Original subtitles

[Sibella] Historic houses across Australia

are at risk of being lost forever.

They're links to our past, and should be saved.

In this series, you'll meet families facing the challenge of a lifetime.

[man grunts]

Here we are, dumb and dumber.

Half a million dollars on this? Are we mad ?

They'll quickly realize the sheer scale of the projects...

[man] Not quite what I meant.

..as they restore these ruins to family homes.

I'm Sibella Court.

I'm a designer, author, lover of old houses and restoration.

I'm passionate about old buildings and the need to save our history.

[Sibella] To succeed, our families must learn

dying heritage skills and stick to budget.

He just likes to spend the money.

Bastards. Bastards. Bastards.

Oh, Jo! No, don't!

It's a slow train wreck.

[Sibella] Can they rescue their slice

of Australia's history before it's too late?

This is Restoration Australia.

There's movement in the town of Orange.

The word has passed around

that there's an intriguing house that needs saving.

It's under serious threat, suburbia is encroaching,

and some of the townspeople think

it needs to be bulldozed - it's an eyesore.

[Sibella] But the construction of this house is unique.

It's a kit home,

and some believe it's one of the earliest houses in the colony.

What's more, the house, now known as Emmaville,

may be harboring an incredible secret.

[man] Andrew Barton Paterson was born at Narrambla Station

near Orange in New South Wales on 17 February, 1864.

More than likely, Andrew Barton Paterson, Banjo, was born here.

That's the significance.

Our most iconic poet,

best known for The Man From Snowy River,

Waltzing Matilda, he was born here.

[Sibella] Not everyone's convinced this is Banjo's birthplace,

and the debate is dividing the town.

One believer is former mayor, Reg Kidd.

-Hello, Reg. -Oh, hi, Sibella.

-Welcome to Orange... -Thank you.

...and the birthplace of Andrew Barton Paterson.

Nice to finally meet you. It looks like it's at an exciting point.

Oh, it's a very tender point we're at now. This is like giving birth.

[Sibella] The City of Orange is growing rapidly,

and this block is the next in line for development.

To save the house, it needs to be lifted and moved 1 km down the road

to safe council land.

[Reg] You've got these removalists here

who are from Orange.

They're sort of working now, jacking it up, making it balance.

We have done one or two old places like this before,

but this one may be the oldest we've ever done.

This building came out from California as a modular home

probably 160 or more years ago.

[Sibella] Like so many of the locals involved in this project,

house-movers Lindsay and Dale are volunteering their time.

[Lindsay] This goes back to Banjo Paterson,

and ultimately I feel it's a very worthwhile project.

[Sibella] So, Reg, is the whole town behind the project?

[Reg] You always get your sceptics in anything you do, I can tell you.

Being a councilor for a long time, I can guarantee you that.

But, look, by the time that house has moved from here over there,

everyone will think, "This is fantastic,"

and everyone will be an expert.

[Sibella] The real expert on this house is Margaret Love.

She began researching it

because it was her childhood home in the 1930s.

[Margaret Love] I would have been ten days old

when I was taken home to Emmaville.

It was a happy home, a very happy home.

My family had lived on Emmaville from 1906.

The family, by that time,

were all living in the one and only homestead,

which was the original homestead of a very large property.

[Reg] Watch your step there.

-Here we go. -Okay.

I'll show you into our little house.

[Sibella chuckles]

-It's a bit of a tricky entrance. -There we go.

You can see the ceiling's weren't all that high then,

they were quite low.

It is bigger than you think from the outside.

It is.

And this is where you start running into this amazing

tongue-and-groove wood.

-Yep. -This light sort of wood.

Yeah, known as 'V-joint' as well.

V-joint. Okay, well, I've learned something.

But the rooms are quite large, aren't they?

-Then you move into this one. -Spacious.

-Spacious. -And they're very pastel.

Very, very pastel, I suppose over the years.

And it's lovely to see the old lino.

That'll be the first time lino was ever about.

[Sibella] It's got the Hessian backing.

So, this is such a great example of an early cottage,

but even more exciting is that Banjo Paterson

could have actually been born in one of these rooms.

-So, which room was Banjo born in? -I'm gonna go for this room.

-Okay, the peach room. -The peach room, yeah.

[Sibella] This house has really captured the imagination

of the Orange locals, and so many of them are pitching in.

Most of the hard work is being done by the Orange Rotary Club.

People like David Williams.

I'll let you into a little secret. It had the best security system.

There was a huge swarm - not one,

but many swarms of bees living in it.

-Wow. -So nobody got near it.

Once we lowered the numbers of bees in the colony,

then we started to have problems with vandals.

[Sibella] Only in the last month, kids have ripped out one of the doors

for a tree house and smashed out all the original glass.

Such a shame.

Lift back down and push it in.

[Sibella] Lifting this rickety structure

from its foundations requires modern hydraulics

and some serious reinforcing.

It's the culmination of a year-and-a-half's planning

by Reg, David and Rotary Club president, Mick Doyle.

One false move could spell the end of their dream.

[creaking]

As you can hear, this house is really creaky.

It is 150 years old, so who knows if it's actually gonna hold together.

[creaking]

[Lindsay] We are concerned at how it will pick up.

It was put together in sections,

so we have to make sure, as we pick it up,

that it all comes together, it doesn't separate.

[Dale] This one's a little bit different

to normal, being older,

a little bit fragile.

Oh, my gosh.

[Dale] Nice and slowly, and everything should hold together.

Well done, Linds. Whoo-hoo!

[David] To think that it's lived 150 years-plus in one spot,

and all of a sudden it's lifted as a whole .

[Sibella] The lift has gone remarkably well,

but it's time for the next tricky step...

...getting the house ready for tomorrow's big move.

