Cootamundra Project Progress
President Freda Backes and a number of other members of your Board have visited Cootamundra over the last few months to organise the conservation of the group of historically important graves at Cootamundra.
The Society received a grant from the Australian Government to undertake the work.
This group of graves at the cemetery form a distinct group of people of Lebanese descent. The group includes the grave of Thomas McGuire whose 1896 grave is the oldest known surviving Lebanese grave we have so far located. Another grave is that of Salim Matha who was murdered while hawking at Bumbaldry near Cowra. Other graves belong to those who have had long association with the business community in Cootamundra. The group represent a microcosm of the history of pioneer Lebanese settlement in rural Australia.
We have tried to involve as many people as possible in the process, including locating descendants of those buried in the graves. We have had discussions with representatives of Cootamundra Shire Council and met with the Mayor and General Manager. We have met with the Cootamundra Local History Society and outlined the project to them.
So far a lot of preliminary planning has been undertaken including developing detailed report for the conservation and cleaning of the graves by a professional heritage adviser and then developing these further with a local monumental mason. A Cootamundra firm of landscape architects have presented a plan for the conservation of the site once the monumental mason has completed his work. Some preliminary work has been carried on the site by staff of Cootamundra Shire Council, including removal of large dying tree threatening to damage the site.
We have also undertaken a lot of historical research into those who are buried in the group of graves as well as those buried elsewhere in the cemetery and the role of the Lebanese in the surrounding district in order to provide a context for the project. This builds on work already done by family historians and the Society.
Over the next month or so the project aims to have the graves repaired and cleaned in line with the principles of the Burra Charter. The area around the site will be stabilised and include interpretative signage. The graves remind us of the contribution early Lebanese settlers, like those and their families interred at Cootamundra, made to this country.
Affiliations: The Society is affiliated with the Royal
Australian Historical Society, Royal Historical Society of Qld., History
Council of NSW, Oral History Association of Australia (NSW Branch) &
the Society of Australian Genealogists.
Membership: is open
to those of Lebanese descent, their families or anyone interested in the
history of Lebanese settlement in Australia. Entrance Fee - $25, Annual
subscription - $25 ($50 for first year). A Membership
Application can be printed out here.
Newsletter: The Society posts a quarterly Newsletter to
members. News, history and items of interest to members can be posted or
emailed and will be considered for publication.
Feedback: The Society is always in interested in the views of
those with an interest in the history of the Lebanese in Australia. Is
there an aspect of the history that should be highlighted? Is there a
contribution you would like to make? We'd love to hear from you.
Online
Exhibition of historic photographs sponsored by State Records
NSW.
Read a range of full-text history
articles for an overview of the history of Lebanese settlement in
Australia.
The Society aims to encourage
scholarship in the history of Lebanese settlement in Australia by
research, publications and regular events and meetings for members. See
the Objectives
section of the Constitution for more details.