Jack Brook announced as inaugural Mayoral History Prize winner
Thursday, September 4, 2008
The Mayor of Blacktown City, Councillor Leo Kelly, OAM today announced the winner of the inaugural Mayoral History Prize as Mr Jack Brook from Seven Hills.
The Mayoral History Prize was established this year, to encourage a wider understanding of Blacktown City's diverse history through research, documentation and promotion. Entries were encouraged from people who have documented Blacktown's history through published work, in the past five years.
Jack was selected as the winner for his significant and sustained contribution to an understanding of the history of Blacktown and its Aboriginal history.
Jack submitted his work, The Seven Hills: A Village Divided: A Suburb United as his entry, a book that is considered to be a major step forward in the resolution of the history behind the naming of Seven Hills, and provides important leads in to related historical research.
"Congratulations to Jack on being the first recipient of the Mayoral History Prize", Mayor of Blacktown City, Councillor Leo Kelly, OAM said.
"Jack has made an enormous contribution to the wider appreciation of Blacktown's history through his own research and writing, his active participation in local historical societies, and his generosity with his research, which is used widely by other historians."
"The entries that were submitted in our first year of the Mayoral History Prize, were of high calibre and quality. In future years, we anticipate more entires of equally high standards, as more people become aware of the awards and also through the introduction of additional prize categories such as oral history, photography, and the encouragement of student participation", Mayor Kelly continued.
Copies of Jack Brook's The Seven Hills: A Village Divided: A Suburb United, can be found in Blacktown City Libraries at Mount Druitt, Riverstone, Blacktown and Lalor Park.
Information on the 2009 Mayoral History Prize will be available from Council in mid-2009.
