Coalfields Local History Association Inc.

Fees for Research Services

Coalfields Local History Association is now offering to assist with local and family history research.

Please supply as much information as available e.g. Names of family members, birth, death, marriage and burial details etc.

Fees - $25 per research request. NON REFUNDABLE.

If a significant amount of information is located the person making the request would then be contacted and be advised of the additional information and any additional fees that will apply, including any copying or postage where applicable and asked if they wish to proceed.

Requests are to be paid for prior to any research being undertaken.

Banking details:

Name:   Coalfields Local History Association Inc
Institution:  Newcastle Building Society Kurri Kurri branch
BSB:   650000
A/c No:  540011202
Subject:  Research Request

Library Research Grows

The Sir Edgeworth David Memorial Museum's extensive local history library and archives continue to grow.

The total number of Hunter Valley towns and settlement histories is extensive and It is amazing just how the number of towns and settlements continues to grow as more and more research is undertaken.

We are a Historical Society for whom history, particularly local history always comes first. 

The extensive history retained by the Sir David Edgeworth Memorial Museum includes:

  • Coal Mines and their history
  • Cemeteries
  • Councils
  • Biographies
  • Schools - including photos; and
  • Hunter Politicians

This is a list of just some of the fantastic history and heritage we hold in the museum.

Our research is growing each year. We have been successful in obtaining various grants to help us with this. The library has been steadily growing with the help of the funding we have received.

When schools bring students to visit us it isn't just the children who go home with added knowledge, it is also teachers, parents and carers.


The Percy Sternbeck Collection

We are digitising many of the photos taken by the late Percy Sternbeck, featuring local scenes back in the seventies and eighties.


Percy Sternbeck Collection
Australian soldier

World War 1

We are currently working with Towns with Hearts and the University of Newcastle preparing interactive timelines for the Alexander Galloways Lost Diggers of Weston Project.

We have recommenced producing research pages of the Hunter's involvement in this war, both at home and at the front.

Mostly this project has been unfunded, but the Department of Veteran Affairs has given us a grant in 2014 and as the project was still needing more pages to complete we were able to obtain more funding to continue our research into 2018.

This funding has helped us extend all areas of our  World War 1 research. We have many personal records of both Soldiers and Nurses who served our country added into our library collection.

At different times over the past twenty years we have undertaken this massive project. This has already resulted in us having arguably the most extensive library of the Hunter's involvement in WW1.