Gowrie NSW awarded 2023 Cultural Heritage Awards for bowling club transformation

Gowrie NSW is one of several local people and projects from the regional community of Orange in New South Wales to have been recognised in the 2023 Cultural Heritage Awards.

 

Presented on Friday 18 August, the awards acknowledge buildings and individuals in the community who have gained recognition for their contribution to the city’s cultural and historical significance.

 

The awards, which are held every two years, are an initiative of Orange City Council’s Cultural Heritage Community Committee and aim to recognise and encourage outstanding contributions to cultural heritage conservation, education and interpretation within the Orange City Council area.

 

“I am pleased to be able to recognise these projects and individuals for their contributions to cultural heritage conservation,” said Chair of the Cultural Heritage Community Committee, Cr Gerald Power.

 

“It’s great to see when someone takes the time to maintain and conserve the city’s older buildings for future generations to enjoy.” 

 

Cr Power congratulated all the winners for their outstanding achievement towards cultural heritage conservation, education and interpretation.

 

Gowrie NSW was recognised for its Gowrie Newstead Early Education, Care and Preschool service at 47-49 Hill Street, Orange or transforming the former Newstead Bowling Club into an early childhood education and care (ECEC) service.

“We are delighted to be acknowledged for our work at Newstead, Orange,” said Gowrie NSW CEO Nicole Jones. 

 

“It has been wonderful to breathe life into a place that holds so many memories for people in the community. Honouring the heritage of the building with a contemporary twist in supporting the education of the next generation of thinkers was core to the design along with the structural elements of quality.” 

 

The vision of the Newstead service at the time of development was to ensure the space aligned with Gowrie’s strategy of demonstrating high quality practice, sharing expertise and learning with the broader ECEC community. 

 

“The floor to ceiling glass and observation space will enable, in time, practitioner inquiry visits with teachers, educators and students,” Ms Jones explained. 

 

The large central piazza floods the service with natural light, one of the many “gems” which was unearthed as Gowrie NSW transformed the space. 

“Every aspect of the space from the heritage gardens, the parquetry floors and the massive skylight which now drenches the space with natural light has been lovingly restored,” she continued. 

 

“The gardens were retained and enhanced to create a park-like environment for children to explore, and Gowrie’s pedagogy team carefully curated every book, every puzzle and every piece of furniture, to support children’s agency and their potential.”

 

Other award winners include the restoration of 87 Byng Street, the adaptive reuse of an existing building by Orange Local Aboriginal Lands Council, and an award for infill development in relation to property at 107 March Street.

 

Four people received individual awards for their contribution to the cultural heritage of Orange:

 

• Sharon Jameson and Margaret Nugent were recognised for their work identifying, researching and commemorating the district’s WWI service personnel 
• Tom Miller of Metal as Anything for the restoration of metal work at Orange Cemetery
• Wiradjuri Elder, Uncle Neil Ingram for his ongoing contribution and service to the Aboriginal cultural heritage of Orange for more than 40 years.

 

Find more information about Gowrie Newstead please see here.