McInnes family roles at history group

HISTORY POWER COUPLE: Phil and Maxine McInnes have spent a lot of hours sorting, documenting and researching at the Mount Gambier History Group clubrooms. Photo: Elsie Adamo.

Jeff Huddlestone

IF local history is not preserved, unfortunately it is lost to future generations.

That unenviable task is the responsibility of the Mount Gambier History Group.

The group’s aim is ‘to locate preserve and promote the built heritage, local history and family history of Mount Gambier and surrounding districts’.

Once located at the Lake Terrace cemetery cottage, the group now operates from rooms at the Reidy Park centre, the home of a number of community organisations on O’Halloran Terrace.

Long-time members are local couple Phil and Maxine McInnes.

Ms McInnes was treasurer for 19 years and Mr McInnes took on the presidency 14 years ago.

His introduction to the history group was by doing some electrical jobs at the premises.

The group has about 80 members.

Around 20 of them meet every Tuesday afternoon to do research and catalogue information.

All members receive the newsletter.

Over the years, among other material, the group has amassed more than 30,000 photographs dating back to the claiming of Mount Gambier by the Henty’s in 1842.

“We have got information on the fellows from Portland (the Hentys) who came here for the stockyards in the Valley Lakes area,” Mr McInnes said.

There is a recurring theme on the photographs provided by people.

“Surprisingly, they are away on holidays, and they pick up photos of Mount Gambier from elsewhere in Australia and send it into us; specifically, it is the Blue Lake,” Mr McInnes said.

Some of the low, narrow, coloured photographs of the lake are worth hundreds of dollars.

The Mount Gambier History group is still reliant on families to provide historic information.

“Families say it all,” Mr McInnes said.

“The younger generation is not going to keep it, so they give us the information and we log and catalogue it,” Mr McInnes said.

Both life members of the history group, Mr and Ms McInnes enjoy keeping active, involved with community groups and supporting their grandsons’ soccer pursuits.

Another valuable member of the history group is its secretary, Jeanette Aslin.

“Jeanette is great, really fantastic,” Mr McInnes said.

“She does a lot of work.

“I used to put in for grants, but she does that now and there are a few winners,” Mr McInnes said.

Some of the memorable events staged include exhibitions of photographs and a history of Fidler and Webb, held in the main corner complex.

After the store closed, the history group received about 80 per cent of the material it held, including original invoices and sales journals.

Another plus was equipment including compactors from the electoral office after its closure.

Most of the Mount Gambier History Group members are retired so it is always on the lookout for new members.

They will be welcomed and trained by those who Mr McInnes affectionately calls, the research gurus.

“You can find it, but it is how you do it, because a lot of people want the information yesterday,” Mr McInnes said.

After relinquishing the treasurer position, Ms McInnes is busy collating articles from newspapers.

“I am going to put them into folders particularly on school, sporting associations and on Covid, so we can keep a record of what’s happened,” Ms McInnes said.

It is hoped that future generations of local people will help support important ongoing historical research.

The Mount Gambier History Group handles fee-for-service research requests and welcomes donations.

You can find contact information for the group on their website.