PAST MEETINGS
Published here is a short summary of A&DHS meetings over the past twelve months.
More detail of our past meetings can be found by going to Our Bulletin.
September 2026 Meeting
What history do the Cudgewa Railway Line, the High Country Bike Trail and the Hume Weir Racing Circuit share?
Peter Harper was intrigued by a bridge over Finn Creek and went in search of the story of the bridge and with Jenny Romero’s help they put together two disparate historical stories and the identification of an artifact from Albury’s Motor Racing past thought to have been lost forever but saved thanks to Brian Church.
During the 1960s and early 1970s the Albury & District Car Club attracted large crowds to the venue.
August 2026 Meeting
In August we heard from the author of new book of fiction based on a true story that has local connections via Bonegilla Immigration Centre. The Watchmaker’s War, uncovers a little-known chapter of Australian history, detailing the pursuit of Nazi war criminals who found refuge in suburban Melbourne after World War II. Our speaker was Walkley Award-winning filmmaker and author Danny Ben-Moshe.
The former leader of the Jewish resistance seeks a peaceful new life as a watchmaker in Melbourne. His hopes are shattered when he encounters old enemies on Australian soil. The story delves into the profound trauma of genocide and poses complex questions about justice, revenge and the lengths a victim will go when authorities fail to act.
July 2026 Meeting
The Annual General Meeting of the Society, chaired by president Geoff Romero, was held at the Commercial Club.
Minutes of the previous AGM were read and confirmed and the President’s Annual Report received together with the Treasurer’s end of year report.
Members were assured that Society membership fees remain unchanged.
Geoff then declared all committee positions vacant before Society member Paul Grover took the chair to conduct the election of our Society’s committee for 2026/27. Duly elected were:
President: Geoff Romero;
Vice President: Greg Ryan;
Secretary: Helen Livsey;
Treasurer: Simon Burgess;
Committee: Jenny Romero, Yelly Evenhuis, Peter Harper and Robyn Hawking.
Geoff then took the chair and after thanking Paul Grover he closed the AGM and opened the July General Meeting.
Simon Barlow presented a selection of historic and contemporary photographs taken by Nicole Barlow’s grandfather, Jack Dallinger – founder of Foto Supplies and one of Albury’s most passionate photographers. Drawing on Jack’s original slide presentation and recorded commentary, this illustrated talk compared many of Albury’s well-known streets, buildings and landmarks across the decades, revealing how the city has changed while preserving the stories and memories of earlier generations. Based on Jack’s original work, the presentation offered a fascinating photographic journey through Albury’s past.
June 2026 Meeting
Albury’s first German arrivals. On May 12, 2026 it was 175 years since the arrival in Albury in 1851 of Johannes (John) Frauenfelder, Sebastian Schubach and Heinrich (Henry) Rau. They were Albury’s first German residents. Within a very short time they pioneered the wine industry in our district. We will hear from family descendants the legacy of these three families and their contributions to our local heritage over the past 175 years. We heard presentations from Robyn King (née Frauenfelder) by Kathy Gardiner (née Rau) and Jenny Romero speaking on behalf of the Schubach family.
Photo: Johannes Peter Frauenfelder
May 2026 Meeting
Guest speaker in May was Dr Peter Crowley, author of Townsend of the Ranges. Dr Crowley completed the first in depth study of the life and professional career of Thomas Scott Townsend. We were told of the massive contribution to the early development of Australia by surveyor Townsend whose work had been largely overlooked by historians.
Townsend arrived in Albury as a young ‘assistant’ surveyor in late 1838 and completed a survey of the Murray River from Bowna Creek to Dight’s Hill area. He drew up the first town plan of Albury. In 1848 he returned to Albury, adding to his town plan and doing further survey work.
April 2026 Meeting
Remembering Her Service: Local Women at War 1914–1918. Janette Griggs uncovered the remarkable stories of some courageous women with connections to the Albury-Wodonga region who served in WWI’s medical ranks. Amidst the horrors of war, capture, and the challenges of serving in a male-dominated field, their unwavering courage and determination shine through. Yet their stories remain largely unknown, silenced simply because they were women — and history was written by men.
March 2026 Meeting
How did we get here? Evolution of the Hume Highway. Roads seem to be fixed in time and space but like many things, they change over time. In this presentation Mitch Judd, a retired engineer, NSW Department of Main Roads, talked about some of the changes that have occurred over time and offered some insights into the changes, with a focus on roads in the south of NSW.
Photo: chaos on the Hume Highway.
February 2026 Meeting
Investigating Dispossession: Conflict and Coexistence 1838-1844
Bruce Pennay and Paul Grover spoke about our Society’s latest publication “Investigating Dispossession: Conflict and Coexistence 1838-1844.”
The book has been produced to help satisfy local requirements of the 2027 National Secondary School curriculum which will contain a compulsory unit of study styled “Aboriginal Peoples Experience of Colonisation.” The book is the creation of Bruce Pennay who edited it with assistance from Yalmambirra and Paul Grover.
The book is a teaching resource which contains evidence based accounts of significant events between 1838 and 1844.
For a digital copy of the book, click on the link Investigating Dispossession
December 2025 Meeting
Our December meeting was a truly fitting way to finish off our year. The Show & Tell segment drew universal praise. Thank to those who came forward to make a presentation. The interest from members was evident from the amount of discussion generated during the meeting and afterwards at supper. The energy in the room was reflected in the noise level as we continued until close to 10pm.
Presentations included a short film of the proclamation of Albury as a City in April 1947, The Plummer family market gardens in South Albury, a homemade fly swatter, a cordial jar from Albury Brewing & Aerated Waters Co, an Australian Returned from Active Service Medal, a Belle of the Ball sash from the opening of the Bowna Mullengandra Hall in 1957, a picture book of Tim Fischer’s funeral service and an ink-well connected with the war service of Albury nurse Lucy Staton.
More detail will be available in our February 2026 Bulletin. Go to Bulletins
November 2025 Meeting
For our November meeting we met for Christmas dinner on November 12. Good food, wine and conversation were complemented by three very entertaining tests set by Greg Ryan. In the quiz to identify a location from a photo of a very small part of a building, Steve Judd scored a perfect 18/18. We should have realised that, as an experienced valuer for forty years, Steve would have had all of those photos in his files! No protest was lodged and Steve was duly awarded his prize!
October 2025 Meeting
Guest speaker was Natalie Ward, an artist based in Albury. Nat is primarily a painter of landscapes, with the Murray River and surrounding foreshores and wetlands providing constant inspiration. She has produced a series of paintings exploring the connection between Noreuil Park in Albury and the village of Noreuil in France.
Noreuil was the site of intense World War I battles including an April day in 1917 when the ‘Albury Battery’ played a significant role in repelling a German advance. Nat had recently returned from being honoured in France and she talked about the significance of her Noreuil project.
See also Albury Goes to War