Originally Published April 20 2022
FOR more than four decades, a dedicated group of residents have worked tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure the history of the region is preserved well into the future.
The formation of the group dates back to 1980, when residents interested in family history attended a series of lectures on family trees at Kerang High School.
What started as a hobby for many locals, as a way to trace their family tree, set the foundations for what would become the Kerang and District Family History Group.
“Nobody imagined that the progressive development of this little hobby would become a huge resource of genealogical and historical information 40 years later,” president Pat Gillingham said.
The group officially started monthly meetings in 1982 at the old State Bank building, at the corner of Fitzroy and Scoresby streets.
Two years later, the group called the Kerang Primary School library home, and by 1997, meetings were held upstairs in the Kerang Public Library.
“This established a strong co-operative relationship which incorporated a specific area for genealogy in plans for the Sir John Gorton Library which opened in 2003,” Ms Gillingham said.
While various speakers were invited to address the meetings, Ms Gillingham said it was one from Kerang funeral directors, Adams, which inspired the group’s first major project.
The group began to transcribe the inscriptions on the headstones at the Kerang Cemetery and copy Adams’ burial records from 1878-1982.
“It was a fascinating task, attracting the attention of passing motorists who slowed down, wondering what this odd group of people were doing wandering around the cemetery with pen and paper in hand,” Ms Gillingham said.
Throughout history, the group continued to adapt to modern technology.
“Cemetery records were loaded onto the internet with the shire valuation records providing worldwide access for genealogical and historical research,” Ms Gillingham said.
“Inspired by the success of this project and proof of its ongoing value for the future, many major and minor projects of historical significance were to follow.”
These included signage to mark the route taken through the region by early explorers, Major Thomas Mitchell and Burke and Wills, the relocation of the monument marking the site of the Old Township, and tributes to World War I soldiers.
Having recently celebrated their 40th anniversary, the group’s latest project is a book dedicated to the late Ollie Jane.
“Ollie was an invaluable member of the Family History Group until his sudden passing in 2017, taking with him a wealth of knowledge of our local history,” Ms Gillingham said, noting the book would feature a collection of historical information and anecdotes on the Kerang area.
Ms Gillingham said the main role of the group was to “gather local history and preserve it, in one way or another for future generations.”
However, she said the group was “much more than a genealogical resource”.
“It’s a great social group and everyone contributes in their own way,” she said.
“Our meetings are never boring, they are a constant source of interesting facts and information presented to a lively and friendly sociable gathering and we welcome the interest of anyone who might like to take part.”
