With the Renew Australia Conference about the kick off its time to tell you some exciting news….
You can read more about the conference on Amy’s blogpost, and at the conference website.
We have four BAA members in attendance. Add them to the City who are also sending four delegates and we have a great opportunity to begin the work with actual spaces in Ballarat. BAA has worked incredibly hard on virtual spaces with the launch of ArtsAtlas. Actual spaces have not been forgotten we are just now clear to turn our eye upon them…
You will remember that we have posted regularly about the event on facebook, at actual events and here on the baa.mx to encourage our members to apply for the subsidy offered by Renew Australia to attend the conference. Thankfully a few of you applied for that subsidy and Amy Tsilemanis was successful in getting a complete subsidy (free rego, accommodation & travel), while Haydn Smith, Andrew Gray and Ailsa Brackley du Bois were all successful in gaining free registration.
We are really proud to announce that on that back of those efforts we requested the City support these people (our people, BAA people) to attend by providing travel and accommodation. And fabulously they came to the party. These BAA folk will be posting for us, picturing for us and presenting their ideas, connections, contacts and concepts upon their return.
So it’s with pleasure that we give you Haydn Smiths first post. Have a great conference you BAAers and bring us back some fabulous ways to activate the spaces in this city. With so many great spaces currently in disuse like the Training Station Goods Shed & Dining Room, the Coach House, Civic Hall, Provicnail Hotel and more, its time we illuminated them with birghts lights and put them to creative use.
Here’s Haydn:
Arrived Newcastle Friday night to spend the weekend with a friend and take in the feel of the place before the Renew Australia Creating Spaces conference. Serviced by it’s own passenger terminal, the road into the city from the airport cannot help but remind you this is principally an industrial port town. Great machines line the road loading Hunter Valley coal into ships destined for the rest of the world.
Like Ballarat, Newcastle was born as a mining town, instead of the short lived gold of Ballarat, Newcastle was endowed with coal and is still one of the world’s largest coal exporters. The town’s economy expanded to produce steel until the end of the 20th century when BHP closed down the steel works and 12,000 jobs were taken out of the community.
Newcastle has approximately three times as many inhabitants as Ballarat and according to the Property Council of Australia is Australia’s 4th most liveable city. Significant redevelopment of the industrial lands along the harbour, once occupied by BHP, has taken place to produce a “Southbank” like promenade including the “West End” precinct with many Commercial buildings.
Like Ballarat, Newcastle is divided into three 3 precincts: West End – the Commercial hub, Civic – the Legal, educational and cultural precinct, East End – the retail, leisure and residential destination. Like Ballarat, Newcastle is also endowed with many significant 19th century buildings. Even though a significant number of buildings were lost in the earthquake of 1989 many have been redeveloped and re-adapted overtime for contemporary usage.
The Museum is located in the Civic and Cultural precinct is one such building. Originally Railway workshops they have been re-adapted for their new use, not only containing a history of the cultural and social life of the city but also reminding us of the city’s architectural history. As expected the Museum has a large section devoted Coal mining and Steel smelting, but also exhibitions displaying the cultural, social and work life and achievements of the residents of Newcastle.
The Town Hall and Art Gallery are also located in this Civic precinct where we will be spending most of our time during the conference. I head off down to the East End precinct for a quick swim in the Ocean Pool, Newcastle also has a beach culture, and then for some tapas from a packed restaurant before heading to my bed for the night.
Haydn Smith
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