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Landsborough & District Historical Group Victoria, McKinlay Street, Landsborough (2026)

22/03/2026

A Tribute to Jim Browne 1950 - 2026.

It was with great sadness that we learnt of the sudden passing of Jim just prior to the extended family paying their respects to Jim's cousin Bernie who passed away 4 days prior.

Jim was the oldest son of Hayden and Monica Browne (nee Slattery) - Hayden served in the AIF in World War Two. Jim had 4 younger siblings - Marie, Kevin, Aileen and Thomas. Sadly the family lost Monica at the age of 44 in 1965, with the oldest Jim aged 15 and young Tom just 4 years of age - and Hayden was then married to Anne Milne. Jim grew up in the family home in Landsborough and like Bernie was an active and much loved and respected member of the local community. A builder by trade, Jim was hard working and meticulous. Much of the work performed around the Historical Precinct was courtesy of Jim and we owe him thanks for all he has done over the course of so many years.

Back in 1994, it was Jim, along with the late Michael Molan who expressed a desire to preserve Landsborough's local history with the formation of an Historical Group, and which along with Diane (and the late) Tim Western this became reality in 1995.

Jim succeeded Michael Molan as President of the Historical Group in 1997 after Michael's passing, and he remained as President until 2001 when he handed over the reigns to Bernie O'Callaghan. Jim remained in the position of Vice-President for a further 2 years and has remained an active contributor and member right up till our most recent meeting held on March 2nd. Like all of us in the Landsborough Community we were devastated to learn of his sudden passing at the age of 75

We convey our deepest sympathies to Jim's much loved wife Connie, his children Clinton, Krystal and Vincent, their spouses Lauren, Garth and Maria and his granddaughters Evelyn, Audrey and Charlotte.

Jim will be sadly missed and like Bernie his passing will be deeply felt by the wider community

With much love from Brett, Diane, Gary and all at the Landsborough Historical Group

17/03/2026

A tribute to Bernie Browne. The Landsborough Historical Group is saddened to learn of the passing of Bernie, a much loved and respected member of our Historical Group and a great loss to the wider Landsborough Community.

The Browne family's origins in Landsborough date back to the very early days of the town when John Joseph Browne and Winifred Branagan, who had come over from Ireland settled in the Malakoff during the rush in 1862. Their third son Benjamin and wife Julia Flynn eventually settled in a home in Forestry Road in Landsborough. They had 5 children with oldest son Laurence marrying Mary Irvin and Bernie was the 4th born of Laurence and Mary's 6 children.

Bernie who had spent time away shearing married Wilma Anderson and they returned to Landsborough in 1975. They celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in 2019 and there are now 6 generations of the Browne family who have resided in the district including many of Bernies cousins.

With our deepest sympathies to Wilma, also a much-loved member of our Historical group, and their children Craig & Peter, daughter in laws Amanda and Ann-Maree and their 4 grandchildren Emelia, Hayden, Bella and Theo.

A couple of old Browne photos from our collection accompany a more recent photo of Bernie - the wedding of John Joseph Browne to Mary Branagan way back in 1854 in Ireland - and the family of Benjamin and Julia at Forestry Road - Laurence (Bernies father), Bernard, Winifred (on horse), Benjamin, Hayden and Julia.

05/12/2025

The latest in the series of Books on the history of Hotels in the Pyrenees district has been published by the Historical Group and is now available to purchase.

Author Phil Waring has covered the districts of Moonambel, Redbank & Barkly with 157 pages of wonderful old history dating back to the gold rush days, and like the previous histories of Landsborough & Avoca it contains wonderful old stories and anecdotes and is a fabulous and entertaining read. It is a very limited print run so if you are looking for a great Christmas gift please order now.

Available to order direct from the Historical Group for $30.00 plus $14.00 postage & packing.

You can message us on Facebook or email Brett on [email protected]

Copies can also be purchased at the Landsborough Post Office and the Avoca Information Centre. They received stock last Wednesday.

In other very good news, our application for funding from Pacific Blue Wind Farms for our long-awaited Landsborough 160th anniversary History book has been approved and its full steam ahead to complete the book in the first quarter of 2026. Its over 400 pages of history, photos - everything from Indigenous History through to pioneering families, businesses, entertainment, and every aspect of Landsboroughs rich History. More information on here soon. We thank Pacific Blue and the Pyrenees Council for their generous support of this project.

10/06/2025

Rhonda Parton 1957 - 2025.

We were very saddened to hear of the passing of Rhonda Parton on Sunday 8th June. She was in palliative care in Malvern after a long and courageous battle with cancer and was surrounded by her loving family when she passed away. Our deepest sympathies to Nick, Betty and the extended family on your loss.

