Kogarah Historical Society

Hansard ID: HANSARD-1323879322-118469

Hansard session: Fifty-Seventh Parliament, First Session (57-1)

Kogarah Historical Society

Mr MARK COURE (Oatley) (19:14:44):

I congratulate the Kogarah Historical Society, which celebrated its fiftieth anniversary last year. The work of the society is essential in ensuring that historical treasures of the St George region are not forgotten. It was during the historical celebration of Captain Cook's arrival that the idea was first suggested that a society should be formed to appreciate and communicate the history of the St George area to locals. The Kogarah Historical Society was officially brought to life on 9 February 1970 by order of the then mayor of Kogarah, Ken Cavanagh. The society soon gathered a following and had its first official meeting the next month.

The study of history is critical to understanding our present. For example, the St George area was traditionally inhabited by First Nations people of the Dharawal tribe. This information is available to all of us today thanks to the conservation efforts of historians and people with a keen interest in history, who have found documents of original negotiations between English settlers and our Indigenous people. The society aims to encourage people to study the history of the St George area and promote awareness of the historical significance of the area. The society also provides members with exciting historical excursions. Most recently, a group of members travelled to the Garden Island naval base for a tour of the facilities and to learn about the island's significance in Australian history. The society also has a considerable influence on the preservation of sites such as Carss Cottage and other historically significant sites across the St George area.

The original executive team envisioned the society being able to open a community museum that would provide local residents with an opportunity to view books, records, manuscripts and artefacts that hold historical significance across the St George community. This museum, known as Carrs Cottage, is still operating today and is located in Carss Park. It is an excellent testament to the commitment of the past and present members of the society. Carss Cottage sits like a jewel on the highest point of Carss Park, built with locally quarried stone in 1865 for William Carss and family. It is the oldest building still standing in the St George area. Wandering through the museum, patrons can experience what the cottage would have looked like back in 1865. The society is privileged to run the museum, which focuses on collecting items relating to the St George area's past and present history.

The society annually hosts a local historical writing competition that encourages members in the Georges River and Kogarah areas to research and record events, personalities or infrastructure from the district's past. In the latest round of the competition three winners were announced. They were Monica O'Brien, with the story of war veteran turned competitive sailor Stan O'Brien; Sue Castrique, who recorded the highly anticipated prize fights that would occur in Frog's Hollow in the 1840s and 1850s; and lastly the history of St Raphael's church and school in South Hurstville in the early 1900s. Members from the Georges River area and Greater Sydney can access those entries through the society's website.

I have been a member of the Kogarah Historical Society since 2004 and enjoy reading its bimonthly newsletter, which details stories of heroic war heroes, historical dates in Australian history and so on, all contributed by members of the society. I have also been able to enjoy the books published and printed independently by the society, which they sell online from time to time as well as at Carss Cottage. I also enjoy attending the local meetings to hear about upcoming events and to be a part of what is now a strong community brought together by a shared interest. I thank current president Beverley Earnshaw and vice president Adele Ryan as well as all the executive and committee members for their efforts and their dedication to conserve, record and preserve the history of our local St George community for present and future generations. I look forward to receiving the next instalment of the society's newsletter to learn more about the great history of my electorate and the St George community.