By today's standards, this place looks really humble,

almost like a shack or a hut.

You can see why so many of the locals thought it should be knocked down.

So, maybe it needs another pole out.

[Sibella] However, local historian Heather Nicholls

has done a lot of research into this property.

She reminds us that in 1850,

it would have been something pretty grand.

To date, we haven't been able to find a similar cottage

anywhere across the eastern States.

We believe that this is a very, very early kit home,

around the 1850s, 1860s mark.

The house is a bit like a Meccano set,

particularly with the outside walls, they all lock together.

We suspect that it has come from America.

Companies like Hudson Brothers were importing kit homes from America.

It has then come over the mountains by bullock team.

[Sibella] So, this is not even the first time this house has been moved.

In the middle of the 19th century,

it was imported from America and hauled over the Blue Mountains.

So 150 years ago, every last bit of material,

including the glass windows,

would have been stacked up and over those mountains,

through those creeks, camped by the fire at night-time.

You can imagine how difficult it must have been.

Today has been extremely exciting.

We've not just seen the house been hoisted up,

but actually put on the truck, which you can see behind me.

But the best part of today was how excited the community is,

and it's totally contagious.

Well done, Dale. That's it! Come on, mate. I'll buy you a beer.

Sounds good.

That's the fastest you've moved all day.

[Sibella] It's been a huge day,

but the team can't celebrate too much just yet.

Down at the pub, they're doing final prep for tomorrow's big move,

and planning what happens next if it does arrive in one piece.

Once the cottage is placed at the new site,

it's still pretty exposed, because the chimney's been removed

and there's work to be done in the shorter term.

[Sibella] And the pressure's on.

This project needs to be finished by 17 February,

Banjo Paterson's 150th birthday, that's less than a year away.

They also have to tackle some tough questions

about the history of the house.

[Heather] Why was this cottage he re?

It doesn't actually fit with the layout of the town.

It doesn't actually fit with the history that I know of the town.

So, why is this little cottage sitting up here on a hill?

Who put it here? Who lived in it? What can it tell us?

I'm absolutely positive that that old house

was the homestead in which Banjo Paterson was born.

[Sibella] Margaret Love thinks her research

can put an end to the mystery of Emmaville.

[Margaret] One of the first things that we were told as children

was that the old house was the original homestead.

My family talked about it so often,

and they would never skite about anything.

[Sibella] Margaret's connection with the property

goes all the way back

to the time of Banjo's birth,

when her great-uncle was working there.

Keen to find out more,

Margaret was in a great position to do more research

because she worked at the Lands Titles Office.

I haven't just read books, I have gone to the official records.

We've also got some old photographs,

which I'm looking forward to getting.

[Sibella] Unfortunately for the team,

not everyone is convinced by Margaret's theories,

and debate about the house's history rages in the local paper.

But the thing that will keep people awake tonight

is a more immediate problem.

Is it really possible to shift a rickety 150-year-old house

One kilometer down the road on the back of a semi?

So, it's the day of the big move.

It's months and months in preparation.

The house is on the back of the truck, which is a miracle in itself,

but we're gonna be heading down the road.

The house isn't safe yet.

[Sibella] In fact, far from it.

Although the team have done everything in their power

to prepare for this day,

they're entering dangerous, unknown territory.

And the early signs are not encouraging.

People just don't move houses of this vintage

because they're too frail and it's too risky.

But these guys had no real choice,

it was either the truck or a bulldozer.

Pieces are starting to fall off, but there can be no turning back.

So, with some judicious strapping from Dale, it's on the road again.

[Sibella] Progress is painfully slow,

but when you're moving a house this old and this fragile,

you don't want to rush it.

One bump could spell disaster.

A 150 years ago, another perilous journey was being undertaken.

Scotsman Andrew Paterson and his young wife, Rose,

were carving out a new life on the frontier near present-day Yeoval

and expecting their first child.

[Heather] It would have been a very isolated spot at the time.

It may not even have been

a particularly safe place for a young family to be.

[Sibella] So, with the birth approaching,

they set off for a safer environment,

Narrambla Estate, just outside Orange,

the home of Rose's aunt, Rosamund Templer.

These days, Narrambla is known as a suburb of Orange,

but in 1864 it was a huge estate of almost 2,000 acres

with its own village, orchards and a flour mill.

For the 19-year-old Rose, heavily pregnant,

that journey through rough frontier country must have been daunting.

The house is within sight of its destination,

but there's one final hurdle.

Dale has to thread the eye of a needle

by reversing the house up the hill onto its new foundations.

[David] There we are. Have a look at that.

[Sibella] Dale's pretty happy with himself, I think.

[David] I think he should be too.

I can't back a car into a 45-degree car-parking space,

and this young devil just lines this truck up

and just puts it back in one go, up a hill!

Incredible. Incredible.

[Sibella] The house's journey has ended well,

and as it settles down into its new home,

the team are thrilled that it's still on part of the old Narrambla Estate.

The young Paterson couple arrived safely at Narrambla too,

and on 17 February, 1864, in her aunt's house,

Rose gave birth to a healthy baby boy, Andrew Barton Paterson,

later in life to be known as Banjo.

[Reg] We know about Ned Kelly and where he was born.

Captain Moonlight and Ben Hall. And we want to be known as Orange,

the birthplace of Andrew Barton Paterson, our greatest-ever poet.

[Sibella] So, this is a celebration of both Orange's history

as well as Banjo Paterson's.

-And Narrambla. -And Narrambla.

[Sibella] The day that Rose Paterson gave birth to Banjo on Narrambla,

she also gave birth to an enduring controversy,

where exactly on the estate was he born?

Back when they opened up Banjo Paterson Park here,

one of the local historians acknowledged that Paterson had five birthplaces.

