The weekend Sunrise film crew and weather presenter, James Tobin, arrived in Yass early Sunday morning for a taste of Hume's Heyday Festival to be held this weekend Sunday April 26.
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The presenters and volunteers of the festival showcased the amazing history of Cooma Cottage by presenting several different groups that will be around this Saturday, showing an array of demonstrations in anticipation for the weekend.
Manager of Cooma Cottage for the National Trust NSW, Dr Rick Williams, said that the purpose of the event is to raise the awareness of Cooma Cottage's national heritage.
“We are doing it to help understand a bit about life in colonial Australia - the basis of our Australian culture - and to promote Cooma Cottage as one of Australia's most important historic buildings,” Mr Williams said.
“We do all this with a sense of fun. Our idea is for visitors to enjoy a different experience in the historic setting of Cooma Cottage - the home of one of our greatest explorers, Hamilton Hume.”
Weekend Sunrise producers contacted Mr Williams before Easter to come to present the weather at the Cooma Cottage site.
“I suspect they saw the article in the Canberra Times and they probably thought it was a great place to have their weekend weather! And it was a perfect day for it,” he said.
As households around the country tuned into Sunrise on Sunday morning to see snapshots of Cooma Cottage, Mr Williams said it was a once in a lifetime opportunity.
“I was on duty Sunday afternoon and three separate families from Canberra turned up after seeing the program and wanted to come and have a look at what we were doing.
“That worked immediately! But we will tell if people were really paying attention next weekend.”
Mr Williams described James Tobin as a ‘smooth operator’, professional, with an eye for the quirky and fun.
“He appreciated the liveliness and that’s what it was really about. The cameraman and the sound guys were all so helpful and kept us in the loop about how things were going to operate.”
“I spoke to a cameraman and he just loved it; he does this sort of thing all the time but he said coming out to a country town, where it was a special event where people are all acting ... he just had a great time and said it was great to see.”
“I said to James that I often get calls wanting to organise two nights accommodation because they think we’re Cooma Cottage in ‘Cooma’, like a bed and breakfast, so from that point on he kept saying Cooma Cottage Yass, in Yass, so that was great.”
Cooma Cottage is owned by the National Trust NSW which is a not-for-profit charitable organisation and does not get funding from the government.
“We are trying to look after a heritage property of national importance on a shoestring budget, it just has to be re-addressed,” he said.
All the presenters and helpers at the Hume Heyday festival are volunteers from the local district and beyond, who give their time and energy to create a picture of life in Yass in the 19th century.
Hume's Heyday Festival is on 10am to 4pm on Sunday April 26, come along and experience how life was in colonial times. Beware of the bush-rangers and behave - the mounted ‘police’ will be on site! Lunches, teas, coffee and ice-cream are available, and there will be live music, poetry recitals, colonial games, local artwork, local wine and local jams for sale. Admission for adults is $10 and children under 15 is free.