By Kath Gannaway
The Mail loves a milestone, and we know that our communities and our readers love to celebrate them too.
They can be sporty, personal, historic … and anything from one year to 130 years … or more! Here are a few that we covered over the past 12 months.
Seville Primary School marked 130 years when they celebrated on 12 November, and they did it with the opening of a time capsule dating back 30 years.
Healesville Football Club Netball Club also marked 130 years in June, boasting that the Bloods had been around longer than the Collingwood Football Club.
Our CFA brigades hold a special place in our communities and they also make sure that they mark the achievements of their founders and their members. Wesburn-Millgrove CFA marked 70 years in July and paid tribute to its volunteers for their years of service.
Maureen Halit was surprised on 17 October when her Millgrove Resident Action Group friends and other community members forced her to down tools at her Millgrove Newsagency business for an hour or so for her 70th birthday party.
In July, the Yarra Valley machinery Preservation Society got all steamed up about their journey, looking back on 30 years of cranking up the engines for shows, field days, fetes and other events all around Yarra Ranges.
Yarra Valley Singers were in fine voice as they came together for another 30 year anniversary. The singers marked their milestone with a concert at The Memo in Healesville in August.
Four of Wandin district’s pioneer descendants, Linda Chapman, Lance Sebire, Moira Burgi and Len Howell, were among people from all around the district who got together in February for Mont De Lancey’s 25th birthday. The historic homestead pays heritage to the district’s pioneering families and heritage.
On Monday, 23 October, the 1000th episode of Listening to Older Voices went to air on Yarra Valley FM 99.1 marking a 19-year history of the longest-running, uninterrupted interview program on community radio. An inspired and innovative program, it aimed to give a voice to the older residents of the Yarra Valley and now provides a public platform for the stories, views and older people across Melbourne.
Celebrating these milestones brings communities together and provides an insight for current generations of where those communities have come from and who they are.
