{"id":11817,"date":"2021-06-18T21:38:20","date_gmt":"2021-06-18T21:38:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/?p=11817"},"modified":"2021-06-18T21:38:20","modified_gmt":"2021-06-18T21:38:20","slug":"vice-regal-visit-to-mark-completion-of-newcastle-city-hall-restoration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/2021\/06\/18\/vice-regal-visit-to-mark-completion-of-newcastle-city-hall-restoration\/","title":{"rendered":"Vice Regal visit to mark completion of Newcastle City Hall restoration"},"content":{"rendered":"
\nAustralia\u2019s Head of State will next week join City of Newcastle officials<\/span>, key project stakeholders and esteemed guests in marking the completion of the exterior restoration works to Newcastle City Hall.\n<\/div>\n
\nHis Excellency General the Honourable David Hurley AC DSC (RETD), Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia, and Her Excellenc<\/span>y Mrs Linda Hurley will travel to Newcastle on Friday morning for a civic ceremony, which will include a commemorative plaque unveiling and performances by the Australian Army Band Newcastle, the Marching Koalas youth marching band and the University of Newcastle Choir.
\n\"Project-manager-Matt-Bennett-and-Lord-Mayor-Nuatali-Nelmes.JPG\"\n<\/div>\n
\nCity of Newcastle has invested $20 million in the project,<\/span>\u00a0completed in stages under the Newcastle City Hall Conservation Management Plan adopted by Council in 2008, including works to the clock tower and the building\u2019s iconic sandstone fa\u00e7ade to preserve this important piece of history for many more years to come.\n<\/div>\n
\nLord Mayor\u00a0<\/span>Nuatali Nelmes said it would be an historic moment to welcome Their Excellencies to Newcastle to formally recognise the project\u2019s completion.\n<\/div>\n
\n\u201cOriginally opened in 1929, Newcastle City Hall is a rich part of our\u00a0<\/span>City\u2019s history and is one of our most unique and prestigious buildings, setting the scene for many special events such as weddings and school formals, as well as holding the former Council chambers where historic decisions have been made,\u201d Cr Nelmes said.\n<\/div>\n
\n\u201cIn 1977, under the leadership of the City\u2019s first female Lord Mayor Joy Cummings, Newcastle City Hall became the first civic building in Australia to fly the Aboriginal fla<\/span>g, and last month the Torres Strait Islander flag was raised atop City Hall for the first time alongside the Australian, Aboriginal, United Nations, New South Wales, and City of Newcastle flags.\n<\/div>\n
\n\u201cIt is wonderful to join with the Governor-General and Mrs Hurley to celebrate the next milestone in Newcastle City Hall\u2019s history.\u201d<\/span>\n<\/div>\n
\nHis Excellency General the Honourable David Hurley<\/span>\u00a0said he was delighted to accept the Lord Mayor\u2019s invitation to officially reopen City Hall.\n<\/div>\n
\n\u201cIt is a pleasure to return to Newcastle after a warm reception in 2018, when myself<\/span>, as the then Governor of New South Wales, and Linda visited Newcastle City Hall for the Australian Croquet Championships and Inter State Shield,\u201d His Excellency said.\n<\/div>\n
\n\u201cCongratulations to the City of Newcastle and all organisations involved\u00a0<\/span>in the successful refurbishment of this state heritage-listed building, in which the form, detail and appearance of its iconic fa\u00e7ade have importantly been retained.\u201d\n<\/div>\n
\nCity of Newcastle worked closely with the NSW Government Architect\u2019s Office and specialist heritage engineers and stonemasons<\/span>\u00a0to investigate the fa\u00e7ade\u2019s condition and explore repair options.\n<\/div>\n
\nThe project was completed<\/span>\u00a0in three stages following a successful early trial restoration to the eastern fa\u00e7ade in 2009-2010, which provided critical information for the overall restoration about the original construction methods and techniques.\n<\/div>\n
\nThe \u2018yellowblock\u2019 sandstone used in\u00a0<\/span>the original construction of City Hall is understood to have originated from a quarry in Sydney\u2019s North Bondi, now closed.\n<\/div>\n
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\nThere have been several repairs to the fa\u00e7ade over the years, including during the 1980s and structural strengthening of the clock tower following the devastating 1989 Newcastle earthquake, as well as interior refurbishments.<\/span>\n<\/div>\n
\nFast Facts<\/span><\/strong>\n<\/div>\n
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