By Olivia Condous
A small group of Bacchus Marsh residents have a passion for the past that they’re keen to share.
The Bacchus Marsh and District Historical Society (BMDHS) have been preserving the region’s history for the last 54 years, collecting newspapers, photos and artifacts that date back to the 1800s.
BMDHS president Barbara McMillan, who has lived in Bacchus Marsh for more than 50 years, said she loved learning about the history of the town.
“It was settled in 1836 which was one of the very early settlements in the area… so we’re just preserving the history of the district,” she said.
The group does extensive archival work digitising newspapers, some being more than 150 years old, and sell historic books on the history of the region.
Ms McMillan said the group was always happy to hear from residents who were interested in helping with the archival work, as well as receiving donations of artifacts from the community.
“Anything related to Bacchus marsh that people come across, whether they’re clearing out their parents house or old minute books from cricket clubs or footy clubs, we’re quite happy to take that as it helps us with our research,” she said.
“We’ve got to preserve it for future generations.”
