Hunter Living Histories August 2025 Showcase

Join us at 1.00pm-2.30pm for the University Library’s monthly Hunter Living Histories showcase. All Welcome.

WHERE: via (ZOOM link HERE) or in person Room L326, Auchmuty Library, Callaghan Campus, Newcastle. (Type Room no. into ONLINE MAP)

WHEN – Monday 4 August 2025 (1.00pm-2.30pm)

WELCOME & ACKNOWLEDGEMENT TO COUNTRY (Gionni di Gravio OAM)

Condolences to John Heath and family and to Birpai People on the passing of their brother, Mini Heath. Both John, Mini and family have had a close association with the University and the Hunter Region for decades and Mini has been an exemplar in contemporary Aboriginal art and fashion and has left an extraordinary legacy. He described himself as “famous, but not rich!” We pay our respects to him and his family at this time.

Dr Jude Conway, Hunter Living Histories Participant and UON Alumna sent this 1991 photograph of her "Mini Heath shirt I bought from him when I worked at the Raymond Terrace Neighbourhood Centre. The image is a koala looking at the night sky. I loved that t-shirt and wore it to shreds." — Dr Jude Conway, Hunter Living Histories Participant and UON Alumna sent this 1991 photograph of her “Mini Heath shirt I bought from him when I worked at the Raymond Terrace Neighbourhood Centre. The image is a koala looking at the night sky. I loved that t-shirt and wore it to shreds.”

DISCUSSION – Library Strategic Plan (Matthew Davis, University Librarian)

PRESENTATION 1 – “Spirit of Place: Aboriginal Sites of the Hunter Region” 2021 (Uncle Warren Taggart and Carol Carter) Website: https://www.walkaboutwithwarren.com.au/book/

Spirit of Place Portraits (Uncle Warren, Carol Carter and Allan Chawner)

(L-R) Allan Chawner, Uncle Warren Taggart, Gionni Di Gravio, Carol Carter, Doug Lithgow. 4 August 2025 [Photo: Dr Ann Hardy]

PRESENTATION 2 – Update on Funding Grants to Victoria Theatre (Daniel Ballantyne – Project Manager) and former Newcastle Post Office (Glenn Dormand – Stories of Our Town)

View of the Stage from the Dress Circle of the Victoria Theatre 3D Model (Courtesy of Gaute Rasmussen UON IT Innovation Team) See: 3D Virtual Reality Project – https://hunterlivinghistories.com/category/victoria-theatre-3d-project/

Newcastle Post Office, Hunter and Bolton Streets, Newcastle, NSW, [7 May] 1906. This image was scanned from the original glass negative taken by Ralph Snowball. It is part of the Norm Barney Photographic Collection, held by Special Collections.See: https://livinghistories.newcastle.edu.au/nodes/view/45302 — Newcastle Post Office, Hunter and Bolton Streets, Newcastle, NSW, [7 May] 1906. This image was scanned from the original glass negative taken by Ralph Snowball. It is part of the Norm Barney Photographic Collection, held by Special Collections. See: https://livinghistories.newcastle.edu.au/nodes/view/45302

HOT TOPIC DISCUSSION
What do our Hunter & Central Coast Communities need from our University?

The UON’s Strategic, Performance and Planning Team are very keen to learn what the communities of the Hunter & Central Coast Need. In our 60th year, the University of Newcastle looks ahead to its next strategic plan, and exploring the inclusion of a small number of flagship initiatives i.e., high impact, signature strategies that reflect our identity and ambition, tackle major challenges facing our community, and foster cross-university collaboration. So let us know what you think!

There is also a community survey format if you would like to provide feedback that way.

https://uninewcastle.questionpro.com.au/t/ARrjnZR4bY

Which ideas spark your interest?

What would you add or change?

Which ones should we prioritise?

Affordable & Sustainable Housing Solutions

Supporting Communities Undergoing Economic Transition

Environmental Sustainability and Climate Resilience

UPDATES FROM THE REGIONS

Regional GLAM Institutions Updates
Hunter Regional Committee Hunter National Trust Updates

CONGRATULATIONS ROBERT WATSON

Robert Watson with his NSW Government Community Service Award

Congratulations to Mr Robert Watson on recognition for his services to Lambton with this New South Wales Government Community Service Award.

Robert Watson with Sonia Hornery MP, Member for Wallsend Source: https://www.facebook.com/SoniaHornery/posts/nsw-premiers-award-goes-to-local-historian-robert-watsonretired-engineer-and-now/1216256243272808/

HUNTER LIVING HISTORIES -Latest

EXHIBITION – HEALTH, MEDICINE & EVERYDAY CARE IN NEWCASTLE

If you’re at Auchmuty Library, make sure to drop by Special Collections and explore our new exhibition: ‘Say Aahhhh: Health, Medicine and Everyday Care in Newcastle from 1945 to 2000’!

Discover how Newcastle communities experienced healthcare, from hospital visits to home care, spanning the post-war era all the way to the early 2000s. It’s a fascinating look at our local history, drawn directly from the library’s rich archives!

Hunter Living Histories

University of Newcastle