Welcome to Weston!

This website was established in conjunction with Coalfields Local History Association Inc. and the Facebook pages: I grew up in Weston and Survived and Coalfields Local History Association. An abundance of local history data is also available at those locations. Special thanks to Mélissa Martin and Lynne Kermode for transcribing the Pioneering Days articles for publication on this website. Please report broken links.

Weston (NSW) History & Heritage is a not-for-profit website dedicated to preserving some of the history and heritage of the town of Weston in NSW, Australia. The scope of the website is to provide the history and heritage of Weston in a predominantly pictorial fashion from the birth of the town up until 2020. We attempt to capture the essence of the Weston of yesteryear; the history, the heritage and the heart. Among many other pages of historical interest, there are five timeline pages included in the drop-down menu at the top of the page: The Past - Weston to 1910 / Weston 1911-1920 / Weston 1921-1960 / Weston 1961-2000 / and Weston 2001-2020. See also details of many early businesses on the Services & Establishments page. These pages contain a great deal of information and many photographs relating to the development of the Weston township. Please note, any downward facing arrows in either the top menu bar or the drop-down menus always indicate additional pages underneath. Just hover over, tap or click the arrow to reveal them. Please make sure to explore the links on the Pioneering Days page. They contain some absolute gems from historical Weston that were written by the late local historian Brian Andrews.

Weston began to grow as a private town of great promise in 1903 due to the vast coal deposits lying beneath; yet over the decades has suffered many challenges and loss of services. No doubt this town will continue to transition over time, with potential opportunities abounding for those with an eye to the future. See The Future.

Will the days ahead draw on aspects of the past? This notion does not seem beyond the realms of possibility. When Cessnock Road was known as Aberdare Street in the early days of Federation, it was a vibrant business hub (see The Past - Weston to 1910) and the Services and Establishments pages). Might it be again?

While the Hebburn Collieries led to the Birth of Weston, tragically, many men lost their lives in the local mines; a fact that should never be forgotten. Please take note of the crosses on the timeline pages (navigation via the drop-down menu at the top of the page) where we remember those miners. The Hebburn Collieries could not have flourished as they did without them. The Hebburn township no longer exists as a separate town; it now forms part of Weston. We hope that the unique heritage of Weston's past helps to ensure that the coming years are filled with opportunity and prosperity. When Basil Ralston wrote his memoir, see 'My Ten Years in Weston, 1926-1936' , he stated in the Introduction, ' You have a heritage like no other people in Australia. If I can show you something of what I know of it, I will have done something for Weston.'

We bring our timeline pages up to 2020. See Weston 2001-2020. After all, the pioneers who built this town left many descendants with the same gritty determination to see their town prosper. See Weston Worthies page.

Some of what we share on these pages will be sad and other items will be humorous, but above all, what we publish will be about the real character of Weston and the strength and spirit of its people. The photographs appearing on this website will have been contributed by many different sources including the Coalfields Local History Association Inc. from collections held at the Sir Edgeworth David Memorial Museum. Where we can, we will cite the original sources; however, some photographs may have been taken by photographers unknown to us. If you have concerns in relation to any photographs that we publish on this not-for-profit website, or are able to confirm sources where we have been unable to cite them, please contact the Website Manager.