The iconic Kindee bridge is celebrating its 80th birthday in style this weekend. There will be vintage cars, a pipe band, country music and local entertainment as well as a light lunch and refreshments.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
At 10.30am, people are asked to gather at the corner of Kindee Road and the Oxley Highway. At 11am they will march to the bridge, and then continue to Kindee Hall for entertainment and refreshments.
Raffle tickets are on sale from Hastings Mower Service, Prime Cuts in Long Flat, Jennifers Hair Salon and have already been sold at the IGAs in Wauchope.
The event is being run by the hall committee as a fundraiser for the Kindee Hall, which is owned by the community. The hall is used for parties, concerts, dances and functions like wedding receptions.
The combined Wingham and Hastings Marching Bagpipe Band will lead the parade, and the Hastings Country Music Club will entertain the crowds after lunch.
A special 80th birthday cake to celebrate the special day will be cut by Lenny Kirkman, who was the first baby to cross the bridge, and by the Kindee’s oldest resident, Dorothy McKinnon.
“We are getting a lot of outside support to put the day together, it will be quite spectacular, and we are very grateful to our sponsors. It’s a fundraiser, so any support in any way would be very welcome,” said organiser Laurie Steep.
The Kindee Suspension Bridge is the oldest suspension bridge in Australia opened in 1936. The bridge crosses the Hastings River upstream of its junction with Kindee Creek, several kilometres from Long Flat.
The steel was sourced from Newcastle and the timber was supplied locally. The contractor employed to build the bridge R.B Hayden was unfortunately killed during its construction and the work was completed by the then Department of Main Roads. The bridge is still in use today.