IN these rapidly changing times it is reassuring to find people like our local historian, Rex Hill, researching, presenting and preserving the history of our area.
Rex is motivated by a love for the Tea Gardens/Hawks Nest area and is concerned at the rapid loss of some of our heritage buildings and landmarks, which form part of the history of Tea Gardens and Hawks Nest.
He has gained great pleasure in reflecting on the past whilst preparing these records that we can all share.
He provides insight into the beauty of the town as he knew it, and the key people who formed the society of those times.
Rex is well qualified to talk and present on this subject as his family roots extend to the Motum family who were early settlers in the area. His mother being Elsa Ann Motum, a descendant of Frank and Lucy Motum who first moved to the Tea Gardens area in 1882.
Commencing in 1928, Rex regularly visited his grandfather, Ernest William Motum, and other members of the family here in Tea Gardens. Ernest was a professional fisherman and over the years passed on to Rex the skills he had learned as a fisherman and on the water. As Rex spent much of his time with his family at Dungog, his grandfather tended to focus his attention on him when he visited Tea Gardens, passing on his recollections of the early history of Tea Gardens and Hawks Nest.
Later in life, Rex moved permanently to the Tea Gardens area and became a professional fisherman, forming strong associations with others in the same industry, bonds that he still enjoys today.
In his DVD series, "Reflections on the Myall", Rex narrates a fascinating pictorial history of Port Stephens from 1831 to 1998, providing the viewer with insight into what life was like in the early days, the personalities that made up the town, the industries that supported them and how they kept themselves entertained.
Rex has produced several books about the town and several more are currently in production. His book, "Windy Woppa and Corrie Island" was born out of curiosity on the part of local residents who wanted to know more about the history of Windy and Jimmy's Beach.
Rex tells of how the locality got its name, the Aboriginal occupants of the land, the sawmill and timber industry and the first homes in the area. In the same book he tells of the early days of Corrie Island, its use by the Holbert family as a second home and a storage facility for the cut timber from the mill. He supports his written stories with pictures.
His cousin, Nola Nolan, who has been associated with the church for some 80 years, inspired his book "St Andrews Church of England, Ogden St, Tea Gardens". In it he sets out a comprehensive written and pictorial history of the church.
Currently under production is a book about Witt Island, which in Rex's view should be still known under its old name of "Slip Island". Here, Henry Engel employed many tradesmen such as Shipwrights, Carpenters, Saw Doctors and the like, building boats from 1913 until 1948. Rex has located a number of photographs that he will use to illustrate this book.
Also currently under production is a book about the characters and pioneers of the Myall, in which Rex will provide thumbnail sketches of many of the historical identities of Tea Gardens, Hawks Nest and the Myall Lakes, and what made them famous.
In true community spirit, Rex receives no remuneration for his various projects. In accord with his wishes, profits from the sale of his works go to various community groups such as the Community Technology Centre, Tea Gardens/Hawks Nest Family History Research Group Inc and Tea Gardens Public School.
All of the mentioned books and DVD's are available for purchase at the Tea Gardens CTC, 255 Myall Street, Tea Gardens. The DVD's are also available at Lazy Dayz Café and the Tourist Information Centre.
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