Berrigan & District Heritage Museum

08/09/2026

❗️POSTPONED❗️
The Museum will be opened as normal tomorrow, 9 September, but the AGM & Meeting has been POSTPONED.

❗️POSTPONED❗️

⭐ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING⭐
The AGM of the Berrigan & District Heritage Museum will be held Wednesday, 9 September 2026 from 9:00am at the Museum. This will then be followed by a September monthly meeting.

If you've ever wanted to get involved with the Museum to help preserve, display and research Berrigan's history, be sure to come along and meet our wonderful committee.

01/09/2026

🏦 In September 1958, the Commercial Banking Company of Sydney (CBC) started operating out of their new premises on the corner of Chanter and Cobram Streets.

This was the fourth location of the bank, having originally established themselves in the Hiddle & Pretty store (now Shire Offices) in 1892, then in their own building on Chanter Street (now IGA) in 1892, and then a larger building in Jerilderie Street (now RSL & Museum) in 1902.

The new building was partially two-storied, with banking chamber and living quarters of the residence on the ground floor, and the remainder of the residence on the first floor.

The external brickwork was an apricot colour, and on the two street frontages it contrasted with the large panels of grey-green mottled ceramic tiles that ran under the windows.

In the banking offices the fittings and woodwork were polish Queensland maple.

The Commercial Banking Company of Sydney merged with the National Bank of Australasia in 1982 to form the National Australia Bank (NAB).

With the Bank of Australasia on the other corner, this was very much the financial corner of Berrigan!

💚 Learn more about Berrigan’s history every Wednesday, 9:00am - 11:00am, or by arrangement.

🔍 Looking for information or planning a visit to peruse our archives? Fill out a research form so we can help you: https://berriganheritagemuseum.weebly.com/ourcollection-research.html

28/08/2026

: AUGUST 1926 🌬️
Another month, another spin in the time machine to see what was happening in & around Berrigan 100 years ago! Turns out that August 1926 was a bit of a quiet month…

🗞️ The Berrigan Advocate was published every Thursday at 3s 6d per quarter.

🌡️ The average maximum temperature for the month was 14.4° C and a total of 39.2mm of rain fell.

⛳ 2 AUG: The annual three-day Golf Tournament commenced, with visitors from Numurkah, Yarrawonga, Albury, Corowa, Deniliquin, Finley, Cobram, and other centres. Mr S. Creed (163) took out the men's championship (Norman Brown Championship Cup, 36 holes), followed by Mr G.E. Mackenzie (165) and Mr L. Chomley (166). Together with Mr G. Simpson, the team of four also won the team's cup (331).

🏈 11 AUG: Berrigan headed to Numurkah for an Inter-State Football Match, coinciding with the Big Band Carnival.

🐕 18 AUG: The final meet of the Coursing Club took place with the bracelet stake.

📽️ 18 AUG: Grand Picture Night was held at McGrady's Royal Theatre, featuring the picture 'Adventure', followed by a dance, all in aid of the Soldier's Memorial Hall. The total raised was £31.

💸 19 AUG: Howard Martin & Co. conducted a Furniture Sale at the late residence of H.H. Haines, behind Mr Arthur Jones' motor garage, featuring 3-piece bedroom suite, 2 washstands, double bed, 3 single beds, 2 duchess chests, and linen press, as well as a Township Block in Barooga Street.

👋🏻 Mr & Mrs E. Gedye spent the end of the month in Berrigan, renewing many old friendships.

🏛️ By the end of the month the total promised for the Soldiers' Memorial Hall had reached £2151/11/7.

🏈 FOOTBALL: Berrigan def Tocumwal (65 to 59) in the first semi-final; and Berrigan def by Finley (57 to 65) in the second semi-final. Tocumwal and Finley headed into the Grand Final.

📽️ AT ROYAL PICTURE THEATRE: 'The Desert Flower', 'The Great White Way', 'The Man in Blue', 'On Time',
'Through the Dark', 'Just A Woman', 'I'll Show You The Town', 'Hurricane Kid', 'The Border Legion', and 'Argentine Love'.

