NEW HOME: A digital impression of how Emmaville cottage will look near the Adventure Playground. 0608emmaville
THE Adventure Playground will be the new home to a dilapidated cottage thought to be the birthplace of poet Banjo Paterson.
Orange City councillors abandoned plans to relocate Emmaville cottage from near Waratah Sports Club to the Orange Botanic Gardens, instead settling on the site near the Northern Distributor Road.
Cr Neil Jones said the move was a good outcome with the site allowing for adequate security fencing around the playground and cottage.
Orange Rotary president-elect Mick Doyle said the club would now be able to move ahead with plans to relocate the cottage and begin restoration.
“We’re quite happy with the decision,” he said.
“We’ve been advised that it can be jacked up and moved as is and restored on site.
“We’ve got a little bit of preparatory work to go, a chimney to be demolished and bees to eradicate.”
He said the location near the busy distributor would ensure the cottage remained secure and near its original location.
Council has agreed to fund the ongoing maintenance of the cottage while Rotary will pay for the relocation and call for assistance from the community to make the move possible.
“We’re always looking for more help,” Mr Doyle said.
“We’ll accept any donations and we’ll be approaching businesses for funding partnerships.”
He said the club was working with the Orange and District Historical Society to find out more “snippets” of the cottage’s history on the Narrambla Estate.
“We’re trying to capture the stories of the families who lived on Narrambla,” Mr Doyle said.
“At one stage there were 32 families living there, it was almost a village.
“We’d love people to come forward.”
The club hopes the cottage will be incorporated in celebrations for Banjo Paterson’s 150th birthday in 2014.
All are welcome to the committee meeting at 5pm on June 26 at Waratahs to discuss the move.
clare.colley@ruralpress.com