Topic: The memory landscape of the Cowpastures in memorials, monuments, and murals.
Lecture by Dr Ian Willis OAM.
Abstract
All around the community in the Macarthur region are cultural artefacts that are representations of the settlercolonial narrative of the Cowpastures, which was variously a colonial frontier, a government reserve, and a…[Read more]

The Camden Historical Society has published a new anthology of the Camden History Journal. There are many stories of events and local personalities from the Camden area.

In 1964, the Campbelltown-Ingleburn News ran a banner headline on its front page, Symbol of Progress, over a story about opening a new council administration building as part of a proposed civic centre precinct in the town centre.
The newspaper headline expressed confidence in Campbelltown’s planned declaration as a satellite city by the state…[Read more]

This newspaper article examines the history of the teamsters that operated on the Yerranderie Road between the Yerranderie silver mines in the Burragorang Valley and the railhead at Camden NSW. The carriers’ teams of horses supported an ecology of farmers growing hay and corn for stock feed, blacksmiths at The Oaks and Camden, horse breeders, w…[Read more]

This blog post discusses the mid-century houses of the Camden NSW area that were built as part of the economic growth and development created by the Burragorang coalfields. These houses were built between the Second World War and the early 1970s, have a variety of residential architectural styles and are located south of the town centre, in…[Read more]

This blog post tells the story behind the Camden Teamsters Memorial in John Street, Camden, NSW.
The memorial is a tribute to the teamsters, bullockies and carriage drivers who travelled the Yerranderie Road between the mining town of Yerranderie and Camden through the Burragorang Valley.
The memorial has a rear wheel from a flat-top wagon, a…[Read more]

This blog post gives an overview of the Camden Material and Colour Guide. The guide provides property owners of heritage buildings in the Camden Heritage Conservation Area with tips and hints on restoration and conservation of their houses. The guide provides colour schemes on building exteriors and interiors by housing styles between 1840 and…[Read more]

This blog post is about a spring festival in Camden, NSW, called Celebrate Camden.
The brainchild of Vicki Sutherland from the Camden Chamber of Commerce, it aimed to promote Camden as a viable tourist and shopping destination.
The festival had mixed success and was held in 1994 and 1995, to be replaced by the Cowpastures Bicentennial.

All around the community in the Macarthur region are cultural artefacts that are representations of the settler-colonial narrative of the Cowpastures, which was variously a colonial frontier, a government reserve, and a formal region.
Today, the material culture of the Cowpastures is hidden in plain sight and appears to have been ‘forgotten’ by…[Read more]

This is a preprint of the Conclusion to a book called A History of Camden Chinese Market Gardeners 1899-1993 edited by Ian Willis and others

Comprised of soft glacial cliffs and sandy beaches, the southeastern coastline of Ireland is dominated by unconsolidated Quaternary-aged sediments with fewer rock exposures than Ireland’s other coasts. Facing Britain across a rough sea, County Wexford has been prone to incursions from both political and environmental forces throughout history. T…[Read more]

In Camden, NSW, every November, the streets are ablaze with shades of purple. Walking around the town’s streets, you will see the current flush of purples, mauves, lilac and lavender along Argyle Street, Broughton Street, John Street and Macarthur Park. People are entranced by the magic of the town’s ‘sea of lavender’ as Peter Butler from…[Read more]

This article explores the co-constitution of networks and infrastructure in the context of late eighteenth- and nineteenth-century culture. We consider Maria Edgeworth’s conceptualization of the term network with and alongside infrastructure in her Harry and Lucy stories (1801–25) and offer an analysis of a manuscript tour by Mary Anne Eade fro…[Read more]

The 2007 Camden Library and Camden Museum redevelopment project resulted in a community collaboration to create a mix of public artworks.
Camden Council Cultural Development Coordinator Angela Pasqua led the collaboration process. Participants included school children, TAFE students, artists and sculptors.
Camden Council commissioned the…[Read more]

The Narellan Heritage Walking Tour is an interesting and informative way to observe and learn about the history and heritage of this Cowpastures village.
First published in 2010 by photographers Kylie and Peter Lyons.

This article contributes to understanding regionalism by using a case study of the Camden district.
It is now hard to imagine now, but in days gone by, the township of Camden was the centre of a large district. The Camden district became the centre of people’s daily lives for over a century and the basis of their sense of place and community i…[Read more]

This paper provides a background on the life and times of Graeme Clark, a founder of the area of biomedical engineering and the cochlear implant, who grew up in the small town of Camden, NSW.
The life and times of Professor Graeme Clark, the pioneer of the Cochlear Implant, are part of the Camden story. He was a local boy who made good, improved…[Read more]

This article contributes to the story of festivals and their importance to local communities in New South Wales.
In September this year, a local history festival, Unlock Camden, was held in the community of Camden at
the beginning of History Week. In its fifth year, the festival has aimed to unlock the stories and images
of the local area and…[Read more]

In 2023, a new museum opened in Tbilisi, at the Writer’s House of Georgia that previously house the Soviet Writers’ Union: The Museum of Repressed Writers. The museum honours the executed poets from Georgia’s Soviet past, poets whose identities Soviet authorities tried to destroy. This article examines the story the museum tells about Soviet l…[Read more]

CAMDEN HISTORY, Journal of the Camden Historical Society Inc.
Ian Willis (editor)
Contents
Ian Willis, ‘Graeme Clark, a world-famous Camden identity’. p237
Graeme Clark, ‘Laureate Professor Graeme Clark AC, Pioneer of the Multi-channel Cochlear Implant /Bionic Ear’. p3242
Julianne Figar, ‘Yellamundie (the storyteller)’ p 255
Aidan Whittard,…[Read more]