[recorded male voice] Banjo Paterson is the most born man

that I've ever heard of in Australian history.

So, way back in the 1940s, it was controversial

as to where was he born?

[Sibella] The team think they've finally put this mystery to rest.

Now they just need to convince the rest of the town.

♪ By a billabong ♪

♪ Under the shade of a coolabah tree ♪

♪ And he sang as he watched and waited till his billy boiled ♪

♪ You'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me ♪

♪ Waltzing... ♪

It's been an incredible couple of days.

We've seen this amazing 1850s fragile house

being transported down the road.

It's now gonna settle and we're gonna see

the next part of the journey, which is the restoration.

We're not sure if Banjo was born in this house,

but I actually don't think it matters.

It's bound together a community and their ideas and their stories,

and at the end of the day,

I think preserving a piece of Australian history

and actually starting a bit of a conversation

is the most important thing.

[Sibella] Winter's here,

and with only nine months till Banjo's birthday,

the restoration work is kicking off.

Well, here we go, Sibella, this is the critical part now.

Taken the roof off the old girl,

and, God, we've got a beautiful day for it, but by geez,

if we get heavy winds here, that whole roof could come off.

It is predicted that the weather's gonna turn on us.

We've got Mount Canobolas behind us,

and it is hilly tableland sort of country...

Does it just fly through here?

It comes through. Look, it'd blow a dog off a chain.

[both laughing]

So, we've still got all the strapping on.

When that roof's off, it'll be very, very structurally unsound,

so absolutely critical stage of the buildi ng.

We've gotta get it off, get it rolled and get it back on.

It's nice to see so many people working on it, everyone's geared up.

I think the whole Rotary Club's been involved this morning.

Peter Kircher's here today. He's the chap doing all the window work.

He's arrived on his Harley Davidson, and he's our expert on anything old.

So, obviously he's found something. What have we got, Pete?

We've found evidence of a stencil from the original manufacturer.

It appears to be a fern frond with some lettering down the bottom.

It says, um, "Redfern."

It does too. It's in pretty good nick, Pete, 150-year-old, eh?

-Why do you think that is? -Because they made things correctly.

[Sibella laughs]

Time was cheap, materials probably didn't cost much,

plus we're not near coastal air.

-So, the salt's not eroding it? -Yeah, so there's no corrosion.

[Reg] We've got John Spanger up there.

Now, John's one of the volunteers with Rotary,

but he is a builder and does a lot of restoration work.

-How you going, John? -Oh, good thanks, Reg. How are you?

Hello, John. What are you standing on in there?

-I'm standing on the ceiling. -[Sibella laughs]

And it all looks pretty good at this stage?

Yeah, we're going really well. Underneath, the iron is really good.

-So you're pleased? -Yeah, very.

It'll be better tomorrow when it gets roll ed.

[Reg] All the wood's in pretty good nick ?

-Yeah, but there's not much there. -Okay.

It's what they call lightweight construction.

That's just what it is. Yep, that's the one for here.

Unfortunately we had a vandal attack

about a month before the cottage was removed.

[Sibella] Peter's hunting around inside, looking for nails and other clues,

seeing if he can unlock any of the mystery of Emmaville.

[Peter] One of the most unusual things about this structure

is it's just one species of timber when it came in as a kit,

and that's Douglas Fir, the common name for that is Oregon.

What makes this structure interesting is the fact

that it's all just slotted together, no na ils...

[Sibella] Like Lego.

[Peter] Yeah, exactly.

If you got everything square and plumb, you just slot it all together.

-Instant home. -Instant home.

I'm just curious to see what this timber i s, so I'm gonna take a scraping.

Tough one. Oh, wait. Oh, look, that's interesting.

[Sibella] It's very blonde, isn't it?

This is Australian. This is hoop pine.

So, we've got Australian cedar, now we've got hoop pine.

This is interesting.

This was added to the kit home after it arrived in Australia,

because this is not an American timber.

Let's see what else we can find in the other rooms.

[Sibella] So, how do we explain wood that's not part of the original kit home?

Is it because the house had already been rebuilt in 1926,

not long before Margaret Love was born?

[Margaret] It was then about 93 years old.

It was one of the earliest houses in the colony, for Pete's sake.

It was the first homestead on that land,

which was the land of the Wiradjuri.

It was dilapidated, but they'd done it up.

They rebuilt it of the same weatherboards,

so that my parents could get married.

-How are you going, boys? -G'day, Reg. How are you going?

John, I'd like to introduce you to Sibella Court.

-Sibella, how are you? -Nice to meet you.

Now, we just need to straighten it up a bit.

[Sibella] So, what are you doing here?

Re-rolling this old iron that's a bit dilapidated

and trying to make it look more respectable.

[Reg] John, you said you haven't seen that mark before?

[John] No, it's a new one to me.

[Sibella] Where do you think it's made?

[John] Look, I've no idea.

[Sibella] Redfern, Sydney?

Well, could be, if it's got "Redfern" on i t.

It's going to be so much easier to put back on the roof,

than while it's in that condition.

The flatter we can get it, the better it'll lay on the roof. Yeah.

-Reasonably straight? -Yeah, that's fine.

That's quality control, if it looks straight, it's right.

Show me what you're doing, Mick.

[Sibella] Coming to workshops and factories like this,

just gives you a real indication of what goes into the restoration

of these sorts of places.

It gives you an insight into what can be reworked and what can be saved.

-[man] Hear it crinkling? -[Sibella] Yep.

Pushing it back into shape.

Each sheet has its own personality.

Well, it's like Jersey cows, no two cows have got the same pattern.

[Sibella] When I first came to Orange and saw the cottage,

I wondered whether they would be able to keep the original roofing,

but it's so nice to see that these guys are just as excited

about reworking the old materials as I am.

