FUTURE EVENTS
Our next Speaker Evening which was scheduled for Tuesday 3rd August 2021 HAS BEEN CANCELLED
Speaker: Les Kilmartin
Topic: William Cromarty.
Les Kilmartin to Speak to Maitland Historical Society about William Cromarty
The guest speaker at the Maitland & District Historical Society’s August meeting will be Les Kilmartin, who will speak about his forebear, Captain William Cromarty who was well known in Newcastle and Port Stephen in their early colonial days. The talk, William Cromarty: A Rare Bird, will be given at the Society’s Rooms, 3 Cathedral St, Maitland, on Tuesday 3 August beginning at 5.30pm.
An Orkney man by birth and therefore a seasoned mariner, Cromarty arrived in Sydney to settle in 1822. From then on he was frequently in Newcastle and Port Stephens. He was described as a ‘rara avis’ by Sir Edward Parry, the famous Arctic explorer and mariner. Sir Edward was commissioner of the AA Company at Port Stephens between 1830 and 1834 and employed Cromarty in various capacities. In this talk, Les Kilmartin will present previously unknown information about Cromarty’s life and explain why he was widely regarded as a rare bird in the colony.
Dr Leslie Kilmartin was a dean and pro vice chancellor at La Trobe University until 2003. Following that, he was human resources consultant. Over the past several years he has researched the life of William Cromarty, his 3X great grandfather. He has recently published a novel, The Cromartys of Port Stephens, and a biography The Elusive Captain William Cromarty. He lives in Carlton, Melbourne.
Members of the public are invited to come and hear the talk.
Current COVID-19 rules require all persons attending the rooms to wear a mask.
The Society asks for a donation of $5 to cover the cost of light refreshments before and after the talk.
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Speaker Evenings are held on the first Tuesday of the month (except January) at 5 30 pm.
(A small charge of $5 includes light refreshments provided before and after the speakers delivery.)
Future Guest Speakers:
7 September Susan Steggall: Homes and Hearths: Growing Up in Maitland in the 1950s and 1960s
5 October Brian Walsh: The Changing Face of Farming in the Paterson and Woodville Areas, 1812-1920
2 November: Roland Bannister : Pursuing the Puxtys of Paterson
7 December: To be Advised
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