Maitland City Hall of Fame ceremony at Maitland Park | May 28, 2024
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00:00 We're here today to acknowledge six individuals who will be inducted into the Hall of Fame
00:07 and to open this great physical depiction of the Hall of Fame that the Council have
00:14 resolved to produce here at the Rotunda.
00:16 Many of our inductees have lived in Maitland their whole lives.
00:21 Others have joined our community later in life, but all of them have made an important
00:24 contribution to our city.
00:27 Last year Council supported a physical depiction of the Maitland Hall of Fame being established
00:31 here at the Maitland Rotunda.
00:34 This Rotunda has a long history and was built back in 1908.
00:38 Over the years it has been used as a bandstand and a location for concerts and recitals,
00:44 a fernary and even had a fish pond.
00:48 Locating the physical depiction of the Hall of Fame in Maitland Park allows us to celebrate
00:52 and display our Hall of Fame members with the rest of the community.
00:56 At the same time it gives the Maitland Park Rotunda a new focus and purpose as a significant
01:02 structure within Maitland Park.
01:06 Thank you to the City Services team for all their work in making this physical depiction
01:11 happen.
01:12 That word's going to be a problem for me all morning.
01:17 Firstly please put your hands together for 2021 inductee Jane Taylor.
01:32 I'll embarrass Jane a little bit and read a little bit about her before calling forward
01:35 the other five.
01:36 Jane Taylor had a remarkable tennis career that began in her adolescence and spanned
01:40 more than 20 years.
01:42 She represented Maitland at a regional, state and national level.
01:45 In 1984 at age 11 she became the youngest person to win Maitland Sportsperson of the
01:49 Year and was the highest ranking tennis player in the New South Wales Girls 12 Years and
01:53 Under division.
01:55 At the age of 13 Jane won her first international tennis title and went on to win numerous International
02:00 Tennis Federation singles and doubles titles.
02:02 Lance Murray 2021 being collected by his daughter Carolyn Murray.
02:16 Sadly Mr Murray is no longer with us but we appreciate Carolyn coming to collect this
02:19 award on his behalf.
02:21 Lance Murray was a long-time resident of Maitland LGA and demonstrated his devotion to the area
02:25 through his passion of history and with his Aboriginal heritage and service to the community.
02:31 He was highly respected for his advocacy in safeguarding significant local Aboriginal
02:35 sites and artefacts.
02:37 Lance's passion extended to collecting and sharing his knowledge with the community,
02:41 ensuring the preservation of the past for future generations.
02:45 Our next inductee is Colonel Alexander Wilson VD 2023.
02:50 I would ask please for Frederick Good OAM to come forward to accept on his behalf from
02:56 the Maitland sub-branch of the RSL.
03:06 The late Colonel Alexander Wilson VD settled in Maitland in 1832 at the age of six where
03:14 he remained for most of his life.
03:16 He joined the volunteers in 1860 starting as a private.
03:20 His enlistment is shown on the Northumberland Volunteer Rifle Company muster roll in the
03:25 Maitland City Library.
03:27 Eventually Wilson was successful in becoming Lieutenant Colonel of the 4th Infantry Regiment
03:32 displaying his inherited military spirit.
03:36 I would now please ask Peter Woodley to come forward to collect on behalf of our inductee
03:40 Henry Chamberlain Wilson 2023.
03:52 The late Henry Chamberlain Russell was a prominent scientist of the 19th century Australia.
03:58 After attending West Maitland Grammar School he pursued higher education at Sydney University.
04:03 Russell's distinguished career included his position as government astronomer at the Sydney
04:08 Observatory between 1870 and 1905.
04:12 He conducted extensive research and widely published on astronomy, meteorology and earth
04:19 sciences gaining recognition nationally and internationally.
04:23 Russell established an extensive network of weather stations across New South Wales settling
04:29 standards for weather data collection.
04:31 His achievements led to his election as a fellow of the Royal Society in Britain and
04:36 leadership roles in Australian scientific societies.
04:39 I would now please ask Sue Flannery to come forward to collect on behalf of inductee Lieutenant
04:44 Colonel Robert Scobie VD MID.
04:58 Of course Scobie is a name that is very synonymous within Maitland.
05:02 Lieutenant Colonel Robert Scobie VD MID was born in Oakhampton, received his education
05:09 at local schools and was among the first students at Maitland Boys High School in 1884.
05:16 Concurrently he joined the school cadets corps and other community organisations.
05:22 Until his death at Lone Pine in 1915 Scobie resided at Stirling in West Maitland.
05:29 Scobie served his community in the military for 31 years encompassing his service in the
05:34 militia, Boer War and the World War.
05:38 And last but certainly not least could I please ask Terry Bailey to come forward to collect
05:42 on behalf of inductee Robert Fletcher Watson 2023.
05:58 Robert Fletcher Watson was born in Donegal Island but settled in Maitland in 1855.
06:05 Watson gained fame as a remarkable short distance runner.
06:09 He comfortably won his first foot race on Boxing Day in 1872 and achieved notable victories
06:15 including in the Sydney Cup in 1873.
06:20 His race times in 1874 and 1878 along the Belmore Road and Belmore Track remain world
06:27 records to this day.
06:29 Watson drew crowds of thousands of spectators whenever he competed along Belmore Road or
06:35 the Louth Park racecourse.
06:37 After retiring from running Watson remained active in Maitland sports and continued to
06:43 share his passion for athletes within the community.