History & heritage

Gwen Colwill. 27 April 1973 a meeting was held in Bordertown chaired by Mr Colin Pitcher where it was decided to form a field Naturalist Group ... Walt was presented with a tree seedling by Gwen Colwill which he planted in the reserve to commemorate our 50 years.

It was another successful two days of the Border Flywheelers rally. The sprawling museum, steam powered marvels and shiny rides delighted attendees. Saturday saw a light shower of rain but that didn’t dampen the enthusiasm of visitors from as far away as Armidale NSW and even Perth WA.

Over the past month, eleven planes from ‘Flight Training Adelaide’ have flown into Nhill. The pilots are all trainees from Hong Kong, sponsored by Cathay Pacific Airlines. Flying Austrian-built Diamond Star aircraft, with their 180 hp Lycoming engines, the pilots have been doing flying navigation exercises, learning to use maps rather than GPS technology.

Helen and Gerard Nolan. The extended Nolan family and friends celebrated 70 years since John and Rita (nee McGahan) moved to "Fairfield" Ellinthorp with two small boys and a six week old baby ... The farm at Ellinthorp was bought in May 1953 on a walk-in walk-out basis with plant, livestock and some furniture.

Colin Newport. Although Norman Brian Clarke was not born in Allora, his connections to the town ran deep. Following his recent death and funeral service in Brisbane, his body was brought to Allora to be buried alongside the graves of his grandparents Joseph and Sarah Eleanor Clarke. The plot had been long- time reserved and Norman had asked that Father Rod McGinley conduct the burial service.

Last Friday in Allora, Jenco launched a new era in the company’s journey as it transitions from Jenco Feeds to the Millstone Group ... A powerhouse trio of leading industry brands - Jenco, Allora Grain & Milling and Running Cool has been brought together to create the all-encompassing Millstone Group.

The four honour boards in the Rappville Hall that were destroyed in the 2019 bushfire have just been replaced with new and better versions ... Resident Roger Bailey was a driver of the project to restore the boards that hang on the shiny, white walls of the new hall.

Port Pirie Regional Art Gallery is thrilled to present the Port Pire Branch of the Embroiderers’ Guild of South Australia Inc. in The Gentle Arts ... The Gentle Arts is an embroidery exhibition that celebrates the historical significance, technical mastery and cultural narratives embedded within embroidery.

The significant transformation of Australia’s agricultural industry is represented by the extraordinary McDonald ‘Imperial’ oil ‘EB’ tractor, which is going on display in the Museum’s Gandel Atrium ... “The McDonald ‘EB’ oil tractor represents a theme of Australian innovation in a revolutionary era for engineering. This acquisition represents our agricultural history, and we are thrilled to share it with Australia": Dr Mathew Trinca, National Museum Director.

Tractors with GPS guidance are now used to run straight furrows in paddocks but in the past, great horses were guided by men with kind and gentle hands to create beautiful plots. This farming heritage is remembered and kept alive every year by ploughing events across the country but the most prestigious of them all is the Golden Plough Championship in NSW, which has been fiercely contested every year since it was first held in 1976.

The Malinauskas Labor Government is delivering on its election commitment with the introduction of new laws for stronger penalties for people who disturb or destroy Aboriginal heritage ... The new laws will make the maximum penalty for the damaging, disturbing or interfering heritage offences $2 million for body corporates and $250,000 for individuals and/or 2 years prison.

Patricia Gill. Merninger Elder Lynette Knapp feels for her country the same way as her family does: "Which is the way I taught them". A DNA test conducted through the Esperance Aboriginal Group 12 years ago showed her as having a 75,000-year ‘proper’ connection to Country, other Noongars tested being African or Asian-related.

The first view of the bare site where once stood the original purpose-built Border Football Club rooms has left a lump in the throats of former players. The fond memories are now all that remain of the club house that served Border from 1965 to 1995 and Koondrook Barham River Raiders from 1996 until 2019 when the current state of the art facility was built.

Restoring the Nhill Silo isn’t a small endeavour, nor is it a cheap or an easy one. Nevertheless, a passionate group of local volunteers is committed to making it happen. The Nhill Silo Heritage Project was incorporated in 2021, following the purchase of the structure on behalf of the community.

Patrick Goldsmith. Celebrations have commenced to mark the 2023 Kernewek Lowender Copper Coast Cornish Festival, now in its 50th year. Locals and visitors will have the chance to soak up traditional Cornish events and displays throughout the week (Monday to Sunday, May 15-21).

A joint Consortium Agreement has been adopted to help progress Moonta Mines’ world heritage bid. The Australian Cornish Mining Sites World Heritage Consortium will enable Copper Coast Council, Regional Council of Goyder (encompassing Burra) and the National Trust of South Australia to work towards their final step in gaining World Heritage Listing.

A commitment to preserving and celebrating the heritage of the Tweed section of the Northern Rivers Rail Trail (NRRT) has been acknowledged with an award at the prestigious National Trust Heritage Awards. The Tweed section of the Northern Rivers Rail Trail took out first place in the Conservation – Landscape category of the Awards at a ceremony in Sydney on Friday 12 May.

Birchip, Nullawil and Donald will host the first Royal Historical Society Victoria  (RHSV) seminar held in rural Victoria in 2023, between Friday, May 19, and Sunday, May 21, incorporating visiting presenters, local speakers from the different societies telling their experiences, and lots of opportunities to enjoy the Wimmera-Mallee.

Michele Waddington. This is the first part of a series on Maldon’s application for listing by the Australian Heritage Council as the outstanding 19th-century Australian Goldfields central precinct ... Part 1 claims that Maldon’s authentic and integrated streetscape was the impetus for heritage protection in Australia.

Sunday, May 7 saw a strong crowd gather at Myall for the unveiling of the Myall Historical Timeline and Myall Remembers service personnel honour board. The day was the fifth attempt to hold the event since 2019. With the pandemic behind us and the flood water receded, attendees braved the frigid conditions to soak up the rich recent history and live music.