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Margaret Love is the President/Secretary of the Cundletown and Lower Manning Historical Society. Margaret tells us about a special appeal the Society is currently holding, which will improve the Cundletown Museum beyond measure! Read on to see how you, too, can help raise the roof! i Margaret. What’s your role with the Cundletown and Lower Manning Historical Society, and how/why did you first become involved with the organisation? I am President/Secretary. The Historical Society was commenced in 1996 by Shirley Burne and me following a request from Bob Ezzy, Principal of Cundletown School, having a filing cabinet of records collected by the school not being catalogued. For several years we used the school building, but members quickly realised it had outgrown the building and started looking for a new venue. The Society has a very active committee of nine and membership of 40 who assist in door duties, so the museum can be open for visitors and organising fundraising events to raise money for day to day running and future development. The Cundletown & Lower Manning Historical Society is carrying out an exciting new development currently taking place behind the Cundletown Hall. Fill us in on what the purpose of this new building will be - why do you need more space? With the expansion of the museum’s collection of artefacts and local history displays, it became obvious that the past dairy industry needed acknowledgement as a major contributor to the employment and economy to the Manning Valley. With the long term loan of a restored “Peters” milk can collection truck and numerous donations of horse drawn vehicles and dairy equipment, the committee set about designing and fundraising for a weatherproof building for these displays. Describe how the new shed will look when it’s completed ... How big will it be? Cundletown Hall is listed as a Heritage Item; quite stringent regulations were applied to our Development Application. Its final design needed to fit within the character of the 58
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Along the way, wn many Cundleto y lle and Manning Va lent so citizens have al ke d as n he a hand w a n ve gi or so to do shows ch hi w n, tio na do n of the io the determinat ep the ke to community ” g. in project go
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property and not impact greatly on the nearby residential area. Several attempts were made over the three year approval process to obtain a balanced structure, and it now has a roof profile which somewhat resembles a dairy milking shed. It will have smooth wall sheeting facing both Main and Queen Streets with timber doors and windows and other walls lined with Colorbond material similar to the roofline. It was hoped the structure could be 30 metres x 10 metres; however, Council required an eight place concrete car park in front of the building - hence, the length of the display area is now 20 metres x 10 metres. Completing this project has not been without its headaches. What are some of the issues you’ve faced along the way? Several meetings were held with local tradesmen and Council representatives providing various concepts; however, the site did attract Heritage status and regulations. The milk truck being a focal point in the exhibition, the design needed larger supports for the height of the truck body. If the building was erected elsewhere, a lesser style and costing would be used. Several businesses and consenting authorities have recognised the work of the Society with reductions in their standard fees and charges. It has been a long process, but the final outcome will be worth the effort. How much do you anticipate the shed will cost to complete ... and what is the shortfall you’re currently experiencing in terms of funds? Cost of the exhibition shed is $120,000. The Society has $50,000 for the current construction and will need to fundraise a
further $70,000 to finish it. We are conducting a “Raise the Roof” appeal through local media for public contributions. We are attempting to attract suitable State or Federal Grants for funding. After the building is constructed, further fundraising will be needed for the mandatory concrete car park, interconnecting disabled access from the existing Museum. A new disabled toilet block and revamped kitchen will be future projects. What fundraisers does the historical society have planned to help raise money for the new shed? Since the Museum has been at Cundletown Hall, community fundraising has continued by market days, entrance fees, catering for group visits and sale of craft items made by members. Several local history books and research material is available for sale at the Museum, which fund operational expenses. Recently a very successful “High Tea” was held at Cundletown School, where over 100 ladies (and some blokes) enjoyed the event. A wine tasting and river cruise to Port Macquarie proved most successful, and several day coach trips are planned for the Gloucester and Hunter Valley region between now and December. If anyone is interested in a beautiful day out, please contact the Society on 6553 9574 for details. What individuals/organisations have currently supported the new building ... Who would you like to thank? I would like to acknowledge Neil Ryan (Draughtsman) of Taree and Nigel Young of Young Building P/L for their contribution and patience. Neil has represented the committee all through the consultation process and willingly negotiated with various consenting authorities.
In 2011 a $14,000 grant was received from The Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal and used to finance the approval processes. We were very fortunate to have received a $30,000 donation from a local resident. Without this boost, the project would not yet be started. A professional from Sydney, with connections to Taree, has donated four whirly birds for air circulation in the new roof. Several professionals and business proprietors have either donated their services or reduced costs to enable the approval process to proceed and construction to commence. Along the way, many Cundletown and Manning Valley citizens have also lent a hand when asked to do so or given a donation, which shows the determination of the community to keep the project going. A big thank you goes out to everyone who has assisted us. How can readers support the Society’s “Raise the Roof” appeal and contribute to the completion of the new building? The Society opened a special secured account with the Commonwealth Bank Taree, and those who would like to assist can now Direct Deposit their contribution (no matter how big or small) to BSB: 062603 Account Number 10599339. Alternatively, they can post their donation to Cundletown & Lower Manning Historical Society Inc, P.O. Box 58 Cundletown NSW 2430 or deliver it to the Museum at Cundletown Hall, corner Main & High Streets, Cundletown. All enquiries can be directed to me on 0428 522 556. Final say ... I would like to thank FOCUS for telling the community about our exciting project and invite the public to come to the museum so they can see for themselves what the Society is trying to accomplish. The museum is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10am until 3pm. Thanks Margaret.