The historic village of Mt Kembla will be the place to be this Sunday as the primary school’s annual fete, known as A Day on the Lawn, coincides with the commemoration of the 1902 mine disaster, and the finish of the mountain-to-mountain (M2M) Greenacres fundraising run (or walk).
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“Our school has such a rich history and A Day on the Lawn is all about bringing the Mt Kembla and surrounding communities together, allowing the opportunity for the past generations to reflect and for the new to learn to appreciate what has unfolded before them within their community,” the school’s events organiser Tennille Dewhurst said.
Monday, July 31 is the 115th anniversary of the mine disaster, where a gas explosion claimed the lives of 96 men and boys.
Elizabeth Roberts, chair of the Mt Kembla Mining Heritage group, said an exhibition, and an old-time photo booth, will be set up in the school for the fete.
She said the disaster, and how the village pulled together in its aftermath, still held the village together.
“There are a lot of people in the village who are descended from the victims of the disaster. They come along every year to the 96 candles commemoration.”
The M2M challenge starts at the base of Mt Keira, at Edmund Rice college, and takes participants through a series of steep ascents and dips before finishing on Mt Kembla. Shuttle buses will then take people to the village for the fete.
And in keeping with the open-to-all theme, retirement provider IRT is trialling an all-ages short course at the M2M Challenge. Rather than the full 13.6km, it’s a 6km version that’s mostly downhill.
