10am – 12pm

Invisible Gosford: A History Walk

Nancy Cushing, Rob Waters, Chris Krogh, Laurie Allen, Chris Beer, Ryan Stewart, Kathleen Butler, Yantra de Vilder

$30 + booking fee

Stroll through downtown Gosford with us, and go beyond the grunge and grit to unearth surprising layers of history about this much-maligned, little-understood urban centre. Commencing at Gosford Memorial Park and meandering down Mann St, we will hear about roller-skating rinks, brutalist architecture, train hoppers, and much more. We will catch a glimpse of first contact history, and be treated to spoken word and a short piano performance. Wander with us.

Presented in partnership with University of Newcastle.

Nancy Cushing

Nancy Cushing is Associate Professor in History at the University of Newcastle and for many years was based at their Ourimbah Campus. An environmental historian whose interests range from coal mining to human-other animal relations, she is the author of A History of Crime in Australia (Routledge 2023) and hopes to see a New History of Australia in 15 Animals out later this year (Bloombury).

Rob Waters

Rob Waters is a Gomeroi multidisciplinary artist and the 2023 Australian Poetry Slam Champion. With over 25 years of experience in cultural education and community development, his powerful spoken word performance is deeply grounded in culture and activism. Rob is a dedicated educator, creative producer, and renowned storyteller based on Darkinjung Country.

Chris Krogh

Prior to working in university, Chris Krogh’s professional roles included counselling (for young people and their families), child protection and out-of-home care casework, youth sector development, NSW government policy rollout (specifically, Keep them Safe child protection reforms) and program evaluation.

Laurie Allen

Laurie grew up on the Central Coast of NSW and has a long-term interest in Aboriginal history.  He has an Honours degree in German and English from the University of Sydney and an MPhil in Modern British and European History from the University of Oxford. In 2022 he completed a doctorate at the University of Newcastle, researching the history of the Indigenous people of the Central Coast. He lives at the southern end of the Lake Macquarie.

Chris Beer

Chris Beer is an urban historian affiliated with the University of Newcastle.  He has recently undertaken research into seachange migration and the suburbanisation of the Central Coast in the second half of the twentieth century.  This included studying the rise of long-distance commuting to Sydney.  He has also published research on broader histories of commuting in Sydney and Melbourne.

Ryan Stewart

Ryan Stewart has been a high school History teacher for twenty years, working at schools both on the Central Coast and in Sydney. He also works as a casual academic and his research interests span from the Ancient Greek and Roman worlds to settler-colonial local historiography in Australia, to histories of American foreign relations, particularly during the 1960s.

Kathleen Butler

Professor Kathleen Butler, a Bundjalung and Worimi woman, is the Director, Indigenous Research at the University of Newcastle. She has worked in Aboriginal Education for over 25 years. As the previous Head of the Wollotuka Institute at the University of Newcastle, Kath led the degree program in Global Indigenous Studies and the recruitment and support of an average of 1500 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students across the university. With long-term experience in Indigenisation of Curriculum and the scholarship of teaching and learning, she is interested in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures and the grounded logics which underpin them.

Yantra de Vilder

For over more than three decades, Yantra de Vilder, has been a key player in Australia’s creative landscape. As an award-winning composer, interdisciplinary media artist, filmmaker, conductor, educator, mentor, an academic with a Doctorate in Creative Arts and as an arts advocate, she has consistently elevated Australian talent both nationally and internationally. Yantra’s work spans music, theatre, film, public installations and cross-cultural collaborations, with a deep commitment to inclusivity, diversity and social impact. Her creative achievements include winning awards at film festivals in New York, London, Paris, Tokyo, Toronto and Berlin, as well as composing and consulting for international broadcasters such as theBBC. She has also played a pivotal role in Australian arts festivals, including the 5 Lands Walk and Vivid Sydney, with innovative installations and productions that engage, educate and inspire the community. Yantra has led major initiatives such as Pianos for the People, a ground-breaking program run with the ABC TV series The Piano, recycling pianos into public and private spaces to spread access to the joy of music for all. Yantra’s body of work reflects not only artistic mastery but also a profound and sustained contribution to the cultural and social fabric of Australia, particularly on the Central Coast in the Avoca Beach community where she lives. Yantra has just released her latest book ‘In Search of The Artistic Moment’ –  a book that considers what it means to live creatively in a noisy, accelerated world. It speaks to all of us who feel deeply, who notice beauty in unexpected places, and who understand that creativity is as much about observing as it is about expression.

UNIVERSITY OF NEWCASTLE

The University of Newcastle, Australia is a world-class university with a strong focus on student experience, excellence in teaching, and research.