💚 Learn more about Berrigan’s history every Wednesday, 9:00am - 11:00am, or by arrangement.

🔍 Looking for information or planning a visit to peruse our archives? Fill out a research form so we can help you: https://berriganheritagemuseum.weebly.com/ourcollection-research.html

26/08/2026

❗️POSTPONED❗️

⭐ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING⭐
The AGM of the Berrigan & District Heritage Museum will be held Wednesday, 9 September 2026 from 9:00am at the Museum. This will then be followed by a September monthly meeting.

If you've ever wanted to get involved with the Museum to help preserve, display and research Berrigan's history, be sure to come along and meet our wonderful committee.

25/08/2026

📰USING TROVE TO FIND YOUR FAMILY
One family history resource that we are super fortunate to have in Australia is Trove, run by the National Library of Australia, giving us FREE and UNLIMITED access to digitised newspapers, with more editions and newspapers added all the time. The newspaper archive is extremely valuable, and you'll be surprised what titbits you can find about your family with just a little bit of searching.

➖ Use keyword search, utilising quotation marks (" ") to specify certain terms
➖ Use '+' to include other terms you want to include in your search (eg. "John Doe"+"Berrigan" to find articles that include John Doe and Berrigan)
➖ Use advanced search to filter to specific dates and newspapers (a tip is to set the date range between the birth & death dates of who you are searching for)
➖ Use the browse feature to find specific newspapers and issues to peruse

🔗For a more visual guide to using Trove, check out this handy how-to video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mmvq2tMEj4

One newspaper you can find on the rabbit-hole that is Trove is our very own Berrigan Advocate, thanks to the Berrigan Shire Library Service who funded the digitisation of the newspaper.

🔗 Start reading here: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/title/1775

Other newspapers from our region that you can find on Trove include: Tocumwal Guardian (1908-22), Jerilderie Herald (1898-1958), Cobram Courier (1888-1954), Yarrawonga Mercury (1897-1927, currently being digitised), Deniliquin Independent (1901-46), Deniliquin Pastoral Times (1863-1950), Albury Banner & Wodonga Express (1860-1941), and the Border Morning Mail (1903-53).

Trove isn't just about Newspapers & Gazettes - you can also search Magazines & Newsletters, Images, Maps & Artefacts, Research & Reports, Books & Libraries, Diaries, Letters & Archives, Music, Audio & Video, People & Organisations, and Websites.

It is also worth checking out the Ryerson Index, which indexes death notices in Australian newspapers right up to the current day, so you can narrow down your search to the issue a notice was published.

📰 You can view other local newspapers - Finley Mail and Tocumwal Guardian - on microfiche at the Library.

🔍 Looking for information or planning a visit to peruse our archives? Fill out a research form so we can help you: https://berriganheritagemuseum.weebly.com/ourcollection-research.html

💚 Learn more about Berrigan’s history every Wednesday, 9:00am - 11:00am, or by arrangement.

AFFHO Family History Month

21/08/2026

🚉 Something for the train lovers! There’s still time to get tickets for Katunga Shuttle from Tocumwal & return, or just pay a visit to our friends at Tocumwal Railway Heritage Museum!

21/08/2026

: BERRIGAN RACEHORSE TRAINER'S OUTSTANDING RECORD, 1974 🏇
In 1974, horse trainer Bert Honeychurch won the Southern District Racing Association (SDRA)'s trainers' premiership for the 12th time, and the 11th consecutive.

He was presented with the trophy by SDRA president Mr A.A. Armstrong during the Berrigan races on 3 August.

Mr Armstrong said that Bert had made an outstanding contribution to racing in the Riverina and in particular the southern districts.

Bert had finished the 1973/74 season with 49 winners, followed by Jerilderie's P.M. Sweeney and Wagga's B. Delaney.

📸 Berrigan & District Race Club president C. Hawkins, Bert Honeychurch, and A.A. Armstrong.

🏆 Enjoy a FREE day out with the family at the Members & Patrons Race Day TOMORROW! Gates open at 11:00am, with the first race kicking off at 1:20pm.

