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City of Newcastle will host a large-scale community event to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Wallsend’s municipality in 2024.

The event will be planned in partnership with the Wallsend community and include family-friendly activations throughout the town centre, cultural performances, storytelling and a legacy time capsule to be developed with local schools.

Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said Wallsend’s Indigenous and post-colonial history was unique to the region and the suburb’s emergence as a strong multicultural community was worth celebrating.

“Wallsend’s history stretches back tens of thousands of years and in 1874 was declared a municipality home to many workers and their families of the Wallsend-Newcastle Coal Company,” Cr Nelmes said.

“In recognition of the important role Wallsend’s community has played in our city’s growth and development, City of Newcastle is planning a large-scale celebratory event for the community with a range of free activities for locals and visitors to enjoy.

“The event will be held in August, a time where in recent years thousands of people have descended on the town centre for the popular Winter Fair, activating Wallsend Park and Nelson Street.”

Ward Four Councillors welcomed the event, which will be an opportunity to showcase Wallsend’s history and culture to a broader audience while demonstrating the town centre’s modern vibrancy.

“Wallsend is a unique, dynamic and close-knit community, which has emerged as a multicultural hub attracting many young families to set down their roots in the area,” Cr Deahnna Richardson said.

“Our 150th celebration will be the hallmark event of the year for Wallsend, with rides, music, cultural activities and the opportunity for people to immerse themselves in the suburb’s history,” Cr Callum Pull said.

“City of Newcastle will engage with the community including traditional custodians, schools, businesses, sporting groups, and the heritage association to deliver an event that celebrates Wallsend through time, its present community and leave a legacy through public art and a time capsule for future generations,” Cr Elizabth Adamczyk said.

“We know the community loved the Wallsend Winter Fair delivered through the former business association and while that event has stalled post COVID-19, the 150th celebration will be an opportunity to bring thousands of visitors back to the beautiful Wallsend town centre.” Cr Nelmes said.

The Wallsend 150th celebration will be held on Saturday 17 August 2024 from 1-6pm, with the full program of events to be delivered in consultation with the local community.

The community is invited to help guide future heritage planning as the city continues to undergo significant revitalisation by identifying which streets, buildings and places contribute most to Newcastle’s cultural identity.

City of Newcastle (CN) has undertaken a comprehensive review of its existing Newcastle City Centre and Newcastle East heritage conservation areas (HCA) with the draft report findings to be publicly exhibited, following endorsement by the elected Council at Tuesday’s Ordinary Council Meeting.

The report outlines the current planning context, assesses the appropriateness of boundaries, and identifies items that contribute to or detract from each heritage conservation area in the city centre.

Newcastle Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said it is essential to review and update the conservation management strategies, policies, and planning framework for these areas to ensure their heritage value is understood and protected for future generations.

“The buildings, streets, and precincts of these two HCAs have experienced significant change brought about by the recent economic revitalisation of Newcastle City Centre,” Cr Nelmes said.

“Recommendations outlined in the report incorporate an analysis of feedback made during early community engagement to better understand what people feel contributes to Newcastle’s heritage significance and cultural identity.

“The review found residents living within the two HCAs generally want to maintain and conserve the special character of these areas. The community also identified several distinct character areas for protection and conservation, particularly in the Newcastle City Centre HCA.”

The methodology used in the report is based on NSW Heritage criteria and is consistent with City of Newcastle’s commitment to heritage conservation under its Heritage Strategy and Heritage Policy.

“Following public exhibition, further community and industry feedback will be used to help investigate how and where land use protections for these areas could best be applied for continued revitalisation of the Newcastle City Centre while ensuring our rich and diverse cultural heritage remains protected and conserved,” Cr Nelmes said.

The draft Newcastle City Centre Heritage Conservation Areas Review Report will go on public exhibition from Monday 6 November to seek community and industry feedback, with a report going back to the elected Council following the exhibition period.

Visit newcastle.nsw.gov.au/yoursay for more information.

City of Newcastle is moving ahead with the creation of a new multipurpose community facility and kiosk at Blackbutt Reserve, with the contract for construction to open for tender tomorrow.

Newcastle Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said the project supports the final stage of the Carnley Avenue Recreation Area Masterplan, detailed within the Blackbutt Plan of Management 2012.

“As the green heart of our city, Blackbutt Reserve welcomes countless locals and visitors each year who take advantage of the picturesque walking trails, unique wildlife exhibits and family-friendly playgrounds,” Cr Nelmes said.

