Albury & District Historical Society

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Albury & District Historical Society

The Albury & District Historical Society was founded in 1960 to play a part in the preservation of t

14/02/2025

The view looking to the east along Dean street from Monument Hill. The colourised ‘Then’ photo taken in the early 20th century, the ‘Now’ photo a few years ago.

07/02/2025

On Anzac Day this year it will be 100 years since the opening and dedication of the Albury War Memorial. The photo is the only one we have showing construction of the memorial and we have one of locals walking up Western Hill for the 1925 opening ceremony – there must be more photos of construction and/or the opening in personal collections. If you have photos, could you deliver originals for possible digitising to Albury LibraryMuseum in Kiewa street or email copies to [email protected] Many thanks, Greg

31/01/2025

Almost 90 years of Lola Wigg Salon.
Left – an older ‘Lola Wigg’ sign, right a recent sign.
When Lola sold the business in 1949 she thanked her customers of “the past 14 years” - suggests she started business in 1935, but no reference to Lola Wigg Salon can be found in BMM of 1935, so she probably started in 1936.
The first advertisement found on Trove for the Lola Wigg Salon appeared in the Border Morning Mail of February 25, 1938: “Deep, Natural-looking Waves and Ringlet Ends! For your next permanent wave appointment ring Albury 277. Prices range from 15/6 to 30/- for full head; ends from 10/6. Lola Wigg, Beauty, Salon, Mate’s Lounge.”
In November 1940, the salon moved from Mate’s Lounge to the AMP Lane in the recently completed T&G building. In 2025 Lola Wigg is further down the AMP Lane.
Lola Mary Gayford Wigg was born in Corowa in 1911 and attended school at St Joseph’s Convent of Mercy Albury. In March 1949 she sold Lola Wigg Salon to Miss Jean Schulz. The business passed to Doris Watkin in October 1951.
https://www.facebook.com/LolaWiggHairCafe

24/01/2025

School goes back next week.
Some of our FB followers will relate to this, some may be in the photo - a 1965 photo of the morning assembly at Albury North High School (now James Fallon HS). Spot the differences (eg the school cases, not back-packs, neat rows of students standing upright and all listening). This area now covered with a roof. These students would now be aged well into their 70s.

17/01/2025

The ‘Then’ photo Looking east on Smollett street towards the Albury Railway Station in the 1930s. Note the horses and riders, the bicycle against the tree and the motor vehicles.
The building was officially opened on February 26, 1882. It was designed in an Italianate style under the direction of John Whitton, engineer-in-charge for NSW Railways. “The grandeur of the new building stood as a symbol of NSW’s colonial pride” (Pennay, 2006).

10/01/2025

The ‘Then’ photo was taken not long after the third Union Bridge was opened in April 1961, visible in front of the bridge it replaced. The first Union Bridge opened at the same site in 1861. In 1898 it was replaced by the second Union Bridge which is the trellised structure visible in the background of the ‘Then’ photo.

03/01/2025

How observant are you? Can you spot the problem with the Albury Railway Station clock? The left hand image faces south, the right hand image faces west, looking down Smollett street. Look closely at twenty past the hour. Which is correct, looking south or looking west?

27/12/2024

'Then' photo is of the Gloucester Hotel in 1961 on the north-east corner of Townsend and Smollett streets. The building was originally the Commercial Banking Company of Sydney, built by William Jones and opening in March 1859. In the early 1890s, the CBC bank moved to the AMP building in Dean St. They moved again in 1911 to the corner of Dean & Kiewa streets. That building was demolished in 1936 and is now NAB.
In 1893 their old Townsend st premises became the Criterion Hotel. The hotel was renamed the “Duke of Gloucester” in 1935 (the Duke of Gloucester visited Australia in February 1935).
The building was demolished in October 1984 to make way for Kmart and Westend Shopping Complex.

