ALMOST 10 years after a query for information piqued the interest of the Port Stephens Family Historical Society, a new chapter in the Port's illustrious history is set to be revealed.
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The Lemon Tree Passage-based historical society will release a new book early next year, detailing the story of how close to 600 Portuguese and Timorese people lived at a Bobs Farm refugee camp during World War II.
"It [refugee camp] was not known to a lot of people," society member Lorraine Cottam said.
"During World War II, everything was quite hush hush. Nobody knew they were there."
The society was granted $2000 this year through Arts NSW's Cultural Grants Program to fund the publication of the book, Bobs Farm Cadre Camp, which has been close to a decade in the making.
What started out as a "little booklet" turned into something quite a lot more following years of research, firsthand accounts, obtaining photographs and buying documents and records to confirm and expand upon titbits of information.
It all started when a query to the Raymond Terrace Historical Society was made from a nurse, Dorothy Turner, who is believed to have worked at the camp in 1943.
It was passed to the family society, which kindled Mrs Cottam's interest and who pursued it - even meeting Mrs Turner in 2004.
After years of the research laying around in Mrs Cottam's Boat Harbour home and at the society's rooms in the Lemon Tree Passage old school centre, a friend of the historian, Yvonne Fraser, said she would put it all together for a book.
In the process of being put together now, Bobs Farm Cadre Camp is set to be released next year by the historical society.
