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| Pioneer women are Barb Hovard's heroines. |
Barb Hovard has been a long time history buff “the stories of the past – have always held a
fascination for me,” she says. “Sadly,
that fascination didn’t extend to my own home town of Maryborough. I took it for granted.” This is hard to believe considering during her
time on council she strongly supported and promoted the history of Maryborough.
Some of the projects included co-ordinating a number of re-enactments. These
included
·
Centenary of the Declaration of Maryborough as a
city 1905;
·
Laying of the Foundation Stone of City Hall 1907
(with full Masonic honours);
·
One hundred and fifty years of Maryborough City
Council 2011.
“Re-enactments are an enjoyable way to share the stories,”
she claims.
“Researching for the scripts was a joy,” she
impassions. “The Chronicles of the day
were reported verbatim and you almost felt you were actually there.”
Other research undertaken for Maryborough Open House has
also kindled her interest in the history of Maryborough. “Researching buildings for Open House has
been an eye-opener with some remarkable stories emerging” she affirms.
Barb claims “To my shame, it wasn’t really until my time on
Council that I fully understood the rich heritage of our city. Research has become a pleasure, as yet
another story of our pioneers is unearthed or more pieces are added to make the
picture of the early days a little clearer.
As one piece leads to another, it gets you in! Sometimes you feel like ‘Sherlock Holmes’ as
you sleuth away. Our pioneer women are
my heroines.”
Recently, Barb has been involved with a Historypin project. She attended a State Library of
Queensland workshop hosted by the Fraser Coast Libraries in Maryborough where
she was introduced to Historypin . “I was an instant fan and commenced a site for
the Maryborough Wide Bay and Burnett Historical Society. Thanks to generous donors interested in
preserving history, the Society has thousands of images in its library from
which to choose. Sadly, I am behind and
must update the site,” she said.
“It has always been a team effort and I remain grateful to
those who helped bring the various projects to life, “she concluded.
Published with consent from Barbara Hovard
Tags #Historypin #slqld #Maryborough #Museums #qldtourismheritage #Frasercoastlibraries
2 comments:
There are some amazing people doing great work around Maryborough and its district's diverse and rich history. It is a joy to learn about these through this resource. Thank you to Barbara and the Fraser Coast Library for sharing.
Barbara is an asset to Maryborough and her understanding of Maryborough and it's history is amazing. It is good for all of us that she continues to live in Maryborough for retirement.
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