History & heritage

Julie Hough. "In 1968 I commenced work with The Age newspaper and stayed for 10 years before the introduction of the digital platform. This transitional period saw around 500 staff retrenched and the end of my time as a linotype mechanic": Laurie Shanks.

Maldon will host the inaugural Goldfields Gothic Festival of Dark Ideas this July. As part of the town’s annual Maldon in Winter series, the new festival celebrates the dark side of the goldfields with performances, tours, themed food experiences, conversations on dark topics and a range of strange and unforgettable happenings sure to surprise, delight, incite and excite you.

Joan de Bondt. When the Legacy Bowls Tournament was initiated in Barham 55 years ago in 1967, it attracted four greens of bowlers, drawn from surrounding areas as far away as Bendigo. The event was established as a fundraiser to assist war widows and their families.

When the Maldon Historic Bakery business went up for sale last month, landlords Mark and Valentina Tansley decided to do some research into the bakery’s history. “We know that the bakery was established on this site in 1854 and that the wood-fired brick scotch oven is one of the oldest brick buildings in town,” said Valentina.

The author has set himself an enormous task to survey in depth the history of the Surrey Hills district of north-west Tasmania. Fires, Farms and Forests represents the culmination of much detailed and careful research, combined with the author’s extensive personal experience as a forester, and, in particular, his role managing the native grasslands and buttongrass moorlands on Surrey Hills. All this enables the author to weave a story which encompasses both general history as well as specialist insights into the management of land and forests.

An online forum of 90 local government Mayors, Councillors, Chief Executive Officers, key staff, Co-Patrons The Hon Denis Napthine AO and The Hon John Brumby AO, as well as representatives from regional tourism bodies and Heritage Victoria have heard how the bid will serve as a catalyst to transform the region, delivering a crucial post-pandemic economic lifeline to the Central Victorian Goldfields region.

Chris Oldfield. More than 57 years ago, Jeff and Fay Davey took up dairy farming on their Callendale farm near Lucindale ... In 1978, they joined a group of young farming families all thirsty for information and wanting to see some of the latest machinery ... “We built the site as a club. Then came the infrastructure, and it was all volunteers again.”

The Victorian Goldfields Railway (VGR) is in for a bumper year with the ever popular steam train back on the tracks. Visitors are catching up on missed rides, celebrating delayed birthdays and experiencing riding beside the driver. Bookings are almost sold out for the incredibly popular Ales on Rails and Murder on the Orient Express. Tickets are still available in May for a ride on Victorian Colonial Express; one of Victoria’s oldest railway carriages dating back to the 1880s.

Michael McCartney. This year’s Maldon Classic was a great success for the town. The two-day event, prior to the long weekend, ran as a fundraiser for the Maldon Hospital. Visitors travelled from all parts of Victoria and interstate.

The Denmark Volunteer Fire and Rescue Service celebrates 60 years since it was established on March 9, 1962 ... One of the first members was Ollie Wakka who has served for all of the 60 years of the service and is still doing so.

Narrandera will be the starting point for a re-enactment of the 131st celebrations of the Riverina Light Horse Association on the last weekend in March. Riders will mark the occasion by taking their mounts in a trek from Narrandera to Wagga to raise funds for a bronze statue.

The Jenkins family celebrated their 74th family reunion at the Castlemaine Botanical Gardens last Sunday. The family scroll created by Ray Maxfield in the 1960s measures 25 metres and is proudly displayed on the grass as new babies are added to the historical document.

Daryl Walker, from the Maldon Vintage Machinery and Museum, has spent months putting together a tribute to those that lost their lives in the Ash Wednesday fires on 16 February 1983. The exhibition, consisting of newspaper articles and photographs, is informative and moving.

Kirstin Nicholson. Let us introduce you to Sidney CP Reid JP. Sidney Reid was born in 1889 in Grafton. He came to Koondrook to manage Arbuthnot Sawmills in 1918 ... instrumental in establishing the Barham-Koondrook Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital ... operated a dairy farm ... "possessed a tremendous capacity for getting things done."

The Royal Agricultural Society of NSW (RAS) has launched a new commemorative book, at a function held at Government House in Sydney, honouring the bicentenary of the organisation in July this year.  

Warwick O'Neill. Let me regale you all with the tale, specifically, of Leslie Redford Clisby, henceforth referred to as Les, and more generally the involvement of Australian members of the Royal Air Force who took part in the Battle of France.

There is excitement in the air, with preparations for the show well underway. Show President, Ken Leslie, reports that, despite having to cancel last year's show due to  the COVID pandemic, the enquiries  and entries  for this year's show are coming in and people are keen to get involved.

John O'Donnell. A collection of dramatic and informative photos of the 1952 bushfires.

John O'Donnell. The Mangoplah bushfire burned an estimated 390,000 hectares. Property damage included 37 houses; 203 sheds and dairies; 1,841 km of fencing as well as 110,000 sheep, with financial impacts estimated at $18 million adjusted to 1970 CPI.

The transformation of the 83-year-old art deco water tower in South Casino has been a long time coming. Richmond Valley Council put forward several mural designs for the community to decide which one was best for the tower.

For two years, Wayne Finch has been searching for a suitable site for a maritime museum in Kyogle. And he has found it ... Wayne's father, Frank Finch OAM, served at sea for 46 years and when he returned to Kyogle, his home became a homage to his love of life at sea.

“I believe this object is a very early version of a wooden bowl possibly used in ‘crown green bowls’. This bowl was passed on to me from my late English stepfather. It was dug up in Kent, Southern England about 50 years ago during renovations to an old horse stable. Where did it originate? Maybe Sir Francis Drake used this bowl while the Spanish Armada was sailing up the English Channel in 1588 or maybe it was used earlier than that date": Glenn Johnson, Elliot Heads Bowls Club.