“The construction of this multipurpose facility and kiosk will be a significant step in delivering our shared vision for Blackbutt Reserve, to further enhance the visitor experience and complement the amenity and playground upgrades.

“The new facility will be designed to suit the unique environment at Blackbutt Reserve, and will replace the existing kiosk, which was installed as a temporary facility.

“Construction of the new building and kiosk is expected to begin in early 2024 and be completed by the end of that year.

“This project will ensure the much-loved Blackbutt Reserve continues to create memorable experiences for Novocastrians and visitors now and into the future.”

Alongside a licensed café with an undercover dining and seating area, the multipurpose community facility will feature a community space, enabling groups to gather and collaborate and host events, and for school groups to visit and learn about our environment.

Optimising views over Blackbutt Reserve, the new facility and kiosk will be inclusive and accessible, catering for people with mobility and other sensory impairment issues.

Tender submissions can be made from tomorrow via www.tenderlink.com/newcastle

Experiencing what it’s like for an athlete to watch lights instead of listening for the starter’s gun is just one of the features of Australia’s first major exhibition to explore the importance of sport in Deaf culture.

“More Than Sport – History, Culture and Connection in Deaf and Hard of Hearing Communities” officially opened at Newcastle City Library today ahead of the 60^th anniversary of the Australian Deaf Games, which will see more than 1000 athletes, officials and visitors converge on Newcastle and Lake Macquarie for the week-long event in January next year.

Curated by Deaf Sports Australia, which is also celebrating its 70^th anniversary in 2024, the accessible exhibition at the Library’s Lovett Gallery will showcase stories from across Australia and around the world through a series of videos, photographs and memorabilia.

Archival footage of Deaf sports, legendary Australian Deaf and Hard of Hearing athletes and major tournaments such as the 2005 Melbourne Deaflympics and Australian Deaf Games will be displayed without any accompanying sound to help create a ‘deaf’ atmosphere, with videos featuring people signing in Auslan (Australian Sign Language). Text-based stories will also have QR codes to access an Auslan translation.

Deaf Sports Australia General Manager Phil Harper said competitions in Australia can be traced back as far as 1895, when the Victorian Deaf cricket team faced their South Australian counterparts. The first deaf sports club, the Melbourne Deaf Cricket Club, was established in 1881.

“Sport has been a key motivator for people who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing to connect with one another for more than 140 years,” Mr Harper said.

“The curatorial team that put this exhibition together is comprised of several people from the Deaf community. They’ve developed the content to celebrate our history, our pioneers and champions, as well as the role technology has played in improving our access to sport.”

Australia’s proud history in Deaf sports is highlighted by recognising John Lovett, a giant in Australian and international Deaf sports and through our athletes such as gold medal winning paratriathlete Katie Kelly OAM, dual Commonwealth Games swimmer Cindy-Lu Bailey OAM, the most successful woman in Deaflympics history, as well as skier Andrew Swan, a Deaflympics Winter Games gold medallist and Frank Bartolillo, an Olympian in fencing.

Visitors can view memorabilia from different eras, as well as the John Lovett trophy, which is awarded to the winning state or territory at the Australian Deaf Games.

Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said City of Newcastle is proud to help the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community mark a new milestone.

“Newcastle prides itself on being a liveable and inclusive city so we’re delighted to showcase the past, present and future of Deaf sport in Australia,” Cr Nelmes said.

Councillor Margaret Wood, co-chair of City of Newcastle’s Access and Inclusion Advisory Committee said the community-driven exhibition has been developed as a collaboration between City of Newcastle Libraries staff and members of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community.

“I want to encourage Novocastrians to visit the exhibition and also attend an event during the Australian Deaf Games in January, where competitors from all over Australia and Pacific Island nations will utilise 12 venues across our city during this major sporting event,” Cr Wood said.

The “More Than Sport – History, Culture and Connection in Deaf and Hard of Hearing Communities” exhibition will be on display at the Lovett Gallery until March 2024.

School students will be provided with a workbook as part of an exhibition experience, which features fun activities such as learning more about Auslan.

For more information go to: https://newcastle.nsw.gov.au/library/experience/exhibitions

For details about the Australian Deaf Games go to: https://whatson.newcastle.nsw.gov.au/event/the-2024-australian-deaf-games