Apr2014_DAYBORO DISTRICT HISTORICAL SOCIETY INC
TENTH ANNIVERSARY
It seems hard to believe Sunday 23rd February 2014 was the tenth anniversary of the formation of the Dayboro District Historical Society Inc. To me it certainly does not seem that long. I remember the night very well. Alison Taylor had written to all the community groups advising them that it was proposed to form an Historical Society.
The meeting was held in the Council meeting room (the old Bank Manager’s residence) next to ECU and was well attended. The late Leith Barter, then Local Studies Librarian for Pine Rivers Shire Council, was very supportive of the idea and came and chaired the meeting. It was the hottest night that summer. It was so hot we moved out onto the verandah, then a severe rainstorm hit and we quickly moved back inside. I was elected President and I remember lying in bed that night not sleeping and thinking “Oh my God, what have I done.” The thought of forming an organisation from scratch was mind-boggling.
We met at first in the dining room at the Dayboro Showgrounds. We received our Certificate of Incorporation on 30th July 2004. In August of 2004 Cr. Bob Millar asked if our Society would be able to provide volunteers to assist the Dayboro Tourism Group in running the Dayboro Information Centre. It was agreed that we would have an office and a display area in “Dayboro Cottage” and that our members would cover 50% of the opening hours of the Information Centre. It was not long before our members were there for 80% or more of the time. Leith Barter encouraged us to apply to the Pine Rivers Shire Council for a grant to assist us in getting set up. The Council provided us with a cheque for $1000.00. We purchased some second hand and some new furniture and some second hand and some new equipment and then we set about gathering information, photographs etc.
We were able to borrow display panels from the Council and had a display in the Old Bank Manager’s residence on Dayboro Day in May 2004. Descendants of the children who had attended the Terrors Creek Provisional School 191 in 1874, the year it opened, joined us in the Dayboro Day Street Parade proudly marching with our homemade calico banners. We decided to have an urn on the boil and provide morning tea for these people in the back yard of the building. This has now grown into an all day affair with people being able to come and go as they please. We also had a display in the Pavilion at the Dayboro Show, again using the borrowed display panels. We have participated in these two events each year.
We have had a booth at several Fairs organised by History Queensland. We have only been able to attend a few History Queensland meetings even though they only have two a year, one of which always clashes with our Dayboro Day weekend.
On 27th August 2004 we held a day at the Dayboro Showgrounds for people 80 and over who grew up in the district and that was well attended. It was decided to then make it 75s and Over and we hold that event every second year. There will be one this year.
On 11th May 2009 our Dayboro “The Town of Yesteryear” Historical Town Walk brochure was launched. We did not go to the Council for money for this. Funding was obtained from businesses and organisations who were occupying the buildings featured in the brochure. The Moreton Bay Regional Council Mayor, Cr. Allan Sutherland, did launch the brochure for us though.
Since mid-July 2009, the Dayboro Information Centre in “Dayboro Cottage” has been run by us with all volunteers being members of our Society. The cottage is open seven days a week from 10.00am to 3.00pm.
We have also been closely associated with the Pine Rivers Heritage Museum with their various displays and were thrilled when asked in 2009 if we would like to have a Dayboro display. The Dayboro Story: The First 100 years – 1866 – 1966 resulted and the display ran from 26th March to 16th May 2010. We are now the proud owners of the display panels that were prepared for that exhibition. They also gave us a large folder of copies of the panels for “Dayboro Cottage”. Vern Gibson, the Museum Curator, had assured me that the panels were waterproof and that was proven when Dayboro was flooded on 11th January 2011 and our storage shed had about 2ft 6 in (76mm) of water through it. The cardboard boxes they were in were destroyed, as were the sheets between the panels. One of our members, Robyn King, took the panels home, dried them off and had them throughout her house to dry properly and they sustained no damage at all.
A display was set up in the Mt. Pleasant Hall when they celebrated their centenary on Saturday 22nd May 2010. We were able to use some of the panels from the Museum display that day. On 19th September 2011 we launched our Dayboro Town & Regional Map and they were received very favourably by the businesses who took out advertising space. In May 2012, I was involved with Ryle Winn and Kelly Ashford from Moreton Bay Regional Council with a series of Timber Talks at the Strathpine Library during Heritage Month.
In 2012 we were working closely with Moreton Bay Regional Council staff preparing the Dayboro Heritage Trail which was launched on 6th December 2012. The trail has 19 markers which have a photograph and text, as well as an accompanying brochure with different photographs and text. 40 photographs were used in all.
For the past couple of years we have held a Family Research Day two or three times a year.
I am also very pleased to be able to say that we have a very good relationship with our local Councillor, Bob Millar, and also with the staff of Moreton Bay Regional Council. We really have achieved quite a lot over the past ten years.
Carmel Bond, President. Ph: 3415 1717 (h) or 3425 2032 (Cottage)
