Our region's history is incredibly diverse spanning well beyond 200 years with our culture formed by our traditional owners of the land, the Birpai people, early British settlers, and multi-ethnic migration.
This year marks the 200th anniversary since the establishment of Port Macquarie as one of Australia's earliest Penal Settlements. Council acknowledges that this caused suffering and displacement for the traditional owners, the Birpai people.
Recognising this long, diverse and challenging history, Council and its Bicentenary Working Group are encouraging locals to use this year as an opportunity to explore our place and our history.
Council's CEO, Dr Clare Allen noted the importance of reflecting on our past to learn and build an inclusive and positive future for our community.
"Our aim is to bring our community together, and guide them through our place, discovering the stories that weave together to make the Port Macquarie-Hastings region what it was, what it is, and what it will be.
"Council and our Bicentenary Working Group have been working closely with a diverse range of community members, including our Aboriginal community, to ensure that their stories are at the very core of our reflections." said Dr Allen.
The program, taking place from April 10 to 18 features a line-up of community-led events, foreshore activities and visiting vessels, trails to explore, exhibitions, and a performance program. This nine-day program will allow our community to discover new and unexpected pockets of our culture, heritage, nature, and our tastes.
The centrepiece of the program will be an immersive night-time art installation in the heart of the Port Macquarie CBD. The installation is a mesmerising lighting projection onto the façade of the Historic Courthouse with accompanying sound. It weaves our culture and heritage together, from our aboriginal history through to European settlement, and encompasses what we all love about our place now.
As part of the foreshore activities set to take place on the Hastings River during the program, the tall ship Coral Trekker will be featured to facilitate learning and an immersive historical experience.
Our community will have the opportunity to adventure out upon the Hastings River in the Coral Trekker, and during the ship's residency, we are pleased to be working with TAFE NSW to provide Certificate I Maritime Operations students with the opportunity to complete their training in a fun and exciting environment.
We encourage everyone to save the dates in April for our Bicentenary, get involved in the many activities to learn about your home, and our heritage.
A full list of community-led projects and a detailed calendar of the program will be available in the coming weeks.
This project is receiving funding from the Australian Government through the Regional Tourism Bushfire Recovery grants program, an Australian Government bushfire recovery initiative; the Local Roads and Community Infrastructure Program; and the Building Better Regions Fund.