Rhonda's passing is also a major loss to the Historical Group. She was born on 11th June 1957, a daughter of Terry Amarant (decd) & Betty and she attended Landsborough State school (alongside her brothers & sisters) from 1962 to 1968, then went to Marian College in Ararat. She was in the 6th grade when this 1968 photo was taken of the school class - Rhonda is in the middle row third from left.

Rhonda was a valued member of the Historical Group and was very keen on family history and research - she completed a detailed history of her own family whose origins were in Wattle Creek and also completed many other local Wattle Creek and Landsborough family histories on behalf of the group over the years. Her research skills were second-to-none and we will always value her work. She often attended our meetings on many of her trips back to the family home in Wattle Creek and we highly valued her input and friendship.

She will be sadly missed but the legacy of her work will live on as a permanent reminder for future generations in our district.

With much love and respect - from Brett, Diane, Gary, Kaye and all the committee at the Landsborough Historical Group

31/05/2025

Pyrenees Rail Heritage Signage Launch Sunday 25th May

The launch of the Rail Heritage Signage Project and the unveiling of the sign outside Crowlands Hall took place on a pleasant Sunday afternoon on the 25th May. In attendance was Martha Haylett, MP for Ripon and Megan Phelan councillor for De Cameron Ward Pyrenees Shire who helped unveil the sign. We retreated to the Crowlands Hall for some light refreshments, and we thank everyone who made the effort to head over and attend on the day. Both Martha and Megan took time to chat to many of the locals after the launch and we really appreciated their prescence.

We had visitors from all parts of the shire and beyond including Avoca, Moonambel, Ararat, Stawell & Horsham. A special thanks to Corrine Gibson who opened up and organised the hall for us, as well as providing some refreshments - she did a wonderful job - and to Peter O’Rourke who provided more of the refreshments. The support of many people who helped see the project through to completion were noted during Brett’s introduction. The co-operation of the three councils, a grant from Pacific Blue, a further grant from the Pyrenees Council and the wonderful work of Daryl Leslie, with help from both his son and granddaughter in erecting the signs and installing the pamphlet holders has seen the project finally completed. It is now ready for visitors and tourists alike to take in a bit of local history of the area, in particular the railways that once served the district. We were also grateful for the attendance of Helen Curkpatrick, secretary of the Western Association of Historical Societies, who came with a small group from the wonderful Stawell Historical Society. We sold a number of books, and it was a rewarding and very successful day with plenty of photos to record the occasion. Craig Wilson from the Advocate also deserves a special mention for his tireless support of the project from day one, and he also attended and the news item can be seen in Fridays Stawell Times News and the Ararat and Pyrenees Advocates.

The community spirit that the Landsborough area is so renowned for was on full display, with the ladies from Landsborough helping with both the refreshments and packing up – thank you to Pam, Connie, Kaye, Wilma & Corrine for your great organisational skills. And for coming of course.

Regards

Brett, Diane, Jim, Wilma & Kaye from the Landsborough & District Historical Group

Photos Courtesy: Martha Haylett MP for Ripon and Bev Bachelor

10/05/2025

Official Launch of the Pyrenees Rail Heritage Signage Project - Crowlands Hall Sunday 25th May 1.30pm

