THOUSANDS of the town's irreplaceable historical documents are sitting in a garage because the Wauchope District Historical Society has nowhere to house them.
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The historical society lost its home of 36 years - in a twice-shifted timber church at Timbertown - in June this year.
The church, which is owned by the historical society, is located within Timbertown's boundary and negotiations with the heritage theme park's owner, David Waite, over access, rent, opening hours and upkeep costs broke down in March.
The historical society subsequently moved out of its long-term base in the historic church and has had to put some of its ambitious plans on hold while it works to secure a new site for its operations.
It is now involved in legal proceedings, as Timbertown has issued it with a statement of claim for monthly rent of $308 as storage fee for the building that it vacated in June. With an associated claim for "continuance", the historical society is being asked to pay $1044 to David Waite, trading as Timbertown.
The legal proceedings and demand for payment have come at a time when the historical society is homeless and unable to generate any income, society president Ray Cooper says.
Furthermore the society is a volunteer-run, not for profit group that is already facing large bills in the near future for removal and relocation of its building.
The historical society would have been happy to remain at Timbertown, Mr Cooper says, but the theme park was insisting that access to it was to be through the park and that it be open all day, every day, which is impossible for a volunteer group.
When Timbertown was owned by the Port Macquarie-Hastings Council the society was charged a nominal $5 weekly rental, which basically continued under the new owners, rising to only $286 a year, Mr Cooper says.
Now the society is facing a bill involving a 1400 per cent rent increase, to $4004 a year, for premises it no longer uses.
Historical society member George Hegarty says the claim is unreasonable, especially considering the group had already paid its annual agreed $286 rent, in advance, in July this year. So, while the historical society continues its search for a new site, exploring avenues for assistance from the NSW and Federal governments as well as the council, its collection of historical records, documents, photographs and some 36,000 pages of the Wauchope Gazette, sit, inaccessible, in Mr Cooper's garage.
Mr Cooper is optimistic that, with the help being offered by local MPs and the council, the historical society will secure a new site for its historic church museum premises and its future plans for a timber workers hall of fame, but in the meantime it is seeking an amicable settlement of the financial situation at Timbertown.
After being contacted by the Gazette, a Timbertown spokesperson provided this response:
"Timbertown is a local business like any other in Wauchope which is entitled to receive money owed in a timely manner. This enables us to pay our dues.
"Currently Timbertown is owed over $70,000 in which we have commenced recovery action as any local business would when in a similar position.
"The only problem Timbertown has is a minority group of locals who can not see why Timbertown needs money and feel as though it should run on fresh air!
"The Waite family have done a tremendous job over the past three years with a great team behind them in ensuring Timbertown remains viable and this will ensure our survival."