The Trust year has started off with a successful Goyder’s Day observance on the 5 February under the direction of Trevor Menzies down at Roadmasters House, No 1 McMinn Street!
The 12 February marked another farewell as we offered our best wishes to our Director Tim Dixon, with a morning tea at Audit House. We wish Tim all the best with his new career! A number of NT Trust Board members and local Darwin members popped in to say goodbye and good luck as Tim heads to the fifth floor! We also had our first NT Trust Director, local Territorian and historian Peter Forrest. Peter advised Tim that he was the Trust’s sixth Director! The Trust executive is in the process of advertising for a new director!
A number of Trust projects are underway or near completion, on the Myilly Point Heritage Precinct, we finally saw our builder getting the site ready to start building the new amenities block, which has undergone many amendments and much discussion. Location changes from Stahl block to the Audit House block is possibly the largest change. The facility will be a great benefit to Burnett House afternoon teas, heritage festival events, weddings and other functions in the precinct.
In Pine Creek, we saw the completion of our renovations on the Old Repeater Museum! Currently, it, along with the Railway Precinct is been accessed to have interpretation upgraded. Make sure you say goodbye to Bazza as he heads to Timber Creek, we acknowledge him and thank Bazza for his time and efforts over the years promoting the Pine Creek railway precinct. Please drop in and say hello and welcome our new Caretaker at the Pine Creek Railway precinct Doug Fardell!
Our fingers are now double-crossed that two ongoing grant projects are completed in the near future. The new toilet at Tuxworth Fullwood House in Tenant creek, ready for Anzac day 2020 reopening?! Local members have been busy working around the precinct! The other marathon project is the toilet block at the Katherine railway station!
A number of our properties are open for the 2020 season, Borroloola the Old Borroloola Police Station, Burnett House – Darwin, Roadmasters House – Darwin, O’Keeffe House – Katherine, this weekend will also see the opening of Hartley Street School – Alice Springs!
Please support your Northern Territory Trust buildings, we have 15 very special buildings located across the Territory. Pay a visit, recommend them to a friend or family to visit or by becoming an active member of a local Branch!
Our volunteers are the lifeblood of the National Trust, they keep our buildings open and maintained, volunteers run our functions and open days and maintain our gardens and grounds. Trust buildings are used to store and protect local collections, share the stories of the people who have lived, worked and even gone to school in these buildings.
Without you the Volunteers the Trust would have only a collection of empty buildings, and sites and no one to care for and share the stories of these precious treasures. We thank you and acknowledge your work in preserving Territory History in its many forms and places across this Territory!
Wishing you all a very exciting year as we head towards what is already looking like a very busy Festival period. This year’s festival will run from 18 April – 19 May – and the theme is Our heritage for the Future!
Kind regards,
Janet Leather