[man] Well, some six years ago,

I come up with the idea to create an akubra

in the form of a pergola, so people can sit under there

to enjoy their picnics and barbecues, etc.

I spend a lot of time in research and development.

[Sibella] Chris Gryllis sits on Council with Reg,

and he's an ideas man.

He designed the Oz Cross,

and he's got a radical proposal for the Emmaville site.

I understand your brother owns this cafe?

Correct, yes.

And I heard you have some pretty impressive and exciting plans

to add to the cottage.

Well, I'd like to see Banjo Paterson's hat,

-to construct a big one... -A hat? His hat?

A hat, yes, as a pergola.

-So, it'll be the giant hat... -Yes.

-...as a tourist attraction. -That is correct, yes.

[Sibella] And what's the expanse of the brim?

About five meters.

-Wow, it is giant. -Yes.

And where do you think it's going...

Where do you envisage it being placed?

If we can do it not very far from the cottage, it will be fine. Yes.

[Sibella] So, the idea is that it attracts them to stop,

it adds a bit of shelter and a little bit of, I don't know,

-fun and giantness to the project. -That's the idea.

[Sibella] And then they can get a coffee at your brother's cafe.

-Absolutely. We're not prejudiced. -[both laugh]

Unfortunately... Unfortunately...

there was some resentment, there's a bit of opposition.

[Sibella] The most vocal critic of the hat idea is Reg.

He's pushing for a statue of Banjo instead.

-Christopher. How are you, mate? -Reg, how are you, my friend?

-Hi, Sibella. How are you? -Good.

So, how is your statue going, Reg?

Oh, still working on it, Christopher. [laughs]

How are you going to choose between the giant akubra and the statue?

Is there gonna be a tossing of a coin?

Chris and I will probably have to have a few drinks, a few arguments.

[Sibella] Well, it's a shame the hat hasn't been built already,

so we could actually take shelter under it today.

So, it's been another couple of interesting days in Orange.

As you can see, the weather is settling in.

We definitely haven't got to the bottom

of whether this cottage is actually Banjo Paterson's birthplace.

I think there's plenty more people that have got a very strong opinion on it.

The story of this little cottage is not over yet.

[Sibella] In fact, the longer this project goes on,

the more controversial it gets.

To understand why,

I'm heading down to the famous Orange landmark called Templer's Mill

to explore the story of the obelisk.

According to Margaret Love, it's the story of a monumental mistake.

Sibella, I'd love you to meet some people who have got a different point of view

of where they think Banjo Paterson was born.

It's good to hear a few different points of view.

[Ron] I've no problem with the other cottage,

with them saying it was on the property th at Banjo was born on.

But he definitely wasn't born in it.

[Sibella] Ron Gander is another councilor.

He believes Banjo's true birthplace is right near Templer's Mill,

which we can't see anymore.

Sadly, it was blown up in 1971.

[explosion, glass shatters]

Banjo Paterson is recorded as being born in a house

'eight chain from the mill'.

It was of bluestone foundations, with the same bricks as the mill,

and that was down on the creek, even written on the obelisk.

[Sibella] And the obelisk, is that from Banjo's time?

No. I don't know what year the obelisk went up.

It was in about the '40s, I believe, that it was put up. Elizabeth?

-Yeah, 1947. -1947.

[Sibella] In the 1940s, local historian Dick Sheridan

found a copy of Banjo's birth certificate

with his birthplace listed simply as 'Narrambla'.

Sheridan searched Narrambla for the birthplace,

and decided it must be down by Templer's Mill.

And he was wrong.

Because by that time,

the whole of that property had been divided up.

They obviously didn't realize that the property had been bisected

by the construction of the railway line 60 years earlier,

so they confined their search to the wrong side of the track.

[Sibella] There are at least five theories about where exactly Banjo was born,

and no clear traces of a homestead.

Nevertheless, in 1947, they erected an obelisk

marking the site of Banjo's birthplace.

[Heather] As generally tend to ha ppen, a committee evolves,

and a theory evolves.

It's folklore. It's a popular story that has gained momentum.

[Sibella] We know for sure that Banjo Paterson

was born in the Narrambla homestead,

which was home to his mother's aunt, Rose,

and her husband, John Templer.

But was the Templers' homestead really right next to their flour mill?

[Ron] This was the control center of the mill.

The owner lived on site to look after everything.

And Mr Templer was a man of great means

and he was a hard-working man.

Ron, how come Mr Templer went broke?

[Margaret] Templer was a totally pompous twit

who sent himself dead broke on his wife's money.

He was a hands-on, seven-days-a-week person.

[Margaret] He was no farmer. He didn't have a clue.

He was in everything in town.

He wasn't in anything, as far as I could see, on his property.

He was born in a house on this side of the open road

close to the fence under that rise.

I do believe that the house was between here and the creek.

When they located the obelisk at the top,

they put there the eight chains.

It's been measured out with a compass and a measuring stick,

and that's where we've come to.

We've had people in the community who have been showing us photographs

and mud maps of where the actual house was standing.

So, Ron, how will you feel if, next February,

the other place is opened as Banjo Paterson's birthplace?

Well, I'll declare that it's a lie. It's that simple.

[drilling]

[hammering]

[Sibella] We're through the winter now,

and I'm hoping the boys have picked up the pace

and got some serious work done on the cottage.

[hammering]

[Sibella] Hey, David.

-How the devil are you, my dear? -I'm well, thank you. And yourself?

[Sibella] The chimneys had to be dismantled for the move.

Today, the team's rebuilding them.

That involves cleaning over 3,000 bricks.

How's the project going?

[David] We've got lots of work to do in the next six months.