20/12/2024

Mate’s store on the corner of Dean and Kiewa streets each year had a window display at Christmas that kept generations of Albury children (and adults) enthralled. Many of the displays were the work of Stan Heppner – Stan had small motors inside the characters to create movement and the impression that Santa’s helpers were at work. This photo was in Mate’s window in the 1960s with Santa’s helpers busy with toymaking.

13/12/2024

La Marr’s Masters of Melody were a local dance band in the 1920s At Albury’s Annual Diggers’ Ball of 1926, the ‘Albury Banner’ reported that “Dancing was most enjoyable, the strains of La Marrs' Masters of Melody, being heard to advantage.” The photo was taken in 1926, band members left to right: Roy Muller, George Becque, Pat Flannigan (Flanagan?), Sylvy Graeber, Keith Howard, Colin McLellan.

06/12/2024

Wool bales for sale arriving at Albury Railway Station. The ‘Weekly Times’ of May 14, 1934 reported: “Australia is said to be carried on the sheep's back. This expression is particularly applicable to Albury, for wool has been chiefly responsible for the splendid progress of the town ... With the large quantity of wool grown in the locality, it is not surprising that Albury has become the greatest inland market of Australia ... The 1929 season established a new record, for in that year 62,365 bales were received into store ... its value was approximately £1,306,616 (about $123,000,000 in 2024 money).

29/11/2024

Amp Lane or A.M.P. Lane?
There is still debate about this question. Is the lane named for a unit of electric current, after all the lane does cross Volt Lane, or is it named for the AMP Society?
Electricity was switched on in Albury in 1915 and Volt Lane got its name in 1916 when the electrical sub-station opened in the lane. By then the lane that crossed Volt Lane had been known as A.M.P. for about 30 years.
Colloquially the lane has been A.M.P. Lane since 1881 but it was not made official until May 21, 2013.
Checking the Trove website for references in Albury newspapers: spelled A.M.P. Lane (with full-stops) there are 827 references, 87 of these pre-1930 and dating back to the 19th century. Spelled AMP (no full-stops) there are 260 references, ALL of them AFTER 1930 (very few of these Amp).
The AMP Society opened on the northern end of the lane in 1881. That building burnt down in 1885 and a new building went up. It was demolished in 1941 to be replaced by the current building.
Look closely at the photo and you will see that someone has covered the full stops.

22/11/2024

Fallon Wine Cellars at 550 Kiewa street were opened in 1869 and demolished in 2007 to make way for Quest Apartments. They were said to be an attraction of Albury that all visitors must see. Above the cellars was Fallon’s store which was demolished in the 1960s. The Ovens & Murray Advertiser described the cellars in June 1870:
“On entering the cellars, the visitor is struck with the number and size of the casks, all full of generous liquid, that meet his view. There are casks to the right, casks to the left, casks in front, and casks behind, and all of monster dimensions. Five standing in a row, attract particular attention on account of their size. The term vat would be more appropriate if applied to these, each having a capacity of 1400 gallons [5300 litres], and occupying more space than do many dwelling houses used in the colonies ... As regards the wines, there are between 60,000 and 70,000 gallons [about 260,000 litres] of the present and last year’s vintages ... all the varieties, Verdeilho, Reisling, Tokay, and the other descriptions for which the Upper Murray has become famous.”

15/11/2024

Interpreting the clues in William Hovell’s journal, it appears that the expedition party camped the night of November 15 1824 somewhere near what we now know as Corry’s Road. At dawn the next morning they proceeded south-west and quite early on November 16 they arrived at the river that they named the Hume River (later re-named the Murray by Sturt), close to the western end of what we now know as Hume Street. They were now in the district known to local Wiradjuri as Bungambrawatha, on the river they called Milawa Bila.
The river was too wide to cross at that point so they proceeded downstream looking for a place to cross, camping the night of the 16th about three and a half miles down.
Tomorrow morning there will be a commemoration at Hovell Tree Reserve starting at 10am. The new signage and landscaping around the Hovell Tree will be ‘unveiled.’ Not only will the arrival of Europeans be recognised but also the displacement of First Nations people from this district.
More information and photos at https://alburyhistory.org.au/the-hume-hovell-expedition/
Check also https://facebook.com/events/s/hume-hovell-commemoration/573697491734164/

