History of the Anglesea & District Historical Society
The Anglesea and District Historical Society was established in 1980. It’s said, although it may be apocryphal, that the seeds of its genesis arose from a visit to the local tip back in 1980 by one of the society’s founders, Arthur Bubb, a self-confessed fossicked. Whilst rummaging through some of the tip’s more interesting discards, Arthur came across a cardboard box containing a number of photographs; photographs of the sort that might have been taken with an old Kodak Brownie Box Camera. One can only speculate about why these photographs had been so casually discarded, but the thing that caught Arthur Bubb’s attention was that they captured scenes from Anglesea’s early days. As the old saying goes, “one person’s rubbish is another person’s treasure” and this treasure trove encouraged Arthur to show them to his friend, Gil Johnson, who had been previously involved in establishing the Lilydale Historical Society, the intention being to set up a similar group in Anglesea. And that, as they say, “is history.”
The inaugural meeting of the Anglesea Historical Society was held at 8pm on Saturday 1 November 1980 at the Senior Citizens Hall. There were just seven people present, with three apologies. “Not a promising beginning.” The meeting was chaired by Gil Johnson, and once the historical society was formally established, he was elected as its first President, Arthur Bubb its first Secretary, and Nancy Johnson, Gil’s wife, its first Treasurer. It was determined that at this early stage no subscriptions be sought from members, however Alan Poigndester, one of those present at the meeting, donated twenty dollars to cover postage and other administrative expenses, after which further donations would be sought from members to keep the Society afloat. It was obvious to all present that more members would be needed, and so Gil Johnson volunteered to advise the local newspapers of the establishment of the society, and to publicise its existence through the various local community channels.
The next meeting was held on Saturday 13 December at the RSL meeting rooms. Five members attended and there were five apologies. It was moved that a letter be sent to the Barrabool Shire Council advising it of the formation and progress of the group, and an agenda was established for the collection and filing of historical information relating to Anglesea and local environs. Further meetings were held on 7 February 1981 and 4 April, at which various tasks were taken on by the members. For example, Tom Rogers researched the history of Anglecrest, Arthur Bubb the story of the Alcoa coal mine, Claire Roberts looked into land development in Anglesea, and Joe Bingley, the origins of the local regatta.
By May 1981 there were 20 members. Things were really starting to get moving. Local authorities and other institutions were becoming aware of the historical society’s existence, and the group was becoming more socially active. At the meeting held on 3 April 1982, the society was delighted to receive a $250 donation from Des Hay the Manager of Alcoa at Anglesea.
At the meeting held on 14 March 1983, the members agreed to send a letter to the Country Roads Board requesting the restoration of the Memorial Arch that had been damaged during the Ash Wednesday bushfires, and Keith Cecil presented slides of this devastating event. The meeting also said its fond farewells to Gil and Nancy Johnson who had announced their resignations from the society. The Treasurer reported a bank balance of $562.05. Membership was growing, the society’s collection of historical memorabilia was steadily accumulating, and there was a social agenda involving visits to places of historical interest and regular visiting speakers. By December 1983 the Historical Society had 81 paid up members, however meetings were still being held at the RSL Hall. At the 1984 December meeting a draft of the Society’s constitution was presented to members for consideration.
In February 1985, Secretary and co-founder of the Anglesea Historical Society Arthur Bubb announced his resignation. His invaluable contribution to the society was greatly appreciated by the members. The new secretary appointed at the March meeting was Rhonda Bunbury. An honour board of the historical society’s past office holders is located at History House in McMillan Street.
In 1986, meetings of the Anglesea and District Historical Society were moved to the current McMillan Street site, which it shares with the Surf Coast Family History Group. At its meeting on 21 March 1986, sixty people attended an official ceremony in which the Historical Society acquired the lease of the McMillan Street property from the Shire of Barrabool, subsequently transferred to the Surf Coast Shire. This site proved ideal for the establishment of the museum and its repository of historical artefacts, memorabilia and photographs, and was an ideal venue for meetings and other society events.
Since then, the museum’s collection has grown considerably, the building has been refurbished, exhibits have been restored and displayed both within the museum and in the grounds adjacent to the entry area, and a more systematic computer-based reference system has been introduced. The Historical Society’s wide range of functions are carried out by a band of enthusiastic dedicated volunteers.