So time is getting away, so it'll be hands-on, everybody.

-Well, you've got February deadline. -Exactly right.

-Do you think you'll make it? -Got to.

Do you believe, David,

that Banjo Paterson was born in this cottage?

'Course I do, Sibella.

I wouldn't be here cleaning blasted bricks if I didn't.

[David] If, in 1830-something,

you bring a house from America in a sailing boat

over the Blue Mountains in a horse dray or a bullock dray,

and build it here in Orange,

you've got to be a special person to do that.

That's, you know, the main reason

why we believe that it is the correct cottage.

-Well, good luck. -Thanks, Sibella.

All the best to you too.

[Sibella] Plenty of people on site.

Yeah, very, very busy day.

-And the roof looks fantastic. -Looks beaut.

And how's the debate going

between the giant akubra and the bronze statue?

Well, it's going well.

A couple of weeks ago, we got a committee together,

and they voted unanimously for a statue.

[Sibella] So, are you and Counselor Gryllis

still on speaking terms?

[Reg] Oh, we certainly are.

We've both been on Council the same amount of time,

and wouldn't it be boring if you were on Council for 22 years

and you agreed with everything the other person said?

[Sibella] Are you still confident that you'll open in February,

saying, 'This is the birthplace of Banjo Paterson'?

[Reg] Look, yeah, I'm fairly confident of that.

Different bits and pieces that you read and people that you talk to sways me,

I can honestly tell you, in different ways .

Who knows what will come out of the woodwork here, so to speak,

when they're stripping back masonite and so forth?

I'm hoping something really significant will come out of the woodwork.

-Some kind of history treasure. -Something written by his mum.

-[Sibella chuckles] Yeah. -"Mrs Paterson was here."

[Sibella] What are you guys looking at?

Well, we're going to recreate the chimneys

and we're just looking at the way it was before.

Originally, there had actually been two chimneys. There was one here.

-Oh, 'cause you can see the remnants... -You can see the shape.

And actually if you look up, you can actually now see

where it used to be in the timbers.

-See that dark mark in there? -Yes.

And so that's where the chimney was before.

So you can work it all out.

We can work out exactly where it was.

And then we hope to start on the verandah tomorrow as well, so...

The front verandah? Fantastic. That's gonna look great.

Hope to set that out and get it ready.

[Peter] This would've been, I think, the main homestead.

This is where the boss lived, the owners lived.

This would have been where Banjo's mum came

to get through the whole birthing process.

[Sibella] Peter Schmich is a builder and keen amateur historian.

He's donating his time to the project

because he believes Emmaville has huge historical value.

My belief, I really think Banjo was born here.

His mother came to stay with her cousin.

They wouldn't have stayed in a worker's outbuilding or a cottage,

so they stayed in the main house where he was born here.

So, I honestly believe that Banjo was born here,

but...that is a very controversial point.

[Sibella] It's a new day, and while Peter and the gang

get to work on the verandah, I've got a date with Peter Kircher.

He's invited me up to his workshop on Mount Canobolas.

Would this have all been orchards?

Most of this was orchard and grazing land.

[Sibella] It was a tragedy when all the windows

on the house were smashed out.

Luckily, Peter's a leadlighter by trade,

and he's got the perfect skill set to replace them.

Like me, he's a huge fan of old materials,

old crafts and old techniques.

It's a real treat to be invited up here to see how things used to be done.

It's beautiful here. How long have you been here for?

We moved here in '71 from northern California.

-So, this is the workshop? -This is the workshop.

[Peter] Used to be an old school bu s, and I've added on to the side.

Just beware of the glass on the floor.

[Sibella] I love the glass on the floor.

Okay, here's one of the sashes.

I've got to replace a couple of pieces here.

Okay, I'm just gonna do a score here.

See, I'm using this line on the paper as a guide.

Very low-tech.

[high-pitched scraping]

[Peter] See if it fits.

-Okay. -Perfect.

Okay. Now, this is the putty.

Putty has been around for a long, long time.

[Sibella] So, this is the same recipe that would have been used at that time?

-Yeah. It's called linseed oil putty. -Yep.

[Sibella] Linseed was used a lot in artists'

supplies and materials, wasn't it?

That's right.

This isn't a true putty knife, but it'll still do.

-So, you just neaten it up? -Yeah.

[Peter Kircher] And we just wipe the residu e off,

and that's it for another century or so.

[Sibella] Peter's enthusiasm for this old craft is so infectious,

and it's a real reminder that behind all the controversy of this project,

there's a beautiful and worthwhile restoration being done.

[Peter] This type of architecture must be s aved,

because there's so little of it left.

We've ignored them for too long.

Producing truffles up in there.

-Truffles? -Yeah.

Oh, yes, truffles!

[Sibella] Peter loves Emmaville for its architectural value,

but that's not why so many people

are donating their time and skills to save it.

They believe it's Banjo Paterson's birthplace.

Peter is starting to have some doubts.

So, have you had any new discoveries in the house?

He's been reading up on the American timber industry

and wondering just how old this place is.

1849 was when they discovered gold, so there was a gold rush,

I mean, massive gold rush.

I find it odd that they would be making kit homes

to be shipped halfway around the world at that time

when the domestic demand would have been so great.

[Sibella] So does that make you question

the age of this house?

[Peter] Oh, yeah, definitely.

And other things, like when we first started poking around,

the first thing I looked for was handmade nails.

All the nails in this building

are what's known as a machine-made diamond head.

[Sibella] So, when would you date this material from, the Oregon?

[Peter] After the gold rush settled down

and they started looking for other markets .

I think it's late 19th century.

Are you saying that this house isn't old enough

to be Paterson's birthplace?

Unfortunately, yes.

