The Annual Royal Western Australian History Conference of Affiliated Societies attracts delegates and other participants from metropolitan and regional districts from all over the State. It is held on alternate years in regional and metropolitan centres. It is a two-day weekend event, chaired by the President of the RWAHS, and usually commences on the Friday evening with a reception arranged by the host local authority.
There are Conference Program of Papers, an Annual General Meeting and one or more tours to local places of historical interest.
Merit Award
Each year the Affiliates Committee, on behalf of the RWAHS, presents a Merit Award at the Annual Conference see the affiliates page for details.
2022 Merit Award– Margaret River & Districts Historical Society
This year the Affiliated Societies Committee received seventeen reports from Affiliated Societies. As usual, we ended up with a short list of three that then had to be whittled down to just one. The Committee would like to thank those Societies who took the time to fill out the annual Activity Report we do understand that it does take time and we appreciate your efforts and hearing about your activities.
Hover over the image below to view the full citation.
Margaret River & Districts has had an interesting and busy year culminating in March with the celebration of 100 years of Group Settlement in the district. The Society worked closely with community groups to help create an event that included community stalls, wood cutting displays, WA Dairy Farmers and nine schools. The logistics of working with that many schools was a triumph in itself! The schools took part in one of the more imaginative activities: decorating banners supplied by the Society. The banners were painted with the names of the various Groups that had settled in the Margaret River area. The final banner count came to 30 which the children and adults proudly carried down Margaret River’s main street to the Old Settlement. The event attracted group settler descendants who provided family stories of their ancestors’ experiences. The Society receives numerous enquiries relating to group settlements, so this information received at the Centenary celebrations had added to their records. The Society also hosts morning teas for people who once lived in the district. This treat not only enables those who have moved away to catch up with old friends, but also provides to opportunity to gather additional historical information. An important outcome from the Centenary celebration was the compilation of a professional film which the Society can now present to visitors.
Another important project completed by the Society was the production of a historic walk trail along Margaret River’s main street which is linked to the trail pamphlet via QR codes. Visitors can download the pamphlet from the Society’s web page and click on the links to obtain information about the places. The trail includes 67 sites. The information provided in the link is fully referenced, allowing visitors to obtain further information if they wish.
Congratulations Margaret River & Districts Historical Society!
Next Conference
Visit the next state history page for details of the next Conference.