The Pyrenees Rail Heritage Signage Project followed on from the publication of a book “Lost Railway Stations of the Pyrenees” back in 2019 by the Landsborough Historical Group. It was a comprehensive history of the railway lines that linked Avoca with Ararat and the branch line that once ran from Ben Nevis up to Navarre. The first print run was very successful with copies selling throughout Victoria and beyond and fortunately it came to the attention of some rail historians in Melbourne who contributed many unseen photos relating to the 2 lines which saw a 2nd updated edition of the book published in 2021. That too has sold very well, and only limited copies now remain after several print runs. From the success of the book came an idea from one of our long-term founding members Diane Western along with the late Michael Coughlan, former Vice-President of the group regarding placing historic signage at many of the relevant sites around the region. To see the original concept develop into the actual er****on of the signs has been very rewarding for our small group and after some years and much work the idea has become reality. The success of the various rail silo art projects throughout the state and the boost to tourism that has resulted was a major factor behind the Signage Project and it was envisaged that similar benefits could be derived from a “Driving Tour” based in Avoca and venturing around the Pyrenees Shire, along with parts of the neighbouring Northern Grampians and Ararat Shires. A grant from Pacific Blue as part of the Crowlands Community Wind Farm program back in December 2023 for the manufacture of the signs along with a supporting booklet has seen the project slowly develop over time. Time consuming negotiations took place with the 3 shires in which the location of the signage fell, and it involved many emails, site visits and permit applications - and we thank all of them for their support along the way. Finally in March 2025 another grant from the Pyrenees Shire for the installation costs of the 7 signs was provided, along with a waiver of permit fees at several of the sites within the shire - and the project has finally reached its conclusion.
For those who may not have noticed there are now 7 signs in place – located at the old Amphitheatre Recreation Reserve, not far from where the Railway Station was located, at the end of Green St Elmhurst near the church, at Crowlands Hall, the intersection of Shays Flat and Joel Joel Road at Joel South, and Tulkara Railway Road at Landsborough West, Tulkara and Navarre.
A small booklet has been produced – it is free of charge - and includes old photos of the sites, some local History and a map for a driving tour based to commence and finish at Avoca but incorporating all the locations where the signs are located. These can be collected from the post offices at Amphitheatre, Elmhurst, Landsborough, as well as the Navarre Shop and the Information Centre/Library at Avoca and Gallery 127 located at the old Railway station. In addition the booklets are stocked at the Ararat, Beaufort and Stawell information centres given their close proximity to the signage - and will also be shortly placed on holders at the locations of the signs.
An official launch and unveiling of the signs will take place at Crowlands Hall at 1.30pm on Sunday 25th May. Our local MP the Hon. Martha Haylett will be in attendance as well as Megan Phelan, Councillor for the De Cameron Ward of the Pyrenees Shire. All are welcome to attend and tea/coffee and light refreshments will be served. We hope to see you all there. For those who haven’t yet purchased a copy of our updated “Lost Railway Stations of the Pyrenees” Book, which was reprinted in 2021, we will have copies available on the day for a discount price of $40
Special thanks to Pacific Blue Wind Farm, the Pyrenees Shire (as well as the Ararat and Northern Grampians Shires) for their kind support for this project. Thanks also Andrew Calvert at Signtek who did a wonderful job producing the signs, to Daryl and Trent Leslie who also did an amazing job installing the signs at the sites and to all who provided letters of support to ensure this tourism-based initiative based in the Pyrenees Shire has finally seen the light of day. The assistance of Adam Boyle and Ned Patterson from the shire was also much appreciated, along with Craig Wilson at the Advocate & Peter O’Rourke, along with community group representatives Bettine Morley from Amphitheatre, Geoff Penna from Elmhurst & Peter Start, Keith Boatman & Corrine Gibson from Crowlands.

Regards Brett & Diane from Landsborough Historical Group....look forward to meeting you on Sunday 25th at 1.30pm Crowlands Hall

08/04/2025

Jane Valentine - The Bushranger....

With thanks to Phil Waring, author of the series of books on the history of Hotels in the district, including the book "The Pubs and Publicans of Landsborough" we are pleased to announce the release of our latest book - Jane Valentine - The Bushranger.

The story of Jane has long held a fascination for many in the district and she spent time in Landsborough in the gold rush days as well as her final years in neighbouring Avoca. She passed away there in 1897 at the age of 57 and was buried in an unknown paupers grave in Avoca Cemetery (under the name of Jane Ballantyne, although she used many different aliases during her life).

The story of Jane is a fascinating look at a time when life certainly wasnt easy for an unmarried woman with no education or real hope of living a normal life - despite some amusing moments it is a life filled with a sense of sadness...all bought back thanks to Phil with the story of her life that reads over 34 pages. With thanks to our founding member Diane Western and also Rhonda Parton for their previous research on Jane.

Look out for a more detailed story on Jane Valentine in the forthcoming April edition of the "Landsborough & District News".

The book has been professionally printed with glossy A4 Cover and paper and is available at a cost of $20.00. It can be posted anywhere in Australia at a flat rate of $10.00 for postage and packing.

You can also purchase copies at the Landsborough Post Office, and it will be also available at the Avoca Information Centre/Library in the coming weeks...

This is a limited print run so please dont miss the opportunity to read about the life & times of Jane Valentine..

29/11/2024

The Landsborough Events Group is holding their Christmas Festival at the Landsborough Oval on Saturday 7th December from 1200 to 800pm....it should be a wonderful day and we hope to see you all there...hopefully the weather is kinder than last year..

The Historical Group will open the Barkly Room from 1100am to 300pm so be sure to pop in and have a look...we can also now show you the fabulous new display set up in the "Vendy Room". This is a wonderful collection of household items from the late Patricia Vendy which was donated many years ago to us from the Vendy Family.

A couple of weeks ago, with many thanks to the fantastic efforts of Zoe, Adrian, John and Jane from the Events Group Pats collection was finally removed from storage in the stables, carefully cleaned and placed on the shelves of the Vendy Room. To say we are thrilled with the end result is an understatement. A special thank you to Wilma Browne who also came out very early to help out (and bought some deserts with her)..the community can be very proud of some of our older residents and I know we are all proud of Wilma and what she contributes to our community...thanks very much also to Kaye Daly for the sandwiches too...

