Celebrating 190 Years of the SMSA
On Wednesday 22nd March 2023 Sydney Mechanics’ School of Arts celebrated our 190th Birthday. To celebrate this milestone we have taken the chance to look back on our rich history and see that one thing is for sure…there is no other story like that of the Sydney Mechanics’ School of Arts.
SMSA has been a major contributor to Sydney’s cultural, industrial, and political scene. Our desire to share new ideas has attracted a membership of thinker’s inventors and creatives. Prominent members have included Prime Ministers Edmund Barton, George Reid and Billy Hughes, journalist, and suffragist Louisa Lawson, writer Miles Franklin and poet Henry Kendall to name a few.
The SMSA has Australia’s longest continuous running lending library and has been offering our members the latest books, newspapers, and magazines for 190 years. Currently our library holds 29336 books for our members to browse and borrow.
The SMSA has hosted an extraordinary array of expert speakers. From renowned explorer Ludwig Leichhardt in the 1840’s to esteemed social psychologist and bestselling author Hugh Mackay in conversation with Catherine du Peloux Menagé (BAD Sydney) on the 190th birthday of the school.
We look forward to celebrating this significant milestone with you at a special event later in the year.