Berrigan & District Heritage Museum

01/06/2026

⭐JUNE MEETING⭐
Our next monthly meeting will be held THIS WEDNESDAY, 3 June at 9:00am at the Museum! This will be our last meeting before our winter break until September.

If you’ve ever wanted to get involved with the Museum, be sure to come along and meet our wonderful committee.

01/06/2026

: MAY 1926 🍂
The changing of the seasons means it's time for another look back at what was happening in & around Berrigan 100 years ago!

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

🌡️ The average maximum temperature for the month was 14.2° C and a total of 33mm of rain fell.

🏇 1 MAY: The Memorial Hall Races were held, racing funds for the Soldiers' Memorial Hall, were abandoned owing to the inclement weather and not being able to find a suitable date before the winter.

🕺 7 MAY: A Euchre Party & Dance was held in aid of the canditure of Miss M Bruce in the Church of England Shingle Competition.

🏈 8 MAY: A friendly pre-season match between the Berrigan and Cobram eighteens was played. The team was made up of Bruce, Sheridan, A. & R. McDonald, Cope, Munro, Reynoldson, Powell, Clements, K. & T. Robretson, Walters, W. Kelly, Spalding, Body, Howard, Davis, and Morrison. Emergencies were R. Roche, O'Neill, Boles, L. Roche, Burwood, and Jackson. Berrigan was defeated by Cobram.

💃 12 MAY: A dance was held in aid of the produce stall at the Church of England Flower Show.

⛳ 15 MAY: A large number of players enjoyed a mixed foursomes competition on the local golf course. The event was won by Mr S. Creed and Mrs M.C. Creed, with Mr G.E. Mackenzie and Miss Creed runners-up.

🌼 22 MAY: The St Aidan's Church of England Flower Show & Industrial Exhibition was held, featuring fancy sweets, produce, and refreshment stalls, musical items, shingle competition, and novelty competitions. Miss M. Bruce won the Shingle Competition.

💸 26 MAY: McKenzie & Co. conducted a clearing sale at Mr A.V. Robertson's 'Rosebank', near Green Swamp Road Siding, which included 350 comeback ewes, 8 cows & calves, 8 draught horses, Massey header, and a set of gig harness.

🧱 26 MAY: The contractor made a start of the Soldiers' Memorial Hall.

🤒 Influenza in a rather severe form had gripped a number of local residents.

🏪 Mr E. Burwood's new shops in Chanter Street had been completed and were occupied by tailor Mr J. Williams, and hairdresser Mr E. Charter.

👷 Mr F. Brady was in the process of erecting a commodious residence in Budd Street.

🧱 A team of men arrived in town at the start of the month to make a start on the new Bank of Australasia building, on the corner of Chanter Street and Cobram Road.

🎽 The Berrigan Football team got brand spanking new colours for the season.

💸 Messrs McPherson, Thomas & Co. opened a branch of their general auctioneering business in Berrigan, under the management of Mr Norman Rand.

🛤️ Surveyors had been sent to make a permanent survey of the proposed railway for Mairjimmy towards Deniliquin.

🏛️ By the end of the month £1803/14/0 had been promised for the Soldiers' Memorial Hall.

🏈 FOOTBALL: Berrigan def by Jerilderie (24 to 25), and Berrigan def by Finley (23 to 86).

📽️ AT ROYAL PICTURE THEATRE: 'The Lost World', and 'The Hunchback'.

💚 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

21/05/2026

🏛️ Established in 2001, the Berrigan & District Heritage Museum is dedicated to preserving and researching the rich history of our local community for current and future generations. Managed by a passionate committee of volunteers, we focus on safeguarding our unique pioneering spirit and the achievements that continue to define Berrigan today.

✨​A LEGACY OF FIRSTS✨
Berrigan takes great pride in being the birthplace of several significant milestones, including Federation, Rural Fire Service, education advocacy, and My Health Record.

🔍OUR COLLECTION🔍
We specialize in local family history and oral histories, offering a window into the lives of those who built this district. Our extensive collections include community life, agricultural & irrigation, military heritage, and a vast collection of family histories.

👟ENGAGE WITH HISTORY👟
We believe history should be active and accessible! Beyond our museum displays, we help the community connect with the past through our Heritage Walk, Cemetery Walks, and research opportunities.

So start planning your next visit to Berrigan and the Museum!

📅 Wednesdays
🕙 9:00am - 11:00am
📍 62 Jerilderie St, Berrigan
🎟️ Adults $5.00, kids free
Or get in touch to organise a visit outside of these hours.

19/05/2026

💚🏛️ MAKE HISTORY PART OF YOUR FUTURE
National Volunteer Week is here, and we’re celebrating the heartbeat of the Berrigan & District Heritage Museum - our volunteers! 🫶🏻

From researching local legends and planning cemetery walks, to keeping our socials buzzing and cataloguing new treasures, our small but mighty team does it all. Whether you’re a history buff or just want to give back to the town we love, there’s a place for you here.

