General News
9 June, 2026
Jeparit’s Historical Society 53 years on
Historical societies aren’t known for being high-profile organisations in their communities.
Historical societies aren’t known for being high-profile organisations in their communities.We tend to be the ‘quiet achievers’, happily immersed in archives, photo collections, writing stories about long-gone people, buildings, businesses and community organisations.
In our region, Rainbow, Nhill, Dimboola, Warracknabeal and Jeparit all have dynamic historical societies.
It may surprise many to realise just how ‘old’ many societies are.
The 1960s and 1970s saw an upswing in small, rural historical societies because by then some people were becoming concerned about their area’s heritage, as the time of their parents and grandparents was being lost.
This was also the era when many World War 1 veterans were passing on, and some were concerned that their legacy should be preserved.
Jeparit’s Historical Society was a product of this time, having been established on 16 August 1973.
Jeparit already had its iconic Pioneer Museum - it had been a major tourist attraction for some five years - but some in the community felt that a separate historical society would be a good thing as well.
So, with the support of Dimboola Shire Council, a meeting was called and the group formed.
of 22 August 1973 stated:
“The committee is now appealing to anyone who has photographs, books or pamphlets, minutes of any past clubs or organisations or information, old papers or receipts of the early days of Jeparit and district.
“Also the history of any early settlers or any facts and documents that could be of interest to any person preparing a history of the district.”
Initially, and for many years, the Historical Society’s home was Tarranyurk Hall at the Pioneer Museum and the Shire of Dimboola acted as custodian of the collection.
The Historical Society has been driven for half a century by a number of people across several generations.
The first office bearers were Ewen McKenzie, Stan Werner and Ray Natt.
Ray Natt’s name is still mentioned on an almost daily basis as a result of his unstinting efforts over many years to collect and preserve items chronicling the local history and even painting local scenes.
Others steering the society from its inception were Mrs J. Anton, E. Miller, Len Miller, Deryck Lawes, Griff Perkins and Cr J. K. Livingston.
The Society commenced with 15 financial members which, for a rural historical society in 1973, was impressive, especially given the large number of local people fully engaged with the Pioneer Museum.
The following decades saw other local identities including Myra Waters, Maxine Schumann and, for the past twenty years, Wendy Zanker guide the Society and safeguard its precious collection.
So what has changed 53 years on?
JDHS is still an avid collector of and repository for all of the above, but the difference is we now hold thousands of photos, a huge array of Minute Books, maps and plans, documents, family histories and what we in the trade call ‘ephemera’ - tickets, receipts, flags and pennants, souvenir ware, brochures etc.
We even hold in our collection dresses, uniforms and other textiles.
What is different today is that we, as with all societies, are working continually not so much to gather items but to make sense of them, record and organise them, display them when appropriate and – very importantly – connect with others far and wide to help tell ‘the Jeparit story’.
Obviously, social media, the internet and email have revolutionised how we do this, but we all still have to put in the hard yards which can be a laborious but always rewarding exercise: sorting, organising, researching, note taking, data entry, cataloguing, making labels and signage; seeking grants and other funding sources; and networking.
Of course all this work is done voluntarily.
Technology has advanced exponentially since 1973, which is a boon for any historical society.
Many who manage historical societies have been doing so for perhaps thirty or forty years and most are technologically very ‘savvy’, realising that the new technologies are a valuable tool and resource rather than a burden or hurdle to be overcome.
especially because these have never been microfilmed and having these digitised would cost well over $100,000 which, without significant funding, we cannot aspire to.
Some volumes have perished so our focus is on protecting the remainder, a vital source of our district’s history.
We have relied on generous funding from other bodies during the past two years, especially the Jeparit Township Advisory Committee, Hindmarsh Shire Council, the Robert Menzies Institute and the Jeparit Angling Club.
We have been successful in receiving additional funding from other philanthropic bodies.
We have also forged important ties with the R.S.L. Jeparit Sub-branch which isn’t surprising given that both groups share an appreciation of the past.
These wins reflect how historical societies don’t operate in isolation from other community bodies.
Currently JDHS has 61 financial members which is extraordinary in this day and age.
While the original membership fee in 1973 was 50 cents, today it is $15 which isn’t too steep an increase after half a century!
Hopefully our members feel that $15 is money well spent in assisting their society to carry out its never-ending work.
Also interestingly, some of our members are descendants of or relatives of that first generation of local historians back in the 1970s.
Reflecting our determination to be a useful and visible community resource, JDHS opens its doors each Friday, which is proving to be very popular.
Even if only one or two people visit, but usually more do, this confirms we are serving our purpose and aren’t just cloistered away among dusty boxes.
So far nobody has left feeling their visit has not been worthwhile.
And sometimes they even leave ‘a little something’ in our Donations Box.
The current JDHS committee is continuing the legacy of those far-sighted and committed local people who kick started the Society 53 years ago and those who have steered the ship over the intervening decades.
Contributed by Craige Proctor