INVERGOWRIE SESQUICENTENARY – David K.H. Moffatt – 8 October 2016.
What a privilege it is to have the opportunity to celebrate 150 years of Mitchell Family AND 100 years of Moffatt Family association with Invergowrie! 1866, 1916 and now in 2016 significant years on our family timeline…..What enterprising people James Lowe and Isabella Fletcher Mitchell and John Martin and Mary Cameron Moffatt were! We celebrate their pioneering spirit!
Thank you for making the journey, thank you for your interest! Welcome One and All!
We are indeed honoured to have ALL branches of the Mitchell children born at Invergowrie, who had children, present today….and a very special mention to our only 3rd generation representative ….Diana Deacon (92 years young!) all the way from Perth! Diana is here with her daughter, granddaughter and great granddaughter! Wow!
As a family, a very productive family, we are now celebrating the birth of the first of the 8th generation….that's pretty special and I am sure a claim very few families can make in modern Australia.
In addition to the Mitchell's and the Moffatt's we also have representatives of the Warner's (my grandmother’s family) and the Cameron's (Isabella’s family)….Welcome!
I would like to now acknowledge some other very special groups of people:
First to the 4 generations of family custodians of Invergowrie who preceded us, especially the founding family James Lowe and Isabella Fletcher Mitchell, Ken and Douglas Moffatt….My dad and uncle respectively and Barb and Graham’s brothers…..who like so many before whose spirits surrounds us today.
Second to the first Australians of this area, the Anaiwan people, who so valued the natural environment and trod with the quietest and most respectful footprint upon this land and
Third to my fellow organising committee for this event: Chris Ball, Hugh Mitchell, Ian Telford, my cousin and life long friend David Andrews and his wife Renée and Nick Moffatt – and a special mention to my wife Lindy Shelmerdine, Avon Moffatt, Barb (our branch matriarch who celebrated her 86th birthday on Friday), Kevin Andrews, David Price and Ian Moffatt….Thank you all for your many and varied efforts to support and bring this event and this special place to life.. Thank you!
To Ron Jackson and the New England Antique Machinery Club for restoring the Invergowrie Woolshed steam engine, thoughtfully donated to the machinery club by Marjorie Moffatt, and for firing her up today …what a treat!!
To the musicians of the Armidale Youth Orchestra, some great talent emerging in each of you ….And finally;
Now to our champion crew of incomparable tradies:
First (among equals) is Mr D.E Frazer….the only man who can work with metal, wood & stone, in heat, fierce winds and driving rain and often sleet; who can conceive great structures, design unusual shaped fire pits, solve the unsolvable in the interests of heritage
conservation values…. and add the perfectly timed laconic quip, the man who has played an unequalled role over the last 30 years in the revitalization of Invergowrie – Mr Darrel Frazer, on behalf of everyone here thank you Darrell!
Our Shed builder Mr John Hunt (the man with the license) and his boys Patrick and Tom (who remarkably with mum Kathie have known Invergowrie since childhood), to Stone Masons extraordinaire, Hans and William Model (here with Lyn), Electricians Max and Christopher Schultz, Gardener Tim Pullar, Leading Hand Nick Jordan, Painter Tony Rassati and his niece Di and the master earthmover and road builder Wally Schalk here with his Kylie!
Uralla has the most amazing talent pool of traditional craftsmen and more excitingly 4 of these very talented men have their sons apprenticed!……thank you, thank you one and all!
I would like to turn to 3 important thoughts ….at least for me:
CONNECTION……RENEWAL……..and the FUTURE
We all have some CONNECTION to this place and through hard work by many, many people, though patience and some good fortune it has become everything Doug Moffatt, Ian Telford, Lee Moffatt and I had in mind when Doug, Lee and I purchased it from Graham in 1986…..a gathering place for family, a safe place that transcends any one individual and a place for celebrations, like the wedding of Tammie-Lee and Holly Hunter two years ago and like today..150 years of Mitchell connection, 100 years of Moffatt connection and the opening of our Family Shed!!…….we hope there will be many, many more celebrations!
RENEWAL, I consider that there are just two groups of people….those that have contributed to the sustainability of Invergowrie and those that will. I am so energized by the potential in the next generation to pick up the mantle and really enjoy adding to that renewal, while always valuing and preserving the heritage of this place. This includes the building, the inner garden, the outer garden and the outer, outer garden where very soon our next renewal project, a comprehensive replanting of native trees and grasses, will begin soon.
The FUTURE, well it is in our hands….. I am so excited about the possibility for Invergowrie to remain a gathering place and for the “family shed” or more formally the “Invergowrie Museum” to GROW as a source of knowledge, social history and pride for the many generations to come……framed by the these wonderful buildings and gardens (thank you again Ian Telford) of Invergowrie…..we hope you can feel confident to consider this a safe place for important and significant family records, books, pictures, artifacts and memorabilia, retained in a truly archival quality environment (with Chris Ball as champion curator!), and importantly with full attribution and ownership retained by anyone who contributes any item.
Thank you again for journeying from far and wide ….for your interest, your contribution (past or in anticipation of future contributions) and for attention and belief in the strength of family…….as the philosopher and mythologist Joseph Campbell said “The privilege of a lifetime is being you”!......on days like today it is hard not to shout out loud……I agree!!
Thank you!!