Mamre (homestead)

In 1798 colonial chaplain, magistrate and pastoralist, The Rev. Samuel Marsden purchased from a lapsed grantee at South Creek where he commenced experimental wool production activities. The name comes from Genesis 13:18 "Mamre which is in Hebron" (meaning land which is promised). Over the years under the direction of Sister Mary-Louise Petro, Founder of the Mamre Project, several programs have been successfully implemented to meet the perceived needs of time. The NSW Government Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs, together with the Australian Government Department of Family and Community Services and Education, Employment and Workplace Relations now provide funding for the continuing development and delivery of training programs. The present training includes skills in office administration, information technology, hospitality and customer service. Programs are taught in a supportive atmosphere where personal development is encouraged and nurtured. The homestead provides job opportunities in the hospitality industry. Mamre Plains Ltd is a non-profit company set up by the Sisters of Mercy in 1985. == Description ==

The Mamre homestead, , is a two-storey sandstone brick (now rendered) building in the Colonial Georgian style. The house has a hipped corrugated iron roof laid over the original timber shingles. The sandstone flagged timber verandah wrapping around three sides of the building (west, north and east sides) has a bellcast corrugated iron roof. The plan of the house is rectangular, with a central stair hall, eleven rooms and a single storey kitchen wing to the southern side. The windows of the house are timber double hung, with each sash having six panes. Two brick chimneys are located in each end hip. excavations revealed extensive evidence of outbuildings and features around the house. The main house is relatively intact, with only a few original outbuildings remaining. == Heritage listing ==

As at 30 March 2000, Mamre is significant for its potential to yield information on the pre-contact Aboriginal occupation of the South Creek catchment. Mamre is historically and socially significant as an important site in post-contact Aboriginal history, demonstrating Aboriginal survival and adaptation to non-traditional social, economic and political practices. Mamre is recognised as a property of State significance, as a substantial Georgian homestead, and the former residence of the Rev. Samuel Marsden during the 1820s and 1830s. It was later the residence of Richard, then Henrietta Rouse and the Hon. Robert Fitzgerald, MLC, from the 1840s. The building is an important example of an early 19th century homestead in the Colonial Georgian style. Mamre was listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999 having satisfied the following criteria. The place is important in demonstrating the course, or pattern, of cultural or natural history in New South Wales. Mamre is of high historical significance for its association with both the Rev. Samuel Marsden and the Rouse Family. It has further significance for the production and export of the first "weavable" wool in the colony and for its association with the settlement and development of pastoral/farming activities in the St Marys district. The place is important in demonstrating aesthetic characteristics and/or a high degree of creative or technical achievement in New South Wales. Mamre is of high aesthetic significance as a fine example of an early Colonial Georgian Residence retaining some elements of its original rural setting. The place has a strong or special association with a particular community or cultural group in New South Wales for social, cultural or spiritual reasons. Mamre is of high social significance for its association with prominent colonial figures and for its association with early employment in the district through the pastoral activities which took place there. The place has potential to yield information that will contribute to an understanding of the cultural or natural history of New South Wales. Mamre is of high technical/research significance for its demonstration of early 19th century building techniques and farming practices. The place possesses uncommon, rare or endangered aspects of the cultural or natural history of New South Wales. Relatively rare. The place is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a class of cultural or natural places/environments in New South Wales. Mamre is representative of major colonial homesteads with substantial acreage. == See also ==