27.04.04
Australian High Commissioner to discover links with Cornwall's industrial heartland

His Excellency The Australian High Commissioner Mr Michael L'Estrange will be visiting Cornwall on Thursday (29th April) as part of the Dehwelans "Homecoming" Festival, where he will be finding out about the vast number of Cornish emigrants from Camborne, Pool and Redruth who left our shores during the 1800s to set up a new home on the other side of the world.

The High Commissioner is visiting Cornwall on the invitation of Dr Tim Williams, Chief Executive of CPR Regeneration, the urban regeneration company for Camborne, Pool and Redruth.

Dr Williams will be highlighting the significance of the area in terms of the industrial expertise, innovation and labour that was transferred from Cornwall's heartland to develop mining in mainland Europe, South America, Canada, the United States and of course Australia over 200 years ago.

To celebrate the historic and still lively links between Cornwall and Australia and to mark the visit of the Australian High Commissioner to the Dehwelans festival, CPR Regeneration commissioned a leading historian of Cornish mining, Mr Joff Bullen of Camborne, to research and write a special booklet titled: Cornwall 'Down Under'.

The booklet details the impact of the Cornish on Australian mining development and the growth of key towns in a number of states. A copy of the booklet will be presented to the High Commissioner by its author Joff Bullen at a Civic reception being held on Thursday.

The booklet has been produced as a print-run of 2,000 and is being sent free-of-charge to libraries, primary and secondary schools and colleges within the Camborne Pool and Redruth areas. Other schools or community based groups and organisations can request a copy of the booklet by contacting Linda Longstaff at CPR Regeneration on 01209 722099.

The itinerary that Mr L'Estrange will follow on Thursday has been organised by CPR Regeneration and aims to give the High Commissioner a feel of the significance that the area has played in the mining settlements of Australia.

On Thursday morning the Mr L'Estrange will visit the Cornwall Centre in Redruth were he will view some of the centre's exhibits and meet members of Redruth town council.

Moving on to Murdoch House, the place where over 200 years ago William Murdoch pioneered the world's first practical system of piped-gas lighting, Mr L'Estrange will briefly see at first hand the work of the Cornish Global Migration Programme which charts the history of the thousands of Cornish people who left their homeland.

The next stop on the High Commissioner's tour will be the Redruth Town Museum before a lunch at the Penventon Hotel.

The High Commissioner will then go on to a Civic Reception at Camborne Town Council where he will be guest of honour at the reception for the Dehwelans "Homecoming" Festival. At the reception Mr L'Estrange will have the opportunity to talk to civic dignitaries, local historians, industrial archaeologists, local businessmen, councillors and visitors from Dehwelans.

Mr L'Estrange's tour will conclude with a visit to Trevessa Farm near Zennor which was the birthplace of Sir John Quick, a Cornish emigrant who settled in Australia with his family in 1854 and went on to have a notable political career.

Commenting on Mr L'Estrange's visit to the festival Dr Tim Williams, Chief Executive of CPR Regeneration said: "We are delighted that the Australian High Commissioner will be attending the Dehwelans festival and has taken up our invitation to find out more about Australia's links with Cornwall's industrial heartland.

"Much of Cornwall's wealth and worldwide reputation was forged in this area and the Dehwelans Festival provides a great opportunity to remember the importance of Camborne, Pool and Redruth in the industrial revolution. From looking back at what the region once achieved we can be inspired to drive forward the regeneration process to once again put the Camborne, Pool and Redruth back on the map.”

Carleen Kelemen, Director of the Objective One Partnership and also Australian-born, will be one of the guests to join Mr L'Estrange for lunch. Ms Kelemen said: "There is a uniting pioneering spirit between Australia and Cornwall. Australia has seen much dynamic change in the last twenty five years. It has a new found pride in its own identity, established international markets for its unique local products and shown the way in being successful by being smarter not bigger. These are the attributes that underpin the ambition for the Objective One Programme and the future of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly in the 21st century.”

The Dehwelans Festival of Cornwall will take place at the Barrowfields in Newquay from Wednesday 28th April to Monday 3rd May. The Festival is a ticketed event and advance tickets can be purchased by contacting the Ticket Hotline (24 hour answerphone) on 01209 212070 or from the box office at the festival site which opens on Monday 26th April. For further information, visit www.dehwelans.com

Editor's notes:

Lunch at the Penventon Hotel

The High Commissioner will lunch with:

The Mayor of Redruth

The Mayor of Camborne

Carolyn Rule, Chairman, Kerrier District Council

David Brewer, Chairman, CPR Regeneration

Dr Tim Williams, Chief Executive Officer, CPR Regeneration

Barbara Ellenbroek, CPR Regeneration Director

Carleen Kelemen, Director, Objective One Partnership for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly

Mr and Mrs LJ Bullen

Civic Reception at Camborne Town Council

Amongst the civic dignitaries the High Commissioner will meet:

The Lord Lieutenant of Cornwall, Lady Mary Holborrow

The High Sheriff of Cornwall, Mr James St Aubyn

CPR Regeneration

CPR Regeneration is the urban regeneration company (URC) for Camborne, Pool and Redruth, which was granted official URC status in September 2001.
CPR Regeneration is jointly funded by Cornwall County Council, English Partnerships, Kerrier District Council, the Objective One Programme for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, and the South West Regional Development Agency.

For more information contact:

Jason Clark
Deborah Clark & Associates
01872 276276
07980 834368

Sue Wolstenholme
Objective One Communications
Objective One Partnership Office
Castle House
Pydar Street
Truro TR1 2UD
Mob: 07973 813647
Tel: 01579 370991

lmroberts@cornwall.gov.uk

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