Ever wondered what former Newcastle councillors scratched into the bottom of their drawers in an idle moment between speeches that shifted the city's course?
Or, perhaps, which of those drawers have the helpful, personal flashcards to remind leaders in that high office to, among other things, "be fair-dinkum, take turns, don't interrupt when someone is speaking" and "focus on the content of the information, and not the person presenting it"?
Or, where they kept the keys to those drawers to make sure that the graffiti (and any other contents) remained private in case some enterprising journalist happened to turn up hoping to try on the lord mayor's robes?
Those answers - and other more grown-up ones - will be revealed as the City of Newcastle prepares to throw open the doors of its historic chambers at City Hall for a series of public history tours from September 28 to October 1.
(For those keeping score, the answers to the above questions are: their names; the flashcards are in the drawer for the councillor seated at the toe of the historic horseshoe-shaped desk directly opposite the lord mayor's seat; and the keys are kept in the back of the discreet little side-drawers with a conveniently thoughtful circular hole where past councillors could put their ashtrays. But you didn't hear it from us.)
Cr Callum Pull, who agitated last year to open City Hall on King Street for more public access, said the tours would bring the public closer to the inner workings of their local government, as well as shining a light on 160 years of the city's history through the generations of its leaders.
"Local government is the level of government that is closest," Cr Pull said. "The decisions that a council makes, you're going to feel pretty quickly. It's collections, streets being cleaned, your local parks, amenities, all of that sort of thing."
"City Hall is the house of the people of Newcastle, so the idea was to throw open the doors, let them come her and enjoy this heritage listed chamber, and have the opportunity to learn more about our city's history here in their house."
Participants will take an hour's guided tour of the sprawling building, taking in some of the livelier moments that unfolded there to shape the Newcastle identity. Samantha Bullen, the council's city venues executive manager, said the tours would capture the "hidden history" of Newcastle.
The tours culminate in the historic chambers, and the lord mayor's office, where groups will be invited to try on a replica of the lord mayoral robes and chain, commissioned for the limited run.
"Most of us think about council and City Hall as the way it is today, but the path we took to get here is fascinating and these tours will help people appreciate the twists and turns Newcastle has taken along the way," Ms Bullen said.
Lord mayor Gavin Morris, who donned the real regalia on Thursday to join an early preview of the tours starting next week, said the event was aimed at bringing the work of local government home to visitors.
"Feeling more connected to the way that we live, and the way that we make our decisions," he said.
"Now, everyone can feel what I feel being here - even try on the robes and sit in the big chair and imagine what it is like."
"I'll never forget the day I had to try them on for the first time. It was a very surreal experience, and it still is."
Details of tour availability and ticket sales are available via the council's website.