WHY JOIN US?
💚 Preserve Berrigan’s stories for future generations
💚 Connect with a passionate, welcoming group
💚 Work on projects that interest *you* (even from home!)

COME FOR A PERUSE & CHAT:
Stop by any Wednesday morning (9:00am–11:00am) to meet the committee and see what we’re all about.

15/05/2026

: PRESBYTERIAN PULPIT, 1917 ⛪
If you attended the Anzac Day service at the Soldiers' War Memorial Hall, you will have noticed the beautiful lectern on stage - it is actually the Pulpit from the original St John's Presbyterian Church!

The Pulpit was erected in the memory of Ida Lilian McCarron, wife of Rev. E.G. McCarron, who was the first Presbyterian minister to reside in the Manse upon his arrival in November 1909.

Only eight months after their arrival, Ida sadly passed away in August 1910. She had been confined to her bed for about a fortnight, but the nature of her illness wasn't a cause for concern. On the evening of her death, she was sitting on the bed, talking to her husband, when she suddenly "fell back and expired." It was determined her cause of death of nervous heart failure.

News of her death shocked residents. And Rev. McCarron asked to leave Berrigan not long after her death.

It wasn't until August 1917 that the Pulpit was erected and dedicated in her memory. The pulpit was made by Mr Bell, of Tocumwal, and was "made of splendidly grained Australian timbers."

The plaque on the front reads:
"This pulpit was erected in memory of
IDA LILIAN MCCARRON.
Who entered into her rest on August 10th 1911.
'And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God.'"

Interestingly, we can confirm via her obituary in the Berrigan Advocate of 2 September 1910 that Ida passed away on 29 August 1910. So it seems that in the span of seven years before the Pulpit came to fruition, her death details became a little foggy for the congregation. Her grave a the Berrigan Cemetery has also remained unmarked.

Rev. McCarron, who was residing with his parents in Canowindra, passed away two months after the Pulpit was dedicated.

💚 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

12/05/2026

👑💧 Bridging the generational gap through the power of social media!

We’re having a bit of fun with our archives, showing that no matter how you say it, Berrigan’s history is legendary. From the first Rural Fire Service to the pivotal role in the Australian Federation League, there’s so much to explore at the Berrigan & District Heritage Museum.

When are you planning your next visit?

📅 Wednesdays
🕙 9:00am - 11:00am
📍 62 Jerilderie St, Berrigan
🎟️ Adults $5.00, kids free

08/05/2026

🪦 It was a beautiful, albeit brisk, morning to wander around the cemetery and hear stories about some of Berrigan's notable women!

Thank you to everyone who attended our Notable Women Cemetery Walk this morning, and to those who joined us back at the Museum for some yummy morning tea and exploring more of Berrigan's history. We hope you enjoyed getting to hear about some wonderful women who helped to shape the Berrigan we know today.

Those who came back to the Museum after the walk also got to see Ina Crammond's (tiny) century-old wedding dress, which had been brought along to display for the morning.

A massive THANK YOU to committee member Clara Way for putting together another fabulously interesting and informative walk, and to Kim Arnold for once again acting as our MC and keeping everyone moving around the cemetery! And of course a thank you to Tom Pyle for being the gofer with the speaker. We are going to need to put a bell and flag on Clara for the next walk so we can keep track of her as she ploughs ahead to the next grave…

We also have to give the Berrigan Lions Club a shoutout for ensuring the cemetery was looking pristine for the walk, especially the grass around the old graves.

Clara has said at the completion of every cemetery walk that it'll be her last, but she always keeps coming back! If you have any suggestions for a theme or people to feature in any potential future walks, let us know (we know she'll be itching to start researching again in no time). And if you have family histories, we'd love to have a copy at the Museum.

If you missed out on attending this walk, copies of all out previous cemetery walk booklets are available to purchase from the Museum so you can do your own solo walk in your own time. Postage extra.

06/05/2026

06/05/2026

🪦Friday plans = sorted!
Banish the FOMO by coming along to our Notable Women Cemetery Walk! Join us at the Berrigan Cemetery for a wander through the headstones as you learn about some of the women who have helped shape Berrigan.

📅 Friday, 8 May 2026
🕙 9:30am
📍 Berrigan Cemetery, Momalong Street
🎟️ $10.00 for the walk (booklet included), $10.00 for morning tea (cash only)

Join us for Morning Tea afterwards at the Museum to continue discovering Berrigan’s history.

🌤️ Friday’s forecast is set to be partly cloudy, with the temperature about 13°C while we’re at the cemetery. Be sure to wear comfortable walking shoes (we will be traipsing through the old sections as well as the lawn cemetery), wear a hat (the UV rays can still get you on cloudy days), and have a water bottle to keep hydrated (if you can’t hold out for a cuppa back at the Museum).

05/05/2026

🚂 A few of our committee members spent Sunday afternoon at the Finley Pioneer Railway Museum Open Day!

It was great to see all the hard work the committee have put in refurbishing the station and revamping their museum displays.

Make sure you follow their page to keep up with what the committee are up to and when they’ll be open in the future ☺️