We took the opportunity to place on display the old original school signs from Greens Creek and Barkly Schools which were also gathering dust in the stables. Whilst some labels still have to be made up for the display, we hope to have some Vendy family descendants up early in the new year for an official unveiling of the room. Im sure they will be as happy as us with the end result. A wonderful example of community collaboration in Landsborough.

So please pop in and have a look on Saturday, I might even show you the new Railway Heritage signs in storage which will be erected some time early in the new year.

The photos show the carpet being layed in the Vendy Room way back in 2020 by Pete Daly and the late Michael Coughlan. And a few of the new displays

See you all on the 7th

1100am to 300pm Barkly Room.

And please support all the stall holders and performers at the Christmas Festival.

29/11/2024

Let us look back 100 years ago and some contributions from local school kids to the "Pinnacle" magazine.

1. Mary Perry, in the 8th grade (her final year) from Shays Flat school in 1924 tells of a fund raising concert held in the then-new Landsborough Hall (with photo) - anyone recognise any kids in the photo? It would be mainly Shays Flat area kids....Perrys, Matthews etc

2. Jack Forster aged 8 from Landsborough West school giving us an update on things in 1924 plus a photo of some kids playing footy outside the school...boy that old building looks very dark and uninviting and in the words of Jack, needed "more windows".

3. Maggie Neville from Landsborough School describing their own fund raising concert held in the Hall in 1924.

4. Fred Murphy (aged 10) & Edna Murphy (aged 12) from Landsborough School in 1925 describing life at the school and some rose planting.

Some wonderful snapshots of local school life 100 years ago.

21/04/2024

We are pleased to announce the availability of another 2 booklets published by Landsborough & District Historical Group Victoria...

The first booklet comes from the author of our very popular "Pubs & Publicans" booklet Phil Waring, who has put together a 12 page A4 booklet on the History of the Landsborough Flour Mill, another entertaining look at the early days of Landsborough.

The second booklet is actually a reprint of a book we published back in 2006 "One Hundred Photographs - The Story of Landsborough 1901-2001" - this was a 72 page booklet published by Diane Western & the late Tim Western with 100 old photos of Landsborough and brief stories of all aspects of life in Landsborough covering Mining, farming, businesses, churches, the Hall, the War years, Transport, Sport, Schools, Town Views, Weddings and Families. The book has been out of print for many years and given the delay to our new 160th anniversary book, anyone who missed a copy of this book at the time (and we have had a number of requests for copies since) can now purchase this A4 comb bound reprint for some reading material, while we wait for the main book to be published.

Copies can be obtained directly from us - simply drop us a message here or via our Inbox... we also hope to stock a few copies at the post office this coming week (unfortunately as you may be aware, the Landsborough Larder has now closed its doors). The post office is open 10 till 1 Mondays to Fridays and 9 to 12 Saturdays.

The Flour Mill booklet is $8.00

The Landsborough 100 Photos book is $15.00

Postage can be arranged at $7.80, which will cover the cost of posting either book, whilst both can also be included in the postage envelope for the same flat rate of $7.80

28/02/2024

Thanks very much to Jim Browne for the completion of replacement decking for the access ramp to the Barkly Room. It looks terrific. The original ramp was deteriorating due to long-term exposure to the elements, and it was only a matter of time before some of the boards would have collapsed. Many thanks to the support of the Pyrenees Council for whom we received a grant to cover costs of the works as part of their capital works program. We now have a safe access to the building, especially for some of the older community members who often visit....thanks again Jim and also to the council who attended to this matter very promptly.

16/12/2023

Victory celebrations came to Landsborough in 1946..the spectacle was described in full detail in the "Stawell Times News" as a "Happy and Gay Occasion" - The highlights were a fancy dress parade and presentation of prizes which included Charlotte Aston dressed as Jack Dyer (now that would have been something to see) - Musical entertainment was provided by Ted Ellis (snr), and there was also a foot race between Ern Hodgetts and Kath Molan, with the fleet-footed Kath taking out the win by 2 feet.

The final highlight was a football match between the married men and unmarried men which ended up as a draw - 2 goals 3 behinds each. Some of the best for the married men were Alan Marshall, Ralph Aston, Alan Leslie, "Bushta" Aston, Charlie Driscoll and Murdoch Cross. Best for the unmarried men were Owen Friend, Fred & Laurie Dunn, Ray Bibby and the legendary Laurie Hannett (who has recently turned 103 years of age). Enjoy a good laugh at the description of the football game!!

Landsborough & District Historical Group Victoria

22/03/2026

17/03/2026

05/12/2025

10/06/2025

31/05/2025

10/05/2025

08/04/2025

29/11/2024

29/11/2024

21/04/2024

28/02/2024

16/12/2023

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