The oldest remaining timber building in Inverell and the local couple who are breathing new life into it are the latest to feature in a serious of short films produced by the Office of Environment and Heritage, celebrating heritage heroes throughout NSW.
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Carole and Mark McNeil received a NSW Government Heritage Activation Grant in 2017 and have used it to renovate, repair and remodel “The Farmhouse”, a timber building dating back to 1867.
Heritage Near Me manager Christian Hampson said the couple were chosen as part of the video series as they epitomise the community-based approach needed to help preserve local heritage.
“Often the best way to protect our local heritage is to share it with others and build a mutual appreciation for it.
“The Heritage Heroes series is about acknowledging the amazing projects that people are undertaking as part of our Heritage Activation grants process.
“We’re hoping other people will look at these short films and be inspired to undertake their own heritage based initiatives.
“In the case of the McNeils, they worked with the Inverell Shire Council and Inverell Family History Group to put the history of their community front and centre in their café business.
“They received a $100,000 Heritage Near Me grant, which enabled them to provide wheelchair access to their historic building, reinstate the original awning and incorporate local heritage artefacts.
“But they didn’t stop at reactivating the old building, they also captured the historic atmosphere by installing a mural of historic photographs and including an in-store display featuring local moulds from the former Inverell foundry.
“The McNeils video Remembering the General Merchants is the latest in the Heritage Heroes series which also features projects from Temora, Coonabarabran and Berridale.
“The people featured in each of these videos take their role as custodians of heritage very seriously and their generosity in sharing these innovative projects is really commendable,” Mr Hampson said.
Other Heritage Hero featured projects are:
- 'Saving the Royal’: the story of the Rickert family and their journey from purchasing to reactivating a hotel in Coonabarabran
- ‘Walking the Line’ which follows the restoration of the historic 1890s Temora Railway Precinct and the development of an interpretive walk.
- ‘Animal, mineral, vegetable’: the story of a project between Berridale Public School, CSIRO Volunteer Scientist Dr Bill Crozier and the Snowy River Historical Society, who share the Crozier Science and Heritage Museum in Berridale Public School.
