Charlotte Varcoe
MOUNT Gambier/Berrin history will remain alive with the Mount Gambier Library’s Nostalgia Nook continuing to run each month.
Now running for close to a decade, the monthly social gathering highlights the rich history of the region.
Originally, the program was known as the Book Well with attendees choosing passages from a novel or poem to spark discussion.
Developed by Susan McLean, the program was about promoting memories with the older members of the community, exclusively with those from aged care centres.
Now formally known as the Nostalgia Nook, the program is open for all members of the community to ensure as many people as possible have the opportunity to join in.
Mount Gambier Library local history officer Danni Reade said the program attracted a variety of participants including a man in his 90s.
“There are also younger members and we have people who are new residents to Mount Gambier and others that have lived here for their whole life,” Ms Reade said.
“The benefit of this is that we will have a set topic but that conversation can go anywhere such as this week we were talking about Haig’s Motors that used to be here on the library site and that very quickly turned into how old people were when they first got their drivers licence.
“Some of the stories included that they would just go to the police station and sign a form before getting their licence and some of the younger members explained we had to do a certain amount of hours as well as an online test with this information fascinating the older members because they didn’t know we had to do that.”
Ms Reade said everyone’s contribution was valuable during the sessions because the topics were ones people could typically relate to.
“It really bridges the gap between people of all ages and it is really good for offering up different perspectives,” she said.
“This is also a way for us as a library to tap into historical information that we might have not known about.”
She said within history, it was often the groundbreaking experiences which were recorded and not the day-to-day lives.
“Everyday history is just as important as the groundbreaking stuff and to keep history top of mind for people while also keeping those stories alive is a wonderful thing,” Ms Reade said.
“We are focusing on Mount Gambier history because this is a way to keep our hidden stories alive in the community.”
Ms Reade said the Mount Gambier Library also provided walking tours around the Cave Gardens/Thugi which was popular among tourists and school children.
