Despite the warm weather, more than 100 residents and descendants gathered at Buckingham House on Saturday, December 8 for the launch of a book detailing the history of the Buckingham, Muja, Shotts and Bowelling areas.
The book’s author John Bird said he had been commissioned by the Buckingham Heritage Group to capture the local history of the area through speaking to local families and trawling through old newspaper reports.
Speaking at the launch, Mr Bird thanked the families that had helped with his research.
“While it’s important always to record history, it’s equally important to have people who want to have it recorded,” he said.
Buckingham Heritage Group president Lyndon Pilatti said it had been a long commitment to get the book completed, with the process started more than three years ago.
He also said the book wouldn’t have been possible without the support of the Shire of Collie, Premier Coal, Bendigo Bank, the Collie Miners Welfare Board and Lotterywest.
The event also saw Lloyd Stewart, a descendant of the Buckingham family, return as guest speaker.
Mr Stewart said he was grateful to see the work put in to record the history of what are ‘significant towns’.
“I was just thinking on my way over here how amazing it is that some of these towns are just disappearing,” he said.
The event ended with a morning tea, with attendees using the opportunity to share their memories and stories of the region.
The book, Pioneers of the East Collie, is available at Reubens News.