💚 Learn more about Berrigan’s history every Wednesday, 9:00am - 11:00am, or by arrangement.

20/08/2026

🛍️ DID YOU KNOW that we've got a number of books, DVDs and other items for sale at the Museum?

Whether you're looking to take a little Berrigan home with you, or in need of a gift, we've got you covered!

BOOKS:
🏈 Berrigan Football Club, 1894-1994 [$15.00]
⛳ Berrigan Golf Club Centenary, 1905-2005 [$15.00]
🏫 Berrigan Public School, 1891-1991 [$15.00]
🏛️ Berrigan Shire Council Centenary, 1906-2006 [$15.00]
📰 Berrigan, Today & Yesterday (1965) [$10.00]
📜 Blue Bags, Bloodholes & Boomanoomana [$10.00]
🚜 Heritage Farming in Australia [$40.00]
🚂 Railway Development of the South-West Riverina [$60.00]
🏫 Recollections of Secondary Education in the Finley District [$15.00]

DVDS:
🌊 Berrigan's Quest for Water, 1899-1939, Barooga Water Trust [$20.00]
🎉 Berrigan Village Centenary, 31 May 1990 [$15.00]
🌊 Barooga Water Trust & 17-Minute Berrigan Promo USB [$25.00]

CEMETERY WALKS [$10.00 each]:
🪦 General Walk (2021)
🎖️ Returned Soldiers (2023)
🧑‍🌾 Farming Pioneers (2024)
👱‍♀️ Notable Women (2026)

MISCELLANEOUS:
🏈 Berrigan Football Club Patch [$5.00]
📌 Berrigan Heritage Museum Pin [$5.00]
💟 Better in Berrigan Sticker [$2.00]
💌 Postcard Pack (6) [$5.00]

SAWS:
🪚 Saw [$70.00]
🪚 Saw on Timber Backboard [$100.00]
🖼️ Small Frame [$80.00]
🖼️ Large Frame [$180.00]

Pop into the Museum on a Wednesday morning, 9:00am-11:00am, OR get in touch with Tom Pyle [0418 205 129] or Marney Dalgliesh [0439 252 363] to purchase.
Postage is available at an extra cost (not available for saws or frames).

Some books are also available from Berrigan Bookshop.

19/08/2026

📰 In the newspaper again? Look at us go!

Grab a copy of this week's Southern Riverina News to read about what's been going on at the Museum!

🔗 READ ONLINE: https://www.southernriverinanews.com.au/news/heritage-walk-plaques-updated/

18/08/2026

🎙️ RECORDING ORAL FAMILY HISTORY
There are SO many stories, whether accurate or not, that we can only learn through sitting down and chatting with family members. And you'll be surprised the direction these stories can point you in your family history research.

But more importantly, oral history recordings are a vital piece of family history to store away in your archives, capturing the stories & memories of parents, grandparents and even great grandparents.

QUESTIONS TO ASK:
➖ Where did you grow up? Describe the area and your house(s).
➖ What are your earliest memories
➖ What was your primary/secondary school like?
➖ How did you meet your spouse?
➖ What do you remember about your wedding day?
➖ What was your first job?
➖ What are some memorable stories about your children growing up?
➖ What was it like growing up/living through [insert historical event]?
➖ What holiday traditions have your continued from your parents?
➖ What do you remember about your military training?

For a list of 100 questions, check out this blog post: https://bit.ly/100FamilyHistoryQuestions

And you don't need to run out to buy fancy audio equipment - your smart phone or tablet will work perfectly fine to capture these stories!

If you're keen to record some oral history, check out this blog post for a more in-depth run-down of how to get started: https://bit.ly/RecordingOralHistory

The Museum does hold a collection of oral histories, most of which have been transcribed.

🔍 Looking for information or planning a visit to peruse our archives? Fill out a research form so we can help you: https://berriganheritagemuseum.weebly.com/ourcollection-research.html

💚 Learn more about Berrigan’s history every Wednesday, 9:00am - 11:00am, or by arrangement.