FOR 30 years, members of Swan Hill Genealogical and Historical Society have been combing through records of the past for any mention of people from the region.
They have now gathered an immense volume of information, which has been meticulously labelled and filed to ensure even the smallest piece of information can lead to a great discovery.
The group is often contacted by people looking into their own family history — many of whom only have part of the story, meaning some detective work has to be done to fill out the details.
“We have quite a few visitors come in wanting to know where their ancestors lived, and we also have quite a few people coming in to see the cemetery where their relations are buried,” volunteer Margaret Scala said.
“Just little things like that mean a lot to people, to walk the same area as their ancestors.
“If they want to research their family, we can help them, but we don’t do the research for them, we guide them to what they want to do.”
When the group first started, members had to travel to Melbourne to go through hard copy ledgers, but now many records can be more easily found online.
“Quite a few people find out they are related to convicts and there are records you are able to get for convicts…”
As technology advances, the local group has made the most of what it can offer by creating an index of people from the district.
“We are going through the records and putting the person’s surname in and where we can find it — we have more than 30,000 names so far,” Ms Scala said.
Online and computer-based information is enhanced by that on microfische — a miniaturised version of documents where thousands of records can be stored.
However, some records may be inaccessible — sometimes for reasons other than the obvious.
“A lot of birth records people can’t find because the minister or priest used to come out on horseback to baptise people or register them, and then they were lost on the way back,” Ms Scala said.
As a relatively young country in the scheme of things, Ms Scala said Australia’s history was quite unlike any other.
“I think it is very unique — we’ve had to make our own history,” she said.
“Quite a few people find out they are related to convicts and there are records you are able to get for convicts.”
The group also gathers information on the history of the district, while cemetery records date right back to the first burial in 1859.
Currently, there are about 150 members in the Swan Hill Genealogical and Historical Society from places across the district including Wycheproof and Balranald.
Membership is $20 a year, plus a $10 joining fee and provides access to the society’s library.
To contact the group call 5036 2472 or drop in to their room in the Swan Hill Regional Library on Campbell Street between 10am and 3pm, Tuesday to Thursday.
