(City of Newcastle)
Newy 87.8 FM – Novocastrians are being invited to sit in the hot seat as Lord Mayor, complete with replica robes and chains, as part of an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of Newcastle City Hall.
The inaugural tours, running from Monday 28 September to Thursday 1 October, will guide participants through 160 years of local government in Newcastle.
Each one-hour session starts in Wheeler Place at the foundation stone of City Hall, stops by a lamp post on King Street dedicated to a former Mayor who made the Civic precinct possible, and finishes in the former Council Chambers inside City Hall.
Visitors will discover how Durban in South Africa inspired the construction of City Hall, what happened during a famous 'surrender ceremony' in 1938, and how council changed after the election of the city's first female Lord Mayor in the 1970s.
City of Newcastle's Executive Manager of City Venues, Samantha Bullen, said the tours are a chance to explore the hidden history of Newcastle and how democracy shaped the city.
Lord Mayor Gavin Morris said the history of Mayors in Newcastle stretches back to 1859, when James Hannell was the city's first elected leader.
The tours follow a Notice of Motion moved by Councillor Callum Pull in August last year calling for greater public access to the former Chambers.
Tickets are on sale now via the City Hall website or the Civic Theatre ticket office.
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