We have a new date for our author visit with Adam Courtenay launching his latest book Three Sheets to the Wind: Why a motley crew of merchant seamen walked 600 miles to save 7,000 gallons of rum at  Cowra Library on Thursday 29 September at 2pm, and Orange City Library from 5.30pm to 7pm.  The date was changed from 22 September due to the Queen’s Memorial Public Holiday. 

When in 1796, Calcutta-based Scottish merchants Campbell & Clark dispatched an Indian ship hurriedly renamed the Sydney Cove to the colony of New South Wales, they were hoping to make their fortune. But when the Sydney Cove went down north of Van Dieman’s Land, cargo master William Clark and sixteen other crew members were compelled to walk 600 miles to Sydney Town to get help to save the rest of the crew and the precious goods. Assisted by at least six Indigenous clans on his journey, Clark saw far more country than Joseph Banks ever did, and his eventual report to Governor Hunter led to far-reaching consequences for the colony. And the rum? Find out more about this true story when Adam is our guest at Orange City Library. Please book your place online for Cowra or call us on 6340 2180, or Orange City Library online or call 6393 8132. 

It is History Week and Central West Libraries is celebrating the theme Hands on History with the success of Recollect Central West – a digital platform where collections can be shared online.

Statistics show a total of 7,558 items including 767 documents and 6,646 photographs are on the Recollect site and there have been more than half a million hits since the March launch!!!!

The Top 10 items viewed were:

1. CWD Negatives
2. Orange & District Historical Society
3. Tourist Hotel
4. Construction of Orange Olympic Pool
5. Summer Street
6. Emmco Cadet Engineer
7. Maps and Plans
8. Celebrating Orange 75 years of Orange as a city and 175 years of Orange as a village
9. [email protected]
10. Orange Small Schools Association presents 2013 OSSA Schools Spectacular Mamma Mia, Not Another Musical

The community can register with the site, become a member, and contribute photos, stories and memories about the Central West as well as update information about who is in a photo or where it was taken. Or they can just search the site. Visit Recollect at https://centralwest.recollect.net.au/ It is a free community resource.

Three incredible writers haven made history by becoming the first joint winners in the Short Story Section of the 2021 Banjo Paterson Writing Awards and impressive writing featured in the ABC Radio Children’s Awards. We are pleased to announce the winners:

Short Story: Joint winners: Co-authors Sagamba Muhira and James Page; and Carmel Lillis:

Sagamba Muhira

James Page

1st Co-authors Sagamba Muhira, Townsville QLD, and James Page, Redcliffe QLD – Out of Africa

And joint winner:

Carmel Lillis

1^st Carmel Lillis, Yarraville VIC –  Laughing like children

Contemporary Poetry

Mark O’Flynn

1^st Prize, Mark O’Flynn, Katoomba  NSW – Interesting times we could all do without

ABC Radio Children’s Awards

Lola Stafford

1^st Lola Stafford, Billywilliga near Bathurst NSW – Story – One Land …Two People

2^nd Sybilla Chapman, Bathurst NSW – Poem – Our Underwater Aussie Garden

3^rd Luke Favantines, Mt Victoria NSW – Poem – Light and Dark

Congratulations to all who entered the awards and the 2021 winners!!!