Colonial History at Windsor's Gas Lamp Lighting Festival -Mike Smioth

For Australian history buffs, Windsor - 50kms north-west of Sydney - can shed much light on the country’s colonial past. Don’t expect to see a giant majestic castle as found in the town’s namesake in the UK. Nor are there royal guardsmen. But only a few days ago, there was a professional town crier, Graham Keating, in strong voice to ring in the town’s annual Gas Lamp Festival. The world-renowned and former world champion Keating, a sprightly 84-years-old, was appropriately dressed for the occasion, while many locals dressed in period costume for a parade down George Street Mall led by a bagpipe band. As roving reporter MIKE SMITH discovered, the 215-year-old settlement – one of the oldest in Australia - prides itself on its historic roots through its own charming architecture, a pub that has been around since 1815.