[Sibella] It's always a pleasure to visit Orange,

although this time around a couple of things have got me concerned.

The naysayers are really starting to fire up,

and Peter's bombshell about the age of the house has me quite worried.

It's brilliant to see the progress of the cottage,

with the verandah and the chimneys going up.

However, I do have concerns about what it's doing to the township.

It does not seem like it's bringing the town together,

but rather pulling them apart.

One thing's for sure -

this town has become increasingly obsessed with Banjo Paterson.

I had written him a letter,

which I had, for want of better knowledge. ..

...sent to where I met him down the Lachlan years ago.

He was shearing when I knew him...

...so I sent the letter to him...

-...just on spec... -...addressed as follows.

Clancy of the overflow.

And he sees the vision splendid

of the sunlit plains extended.

And at night the wondrous glory of the everlasting stars.

And I somehow rather fancy...

...that I'd like to change with Clancy.

Like to take a turn at droving where the seasons come and go.

While he faced the round eternal...

...of the cash book and the journal.

But I doubt he'd suit the office.

Clancy of the overflow.

[female caller] For the past two years,

all I get is the green growth, no flowers whatsoever.

No fertilizing except a little bit of potassium, Okay?

[RJ] Thanks to Vivian from Bathurst.

[Sibella] Reg loves his gardening.

For the last 25 years,

he's been doing talkback radio about it every Sunday.

And, Reg, what are your plans for gardening today?

Well, we're going up to Emmaville Cottage,

and we're doing a bit of gardening up ther e.

We've put some beds in, and we've got some people coming in to help.

All right, how's everything going, folks?

It was lovely for me, working on this project,

because it reminded me of my grandmother and her garden.

[Sibella] Sharene Orford is a landscape designer for Council.

She's been given the brief of crafting

a colonial-era garden and fence for the house.

[Sharene] These guys were crossing new frontiers.

They were a long way from home.

[Reg] In the Never Never.

Exactly. What was important back then

was establishing boundaries and areas of control

and, so you could feel safe and secure, ordering the space.

I never thought of it that way. That's fantastic.

It then came down to practicality,

you needed fruit and vegetables to live,

so you'd grow veggies on the northern side of the house,

because you'd get maximum sun exposure,

and your fruit trees could then be on the south side of the house.

Well, I wanted oxhearts.

[Sibella] With the garden finally going in,

it looks like they may meet their deadline.

Tip him over.

[Sibella continues] However, there's one big problem.

The controversy of Banjo's birthplace is spiraling out of control

and needs to be addressed.

He was born within about 170 yards of the mill, eight chain,

and that that house had bluestone foundations

and was made of the same bricks that the mill was made of.

[Peter] Just because it's written in stone doesn't mean it's accurate history.

What have we to say that documented proof is truth and original history?

Well, his wife was here and his wife testified to it.

[Mick] How often had she been to Orange?

[Ron] I think Elizabeth can probably answer that.

No, I'm asking you, because you've made the reference to this woman

making a statement when she's in her what, her 80s?

I don't know, I'm reading...

Where she knew that her husband was born 80 years ago.

If that upsets you, tough titties, I don't care.

[Sibella] So how old exactly is this house?

The story from Margaret Love is that the homestead at Emmaville

was the Lords' homestead site.

[Sibella] Simeon Lord was a colorful character.

He arrived in Sydney as a convict in 1791,

but soon amassed a huge fortune,

including large land holdings in the city and Narrambla.

Here we actually have the land grant to Simeon Lord,

and that was the original Narrambla property.

[Sibella] So, did Simeon Lord bring this house here in the 1830s?

[Mick] If you follow the direction of Lords Place

it goes due north,

which reconciles with the Emmaville site.

The Lord family owned a big shipping compa ny,

and it's quite possible

that they may have sent to America for the home.

[Sibella] Or was it Templer who brought it here?

[Heather] My feeling is that this house was built

around the 1850s, 1860s, during Templer's time.

[Sibella] Or did it arrive even later?

[Peter] The nails in this structure here are definitely machine-made.

[Reg] Uh-huh.

So that suggests late Vic torian.

[Sibella] If Peter's right about the nails, that's a deal-breaker.

The house just isn't old enough to be Banjo's birthplace.

But...

I did find an old nail next to that window over there,

and I've dated that nail early Victorian rather than mid to late.

[Sibella] So the nail question doesn't seem conclusive.

The next crucial question is this

would the Templers really have lived right next to their mill?

[Mick] If Templer employed people to run the mill for him,

which would have been a dirty, dusty place, why would he live there?

To make sure that the workers turned up on time,

did what they had to do and that he was in full control.

In many early examples of Victorian bosses,

I don't think they got their hands that dirty.

I think it was more likely

that the main homestead was up high, dry and healthy,

rather than down in the damp, wet valley.

[Heather] We're talking about a much earlier time

where safety and security was quite different.

I suspect you'd want to put your house somewhere where you've got good vision.

[Margaret] Have you really been over there

and had a really good look at where that obelisk is?

It's down in the swamp, you can't see anywhere,

surrounded by all these little hillocky places.

You'd be scared in a couple of minutes.

[Sibella] So, has this town finally reached a consensus?

Until someone proves to me that he wasn't born here,

I can go with, 'He was born here.'

Wouldn't it be nice if we could have that celebration here

and say, 'This was the place that Banjo was born.'

It's up to someone else to prove it's not.

That is absolutely ridiculous to make a qualified statement

that we can get shot down on.

[Sibella] No, no consensus yet.

[Chris] Come on, this is gonna be a beautiful stru cture.

[Reg] I'm sure it is, Chris, and we'll do a great job,

but you've gotta appreciate the amount of work going into it.

[Sibella] Speaking of controversy, Chris Gryllis' proposed hat sculpture

is also dividing this town.

