Maitland’s history is certainly a rich one.
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A town hindered, but at the same time characterised by flooding, a rapidly growing and diverse population over time, one of the first areas in Australia where Europeans lived, a long-term presence of Aboriginal people and an iconic landscape of historical buildings and streets.
All of this, plus more, will be on show during a series of events between April and September under the banner of Maitland 200 Years.
The 200 comes from an acknowledgement of migration to what was then known as Wallis Plains between Pitnacree and Oakhampton in the early 1800’s. And no buts about it, that was a brutal period of our history.
The Wonnarua people were the first people in this area, with evidence of Aboriginal people in the Hunter Valley for thousands of years.
Europeans were initially drawn to the area by the cedar forests. Convicts from Newcastle would spend their day cutting timber to float back along the river.
In 1818, 12 free people and convicts were allowed to settle at Wallis Plains, including iconic Maitland identity Molly Morgan, then known as Mary Hunt.
But clashes between Europeans and Aboriginals soon broke out.
While recognising that conflict is an important part of our history, the 200 Years events won’t stop there.
As Maitland and District Historical Society secretary and Maitland 200 committee member Kevin Short put it, Maitland 200 is about recognising the past, but also moving forward together.
“It’s impossible to know where we’re going without knowing where we’ve come from,” he said.
“It is an acknowledgement of all the people that have made Maitland what it is today,” fellow committee member and Maitland Regional Museum president Janece McDonald added.
Another committee member, Mindaribba LALC CEO Tara Dever, said acknowledging Maitland’s entire history would contribute towards reconciliation.
“We have to accept the truth of our history, which was barbaric, in order to move on,” she said.
Maitland 200 Years events include exhibitions, parades, tree planting, history days and a festival on September 16. The Mercury will follow these events, the stories and the people throughout the year, culminating in a special Maitland 200 Years edition in September.