Designed to send a message, spread awareness and stand in the way of “unimaginable destruction”, the protest of Thompson Square, Windsor, in the river community of the Hawkesbury has changed the lives of those who fought to protect it.

But after thousands of shifts enduring freezing winter nights and scorching summer days, the 200 passionate volunteers that make up Community Action for Windsor Bridge have dismantled the tent in the historic square — which so many have described as home — ending the occupation just a few short months shy of their six-year anniversary.

Original CAWB member Kate MacKaness remembers the first overnight shift planned in the square, which she volunteered for alongside former CAWB chairman Bail Miller.

“It was after a big rally in the square,” Ms MacKaness told The Times.

“We were conscious that we needed a public profile and a physical presence so we decided to set up an occupation throughout the night.

“But to be completely honest we weren’t prepared for how cold it was going to be in the middle of July — it was the coldest night of my life.”

The occupation, which lasted in Thompson Square for a total of 2083 days, gave the community group “an unparalleled opportunity” to share their story and recruit for the cause, according to Freemans Reach resident Sarah McRae.

Ms McRae said it took commitment, passion and “a little bit of defiance” for so many volunteers to dedicate so much time to the cause that united so many people across the Hawkesbury.

“This is one of the earliest and most significant sites in Australian history that has stood in the Hawkesbury for hundreds of years,” Ms McRae said.

“Thompson Square and the old bridge deserve to be retained, and this community deserves to be reminded of our history every day.

“In 2013, the NSW Government decided to forge ahead with the demolition of Windsor Bridge and the destruction of Thompson Square and we were determined to send a message that this was not the right plan for the future of the Hawkesbury.”

Teachers, lawyers, small business owners, architects, builders, and grandparents determined to protect the square for their future generations joined the cause, volunteering for one of more than 24,000 four-hour shifts at Thompson Square over the past six years.

CAWB president Harry Terry was tasked with the co-ordination of the daily roster than planned out the volunteers day at the square.

“I was there at the birth of CAWB,” he said.

“I made a submission to the original project and attended a working group meeting where they looked at the design for the bridge.

“I asked people if they were in favour of the project and the majority said that they weren’t — that is was when the action group was launched.”

Mr Terry said the group researched the history of Thompson Square, “and the importance it had to the survival of the colony”.

“I feel proud of the fact that I stood up and recognised that what is happening here is not right,” he said.

“We knew the fight was going to be long, but we defended our heritage for almost six years.

“Our campaign saw us there for 2083 days and we were always vocal, spreading awareness in our community, and that is what we were fighting for the community, not ourselves.”

Other members of the action group dedicated more than just their time to the cause, some gave their final days of life to defend the square for future generations.

East Kurrajong resident Nina Butler recalled the passion in her husband Noel’s voice whenever they volunteered to man the tent.

“He attended the very first public forum, held just a few metres from where we are today and was inspired to join the cause,” Mrs Butler said through a tearful smile.

“He said to me during our first day volunteering: ‘it is freezing cold, pouring rain, but we aren’t moving’, because he knew that a few uncomfortable moments each week could lead to our community saving something very important.”

Mrs Butler said her husband uncovered documents in his family history that date his ancestors in the Hawkesbury back to 1803.

“From then on we did all we could to protect this place,” she said.

“We would come and spread awareness to passers-by, get people to join the cause by signing petitions and plot where our supporters were coming from.”

The final day of the occupation, which arrived on April 3, came as the group realised their message had been heard loud and clear.

Mr Terry said he was “determined to go out with a bang, but that wasn’t our style”.

More than 30 members joined together one last time to dismantle the tent in the dead of night, they returfed the part of the square the action group had occupied for 68 months straight and plotted a headstone which predicted the future demise of the historic site: “R. I. P Thompson Square, 1795 — 2019”.

“There was a realisation that the time had come and we weren’t going to spread awareness any further than we already had,” Mr Terry said.

“We reached our community and then some.

“There was a campaign to demonise us and we didn’t want to be accused of holding up progress, so we decided we needed to put our energy into other aspects of our campaign.”

Mrs MacKaness said during the occupation, Thompson Square was transformed into a school, tourism centre, emergency phone box, and community meeting point”.

“Our occupation lasted for so long because the situation continued to deteriorate,” Kate MacKaness said.

“The government forced their way forward and we pushed back with everything we had.”

Physically protecting the square from fear of destruction by bulldozers was the defiant volunteer’s main aim from day one, but that objective grew as more members of the community were notified of what the NSW Government was proposing for the site and why CAWB were so determined to prevent it from becoming a reality.

“As more days went by more people signed up to volunteer,” she said.

“We were able to spread our message far and wide and, in total, we gathered more than 45,000 signatures from across the Hawkesbury, and the world, objecting to the demolition of the square and redevelopment of Windsor Bridge

“We were left with no choice but to continue the occupation — we continue to be willing to sacrifice our time, effort and freedom to protect our history.”

Mrs MacKaness said volunteers have been forced to come to terms with the toll that comes with the end of the campaign in Thompson Square: “it is quite odd to have our lives back, I think there is a gap in people lives now because our occupation has ended.”

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