The realities of living rural in the Hunter 100 years ago and stories of the men that served during WWI will be shared at Sketchley Pioneer Cottage and Museum next week.
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Raymond Terrace and District Historical Society are opening the heritage listed cottage, built around 1839, to the public and sharing information about the area’s WWI soldiers on April 23 as part of the Australian National Trust’s heritage festival.
“It’s a national event,” historical society president Ken Barlow said.
“The National Trust contacted historical society’s throughout Australia to participate [in the festival] in the lead up to Anzac Day.”
Voices from the Past will be held at Sketchley Pioneer Cottage and Museum in Raymond Terrace between 10am and 2pm.
There will be stories, poems, and readings plus audio visuals.
The day will feature a reading from the diary of Arthur Ernest Keppie, killed in action at Gallipoli, and poems written by Turkish students.
Newcastle City Choir will perform at 11.30am.
Light refreshments will be available, and there will be tours of the cottage and museum.
The cottage is a rare convict built, timber slab farm house.
It was built on the riverbank at Eagleton and was lived in by William Sketchley – a convict – and his family.
Mr Sketchley married twice. He fathered 16 children, of which 10 lived.
The cottage was originally a one room house.
It was enlarged as added to as the family grew.
Mr Sketchley died in 1884. His second wife, Jane, died in 1902. They are both buried in Morpeth Cemetary.
The cottage was donated to the Raymond Terrace historical society in 1976.
In a bad state of disrepair, the society decided to move the cottage to Raymond Terrace in 1977.
After a lot of restoration work by the society, the cottage was opened in 1979.
It is now furnished and shown to the public as an early settler’s home.
Entry into the cottage on April 23 is by donation.