will hold all the material collected and prepared by Daphne over 25+ years in colourful folders, as well as our hard copies of many of our digitised files, mining records, Birth Death Marriages, church records, land records, Crown plans, petitions, school records, scrapbooks, etc.
Our 3rd room has been called the “Maris Room”. Bill & Betty Maris co-ordinated the Gathering Group for around 45 years. During that time Betty documented stories and records from past residents, and our members. Bill responded to enquiries from those who had found their connections to the district. Betty also carried out extensive research on the Maris family and their relationships to so many of the longstanding residents of Hill End and Tambaroora. They also acted as a repository for so much material, photos, certificates, books, records, and memorabilia from descendants. Much was donated by families who were involved in downsizing ancestral estates and wanted the items to be return to their “home”.
We have been able to continue this tradition and so, after many years of being sequestered away in our various home offices and storage facilities we have now been able to unite them into one collection. This room will require a lot of work as the items need to be sorted, catalogued, possibly digitized and then kept in appropriate protective storage conditions. But what a goldmine!
Our 4th room is described as the workroom. Here we have our stationery supplies, book stocks, backdrops, and display items – almost a mini museum. Here we can prepare our window displays and signage etc.
Our eventual aim is to provide and make freely available our extensive research collection worthy of the historic goldmining district. There is space to spread out material, display and use it as it was intended.
All this will take time and, more importantly, volunteers who are interested in learning more about the place and who are keen to share that knowledge to descendants and visitors alike. As enticement to those considering helping out, we are also able to offer basic accommodation to our volunteers in return for their work and a few dollars to cover expenses. Holtermann’s Corner has a small well equipped kitchen, new bathroom & laundry facilities, and comfy bedding for those willing to spend a few days assisting us in local projects. Everyone has their own pool of skills, and we can use all of them in some way!
We have a small stable of local volunteers already and all involved have expressed their pleasure in talking to our visitors, suggesting places to explore to those new to the area and then helping descendants rediscover and walk in the footsteps of their ancestors. But we need more faces to join this enthusiastic band and are actively seeking help from anyone who can spare some time to come to Hill End and assist.
OPENING HOURS:
Saturday & Sunday 11am – 2pm (Depending on volunteer availability) We often close much later if we have people using the Centre. – We won’t send you away!
Other times by appointment, especially during School Holidays.
Please contact Michelle in Hill End on 0412285590 or Lorraine in Sydney on 0408117784.
If you are planning on visiting, please contact us so we can make sure someone is there to assist you.
Holtermann’s Corner 1872
Hawkins Hill update
We have been concerned about the state of historic mining relics on Hawkins Hill, especially the Flying Fox and magnificent stone walls surrounding the Krohmann’s and nearby leases.
We were fortunate to obtain a grant from Bathurst Regional Council which has allowed us to engage Ray Christison of Highground Consulting to undertake an Assessment of Significance of the site in accordance with NSW Heritage guidelines.
We realise that mining is and always was the main reason that Hill End still exists. Recommendations have been offered which will allow Vertex to go about their mining activities while still respecting the historic significance of the precinct.
In the meantime, some remediation work has been carried out by Vertex staff in conjunction with HEATGG volunteer Richard Shaw, on the Flying Fox. The precarious lean has been stabilized with steel bracing until further assessment can be undertaken.
St Paul’s Presbyterian Church History 1872 – 2022
The third grant that came our way from Create NSW is for the publication of a history of St Paul’s Presbyterian Church which also turned 150 in October 2022. Volunteer Jacky Dalton compiled the story and based it on the centenary history written by Keith Mackenzie in 1972, with additional material from the records not available back then.
She then delved into the research resources and with the help of current and former residents, including Ted Abbott, Colin Shapland, Carol McCance, Lynne Seaman (nee Anderson) and Helen Wood (nee Hocking) and others, was able to put together a narrative covering the last 50 years or so, including the sterling work undertaken by the Church Restoration Committee in the late 1960s.Without their efforts the church would not still be standing today.
As we go to print the future of the church and ownership is still a matter to be decided.
The final manuscript is currently in preparation under the watchful eye of Sharon Shelton, and it is anticipated that copies will be available for purchase early 2024. We’ll keep you posted.
Hill End Family History Centre now in Hill End.
