Blacktown & District Historical Society

12/04/2026

Last Saturday 13 volunteers from the Blacktown and District Historical Society attended the 2026 Seven Hills Festival at the Grantham Reserve on Mississippi Road, Seven Hills where we had our stall. The weather was beautiful!
A big THANK YOU to all the local residents who visited our stall and said: ‘Hello!’
Our Society’s members are always happy to talk to people about our area’s history and heritage. We were able to give away free brochures summarising Seven Hills’ history and display our local history publications and some old images from Blacktown City’s past.

02/04/2026

Blacktown and District Historical Society will be holding its next meeting this coming Monday night on Easter Monday 6 April 2026 at 7.30 pm in the Bungarribee Hub near Doonside at 20 Sir Hercules Parade Bungarribee. Come and hear about Joseph Cook a most outstanding Australian politician and citizen who is Blacktown City’s only local representative to become Australia’s Prime Minister. He was the sixth Australian Prime Minister in 1913 and 1914. He was the Federal Member for the Seat of Parramatta which included the Blacktown City localities from 1901 to 1906, the only Blacktown City Federal Member to be Prime Minister of Australia. He led Australia as part of the British Empire and declared war on Germany in August 1914 and the Turks (Ottoman Empire) in October 1914. By April 1915 Australian soldiers were fighting in Gallipoli against the Turks.

Photo: Joseph Cook, on the left, Australian Prime Minister, 1913-1914 with Alfred Deakin, Prime Minister of Australia, 1903-1904, 1905-1908 and 1909-1910. Joseph Cook served in Deakin’s Government from 1909-1910 as Minister For Defence and he was Deputy Prime Minister of Australia in Billy Hughes’ National Government and the Minister For the Navy during World War One.

26/03/2026

Last Sunday members from the Blacktown and District Historical Society visited several locations in the Plumpton area to view buildings and a site to do with the wealthy entrepreneur and multi-millionaire of his day Walter Lamb. He purchased land in the Rooty Hill area in the early 1870s and by1878 he had built his local residence “Woodstock House.” By 1890 his land had been subdivided into orchards that supplied fruit for his cannery (1887). He also established a greyhound course called a “plumpton’ in 1880 which gave the suburb its name. He became bankrupt after financially over-committing himself and being unable to repay his debts. He died in 1906.

21/03/2026

21/03/2026

Tomorrow, on Sunday 22 March 2026 at 6 Hobson Place, Plumpton, members of the Blacktown and District Historical Society are meeting at 10 am to view the historic mansion, Woodstock House. Drive yourself there, park and gather with the group outside. All welcome. Other venues will be visited.
Woodstock House was built by a wealthy entrepreneur, Walter Lamb who introduced the ‘plumpton’ style of greyhound coursing to NSW. His nearby greyhound course was overlooked by Woodstock House. He also built the Woodstock Fruit Cannery and Processing Works that employed hundreds of local workers. He was a pioneer of the Plumpton area and died a bankrupt in 1906.

09/03/2026

On Saturday 7 March 2026 the Blacktown and District Historical Society volunteer group attended the 2026 Blacktown Show. We were set up near the Arts and Crafts Buildings. It was a very hot and humid start to the Blacktown Show and a rainy finish. The great turnout of Blacktown & District Historical Society members ensured the stall was set up early ready for the trickle of people who ambled past to browse, chat and purchase the amazing range of publications and information folders on display. Three other members of the team rocked up during the day to relieve some of the team who had worked since the crack of dawn (or so it felt)!

01/03/2026

On Sunday 1 March 2026 at the Castlebrook Memorial Park a commemoration ceremony for the Battle of Vinegar Hill from 4 March 1804 was held organised jointly by the Blacktown City Council and the Castlebrook Memorial Park. Speakers at the ceremony were Aunty Julie Jones for the Dharug, the Mayor of Blacktown, Brad Bunting, Michelle Rowland MP, Attorney-General of Australia and Federal Member for Greenway and the Irish Ambassador to Australia, Her Excellency Fiona Flood. Wreaths were laid to commemorate the fallen and Irish Traditional Music was performed. Neil Smith our President and John Horne our Secretary attended on behalf of the Blacktown and District Historical Society Inc.

25/02/2026

OUR NEXT MEETING IS ON MONDAY, 2 MARCH 2026 AT 7:30 pm
AT THE BUNGARRIBEE COMMUNITY HUB
20 Sir Hercules Parade, Bungarribee. Our Guest Speaker is Lynne James, whose talk is entitled WOMEN IN POLITICS.

Lynne’s topic is appropriate as 8 March is International Women’s Day. Although half the population of Australia comprises women, it is sobering to think that, in spite of Australia leading the world by giving its women citizens the right to vote in 1901, many years passed before women were represented in Local Council, State Parliaments and the Australian Parliament. In other countries the situation for women was much worse.

Please come along and stay for supper.

25/02/2026

On Tuesday 3 March 2026 there is an OPEN DAY and a WALK AROUND THE PARK at the Grantham Heritage Park at 71 Seven Hills Road South Seven Hills starting at 9.30 am and the walk at 10 am. Come along and have a sticky-beak at the 3 Heritage Buildings inside the park. This event is for NSW Seniors Festival but you don't have to be a senior to come along!

09/02/2026

Last Monday night, the Blacktown and District Historical Society examined mysterious artefacts during their Public Meeting at the Bungarribee Hub. Both members and guests found the event highly engaging and educational. Next month, Lynne James will give a talk on ‘Women in Politics’ at 7:30 pm, Monday, 2 March 2026, as part of our celebration of International Women’s Day 2026.

29/01/2026

And in other news:

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT JACK BROOK OAM

Government House CANBERRA ACT 2600
26 January 2026
Australia Day 2026 Honours List: Awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM):

Mr Jack BROOK
Seven Hills NSW 2147
For service to community history.

Some local history books Jack wrote include Blacktown - A Name of Character, From Canton with Courage, The Seven Hills – A Village Divided, A Suburb United, Seven Hills in Pictures and Shut Out from the World: The Hawkesbury Aboriginal Reserve and Mission1889-1948. In collaboration with Dr Jim Kohen Jack produced the book The Parramatta Native Institution and the Black Town: A History. Without Jack’s contribution to finding out about what and when it happened in the Blacktown City area and where it happened, our knowledge of the local area’s history would be very much depleted and the lesser for it. He is one of the premier local historians in Blacktown City.

Pam and Jack Brook

29/01/2026

Blacktown and District Historical Society will be holding its first public meeting for 2026 next Monday night at 7.30 pm at the Bungarribee Hub at 20 Sir Hercules Parade Bungarribee (off Doonside Road).

Helen Cassidy is going to tell us how to interrogate an artefact. Why would you interrogate an artefact? Good question. Sometimes someone in your family presents you with something and they have no idea and you have no idea what is was and what it was used for. So if that is you then this talk is just what you need: you will learn how to interrogate the artefact and what you might discover when you do that. Supper is served after the talk and you are very welcome to come along, even if you aren’t a member.