16 October 2017

Whitehaven supports historical society

WHITEHAVEN Coal has donated $5000 to the Gunnedah & District Historical Society to assist in the publication of its latest book.

Sub-titled Triumph and Tragedy, Hope and Heartbreak in the Life of Gunnedah, the publication will be a collection of profiles of residents who have lived and died in the town and district over the last 150 years.

It does not cover the lives of everyone who has lived in Gunnedah but it does include 750 “people pieces” with an accompanying photograph for each subject.

Written by former Namoi Valley Independent editor, Ron McLean, the book is basically a social documentary of how a small to medium-sized country town has developed and grown.

The manuscript of 207,000 words has been completed and with the financial contribution from Whitehaven Coal, composition and page make-up of the book can now begin.

Society president Bob Leister expressed his gratitude for Whitehaven’s contribution.

“We are very grateful to Whitehaven for this donation as it means we can get started on production of the book, which promises to be a wonderful historical record of the contribution made by these former residents to our town,” he said.

“Ron McLean has already written two books for the society, Gunnedah’s Sesquicentenary book, The Way We Were, and another titled In The Line of Fire, recording the service and bravery of locals who served in World War 1.” The Sesquicentenary books are hard to come by, but copies of In The Line of Fire are still available at the museum.

Pictured are Gunnedah and District Historical Society’s Ron McLean and Bob Leister with Whitehaven Coal’s Tim Muldoon, Daryl Campbell and Bob Sutherland.

Article and image source – Namoi Valley Independent

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