Undeterred, he's enlisted local metalworker, Michael Cain.

Once this is approved by the council, we'll find a venue

and we will try to shape the new one

to look like this hat on the $10-note.

This mock-up one's fairly close,

but I think we've just gotta roll the edges a bit more.

I understand it is not an easy one, but I have so much faith in you

and I know you can do it.

So stop complaining about it and just get on with job.

Chris, I can do it. I haven't got a problem with that.

The problem you've got is getting it through Council.

[both laugh]

[Chris] Ah, Mick, you are a funny man, yo u are.

Now, Mick, he hasn't got you involved in this too, has he?

-He has actually, yeah. -Give us a look.

So, what do you think, Reg, you like it?

-Have you changed your mind? -No, I haven't changed my mind.

Well, bad luck, because you're gonna wear it.

[Sibella] This hat has the potential

to radically change the look and feel of this site,

which is why Reg is so fired up about it.

I've been in the council longer than anyone else.

-No, you haven't. -Longer than you.

-No, you haven't. -Yes, I have.

-I was one term before you. -No, you have not.

-Chris, you're saying silly things. -I'm not saying silly things.

Well, go and look at the Council records, for Christ's sake.

No, no, no. We want to have a bet on this.

Have a bet? Come on, I don't want to take your money.

-You're not confident. -How much do you want to bet?

-Whatever you want to bet? -$1,000, I was elected before you.

-I've got the $10 note here. -I was elected before you.

Then you got thrown off for one term.

That's Okay, yes.

We've been on there the same amount of time.

But I was elected before you, that's what I'm saying.

No, you said you've been there longer than me.

Don't twist things around.

God, love a duck. He's impossible. He's bloody impossible.

[Sibella] While the councilors argue, work on the house is progressing well.

The team have had to strip back and clean years of accumulated paint.

Now they're trying to reproduce what the original colors might have been.

While the work goes on, the eyes of the town are on the council,

where the hat question will be decided.

Now we go to 4A, Banjo Paterson hat, pages 10 to 42.

[coughs]

[Reg] Mr Mayor, just a point of clarity here, an order.

Mr. Mayor, I'm sorry--

One minute we're talking about whether we're talking about A or B.

Then together. Now we're talking about...

[intervening conversation]

-Come on, get to the point. -No, Councilor Kidd...

Mr Mayor, I'd like to speak against the hat.

Now, it is the first time

I've ever seen a reaction by the public like that,

who are virtually saying, "This is crazy."

We haven't told them the full extent of the hat yet, it's Colorbond.

It is a crazy idea at this stage.

The motion is, um, the hat...

[man] To be buried.

To be buried. All in favor.

[councilors] Aye.

Against. Okay, carried.

I have already pledged an order for the hat,

so I have to wear it from here on in.

[man] So, just for clarification, Mr Mayor ,

we've got no hat,

no sculpture and no memorial writers' fund .

-[laughter] -After all of that.

[clapping]

[Christopher] If I was to say I'm happy, I 'm lying. I'm disappointed.

The opponents, they're well-organized.

This is my victory this time.

He's had victories before, but this is my victory.

This is our committee's victory

and this is the community of Orange victory

over someone who tried to railroad us.

[Sibella] So it looks like the hat question

has been finally put to bed,

but for me, a much bigger question remains.

This February, will the town of Orange be presenting Emmaville

as Banjo Paterson's true birthplace?

[man] ♪ And waited till his billy boiled ♪

♪You'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me ♪

♪ A-waltzing Matilda, Matilda, me darling ♪

♪ You'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me ♪

♪ A-waltzing Matilda Leading a water bag ♪

♪ You'll come a-waltzing Matilda with ♪

♪ Banjo on Banjo ♪

[Sibella] Banjo Paterson was born 150 years ago

and Orange is celebrating like crazy.

The boys have worked so hard to restore the cottage,

and I can't wait to see how they've finished it.

However, if the weather is like this, although it's great for the farmers,

it's not the best for a party.

[Sibella] The team was hoping for a crowd of thousands today.

Unfortunately, the rain's put a dampener on that,

but it's still amazing to see the house in its finished state.

It's come so far from when I first saw it looking so fragile.

in a completely different location a year ago.

I take my hat off to the whole team,

and it's great to see so many of them here today.

It looks amazing, so well done. How are you all feeling, excited?

Oh, very excited and very proud of the Rotary Club.

It's a wonderful example of what people can achieve

when they're working together.

The guys have worked hard, for nothing,

and spent a lot of time and a lot of effor t.

They've given us such a wonderful, wonderful cottage...

And I'm sorry, I'm emotional.

-[laughter] -That's fantastic.

Isn't it great? To think it's been saved, to see it looking as good as it is.

It makes me thrilled.

I didn't want it to be just a something that fell in a dumpy heap.

[Sibella] Sadly, Margaret can't be here today for health reasons,

but her niece, Kieren,

is one of the people who'll be opening Emmaville.

I was the last person to live in this house

before it basically went to rack and ruin.

And really delighted that it was saved.

Everything doesn't run smoothly.

Getting this cottage onto this site wasn't a smooth job.

So, remember tomorrow,

One fifty years since Andrew Barton Paterson was born,

and remember this cottage, the memorial park out on Ophir Road,

all parts of this incredible history that is Andrew Barton Paterson

and is the history of Orange.

[crowd] ♪ Once a jolly swagman camped ♪

♪ By a b illabong ♪

♪ Under the shade of a coolabah tree ♪

[woman] 3-2-1. Go! Go, guys.

♪ And he sang as he watched and waited till his billy boiled ♪

♪ You'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me... ♪

[Sibella] It's a beautiful moment, but ever so slightly bittersweet.