UPDATE: We’ve now left Northeys and upgraded to Holtermann’s Corner where we have so much more to offer. We still provide the same friendly service and a large selection of local books and products.
Through a special arrangement with National Parks & Wildlife Service (Hill End) we now have the use of the historic Northey’s Store in Clarke Street, Hill End as a Family History Centre.
Here you will find a large selection of material pertaining to families who lived in Hill End, Tambaroora, and the surrounding district. This is a combination of Daphne’s Hill End Family History collection and the HEATGG Collection of material, much of which is regularly taken to the Annual Gathering at Rhodes.
All our publications are available for sale as well as a small selection of Hill End souvenirs, maps, greeting cards, prints & artworks.
Our volunteers are happy to show you our resources and help you research your family tree.
We are looking at expanding our group of volunteers who would like to help at our Centre too, so that we can assist more people discover their Hill End & Tambaroora families.
For those who wish to visit and volunteer at the Centre on a weekend we do have cosy accommodation available nearby at a VERY reasonable rate. Please contact Lorraine for more details. Come and spend a week in town, research your family history and meet & talk with those who drop in to our Centre on the weekends.
Northey’s, Clarke Street c 1970.
Northey’s Store c 1970
Northey’s in the snow – 11 June 2021
Digging into the Past – Pioneer Cemeteries in the Hill End & Tambaroora District (ongoing)
Aim, objective & outcome of the project
HEATGG aims to locate the Pioneer Cemeteries at Tambaroora and Bald Hill as well as record a history of all other known cemeteries in the locale.
Our objective is to produce a comprehensive list of deaths in the district and record the burial places of these people if known.
The outcome will be a multimedia publication which will be of interest to descendants, local and family history researchers, libraries and the general public.
Our work so far:
Grant funding from Bathurst Regional Council and the Royal Australian Historical Society allowed us to engage forensic archaeologist, Dr. Louise Steding and her husband Gerald, to carry out stage 1 of the project. They used Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR), to survey the 3 sites chosen. After establishing the approximate location volunteers cleared the sites to make them accessible for the survey. A final report of this aspect has been produced.
Part 1 of the project also included recording of our activities at the three sites on video and this is available to be viewed here:
Photographer Di Greenhaw also recorded the events and produced a Photobook for our archives. The web album can be viewed on our Gallery page or click here to view the “Digging into the Past” web album.
Our volunteers, spearheaded by Helen Wood, continue to troll through the available records and newspaper articles to establish an exhaustive listing of deaths and burials in the district. Click here to view an online sample of this collaborative work: “Hill End, Tambaroora & District burials”.
Golden Thirst: Colonial Hotels and Inns of Hill End, Tambaroora and the surrounding district (in preparation)
This book will cover the history of over 170 Inns and Hotels, Publicans and Breweries with an emphasis on those in the immediate Hill End and Tambaroora area.
Author Ray Samuel has completed his part of the manuscript after more than 3 years of travelling throughout the district, recording and photographing sites and digging deep into the archives and newspaper articles for fascinating snippets about life behind bars.
Editor Lorraine Purcell is now in the process of including material from the HEATGG files and records, to add a personal touch to these stories, with firsthand accounts and photographs.
Strive with Honour: Hill End Public School, a sesquicentenary history
Hill End Public School opened on 1 May 1870. In November 2020 they will be celebrating 150 years of public education in the village.
Our latest publication, “Strive with honour” has been completed and is now available for purchase on our shop page (or click here).
This work is a story of more than just a school. It reflects a broad social history of the town over the past 150 years. Student enrolments reflect the ups and downs of a mining community. Over the years the school has produced Members of Parliament, numerous educators, historians, authors, artists, sportsmen & women, military & business people and social commentators. There are over 250 pages including full colour illustrations, and many photos that have not been published before. It is fully indexed with the names of those mentioned in the text and incorporates an almost complete list of principals and teachers who have spent some time in Hill End. One extremely important inclusion in this book is a listing of the 4500+ students (with parent or guardians’ names) who attended the school over the first 100 years. Painstakingly transcribed from the Admission Registers by Gathering Group volunteers, this listing places family members in the town where no other records may exist to demonstrate their presence there. An added bonus for family historians.
Check out the photos of the 150th Celebrations here.
If you have any enquiries about these project please Contact us.
