In 1921 the residents of Mudgee gathered in the Main Street, in front of the town hall and celebrated Mudgee's 100th birthday.

The same occured in 1971, then the sesquicentenary, Mudgee turned 150.

It would be reasonable to assume then that we would soon be celebrating Mudgee's double century in just a few years.

However this is not the case, Mudgee's bicentenary is instead pencilled in for 2038. Why is there debate and why are some people upset at the change?

Firstly. 1821 is the generally accepted date that white settlement occurred on land near where Mudgee is currently located. This has been considered in the past as year one of Mudgee.

1838, is the year at which Mudgee was first gazetted as an official town.

At an ordinary Council meeting in February this year (2018), a report by the Director of Community recommended that instead of celebrating a Mudgee bicentenary on 2021, 200 years since the first white settlement that the date be moved instead to January in 2038, 200 years since Mudgee was gazetted.

The report states:

Over the years, different Councils have determined that 1821 was an important and landmark year for the township of Mudgee and the region. This was the year of the first recorded white exploration of the region. Centenary celebrations were held in March 1921 and Sesqui-centenary celebrations were held in March 1971.

In more recent years, there has been a greater emphasis on understanding the history of white settlement in the region and the impact that it had on the Indigenous population of the area. It is suggested that Council may wish to consider a date that is more inclusive and also more definitive in terms of the establishment and founding of the town.

At the February meeting, Councillor Russell Holden moved a motion that the bicentenary be celebrated on December 18, 2021.

Mayor Des Kennedy clarified at the time what was being debated.

"There is no doubting that the town was out there in 1821, it was called Menah town. The day that Mudgee was gazetted, were talking about Mudgee here, was 1838, not 1821," he said.

"So whether you want to celebrate when the camping tree was discovered or when Mudgee became a gazetted town is the argument."

Councillors Russell Holden, Percy Thompson and Esme Martens voted in favour of the amendment to celebrate the bicentenary on December 18, 2021.

At another ordinary council meeting in April this year (2018), a rescission motion that was signed by Councillors Alex Karavas, Esme Martens and Percy Thompson.

Councillor Karavas was the first to speak.

"To me it doesn't really make sense for a bicentenary of a town to be 117 years after the centenary. That seems just the biggest issue to me really, like, I don't even know if that's ever happened before but yeah, that's really the main reason", he said.

Councillor Percy Thompson shared his thoughts on the date change.

"Mr Mayor the reason I signed this rescission motion is because the actual first white people to come here was in 1821 and they settled at the camping tree at Menah", he said.

"They were actually led here by an Aboriginal fellow from Bathurst called Aaron, that's why we've got Aarons Pass and he only came to the top of Aarons Pass because he wasn't allowed to come into Wiradjuri area.

"So Mudgee a town itself was gazetted in 1838, when half the town had been established up here, away from where the floods were at Menah.

"But the last celebrations were in 1921 and they should be in 2021."

The motion was defeated.

Councillor Sam Paine spoke in favour of changing the date of the bicentenary.

"In 1921 when we celebrated the Centenary, Aboriginal people couldnt be citizens, couldn't vote in a federal election and couldn't go to a public school if a white family complained", he said.

"I'm not surprised this question did not come up at the time, in 1971 when we celebrated the sesquicentenary, famously, Aboriginal people were counted in the census for the first time as human beings who lived in Australia.

"It's an important part of Australian racism that there's this idea that there are people who live in Australia and then there are Aboriginals.

"This kind of feeling of we and they which comes up again in the end of these notes we have today on this motion, talking about how helpful the Aboriginals were in building the community that we have and talking about cementing our community's ties with the Aboriginal community."

"The Aboriginal community is part of our community, they're some of our rate payers and if were going to have the ratepayers pay for a celebration it should be one that all the community can feel a part of. And if you want to do something kind for your Aboriginal community, don't put the celebration on a date that they don't want the celebration to be held on and don't want to be involved with."

"I love and respect the historical society but on this occasion I have to disagree with them."

Mayor Des Kennedy shared his thoughts during the debate.

"My two bobs worth is that ones a grey date, 1821 is a grey date. There might have been five or six blokes here in 1820 but they didn't like it and they went away", he said.

"1838 is not a grey day. Its set in concrete, that's the day that the town of Mudgee was gazetted. I've listened to everything and I agree with nearly everything said but ones a grey date in Indigenous history.

"That fact that they did it in 1971 and 1921, maybe they were wrong as well."

Percy Thompson suggested they could celebrate both.

Des replied, "You can do both if you want to. But it costs money."

The Mudgee bicentenary is set to be celebrated in 2038.