Seymour and District Historical Society members (from left) Geoff Halpin, Doug Halpin, Tony Wallis, Christa Crowe, Mara Silvestro, Nancy Halpin, Rosemary Dwyer and Phil Crowe are on the move back to their museum and meeting rooms. Photo: Supplied
For many Seymour residents and businesses, the record floods that hit the town in October 2022 are slowly fading into the past.
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For the Seymour and District Historical Society, there is still more to do, but there’s light at the end of the tunnel.
Mitchell Shire has spent nearly two years completing recovery work on the society’s museum and meeting rooms at Edward St and Tallarook St.
With the building now able to be occupied, society members and volunteers from the Seymour Football Netball Club have started the complex task of sorting and moving back in.
Seymour and District Historical Society president Geoff Halpin said the group was working to reopen the museum and visitor centre by spring, although an opening date had not yet been set.
He emphasised that things would not be the same.
“Following the receipt of grants from the Victorian Government and sponsorship from Inland Rail, the society has several projects under way, including the conversion of our collection of documents to digital format,” Mr Halpin said.
“Despite the efforts of members and the general public following the floods to save valuable documents, some of them were lost.
“Digital storage will remove the risk of damage due to flood, fire or other exposure to the elements.
“The original documents will be safely archived and the digital versions will be easier to locate and to view.”
The Telegraph publishers Robert and Bridget Ramsay's wedding photograph from 1902 is part of the Seymour and District Historical Society collection. Photo: Supplied
The collection includes copies of The Telegraph dating back tothe society’s inception in 1964.
Earlier editions as far back as 1890 can be found on the National Library of Australia’s Trove, which is a free service.
Also in the society’s collection is the 1902 wedding photograph of Robert Ramsay and his bride, Bridget.
Robert published The Telegraph from 1900 until his death in 1915.
Mrs Ramsay, who ran the paper until 1931 in an era when women had only recently won the right to vote in Victorian state elections, reflected the can-do attitude of Seymour women.
The society offers a fantastic opportunity to develop research and other useful skills. If you’re interested in scanning and archiving the collection, join the team of dedicated history enthusiasts.
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