A glimpse of Braidwood’s lawless past flashed across the village’s main street on Thursday when artists stopped the traffic while carrying their latest work to the National Theatre. They are celebrating the village’s 175th anniversary of European settlement with a $3000 heritage art prize and a street parade on Saturday of vintage vehicles, including a truck hauling a six-piece band.
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Judit Kovacs, a former Canberra public servant who moved to the village in 2002, is helping organise the art competition in the hope more people will experience Braidwood’s heritage.
Ms Kovacs said the local lifestyle is wonderful and the arts community is flourishing. ‘‘You have absolute advantage of country living with all the services and all in equal distance to Canberra, Goulburn and the coast.’’
The work of 13 past winners of the heritage prize will be on exhibition and a people’s choice winner will receive $500.
Cars slowing to a crawl through Wallace Street is in stark contrast to bushranger Tom Clarke’s murderous rampages in the 1860s and more in keeping with Braidwood’s prolific poet Judith Wright, who after arriving at the village helped establish a lands right movement for Aborigines.
Braidwood folk count as one of their living legends Olympian Neale Lavis, who donned full Light Horse military attire on Anzac Day this year, and will welcome back the Governor of NSW Marie Bashir on Saturday. Professor Bashir attended Braidwood’ s St Bede’s Primary School when she was a girl.
Parade organiser and heritage society secretary Michelle Grant said they have attempted parades in the past for the first heritage-listed town in NSW, but these proved fizzers, attracting few entries.
‘‘This one’s looking pretty good, with between 20 and 30 floats. The fact it is our 175th anniversary is bringing people out,’’ Ms Grant said..
Braidwood antique dealer and restorer Antony Davies is entering his 1914 chain-driven American truck, a replica of one featured in all events from 1915 to 1930, owned by one of the early civic fathers, Garnett Maddrell.
‘‘This truck is incredibly slow. It will carry Jembaicumbene Brass Band and Braidwood Choir as it did Garnett’s. It carried the brass band on special occasions and we are trying to duplicate it."
Playing a trombone, trumpet, flute and drums, the musicians will accompany 12 choristers singing rollicking songs of old. If there is an odd note, it could be that the "Republic Truck" has a top speed of 20 km/h and solid-rubber tyres.
