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The Grenfell Historical Society celebrated their 50th Birthday on Sunday 19th October 2014 with a luncheon and films at the Grenfell Country Club to which were invited past and present members of the Society.
On display were various artifacts and photographs which are owned by the Society for guests to peruse. Our latest acquisition, a silver tray presented to Mrs Joseph Still, whose husband owned the Empire Hotel on the corner of Camp and Burrangong Streets, on the occasion of their departure from Grenfell in October 1913 was on display along with a Still Family Bible. These were given to the museum by the great grand-daughters.
An apology was received from Mr Anthony Fountain, the Inaugural Secretary of the Society. Anthony was 18 years old at the time. Hugh Moffitt read a message from Anthony which is as follows:
I find it quite incredible that we are celebrating something that happened half a century ago and yet, in saying that, I am enormously proud of what has been able to be created in that time.
The genesis of the birth of the Museum came after the late Walter Waugh and I were lamenting in the Exchange Hotel one evening, just what history Grenfell had and that unless something was done, it would be lost forever.
From my memory, a meeting was called, our case was put and an Executive was elected with me being the inaugural secretary. In hinsight, we got in “just in time” for when the word got out about what we were hoping to do, articles and artifacts poured in. Support poured in from many people, not the least of whom was the late John England, the then Member for Calare.
Probably my strongest memory of those early days was when Walter and I went to interview that late Jack Farbrother who was born in Grenfell in it’s earliest years (1878) and who lived, from memory, in George Street.
We thought Mr Farbrother would be more inclined to openly talk if there wasn’t a tape recorder in front of him. Those were the days befor cassette players and so to record the interview we had to strap a reel to reel tape recorder on my back (and under my coat) and run the microphone lead down my sleeve to where I had hidden the microphone in my hand.
The tape was a 90 minute one so when we started, Walter slapped my back thus starting the reel and we took a punt that we would finish before the tape ran out. It was a facinating insight into Grenfell in those early years and I hope the tape still exists and is used.
So to the future.
Someone once wrote that “unless you know where you came from, you will not know where you are going” and I would urge members to go on a recruitment drive for members, especially the younger age group. Maybe a special group can be formed from the Henry Lawson High School with an aim of creating a Facebook page which would have the benefit of putting the Museum into the social media world and also give the youngsters with imagination, an opportunity to “strut their stiff” using the Museum and it’s contents in short videos etc.
For 50 years I have believed Grenfell has had a fantastic future in tourism and shilst many of my ideas have lanquished, it is still not too late for projects such as making Star Gully into Sovereign Hill etc. It is really a case of having the dream and simply making it happen.
As Lawrence of Arabia once wrote: “All men dream, but not equally. For the Dreamers of the Night awaken to find it is merely their vanity, but the Dreamers of the Day are the dangerous ones, for they dream with their eyes open and they make things happen.”
Have a great afternoon and keep the dream alive.
After a delicious meal supplied by Tania Mooney the guests watched some of the Society’s old films from the Museum’s archives including the 1966 Grenfell Centenary Celebrations and a film called ‘Dot’ recorded in Grenfell by the ABC in 1927.
A Birthday Cake was cut by patrons Bill Frost and Ron Lamkin.
For anyone interested in being involved with the Museum please contact Peter or Judy Mitton or Sandra Hughes or leave a message on 02 6343 1930.