By JESSE GRAHAM
Healeville’s150th birthday celebrations draw to a close…
HEALESVILLE’S 150th birthday is winding to a close, with competitions and events finishing up and historical launches taking place to cap off a year of celebration.
The history of Healesville will be on display for residents and visitors alike this week, with the Healesville and District Historical Society launching their latest edition of their Images of Time book series today (Tuesday 16 December).
The book, Coming of Age, tracks the history of the town with photographs and information from the 1920s to the 1950s, and will be launched at the Healesville Library on Tuesday 16 December from 1.30pm onwards.
On Wednesday 17 December, the Rotary Club of Healesville will officially launch its History Walk, which comprises 25 signs at historic buildings and icons around the town.
The launch will take place at 10am at Healesville railway station – one of the locations on the walk – and a walking map of the town, showing all the destinations, will be available throughout the town.
The historic events cap off a year of events celebrating the town’s 150th birthday, which culminated in November with a street parade, a party in Queens Park and a Heritage Festival at the railway station.
Community 3777 chair Kath Holton, who helped co-ordinate many of the year’s celebratory events, said the events had been as successful and diverse as the town they were based in.
“I think it’s been a great success,” she said.
“I think there were so many different things on that it really did reflect the diversity of our community – it reflected how everybody got involved and put on their own events and exhibitions,” she said.
She praised the different schools and community groups in the town that gathered to take part in the 150th street parade on 8 November, with almost every group in Healesville represented.
“The primary schools all got on board – even the dog walkers were in the parade, and it was fantastic,” Ms Holton said.
“I think the highlight of the parade, for me, was Bunjil the Eagle and the Indigenous community going in first.
“It was great to see the town pull together in times of adversity, and it was great to see everyone pull together just to have fun and celebrate,” she said.
Ryrie Ward Councillor and former-mayor Fiona McAllister also paid tribute to the end of the 150th year at Sunday’s Awards Night for Exit Theatre’s My Place, My People Scriptwriting Competition.
“We’ve had a wonderful year of discovering our place,” Cr McAllister said.
“It’s been discovered through art, performance, drawing, music, parties and costumes.”
Nadia Fragnito, a former Warburton resident, won the competition for her script, The Colour of Fire, which is set 10 years after the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires.
Children around the town received a legacy to take them towards the town’s 200th anniversary in 2064 in the form of a laser-cut badge bearing the 150th logo, set on bamboo.
The badge was given to all primary school students around the area, according to Ms Holton, who said it would be a reminder when the next major birthday came up.
“It was given to be a memento and to be an inspiration to them,” she said.
“It was a great moment to inspire the kids who will be responsible for putting on the 200th birthday in 2064.”
For a gallery of pictures taken at different 150th celebrations this year, visit mail.starcommunity.com.au.
