John & Christine Page, and Margaret Cook
On Thursday the 17th of November, the Ipswich Library and Information Service held an information session on how to research and restore your historic house. Several special guests were invited to speak at the event including John and Chirstine Page – the proud owners of “Hinemoa” a restored Queenslander in Sadliers Crossing – and Margaret Cook a local Ipswich historian and author of the book “Every house has a history”.
The “Houses full of history” workshop was attended by a number of Ipswich community members interested in unraveling the history of their house and discovering possible avenues to explore when restoring it to the former state. Sally Hetherington, the Digital Archivist of the Picture Ipswich database, was also present and spoke about a number of historic house photographs that are available to view through the “Picture Ipswich” database. Margaret Cook also supplied the audience with some excellent information from her “Every house has a history” book, including who to consult and what resources to use on your research journey.
John and Christine Page’s story followed their journey from dream to reality detailing events such as the purchasing of the house “Hinemoa”, discovering its heritage and namesake, restoring each room to its original state and finally the process of opening up the built-in verandah. Their story was an excellent example of the hard work involved in the restoration process but also gave insight into the reward upon the houses’ completion.
This workshop was an excellent opportunity and information session for any person interested in restoring their home, discovering the history of their house, or even learning a little more about the houses of Ipswich. We thank everyone who participated in the event.