Mudgee resident Stephen Gay took things into his own hands when he realised that there were no official bicentenary celebrations being held in 2021, drawing crowds to a display he's erected in the front yard of his Lewis Street home.

For the last couple of months, Stephen has spent his own time and money constructing the display for what he sees as a deficit in the celebration of the town.

We went to see Stephen's display and ask what drove him to put the display up in the first place. Pointing to a photograph of the 1921 celebrations, Stephen showed us his grandfather James Gay's shop on Market Street and how he was among the crowds at the centenary celebrations.

"They celebrated the '21 celebrations. So I thought, if it was good enough for them, it's good enough for me," Stephen said.

"The crowds that turned up, the amount of people - Mudgee was such a rich area. It's such a shame that we can't get a crowd like that - I know COVID is on - but they can have football that hosts 7,000 and however many out at the races too.

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"This is my contribution to Mudgee. I'm not trying to piss anyone off... Apparently they were three deep here yesterday (Saturday). There's been a hell of a lot of feedback."

A post has been circulating on social media with photos of the display. Posted by Elizabeth Newton the post - at time of print - had been shared more than 200 times with scores of comments from locals and other supporters of the display.

Stephen said the 2038 date wasn't good enough for many people that attended the 1971 celebrations. "It's too far away, many will have died before seeing it."

Some see the lack of celebrations as a failing of Council, however when this issue was discussed at the 2018 Council meeting, it was decided that 2038 was the more suitable date for celebrations, given 1838 was the date Mudgee was first gazetted.

"Well, I won't. I've got kidney issues... It was good enough for my grandfather to decorate and do everything. I thought, well, why not?" Stephen said.

Stephen's display will run for a month. He's hoping to collect more photos from private collections and project a slideshow on his home for people to watch at night.

The display can be seen at 35 Lewis Street, Mudgee.

It boils down to the date previously celebrated being the date marking the arrival of white settlers to the area and a question of whether the gazettal of Mudgee was a more suitable date for celebration.

This issue was discussed by Council at their February 2018 meeting.

The executive summary that was part of the Council motion, explained it thusly:

'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,' the summary said.

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'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.'

A motion put forth by Councillor Russell Holden at the February meeting, which failed for want of a seconder, was to endorse 1821 as the date to be referenced for any future celebrations. A motion by Councillors Paul Cavalier and Peter Shelley that endorsed 1838 as the date, was passed with Councillors Percy Thompson, Esme Martens and Russell Holden voting against it.

"This motion actually stops the entire argument we've just discussed around this table," Councillor Peter Shelley said.

"You could speak to you and you could come up with a different date - you'd come up with a different date - other people come up with different dates. The gazettal date, everybody agrees on. Black and white, end of story. No one can dispute the date that it was gazetted.

"And quite frankly, as long as you celebrate the town, who gives a shit what day it is. As long as it's Mudgee and as long as its a specific date that people cannot argue about."

Following this discussion by Councillors, it was decided that instead, celebrations would be held in 2038. 200 years since the date of gazettal in 1838. It's worth noting that recent Centenary celebrations in Kandos have been related to the gazettal of the town in 1914 rather than initial exploration.

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