Wandong History Group were recognised with a Heritage Council of Victoria Award for their efforts documenting the history of the area and preserving heritage in the region.
The group received its award at the Wandong R U Ready? 10 Years On event on Saturday.
Work recognised by the heritage council as deserving of the award includes the ‘Walk through the Wars’ exhibition, publishing books about Wandong’s history and successfully nominating St Michael’s Church to be added to the Victorian Heritage Register.
Heritage Council of Victoria chair Professor Stuart Macintyre, who presented the award, said with few resources, the group had made major achievements in the area.
“They spent 12 months putting together the exhibition which ran for five days from Anzac Day last year to coincide with the centenary of the end of the First World War and was held in a marquee near the war memorial,” he said.
“So dedicated are the members of the group, some of them slept in the marquee during the exhibition to make sure the exhibits were safe.”
Along with the award, Wandong History Group also received a $2000 cheque from the Heritage Council of Victoria to aid in their preservation efforts.
Wandong History Group president Karen Christensen said the award came as a surprise.
“On behalf of the history group, I’d like to thank Stuart and the council for choosing us for this award. It came as a complete surprise but a pleasant one and we’re very grateful,” she said.
“Our heritage is important and our job as a local history group is to not only preserve and collate as much of our heritage as we can but to distribute the knowledge to our local residents.
“It gives our town a sense of place, where we fit in the broader community and how we evolve into the future.”