All year I've been looking forward to the day when we open up this house

and declare it to be Banjo's birthplace.

But that certainly hasn't happened today.

[man] Three cheers. Hip-hip.

[crowd] Hooray!

-Hip-hip. -Hooray!

You're welcome to come through.

And we see a vision splendid of the sunlit plains extended.

[Sibella] One year ago, these three seemed certain

this was Banjo's birthplace.

-Who still believes that it is? -Truthful David says, "Yes."

I certainly wouldn't dismiss it. It's from the era.

It appears it was here when he was born and it was part of the Templer estate.

It'd have to be an each-way bet.

We've had a lot of people in Orange involved with Banjo Paterson

for many, many years,

and there's never, ever been a question of him not being born

out eight chains from the obelisk.

[Sibella] I'm a little bit surprised that on a day like this,

Reg, of all people, is sitting on the fence.

And we're going to do archaeological digs

to try and settle exactly one way or another.

So, that's what's important to me...

Do you guys have an opinion on that?

Yes, well, we don't really know, do we?

And unless somebody can really prove that it's so,

it'll always be an open question, I think.

I haven't changed my opinion that this is where Banjo was born.

Nicest house on the whole property at the time,

it's imported American timbers,

and I'm quite certain still that this is where Banjo was born.

Why has everyone else backed off, though?

There may be various political reasons for that.

People don't like to mess with history, I think.

In any other country, any other part of the world,

something like that, they would love to put a stamp on it...

-Claim it. -Claim it, Yes.

And say, 'This is where it was.

This is where you go to see where Banjo was born.

Perhaps that's something we sadly missed out on.

[chuckles] Banjo's probably up there laughing at us.

-Well, it certainly sells newspap ers... -[chuckles]

...and it just keeps interest in the struc ture.

I mean, there will always be a question that people will ask.

So, are you a believer that Banjo Paterson was born in this house?

There's no reason not to believe it.

So, how do you think Margaret would feel that they're not claiming it?

I think she'd think they were a pack of fools.

I just have doubts about the sense of people who make such a commotion

about everything without ever doing any research.

What's wrong with them?

[folk music playing]

[Sibella] Exactly 150 years ago today,

Banjo Paterson was born,

and down on the eastern end of Narrambla,

at the site of the old Templer's mill eight chain from the obelisk,

the good people of Orange are throwing a birthday party.

-Hip-hip. -Hooray!

[Sibella continues] It's hard to imagine modern Australia

without Banjo's influence.

Every time you meet a Clancy or a Matilda, see a vision splendid

or talk about movement at the station, Banjo is there.

It's such a treat to be in Orange for his 150th,

but I've chosen to spend this special day

on the other side of the tracks at Emmaville.

And I've asked Reg to join me.

I'll show you to our little house.

[Sibella continues] It was his early enthusiasm

that got me so excited about this house,

but in the last year I've sensed a gradual change in him.

So, what exactly does he believe today?

This is looking quite different from when we first, um, came in.

Oh, it certainly does. It's fantastic, isn't it?

I remember the day of the move when we weren't sure

if it was gonna stay together on the truck .

The whole thing has come together as this incredible, incredible place

on Narrambla Estate,

and perhaps the birthplace of Banjo Paterson.

Well, that's the big question, isn't it?

We started with, "It is the birthplace," and now there's been quite a change.

I still hope it is, and I'm passionate about that,

but if he wasn't born here,

I'd still feel passionate about this house.

-Ah, you're a fence-sitter, Reg. -No. No, no, I'm not at all.

Just that little bit more work that's gotta be done,

and I hope I'm here when they put the plaque on the wall,

"Andrew Barton Paterson's birthplace."

It'd be lovely to claim it.

Oh, yeah, it certainly would, yeah.

[Sibella] Well, I think Reg and I can agree on one thing

they've done a great job with this restoration.

I'm really impressed with what this community has achieved,

especially when you keep in mind the amount of volunteer hours,

people working for the love of it, not for money.

It's a basic, simple restoration, but it gives you a real sense

that back in its day this house really would have been something,

an imported timber house

which would have been the flashiest one around.

Nicely presented, smooth and even, not rough-hewn,

which makes it highly likely

it was the head homestead of the property in the mid-1800s,

making it highly likely it was the place Banjo was born.

All towns have differences of opinion,

but despite these, the people of Orange

have managed to complete this project beautifully.

The importance of this site has been hotly debated,

not just over the last couple of years, but from as far back as 1947.

And although I have no doubt that the debate of Banjo's birthplace

will continue for many years to come,

I believe that Banjo was born in this house.

Happy birthday, Banjo.

[radio presenter] In 1948,

an 80-year-old resident of the district, Mr Lesley Oaks,

could still remember the original building.

[man] Yes. Well, the first time I saw Narrambla homestead

was in the early '70s.

It was built of weatherboard, it was a smallish station home

and not many rooms.

But it had these wide verandahs at the back and in the front,

and also in the front was the beautiful flower garden

of that old Narrambla home.

There was movement at the station...

...for the word had passed around...

...that the colt from old Regret had got away...

...and had joined the wild bush horses...

...he was worth £1,000...

...so all the cracks had gathered to the fray.

All the tried and noted riders...

...from the stations near and far...

...had mustered at the homestead overnight...

...for the bushmen love hard riding where the wild bush horses are...

...and the stock horse snuffs the battle with delight.

And where around the Overflow...

...the reed beds sweep and sway...

...to the breezes, and the rolling plains are wide...

...the man from Snowy River...

...is a household word today...

...and the stockmen tell the story of his ride.

What a beautiful hat this is, Stephen.

Come on, Stephen, have a good look.

Have a close look, come on. Come and have a closer look.

This is a beautiful hat. I'm glad you like it.