By Jem Anshaw
If you have ever wondered how life looked back in bygone eras, then a visit to the Denman and District Heritage Village is a must.
The building the museum calls home was officially opened in November 2023, and prior to that the collection was housed in a Denman and District Men’s Shed building which is adjacent to the current site.
With this expansion in space came the ability to bring in more items of local historical significance, most of which is from the personal collection of Jeff Wolfgang.
“You name it, it can be here, if it’s not here it is still out at Jeff’s, and we haven’t had time to get it, or we’re running out of space,” Rod Johnson, Heritage Village vice president said with a laugh when discussing the collection.
“We do not want to crowd it up too much, because a lot of people say, ‘oh, this is fantastic’, because you can walk right around the exhibits. At other museums, you can’t see half the items because it’s too dark, or you can’t get around the back of them.”
The volunteers are always finding ways to fit more in, or better display some of the fascinating items already on display.
Jeff has an amazing memory, and this has meant many of the items in the collection have stories of their discovery or history attached to them for curious onlookers to read.
There is the 1910 Brush car, affectionately known as the Penny Car, that was found in a farm in Geurie with a penny soldered on the side of the engine. It took Jeff 20 years to source parts to rebuild it.
They have a butter churn that between 1909 and 1922, shipped up to 71 tons of butter a year from Arrowfield to England. There is an impressive array of sheering equipment that will take those who have worked in the dusty shed back in time and sparking many questions from younger generations.
Where the Denman RSL Club now stands used to be the site of the Steam Driven Sawmill, and the 1930 GMC Truck once owned by Bert McKenzie who also owned the mill is a prized part of the collection.
Taking a walk through the collection with Rod, or any one of the volunteers who give their time to assist in restoration and manning the museum, it is hard not to lose track of time as you walk through history.
Having been to the museum a couple of times myself, I still learn and see something new every time I call in.
The Denman and District Heritage Village is currently open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9am to 3pm, and Saturdays from 9am to 2pm.
They will extend their hours on Saturday, April 26 for the Diesel, Rust and Dust Truck and Machinery Show, and are also happy to discuss opening for group bookings outside of these hours.
Entry is by donation to assist in the ongoing operation of the not-for-profit operation.
What is it?
While the volunteers at the Denman and District Heritage Village hold an amazing wealth of information, there are currently a couple of items that have them stumped.
If you have any knowledge of what these items are, or even educated guesses that might help lead them in the right direction to finding their intended purpose, please reach out to the team.
