Peg’s cash fits the bill for cottage
Events dating back to the 1890s have reached forward nearly 130 years to benefit the preservation of Kyabram’s rich and vibrant history.
An undisclosed amount of funding from the estate of Margaret ‘Peg’ Billings was recently bequeathed to the Kyabram and District Historical Society, which put the money to use upgrading facilities housed in Kyabram’s well regarded Fauna Park.
The daughter of Dr John Cam Wright, a respected and popular doctor active in Kyabram from 1893 until his death in 1928, Ms Billings had a keen interest in the preservation of the region’s history.
The gift was greatly appreciated by the Historical Society, according to its librarian Eileen Sullivan, as was work done by the Kyabram Men’s Shed to Hazelman’s Cottage using the funds.
“Their quote came well under others we sought out,” Mrs Sullivan said.
“The Kyabram Men’s Shed volunteer workers did a very professional job on the railings.”
Last week, members of the Historical Society and Men’s Shed celebrated the new work conducted at Hazelman’s Cottage.
The wooden railings will allow visitors to wander through the cottage and observe the interior at a safe distance.
The cottage can now be opened for visitors to the park unattended, Mrs Sullivan said.
Brady Electrical Contracting’s Mark Knight was also thanked for work done on the Transport Through Time Shed to install lighting so visitors could view some of the precious artefacts within including ‘Willie Gee’s’ restored 1927 delivery van.
The funding also helped upgrade archiving equipment at the Kyabram Historical Library, according to Mrs Sullivan.
The historic recreation site at the Fauna Park is comprised of a number of buildings, including the cottage and blacksmith’s shop, vehicle display shed, an oldfashioned toilet and a larger shed with many items including vehicles, tools and equipment dating back to the 1800s on display.
Maintained and operated entirely by Historical Society volunteers, Mrs Sullivan said new volunteers had been difficult to come by in recent years and she was grateful to everyone who participated or supported the group’s endeavours.