Milestones aplenty, and now another celebration

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By VINNIE RODI

HISTORIC milestones have been popping up everywhere this year it seems.

Wentworth, for example, is celebrating its 150th birthday, and Merbein and Ouyen their centenary.

For each of these milestones a celebration has been planned and now the residents of Gol Gol and Buronga are also planning to put on their party shoes. Not for a specific milestone in terms of years; more a general celebration to acknowledge the diverse history of their respective towns and those who have been part of that history.

The main purpose for Gol Gol’s upcoming ‘bash’ is to help a dedicated group of Gol Gol and Buronga ‘originals’ put together a history of the area, that will eventually join a number of historical recollections at the Australian National Archives in Canberra.

The group has been hard at work putting together photo albums, collecting local anecdotes and tracing family trees and personal connections to the area, marking the first time a large scale fact-finding mission has taken place in any of these towns.

Joan Bunney, 62, who is a long time Gol Gol resident and self-confessed ‘history buff’, has spent the majority of her life collecting photographs and newspaper clippings about the area.

She currently has 20 photo albums completed and ready to be sent to Canberra, with photos ranging from the 1900s to present, featuring some well known names and personalities.

And she doesn’t plan on stopping there, saying she has enough photos to fill another 20 albums!

“I’ve been slowly collecting photos, newspaper articles, anything really for past few years,” she said. “Representatives from the Australian National Archives approached a group of us ‘historians’, and asked if we could put something together.

“I immediately put my hand up for submitting photos, mainly because I already had a number of them put away, and have been spending time organising them ever since.”

Mrs Bunney said that once word got out about the National Archive submission, the response from community members had become overwhelming.

“One lady dropped off some old newspapers, while others have started sending school photos in or ringing up to tell me stories from their youth.

“We have a lot of memorabilia currently finding its way into our possession and we’d love it to keep coming.

“We want to be able to record the development of these towns, and the people and families who have made our history what it is.”

To aid the information gathering process, the group (which is also looking to form the first Buronga/ Gol Gol Historical Society) is asking residents who lived anywhere between Monak and Mourquong to come along to a special ‘reunion’, due to be held at the Gol Gol Hotel on Sunday, June 7 from 11am.

Mrs Bunney said the invitation was being offered to residents both young and old, regardless of whether they still reside in the area or have moved away.

We’d also like those who’ve attended, or currently attend the Gol Gol and Buronga schools to come along and enjoy the day,” she said. “It’s basically going to be an informal get-together to tell tall stories, talk about the history of these areas, catch up with old friends (and make new ones), and generally reminisce about our past.

“The aim is for everyone to have a meal at the Gol Gol Hotel, and have a bit of fun and a laugh.”

Childhood pranks, misdemeanours, mischief and hilarious antics will be high on the list of discussion topics for the day, with the emphasis on including these stories in the submission to the National Archives.

All photos, newspaper clippings and anecdotes, both funny and serious, will be compiled in book form, before being scanned and transferred to DVD’s. Mrs Bunney said the project would be on-going, with the group looking to continually add to the archive.

“We’re living history right now, so the opportunity to add to this collection is always going to be there,” she said.

“What we want to do is get the ball rolling, and reminisce about our lives and the time we’ve spent in these places.”

Those interested in attending the reunion or who have photos, memorabilia etc. they would like to add to the growing collection, can contact Joan Bunney on (03) 5024 5004.

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