General News
28 September, 2022
Shire: local history needs preservation
A PUSH to record oral histories has been made to ensure Corangamite Shire’s history is well documented before it is lost forever.
A PUSH to record oral histories has been made to ensure Corangamite Shire’s history is well documented before it islost forever.
Heytesbury Historical Society members Gavan Deppeler and Neil Trotter have called on the community to record and retain local history as a matter of priority.
“Educating and communicating the need to retain local history, in particular oral history, is an area of urgent attention,” Mr Deppeler told a meeting of Corangamite Shire’s history groups at Cobden recently.
The historical society representatives from Corangamite Shire met to share notes of their challenges and achievements.
Mr Trotter said a major concern was the loss of oral history.
“There is a lot of recorded history put out by individual authors, but little is being done to bring it all together,” he said.
Mr Deppeler suggested providing life story books to share with loved ones was a valuable way of encouraging oral storytelling to ensure history was not lost.
Facilitated by Corangamite Shire, the forum also heard about the loss of volunteers in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and meeting the challenges of digitisation.
Many groups had experienced a fall in volunteer numbers since the pandemic, yet others found they had gained interest and membership as more people found time to research family history.
Camperdown Historical Society president Rob Wuchatsch said the group maintained its volunteer numbers.
“While the enforced break was disruptive to the community, it wasn’t hugely disruptive for the society and allowed some members to take a break,” he said.
“It’s important to give volunteers jobs that they feel comfortable in doing.
“If they are not happy, volunteers willjust walk”.
Corangamite Shire community development officer Garry Moorfield provided details about grants opportunities available to the shire’s volunteer-operated history groups and museums.
Members of the community interested in becoming involved are encouraged to contact their local historical and heritage groups including:
Terang and District Family History Group Inc – contact Jan Whamond (secretary) 5595 4396, Bev Fleming (president), or 5595 4384, email terangfhg@gmail.com or visit www.teranghistory.org.au.
Terang and District Historical Society Inc – contact Bob McIntosh (president) on 5592 1354 or 0419 885 784, Margaret McIntosh (research officer) on 5592 1354 or Penny Lourey (secretary) on 0497 150 825 – email historysociety04@hotmail.com or visit teranghistory.org.au.
Western Plains Machinery Preservation Group Inc – contact Nathan Micallef on 0421 825 006 or email wpmpg@outlook.com; and
South West Restoration Group – contact Helen Smith on 0408 104 912.