In 2015 these buildings had stories to tell

Updated

ABC Central West steps inside the region's wealth of buildings, from colonial architecture with ghostly histories, to humble homes speaking of post war migration and grand old pubs that represent the heart of a small, sometimes struggling country town.

Melanie Pearce with Brooke Daniels and Kia Handley talk to the people who are passionate about their past, present and future.

I really hate the way some people say small regional communities are dying or going to die. In some sections it's almost become a mantra ... I've been hearing it for years and it really annoys the hell out of me. Andrew Rawsthorne, Trundle farmer and volunteer

Four years ago the peeling paint, broken shop windows and rickety verandas at Trundle in central west New South Wales were a dusty symbol of so-called rural decline. But a group of volunteers passionate about their town have been undertaking a massive town rejuvenation project and in April embarked on their biggest job yet, to give the grand old dame of the Trundle Hotel a facelift.

Whilst we're not a secret society, we are a society with secrets. There is nothing your wife or your mother or anybody would be upset [about] if they were able to witness our ceremonies. Wal Williams, mason

In 2015, the masons at Forbes found membership so low they had to move out of their 1922 building, leaving behind 140 years of Freemasonry tradition in the town.

It's a simple Georgian house, it was probably the least grand house that the Pipers ever lived in — I mean he was well known for building Henrietta Villa at Point Piper — but it suits us very well. Judy Mackie, owner of Westbourne House

Living in historic Westbourne House near Bathurst is more than just keeping away the cobwebs for its owners who have immersed themselves in the colourful and sometimes tragic history of its colonial owners.

Coming to Endsleigh is [like] going back into the past. Having something that actually relates to our ancestors has given it extra meaning to us as a family. Tempe Beaven

Hidden behind a hedge, many people don't notice Endsleigh House, Orange's oldest standing home, which was built by a pardoned convict and has been lovingly restored by his descendants.

I often hear a lot of locals come up and say what a good time they had at the Regent Theatre. There was always a block of fruit and nut chocolate. He really loved his time up in the projection room. Nicole Wootton, whose father ran the Regent in the 1970s and 80s

In its heyday the imposing Art Deco Regent Theatre in Mudgee was the hub of community entertainment. It's been closed since 2009 and new owners now plan to convert it into office space and apartments, losing its auditorium and screen but keeping some elements that point to its past.

A lot of rehab facilities are hospital-based institutional-feeling buildings, whereas this is a beautiful old house with beautiful flowers and roses. I've found it has a very interesting and different type of recovery experience [in] a small country town. Daniel, who was being treated for heroin and opiate addiction at Lyndon House

After 30 years, the residential treatment service of the not-for-profit Lyndon Community at Canowindra was run from a grand homestead 'Lucerne' set in beautiful gardens but that is winding up at the end of 2015. The house contains a lot of memories and history as a place where drug and alcohol-addicted people received help.

I have been here for 48 years. I've seen quite a few acts over the years going back to the early days of Stomp City, Little Pattie, Col Joye and the Joy Boys, and the Easybeats and them. John Harvey, caretaker of Orange Function Centre

From the Queen to a whole lot else in between, an art deco hall that was built with community labour and love at Orange in central west New South Wales has seen a lot in its time. In June 2015, the Orange Function Centre, formerly Amoco Hall, celebrated its 50th birthday.

Cumnock is the main and the biggest transmitter site for inland New South Wales. It covers an area from the Victorian border to the Queensland border. Chris Howe, Broadcast Australia

The radio transmitter at Cumnock in central west NSW started broadcasting as 2CR [Central Regions], now known as ABC Central West, 80 years ago. In a rare tour by Broadcast Australia, the public saw how technology has changed over the decades but some things have stayed the same.

We would spend afternoons down at the creek building dams and having a barbecue and playing soccer and walking through the bush. I really didn't know what I was doing but the kids all did really well.

John Willing, former teacher at Spicers Creek School

A former teacher who taught at a tiny country school at Spicers Creek, between Gulgong and Wellington, 40 years ago has taken on a labour of love to restore and fill the building with items that tell of its place in the history of Australian rural education.

"The symbols outside are the crests of my father's family name and there's always a lot of German stuff like the cuckoo clock. As much as he was in Australia his heart was still from his home. Inga Hochgrebe, Orange resident

A quirky, German-styled house at Orange in central west New South Wales tells of the city's heritage of migrants and their close ties with the Electrolux refrigeration factory, which is in its final months of operation before it closes early next year.

My father was abusive ... and coming out to this cottage a couple of times a year with my mother for the holidays were the happiest times of my childhood. Ruth Faraday, who lives in an historic cottage at Hill End

The small wattle-and-daub Faraday's Cottage, a 165-year old building in the historic gold mining town of Hill End operated by National Parks and Wildlife Service, was the subject of a tenancy dispute this year. The tenants claimed the cottage was vital for their health and had deep family connections. As of December 2015, they are still in their home.

We live next door to the tank. We got sick and tired of looking at it sitting there derelict and I believed that something could be done with it. Keith Hope, tank house builder

An old disused water tank that sits atop a hill in Bathurst and tells part of the history of the city is being transformed into a house.

Topics: history-education, education, history, community-and-society, regional, orange-2800, bathurst-2795, trundle-2875, hill-end-2850, spicers-creek-2820, canowindra-2804, mudgee-2850, forbes-2871

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