The world premiere of a piece of music dedicated to Australia's mining history will be held in the mid-north town of Burra this weekend. It's part of 180th birthday celebrations for the town that was born out of copper mining and is now in a race to win World Heritage recognition.
00:00A new song for an old town, composed by Jodie O'Regan and sung by her husband Emlyn.
00:20It's an ode to borough and a long-lost relative, Cornish minor Joseph Roberts.
00:26That's my husband Emlyn's great-great-great-great-grandfather, and he was in Cornwall.
00:33He persuaded his wife Mary and their seven children to come out to borough to work in the mined here.
00:40The O'Regan's moved to borough three years ago, only to discover they had an ancestor in the local cemetery.
00:47The song will premiere at borough's 180th anniversary celebrations.
00:52People came here to mine copper from Cornwall. It was the largest amount of people, immigrants, across from one side of the world to the other, which is why, you know, heritage is really important here.
01:03It's important for others in the town too.
01:06I got interested in history when I was about five, and I saw these stone buildings and I was wondering, why were they there?
01:19An enthusiasm for history that's led to a push for global recognition.
01:24Along with the 180th birthday celebrations, Borough is also working on a proposal to get World Heritage Listing.
01:34We're undertaking a preliminary assessment at the moment, which will be delivered to ECOMOS, International Charter of Monuments and Sites, on 15 September this year.
