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Spring has come again and we begin a new phase of work on the courthouse. Recently we invited General Manager Warrick Bennett and Gary Bruce from the Mid Western Regional Council to vist the courthouse. The purpose of the visit was to provide a progress update and to talk about future work and funding. Mr Bennett has agreed to provide some additional direct assitance from Council based on a list of items to be supplied by the Courthouse Advisary Committee. These things may cover items such as paint for the old water tank, protective staining for the new verandah and assistance with earthworks around the building site. Additional activities taking place at the site right now include repair and installation of locks, repair of windows and final works on the toilets to make them useable. This includes fixing new doors and the installation of toilet and hand basin. Plumbing has been installed and a lovely floor made from local slate has been laid. The existing funding that had been allocated to the courthouse has been put to good use and is almost finished. This means we will be applying for new funding from appropriate grants. This can be a complex and lengthy task. In the mean time we will continue with the work that we are able to complete. A great deal of time and effort has been given by our local volunteers who have offered a range of valuable skills toward the repair and restoration work. Working bees are held on one Sunday morning each month, usually the second Sunday of the month, but check notices at the Hargraves Shop, the Nugget News and the web site for details of each working bee. (www.hargravesnsw.com.au). Finally, Christmas is in the air again with all those decorations on display in the stores! Last year’s Carols at the Courthouse were a great success. The courthouse glowed with warm light and the sound of singing and laughing after many years of silence. This year the Carols will be held on Friday 21st December, starting at 7pm. Bring a picnic, some chairs and good cheer. Watch for more details in the Nugget News, notices in the shop and on the Hargraves Web site. If you have any suggestions to help make this a great night just let any of the Hargraves Courthouse Committee members know. (Julie Wilson, Sally Colley, Greg Lawson, Terry Campbell & Leonie Cridland).

Hargraves Courthouse Update By now you will be noticing some very visible improvements to our courthouse. The air of neglect is lifting and the old building is looking forward to a new future as active part of Hargraves community life.Most notably you will have seen the new fence being built by Garth Rodrom. This fence follows a traditional style and technique based on some early photos, historical notes and local research on similar fences. Garth is continuing work on the fence and we know he will appreciate your encouraging wave if you pass by! The new verandah is now complete and has given the building quite a lift. The timber verandah is based on an early photo which clearly shows the old timber boards in place. There is a small amount of tidying up to be done around the edges now to finish off the job.   The plumbers have returned and finished the plumbing for the roof helping to prevent further water damage to the building. They have also finished initial work on the plumbing for the old toilets at the rear of the building.  During one of the recent clean-ups Julie recovered some of the original locks and keys for doors to the building. These will be restored to their places in the near future. A supplier was found for these unusual locks and we are now able to provide matching locks for all the doors where needed. To our great delight, a square water tank has been located and transported to the Courthouse site. The Courthouse originally had several of these old shipping ballast tanks as water tanks. This tank will be cleaned and readied to be installed. If you know where a tank such as this is located we’d love to hear from you. These are difficult to find and will add to the authenticity of our restoration and preservation efforts. 

Our next Courthouse working-bees are from 9am-11am :

v      Sunday 8^th July
v      Sunday 12^th August
v      Sunday 9^th September 

If you haven’t had a look at the new improvements we encourage you to wander up and sit a while on the new verandah while you imagine how life must have been in years gone by. Or, come along to our next working bee, have a look through the building and find out what is in store next.