13/11/2024

On the night of November 13, 1824, the Hume and Hovell expedition party camped near what we now call Table Top. They called it Battery Mount as to them, from the angle they first spotted the range, it resembled a battery of guns. The next day, Sunday November 14, was a rest day so both Hume and Hovell climbed Table Top to get a view of what was in front of them. They camped at the same spot that night before proceeding on Monday morning.
This evening starting at 7.30 in the Banksia Room at the Commercial Club, there will be a Q&A session examining the significance of the expedition, both to Europeans and for the local First Nations people. All welcome.
More information and photos at https://alburyhistory.org.au/the-hume-hovell-expedition/
Check also https://facebook.com/events/s/hume-hovell-commemoration/573697491734164/

11/11/2024

“All for our Heroes” reads the sign on the table on the Dean-Kiewa street corner outside the Commercial Banking Company of Sydney. During World War I there were several groups raising money to support our troops serving overseas. Groups created locally included the Patriotic Fund, the Belgian Relief Fund, the Albury War Chest Day Fund, the Red Cross and others. Locally, these funds raised thousands of pounds with proceeds from various activities which included street stalls.
Lest we forget.

08/11/2024

Stuart Gordon Landscaping and Albury City garden's team have been rejuvenating the Hovell Tree surrounds preparing for events next week - Albury City in collaboration with Albury & District Historical Society will be commemorating the bicentenary of the arrival of the 1824 Hume & Hovell Expedition to our district. On November 16 the expeditioners arrived at the river that local indigenous people called Milawa Bila and renamed it the Hume River (later re-named Murray River). Not able to cross because of the swollen river, they searched downstream for a crossing place before returning then searching upstream. They were able to cross in a makeshift raft at a site now under the water of Lake Hume. The illustration appeared in the Melbourne Age on January 20, 1934.
The timetable of activities:
November 12 to December 13 – display of memorabilia and images relating to the expedition of 1824. Foyer, AlburyCity Administration Building.
November 13, 7.30 pm – Q&A type panel of three in the Banksia Room at the Commercial Club Albury, Dr Bruce Pennay, Peter Harper and Kat Kitch, moderator Greg Aplin. All welcome.
November 14 – Dr Bruce Pennay previewing work on a digital educational resource looking at the impact of European colonisation. At Albury LibraryMuseum, 4.30pm to 5.30pm.
November 14 – Peter Harper and Keith Wiencke present their stories and experiences of the Explorers’ Bike Ride 2024. At Retro Café, 10am to 11am.
November 16 – unveiling of new information panels and upgrade around Hovell Tree surrounds, a community event.
November 17 – North Albury Rotary Club organised charity walk to top of Table Top. Departs 9.00am.
More information and photos at https://alburyhistory.org.au/the-hume-hovell-expedition/
Check also https://facebook.com/events/s/hume-hovell-commemoration/573697491734164/

01/11/2024

A view of the Albury Railway Station and railway yards looking north-west from above what was once Parkinson street. Comparing the two images, clearly there is more activity in the ‘Then’ photo - until 1962, all passengers and all freight had to be transferred at Albury from Victorian trains running on the broad gauge line to NSW trains on the standard gauge line (or vice versa). The Hume Freeway replaced Parkinson street.

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PO Box 822
Albury, NSW
2640

Website

https://www.alburyhistory.org.au/

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Albury was recognised on last night’s news (May 9) on CBS Miami, Florida. Mary Bulmer was an Albury girl, she married William Brickell and is recognised by many as the “Mother of Miami.” Read more about Mary in our October 2022 Bulletin, go tohttps://alburyhistory.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/ADHS-Bulletin-638.pdf