Former Rail Workers to Relive Old Times at CarriageWorks January 21-22 2007

To celebrate the unveiling of Sydney’s new home for contemporary arts, CarriageWorks will swing open its doors with a weekend of FREE events, performances, tours and forums.

Developed by the NSW State Government through Arts NSW, CarriageWorks at the former Eveleigh Rail Yards at Wilson Street is a bold new centre committed to the nurturing, development and presentation of contemporary arts. NSW Arts Minister Bob Debus officially opened CarriageWorks on January 5.

Former Eveleigh railway workers and their families are invited to visit the centre on January 20 and 21 for its Open Weekend and enjoy these FREE activities:

• Guided Tours: Be one of the first to see the magnificent new theatre spaces, rehearsal rooms and scenery construction workshops at CarriageWorks (11am & 2pm daily).
• Forums: Join in a panel discussion on the rail history of CarriageWorks (12pm Saturday) with speakers including Bill Casley former Workshop Manager and CarriageWorks consultant; Ian Brady past President Australian Railway Historical Society; Richard Butcher former Eveleigh Blacksmith and author of The Great Eveleigh Railway Workshops; Tom Paine former engineer Train  Equipment (Lighting) Section Redfern and Garry Hingle former carriage builder and secretary of the Vehicle Division of the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union.
• Exhibition:  Explore the building’s history at the Trains of Treasure audio-visual display (daily, 11am – 4pm).
• Testimonial Booth: If you worked on the site during its years as a railway carriage workshop, come and record your story.
  

CarriageWorks director Sue Hunt said the venue retains the site’s connection with its former industrial railway heritage and this will continue in the future. “Anyone associated with the former carriage workshops who attends the open weekend is encouraged to tell their story or share an anecdote about life at the Eveleigh Carriage Workshops,” Ms Hunt said.

“These experiences will be recorded as reference material for writers, poets, musicians and others who will keep the memory of the site’s railway history alive for future generations. We would also appreciate any old photographs of the area to help illustrate its colourful past.”

The open weekend will also include free performances, rehearsals, aerial workshops and installations by artists including Performance Space, Legs On the Wall, Aerialize, Erth and Stalker. For full details visit www.carriageworks.com.au

CarriageWorks Open Weekend

11am – 4pm
Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 January 2007
245 Wilson Street, Eveleigh

Getting There

Catch the train to Redfern, Macdonaldtown or Newtown. Catch the bus to King Street. There are ample bicycle racks on site. Street parking is limited. For full program and transport information visit www.carriageworks.com.au

MEDIA: Contact Nathan McIlroy at Mollison Communications on 02 8302 2918, 0421 668 440 or at nathan.m@mollison.com