Vera Deacon, historian and environmental activist, will be the Maitland & District Historical Society’s guest speaker on August 7.
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Her topic will be Island Days: Island Ways Before Kooragang.
Vera was born almost on the banks of the Hunter River in Mayfield West. When her father was injured while working at BHP, he subsequently found work hard to get and hard times began. The family lived for a time in an unemployed camp-dwellers’ bag house in the Shortland bushland.
Eventually they moved to Moscheto Island. Here Vera saw the decline of the island environment through air pollution from nearby industries; orchards were poisoned and the river was damaged by the disposal of chemicals. Fishermen, oystermen and prawners lost their livelihoods – and Vera became an environmental activist. The public is welcome to attend her talk at the Society’s Rooms at 3 Cathedral St, Maitland at 5.30pm, $5 donation.
Contact the Society at maitlandhistorical@gmail.com, or phone 0438 623 599.
