Colac & District Family History Group Inc.

01/09/2026

22/08/2026

It's 102 years ago today since the lights were turned on at Warrion, north of Coalc. Every boy and his dog (look closely) turned out to inspect the new poles and installed by the SEC. The evening the switch was flicked was a big night in the town with a social evening and a dance. Mrs. L. Chant, one of the oldest residents, had the honour of flicking the switch for the first time.

Photographer: SEC

📷State Library of Victoria https://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/4157672

18/08/2026

A huge thank you to everyone who came along today to meet Ely and hear her story. It was wonderful to see plenty of new faces alongside so many of our regulars.

Guided by Lyn’s thoughtful questions, Ely gave us a fascinating insight into a life lived across several different countries, and the journey that eventually brought her and her family to Colac. We feel very fortunate that they chose Colac as the place to make their home.

Thank you, Ely, for sharing your story so openly with us, and to Lyn for guiding such a warm and engaging conversation. And, of course, thank you to everyone who stayed afterwards to chat over afternoon tea — and enjoy Maree’s now-famous sponge. Someone described it perfectly today: “fairy floss for adults — as soon as it touches your tongue, it melts away.”

17/08/2026

I am sure my local friends will enjoy this so I hope you can come.

A little reminder — 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝑰𝒏 𝑪𝒐𝒏𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒐𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒐𝒘!

Come along to the 𝗛𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝗖𝗢𝗣𝗔𝗖𝗖 for a relaxed afternoon of 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 and real stories in our warm and welcoming space.

And afterwards, there’s no need to hurry away. Stay for a cuppa, 𝗲𝗻𝗷𝗼𝘆 𝗮 𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗼𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗲𝗮 (𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲’𝘀 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲!), and linger for a catch-up and a chat.

𝑻𝒐𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒐𝒘, 𝑻𝒖𝒆𝒔𝒅𝒂𝒚 18 𝑨𝒖𝒈𝒖𝒔𝒕 | 2𝒑𝒎–4𝒑𝒎
Everyone is welcome — you don’t need to be a member.

We’d love to see you there.

16/08/2026

A little reminder — 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝑰𝒏 𝑪𝒐𝒏𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒐𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒐𝒘!

Come along to the 𝗛𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝗖𝗢𝗣𝗔𝗖𝗖 for a relaxed afternoon of 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 and real stories in our warm and welcoming space.

And afterwards, there’s no need to hurry away. Stay for a cuppa, 𝗲𝗻𝗷𝗼𝘆 𝗮 𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗼𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗲𝗮 (𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲’𝘀 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲!), and linger for a catch-up and a chat.

𝑻𝒐𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒐𝒘, 𝑻𝒖𝒆𝒔𝒅𝒂𝒚 18 𝑨𝒖𝒈𝒖𝒔𝒕 | 2𝒑𝒎–4𝒑𝒎
Everyone is welcome — you don’t need to be a member.

We’d love to see you there.

13/08/2026

SAVE THE DATE

Come celebrate 40 Yrs of the Historical Society
on October 4 @ the Civic Hall
11 to 3.30pm Bring along an item or 2 for valuation

03/08/2026

It was a delightful surprise at the Colac & District Family History Group this morning when we welcomed a group of university students from Taiwan who were visiting the Colac Otway Performing Arts & Cultural Centre.

It was a pleasure to meet so many enthusiastic young people and to introduce them to the Remembered app. Together we explored how visitors can discover the stories of the men, women and children who helped shape the Colac district before 1900.

One of the wonderful things about the Remembered app is that these stories are no longer limited to people who can visit Colac Cemetery. Whether you're standing beside a memorial in Colac or living on the other side of the world, you can now explore our local history and hear the voices of the past.

Thank you for visiting us and for your interest in Colac's history. We hope you enjoy discovering the remarkable lives behind our cemetery's memorials.

31/07/2026

🎶𝑳𝒊𝒛 & 𝑴𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒆'𝒔 𝑷𝒉𝒐𝒕𝒐 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑾𝒆𝒆𝒌 🎶

This week we're stepping back to the 1930s or 1940s with the Lawson Family Band, a talented local group whose music would have brought entertainment to dances, concerts and community gatherings across the district.

Photographs like this preserve more than faces—they capture the people, music and community spirit that helped shape Colac's history.

𝗗𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗴𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗵𝗼𝘁𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗵, 𝗼𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗮𝘄𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗙𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗕𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺? We'd love to hear your memories. Every story helps us preserve our district's rich history for future generations.

If you have old family photographs tucked away in albums or boxes, Liz and Maree would love to help preserve them by scanning and cataloguing them for future generations.

25/07/2026

Every life has a story waiting to be discovered.

Our latest Almost Forgotten to Remembered storyboard features Mary Erlandson (née Blakiston), one of the many early Colac district pioneers whose life has been carefully researched by volunteers from the Colac & District Family History Group.

The storyboard tells just a small part of Mary's remarkable journey.

To discover the full story, simply scan the QR code to download the Remembered app, where you can read or listen to her story—along with more than 100 other stories from the pioneers who helped shape our district. New stories are being added regularly.

You don't have to visit the cemetery to enjoy these stories. The Remembered app is free and can be accessed from anywhere in the world.

If you would like to learn even more about Mary, her family, or other early Colac residents, we'd love to welcome you to the Colac & District Family History Group at the History Centre, where our extensive records continue to uncover the lives behind the names.

Every person remembered is another piece of Colac's history preserved for future generations.